I've been catching up on Wells' work lately, and up to this point, I've been fairly impressed. His best work, written at the turn of the century, holds up fairly well: it's entertaining and thought-provoking (The Time Machine, War of the Worlds).

I wasn't very impressed with this book, however. It doesn't read like his other works. The story probably could have been told in 20 or so pages, definitely a short-story candidate. I was amazed that Wells stretched this out to its present length, as the middle 40-odd pages were quite dull and really didn't go anywhere.

The science behind the story (while iffy, of course), is fascinating. Griffin is a great character, but more could have been done with him, besides his spending so much time having to convince people that he IS, in fact, invisible ("I am invisible. I really am an invisible man", etc, etc). It gets mind-numbing after a while. I guess the biggest let-down of the book is the fact that the title gives everything away. Once you've seen the cover, you pretty much have it; no real surprises. Yep, he's invisible, and there ya go.

What a great idea to assemble scifi icons from Star Trek to perform various H.G. Wells's classics! Of the works they've performed are: The Invisible Man, The Time Machine, The First Men in the Moon, and Journey to the Center of the Earth.

This audio recording of The Invisible Man was easy listening, and fun too. It's definitely worth a listen. I'm going to have to check out the others!

One side note, obviously the original work was abridged and adapted for audio drama. You'll still want to read the classic.

Okay, so Wells didn't load the book with the violence seen in the recent movie Hollow Man. Consider when the book was written, and what was comparable at the time. I, for one, was engrossed in the book and read it in about three sittings.

Wells excellently portrayed Griffin (Invisible Man) as a man crossing back and forth from sanity to madness. You may catch yourself considering how you would overcome his difficulties, or how you might abuse his power.

What really stood out for me was the tongue-in-cheek undertones Wells incorporated into the story, such as the cockney dialect and rustic behavior of the people of Iping. Also, consider Wells' narration during intense moments, such as the fight between Griffin and the people of Iping...
"...[Huxter's] shin was caught in some mysterious fashion, and he was no longer running, but flying with inconceivable rapidity through the air. He saw the ground suddenly close to his face. The world seemed to splash into a million whirling specks of light, and subsequent proceedings interested him no more."
Later elaboration of the events included the terrifying realization that Griffin was "smiting and overthrowing, for the mere satisfaction of hurting."

If you find the book difficult to follow, try the version adapted by Malvina Vogel, complete with illustrations by Pablo Marcos. It's not as powerful, but easier to understand.

This brief (300 pages) history of the American Revolution, as seen through the actions of Adams, Jefferson, and Washington, is a thoroughly enjoyable, pool side type of read. Granted, it is a superficial history of the Revolution, but provides an interesting perspective of the motivations, interactions, and rather different personalities of the three founding fathers. Mr. Ferling's work does seem to be at times rather colored in favor of Washington and Adams, which might be expected, as he has written biographies of our first and second presidents. He makes some rather interesting comments about Jefferson's personality; comments which come close to a psychoanalysis of our third president. Overall, if you are searching for a history of the revolution, this work is not for you. If you are ready for a relaxing narrative of the revolution, and the actions of these three individuals, you will not be disappointed.

Ferling has written an interesting story weaving the lives of Washington, Adams and Jefferson together. Given that I have just begun to read about this period in American history, this book was easy to read, follow and understand. A good read.

So many books have already been published about the American Revolution as well as about Washington, Adams, and Jefferson. Ferling brilliantly analyzes all three towering figures within a specific historical context, to be sure, but also in terms of each other. He creates and then explores a matrix of juxtapositions between and among them, comparing and contrasting all three in relation to each other but also in relation to the historical context on which each had such a profound impact. What Ferling has created is both a history book of panoramic scope and a trilogy of interrelated (and to some extent interdependent) biographies. It is so well-written that I often thought I was reading a novel.

