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Book reviews for "Glynne-Jones,_William" sorted by average review score:

The Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Four Novels and Fifty-Six Short Stories Complete
Published in Hardcover by Outlet (1992)
Authors: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and William S. Baring-Gould
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A godsend for any Holmes fan
Sherlock Holmes has been an obsession of mine since adolescence. When I came across this relatively expensive set of books in junior high school, I ran home and did every chore in the world in my entire neighborhood for three straight days --and added up the dimes and quarters people would give me until I had enough to buy these two volumes. They have been with me ever since. For the first time, I understood what all those words were that I couldn't find in a dictionary, with illustrations and explanations. Even more amazing, I learned that Sherlock Holmes was a real person -- or at least, the editors of these books believed so! The product of a great generation of Holmes fanatics, this collection is full of the arguments over what each story means, what has been included by Dr. Watson, and what must have been left out to protect the innocent. The one truly indispensable volume for Holmes fans, "The Annotated Sherlock Holmes" is an unadulterated joy!

For the Sherlock Homes enthusiasts
If you ever wanted to read the entire Sherlock Holmes canon, this is the best book to buy. Also, if you are one of those Sherlock fans, you will certainly appreciate this book. Apart from Conan Doyle's original text, this book presents lots of interesting information about Victorian England, linking it with the text. If Holmes spends a crown on something, Baring-Gould will not only calculate its value today but will also show you a picture of the coins at that time. If Holmes and Dr. Watson have to take a transportation to go somewhere, Baring-Gould will show a picture and description of the exact transportation they used. Finally, if the two inseparable friends have to investigate something in a specific address, the book shows a map or picture of the site. However, the book most interesting quality is an extensive research the editor made in order to sort the stories chronologically, not in the order Conan Doyle wrote them but in the order they in fact happened. All those details make the book so real that after you finish this book, you will get a strange feeling that the most famous fictitious detective in the world really lived at 221b Baker Street or a strange feeling that Holmes was not simply a delusion of Dr. Watson, himself the alter ego of Conan Doyle.

"But he had not the supreme gift of the artist.
the knowledge of when to stop." Thus remarks Holmes to Lestrade about the villainous Jonas Oldacre

( By the bye giving an excellent piece of advice to all artists, villainous or not. Truly the stage, as Watson keeps reminding us, lost a great actor when Holmes embarked upon the profession of consulting detective )

It would appear that Jonas, in his attempt to send the innocent John Hector Mc Farlane to the gallows, could not resist adding a final touch which brought his nefarious plans crashing down---he planted a stain of blood on the wall upon which Mc Farlane's fingerprint would be found!

Lestrade: "You are aware that no two thumb-marks are alike ? "
Holmes: "I have heard something of the kind. "

Whereupon Wiliaim S Baring-Gould, greatest of Holmseian addict/scholars treats us to a footnote on the margin regarding Galton's method of fingerprining, given to the British Association in 1899 and concludes that--

By my gold amethyst encrusted snuff-box, this is fun!

It's the best rendering of Conan Doyle's canon, complete with maps of London, illustrations from Collier's, vintage 1903; coats of arms, photographs, drawings--in brief, the world of S.H. made explicable, and vivid.

Naturally you knew that when Watson informs us that their long suffering landlady, Mrs.Hudson, lived on the first floor flat, he's using it in the English sense: what we Americans would call 'the second floor.' Or that a 'life preserver' was a short bludgeon, usually of flexible cane, whalebone, or the like loaded with lead at one end. Or that---

Hmm...now what was that about the supreme gift of the artist?


Charlotte's Web/Stuart Little/the Trumpet of the Swan
Published in Paperback by Harpercollins Juvenile Books (2000)
Authors: E. B. White, Garth Williams, and Fred Marcellino
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a great author with three great books to share!
All three books are pretty good. Charlottes web is the best with a cute little pig named wilbur longing for a friend. Stuart little is also a good book. You get to see the world through the eyes of a mouse. The third book-Trumpet of the swan-is only ok!

Stuart Little
Stuart Little is a mouse that is about 2 inches tall. Stuart is part of the family of the Fredrick.C.Littles. He has a friendly but shy manner. He's very smart for a mouse but his size gives him trouble sometimes. His life is an adventure when he sets out on the age of seven,he trys to find his dearest friend,Margalo, a friendly little bird who stayed with the Littles in their Boston Fern.

