This dictionary perfoms well for the beginner in geology or the intermediate student. Granted, most technical jargon is defined, though sometimes the definitions are a bit questionable. There is, however, some advanced and basic terminology that is absent. I sold my old geology dictionary (sorry, I didn't write anything about it down) and bought this one, and I regret doing so.

This is a good basic dictionary. It's not meant to be comprehensive, but covers the basics quite well. It was a required text in my undergraduate studies, and it serves nicely at that level.

After spending five years at the university studying geology, I would estimate that I can readily define less than half of terms in this dictionary. I just don't use them in my work. However, that is still pretty good considering that this comprehensive volume covers terminology from astrogeology, cartography, crystallography, mineralogy, economic geology, geochemistry, geomorpholgy, geophysics, glacial geology, hydrology, oceanograhy, palontology, petrology, stratigraphy, structural geology, and volcanology. The American Geological Institute used some of the top men in each field for this latest revised edition.

I've come to the conclusion over the years that the various branches of geology have evolved more specialised terms than any of the other sciences. That's why it is so easy for a specialist in another field, or a rock hound with a dictionary, to trip you up. That's also why you need your own copy of this book....

Oh yes, I could also see where this volume could be of help in preparing for the Advanced Test in Geology for the Graduate Record Exam- you never know what they are going to throw at you, either.

I admit, that the authors show careful research and a good deal of work. However, they ruin any historical credibility that they might have. They constantly use terminology that states their peronsal opinions, thereby causing this text to not be truly factual/historical. Opinions have no place in fact or good history!

This work critically examines the impact of the Mission system on the California Indians. The author interprets mission records about death rates, grain production, livestock and construction to provide insights about Indian life on California missions. The author explores the question: what did the mission system offer that attracted the Indians? The author rejects the simplistic version, taught to California fourth graders, that Indians accepted mission life in exchange for a steady food supply. This book makes a strong case for the role that coercion played in bringing Indians to the mission. The book provides details of Indian resistance to the missionary efforts in the form of revolt, flight, and murder.

It is a pity that there isn't a book summarizing the case against the Mission Myth for younger readers, but guided by their parents, fourth grade students bound to do their history project could profit from the understandings this book shares. Jackson and Castillo present a challenging summary of evidence that shows the devastating effect that the Franciscan-led colonization of California had on its native peoples. The book is controversial because it undermines the case for the canonization of Junipero Serra by pointing out the moral contradictions inherent in the foundation of the missions. Older students (advanced high school and college) will profit by reference to this work.

This is an excellent book if your are interested in learning all about Human Resource Management. It's very easy to read and follow. It's well-organized and well-written, chapter after chapter. The main points are clearly emphasized, with key definitions on each page. There are several things I liked specifically about this book. First, there was an incredible amount of real life examples throughout the book. Specifically, I appreciated the "HR Transition" section at the beginning of each chapter. The sections helped me understand the material effectively by giving specific business world examples on the topic of dicussion. Second, I appreciated the abundance of the figures, diagrams, charts, and images throughout the book. Often books are well-written, but lack in figures and images. This book, however, succeeds easily in providing adequate amount of visuals. Such figures and images make learning the concepts of the book so much easier. Finally, I appreciated the "Chapter Summary" section. It recapped the main points of the chapter, and helped me understand what information was most important in the chapter. There really isn't a whole lot that I disliked about the book. At times, I felt that some less important points were over-emphasized, and that some of the diagrams were confusing. With any respect, this is an excellent book for anyone interested in Human Resource Management.

Human Resource Management was a well-written book that was easy to read. It is a great book for someone wishing to learn more about the functions of Human Resources professionals. After reading this book, I have confirmed my major in Human Resources. There are three aspects of this book that I particularily liked, apart from it being easy to read. Frist, it is clear to the reader what is expected to be learned because the objectives are stated at the beginning of each chapter. Second, the book relates the concepts to real-life situations in the HR perspective sections. This makes it easier to grasp "textbook" definitions. Third, the authors make good use of figures and graphs to further reiterate the concepts. This is especially helpful for visual learners, like myself. In all, I would recommend this book to anyone wishing to learn more about Human Resource Management.