Since childhood, I have viewed certain books as "magic carpets." I include Ferling's book among them. It transported me back more than 200 years and deposited me amidst the brave and brilliant men who were about to set the world "ablaze" with their incendiary passion for an independence soon to be declared and eventually to be achieved. Ferling guides his reader through this highly combustible process. Of special interest to me is Ferling's presentation of Adams (characterized as the "Bulwark" of the American Revolution), a founding father not always mentioned in the same breath with Washington and Jefferson. With all due respect to Jefferson's accomplishments, Ferling concludes the final chapter with this observation: "To the end, he was incapable of accepting the reality of his culpability in the perpetuation and expansion of African slavery and the danger it now posed to the achievements of the American Revolution." And then in the Epilogue, Ferling asserts that the Revolutionary generation "was indeed fortunate to have had Washington and Adams as its greatest stewards and shepherds."

If you have a keen interest in the War for Independence and, especially, in those who led the new nation through and beyond that war, there is this magic carpet I know about....

I advise potential traders to buy this book. It has some good ideas although the specific results on backtesting is not always provided. I liked larry williams book on long term secrets of short term trading because most time he mentioned a strategy he would show the results of backtesting it. The hill book does have good ideas and the assessment of trading systems which have been succesful such as ABERRATION makes you think about losses to be endured on your way to bill gates fortune. May be the best option is to give your money to a broker and ask them to trade a proven long term system eg Mystery system (see the book ), Clearly simple systems are robust and work over time. The channel breakoutsystem still appears to work if you can stand the drawdown. Some apparently highly rated by thier own futures truth magazine systems such as DUAL THRUST are not mentioned.

Overall a useful contribution. I am sorry but the book does not live up to its title although it is good.

Don't let the title fool you -- this book is not an ultimate compendium in any way. You won't find anything on candlestick charting nor anything on volume-based indicators. With such large omissions the book doesn't deserve to use the title "Ultimate" -- that said, though, this book is a welcome addition to the trading literature.

If I were to nename the book I would title it "A Good Little Book on Trading." The chapter on 2- and 3-day bar chart patterns has some new ideas and the chapters on evaluating and using mechanical trading systems are very worthwhile. I am impressed by the material on historical backtesting because it addresses the statistical problems and pitfalls that many traders make (too many systems are optimized to produce statistical false positives). The authors backtested a non-optimized system and compared it with dynamic optimization and found optimization underperformed the static version of the test!

In a nutshell, despite it not being "ultimate" this book is "quite good" and will give you fresh insights not seen anywhere else.

Having traded futures for over 20 years, the last five full time, I have read countless books and articles on trading systems. The Ultimate Trading Guide brings together the wisdom of a trio that has probably seen more systems than virtually any other threesome on the planet. This invaluable book provides practical guidance on how to design, develop and trade a winning system. Traders who ignore the book's precepts do so at their own risk.

Although one would expect Captain America to be be the spearhead in the 60s Marvel battles with Communism, there is only one story in this book with a Communist villain. For the most part, Cap is shown battling sinister organizations and remnants of the Nazis. And Battle he does, Kirby shows more kinetic energy in these stories than any of the other series he worked on. Perhaps it was the fact that his connection with Cap goes back to the 40s. Every story shines with drawings of Captain America flipping, jumping and slamming his way through battle after battle. And we get classic stories from the 60s-the Sleepers, Nazi superweapons programmed to arise in the 60s, The Cosmic Cube, the most powerful device in the universe. Add to this great villains like the Red Skull, Zemo, the Adaptoid and Modok. I only have one quibble with the book, the starkness of the black and white art does not allow us to see Cap is risking his neck to rescue a black Air Force pilot from Vietnam-the pilot is white here. In many pages, the Black Panther when out of costume is white. The only inkling we get that the greatest of the black superheroes is actually black comes because some of the pages had to be photocopied from actual comics. The Panther was a groundbreaking character in comics but his relevance is almost lost in this anthology.

