Pearl Harbor Story is the fascinating and informative memoir of Major General H. D. Russell, who was a member of the U.S. Army Pearl Harbor Investigation Board, an entity that completed its work in October 1944. Major Russell dictated his recollections in early 1946, shortly after finishing six years of active duty in the Army and returning to civilian life. Major Russell's memoir is at last being published with consent of the general's heirs. His first-person account lends an urgent, up-close and unforgettable insider's view to events that shaped history. Major Russell's personal anger with the attack and with attempts to veil the essence of what was truly happening afterward shows clearly throughout. The official report's conclusion that U.S. government officials knew little or nothing about the likelihood of a Japanese attack are starkly challenged by the dissenting opinion of a knowledgeable investigator. Pearl Harbor Story is a must-read for anyone who wants more than just a surface verdict of a singular event that changed world history.

This book was originally written in 1957, but was reprinted several times. Because of my interest in the Inquisition, I decided to read it, though I don't usually read older books. I found myself immediately drawn in to an exquisitely exciting, dramatic, and well-written historical novel!

The plot deals more with the characters who are caught up in a fanatically religious time, the late 16th century of Spain, rather than the actual history itself. There is aristocratic Isabella, betrothed to Domingo, though she is in love with his dashing brother Blasco. There is Bianca, a wild gypsy girl who becomes Isabella's maid, but who has a secret affair with Blasco.

When Blasco is sent by King Philip on a secret mission to France, he sees Catholics there slaughter the Protestant Huguenots, which forever changes his opinion of Catholicism. During the uprising, he risks his life to save a Huguenot woman, then brings her to Spain, where she continues to be in danger from the Catholic Inquisitors.

While he is gone, his beloved Bianca and her mistress Isabella are abducted by English pirates, and once in England, the two Catholic women, in a reversal of religious fanaticism, find themselves in a land where Catholics are persecuted by Protestants.

Many twists and turns take place, keeping the reader guessing, and involved with all the delightful characters, including the children who take a leading role in the story. I dare not give any more of the plot away about what happens to Domingo, Blasco, Bianca, and Isabella as their lives are moved along by the forces of religious fervor. Delicious reading!

The little known Oxford Archaeological Guides series provides information that you cannot find elsewhere This guide was written by Henry Cleere in 2001 and gives information about many of the (mostly Roman) archaeological sites of southern France. Sites are described in great detail with an emphasis on how the site might have looked in ancient times and changes occurring over centuries. Information is provided here that I have not seen in any other guidebook. The amazing Roman bridge the Pont du Gard, near Nimes, is described in great detail. This immense stone structure was built in 20 BC over the river Gard to supply water to the expanding settlement of Nemausus (present day Nimes). The automobile-sized stone blocks of which the bridge is built were quarried from a site less than a kilometer upstream. There is no better illustration of the power and wealth of ancient Rome than that such a massive structure was built (50 meters high and 275 meters wide) merely to provide abundant water for a minor settlement. Other not-to-be missed sites are given the attention they deserve: The very similar amphitheaters of Arles and Nimes are well described. The beautiful Roman theater and the triumphal arch at Orange are explored in detail I have not seen elsewhere. This book would not be suitable as the only guidebook to take with you on a trip, the information provided is far too specialized. I'd recommend taking along the Michelin Green guides or the Knopf guide for Provence as well. Some minor drawbacks: the drawings and maps are not as detailed as they could be and the few photographs that are provided are black and white and of poor quality. These complaints are not critical flaws; the book would still be invaluable even if it didn't contain a single illustration.

This is an interesting collection of essays, interviews, and commentaries, which has been well put together by Susan Sontag. The advice to young writers section is particularly amusing as are Kis's thoughts on his self-chosen exile. I recommend reading the Tomb of Boris Davidovitch before hand because much of the book deals with the controversy Kis faced over that novel, as well as his break from the Belgrade literati.

Kis was a brilliant writer, but as these essays show, completely apolitical. He did not have time for nationalists, internationalists, communists, capitalists any of it, which is why perhaps he went to France to live the quiet life of a University Professor.