The HRM book that we used for class is easy to follow and to understand. The text was written to make it easy for the reader to understand and follow along, getting a good foundation to the principles and functions of HRM. It gave a clear basis on the job functions, and the figures and tables were clear, concise, and detrimental to the understanding of the material. Without the figures, it would have been hard to grasp the entire concept of the chapter. The order of the chapters seemed to flow in an organized fashion, grouping the similiar chapters together in units, although this being my first HRM course, I find it hard to rate the order of importance of the chapters. Overall I would recommend this book to other HRM professors. I thought that the book gave a lot of useful information and with the figures and tables the information was easy to understand and to apply to the real processes of HRM. With the examples and illustrations, this book would be very useful to all those taking a Human Resource Management course.

I feel guilty only giving this story three stars, given its immense historical significance. The problem I had with "Gilgamesh" is that I never felt moved by the story (reportedly the oldest story ever told). The Biblical flood is there (with minor significant differences) and the Potiphar's wife theme is interesting (if ultimately only marginally convincing), but I was never even remotely drawn into the tale. My difficulty is not with the translator (Danny P. Jackson) but is instead with the original story and stone tablets themselves. Quite simply, as described by Robert D. Biggs, the discovered tablets are too fragmented to allow for a story with a satisfying logical flow. This makes the story no less important, but it makes it an unsatisfying read. The temporal aspects are a problem as well. I'm aware of the differences between values as shared between different cultures, and these differences can only be magnified across time. Nevertheless, even with a reasonable Bibical background from which to draw, I found Gilgamesh's motivations to be beyond my ken. Both Biggs and James G. Keenan do an excellent job of introducing and describing "Gilgamesh," but I still found myself unsatisfied upon completion. Maybe I'd be more sympathetic were I reading it for study, but as a work read for my own enjoyment and fulfillment, it didn't quite do the trick.

I just wanted to take the time and give proper acknowldgement for this wonderful rendition. This past year I have had the opportunity to study mythology under the direction of Mr. Jackson, and he furthermore discussed this literary work into a living, breathing organism. The easily comprehensibile text paired with the beautiful artistry and reproductions of ancient Sumer have created a delightful reading environment. It is throught the interventions of art and mythology that people can begin to see a distinction of time and place. Mr. Jackson has accomplished this in his beautifully translated literary epic! Thanks for a great read!!

Jackson, a former seminarian, in his preface wonders why he had never been given any information on Gilgamesh written long before Judeo-Christian literature. Such a relief to read this because I've been wondering the same thing. I have just recently discovered Gilgamesh, and it is hard to understand why, after a lifetime of being bombarded with bible literature, I have to accidentally encounter a book that contains many similar concepts as the Bible, but predates it by more than 2000 years.

Reading the epic by Jackson has added an important dimension in my enlightening travels through the different Gilgamesh epics by Maureen Kovacs, N.K. Sanders, John Gardner & John Maier and the first epic I read on the Internet by "Robert's Stuff".

Jackson's Gilgamesh is engaging for its use of adjectives that are reminiscent of my Catholic background. Some examples: "sacred places ...sacrilege" (p 3), "miraculous plant" (p 88), "My god ...My god ... My god (p 94).

Hopefully more people will become aware of this early literature. I've encountered so few who have even heard of Gilgamesh.

The very title alone implies the idolatry of the Lost Cause. The loss of Thomas Jackson was indeed a great one to the Confederate high command but it ignores other more significant factors contributing to Confederate defeat. The huge disparity between the Navies. How about the disparity in population? How about the inability to replace line officers? The inferiority of the artillery ordnance? The disparity in cannon foundaries? A better explanation of what doomed the Confederacy can be found in Clark Gable/Rhett Butler's diatribe at the beginning of Gone with the Wind! Thomas Jackson was a talented but eccentric general. He had many great accomplishments but he, like other generals, made mistakes. He was a human being and he had faults. This blind worship and the perpetuation of the myth and legend of the war should hopefully open some eyes. The two essays on Longstreet lead one to believe that the perpetrators of the Lost Cause, Jubal Early, William Pendleton and J. William Jones have been reincarnated into Mr. Krick. They are the same character assasinations that has been going on since 1872 when Mr. Early, just returned from his Canada vacation, gave a speech at a Lee Birthday celebration accusing Longstreet of not attacking at dawn as ordered. A complete fabrication. The East Tennessee essay thrown in for that extra added bonus criticism. Hard to believe that Mr. Gallagher would be associated with such a project.

