This book would make an outstanding teaching tool for an educator who is also a stamp enthusiast. Basically, the book dedicates on page per person who appears on an American stamp. The book is very complete, right up to about 1990, but this covers an awful lot of American history, particularly presidents and important personages from very by-gone times.

The biographies are short, of course, which means really BIG names like Abraham Lincoln get roughly the same coverage as someone perhaps a bit less distinguised, like Millard Filmore (don't write me and complain, Fillmore fans...I'm just making a point!!).

I can imagine that a teacher might have kids look for these stamps (old letters and postcards, junk shops, etc.) as though it were some sort of tresure hunt, and then perhaps use the book to write a report, give an oral presentation, etc. It could help teach history, research methods, presentation skills, or even the joy of hunting for collectibles.

It's also a good general knowledge book to have for US stamp collectors who want to know more about the story behind the stamp.

It's not brilliantly written, nor exhaustive, but is is handy and does exactly what it promises!

The biggest problem I have with this book is its weight. It's just too big and clunky to hold up to read. Splitting into two bindings would have been nice. But it does cover a lot and it needs to be large to do so.

I bought the Beginners Guide to Linux Programming and I really liked that book. This book is a very good follow-up, but it doesn't give the reader more programming tips.
It covers many topics which makes this book a great reference for anyone who deals with Linux and even other flavors of Unix on a day to day basic. Buy this book if you are looking for a reference book on developing software on Linux that covers advanced topics.

This book is a follow-up to Beginning Linux Programming, but with a wider range of authors. The book is a series of chapters on various tools and applications, all of them Open Source, based mainly round things that application developers might use, though there is a single chapter on device drivers.

Most topics only get a single chapter, so there isn't as much depth as you would find in a dedicated book on each topic, but there is a very wide range of material all covered in enough depth to get the more experienced programmer started with a new topic. There are one or two weaker areas, but overall a good choice of material succinctly presented for the more experienced application developer. I've given it 5 stars as it was exactly what I was looking for - a single reference to help me create a Linux-based web database application, your mileage may vary. I recommend you at least consider it.

"Ethan Frome," by Edith Wharton, is a fine example of Wharton's skill and power as a writer of fiction. But beyond that, this is a really depressing read. The story is basically a domestic tragedy set in the cold, grim town of Starkfield, Massachusetts. The title character is a poor farmer whose wife, Zeena, seems to be a hypochondriac. Their life together is complicated by Ethan's problematic attachment to Zeena's cousin, Mattie, who has come to live with them.

Wharton's prose is impressive on many levels. She really brings the reader into Ethan's tormented mind, and the effect is heartbreaking. Her representation of American vernacular speech is intriguing, as is her use of foreshadowing. Ethan--"the most striking figure in Starkfield, though he was but the ruin of a man"--is a memorable creation.

Ultimately, "Ethan" is a horrific vision of human coldness, cruelty, bitterness, hopeless, and longing. Despite Wharton's abundant talent, the book is a hard pill to swallow.

This story portrays the life of an unfortunate man whose unhappiness, depression and weakness causes him to become a helpless prisoner and a lost soul that will continue living in the lonely village of Starkfield, Massachusetts forever.
Edith Wharton's, Ethan Frome begins by introducing the narrator as a character. The story then proceeds to go back in time, which takes over the bulk of the book. She also includes, within her story traces of foreshadowing and irony, which keeps the reader focused and interested. Wharton distinctly describes the environment with imagery and diction in order to sufficiently create the mood and tone of the story for the reader. Wharton's writing style attracts the reader and successfully develops an unexpected ironic twist, which makes this story one of a kind.
The tragic story of Ethan Frome takes place in the dull and isolated village of Starkfield, Massachusetts. Ethan From, the central character in the story, and his unhealthy wife, Zeena, live in quiet and sorrow, which puts an end to their marriage. Due to Zeena's illness, her cousin Mattie Silver is called to take over the responsibilities of the house. Mattie's bright and happy presence attracts Ethan immensely, causing a spark to ignite in his nonexistent life. Mattie's youthful appearance and her energetic personality contrasts with the dark and wicked characteristics of the evil sister, Zeena. Mattie and Ethan's unspoken love creates the foundation of Zeena's jealousy and rage. Her need for attention and sympathy allows her to dominate and control the lives of Mattie and Ethan. The combination of fate and Zeena's imposing power contributes to Ethan and Mattie's forbidden and unperceivable love. Ethan's constant pursuit of happiness and attempt to escape from Zeena's restraints and the confinements of the village inevitably cause unwanted results.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. It is one of the few that I have read more than once. It is a short novel, but it is 81 pages of dynamic work. The story moves along quickly at a great pace so a reader can read it in an afternoon.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading about a forbidden love between two individuals that would do anything they could in the world to be together. It is a tragic love story, but so is life in its most unusual way. Wharton's best work in this story is definitely the catastrophic twist she gives it at the end. The outcome is overwhelming and tear-jerking. Edith Wharton's description of these pressures and the longing love Ethan has for Mattie makes this a story that immediately holds the attention of the reader. It pulls the reader into an invigorating tale of the one true love finally found that is at the same time torturously, maddeningly beyond all hope of attainment.