Considering that she claims to be a friend of Kis and actually put this work together, it is shameful that Sontag insists on putting a political spin on this collection. She actually claims that the 'gingerbread heart of nationalism' section ranks along with, she claims, Andric's Letter from 1920 as early warnings against Serbian Nationalism. As someone who has translated Andric's story, I can tell you that Ms. Sontag should consider re-reading. The Andric story makes the case that Bosnia is a land of ethnic hatred, ready to explode at anytime, which it obviously did. There is no mention of Serbian aggression or nationalism. Nor does Kis ever pay tribute to any idealized multi-cultural Bosnia, Sontag's cause celebre throughtout the early 90's and repeated in the introduction. Enough politics, however.

Read this work because it tells us a great deal about a wonderful literary stylist, who knew and loved literature. The fact that others would try to co-opt Kis to champion their political philosophies is embarrassing. The book speaks for itself.

Kis is a giant of world literature. This book of biographical pieces, interviews, and essays by Kis allow the reader to see some of the inner workings of that fine mind. His early death was a great loss to literature. What he has achieved, however, will live on forever. I've read A TOMB FOR BORIS DAVIDOVICH perhaps five times, and I'm looking forward to reading it again, and again.

I read Danilo Kis' books " Tomb for Boris Davidovich", "Hourglass" and "Encyclopedia of the Dead". The glory and greatness of this eastern European writer can be comprehended fully only after understanding Kis on the personal level. ""Homo Poeticus" does just that: writer pours his soul to the world by revealing his influences (literary and personal), - and brings reader closer to the great writers of this century such as: Nabokov, Flaubert, Borges, Marquis de Sade...Kis even wrote an essay on the Serbian painter Velickovic. I always respected Danilo Kis' fictional works. Collection of Danilo Kis' essays and interviews made me even more fond of him as a person - and his work. Book's editor, Ms. Susan Sontag, wrote emotionally powerful introduction. Her selection of the work published on this non-fiction masterpiece is absolutely wonderful.

La Reine Margot was, in my opinion, a pretty good story. There is lots of deception on the part of the Queen de Medicis, one of the more fascinating characters in the story. The book gives a glimpse of France during the Huguenot/Catholic struggle for power. The beginning is slow, but the story is good. I found it difficult (not being familiar with the history) to learn the characters' names. The first chapter is particularly trying, but I pressed on and the book seemed to ease up a LOT and give way to a story of plotted murders, backstabbing, a little superstition/witchcraft, and many close calls. La Reine Margot wasn't nearly as good as The Count of Monte Cristo (if you have not read this, it is definitely a page turner!), but it was a good story that gives a little insight into history while livening it up with Dumas's sword-fighting, heroic style. Notice that I tend to be a little harsh by granting it three stars, but this is only because The Count of Monte Cristo was truly his best work and must be set apart from his others.

This is a Historical novel that takes place in France, in the XVIth century. There's a very very bad black widow -as a matter of fact, black mother as well this is Catherine of Médicis-, a beautiful and amorous young queen married to somebody she does not love but with whom she forms an alliance just in order not to be a widow herself and go to a convent, a romantic heroe, his true friend -who sometimes loves him a little bit too much and a bunch of intriguers. Alexandre Dumas, in his newspaper serial style - this novel was first published that way-, interweave different stories aboiding boring descriptions and getting to the point: quick dialogue, short chapters, attractive characters, and everything to catch you from the first page, which he achieves. It really is a page turner, with several love stories that never goes with marriage and several marriages that never goes with love but with alliances. I have read that some United States reviewers are a bit confused because of the historical part and that's a problem unless you know European History or have a book with comments and notes. If you end the book and want to know what happened afterwards, read British Enciclopedia or something like that, because all characters are historical, even the Romantic hero La Mole and his friend. To those that have seen the 1990s French movie, you have the advantage of imagining the whole story with the beautiful faces of Isabelle Adjani and Vincent Perez, and the great soundtrack and spectacular staging from his director, which reminds of an opera. To those who doesn't I'd say go to your videoclub and try to find it!! It's not a substitute but a perfect complement.