Stuart Little is an interesting book. I enjoyed reading it beacause it was funny and it had interesting vocabulary. There were some sad parts in the book. This Book got me absorbed into it.

I would recommend this book for children of the ages of 8 to 12. If you like fantasy stories then you would love this book. If you are a person who likes certain kinds of fantasy books then you should probably enjoy Stuart Little because you may get absorbed into the book. Also if you like fantasy books that have animals in it that talk and you like the Author E.B.White then you'll like this book.

This is a great book - it has adventure and entertainment.
The best part of this book was when the sail boat race took place. I liked that part because the policeman fell in the water. Also, I liked being able to see the world through a mouse's eyes. Margalo is a great character in the book because she is smart and she helped Stuart. I am looking forward to reading another book by E.B. White, such as Charlotte's Web and the Trumpet of the Swan.


Henry V
Published in Textbook Binding by Cambridge University Press (1947)
Author: William Shakespeare
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A brilliant play
Required to read Henry for my AP English Language class, I came into the play with a bias. I honestly felt that it would be a boring political play. I was utterly wrong! A huge fan of Shakespeare, I found Henry V to be a formidable match for the Bard's more critically acclaimed plays, such as Hamlet and Macbeth. Henry has it all! Shakespeare's attitude toward Henry the King is certainly one of admiration. By communicating the fact that an effective monarch must have a complete understanding of the common subjects (Pistol and Bardolph and Quickly), Shakespeare sets up Henry to be the ideal Christian king. The controlled language of Henry's speeches, particularly his response to the Dauphin's idiotic insult, also glorifies Henry. I certainly recommend this play to anyone, fan of Shakespeare or not.

Excellent Publication/Version (Arden Shakespeare)
I looked long and hard (and asked many a scholar) for the "perfect" Shakespeare publication that I might purchase to study "King Henry V" (for a experiential education requirement, I had undertaken the translation of Henry V into American Sign Language). The Arden Shakespeare came highly recommended by everyone, and has lived up entirely to all its rave reviews.

I will never buy Shakespeare from another publisher. While these books may be slightly more expensive than a "mass market" edition, I believe that if you are going to take the time to read and understand Shakespeare, it is well worth the extra dollar or two. The Introduction, the images, and plethora of footnotes are irreplaceable and nearly neccessary for a full understanding of the play (for those of us who are not scholars already). The photocopy of the original Quatro text in the appendix is also very interesting.

All in all, well worth it! I recommend that you buy ALL of Shakespeare's work from Arden's critical editions.

Profoundly Brilliant!
Written by Shakespeare for Queen Elizabeth I amidst a time of Irish rebellion, Henry V more than adequately serves its intended purpose of galvanizing nationalistic fervor. It proved itself to be an unwavering and unfaltering impetus of patriotism in Shakespeare's day, during WWII, and still today it continues to resonate and reverberate this provocatively telling tale of the most gloriously revered monarch in English history.

Henry V's stirring orations prior to the victorious battles of Harfleur("Once more unto the breach") and Agincourt("We few, we happy few, we band of brothers") astonish and inspire me every time I read them. Simply amazing. Having read Henry IV Parts I&II beforehand, I was surprised Shakespeare failed to live up to his word in the Epilogue of Part II in which he promised to "continue the story, with Sir John in it." The continuing follies of the conniving Bardolph, Nym, & Pistol and their ignominious thieving prove to be somewhat of a depricating underplot which nevertheless proves to act as a succinct metaphor for King Harry's "taking" of France.

Powerful and vibrant, the character of Henry V evokes passion and unadulterated admiration through his incredible valor & strength of conviction in a time of utter despondency. It is this conviction and passion which transcends time, and moreover, the very pages that Shakespeare's words are written upon. I find it impossible to overstate the absolute and impregnable puissance of Henry V, a play which I undoubtedly rate as the obligatory cream of the crop of Shakespeare's Histories. I recommend reading Henry IV I&II prior to Henry V as well as viewing Kenneth Branagh's masterpiece film subsequent to reading the equally moving work.


