When one takes the initial steps of such an exotic trip as the middle east, a guide is needed to educate yourself on everything. Even the experienced traveler will find their trips to Europe did little to prepare them for the Middle East. This is why this guide does so much for the independant, and is so invaluable. Lonely planet has a history of helping people travel on a meagre budget, however gives a warm and caring introduction as to why indulging yourself occasionaly in the more expensive treasures can make your vaction. The authors expell the myths of all around violence in the region and firmly warns you where not to go. The religion and customs sections are so informative that I found myself prepared for the basics of Islamic life and ready to learn more. This book inspired me to take the unbeaten path and to still take in the wonderful tourist draws. Ive browsed through the two other major guides on the middle east, they dont compare to the thorough down to earth writing that Lonely Planet produces. Occasionaly, there could be more entries on Long Distance Travel (getting there and away) and there could have been more mention of the smaller budget tours that are offered in the region, however I still contend that this is the best pick for Middle East travel guides for all traveler of all Budgets.

Parker carefully balances his focus on Milton's life and the poet's immortal works. Parker begins his study by letting the reader know that he is both a lover of Milton's art and an admirer of Milton the individual. One who devotes time to this considerable study will certainly obtain similar sentiments.

Traces the life of aviation pioneer Richard Pearse from the very beginning to the very end, as well as backgrounding him firmly in his rather odd family and the cultural situation of the times in which he worked. Thorough, well-documented, detailed, and accompanied by drawings, sketches and photographs, this book is far more complete than Rodliffe's _Wings Over Waitohi_ and even though it's a little older, seems to have far more information of value in it.

What a great book! It is intelligent, scholarly, obviously well-thought out, and interesting. I've always been a fan of Byron, and didn't realize how much his friendship with Shelley influenced his poetry. This book got me interested in Shelley's poetry, too, and he is now one of my favorites. I loved it.

We picked up this book onboard the SS Independence in Hawaii. Hey, Wow! This book is FUN. It makes history so alive and relevant. Both my husband and I related to aspects of this story. The photographs of Grace Kelly are charming and romantic, while the politics of the period involved in getting the ships built are eye-opening. What an incredible feat of engineering to construct something of this size! The Henry Dreyfuss personal anecdotes hightlight the designer's process. There are many touching, personal stories from people who rode the boat or worked on it. Great period photos. Down to earth writing. Makes me wonder about the photographs that were not selected for this book! Thanks to the authors! A book I keep coming back to and enjoying over and over.

This book covers the planar dynamics of rigid bodies (that is rockets) in free-flight. It presents the true mathematical nature of the problem but grounds it in a solid intuitive introduction. I am a professional missile engineer and have used the information to initiate my "new" engineers out of school. It is an excellent book for a model rocketeer who is starting his college education in engineering. It covers the dynamics of rockets, it covers an introduction to subsonic aero, it covers trajectory integration, and stability.

My Dad wrote the book so its cooL ok?