Apparently Brad Pitt has agreed to play Captain American in a movie that wil start filming next year, so it is time for Steve Rogers to get the summer blockbuster movie treatment. If the people writing the script or Cap's fans want to check out the glory days of the character Volume 2 of the "Essential Captain America" would be a good place to start because it contains both the final issues of "Captain America" drawn by Jack Kirby, the definitive Captain America artist for many, and the three striking issues drawn by Jim Steranko. Ironically, while the names of Kirby and Steranko, along with writer Stan Lee, appear on the cover of the book, it is penciller Gene Colan who draws over half the issues (#103-126 of "Captain America") collected in Volume 2.

The three main storylines of note in this collection are the Lee-Kirby epic where Cap and Shield take on the Red Skull and his Nazi minions, the Steranko issues where Rick Jones becomes a temporary sidekick and Cap regains his secret identity, and the Lee-Colan storyline where the Red Skull swaps places with Cap courtesy of the Cosmic Cube and the strip introduces the Falcoln in an effort to make the comic more relevant. There is also a complete issues devoted by Lee & Kirby to the origin of Captain America and one in which Cap is captured while in Vietnam. Of course, in the years ahead the Falcoln would become Captain America's partner and his name would become part of the title for the comic book.

I prefer these issues of "Captain America" much more than the "Tales of Suspense" days when the stories were ten page installments that cut off the story just as it was getting interesting (i.e., "to be continued"). It is not surprising that the art work is more impressive than the stories, because Kirby was arguably at his peak at this point: most of his issues start with splash pages of Cap bigger than life and in action. Steranko experiments with the comic book form, having pages with over a dozen panels, panels with multiple images of the same characters, and page without panels that are clearly influenced by the art of Salvadore Dali. Why more would you want for 12 cents? No wonder the issue of "Captain America" #111 was appropriated for the cover of this trade paperback. Colan might only finishing the show position in this collection, but he brings the same sort of fluidity to his artwork that he did with "Daredevil" and "Tomb of Dracula." Three different styles each working to tell the story of Captain America, "Living Legend of World War II."

I thought this book had some of the best Captain America comics ever! They had great stories of good vs. evil, with patriotic Cap in the lead, and fantastic artwork by the late great, Jack "The King" Kiby. The Red Skull is a featured bad guy quite a bit, and he makes for excellent opposition against Cap. Finally, I like the length of each individual comic in the book. 20 pages is too long, and I like the 12-page format used in all but 3 of the Cap comics. Buy and enjoy the Essential Captain America Volume 1, then buy Volume 2.

A quick perusal of "Ignatius Rising" reveals why it has taken so long to produce a even the thinnest of biographies on the man behind "Confederacy of Dunces." With the exception of the story behind how the novel got published (which only occupies the book's last pages), there's nothing at all remarkable about Mr. Toole's sad, mundane life. The authors try valiantly to dig up research and credible eye witnesses to shed some light on the mysterious Mr. Toole, but they are not entirely successfully. How else can you explain why we are forced to read--in their entirety--so many of Mr. Toole's redundant letters home from the Army?

The correspondence between Gottlieb and Toole, however, is worth the price of the book, and that's why I recommend it to friends. Mr. Gottlieb has the distinction of being the only person in publishing who was in a position to evaluate Mr. Toole's manuscript based on its merits. His sensitive yet honest appraisal of the book is, in my humble opinion, right on. "Dunces," in its published form, is a funny but highly flawed novel, certainly not worthy of the lavish praise and prizes that were bestowed upon it by those intrigued by the book's tragic circumstances.

I trust that even if other readers don't agree with Mr. Gottlieb, they'll at least see him in the light of truth rather than as the cariacture created by Mr. Toole's demented mother.

The authors are to be congratulated for doing their best with very little material. I finished the book with a better understanding New Orleans society. Alas, I wish I also had a better understanding of Mr. Toole.

