First of all, it is easy to see how this work won the 1980 Somerset Maugham Award for Non-Fiction. I was totally riveted throughout. After reading the book in nearly one sitting, I felt exhausted and numb. The book is an indictment against the entire theory of strategic bombing in WWII and the wholesale slaughter of civilians specifically. While Max Hastings devotes much time to "Bomber" Harris who conducted the night-air campaign without reflection or apologies, his sharpest barbs are for those politicians (Churchill included) and senior military planners that made policy. These hid behind an unspoken but widely understood policy that wide-area terror bombing was the only avenue available to Bomber Command for most of the war but refused to discuss the subject honestly in the public arena in the hopes that they could maintain some sense of moral superiority over their enemy. Hastings also correlates Bomber Command's policy and operations with that of the USAAF, who he writes also hid behind a pretense that collateral casualties were a regrettable but unavoidable tragedy of war. Of course the hypocrisy of this position was laid bare following the continued slaughter of unprotected German cities in 1945 long after everyone knew that the bombing would make no difference to the outcome or even pace of the war, it became bombing just for bombing's sake, or in the case of Dresden, showing the Soviets what Anglo-American air power could do; slaughtering refugees fleeing from the advancing Soviet horde. In fact, the Associated Press reported in February 1945 that the Allied Air Chiefs had embarked on a terror campaign against the German civilian population, but Hastings points out that this news scoop was 3 years late (it had of course been policy soon after the British realized they could not hit specific targets at night). The most mind numbing account is late in the book in which Hastings describes in detail the bombing of Darmstadt. The Allied armies were within 100 miles of Darmstadt and the civilians were under the mistaken impression that they would be spared. In September 1944 Bomber Command made Darmstadt its next target for destruction. As Hastings makes the point, the horror is not that the attack was particularly special or difficult, it was the routine of it all that made it so terrible. The entire process reminds me of the banal evil more often associated with the murder of the Jews; being led into the concentration camps were "the system" would process and prepare them for organized and efficient death. Such was the case of German cities by late 1944. The Luftwaffe had nearly run out of aviation fuel and could only put up a meaningful defense on occasion. The Anglo-American armies had overrun the Luftwaffe's radar belts, so even when fuel was available, the Luftwaffe night-fighters could receive no warnings or directions. The "system" identified a German city for destruction, the bombers went up, everyone did their job and went home. Numbers were difficult to come by, but perhaps 10,000 died in that raid. 1 out of every 5 was a child under 16. 1.81 women for every man (at this stage of the war most men away from the war fronts were elderly). The casualties inflicted upon the citizens of Darmstadt were less than that of many larger German cities, but demonstrates that no German city regardless of size or importance was immune to terror bombing. In fact, Hastings describes how several German cities were identified for destruction not because they contributed to the German war effort, but because they could be easily destroyed, as in the case of medieval cities with a preponderance of wooden housing. Hastings describes the eventual unspoken shame that the wholesale slaughter of the German civilian population left in the minds of the British royalty and government. After the war, Churchill tried his best to distance himself from it and declined to secure a peerage for "Bomber" Harris (a reward given to many with lesser responsibilities). The Bomber Command aircrew were not awarded a Campaign Medal, though the Luftwaffe night-fighters and flak crews inflicted between 72,000-73,000 casualties on British Bomber Command alone. "Bomber" Harris himself emigrated with his family to South Africa soon after the war, shunned by those that used him to conduct their own policies. Hastings makes clear that nobody wanted to take credit for the terror bombing policies of Bomber Command after the smoke of WWII cleared. Hastings does not fault the young aircrew themselves and has nothing but admiration for them. Even so, during his research for the book, he interviews a surviving pilot who became a teacher after the war. The former Bomber Command pilot asks Hastings if others he interviewed complained of nightmares. Perhaps something for the young to think about the next time their government orders then to bomb civilians. Does a state of war really justify the killing of defenseless civilians? Does it really matter that the other side did it first (though in fact many give credit to Churchill for having a German city bombed first in the hopes of redirecting Luftwaffe focus from the RAF airfields to British cities, giving the RAF a new lease on life at the height of the Battle of Britain. This strategy proved successful). Regardless who bombed who first, can killing nearly a million German (and thousands of French) civilians be morally justified? There seems no doubt that the western Allies gave up much of the moral superiority they seem so fond of taking for granted. The biggest irony of all is a point Hastings makes again and again, would not the war have been conducted more efficiently had the resources lavishly spent on Bomber Command been used to assist the British armies and Royal Navy instead? The morale of the German civilian population and their industrial production levels never faltered throughout the day (USAAF) and night (Bomber Command) bombings, only when the German war machine ran out of manpower and fuel did Hitler's armies finally fall back and eventually become overwhelmed by sheer weight of numbers. It seems quite probable that the horrors unleashed on the civilian populations did little to actually win the war.

