I bought this book way back in the mid 70's when I was in High School. I used it for a reference on my "Extreme" camping adventures. I then found it to be even more valuable and usefull while serving in the 82'd Airborne. I "Lent" this out to a friend and it was never returned. I know that info presented in this book has been used by my friend while assigned as a survival instuctor for a very elite unit in the U.S. Military. I would recommend this book to all who wish to have a practical guide to survival and I'm pleased to finally get a copy back in my hands.

I purchased this book back in 1983, and I referred to it frequently while I was in the US Army. This book is an excellent read for novice or expert alike, and Graves makes the message simple with straightforward instructions and illustrations. It is a shame that I cannot purchase this book again since I have just about worn out the copy I have!

Kenneth Smith

I bought this book 20 years ago, when I was a boy scout in the Pacific Northwest. It accompanied me during my Marine Corps enlistment -- and has been to more countries and climes than most people.

GRAVES writes in a straight forward and brief style that stays on message. Judging from GRAVES experiences and the few pics inside the book, it appears he was in the Aussie SAS -- although he never comes out and says so.

There are numerous sketches in the book that clearly demonstrate his ideas and methods.

I find it amazing that this book has not been reprinted. It is a shame...

This book is a must for anyone who reads and studies Confederate Civil War History. I have been looking for a book such as this for a long time. It's a great reference.

This is simply a phenomenal piece of work! If you love Confederate history or genealogy, this book is a must for your bookshelf!

The authors have researched and visited the grave sites of all 425 Confederate generals, even those overseas.
Each is listed complete with a picture of the man, details of his life and military career (with some corrections of errors on gravestones), name and location of the cemetery, (with detailed directions to the obscure ones), and a photo of the grave marker.
The basic layout is by State, but the Table of Contents, Alphabetical Listing, and Index make it easy to find any information. The usefulness is further augmented by tables showing where the generals were born, died, and are buried, the region and branch where they served, when and where mortal injury took place, (where applicable), and the numbers laid to rest in various types of cemeteries.
In sum, an admirable production, highly recommended for libraries and military history collections, and a valuable addition to anyone's Civil War bookshelf.

(The "score" rating is an unfortunately ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)

The best reason to get this book is not for the drawings or houses, but for the introduction. This intro is one of the late Colin Rowe's best writings, and clarifies the *difference* between the works presented inside and the works' inspiration from 1930's Modernism, and all the cultural/historical baggage that goes with it. Rowe's writing concerns itself less with form and visual/formal parrallels, which goes somewhat against the stereotypes of Rowe's clique of "Fingerlake Formalists" and presents Rowe as a more astute socio-political analyst than you might otherwise assume.

Buy it for the essay. Take the rest with a grain of salt.

This is one of the best books of its kind, showing why these men went on to be of the best in their field. It is worth buying simply for Meier's Smith house and Gwathmey's Residence and Studeo (1966) alone. These along with Eisenman's theories for both house 1 + 2, though rather OTT in real terms, is insightfull none the less, as well as an indepth review from the ever critical eye of K. Frampton, make this one of my most prized possetions.

There is almost nothing so valuable as a book that shows that the emperor is wearing no clothes. In The Graves of Academe, Professor Richard Mitchell performs that feat. His emperor is the American education establishment which incessantly struts and proclaims its importance and dedication to the welfare of children. Mitchell, however, shows it to be a pompous fraud that miseducates children while consuming ever more tax dollars. As college professors will attest and international tests show, American kids are less and less able to do academic work. Mitchell explains why: We have adopted a mandatory system of teacher training that fills the heads of prospective teachers with faddish educational theories but leaves them clueless about actual subjects. Mitchell writes with wit, verve, and unconcealed contempt for the education "professionals" whom he indicts for dumbing down millions of American children. If you'd like to know why so many young people can't make change for a dollar or struggle to read the comics, this is the book for you.

This is by far one of the most important books written this century. It goes into detail about not only what is wrong with "education" in this country, but also what the causes are, and who is responsible. It is usually quoted in contemporary books on American education (e.g., _Dumbing Down Our Kids_ by Charles J. Sykes) because it is, simply, just that good. I first came across this book in a college library; someone had begun to underline all the sentences in which Mitchell made a good point, and had to stop, because they were underlining virtually every word. Not only is the content a wondrous gift, but the style brilliantly exemplifies economy, biting wit, and a high level of information density. If only all books were this good!