Jessica's Secret Diary
Published in Paperback by Bantam Books (1994)
Authors: Francine Pascal and Kate William
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cool
i read this a few months ago when i was 11, i think it's a cool book, a typical sweet valley book, but i love sv books, jessica is my favourite charactor anyway, well my friend lended it to me, and i couldn't put it down! i was reading it during dinner! it wasn't that sad, but i didn't really particulary like the ending, i wish jessica didn't dump aj :> oh well

The surprises of love, life and school!
Life is full of little surprises and you never know when one can happen. This story is about Jessica Wakefield and her little surprises of life. This book shares her feelings and thoughts about love,(one of her major surprises) life and school. My opinion on this book is that it was well written and seemed to be realistic. It's one of those books that you just can't put down! In the Sweet Valley High series there is another diary by Jessica. That one is probably the better of the two. I guess I would rate it a 10! I suggest this book to anyone who likes to read about love, life and school! If you don't like the book I'll be very surprised

A Great Book
This book was fun to read. It included what was going on plus what she was thinking. If you like Sweet Valley High books, you'll love this one!


Josephus Complete Works
Published in Hardcover by Nelson Reference (15 November, 1998)
Authors: Flavius Josephus and William Whiston
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A fine comprehensive history of Biblical times
The value of this volume is threefold, and all are noteworthy.

First, Josephus' account of the historical events and people in Judea during the 1st century A.D. has no peer. Josephus' facts are the most reliable from any secular historian during that period.

Second, Josephus' histories corroborate the Biblical accounts. Josephus, a Jewish general captured by the Romans during Judea's struggle for independence which ended in 70 A.D., mentions John the Baptist, the Herodian rulers of Judea, Pontius Pilate, and Jesus Christ. Josephus "fills in the blanks" by supplying detail not mentioned by the New Testament authors and gives flesh, bone (and blood) to the characters the Gospels and the Book of Acts relates.

Third, the translator, William Whiston, adds insightful and invaluable footnotes throughout the text. Whiston corrects Josephus where necessary or gives the reader more detail in support of Josephus' assertions by reference to other primary sources, many of which are no longer extant. Where Josephus refers to Jewish customs, Whiston explains them for the Gentile reader.

Thus, this book is best used as a reference book, though reading through Josephus' complete works is fruitful. The book is fairly compact for one containing 1000 pages. The pages are thin, which allows for its compact size, but which causes any highlighting or margin notes to "bleed" through to the reverse side of the page. The font size is 10 point, which makes for comfortable reading on the eyes. The appendices contain very helpful charts, including one which lists those excerpts from the Bible which run parallel to Josephus' chapters.

This is a great source book for any historian or Biblical scholar.

Getting the "news" from 20 centuries ago!
This is a valuable resource for anyone who is interested in Palestine as it was during the intertestimental period. Himself a Jew who was taken captive by his Roman conquerors, Flavius Josephus became an accomplished historian of his day and his writings demonstrate an intimate knowledge of the Romans and Jews of his time. His writings offer insights into Jewish history, religion and customs as well as the war which ended Jewish independence for nearly two thousand years.

As with any account of history, this one bears its own biases and preferences. Begin with a personal study of Josephus and his background and what we know of the production of his historical accounts. From this starting point, however, nothing will prove more satisfying than reading the words of Josephus (in translation) for yourself! This volume begins with the historian's own autobiography and it only gets better as one continues to read.

Great Resource
Flavius Josephus (about AD 37-101) lived and worked during the first century AD, a time when major events occurred that would impact Judaism forever and the religion known as Christianity was born. He provides us with firsthand information regarding the Jews and Romans, which acts as good background information to the New Testament writings. After all, he lived during the time of the early Church. He also (scholarly debates aside) mentioned Jesus, John the Baptist and James. This edition includes his complete works. They are:

The Life of Flavius Josephus: This allows the reader learn about the life of Josephus from his own pen.

Antiquities of the Jews (20 chapters): It chronicles the history of the Jewish people from the Genesis creation account until the outbreak of revolt in AD 66. This section also includes information on the Roman leaders of the Jewish province, such as the Herods.

The Jewish Wars (7 chapters): This is Josephus' account of Jewish uprisings and wars. It starts with Antiochus Epiphanes. Most of the book, however, chronicles the Jews under the Romans, including the subjugation by Vespasian, the siege and conquest of the temple by Titus and the sedition of the Jews at Cyrene.