I've been a fan of Robert K. Krick ever since "Stonewall Jackson at Cedar Mountain" came out and to say that I eagerly anticipated the release of this volume would be an understatement. The combination of Mr. Krick's mastery of the facts and his engaging writing style makes the book pure reading euphoria for a true student of the Civil War. I cannot conceive of what "The Anti-Krick" was smoking when he wrote his less-than-informed review. Maybe he was put off by Mr. Krick's use of big words that he didn't know the definition of. Who knows? But to say that Krick is a disciple of the so-called "Lost Cause" is pure fiction. The man is from California for crying out loud! Anyway, I encourage everyone to read this book. Even if you're not a Civil War fanatic like me, the writing is so good that it would make Alan Nolan (possibly the Anti-Krick himself) wet his pants. I salute you, Bob.

The Smoothbore Volley That Doomed the Confederacy: The Death of Stonewall Jackson and the other Chapters on the Army of Northern Virginia written by Robert K. Krick is a well-written book with a fast throughly researched and dramatic writing about the Army of Northern Virginia, one of the best armies every assembled and fought on American soil.

Krick writes this book with a passion... often opinionated, but with profound insights and points of view, giving rise to controversy. There are only ten chapters within the binding of this book and hey are:

The Smoothbore Volley THat Doomed the Confederacy
The Army of Northern Virginia's Most Notorious Court-Martial: Jackson vs. Garnett
If Longstreet... Says So, It Is Most Likely Not True: James Longstreet and the Second Day at Gettysburg
Longstreet Versus McLaws-- and Everyone Else--About Knoxville
We Have Never Suffered a Greater Loss Save in the Great Jackson: Was Robert E. Rodes the Army's Best Division Commander?
Maxcy Gregg: Political Extremist and Confederate General
The Coward Who Followed J.E.B. Stuart
The Cause of All My Disasters: Jubal A. Early and the Undisciplined Valley Cavalry
Confederate Books: Five Great Ones and Two Bad Ones
Confederate Soldier Records: Finding Them and Using Them

The Essays in this book examine pieces of the army's history across a broad and diverse spectrum. Two deal with Lee's most famous subordinate, Thomas J. Jackson, one of them concerning a notable court-martial. Two others deal with Lee's most controversial subordinate, James Longstreet-- again, one concerning a famous court-martial. Gwnweral Robert E. Rodes appears as a superbly competent division commander; General Maxcy Gregg as a prototype of the successful politician-general; Colonel R.W.Carter as a failure; and the Shenandoah Valley irregular cavalry as a study in indiscipline.

Seven of the ten essays have appeared before in some form. Several contained no documentation in their first appearences. All have been substantially revised and expanded with new material, in some instanced to double their original size. I was glad to see these essays again and this time documented.

Krick has uncovered a wide array of unpublished material on Rodes to sketch hin in a fresh perspective, as well as Colonel R.Welby Carter as a rogue. Those of you who read about the Civil War should have this book in your library as it is deeply researched using as impressive selection of primary materials. The author tells it like he sees it... if the particular figure measures up or fails to meet expectations... Krick is fair in his assement. This book is hard to put down, making it an enlightenment with profound insights.

This is a gripping, well-written chronological account of Jackson's life from his 1767 birth in South Carolina to his death at the Hermitage in 1845. With a gifted, engaging literary style, Remini paints a series of memorable portraits of all the major scenes in Jackson's life. For instance, the opening pages describing the Battle of New Orleans are filled with more tension and excitement than most fiction!

Remini's literary, impressionistic style works most of the time, but for the complex political issues that come up when Jackson is president a bit more analysis would be useful. For instance, Remini describes in detail Jackson's hatred of the Bank of the United States, but never goes into any detailed discussion about whether this hatred was justified or the putative wrong-doings of the Bank. In that sense, the book is incomplete.