Once in a while you have to put down those current novels, and read some classic literature. And Edith Wharton is one of the best.

This story takes place in the cold, bleak winter farmlands of Massachusetts. Ethan Frome, a poor farmer, has a hard life tending to his land, trying to make a meager living, and also taking care of his ungrateful, demanding, sickly wife, Zeena. When her cousin, Mattie, comes to help her, Ethan's life changes completely. He falls deeply in love with Mattie. This being the 1800's, he must endure the stifling conventions of that era's society also. There love for each other proves to be a fascinating story.

I loved this book. This is a story that will definitely take you away. You'll actually feel you are there. Edith's detail description of the scenery and landscape of that time are truly vivid. I found myself pausing from my reading to look outside to see if it was actually snowing. I highly suggest you find time to read "Edith Wharton's books, you'll be grateful. I certainly was!

Though there are several good letters contained in this book, most are average at best. Trimble does not do a very good job as editor. The introduction and conclusion are poor--they contain very little information on the authors of the letters, and what information is provided is not presented well. Would also like to have seen the editor do a better job placing the letters in the greater context of the war.

William and Thomas Jones were Irish brothers who, with their sister Maggie, immigrated to the United States. Maggie was a schoolteacher in West Farms, New Jersey. William and Thomas served in the 48th New York Volunteer Regiment and saw front-line combat during the American Civil War. Brothers 'til Death is a collection of their letters, memoirs, and diary entries that provide today's reader with first-hand information on what they say and did, from the home front to the front lines. Their letters also present an immigrant's perspective on the conflict. Also included are letters from friends of the Jones siblings, thereby adding additional voices and views to the Irish-accented conversation about the war. Of special interest to Civil War historians are detailed aspects of the coastal campaign of the Carolinas and Georgia, including the assaults on Forts Pulaski, Fisher, and Wagner. Brothers 'til Death is enthusiastically recommended reading for all Civil War buffs and an outstanding contribution to academic and public library Civil War collections.

I closed the final chapter longing for more and feeling as though my friendships had been severed without saying good-bye... What a fine collection of letters to impose such feelings... Not only do we have the opportunity to learn more about this complicated era through their personal accounts, but we get the added dimension of their emotions through the beautifully expressive writing. John Fogarty's soulful poem written during the summer of 1864 underscores the tremendous eloquence of these "ordinary" people... Having had the privilege of reading some of Ellis Spear's journal entries as he set off with the 20th Maine, I can affirm the dedication of this teacher to his students and the labor of love the coordination of this project was. We are fortunate to reap what Richard Trimble has sown...

I started to write a review of One Year Off, by David Elliot Cohen, and then realized I was really reviewing Family Travels instead (comparing the Cohen book to it). I bought this book solely on the strength of reviews, and I enjoyed a lot of it, but was a little disappointed. I was put off by the Reeves family's luxurious style of travel, and the ease (courtesy of their professional connections) with which they met ambassadors, prime ministers, etc. around the world. On the one hand you have to admire people who can stay at the Hilton (or the equivalent) in every major Asian city and still see some of the local culture -- on the other hand it would be much more interesting if they weren't staying at the Hilton. I'd rather read about the travels of a family on a significantly lower budget and more relaxed schedule -- hence my enjoyment of One Year Off. In sum, this book is worth reading, but the best parts are the least serious -- the tantrums thrown by 9-year-old Fiona, and the 20-something exploits of Conor and Colin.