This book is a fascinating look at the troubled life of the man who gave us one of the funniest and most memorable American novels of all time, "A Confederacy of Dunces". Toole was odd, brilliant with words, confused, sometimes scathing, but very likable despite his problems. His mother, on the other hand... oh my god! When you are done with this novel, you will understand why the characters in "Confederacy..." are the way they are. You'll be heartbroken at Toole's decision to kill himself, mystified by both his decisions about his book and the last weeks of his life, and stunned by his mother's interactions with everyone. There were parts of this bio that were so painful that I had to close it- yet it was so compelling a story that I had to open it again right away. The authors covered nearly everything from every angle, and their sources are diverse and really flesh out Toole's different lives. (You'll know what that means when you read this book.)

I still remember the first time I read "Confederacy of Dunces" lying on the bed in my college dorm room, kicking my feet laughing. I have returned to it many times and still consider it the funniest book ever.

So when I saw the biography of J.K. Toole, the author and suicide, in my local bookstore I had to buy it. I did not anticipate, though, being so swept up. The authors do an outstanding job compiling the minute details of Toole's too-short life, which could not have been easy since he was unknown and until well after his death. I was surprised how interested I could be in his grade school years-- although that is in large part owed to my fascination with Toole going in.

The key mystery to me has always been about Toole's relationship with Robert Gottlieb. For an unpublished novelist (indeed he had barely published anything) to gain the attention of perhaps the leading book editor of his genration is incredible. What happened? Why was it not published?

It's hard to fault Gottlieb. His letters-- reproduced over his own initial objoections-- show his committment to the book. On the other hand, his objections to the book-- that it lacked "meaning"-- were, however sincere, maddeningly unhelpful and unspecific, as he admitted.

Thelma Toole is presented as a domineering, overbearing, grandiose nutcase. But her successful effort to finally have the book published shows a great strength. It's actually inspiring.

Toole eventually killed himself after despainring of the book ever being published. This "failure" hardly explains his act-- how many failed authors go on with their lives or write a second book that is published? Suggestions are made about his homosexulaty (closeted) and his finances (bad since he had to support his parents). Neither is enough. But the events leading to the tragedy, the descent into madness, are touchingly detailed.

One mystery remains. Nevils and Hardy, also first time authors, show that Toole was an excellent student, though hardly a world-beater when he ventured beyond New Orleans. They reproduce many of his letters. While the letters are fine, there is not a single inkling of either the prose style, the imagination, or the comedy that is on every page of Toole's novel. Though we are told constantly how funny Toole was in real life, we never see it. Where did the genius in the book spring from, and why was it not eviedent in any of his other work?

A chilling thought occurred to me towards the end of the book. The authors reproduce a letter from Thelma Toole to her lawyer. Shen concludes a trademark harangue: "My nervous system is drained by this harrwoing legal matter." That's Ignatius all over.

Is it possible that Thelma had a hand in the book or was-- even weirder-- it's ghostwriter? It's a bizzare notion and I have not one shred of evidence to back it up. But throughout the biography, Thelma is portrayed as not of the sensibility to even appreciate the book or its humor. Yet she is the one person-- including J.K. Toole-- who had the strength and faith to see the project through.

In the end, I recommend "Ignatius Rising" to anyone who read "Confederacy" and loved it. As to those who read it and did not love it, they lack all sense of taste or decency. As to those who never read the novel, read it first, then read the biography of the tragic author who (probably) created it.

Cliff Janeway is an ex-cop and current used bookstore owner. When one of his old cronys from the Denver PD offer him a quick $5000 for picking up a bail jumper in Seattle Cliff takes the job, mainly because it also involves a rare copy of Poe's "The Raven." But all is not as it seems as Cliff gets drawn deeper and deeper into a forty year old mystery that finds him being hunted by the Seattle police for murder.

John Dunning is a good writer. His characters are excellently drawn, his dialogue is crisp, and the plotting is tight. Cliff Janeway has a good "voice" and the book moves along well, never dull or boring. This is the first Bookman mystery I've read but I'll be looking for the others. This book stands way above the average run-of-the-mill books that pass for mysteries these days. I recommend it highly.