How to Transcend the Present and Record the Past for the Future Or, Prange's Present toPosterity Seth Hieronymus History of PearlHarbor Abroad November 22, 1997 Principia College, Elsah, IL, 62028 At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor, by Gordon W. Prange, manages to break new ground in history writing. Although the manuscript in this form was authored primarily by two of Prange's ex-students Dr. Donald Goldstein and CWO (USAF Ret.) Katherine V. Dillon, due to Prange's enormous contribution, At Dawn We Slept is truly his tale. Prange endeavored to write the most complete work on the subject extant, an inside look from both the Japanese and American points of view. In his own words, "I [Prange's italics] am the only individual who has come to grips with the entire Pearl Harbor problem and conducted extensive research and interviews on both sides of the Pacific." Prange, through his research and his use of both the Japanese and American perspectives, has succeeded brilliantly in writing this unbiased look at Japanese / American relations leading up to, and immediately following the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Prange's story starts in Japan, New Year's Day, 1941, with its 2601st birthday, and ends in 1946, with the conclusion of the Joint Congressional Committee Investigation into the attack at Pearl Harbor. , , Even though At Dawn We Slept contains several historical references outside this timeframe; for instance, Commodore Mathew Perry's expedition in 1895 that normalized Japanese-American relations, they serve mainly as background information that support the main story. Similarly, although the book briefly mentions the Atlantic theatre and events in Washington, it does not try to expand its focus beyond its original purpose, the Pacific, from Japan to Pearl Harbor. What makes this book great are not the dry facts about who was involved, and where or when it happened, but rather how it tells the events. It is arranged much like two trains, one Japanese and one American, that stop every so often to trade passengers, but inexorably race on to a truculent collision on December 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor. The language of the book lets the reader look through the eyes of the characters, lets him feel their emotions, and gives him a first-hand look at the events. For instance, speaking of Japanese ships, "[Abukuma] led nine of the newest and best destroyers under the Rising Sun flag... Nagumo's trouble-shooters... could spring to battle at a moment's notice," and later: On Nagumo's shoulders rested a responsibility and a burden such as few commanders had ever borne in the history of naval warfare. The venture ripped out all the pages of Japanese naval tradition, violated their basic rules of strategy, and tossed into the classified waste the plans which Japan had long formulated to fight the U. S. Navy. , The word pictures that At Dawn We Slept paint personalize the history, and make it more accessible and enjoyable. Furthermore, the pictures, although rather sparse, give a visual perspective that speaks out from the past, for instance Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's stately demeanor and Lt. Commander Shigekazu Shimazaki's smug confidence. As with any historical work, research forms its backbone and determines its credibility. The contribution of Prange's own history should not be forgotten, because his background determines the skills and opportunities that he brought to the investigation. Born in Iowa, on July 16, 1910, Prange taught history at the University of Maryland from 1937 to 1980, when he died. Beyond that, he was Douglas MacArthur's chief historian from 1946 to 1951, and had a chance to talk to the participants first-hand. How often are people in the right places at the right times that they are able to record the events of history for posterity? Prange was. Because he spent 37 years of his life gathering first- hand, eye-witness accounts for this book, Prange forces us not only to trust him, but to actually relive the events, as they happened. His hundreds of interviews consisted of individuals who actually participated in the history, from the lowest ranks of the military to the highest, and many of the civilians. The sheer magnitude of his work is an essential element in this book's appeal. For example, Prange met with Commander Minoru Genda -- the main author of the Japanese attack -- a total of 72 times, and Commander Mitsuo Fuchida, the flight leader, 50 times. , Prange's original plan was to write a book solely from the Japanese perspective. Consequently, a bias could have been introduced as Prange did not interview many of the American participants until much later. In one case, the commander of the Hawaiian Department, Lt. General Walter C. Short, whom the Inquiry Board found partially responsible for the attack, died on September 3, 1949, before Prange even had a chance to interrogate him. However, the magnitude of Prange's research and interviews enabled him to find the germane facts in people's otherwise embellished tellings. In this way, Prange minimized distortion of the actual events, and thereby minimized any bias introduced. This is not to say the book falls short of placing both blame and praise for the attack. Of Short, and Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, "Both Kimmel and Short exercised poor judgment in this crisis." And about Genda, and Commander Mitsuo Fuchida: From the moment Genda explained his assignment, Fuchida brought a new dimension to the Pearl Harbor picture. Henceforth he and Genda formed a unique team - Genda the creative genius supplying the original ideas, Fuchida the aggressive activist hammering them into reality. At Dawn We Slept essentially becomes Prange's thesis about the how historical events leading up to Pearl Harbor occurred - on both sides of the Atlantic. However, the book does more: It goes beyond dates and places, and instead brings the history alive. This book, in doing so, becomes a model for its contemporaries and a benchmark for the future. End Notes Gaddis Smith, "Remembering Pearl Harbor," The New York Times Book Review 29 November 1981: 3. Donald Goldstein, Telephone Interview, November 20, 1997. Goldstein Interview. Gordon W. Prange, Donald Goldstein and Katherine Dillon, ed. At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor (New York: Penguin, 1991) 814. Prange 3. Prange 722. Prange 842. Prange 392. Prange 395. Prange 1st Picture Set. Prange Cover. Goldstein Interview. Prange 821-825. Prange 827. Prange 829. Prange 728-729. Prange 410. END

I truly enjoy books that have lots of detail. They read as if every word is fact, and there is no doubt about what appears there in print. This is one of those books.

The most amazing fact about this volume is that the author declares that he researched this book for 37 years! I have absolutely no doubt about that statement. His sources are endless, and his attention to detail is without pier. And stand back revisionists. He pretty much buries all those approaches and theories with solid scholarship and fact.

