This book is thoroughly enjoyable.
Frederick Stonehouse has obviously spent a great many hours researching the lighthouses, lightships, keeps and wrecks detailed in this book. He also has a great deal of affection for his subject. The book contains an encapsulated history of the lighthouse service at the beginning, which sets the historicval context of the tales that follow. These range from factual accounts from logs to anecdotal stories from survivors' relatives, taking in a lighthouse hymn on the way. The tales are sometimes a bit dry, and can seem like lists of ships wrecked and the places of wrecks, and Stonehouse's style sometimes seems amateurish. But this does not dampen his enthusiasm for the topic nor his knowledge. A great read.

I must mention the illustrations, which are a mixture of photographs, drawings, and diagrams. These have obviously been sought out with the utmost care by the author, another sign that he knows his subject. They would benefit from better reproduction as some seem smudged and details are blotchy on some. Another requirement (in the next edition please!) would be for five pages of the book to be used for maps of the great lakes showing the positions of all the lighthouses.

There is no more comprehensive study in English of the life of Frederick II of Prussia. Carlyle spent over 15 years researching and writing this work during the mid-19th Century, and it pays off for the reader in the form of an absolute bonanza of details about arguably the most influential European prince of the 18th Century.

The strength of the work lies in the fact that no detail is too small to be excluded. Whether it is the three pages Carlyle devotes to Frederick's initiation into the Freemasons or the volumes devoted to his conduct during the Seven Year's War, if Carlyle doesn't describe it, one is left with the feeling that it probably didn't happen. Carlyle doesn't even let you at the subject of the work for the first 250 pages or so while he sets the stage for Frederick's life.

The biggest weaknesses of the work are the labored, Dickensian prose, and its length. This is not a piece that many readers will get through in a matter of weeks-- this reader needed two years to make it through a casual reading. Frederick fans may like the favorable treatment of the subject in general, but some of the praise heaped on Frederick does seem a bit much at times. Carlyle also tends to see issues in black and white, and seems hard pressed to refrain from ridiculing some of Frederick's contemporaries.

Overall, this book is an invaluable resource to those interested in Frederick II, and practically eliminates the need for the armchair historian who wishes to know more about the man and his times to brush up on his or her French and German.

Marryat had a way with words (I found myself constantly looking them up in the dictionary). This is an engrossing tale of a young lad who's Father is hanged after the mutiny at Nore (where his mother also dies after the hanging). He is then adopted by the Navy and spends his life at sea. From ship's boy, to midshipman, to lieutenant, the tale encompasses engagements at sea with smugglers, pirates, and the French. The lad was also the grandson of an admiral, unbeknownst to him, and the heir to a vast estate. Thus part of the tale revolves around the inheritors of his estate, who believe him dead. Although this book is a great read, Marryat at times wanders far a field. And, at times departs completely from the story on some other tack. The ending of the book is exciting and surprising, and for Marryat, different from his other works. He apparently took a lot of flack from his readers at the time. There are some great characters introduced in the book, in particular some of the crew of the frigate that the hero (Willy Seymore) spends several years on (voyaging to the West and East Indies). The surgeon reminds me much of the good doctor in O'Brien's books. Many a good character passed before my eyes, but they were mere shadows of what could have been literary legends. In some respects, this book is disappointing; it could have been so much more. But all told mate, it is still a great read.

Unlike some other recent Osprey Campaign series titles, Kolin 1757 follows the standard Osprey format faithfully and even attempts some analysis of why the battle turned out as it did. The Battle of Kolin was Frederick the Great's first defeat but it has not been covered well in recent historical writing and thus, this volume is something of a godsend to Prussian enthusiasts.

The book begins with a short section on the road to war and chronology of the campaign, then moves rapidly into sections on opposing commanders, opposing armies and a detailed order of battle. The section on commanders is quite good, and also discusses command and control in 18th Century warfare. The Spring 1757 Campaign and Battle of Prague in May 1757 are covered in eight pages. Unfortunately, the lack of a map for the Battle of Prague is a serious omission, since Frederick attempted similar maneuvers that should be compared at both Prague and Kolin. Frederick's invasion of Bohemia in the Spring of 1757 also demonstrated his tendency to disperse his army in unsupporting columns, lacking centralized coordination and a weighted main effort. The Spring Campaign also demonstrated the Austrian preference for unimaginative cordon defense tactics. While Frederick won the Battle of Prague, it was a costly victory due to the lack of effective Prussian terrain reconnaissance.

The Battle of Kolin itself, which resulted from an Austrian counteroffensive to relieve the besieged city of Prague, is well covered in forty pages of text. There are three 3-D "Bird's Eye View" maps which depict the battle in phases covering 1600-1730 hours, 1730-1830 hours and 1900-2100 hours. Also included are five 2-D maps which depict the approach march to battle, the initial dispositions and the retreat into Saxony. Three excellent battle scenes depict Field Marshal Daun atop Przerovsky Hill, the repulse of the Prussian Norman dragoons by IR Botta and Frederick leaving the field. Overall, the battle narrative is clear and well-supported by maps and illustrations, although the tangled nature of the charges and counter-charges atop Krzeczor Hill are difficult to follow. One minor criticism is that the author's reference to the "smell of cordite" over the battlefield is erroneous since cordite was not yet invented.