Against Apion (2 books): This is a defense of the antiquity of the Jewish people and a refutation of the charges brought against them by the grammarian Apion of Alexandria.

An Extract from the Discourses to the Greeks Concerning Hades: This short document outlines "Josephus'" views on Hades. Many scholars do not think Josephus is the author.

The translations are fairly easy to read, but since they were completed in the middle of the eighteenth century some words may be difficult for certain readers. This edition also includes annotations that illuminate difficult passages in the text. These are very helpful. There is an index of names and themes, a very helpful feature for readers who want to find information on a certain person, place, etc. This edition also contains a table of Jewish weights and measures, a list of Old Testament parallels, and a list of the ancient sources cited by Josephus. There are eight black and white maps too. An appendix with 7 scholarly essays that examine certain issues relating to the writings of Josephus has been included (e.g. the legitimacy of the reference to Jesus). They are old and do not represent modern scholarship. Consequently, they are not too helpful. Still, this book has the complete works of Josephus in an inexpensive package and anyone interested in Christianity, Jewish history, or the ancient world should not be without it.


Medea
Published in Paperback by Players Press (1993)
Authors: Euripides, William-Alan Landes, Michael Wodhull, and Willian-Alan Landes
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Hell Hath No Fury...
"Medea" is a classical work that many have heard of, but few have actually read. It is the story of the wife of Jason, leader of Argonauts, and her chilling plot of revenge against an unfaithful husband and his new child-bride. The play is short, concise, and powerfully unnerving. Whether this is a history of misogyny or a warning of the vengeance of a wronged woman is a matter better left to scholarly debate. Provocative, disturbing, and at times heartbreaking, this is a definite must-read for neo-Classicists and avid readers alike. Not to be missed.

Scorned Barbarian Woman Bent on Revenge
This is one of those remarkable plays that feels like it was written just last week. Medea is the daughter of the evil King Aeetes in Colchis -- on the remote, eastern side of the Black Sea. She assists Jason in slaying the serpent that guarded the golden fleece, and fell deeply in love with him. (See Apollonius Rhodius' Argonautica for a fuller treatment of the love episode at Colchis). She even killed her brother, Absrytus, on their way back to Greece.

Medea has one problem, however. Aside from the fact she is a witch, she is a barbarian, a non-Greek. The Greeks used the word "barbaros" to refer to all people who weren't Greek, because if they didn't speak Greek, it just sounded like "bar bar bar" to the Greeks.

So after Jason and Medea settle in together back in Greece, his homeland, he decides that his interests (and Medea's) are better served if he marries the daughter of King Creon of Corinth. Medea gets jealous, poisons the woman, and then kills her two children in revenge.

Medea is an absolutely riveting character, whose tragic problems are those of all woman who have left their homes and families to follow men to foreign lands, only to be scorned by them in the end. The speeches of Jason and Medea are remarkable point-counterpoint presentations which reflect the deep influence of the sophists of Euripides' day. Medea sounds, at times, like a proto-feminist. She is one of the most enduring dramatic creations of all times, revealing with each line the remarkable genius of Euripides, the most modern of the three great Greek tragedians

Euripides uses Medea's infanticides to try teaching a lesson
Every time there is a horrific story in the news about a mother murdering her children, the classic tragedy "Medea" by Euripides is mentioned. However, a close reading of the actual play shows that the point Euripides is trying to make in this drama is not about infanticide, but rather about the way "foreigners" are treated in Greece (this is best seen in the odes of the Chorus of Corinthian Women). The other key component of the play is the psychology of Medea and the way in which she constructs events to help convince herself to do the unspeakable deed and kill the two sons she has borne Jason. There is a very real sense in which Jason is the true villain of the piece and I do not think there is a comparable example in the extant Greek tragedies remain wherein a major mythological hero is made to look as bad as Euripides does in this play.

Another important thing to remember in reading "Medea" is that the basic elements of the story were already known to the Athenian audience that would be watching the play. Consequently, when the fact that Medea is going to kill her children is not a surprise what becomes important are the motivations the playwright presents in telling this version of the story. The audience remembers the story of the Quest for the Golden Fleece and how Medea betrayed her family and her native land to help Jason. In some versions of the story Medea goes so far as to kill her brother, chop up his body, and throw it into the sea so their father, the King of Colchis, must stop his pursuit of the Argo to retrieve the body of his son. However, as a foreigner Medea is not allowed to a true wife to Jason, and when he has the opportunity to improve his fortune by marrying the princess of Corinth, Medea and everything she had done for him are quickly forgotten.