This is a lesser known Dumas novel than, say, the Count of Monte Christo. But it is just as good as the others he did: vivid personalities, attention to detail, and fabulously intricate plots. It tells the story of Margot and her marriage to the King of Navarre, an ambitious Hugenot in constant danger of assassination. With the backdrop of the religious wars, she finds love in a knight that she attempts to cloister from the dangers of court intrigue. It ends in tragedy, hope, and the promise of further adventure.

Based on available historical sources at the time and embellished with Dumas' unique sense of drama, it is a spectacular read, full of danger, sudden developments, and psychological depth. While it may not be as deep as Stendhal's best works, it is absolutely first rate as a historical novel, a genre that Dumas helped to develop. It stimulates the reader's desire to plung more deeply into French history as well.

High recommendation.

This is a good book to rummage around in and to pick through, depending on your interests. The book has a strange kind of ebb and flow to it, alternating between straightforward biographical information, entertaining and easily comprehensible, and some very difficult philosophical sections on what these four disparate people were trying to achieve in their work. The book is very good but in some ways doesn't quite hold together because of the alternating style. And, quite honestly, in some of the analytical sections I sometimes wasn't sure what Mr. Shattuck was saying! If you want something that is entertaining but also very thoughtful without lapsing into the obscure you might want to try David Sweetman's "Explosive Acts" instead. That book seems to me to be more comprehensive and to give you a better feel for the times. Shattuck's book is more narrow in focus. A big drawback for me is that I have never heard the music of Erik Satie. As far as I know it is unavailable. This makes it a little tough to follow Mr. Shattuck's analysis of the music. So, "The Banquet Years" has got a lot of rich, dense prose but you'll need to beware if you are watching your intellectual weight!

Since encountering this wonderful and fascinating book during my first year in college, I have felt its influence in many parts of my life. My nickname shows the influence of Alfred Jarry and his Dr. Faustroll, even though I often identify more with the character Panmuphle. Just for introducing and explaining Jarry, Roger Shattuck's book is worth a good look. Yet another phenomenon that is more complex than its surface first suggests -- the painting of Henri Rousseau -- becomes better understood and more deeply appreciated through Shattuck's chapters on art in Paris at the turn of the 20th century. He certainly educated and influenced my own artistic preferences. And there is more, on poetry and music, but enough said. This is a book of enduring value.

I first came across this book when assigned it in college, and I return to it every few years. I found this a bracing book when I first read it and still to this day. Anyone who thinks Andy Kaufman was the first person to cross the line of performance art into life should read the section on Alfred Jarry. Indeed at a certain point Jarry became irretrievably blurred with his creation Pere Ubu (whom he took to "impersonating" in real life to an extent that must have been quite a trial to his friends). Yet there is something very moving and affirming about the often tragic story presented here. Jarry lived in a half sized room and became a chronic drunk yet he retained an impeccable dignity despite feeling trapped in a savage and absurd world. His last words were for a request for a toothpick. Jarry returned the insult of life with perfect poise.

The other portraits are equally incisive, the Satie portrait particulary haunting (its hard to listen to his music without thinking of the tiny room he lived in and never let another sole visit during his lifetime).

Shattuck gives the historical background that gives you fascinating insight into the social/cultural conditions behind the emergence of what have to be considered highly idiosyncratic artists.

For anyone with bohemian inclinations or posturings this book is essential, perhaps making your own little room shine with a little solidarity for those who have trod before you...

I have this friend who hates Henry James. I can't understand it. The style is dated, in that people dont write that way today, but as you get into the book you begin to enjoy the style, as well as the plot, characters, and French/American dual culture shock that still goes on today. (For an update on the theme, look at Le Divorce and Le Mariage by Diane Johnson). I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen to these characters and the description of Paris in the Second Empire were fascinating. If you watch the Masterpiece Theatre version without having read the book, you will be totally confused. They moved events out of sequence all over the place and after about ten minutes I shut off the tape and picked up the book. You have to know the whole story before you watch them throw characters and events at you in the first two scenes that only appear 2/3 of the way through the novel, after a foundation has been laid as to who they are and when and why things happened.