Bushcraft by Richard Graves is an outstanding book for anyone who has ever seriously considered living off whatever is at hand. It explains how to make tested, improvised tools and ropes, as well as where and how to build a shelter ranging anywhere in size from a single person lean too, to a 20 foot long hut. Also included in this 368 page book are lessons on fire making, knots, tracking, trapping, and land navigation. "Bushcraft teaches you how to recognize edible, safe foods. It diagrams every rope and knot you will need, illustrates every method of making a fire and every kind of shelter(Bushcraft, cover page)." A definite wealth of knowledge that anyone could benefit from, because you never know!

This novel, like its antecedent I, Claudius, will mesmerize those who love classical history, although casual readers may find it tedious. The two works together form a fictional autobiography of the Roman emperor Claudius, who - at least in this literary incarnation - is both an astute observer of first century Roman political society and an extraordinary character in his own right. Born into the Roman imperial family but repelled by the violence and treachery surrounding it, Claudius retreats from power for much of his adult life. He buries himself in obscure academic pursuits and hides, for what he believes to be his own safety, behind array of weird physical disabilities. When his nephew, the mad emperor Caligula, meets his just reward, the middle-aged Claudius is literally dragged against his will onto the Imperial throne. I, Claudius ends with this bizarre scene and Claudius the God takes up from there with the improbable emperor's own account of his reign up to point of his death. Much to everyone's surprise, Claudius emerges into the public eye as an energetic, able and just ruler. And while the great pride he takes in his enterprise is evident, both the style of his rule and the tone of his narrative is characterized by a wry and self-deprecating humor. Much of the book consists of a detailed recounting of the administrative, judicial and military minutia in which Claudius immersed himself. However, there is a deeper theme at work too, which is the inevitability that innocence in a corrupt world will be betrayed. Claudius's closest friend for much of his life is Herod Agrippa, the grandson of the biblical Herod the Great. Herod Agrippa is a charming rogue and schemer who, while genuinely fond of Claudius, teases him mercilessly for being a fool and warns him, as it turns out in all seriousness, to "trust no one". The irony in the admonition is apparent when Herod himself betrays Claudius, plotting militarily against him and almost succeeding. This is only a side story, however. The thematic climax of the book occurs when it comes to light that Claudius's beautiful wife Messalina, whom he adores with the intense innocence of a teenager in love, has been using him all along for the fool, taking lovers and mocking Claudius behind his back. He finally discovers the truth when she is found to be conspiring with one of these paramours to seize the throne. She is executed for her treachery, but Claudius's spirit dies with her. He re-marries, but to a woman he cares nothing about and who, with his knowledge and acquiescence - for his death has been foretold by augury - begins amassing power on her own and conspiring to make way for her own son by a previous marriage. This son is later to enter history as the decadent fiddler Nero. The book closes with actual historical accounts by Tacitus and Dio Cassius of the real-life emperor's death at the hands of his ambitious wife, who poisons him. The last pages give us the final degradation, a bitterly satirical account Seneca, depicting Claudius - in death, once again the fool - trying to enter Olympus as the deified emperor but being banished mockingly to Hades by the other gods. The book is cynical and deeply sad. It's beautifully written and I recommend it, although it won't be to everyone's taste.

A spuperb bio of the scholar poet. The structure is interesting. First, the author presents a chronological look at Housman's life with some salient facts, emphasizing the most important influences in his life. The latter part of the book is devoted to closer scrutiny of the different aspects of his work and personal affairs taken separately: classical studies, family relationships, friendships, etc.

I read this in preparation for seeing the new Tom Stoppard play, " Invention of Love " which deals with Housman's somewhat tortured, but extremely productive life. Glad that I did. The book stands by itself as top biography.

For anyone who has any interest in Genealogy this book is an absolute must read! Dr. Miller gives tricks of the trade, enthusiasm, and a hysterically funny look at human nature through the study of epitaphs. Copies are hard to come by, but worth the effort to acquire a copy for your genealogy library.