To add insult to injury, Jason assures Medea that his sons will be well treated at the court while the King of Corinth, worried that the sorceress will seek vengeance, banishes her from the land. After securing sanctuary in Athens (certainly an ironic choice given this is where the play is being performed), Medea constructs a rather complex plan. Having coated a cloak with poison, she has her children deliver it to the princess; not only will the princess die when she puts on the cloak (and her father along with her), the complicity of the children in the crime will give her an excuse to justify killing in order to literally save them from the wrath of the Corinthians.

This raises an interest questions: Could Medea have taken the children with her to her exile in Athens? On the one hand I want to answer that obviously, yes, she can; there is certainly room in her dragon-drawn chariot. But given her status as a foreigner, if Jason goes to Athens and demands the return of his children, would he not then have a claim that Medea could not contest? More importantly, is not Medea's ultimate vengeance on Jason that she will hurt him by taking away everything he holds dear, namely his children and his princess bride?

In the final line of the play the Chorus laments: "Many things beyond expectation do the gods fulfill. That which was expected has not been accomplished; for that which was unexpected has god found the way. Such was the end of this story." This last line has also found its way into the conclusion of other dramas by Euripides ("Alcestis," "Bacchae" and "Andromache"), but I have always found it to fit the ending of "Medea" best, so I suspect that is where it originally came from and ended up being appended to those other plays sometime during the last several thousand years. However, the statement is rather disingenuous because one of the rather standard approaches in a play by Euripides is that his characters often deserve their fate. In a very real sense, Euripides provides justification for Medea's monstrous crime and his implicit argument to the Athenian audience is that the punishment fits the crime. However, Athenians would never give up their air of superiority; at least not until foreigners such as the Macedonians and the Romans conquered the self-professed cradle of democracy.


Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Published in Hardcover by Williams & Wilkins (1990)
Authors: Richard H. Williams and Thomas Lathrop Stedman
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Endless list of medical terms.
This is a great medical dictionary that has every possible medical term. It is 2,000 pages of great illustrations, easy to understand definitions and very complete. You have other medical dictionaries but Stedman's beat them all hands down. You get this medical dictionary, you very likely may not need another. Stedman's will cover all your medical terminology needs.

What else can you ask? (Some veterinary terms, perhaps?)
I teach Parasitology and I have found that my students learn the terms more easily if they know what they mean. So I needed a medical dictionary to help me with the etimology. Being a sort of a bibliophile, I had older editions of the 2 major medical dictionaries in the English language: the Dorland's and the Stedman's. I checked the old texts thoroughly and read carefully the descriptions of the new ones. I can't remember why I chose the Stedman's but I do remember that it was a very tight decision. So I have had the Stedman's for a few weeks and I can't think of anything else that I may need in a dictionary: it has excellent typography, clear definitions, beautiful color text and illustrations, comprehensive etimology (the Greek roots are NOT written in Greek, which is a blessing for me). I might only wish the inclusion of some specific veterinary terms (which are also missing in the competition) and sturdier covers (the corners of the hardback edition covers arrived bent; it was a 5,000 miles trip though)

Clear, concise, and user-friendly
This dictionary has many helpful features such as a well-illustrated color anatomy section, a large word-finder index, appendices of DRGs,blood groups, lab values, temperature scales, elements, symbols, and more. The inside cover details the many features contained in the definitions. The layout is easy to read. This also contains many illustrations and diagrams. This is an excellent medical reference book.


Lincoln's Virtues
Published in Paperback by Vintage Books (04 February, 2003)
Author: William Lee Miller
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Scholarly Work on the Development of a Moral man
This is a very scholarly work on the development of Lincoln's ethics as a man and a politician. The book is a deep study of Lincoln's writings and influences, the books he read, the candidates (Henry Clay) that he favored and the influences in his life such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. I would recommend for those unfamiliar with the detail of Lincoln's life to read a primer as Miller brings forth information in such detail that the reader has to have more than a baseline of familiarity with Lincoln. As a scholar, Miller uses some phrases and language that reflect my limited education and caused me to occasionally keep a dictionary near by. I found that midway through the book that this need was less so.