A welcome but unusual section in the aftermath of the battle attempts to analyze the action using the principles of war. Unfortunately, the author does not seem to fully grasp what the principle of war consist of, since he includes morale and flexibility - which are not principles - but excludes maneuver and unity of command. The author properly points out that the principle of objective was compromised by poor Prussian reconnaissance. The principles of surprise and security were also squandered, which contributed greatly to defeat. While the author properly pounds Frederick for lacking mass and wasting resources on secondary objectives, the criticisms only partly explain that the Prussians were attempting to attack at roughly 1:2 odds, instead of the recommended 3:1. Overall, Frederick attempted to use maneuver and the offensive by means of a turning movement to place his enemies in a position of peril, which in itself was a good idea. However, Frederick's turning movement was very clumsy and like his later famous "oblique order," represented little more than a cleverly executed frontal attack. Tactically, Frederick relied on the brawn of his infantry and cavalry to bash their way through a weak point in the enemy cordon, but Frederick was not very adept at finding those weak points. Poor reconnaissance and the lack of effective combined arms tactics that made integrated use of artillery, cavalry and infantry were the weak points of Frederick's method of warfare.

While the author addresses Frederick throughout the text, the portrait that emerges of Frederick in this campaign is far from "great." In particular, Frederick's contempt for the enemy severely degraded the quality of his operational planning; the author notes, "Frederick anticipated the Austrians accommodating his plan by doing nothing to interfere with the movement of his army." Frederick also had an unfortunate tendency to leave his army when things were going badly, which he did at Mollwitz, Lobositz and Kolin. Instead of rallying his defeated troops, Frederick hastened to the rear to sulk. Contrast Frederick's departure with Robert E. Lee's meeting the returning survivors of Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg in 1863 and the disparity of styles in defeat are striking. When the Austrians pursued the defeated Prussians, Frederick turned over command to his brother while Frederick took to bed to mourn the death of his mother (apparently the death of thousands of his troops bothered him less). Yet when Frederick's brother was bested by the Austrians in a minor action, Frederick humiliatingly removed him from command. If anything is taught by the campaign of Kolin, it is that "greatness" is battlefield command is determined by exemplary leadership qualities, not the execution of fancy tactical maneuvers.

After the death of Elizabeth, James VI of Scotland was welcomed to the English throne by wildly jubilent subjects. Most of their joy came from relief over the smooth succession and the avoidance of the devastating civil war that many of the Virgin Queen's subjects anticipated with dread. Suddenly the nightmare of an uncertain succession was a thing of the past. Here was an experienced king, a relatively young man wed to a king's daughter, and the father of three healthy children. England fell in love with the heir to the throne, the handsome, athletic, effortlessly regal and highly promising Prince Henry.

This book is not so much a biography of the young prince, but a study of his "personation." From his birth, Henry was the focus of myth-makers: clergymen, poets, noblemen, all eager to impose their own agendas. He would be a warrior king -- Henry V reborn. He would be the Protestant champion who would unite Protestant Europe and drive the Papists into oblivion. He would undo the lifework of his peacemaker father and rekindle the age-old conflict against Spain. He would promote English patriotism not only through war, but through aggressive colonization. He would rebuild the crumbling navy, and make England a power to be respected and feared. And he might have done all this and more, had he not died at the age of eighteen.

In a very real sense, a study of the myth -- the personation -- is a study of Henry's life. The young prince apparently absorbed these expectations and attempted to mold himself to fulfill them. He excelled in martial sports, was a fine horsemen, and was fascinated with naval and military history. He carried on correspondence with Henry VI of France, befriended Sir Walter Ralegh, supported the colonization of Virginia. The Puritans held up his austere, disciplined life as an example, as well as a rebuke the decadence of the Jacobean court.

It's tempting to speculate on what might have been. What if the athletic prince had contented himself with another tennis match rather than swimming in the highly poluted Thames? What if the medicine that the imprisoned Ralegh sent (probably quinine, which might have broken the debilitating fever)had been administered earlier? If Henry lived, could he have averted the Civil War that shattered his younger brother's reign? Or would he have led England into a disastrous continental war? This book suggests some interesting possibilities.

Not recommended for the casual reader, but an excellent addition to the library of anyone who is interested in the history of the early 17th century, and the fascinating story of the Stuart dynasty.

If you enjoyed 'God is an Englishman' by the same author, you will want to continue reading about the saga of Adam Swann and especially his family in this sequel. Both novels are what one might label 'industrial fiction,' or books that treat England's economic transformation during the 19th century and its social consequences, along the lines of a Dickens novel. Although I was attracted to read both novels for this reason, even if one isn't interested in the economic and social aspects, the story itself, based on the interpersonal relationships of a varied list of middle and lower class characters and especially the entrepreneurial Adam Swann, is intriguing enough to keep reading to the end. And 'Theirs was the Kingdom' was the stronger of the two novels in this sense, especially in developing how Adam's children reached adulthood, the career paths they followed, and how they came to meet their spouses. If you want to learn the basic story line, see the reviews for 'God is an Englishman.'

