Minor Heresies, Major Departures is best summarized by Robertson Davies' back cover quote describing how Espy makes "high comedy about Presbyterian missionaries without any way jeering at their sense of dedication." These episodes from his childhood are a delight to read. He combines the truth of a child's eyes with the sarcasm of an adult as he describes events such as the battle with his sister for the longest prayer or his failure at "cementing the international bonds of love and law" during play with the cook's nephew.

This book is recommended not just to those interested in missionary work, but to anyone who enjoys travel or cross-cultural memoirs. If you are looking for an inspirational tale of missionary good deeds, however, it might not be your cup of tea.

John Espey's memoirs of his Shanghai boyhood are a finely done portrait of a moment in history. He expresses, with a wry humor, his "view of things" as a child, a view which contrasts with those of the adults around him. His disagreement with the Western perspective and Protestant missionary outlook that formed the backdrop to his life in Shanghai before WW II is recorded in civil tones; he gives people credit for good intentions and does not denigrate their sometimes misguided efforts. Espey's memories are a delightful entry into cross-cultural psychology--by one who knows what that term really means.

I read the book 10 years after it was written - and I could not stop ! I finished it the same time the 1992 Season finished 12:52 at night - this tells you something.

A must for every Baseball nut !

A great book about baseball, that is fun to read. It shows how teams and times have changed. Interesting in-depth information about teams trades and baseball in 1992. Highly recommended for all baseball fanatics. Also has great baseball stories and interviews.

A companion piece along with O Hehir's GAELIC LEXICON FOR FINNEGANS WAKE as well as Bonheim's LEXICON FOR THE GERMAN IN FINNEGANS WAKE, this text is an invaluable reference tool for reading Joyce's last great work. Simple, concise, this work lists the Finnegan word or phrase on the left, the Latin or Greek derivative in the center of the page, and the author's interpretation of the correlation between the two on the right hand portion of the page. O Hehir does this for a phenomenal 514 pages. While using various other secondary texts to assist me through the Wake, I found this to be most helpful for Joyce knew Latin, a little Greek, as well as a handful of other languages (including Gaelic and German--being Irish and having listed in Trieste). Furthermore, I was surprised to find that Joyce had left a large portion of the Latin terms and phrases untouched throughout the Wake, thus making this text all the more important. The other 140 pages that comprise this gem is a Greek and Latin lexicon for the rest of Joyce's works. Indeed, a must-have for any Joyce fan or scholar.

This reprint is a 2 volumes in 1.

"The standard source on this beloved major general who was killed at Spotsylvania, this work focuses on two primary periods of Sedgwick's career-the Mexican War and the interval 1855-1864. Each volume contains many dozens of letters relating to military affairs and personal matters. The letters were mostly written by Sedgwick to his [family, which] add greatly to the understanding of Sedgwick's personality. The letters provide commentary on a wide variety of officers and politicians, the activities of the army as a whole, and official business." Civil War Books

In this day and age of splintered and broken schools of literary theory, where nobody seems to agree what is the right way to go about reading and discussin literature, W.J. Bate's "Criticism: the Major Texts" is a wistful reminder of the days when critics were far more certain. For several decades after its publication, this collection was the classroom standard for the subject; it still serves as the best collection for any study of the history of literary theory. The introductions are brief but exacting; the texts are chosen with judicious editing; the lessons learned are not easily forgotten. In short, a wonderful read for anyone with a literary bent.

I hope others interested in World War II history will stumble upon this book like I did.

Although brief, A Drop Too Many tells the exploits of Lt-Col. John Frost during World War II. Frost describes how he became one of the first company commanders of the 1st Airborne Division, Britains first parachute unit.

He describes, with crisp British precision, about actions in Tunisia, Sicily and France and most importantly his regiment's tragic role in Operation Market Garden. It is here that the book shines, and where Frost's name (as well as the 1st Airborne) will live on forever.

A Drop Too Many is an excellent companion to Cornelius Ryan's A Bridge Too Far. I recommend reading Ryan's work first, before A Drop Too Far. This will give unfamiliar readers a view of the "big picture."

"The Robinson Crusoe of Texas." said J. Frank Dobie. "The most literate of all nineteenth-century Texas memoirs...authentic history." wrote John H. Jenkins in his "Basic Texas Books". In 1835, Texas offered young men like John C. Duval a chance for action and glory. That year he and his brother, Burr, the sons of a former governor of Florida, organized a volunteer company called the "Mustangs." Like Davy Crockett, they were fired up "to give the Texans a helping hand on the road to freedom" from Mexican rule. The first chapters of this book lead up to the Goliad Massacre, in which Burr was killed. John was luckier. After a hair-raising escape from Goliad, he wandered across the country-side, dodging the Mexicans and living by his wits. The diary that Duval kept during these exciting months was the basis for this book, which was published more than fifty years later, in 1892. In the intervening years he was a Texas Ranger known as "Texas John" and later was recognized as one of Texas's first men of letters as the author of "The Adventures of Big-Foot Wallace". A must for any Texas collector.

This book is absolutely fantastic and I could not recommend it more. Stott examines the church's role in social action historically, and wonderfully explains the Christian's biblical responsibility. He then approaches various topics such as war, the environment, North-South economic inequality and human rights. He gives a very easy-to-read but thorough description of the issues and the biblical response. It is extremely thought provoking and would be wonderful for a group discussion.

This multi-volume set of Ibsen's work, edited and compiled by Chicago/Evanston author Rick Davis is a little masterpiece.

The new adaptations are marvelous, and Mr. Davis' commentaries show us how Ibsen is a master crafsperson, and how his work may be best contrasted with Strindberg -- who is anything but a master editor and foundation layer.

I think Mr. Davis shows us how important precision and planning can be to the writing process. Therefore I think this book is a must have for screenwriters, as well as fiction-writers -- not to mention playrights.