I couldnt recommend this more for a good read. The only caution I have is for readers who have never been to France. They may get an extremely negative impression of French people from many of the characters in this book. Go to Paris and you will find the city is wonderful, and so are the French people. These characters are not typical!! They belong to a certain class, and the book does take place 150 years ago. If this book doesnt get you hooked on James, I dont know what will. Try Washington Square and dont miss that movie, with Jennifer Jason Leigh, Albert Finney and Maggie Smith.

OK so it takes half the book to get to the story. In typical Henry James fashion you are completely prepared for the action. Unlike Thomas Hardy, whose surroundings tell us of the character of the person it surrounds, James wishes you to know the depth of his characters as seen through the eyes of others. This of course brings on many minor characters that just seem to disappear, but it is a view of a person as if the reader was on the other side of the mirror watching the story unfold. Yes, James is wordy, yes this is not a quick read, but Henry James has a mastery of language and story telling that is rare.
"The American" is a wonderful love story that ends as a real life love story might end. Do not expect roses and happily ever after, it is as much a story of an ancient social system as it is of the life of "our hero." And the thing that seems to get missed is that Henry James actually wrote this as a mystery, not a love story.
This is a novel to contemplate and read between the lines. Good verses Evil, Noveau vs Old Money, Right and Wrong, can literature get any better than that?

This book is long, but only because that's how James tells the story. It's like a soup that needs to boil all day, so it's kept on low, but when it's done, it's perfect. The book stays at the pace of "our hero" the American Christopher Newman. A smart, educated, rich, yet easy going, simple, and humane veteran of the Civil War and a self made tycoon, who goes to Europe to see the "treasures and entertain" himself.

He becomes entangled in what he thinks is a simple plan for matrimony, but is really truly a great deal larger and more treacherous and terrible than that.

We spend a lot of time in Newman's mind, paragraphs of character analaysis are sprung upon us, but nothing seems plodding or slow, nothing feels useless. By the end of the book we find that we think like the character and can only agree with what he does. We react to seemingly big plot twists and events as he does, without reaction, and a logical, common sense train of thought.

But don't misunderstand that. For a book that is so polite and the essence of "slow-reaction", it is heartwrenching and tragic. You will cry, you will wonder, and you will ask yourself questions. Colorful, lifelike, and exuberant characters fight for your attention and your emotions, and we are intensely endeared to them. Emotional scenes speckle the book and are just enough. And the fact that something terrible and evil exists in this story hangs over your head from the beginning. It's hard to guess what happens because James doesn't give us many clues, and the ending may come as a surprise to some people. And without us knowing it, James is comparing American culture to European culture (of the day), and this in of itself is fulfilling.

Indeed, James uses every page he has, without wasting any on detailed landscapes and useless banter. 2 pages from the end you have a wrenching heartache, but the last paragraph and page is utterly and supremely satisfying, and you walk away the way Newman walks away, at peace.

(This review refers to Volume One only.) Asimov has collected eight stories in this anthology that were influential in his own writing. Asimov read most of these stories when he was about 12 years old, being fortunate enough to devour most of them from pulp magazines that were sold in his father's candy store. As might be expected with any anthology, some stories are better than others, and some have held up better through the years than others. Yet these pieces are not included for comparison to current stories, but to show what Asimov read as a young person and how the works influenced him. Asimov's mini-autobiography alone is worth the price of the book. After each story, Asimov tells how an idea or a concept from a story led to the formation of one of his own works. A very interesting idea. "The Jameson Satellite" is a forerunner of "I, Robot," and "Submicroscopic" is a small step from "Fantastic Voyage." As mentioned by another reviewer, the reader will have to deal with several prejudices from the time these stories were written (especially racial), but overall this book is a great insight into what makes Asimov Asimov.