Some reviewers have worried that Remini overlooks the horrible fate of the Native Americans under Jackson's rule, such as the forced relocation of Native Americans to reservations west of the Mississippi. I must differ with these reviewers. For instance, in summarizing Jackson's treatment of the Native Americans, Remini says:

The removal of the American Indians was one of the most significant and tragic acts of the Jackson administration. It was accomplished in total violation not only of American principles of justice and law but of Jackson's own strict code of conduct (this is from p. 219).

Finally, to Remini's credit as an editor, the fact that this is a distilled version of his own three-volume work on Jackson never comes through. I would recommend 'The Life of Andrew Jackson' to anyone who wants an introduction to Andrew Jackson's personal and political lives, and doesn't mind missing out on some of finer political complexities of Jackson's time.

Andrew Jackson looked like a bit of a lemon (as far as the American voter was concerned) when he went into the White House. When he came out, he looked much better. How did he do it?

This is a careful condensation of Remini's 3-volume work on Jackson that incorporates the result of more recent scholarship and research. Remini describes our 7th President's struggle to overcome his reputation as a violent and vengeful man who was almost a social outcast in Western Tennessee.

Remini analyses Jackson's shortcomings, which include some very human mistakes, and his inability to bring Texas into the Union. Emphasizing that Jackson "served the American people extremely well" by preserving the integrity of the Union, saving the government from misrule, and liquidating the public debt, Remini shows why Jackson was more popular when he left the White House than he was when he went in. Don't look for an in-depth political treatise here but you will find sufficient material to give you a well-rounded, sympathetic look at a complicated man in an equally complicated time.

It's not meant to be comprehensive -- you'll find that in the larger work -- this is meant to be what it is. It's a fascinating, readable and entertaining story of how that political turn-about happened, written by one of America's foremost biographers.

I'll start by admiting that I'm not exactly an Andrew Jackson fan. He seems to me to be arrogant, egotistical and has a habit of refusing to listen (with any real seriousness) to differing views on a subject once his mind is already made up. I still hold these views, but Remini presents to us a man who is much more than the one-dementional figure described above.

Like most, I have low expectations of a book that is a one volume version of mulitple volumes (Remini cut 1600+ pages into under 400). They tend to simply give a recap of the events of the subjects life without much explaination or connection between events. Happily, Remini's book does not fit that stereotype. In the introduction, Remini says that he keeps in mind that this will most likely be read casually by people mildly familiar with Jackson. He therefore specifically points to events in Jackson's life and tell the reader, "this is important because later Jackson will remember this and..." He does this from the earliest days of Jackson's life; admitting that Jackson was a bully of sorts, Remini also says that he might not be so abrasive if he had the influence of his father (who died before Jackson was born) or if he didn't have to rely on charity from his uncles and aunts to survive.

Through this technique, Remini gives the reader a fuller view of Jackson and how the many circumstances of his life come together to produce a unique man. Along with the man's characteristics mentioned in the first chapter, Jackson is also extremely patriotic, devoted to the Christian religion, slightly paranoid, in constant pain from bullets lodged in his body and a refusal to let himself rest, a workaholic, and an excellent strategist.

While I do agree with some that Remini could have elaborated more with regards to certain issues (the question "Was Jackson right to attack the bank? What were the long lasting effects? Were there other options?" etc.), it was not especially necessary, considering his goal was to introduce people to Jackson's life, not so much his life and times or legacy.

In sum, this is an admirable one volume treatment of one of America's most complex United States presidents and war heroes. If you're looking for a one-volume biography of Jackson, I don't imagine you would find many better.

After reading this book, I suddenly understood why so many Indians today believed that there was some sort of genocide being worked against them. This book covered a very unglorious period of our nation's history and how our nation grew. The author proves to be quite informative in his study and tried to take everything within the context of the period. Was the Indians in the east coast doomed as Jackson believed? The book make it very plain that they were doom because of people like Jackson. If the whites were honorable and true, most of these Indian nations would have survived easily but since the whites were not, the Indians were doomed as Jackson stated and wanted. Its almost amazing how treaties were made and thrown away like toliet paper. After reading a book like this, it really hard for our nation to stand so tall morally. Yes, all this took place a long time ago but we still whine about Pearl Harbor and the Alamo like yesterday. Our nation commited thousands of Pearl Harbor and Alamo on the American Indians as this book tell us so I think for that, it worth a read.