In summary, the author notates the severe disadvantages that Lincoln had with a large and poor family, little schooling and s little opportunity for higher education and without the finer things in life such as well fitted clothing that must have caused more attention to Lincolns height and ungainly lean look. In spite of any set backs caused by losing future elections, even in cases where Lincoln had the inside track such as the Senate vote of 1855, Lincoln maintains a humility along with a sincere interest in staying on the high ground ethically. As Miller points out through extensive study of Lincoln's history, writings and course of study, Miller does well to describe the development of Lincoln's virtues. Miller notes that Lincoln is not politically naïve, he starts out an as industrious politician dealing with matters of economy but also graduates as a leading member of the Whig Party in his State and eventually a leader of the Republican Party. Lincoln is astute in that he disagrees with the Know Nothings but instead of criticizing them waits for their collapse so that their better followers may enjoin the new Republican Party. Miller frames Lincoln's successfully arguments about the evils of slavery and the intent of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Miller points out that Douglas and the growing State of Illinois gave Lincoln a National platform to espouse his views. After reading the passages from the debates (Lincoln initially engineers), I see Lincoln's argument more clearly that the Nebraska Act and popular sovereignty was absolutely wrong in that the Act allowed a small population to determine a national issue about the expansion of slavery into the territories. Miller also notes that Lincoln in his time stressed that slavery was wrong in clear, logical arguments with a point that anyone at anytime could be enslaved but his best argument was simply, that it was wrong and in violation of the Declaration of Independence. I am most impressed with not only Lincoln's stand against slavery, irregardless of his occasional carefulness about equality of the races for those times, but his strident ability to defend his position and impress those that heard him speak. His Humility is incredulous that he does not make those that defeated him or snubbed him his enemies but enlists them for the betterment of his party and the installation of his national Government. My favorite passage in the book deals with Stanton's initial meeting with Lincoln, where Lincoln is virtually used as a local boy for a case in his State but never taken serious as a true partner in the case. Lincoln later has no deliberation in later making Stanton his Secretary of War. Lincoln was not condescending to those that disagreed with him, he recognized that differences in geography and environment made men think differently but not necessarily evil. I agree with Miller, that the second Inaugural was his greatest speech, only Lincoln after four years of war could say "with malice toward none".

The Morality of the Great Emancipator: Trashes Revisionists
Perhaps no figure in American history has been the subject of more mythology, legend and revision than Abraham Lincoln. He has been elevated to the status of Christ-like martyrdom. He has been called a white supremacist and a racist. Revisionists of the right have accused him of fomenting war to promote mercantile interests. His motives and morality have been questioned. His commitment to the anti-slavery cause has been questioned. But who was the real Abraham Lincoln? What were his true thoughts on the great issue of the day? How did the prairie born son of illiterate pioneers become the most revered man in American History?

In this wonderful new book, William Lee Miller examines, not so much the events of Lincoln's life as the evolution of the character of the man historian Paul Johnson calls "a kind of moral genius." The book covers the years from Lincoln's birth until his inauguration in 1861. In particular, Miller examines how Lincoln's politics can be squared with his morality. Using Lincoln's own words, Miller effectively refutes the revisionists of both the right and the left and restores Lincoln to his rightful place as an American giant and irrepressible foe of slavery.

Miller is an unabashed admirer of Lincoln. Through careful scholarship and relentless logic, the author dissects Lincoln's words and actions, explores his motivations and raises and disposes of revisionist arguments. He does so in an amusing and folksy style that clearly reveals his affection and fascination with this greatest of all Americans. All of the positive traits associated with Lincoln are shown to be true. In speech after speech, Lincoln is revealed to be an intractable foe of slavery. Miller's exploration of Lincoln's character show a living politician to be sure, but a politician who clearly sees the elective process as a path to his moral goals, namely the containment and end of slavery. Lincoln is revealed to be unusually conciliatory and non-vindictive. For example, he placed Edwin Stanton in his cabinet despite Stanton's support for his Southern Democratic opponent and despite the fact that Lincoln was personally humiliated by Stanton years earlier. Not many presidents would do that. It reveals much about Lincoln's character.