I really liked the idea of the book. The dialog boxes scattered throughout the book were distracting. The text was also in the book so it was not helpful.

I must say that I liked the idea that each family member was responsible for writing a diary and sharing that with Richard. Good info on Asia.

I also enjoyed reading about the young girl and her experiences on the road.

I have always enjoyed Reeves travel writings since I used to eagerly await Travel & Leisure magazines just to read his column. This book did not disappoint me. Every time I read his works I just want to jump up and go to these places and experience the culture the way he does. I read this book just before my first trip to Europe to get me in the mood. This book also was enjoyable reading how each member of the family reacted to each other and the trip. I especially loved Colin's description of the overnight train ride as "way to make prisoners of war talk". All in all, it was a fun and informative read.

Perhaps we could indeed find this book "compelling" if we'd not been present at the author's trial and privy to the ludicrous and self-serving lies he used in an attempt to escape punishment for his heinous deeds! I would only be tempted to give credence to this new flight of imagination if Victor were to seek TRUE rehabilitation and redemption by finally admitting his guilt and helping to free his innocent partner who has been rotting in prison for Victor's misdeed for nearly 20 years!

This is an excellent account of life in prison. This is a must read for those interested in contemporary prison life. Very basic, but allows for a quick understanding of life on the inside.

Life without Parole is an inmate's account of life at Graterford prison in Pennsylvania. It is a view of prison as he knew it. I would never expect the guards nor the administration to publicly admit to the goings on at Graterford during the time the author was incarcerated. There are countless acounts of wrong doing by both inmates and guards alike. Mr. Hassine has presented his view of prison and I find it to be informative, interesting, and believable.

Received this book as a CEU offering. It seemed 3/4 of the book was on products. In some ways this was helpful as a comparison reference, but in this day of managed care, I can't use all these products. Would have liked more information on wound healing

The sparse information in WOUND CARE about caring for wounds and preventing them is superb, but the manual is primarily a catalogue of products. The type of material provided in WOUND CARE can be found in the detail sheets packed with wound care products. I found the book a disappointment.

This book is an excellent nursing resource for wound care. The opening provides a quick review of wounds and the healing process. It then moves on to proper wound assessment techniques, staging, and measurement. A section is dedicated to describing product types used for the prevention of decubitis ulcers. What I found most helpful in the nursing field was the wound care product descriptions. The book gives a general overview of product types and catagories then procedes to list specific brand name products. Each product is pictured for easier identification. The sizes of each product are listed along with the action, indications, contra-indications, and application/removal methods. This is excellent for product comparison as well as referral. I would suggest this for any nurse interested in wound care. It would also be a great reference book for nursing units that treat various wounds.

Why is the Red Badge of Courage so hard to read until about the middle of the book? I think it's because Crane throws us into the world of fear in the first half - fear, cowardice, panic, the confusion and disorganization of war. We're not used to being treated like this, either by books or the real world. I can identify with Crane because the first half of my life was like that. It's OK to be afraid. You can even start reading from the middle and eventually go backwards if it's frustrating. As for life, at some point in life, if you really keep trying, fear gets tiresome and repetitive. You begin to despise yourself as a coward, and you only see images of cowardice around you. The uselessness of following the crowd and some of the fairy tales you learned hit you like a brick. You see too much destruction, whether in hot wars or cold wars, industry or the academic world. One day, when you have nothing left to lose, you try a new strategy called courage. You might feel a lot of anger when doing it, but you have to eventually learn to act out of calmness and yes, even love. You fight back because of the things and people you've lost. You become a Veteran, whether in war or in peace with illness like Crane himself. You learn that there are things more important than your own life. Then you're like Audie Murphy, Mahatma Gandhi, Stephen Crane, Galileo Galilei, Saint Thomas More. And the strangest thing of all is that they're right. There are things more important than your own life. One of them is called Courage.