If your one of those people like me that loves the smell of a new book, are picky about what you read, and find yourself organizing your books with your own little system, here is something special for you. Like Walter Mosley and Ross MacDonald, John Dunning's work is much more than a mere detective novel.It is a novel of intrigue and murder amidst the book world, or more to the point, those who love books and spend much of their time looking for that first edition copy of....

Cliff Janeway is the Denver bookman and part time detective who gets involved looking for a girl who may have in her possession a rare, and unheard of, Grayson Press edition of Poe's "The Raven", a book worth a fortune. Things are not always what they seem and as Janeway tries to help the young and frightened Eleanor the story becomes more complex and dangerous. This mystery is exiting and compelling, peppered with insights and observations about books from a writer who loves and respects them as much as we do.

This is a book you will love and respect after finishing it. It is a wonderful and exiting read and Cliff Janeway can stand side by side with Easy Rawlins and Lew Archer in American detective fiction. We are treated to keen observations about humanity during this twisty tale of books and murder. Dunning uses the rain in Seattle and the snow in Denver for atmosphere and there is almost a wistful feel to the ending.

Written in '95 this was the second Cliff Janeway novel. "Booked to Die" was the first and is also highly recommended. We can only hope Dunning will give us a third one day. This is a smart read that will be enjoyed by anyone who loves books. If you like an intelligent mystery with sharply drawn characters, and observations on our society as well, then this book is a must have for your library. A treasured find.

John Dunning definitely knows his stuff--As a lifelong bibliophile, it's a joy to discover an author who not only writes an excellent mystery, but gently instructs us in fascinating subjects as well.

While I thoroughly enjoyed Cliff Janeway's tips about book collecting, the part of the story that gripped me was the detail and insight Dunning gives into the passion "small press" publishers have for their art. In a time when more and more attention is focused on electronic dissemination of information, it was a great pleasure to find characters who still care about the feel and smell of paper, the look and design of type, and the artistry and craft of making books by hand.

As Janeway would no doubt tell you, buy two copies of this book, one to read and one to add to your collection!

UNIX as a cammand line program is mostly like a dark night and this book for sure is like a bright star helps you find your way. It is so easy that a beginner can read and learn about UNIX and have fun running and palying with it. I give it 4 star because it sometimes has too much explaination about an easy issue and miss some more basic information which can help the reader get stronger with UNIX. It is still the only book teaches you and be sure won't waiste your time. It gives you confidence with UNIX. Another weekness of this book is some wrong commands or exercises that can be fixed in 3rd edition. The nice thing with this book is being a hands on book. Do not read this book in a library or away from your computer. Put it on your desk with your computer because for every pages in this book, you need to practice it. It will walk you through the Master of Masters.

This text is a wonderful way to actually learn how to do unix. It told me what to type, explained what was going on, and gave me enough repitition to actually master the skills. The author anticipated my questions and mistakes. In less that a week I have become quite solid -- I can not only use the commands, I can solve problems. The text is not a cook book. It is a guided examination that I used at the terminal. Although not a reference book, the command summaries at the ends of the chapters made finding answers easy. The mix of hands on guidance and detailed explanations of the underlying structure was perfect for us.

This book is seen as the essential learning tool around here. It guides us along without pain to the place where we are really quite confident and quite skilled. Clearly it must be used hands on -- at the terminal -- it gives instructions, then explanations in a way that knowledge and skills grow quickly. It is obvious that the authors know a lot about how people learn and how to support that learning.

Although not a reference book, command summaries are located at the ends of all chapters and the index is extensive allowing us to go back to look at a topic easily.

Can't understand why it isn't 5 stars from everyone. Lots of good concise reference books out there -- this one does not attempt to be that. This book is like a tutor, but costs a lot less.