This collection of early, pulp-style scifi works is a great joy. Asimov's introduction to the stories is exceedingly interesting and helpful. The stories sometimes show flaws or problems in their writing and in their attitudes (while several stories are forward-looking, most show the racism and misogyny common to that time), most of the stories are entertaining and all of them are interesting from a historical perspective. Check it out if you can get your hands on it, it's a great find. I really got a kick out of several pieces, which run the gamut from more reasonable 'conquered man, driven underground, strikes back at his evil alien oppressors' to the completely ludicrous story about the planets of our solar system hatching into giant space chickens. (That last story is meant to be taken seriously, by the way.) A veritable laundry-list of great, long out-of-print authors and some wonderful writing from the early days of popular science fiction.

This book contains the good old stories from the 1930's. There is nothing great here, but it is till worth reading. You can see the evolution of the Science Fiction field by reading the stories in this book.

"It is difficult to describe the burdens of a civilized soul born into entirely the wrong family" says our Sibille early in the story. Craving a peaceful life as a poet, our heroine is un-wittingly sucked into quite a situation. After accidentally "murdering" her fiancee Sibille runs to her Aunt Pauline for help, unknowingly aquiring The Master of all Desires en-route. Catherine de Medici and Diane de Poitiers battle with black magic and will stop at nothing to gain possession of The Master. Nostradamus, guided by Anael the disorganized spirit of past and future history, would rather stay home and rest. Wacky Aunt Pauline converses regularly with the ghosts which haunt her house and has quite a history of her own. Add to that Sibille's monstrous dog gargantua, a troublesome monkey and a babbling severed head which follows Sibille everywhere. Oh what wacky fun, I devoured the book in two days. I cannot wait for her next book!

While I agree with the reader from NYC that the characters of Sibille and Nicolas aren't as well defined as the characters in Judith Merkle Riley's other books, there is no doubt in my mind that she is the best historical/romance fiction author of our time. Although the main characters are a little one dimensional at times, it is obvious that they are written with love and humor. Riley's meticulous eye for detail and talent for drawing the reader into another time and place more than makes up for that slight deficit. I'd say that Master of All Desires holds its own with her other books. I loved her characterization of Nostradamus and his spirit of the future, Anael, who is wonderfully described as long and blue, and composed of whirling lights. Menander the Great (who is the Master of All Desires and a head in a silver box) is sinister and often amusing as the diabolical tempter that steals souls for wishes. Sibille's Aunt Pauline is a hoot as the widow of a pirate who lives in a house filled with the ghosts of those killed by her dead husband. Each of these main characters along with the minor ones all add up to an atmospheric and hard to put down story of 16th Century France. As with Riley's other books, I took forever to read Master of All Desires, partly because it was so wonderful, and partly because she probably won't hurry up and write another one any time soon. Read this book and then read all of her other ones, they are all definitly keepers.

What a delightful blending of historical fact to fictional fancy. The story follows a well know historical triangle between Queen Catherine de Medici , her husband, King Henri II, and his lover, Diane de Poitiers. Then through in an elderly and cranky Nostradamus and you've got a funny and entertaining novel.

It would appear that both Queen Catherine and Diane de Poitiers want to get their hands on The Master of All Desires, aka Menander the Undying. Menander is a disembodied head that can grant any wish. The problem is he has a nasty habit of granting your wish, but always with the classic saying "Be careful what you wish for." Meanander is in the hands of a young Sibille Artaud de La Roque who refuses to make a wish and is trying to free herself of Menander so that she can marry her love Nicolas and have a normal life.

The result is a true delight that feels like a modern day Shakespeare comedy. I can't wait to read more of Ms. Riley's work.

As someone who has a deep interest in the history of religion and Christianity in particular, I found this book to be fascinating and absorbing - wished I had read it years ago. It is excellent book if you are interested in history and its impact on thought and philosophy, but it is not light reading.