I have been thinking about what it would be like to be fighting in a war; leaving home, family, and friends. The amount of physical and mental strain on your body would be unimaginable. The Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane, is a book written during the Civil War. Crane presents the meaning of courage through the eyes of a young soldier, Henry Fleming.

Henry Fleming expressed several emotions throughout the book, which correlated to many of the things I would feel. In the beginning he wanted to join the army, but his mother wouldn't allow him. He finally disobeyed her and enlisted. I'm sure my mom would not want me to go either, however if I felt strongly for the cause, I would also leave.

Crane presented the psychological aspects of war to his readers with precise detail and clarity. Before being sent into battle for the first time, most people would wonder if they had enough courage to fight. Henry Fleming constantly struggled with this idea. My favorite part of the book was when Henry threw a pinecone at a squirrel to see if it would take the hit, or run away. After the squirrel ran from the pinecone, he felt justified for running away from the battle.

Although the Civil War was the bloodiest battle in American history, Crane presented the mental struggles more than the physical ones. The Red Badge of Courage expressed many different emotions such as pride, honor, and courage. I strongly recommend this book because of its vivid depiction of the American Civil War. Every young adult should read this book, so they have a better understanding of war.

The Red Badge of Courage by stephen Crane is one of the most spectacular books that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Throughout my life I have een completely anti-war. I didn't want war, I didn't want to read about it,...nothing. Over the summer I took the time to read Red Badge which was suggested to me by a few friends. I was blown away. Never have I received such a compelling impact from a book as from that novel. (I even cried with the characters.) The imagery that Crane creates is absolutely moving. You are not only put in the middle of the Civil Wat, but you become a part of the Union Army, fighting fot the unity of your country. A belief that you would die for. You will feel the anticipation of a soldier right before a battle, as well as the terriffying moral dilema of whether or not you should run away once being fired upon. Crane's characters, although having no direct names, pull you into their lives through their strong diolouge. He who reads this novel will learn so much about themselves, and human nature through just two pages of the wounded man's speech to Henry Fleming, the main character. Who knew that the simple imagery of a wound as a "Red Badge of Courage," would be able to move so many people? the Red Badge of Courge is simply a masterpiece. A book that will forever be capable of sharing the horror's of war to generations far into the future. I strongly recommend that you open your curiosity, heart, and mind, and read the Red Badge of Courage.

Matthews specializes in revisionist pseudohistory for the limousine liberal crowd. This book tries to portray Jefferson as a Democratic Radical and a quasi-socialist. The author is muddling his own socialist, left-wing philosophy with Jefferson, but misinterpreting quotes and out right fabrication. Matthews is down right distortive of both Jefferson and Madison...

I'd instead recommend Mr. Jefferson by Albert Jay Nock and The Constitutional Thought of Thomas Jefferson by David Meyer. The biographies by Dumas Malone are worth noting, but there is no better way to understand Jefferson than read his political writings. Get the Library of America volume with Jefferson's writings.