With a title like "The Juror", and a blurb by Scott Turow (Presumed Innocent) on the cover, I was expecting a legal drama/thriller, which this book isn't.

The characters of Annie and the Teacher are good, but the one you identify with is Slavko Czernyk, and there isn't enough of this guy in the book ..

A word about the Teacher - Turow compared this character to Hannibal Lecter, saying "The Teacher makes Hannibal seem like a vegetarian." I don't think it's fair to compare these two villains, since they are two different kinds of villains that evoke different emotions from the reader. Hannibal evokes fear, you are scared of Lecter. While the Teacher evokes anger, you aren't scared of him but you simply hate him. So while both these villains are great, it isn't fair to compare them ..

Overall, Green is a passionate writer & this book is worth a read. But don't expect a lot of courtroom scenes and legal stuff (like in Grisham's and Turow's books), this is a good thriller with quite a lot of action (especially towards the end).

The Juror is a story of a mafia kingpin's trial and the hell it causes for a single mother named Annie Laird. She lives at home with her son, sculpts all night and works as a clerk all day. One day she is selected as a prospective juror for the most famous case in the land. She wants some excitement in her life, so she agrees. Soon her life is twisted upside down by a seductive, powerful man known as the Teacher. She must vote to acquit the mob boss if she wants her friends and son to live. The story doesn't end with the trial. The Teacher still wants her after it is over, and when she betrays him, he wants blood. The reason this book is so good is because of its characters. You can feel the characters resonating off the page. The Teacher with his reserved fury, Annie and her fear and determination. The book grabs you in. It is not perfect, it has a couple of tedious and repetitious sexual references and passages. Anyway, this is a powerful book, and very plausible. Very original. Check it out.

George Dawes Green, The Juror (Warner, 1995)

George Dawes Green wrote The Caveman's Valentine, which netted him the Edgar. He then followed it up with the euqally acclaimed The Juror, and proceeded to drop off the face of the earth, foiling a carefully-plotted career as a bestselling mystery novelist. Go figure. Based on the quality of his first two books, a whole lot of folks wish he'd come back.

Green's second novel introduces us to The Teacher, a part-time mob enforcer, Taoist, and grower of rare orchids whose present job entails tampering with a jury to make sure his part-time employer doesn't go to jail. Problem is, the Teacher starts getting emotionally involved the the juror, and the two of them end up doing a rather dysfunctional dance that ends up with a whole lot of people dying.

It's an absorbing novel, and a quick read. The characters are strongly drawn and identifiable, and the plot is excellently paced. The book's main flaw is that it relies a bit much on coincidences (of the "of all the gin joints in the world..." variety) that stretch credibility too far. But mystery novels rely on coincidence, and so we have to be willing to forgive Green in order to bask in the luxury of his writing. And it is certainly worth forgiving him, as the characters he creates here will be with you long after you turn the last page. *** 1/2

I would describe this book as merely good. Better than much of the mystery fare out there today but not up to the standards of the Cliff Janeway novels. I am a fan of old time radio and the aspects of this book that dealt with radio as it was ( or perhaps as it should be) I found fascinating.Take away the radio aspects and you are left with 50 page mystery with none of the twists and turns of " Booked to Die" or " The Bookman's Wake". There were so many perifery characters that it was hard to keep track of them all at times. I found myself going back to read sections of the book to find out who some of the people were.Maybe if I had read it all in one sitting it would have made a difference, but I read it over a few days. The ending was not nearly as tight as the Janeway books. In previous Dunning books the villains were important characters.I found I didn't care that the villain turned out to be ______ .This next line is somewhat of a spoiler, but of all the interesting characters in the book it seems a shame that the villain turned out to be who it was.