Despite the wealth of historical information, much of which may be accurate about the Knights Templar, the Merovingian dynasty of France, and the "Priurie of Sion," the authors are not at all convincing in the presentation of their central thesis, which is that Jesus of Nazareth did not actually die on the cross, and had a child by Mary Magdalene, and furthermore that this child itself was the "holy grail."

They ignore the wealth of Biblical and extra-biblical information that totally contradicts their position. Like brilliant professors who are right about many things but have latched on to something which is compelling, but wrong, so it is with the authors of this book.

In the preface they indicate that a bishop could not find any meaningful criticism of their work. After reading the book, that statement was silly - I can think of many. Thousands of people have carefully considered the issue of Christ's death and resurrection through the centuries, and have soundly refuted theories like this. See the book, "Who Moved the Stone?" or works by Josh McDowell.

Nevertheless, there is much about the book which, though revisionist, may be historically on target.

I have my own theory about the Mary Magdalene and the Grail which I would like to share with the authors, namely that she did bear a child by someone associated with Jesus (Barabbas? Lazarus? Simon of Cyrene? Nicodemus?), and wanted so much to be the wife of Jesus that she deceived herself (or at least others) into thinking that her child was fathered by Christ.

Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln - I would invite you to consider that alternative, and would enjoy discussing it with you.

I stumbled onto this book almost by accident and found it incredibly enjoyable. The prose is entertaining, and the way it skips about history gives the reader a broad overview of many different periods of time.

The premise of the book is compelling, and it is well-documented. The authors have done their research, and they have included many varied sources. The Dead Sea Scrolls make an appearance, as do the "lost gospels" discovered in Egypt in the early 1900s. By examining every available manuscript, the authors have enabled themselves to draw some conclusions that mere examination of the Bible and "standard" Christian texts doesn't allow.

The authors make several good points often lost in the din of history: 1. history is written by the victors and the obviously Roman slant to the Bible is a reflection of that; 2. no one is going to openly document a secret society (it would defeat the purpose); and 3. historians narrow their views so tightly that cross-"genre" analysis is virtually unheard.

The one complaint I have about the book is this: the authors never conclusively state whether they believe any of their own allegations. It is customary for an author advancing a controversial treatise to state what (s)he believes to be true. These authors never do. They hem and haw about "this could certainly be the case" or "one could easily assume" and "it would not be hard to assume" but they never say "we think this to be the case" or "we believe..." and by not doing so, they take away some of the power of an otherwise outstanding book. One last tidbit: there are numerous references to a series of documents in the Bibliotek Nationale in Paris that are never directly quoted. An appendix of photostats of these documents would have been an invaluable aid in examiining the authors' evidence. Not all of us ave the ability to fly to Paris, but that does not dinimish our enthusiasm for reseaerch.

Anthony Burgess described this book as a wonderful basis for a novel. He was right, but what sort of novel? It is part mystery, part thriller, part historical, and totally rivetting from page one. This "novel" has the greatest twist of them all. It could al be true.

The general "plot" is that a mystery concerning a valuable treasure in the South of France slowly unfolds to reveal an ongoing campaign to get a new, truthful, version of history accepted. A version of history that suggests Jesus did not die on the cross, but survived, married and founded a dynasty that has played a major role in the events of the European stage and beyond. The Holy Grail is said to be this truth that has been kept secret by vested interest groups including the Catholic Church.

The story could be true, all speculation engaged in by the authors is grounded in the many facts they produce. The quest for the grail is, however, given a new form by the authors, in that they find their own lives changed by the efforts of the research itself. Many other lives have been changed too. This book has spawned a small industry of books and souvenirs adding to or modifying the basic plot.

In the final analysis I would say this book is "the stone at the head of the corner" of the ultimate Post-Modernist novel, a novel with a basic storyline that can be taken up and modified by everyone with a will to try. It is written by many authors from many countries, and may still have many plot twists left. Who knows, read this book and you may be inspired to be the author of the next dramatic sequence.