Miller has no patience for arguments that attack Lincoln's character because he was not a morally pure abolitionist. Miller places Lincoln's pragmatism in its proper context, given the opinions of the electorate Lincoln faced in Illinois and then nationally. He also shows how Lincoln's pragmatic approach was in fact the moral and ethical method to solving as intractable a problem as American slavery. He contrasts Lincoln's pragmatic moral approach with that of Stephen Douglas who Miller contends lacked any morality at all.

During the vital six years between 1854 and Lincoln's election as President, Lincoln is shown to have developed a comprehensive and consistent moral perspective on slavery. He thought it a terrible evil and planned for its ultimate destruction. But Lincoln recognized that immediate abolition was not possible so the platform of the Republican party, which Lincoln helped build, was limited to the demand that slavery not be permitted in the territories. Douglas had no belief that slavery was immoral and would have allowed its spread to the territories to preserve the peace and the union. As Miller shows, there is no evidence that slavery was anything but Lincoln's prime concern from 1954 on. The Civil War was fought because the Southern states could not abide the election of a president determined to halt the spread of slavery. As Lincoln put it to Alexander Stephens after his election as president, "you think slavery is right and ought to be extended; while we think it is wrong and ought to be restricted. That I suppose is the rub."

A key component of Lincoln's thinking that distinguishes him from many of his allies of the day is his magnanimity, most famously reflected in his "malice towards none..." second inaugural. Miller shows how this magnanimity was a key component of Lincoln's moral thinking. Lincoln always argued that slavery was an American, not merely a Southern problem. He never personally condemned the Southerners who supported slavery but instead tried to understand them and his program always called for accommodating their fears and concerns. In this book, Abraham Lincoln is revealed as a truly great American and a most moral man who proved to be a brilliant leader. He comes across, not as a saint but as a living breathing human being with desires and passions but with a real commitment to justice. This book should really be read by all college students as an example of how an American politician can be effective and still remain committed to his core principals. The brilliant scholarship and lively style makes it a must read for anyone with an interest in American history. I expect this book will be on many university history department reading lists.

An Ethical Politician
William Lee Miller's book Lincoln's Virtues: An Ethical Biography proves Abraham Lincoln was a most unique individual an
ethical politician. Miller introduces the Lincoln as he lived and breathe and Lincoln lived and breathe politics. Lincoln's practice of politics is familiar to us because it was partisan, compromising as well as searching for consenus and individual distinction.
Lincoln the politician seems commmon, it is his ethical quality on the rub of a matter which is outstanding. For Lincoln there was more to poltics than winning elections. There were larger issues of life to be effected by law and politics. Miller points out Lincoln achieved his moral basis from no individual but from the reading of books such as the Bible, Pilgrim's Progress, biographies of Washington and Shakespeare.
Miller indicates that in Lincoln's early political career the larger issue was the rise of the common man which Lincoln believed was best achieved by Henry Clay's Whig policies. Post-1854 Lincoln's moral issue was slavery. Lincoln recognized slavery was a moral issue and to present it politcally as a moral issue and not allow it to be presented as an economic issue clouded by the prejudice of the day as Lincoln's great political rival Douglas presented the slavery issue.
Miller presents Lincoln's strength of mind and in particular its ability to study and think an issue. His clear judgment balanced by a sincere sensitivity. This was best explained by Leonard Swett in the footnotes on p490 of Miller's book.
The best part of the book was the Stanton-Lincoln relationship on pp 410-426. Stanton began with disdain of Linclon but in working with Lincoln in the Civil War Stanton grew to respect Lincoln and be astonished by Lincoln's work. Miller points out the lack of vindictiveness in Lincoln and contrasts that with 20th century American Presidents. The ethical biography of Lincoln shows the gift to the Amercian people the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln was at our most crucial time.
This excellent and fresh biography of Lincoln shows he transcended his times and was a product of his times. He was a great man whose example gives us hope that an ethical politician is not and should not be an oxymoron.


By the Shores of Silver Lake
Published in Paperback by Avon (15 April, 2003)
Authors: Laura Ingalls Wilder and Garth Williams
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New Beginnings
Laura Ingalls tells about her childhood experiences as her family travels from Minnesota to settle in South Dakota. She gives an account of how their lives changed from living in a more settled area in Minnesota compared to living in unsettled land which later becomes De Smet. Mary, Laura's older sister, has lost her sight to scarlet fever, and Laura hopes that she will someday be able to attend a college for the blind. Although Laura works very hard she rarely complains. She enjoys singing with her father as he plays the fiddle. Ingall's gives clear pictures of what life was like for a girl growing up in early American History. As an adult this was my first experience reading one of Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books; I found it most informative and enjoyable. This book is a great way for children to learn what life was like during the pioneer era.