An excellent set of stories for those interested in the Great Lakes, or any aspect of maritime history.

Having read Dean King's recommendation (as he is usually accurate), I was expecting something above the average - especially as it is included in a series of Classics...
Sadly, not.
Written in typical 19th Century style, it tends to verbosity and skirting around, instead of coming straight to the point.

Considering that Marryat was a disciple of Cochrane, there is remarkably little action and little detail of that... a few shots are exchanged, the enemy is boarded and the prize is taken in one easy lesson - none of the tension, tactics and strategems that feature so large in other nautical tales. Nor do we get under the skin of any of the characters, there is no fleshing-out of the personalities, so we end up not caring what happens to them.

Our Hero Percival stumbles from one lucky accident to the next in true Victorian story-telling style, but there seems to be no central theme to the plot, apart from his estranged father's aloofness and disguised patronage.

I kept expecting some surprise or twist in the tale, but only the expected happened.

Marryat displays his colors in his usual fashion: "normal" people, real characters, and the tang of salt air in your nostrils as you read.

The unacknowledged son of a post captain, young Percival strives to do his duty to achieve his father's/captain's respect. Adventures ensue.

Easy to read. Less social critique than Mr. Midshipman Easy. Less gruesome reality than The Privateersman. Not his best, but it is still a good yarn!

A truly wonderful British man of war seafaring novel. Marryat is a wonderful story teller. Good characterizations a little mystery. One difference in the Marryat novels is the stories he tells about the pranks that some of the sailors and officers get up to onboard ship and ashore. And of course this is a usual part of shipboard life but the other officers such as O'Brien don't give us as much of this side of life at sea. Some of the pranks had me laughing nearly out of control

If you can't find enough quotes from Bartletts on ronald Reagan then this is a good you may need. Includes "The Speech" and his speech at The 1992 RNC, as well as his letter to the nation annoucing he has Altzheimers.

This book is a collection of quotations from Ronald Reagan, most of which consist of one or two paragraphs lifted from speeches given during his political career. The quotations are interspersed with pictures of the Reagan we know. The quotations are organized by topic into 8 sections.

Although containing a few memorable phrases such as "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!", the true substance of this book is to be found in the enduring values reiterated repeatedly by Ronald Reagan over his political career. From his earliest days as Governor, Reagan warned us that freedom is never more than a generation from extinction and that it must be fought for and defended by each generation. His faith in the creative powers of individual people shines through on these pages. Again and again we are reminded that America is the last, best hope of mankind, the shining city on the hill and that its best days lie ahead. One haunting irony is a jest from his 83rd Birthday party in 1994, only months before the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: "I'm not one for looking back. I figure there will be plenty of time for that when I get old!"

This book contains three speeches substantially in their entirety. The first to be presented is the stirring address to the nation the night of the Challenger tragedy. We are reminded that our President pledged that: "We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them." The book concludes with a beginning and an ending of a public career. The career begins with the rousing 1964 speech for Barry Goldwater which propelled Reagan to national prominence and is completed by the heart touching 1992 farewell to the Republican party.

While reading these pages, the reader learns to appreciate the deeply held beliefs which formed Ronald Reign's vision of the world. This vision can serve as a guide for our own lives and helps us to recognize that the speaker truly was the Last Lion of the Twentieth Century.

Poor editing, with numerous typos and spelling/syntax errors mars this work. There is excellent detail on the organization, training and equipment of the Prussian army, 1740-86. Good individual chapters on Prussian infantry, cavalry, artillery and support services. Frederick does not appear so "great" here; an able tactician and aggressive soldier-king, but marred by pique and an ignorant perspective. He despised his artillerymen and engineers and consequently, his efforts at siege warfare were failures. While the Prussian infantry and cavalry were superb, he under-utilized artillery and most of his "oblique attacks" were merely cleverly-executed frontal attacks. There is an appendix with unit summaries on all Prussian regiments. This could have been a superb work, but it is marred by inadequate maps, which are difficult to understand and don't depict battles well. Incredibly, there are no campaign maps. Additionally, there should have been a biographical chapter on Prussian leaders, as well as line and block charts on organization and a better campaign summary.

Owning the first edition of Duffy's work, I could not wait to see the believed-to-be improved second edition. While some new information exists, there are so many typographical errors permeating the text, that the shoddy work by this publisher substantially distracts the reader from Duffy's prose. What's more, the publisher/editor of this second edition omitted from the listing/battle histories one of the Prussian regiments that was detailed in the original edition. Duffy is a fine historian, but it is too bad that the publisher's efforts were not up to the same standards. In conclusion, I will continue to use the original edition in favor of this second edition.

I agree with the above reader on the issue of typos, but these should not take away from the excellence of Duffy's work on Frederick the Great. The typos aside, this is an excellent and accessible book, which gives a good overview of the Prussian military from 1740-1763 (mainly) without forcing the reader to go through Duffy's more comprehensive biography of the Prussian King if they don't want to.