The list of Remini's work at the beginning of the book shows that he has devoted the better part of his career to studying and writing about Andrew Jackson. For me, that makes this work infinitely more valuable than a "popular history" written by someone who has dealt with everyone from Crazy Horse to General Patton. It enables the author, in dealing with this one aspect of Jackson's career--his wars and treaties with American Indians--to show how it all meshes with his personal and political outlook. He also adds ample insight into the American culture of the time.

I was very impressed that a person who had spent so much time with his subject was able to treat him so even handedly. He did not, in any way, make Jackson into the hero he was believed to be in his own lifetime. The author shows that, at times, Jackson could be a dictatorial maniac. He is also not depicted as being highly intellectual. However,Remini makes it clear that Jackson was just the kind of person America needed at the time, to accomplish its goals (no matter how inhumane they might have been).

In fairness to potential readers, I must admit that this was not the kind of book that "I could not put down." Even though I read quite a bit of history, especially dealing with the many Indian Wars, I didn't really get drawn into this until the point where Jackson got more involved in his political career and closer to the presidency. Though I don't know if this is due to the writing, or simply my personal interests. Even so, this did spark an interest, for me, in the life and career of Andrew Jackson, and I now look forward to reading some of Remini's other works on the man.

Although Americans are prone to refer to Jackson as "Old Hickory" or, in his day, as "the Hero", the Indian tribes of his day gave him the nickname of "Sharp Knife". This nickname was based upon Jackson's unrelenting warfare against the Creek Indians, particularly at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814. Professor Remini shows in his careful and thorough study of Jackson and the Indians that the sobriquet was indeed well deserved. The book is a thorough and careful exposition of the cruelties practiced on the Indians during the Jacksonian Era culminating in their removal from their homes and their relocation west of the Mississippi River during and subsequent to Jackson's Presidency.

Remini is a master of his materials. He has written a National Book Award winning biography of Jackson together with many other works on the Jacksonian Era of our history.

After a brief introductory chapter summarizing Jackson's early years, Remini plunges into the story of Jackson's Indian wars. Prior to his Presidency, Jackson conquered the Creeks, Cherokees, Chickasaws and Seminoles in fierce no-quarter fighting. Jackson was resolute in his wish to remove the Indians from the Southeastern United States.

In addition to his leadership on the battlefield, Jackson was a participant in many treaties with the Indians in which the ceded large portions of their ancestral domain in return for small tracts of land and small sums of money. Here too, Jackson was a domineering, seemingly irresistible figure intent on opening the Southeast to the onrush of white settlement, with little regard for the effect of his actions on the Indians.

As a national hero based upon his victory at the Battle of New Orleans and his conquests of the tribes, Jackson narrowly missed the Presidency in 1824 but was elected in 1828 and 1832. He was able to implement the policy of Indian removal he had conceived in his years as a general and a treaty negotiator. He secured legislation from Congress authorizing the removal of the "Five Civilized Tribes" -- the Cherokees, Chickasaws, Creeks, Choctaws, and Seminoles -- and implemented this policy at great cost and suffering to the Tribes. It is a story all too little known today.

Jackson was a man of determination, strength, and will. He was also, in Remini's account, an American patriot. Shocking as was his treatment of the Indians, Jackson was moved by considerations of American Nationalism. In particular, he wished to protect the coastal areas of the United States from intrigue and invasion by England and France. The European powers tended to use the Indians as a means to threaten the United States.

Although he is properly critical of Jackson's cruelty, arrogance, and deceit towards the tribes, and of the horrors they underwent during the removal, Remini argues that there was no good alternative to the removal policy. If the tribes had not been removed they would have been overwhelmed by onrushing white settlement and lost entirely their tribal identity, as was the case with many northeastern tribes. Paradoxically, Jackson proved right in that the removal policy saved the southeast tribes from extinction. Of course, none of this excuses the cruelty with which the process was implemented; and Remini is far from trying to excuse it.