Emma's Review
This book is probably the best book for kids other than Holes! It is about a girl named Laura and her sisters Mary,Carrie and baby Grace also Ma and Pa. She has to move to a new homested on Silver Lake. Her family has just gone through a very hard time-Mary got blind! She has many adventures-one of her scariest would be when a wolf almost atacks her! This is one of MY personle favorites!

I liked the title of the book because I like silver.
I liked the book because it was interesting the way Laura described everything to Mary because she was blind. I liked when Laura went horseback riding. It sounded fun. My Mom read these books when she was young and back then this was her least favorite when when she re-read it as an adult she found it much more interesting. Now she is reading the series to me. It was sad when Jack died. I cried because I liked Jack. Pa said he would go to dog heaven. Mom's favorite part of the book was when the family lived in the surveyor's house for the winter and they had a nice Christmas with the Boasts, and she liked the part when the family learned about the blind college, and they had hope that Mary could one day go there.


Go Down Moses
Published in Paperback by Penguin Putnam~trade ()
Author: William Faulkner
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Just as resonant as better-known WF titles
I first read Go Down, Moses in grad school but am now returning to it after 3 years. Faulkner explores his usual themes--memory, history. black/white/Indian relations, the South, slavery, ownership, etc.--in a way that's just as compelling as in Absalom, Absalom or Sound and the Fury. It's a collection of short stories which I believe are meant to be read in order, unlike other collections. We get different viewpoints from different characters at different ages. When you're tempted to give up in the middle of a 5-page-long sentence, don't. Fascinating

Hard, challenging ... will bust your preconceptions
I read Go Down Moses in 1996 before taking a trip to Mississippi. I had never read Faulkner before and had only one criterion for picking a book of his: it had to take place in the mythical Yoknapatawpha County. I picked this one off the library shelf.

For any non-southern American whose sole exposure to what happened there was from history books, this should forever shatter the pat preconceptions and simplistic black and white (no pun intended!) formulas they were taught.

The book plunges you into a vast panorama of ambiguities and contradictions. It was clear to me from the first paragraph that Faulkner was a genius. In the whole history of literature, he surely stands among a select few at the very pinnacle of greatness.

Go Down Moses is a tremendous struggle to get through. Some parts are straightforward and easy, but there are others that you can't hope to make literal sense of. You're bombarded by its twisted grammar. Its frantic confusion. Its endlessly unresolved sentences. But through these, Faulkner ultimately conveys the pain of history -- past and present. The emotion of that pain seems more real to him than the specific incidents it sprang from. Why else would a book begun in pre-Civil War Mississippi -- entirely skip it -- picking up again a generation later?

This book is about the South. Having read it, Faulkner walked beside me every step of the way I took through his state. But this book also has a sub-theme that should not be overlooked. Faulkner was a profound environmentalist, although sharply contrasted with how we usually think of that term. Hunters don't much fit the mold of environmentalism -- and Faulkner was an avid one of that lot. So, in that sense, along with all the sociological, he can shake you up pretty good! Go Down Moses contains some of the most wrenching descriptions you could hope to find on the loss of wilderness. There is nothing ambiguous in his portrayal of that loss. Faulkner may confound everything you thought you believed of Southern sociology, but in an environmental sense, he leaves no room for confusion. Leave those trees standing!

This book will grip you; I can't imagine it having a lesser effect. Like all truly great art, it should change you forever.

Don't just read "The Bear"!!!!
Please, please do not pass over the other fine stories in GO DOWN, MOSES and go straight to "The Bear." This gem means much more when illuminated by the other parts of the text, and only by reading the entire book can you fully understand the meaning of Ike's repudiation of the McCaslin land. I recently completed a Faulkner course, and of all of his "genius" novels--"As I Lay Dying," "Light in August," "Go Down, Moses," "The Sound and the Fury," and "Absalom! Absalom!"--I believe that this one has the strongest emotional core. Read the whole thing; your experience will be much richer.


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