Over the years, I have noticed that many people make pronouncements about Jefferson without really reading him. When I was in college studying political science, Jefferson and Madison were pigeonholed together as Lockean liberals, for the most part. While his thought seems largely derived from Locke, he takes it in totally new directions.
One day, while doing research for a paper on the ideologies behind the Federalist-Antifederalist debates of the 1780s, I started reading the unabridged version of Jefferson's collected letters and papers. I was looking to get a better insight into how Jefferson viewed the Constitution, but for some reason, I started reading a letter to Madison in which Jefferson proposed his idea that no laws, constitutions, or public debt schemes should be valid more than 19 years after they were passed. Intrigued, I started reading more. The more of Jefferson I read, the more thunderstruck I was. I came to the conclusion that most of the historians I had read had completely misrepresented Jefferson. After I finished the paper I was working on, I took the next several months and read everything that survives of Jefferson's thought. And I came to the conclusion that while Jefferson and Madison were friends and political allies, Jefferson's views of democracy went far beyond anything that Madison (or any of the other leading American politicans of his time) ever dared to utter. In many respects, Jefferson was closer to the French revolutionaries who took power after the French Revolution of 1789 than he was to most of his fellow Founders.
That's why Richard Matthews' book is essential. Matthews explores at length several of the pillars behind Jefferson's thought, including his idea that the earth belongs to the living, from which he derives such ideas as automatic sunset of laws and constitutions and his idea that large estates should be broken up upon the death of the landholder and the land given to the poor. He also delves into Jefferson's concept of the "ward republic." Jefferson, unlike Madison, was confident that average citizens could manage their own civic affairs. To that end, he suggested that counties should be split up into small "wards", akin to the New England town meeting, and that these "ward republics" should directly govern all public matters within their boundaries. Jefferson believed that the man (and in Jefferson's time, it was only men) who learned to manage the affairs of such a "ward republic" would also be a better citizen of his State, and the federal union.
Now Jefferson was no head-in-the-clouds theorist. He was a successful practical politician, and, unlike many of the French Jacobins, knew that in the real world, one could only accomplish so much. So, unlike many other revolutionaries who have won political power, Jefferson was not interested in imposing his idea of the good society upon his countrymen at all costs. But he was quite serious about his ideas.
Matthews overstates his case in a few small areas. But, if one reads this book alongside one of the more conventional discussions of Jefferson's politics, one gets a more balanced view. And in most areas, Matthews seems to catch the nuances of Jefferson's thought better than have other scholars. The proof, of course, comes from reading Jefferson himself. If a library near you has the multi-volume edition of Jefferson's works, I recommend spending some time with him directly. It is no chore; Jefferson is a skillful prose stylist.
One other important area of note: Matthews does a fairly admirable job of assessing Jefferson's racism, and the moral dilemna of slavery. Like a lot of the men of his class and time, Jefferson owned slaves while asserting that slavery was evil. Unlike a lot of his contemporaries, he made no real effort to rectify the situation, and from all accounts, Jefferson was a hard slavedriver, and Jefferson's comments on the intellectual capacities of blacks are reprehensible. Jefferson was also something of a hypocrite when he addresses native Americans. On the one hand, Jefferson admired their societies; on the other hand, Jefferson was a supporter of policies that eventually resulted in the near genocide of native tribes. It is somewhat difficult to reconcile this Jefferson with the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence, and who came up with so many novel ideas..more than any other 18th Century democratic theorist on this side of the Atlantic. That said, the flaws in Jefferson's character do not change the fact that his radically democratic ideas still have merit.

Richard Matthews "Radical Politics of Thomas Jefferson" is great interpretation on the radical nature of the philosophy of Thomas Jefferson. It is amazing to me how the first two reviewers show their how their own ideology ie: "lockean liberalism" is engrafted onto Jefferson. Matthews points out how Jefferson went farther than his fellow revolutionaries in creating a radical democratic philosophy. Jefferson was a true believer in not only a philosophy of liberty, but the best way to preserve that liberty through societal revolution, the "earth belongs to the living" concept, and his view of "ward republicanism".

Jefferson saw the American Revolution as a fulfillment not only of Locke,and Sidney, but also saw it as a new begining for liberated man. This new begining would constantly renew the faith of the American Revolution through periodic change in laws and constitutions. Jefferson wanted to preserve liberty by extending democratic republicanism to virtually all white males through his granting of 50 acres of land to every man in Virginia in the belief that property ownership would secure the liberty fought for in the Revolution. Jefferson's proposals to abolish primogeniture and entail are radical attepts to equalize property relations by as he put it " to put all on an equal footing". This was to increase propery ownership by allowing estates to be given to more than just the eldest son.

Next is Jefferson's "ward republics". This proposal Jefferson saw as his most important. The ward would be the basic unit on democratic government. Similar to New England Townships, these wards would allow for participation in the affairs of society right down to it closest level. Public schools, militia duty, opposition to tyranny from other branches of government could all be begun here. He also included the "care of the poor" and "care of the roads". This proposal I consider as one of his most profound of democratic ideals.

Matthews books is fantastic it illuminates these ideals in the freat Mr Jefferson. A great buy.