This book is amazing!!!

... A remarkable 1 year story leading to the attack that reads easy and fast, with plenty of aside humor, and will be very difficult to put down. Short chapters crammed with information. Perfection is tying together a billion events into a story line that moves ahead to it's target with precision and accruracy. There are vivid descriptions of ships, people, places, occurances, whatever, that are a joy to read. What a writer this guy is!

I find it hard to believe that any of the other books about Pearl Harbor can compare with this volume. If you're one of the few people who haven't seen the movie yet, do as I did. Read this first, at least 470 pages, then go see the movie (luckly I finished before the movie trip). You'll have a very enjoyable experience.

Finally, every history buff should read this book, MUST read this book, for the lessons learned, and for the joy of a superbly crafted book. ...

Gordon W. Prange, et al does a superb job of collecting interview and documentary data to examine the entire aspects of the attack (he examines the inquiries in a later book) from American and Japanese perspectives. This is the single most detailed, objective and comprehensive account of the attack on Pearl Harbor ever written. The U.S. military did believe an attack was coming but assumed it would be only in the Phillipines and Southeast Asia. The assumption was made that Japan could not do both, attack in Asia and strike our fleet. We were wrong to assume and Japan made us pay a severe penalty but not one nearly so severe as it could have been, especially as our carriers were at sea and the sub base and fuel farm were unhit. History now shows it is more vital to hit bases than ships. If Pearl Harbor itself had been more damaged, the Pacific Fleet would have had to relocate back to the West Coast and being short of tankers, would have been unable to intervene in any decisive way for some months. As it was, with the base intact, our carriers were able to strike back and within six months won a miracle victory at Midway. For a complementary study, I would recommend Cpt. Homer N. Wallin's, Pearl Harbor, Why? How? Fleet Salvage and Appraisal especially for the details of the huge salvage effort.

As part of the AP Bio program, I feel that a lot of information must be crammed into a student's head. Purves et al meticulously explain each process, allowing for easier memorization and, more importantly, understanding of the complex processes. Some chapters, however, are still extraordinarily difficult to master. For example, chapters 14 and 15 were practically impossible (snrps anyone?) Other than that, this book is flawless. The pictures and the explanations that accompany them are very useful. I would recommend this book to those that are considering an AP biology course or even a college course (Did you know Harvard uses this book? That made us high school students feel smart!) Enjoy everybody!

As an 11th grade victim of AP Biology, I have found some solace in this textbook. It is well-written and illustrated, and it is usually clear and informative. Aside from the occasional chapters that threw me for a loop (For example: Chapter 14 - The Eukaryotic Genome and its Expression. Huh?) the book is very good and I would recommend it to future AP Bio students.

I have reviewed Campbell, Curtis& Barnes, and other fine textbooks in biology, as a teacher and a scientist, I find Purves, etal; Life , A Science of Biology as the best textbook on the market. His clear explanation of the concepts with bright, colorful pictures have helped my students to understand biological concepts for the AP Bio exam as well as preparing them for college. The questions after each and every chapter plainly incorporate the chapter's lessons as well as inclusion of the continuity of life that is important in all biology teaching. His book had already included the new domain designations and included the reasons as why they were being changed. ( As this was the infamous #3 question on the AP Bio exam.) As a trained molecular biologist, I am finally satisfied in the explanation of the molecular process of life. Again his use of good solid pictures help to re-enforce a difficult concept. I also know that MIT uses this book as well as Harvard, I urge every biology teacher professor to at least have this in their personal library.

Just how fortunate the United States was in winning the closely contested navy engagement at Midway in the central Pacific in mid 1942 is evident to any reader of this very well documented and quite balanced account of one of the largest and most famous exchanges between the US navy and their Japanese counterparts during the course of World War Two. By using extensive inputs from both Japanese and American participants and observers of the sea battle, the authors thread together a memorable and engaging narrative of the events leading up to and involving both sides during the summer months of that fateful year. It was one for the record books, and one that demonstrated conclusively that the rules of war at sea had changed forever from one dominated by capital ships like battleships and cruisers to one dominated by aircraft carriers and attack airplanes.