I came to Remini's book after reading an earlier study of Jackson and the Indians: Michael Paul Rogin's book " Fathers and Children: Andrew Jackson and the Subjugation of the American Indian." I wasn't entirely happy with the Rogin because of its hypercritical tone and because of its psychologizing. Remini's book constitutes a more thorough,thoughtful, and balanced consideration of this sad period in our history. This is a good book for those who wish to try to understand Indian policy and its role in our country's development.

less than i expected. i'm a hard-core nikee. but the book is not prepaired as good as shoes. lots of out of date Ads. only few Air Jordan in detail. the catalog almost as same as website. To see it in your local book store before you click on the ADD TO CART.

If you are a sneaker fiend this book is a must.

Scoop Jackson does a great job documenting the history of Nike's basketaball sneakers. Its mainly a picture book, which is pretty good for reference and features, in addition to photos of just about every Nike basketball sneaker ever produced, classic posters and athlete photos.

If you are looking for a comprehensive biography of Nike's history in this field, this isn't the book for you

Great book. I'm a Nike Fiend. This shows the history of the great hobby of shoe collecting. I even saw my old Olympic edition Charles Barkley Air Force 180's.

Robert K. Krick, a well known authority on the Army of Northern Virginia, has written a fine account of the culmination of the 1862 Valley Campaign at the Battle of Port Republic. Unfortunately, the maps, which are always an indispensible adjunct to military writing, are a shambles. Thanks, evidently, to an oversight by the publisher, about half of the numerous maps lack the textual labels to identify the various units. Thus, the reader is left to guess at just what the maps are depicting. A work that is otherwise as meritorious as this deserves far, far better care by the publisher than this one received.

I found this book to be well written, extensively researched and very well presented. It took me some time to get into the book but after the first few chapters I was hooked. The depth of information is excellent, the maps well presented, well placed and easy to read. I had no problems in reading this book and understanding the flow of the battle. The stories of the individuals involved in the fighting were interesting and did not distract you from the narrative. At first I thought the author may have had a Southern bias but I was wrong, he presented both sides well and he highlighted acts of bravery on both sides. I am still reading this book with but a few chapters to go and I have enjoyed it very much. In fact I have enjoyed it so much that I intend to order the author's 'Stonewall Jackson at Cedar Mountain' as soon as I can. This book is well worth the time to read.

This is the most documented source on Jackson at the battles of Port Republic and Cross Keyes where Jackson's army stand between two armies that are trying to trap and squeeze him, which they almost succeed in doing at the start. Like the great author of the Gettysburg series Harry W. Pfanz, Robert Krick is the ultimate researcher on the tactics of Stonewall Jackson. Like Pfanz with Gettysburg, Krick is ultimately familiar with his subject particularly because he was the Superintendent of all the battlefields around Fredericksburg (Spotsylvania, Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg and the Wilderness). Krick is also the grand researcher of soldiers' letters and writings and through his research he has weeded out fact from fiction. Examples are the puffed writings of Trimble about his brigade at Cross Keyes. Krick reveals that Trimble's writings often neglected the role of other units on the field while heaping a disproportionate amount of praise on his own. Discerning historical inaccuracies is one reason why Krick's books provide an accurate portrayal of a battle or the campaign. Others that suffer from exaggeration, misperceptions and/or ego inflation are Chief of Staff Dabney and Colonel Imboden. The references to Colonel Dabney are humorous to some degree as Dabney performs well in some areas, he does try hard but in a lot of cases he is not as effective as he seems to think. Imboden's false references to interaction with Jackson make one question his famous comments that he witnessed Lee's distressed comments after Picket's Charge.

The village of Port Republic is still a small town nestled against the South and North Rivers that form the South Shenandoah with Cross Keyes across the North River to the west. The area still looks the same with modest encroachment from Harrisonburg just west of Cross Keyes. Krick details a blow-by-blow account of the battle interlaced withy biographies of the participants, their role in battle and even quoting them from their own source material or from first person accounts about particular individuals.