The book gets 5 stars only because 6 are unavailable. This magnicicent recreation of a time, a place, and an atmosphere that will seem as foreign to most younger readers as the sands of Mars is a marvelous achievement. Plot-wise, it is a credible mystery that grips the reader from page one. But it is so much more than that. The book's depiction of the early days of radio (which, alas, were also, unbeknownst to either the protagonists or the real world, the beginning of the last days of radio)are so detailed and involving that they may bring the art form back! The characters are real, complex, credible, and, rare for a thriller (or ANY book nowadays), people you get to know as well as your own, disfunctional, family. A few months ago there was a higly hyped tome called "The Advocate" which took place during WWII. It was awful. This book recreates that time, the people, the country, in such a way as to almost make one sad one wasn't part of it. And those radio stories! If my words don't move you to read this, as a thriller, as an historical piece, as a character study, well... buy the darn thing and make up your own words! If you do, you will!

In 1942 Southern California, writer Jack Dulaney loves the untouchable Holly Carnahan. Jack struggles with producing a second novel, earning money by walking horses at the track. When Holly flees to Regina Beach, New Jersey in search of her missing dad, Jack follows out of concern for his beloved's safety.

In the Jersey south shore community, Jack lands a job as a writer at radio station WHAR. He soon realizes that he is quite good at cranking out well-written radio dramas. Perhaps it is because of his writing skills that allow Jack to notice the strange behavior on the part of WHAR employees. He finds sudden disappearances as mysterious as the disappearance of Holly's dad and certain links to the Nazis. Jack worries that Holly is in danger while she is concerned that her actions brought danger to him.

TWO O'CLOCK, EASTERN WARTIME is a fabulous historical fiction novel that vividly brings to life a small East Coast community during World War II. The historical perspective, especially that of the powerful role of radio as a forerunner of television, is brilliantly depicted. The mystery stays subtlety in the shadows, truly enhancing John Dunning's homage to the communication role radio played during wartime. Fans of World War II dramas will find Mr. Dunning's novel endearing for its resplendent account of a bygone era.

Harriet Klausner

I found this book to be a very enjoyable book to read and if helped fill in a few spaces left about the great names of the Civil War before they became Generals. I have always enjoy reading accounts of the war with Mexico and seeing how the future enemies of the American Civil War fought together, saved each others lives on occassions and learnt the common lessons of war. This is a very interesting and well presented account although I found the battle scenes lacking in depth but I would suppose that was not the authors main focus but more on the people involved. I think it may have helped to have added a few maps of the fighting in Mexico and the Valley as if you have no prior knowledge of these areas you really do not appreciate the efforts involved in moving from one point to another. Overall this is a decent book and most people should enjoy immersing themselves in this bit of history.

This is one of the best Civil War books, I've ever read. John Waugh brings so many of our Civil war Generals, both North and South, back to life. We learn so many interesting details about their lives at West Point. This book had me laughing, with their antics at West Point, it rather reminded me of my own "boot Camp" life in the military 25 years ago. I can still see Thomas J. "StoneWall" Jackson, sweating at the blackboard, to try and solve problems,walking at the same pace, even when the others hurry to get out of the rain. The Fight that almost broke out, in the Church at West Point, between two future leaders.

One of the things, John Waugh does, is very emotionally grab you by the throat, as he describes StoneWall Jacksons dying, his wifes and Lee's reaction, and the funeral. I literally, had to put the book down and wipe the tears from my eyes. I've read about this incident, many times before, but Waughs version, really got to me.
McClellan, A.P.Hill, Pickett, Wilcox, Stoneman, Darius Couch, Sturgis and many others are brought to life.

I have so many Civil War books to read, but I certainly want to read this book again, in the future.

If you're a real Civil War Buff, you owe it to yourself to read this. To me, it was as good as Shelby Foote.

I've been immersed in my Civil War studies for about 2 years, and Waugh/Mc Pherson's effort is an absolute joy. The life and times of key (and minor) personalities of this particular graduating class are spotlighted through their studies at West Point, Mexican/Indian War exploits and sorrowfully, to the final conflict of America's Civil War. One of the true instances where one "cannot put the book down". Highly recommended, indeed.