In the devastating aftermath of Pearl Harbor, the American Navy was looking for an opportunity to engage the Japanese in a "mano-a-mano" confrontation, hoping to even the odds and shorten the war by using what we felt would be surprise and tactics to overcome the numerical advantage the Japanese enjoyed in numbers of both ships (especially in terms of aircraft carriers) and launchable aircraft. Even though the Japanese had blundered badly at the battle of the Coral Sea, they left the scene believing the fracas had been won, and that they had further damaged the American fleet by sinking three carriers. And though the U.S. Navy did in fact limp away having lost some of its few carriers either through sinking or damage, in actuality they had inflicted more damage than they had incurred. Furthermore, soon one of the badly damaged U. S. Navy carriers (the Yorktown) would be repaired and ready to sail in support of the Midway engagement.

Also, by cracking certain aspects of the Japanese Navy's wireless communication codes, the Americans were able to determine not only what the Japanese were ostensibly planning in terms of a strategy to take Midway, but also what the specific positioning and disposition of the various aspects of the Japanese naval force would be. Obviously, this information added to the element of surprise gave the Americans a huge tactical advantage, and made victory much more possible. Yet it did not guarantee anything. It was the tactical brilliance and contemporaneous innovation of the on-site commanders in the American force that won the day. In a series of engagements that did not change the course of the battle until the last few remaining waves of American aircraft suddenly sank or damaged the majority of the Japanese carriers, the Americans succeeded both through their own daring and a few fatal tactical errors on the part of the Japanese commanders.

The results were devastating for the Japanese, who never again could muster the kind of raw carrier power, or just as importantly, ever replace the huge number of experienced carrier-based aircraft pilots needed to successfully engage and threaten the expanding American task forces that within another 12 to 18 months would virtually transform the character of the war in the Pacific, leading the Japanese into waging an almost suicidal war of attrition which they had no chance to win. This is a well-written, well-documented, and entertaining book that helps the reader to understand just how critical to both the Americans and the Japanese the fateful naval engagement at Midway was, and how the results determined the course of the rest of the war in the Pacific. Enjoy!

This book is one of the best works I have read about the Pacific War and it is one of my favorite accounts of the Battle of Midway. Even though it is not a Pearl Harbor-only volume like other books by Prange, Dillon, and Goldstein, I agree with Penguin's characterization of Miracle at Midway as a sequel to At Dawn We Slept, Prange's definitive account of the events before, during, and after the Day of Infamy.

Miracle at Midway picks up the narrative of events soon after the Pearl Harbor Striking Force under the command of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo returns to Japan, hailed as heroes by everyone in the Empire. It then, economically and without bogging down in detail, describes the events that led to the battle of Midway, a small atoll at the far end of the Hawaiian island chains.

Attention to detail is given to the planning and execution of both American and Japanese operations in the Midway battle. Prange and his co-authors point out that Midway was Pearl Harbor in reverse; the Japanese, who had been careful and canny in December 1941, were overconfident and somewhat sloppy in planning and executing Operation MI. The Americans, who had been caught unprepared six months earlier, were able to break Japan's JN-25 Naval Communications Code and set a carefully laid ambush in the path of Japan's mighty First Air Fleet.

This book is highly readable (though I prefer Walter Lord's Incredible Victory), and I give it a strong recommendation, even though it has very few pictures and even fewer maps.

Even when dealing with historical events that are, by their very nature, action-packed, it can be hard to balance storytelling with in-depth research and historical precision. While Prange's 'Miracle at Midway' may not be the taut thriller 'Incredible Victory,' say, is, it more than makes up for this alleged deficiency with the quality of its research and presentation.

Gordon W. Prange and his literary assistants/successors Goldstein and Dillon are best known for their multi-volume exploration of the before-during-and-after of the attack on Pearl Harbor, arguably the most-written (and argued) about event in American history. Impressive and valuable as their work on Pearl Harbor is, few would argue it's the final word on what happened and why.

Fortunately, Midway isn't enshrouded in political agendas and conspiracy theories like Pearl Harbor has become. It's still a fairly straightforward clash of military and naval forces. Consequently, it's much easier to argue that Prange has painted a fairly definitive portrait of what Fuchida Mitsuo later called 'the battle that doomed Japan.' One of the beautiful (and trying) things about history is that 'final judgment' is never rendered on any event -- new evidence and interpretations can always change the way we view things. Serious historians and casual readers alike will find Prange's work a valuable set of lenses through which to view this critical moment in world history.