I particularly found the beginning of this last battle of the famous Valley Campaign fascinating as Jackson, his staff, his wagons and a small infantry unit with novice artillery are leisurely enjoying a summers' day when suddenly a complete cavalry detachment bursts on the scene almost capturing Jackson and all his staff (bagged some). The disheartening failure of the Calvary after Turner Ashby's death left no protection or early warning of the Federal rush. The story of the small infantry detachment at the end of Main Street with a few guns of artillery banding together to hold off the union force is an inspiring story. They saved the wagon train and gave time for Jackson to coordinate portions of the majority of his army resting on the opposite riverbank in time to salvage his hold on this small town.

The description of Ewell's relatively easy and effective defense of Cross Keyes exemplifies Fremont's failure as a commander. The other high point of the book is the description of the desperate fighting northeast of Port Republic where Jackson transfers the bulk of his forces from Cross Keyes to Port Republic to defeat the Federals who are better positioned defensively with a particularly strong artillery detachment on the side of a mountain called the coaling. Only a desperate attack by Taylor's Division through course woods saves the day as Jackson's units on the flats take a pounding. Ewell coordinates well indicating a perfect and under appreciated subordinate to Jackson.

The maps are difficult to follow in the early beginning but the publisher produces them better toward the end and they become very helpful as they finally label the units.

Take this book after you read it to the town of Port Republic. There are very limited markers in town and at Cross Keyes 4 miles west, but the book and maps help you get a picture of the battles on land that is hardly changed. This is fascinating because the little town has a modest museum in the house that Turner Ashby was prepared for burial in (open only on Sundays) but no commercialism. The fishing and general store always has a pleasant person to help you out with some information. You need the book because you will have better information then what many of local folk can tell you at random. The vicious battle outside of Port Republic has a marker and parking lot on HWY 354 about 3 miles northeast of town. Again, the maps will help, as the area is still much the same at 100 years ago. A very low-key battlefield without any gratuitous designations but hopefully it will be protected some day with enhanced markers.

Oh by the way, Krick gets in his usual swipe at Longstreet by referring to Trimble as bombastic but not as bad as Longstreet. Looking for Krick's dig at Longstreet in any feature is similar to finding Alfred Hitchcock's cameo in all his movies. The similarity, they are always there, you just have to look and wait for them.

The author does make some excellent (and scary) points about the state of modern journalism in the first 2 or 3 chapters of the book.

However, the book soon veers off course focusing mainly on the aphartide in South Africa. While this does correspond with the theme, I don't know if it deserves 3/4 of the book.

I also got the impression that the author sees himself as a saint, impervious to the trends that are affecting the rest of the media.

Not a bad book, I suppose, but there are better out there.

Despite the dead-on title, Sheckter's narrative works better as personal reminscence than serious critique of a sterile media. A chief reason lies in the general absence of structure. There is no observable principle ordering the text. This results in an unpredictable and erratic narrative, which a more astute editor, I believe, could have presented more effectively - the material is there. Unfortunately, the whole adds up to considerably less than the parts.

At bottom, Sheckter's book provides insights into both strengths and weaknesses of the New Left from which he hails. None of the Old Left's rigid dogmatism enters into the text. On one hand, this allows him to confront a lock-step media in a more agile and less preconceived manner than critics of old. On the other hand, it produces a hopeful innocence that seems to learn much less from informed experience than should be the case. Does the author really expect these corporate entities to reform themselves in a progressive manner as his recommendations indicate. Here we arrive at a crux of the dilemma confronting any erstwhile reformer. Can real, humane change be expected of those entities whose bottom line is always money, even when an inventive and dedicated gadfly like Sheckter burrows from within. Without serious pressure from outside the industry, can such gadflys serve as anything more than occasionally troublesome house radicals. Given the temper of the times, that may be as much as anyone can expect.

Great book. It magnifies the dynamics at the coalface of infortainment. This book, read alongside the scholarly Chomsky and Herman's "Manufacturing Consent", give a wholesome and accurate picture of the media. Chomsky and Herman provide a structural analysis of the 4th estate, and Schechter testifies further to the accuracy of their analysis by sharing his experiences.