I'm the webmaster for the WWII destroyer escort USS Wintle ... I've purchased every DE book I can get my hands on to help me make my web page better. Unfortunately, there aren’t really that many good books on DE's. The few that are out there fall into two or three basic categories, those that are technical and meant mostly for WWII enthusiasts that are excited about the equipment (like model builders), and those that are “action” oriented. Since my web site was really geared to celebrate the regular people who were the crew members of a ship that “merely” did its duty escorting convoys and hunting subs, neither of these type of books typically has the depth of experience necessary to tell that type of story. After a lot of digging I did find a few “memoirs” from sailors, but inevitable they had flaws. They were not professionally published, so they were weak on proofing and editing. They tended to be spiral-bound. And if they had pictures or illustrations they were amateurish. Finally, they were often written by sailors that didn’t have access to the bridge. The authors seldom really understood the “big picture” or had researched the specifics of what their ships part was in the grand scheme of things.

When I found this book, Men of Poseidon, I was pretty impressed. The binding is professional, as are the pictures and the layout. There are no weird grammatical errors or spelling problems. The research is impeccable. Throughout, the author refers to specific log entries that he himself had made in the official ships log, which he requested from the US Navy in order to write this book. That brings up an important point. Since the author was an officer on the USS Rall, he was able to get the big picture and understand the real behind the scenes missions. He not only explains what happens on a day to day basis, but addresses why it happened. I learned a great deal from this book that no film or military history book will ever convey. In fact I learned so much that I couldn’t resist emailing the publisher to try to contact Mr. Graves himself, to see if he could help resolve some questions I had run into researching “my” DE, the USS Wintle. Imagine my surprise when he wrote me back and gave me wonderfully detailed information to help me in my work. A DE officer with an amazing memory is a tremendous resource. And he turned out to be a really nice guy.

The most important thing about the book is that the author, Richard Graves, is a very good writer. I was never confused, since the book takes the time to explain everything, yet I was never bored, since he kept things moving. That’s a very hard balance to achieve. The book does not skimp on scope either. It starts in the time leading up to the war, so you can appreciate the anti-war sentiment that was real, and the ambivalence that many people had about it, and continues on to the ships 50-year reunion.

When I categorized DE books, I didn’t put Men of Poseidon in the “action” category, because it doesn’t read that way. It’s not written to culminate in an exciting battle. However, it’s definitely more than a memoir. The USS Rall saw real action. The punishment it took at the hands of a concentrated 8-aircraft Japanese Kamikaze attack was substantial and deadly. I’m sure Mr. Graves could have chosen to write an action book about the episode. But instead he wrote a very personal memoir. It’s not about drama, it’s not about action or inflated speeches. It’s not about firepower, speed and camouflage schemes of a particular ship class. This book really is the story of the sailors of the USS Rall -- regular men in extraordinary circumstances, forced into heroism to serve their country and oppose imperialism. It’s a good book, a fun read, and an inspiring real-life, real-world memoir. It’s one of those book that, after you finish reading it, makes you feel like you just had the most amazing dinner conversation with a great story-teller. In other words, I highly recommend it.

These short little stories, most of them not even a page long, are little sermons in themselves, for those who have ears to hear. Surely not all of them actually happened (unless you think dogs and birds talk back to Fred when he talks to them), but all of them are true. Several stories are printed twice in slightly different forms, making a different point altogether. Then again, if you put the book down for awhile and re-read it several months down the road, you may get a different point out of the same story! Some seem to have no point at all, except to make you think. The author assumes some intelligence on the part of the listener/reader, so he doesn't usually make the point or points obvious. Read, learn, and marvel at this wonderful collection!

Dr. Craddock has the ability to draw you in to his stories in such a way that you can picture and relive the story over and over in your mind. It is as though it were the readers story to own after reading it. With a slight smile Dr Craddock relates sometimes funny but always meaningful stories. I liken this book to Tuesdays With Morie. It needs to be read once every year. I am buying copies for my children.

The stories, although out of context, are examples of the giftedness of a great story teller. I've heard many of the stories before, either as a student, in live sermons or taped sermons. Many of the stories find there way into sermons on very different subjects -- because each event in life has to do with more than one thing. Read the stories for the enjoyment of the stories. Certainly they can have spiritual application, but for each of us it is our job to make the connection.