This was a fascinating, and at times, disturbing read. How people in command at the highest levels stubbornly adhere to theories of warfare in the face of mounting evidence disproving those theories, and despite having no clear criteria for success. Hastings offers a balanced examination of a difficult subject, and a critique which is careful to judge the decisions made and actions taken within the context of the times, rather than undertaking a ex post facto guilt trip. The use of the airmen's personal stories, and the harrowing description of the raid on Darmstadt help illuminate the history.

This book is a history of the British Bomber Command. The horror of world war one led the British to build a strategic air force as a means of avoiding the sorts of casualties faced in that war. It was hoped that by using air craft Germany could be made to surrender.

This book is an examination of the failure of that strategic concept. In the first days of the war the British tried a daylight raid on Bremen naval yards. It was generally thought that bombers could get through in daylight due to their speed and defensive armament. This turned out to be a false assumption and a large number of the British Bombers were shot down. Further raids confirmed the vulnerability of unescorted bombers and from that time on it was decided that British Bombers would fly only at night.

For some months bombers flew out at night and tried to bomb various military and industrial targets. The bombing was so inaccurate generally hitting farmland and forests that the Germans were not able to even work out what the intended targets were. The British carried out evaluations and found that only a small percentage of bombs were falling within miles of the targets.

As a result a change in strategy was adopted and that was to bomb the German civilian population. The reason for that was that cities by comparison were easy to find and the use of incendiaries could lead to destructive fires which could destroy housing stock.

The only problem with the strategy was that it resulted in the deaths mainly of the elderly women and children. The structure of German cities was such that the burning and bombing of cities only had a marginal effect on industrial production. (The situation was different in Japan where industry was dotted throughout cities and the fire bombing led to the collapse of industrial production in that country)

The German night fighter effort was reasonably successful against the British Bombers so that the casualty rates of British air crews was very high. The book argues that in general terms the campaign was a poor use of resources and had limited effects until near the end of the war. By late 1944 the German air force was practically destroyed and allied bombers by that time had such a preponderance that they were able to destroy the transport network and to destroy production.

The book is well written easy to read and a fascinating look at a topic that has been dominated by myth makers not truth seekers.

I have ordereded this book when I was experiencing problems with calculus. Now, whenever I have any complications with the subject, I turn to "The Calculus Problem Solver" to quickly find solutions to difficult problems. The book's step-by-step explanations act as tremendous help and inspiration to students struggling with the challenging subject. I think that this book should be made a required reading for anyone taking courses in advanced mathematics.

I've been out of college for over two years, and I'm studying for the math subject GRE for grad school. I still have all my old textbooks, but even when they have the answers in the back they don't show the steps to get the solution. The few problems my textbooks do solve step-by-step are simpler problems, meant to show the concept.

Now that I have the Problem Solver's book I can "check" any problems that didn't have an answer and get through any tough spots. Even though the Problem Solver will probably not have my EXACT question, it will have the same type of question with different constants. I have yet to find a problem they didn't have a model for.

I wish I had had this book in college. It's durable and surprisingly lightweight for its size. The last three chapters are specifically physics-oriented applications of calculus: energy, electricity, and fluids.

As a physics and astronomy major in college, I wanted to say how much this book helped me in the years past. This book is undoubtedly the BEST textbook "supplement" that a student in AP Calculus (AB or BC) or beginning college calculus can have! This Problem Solver is exactly what it says it is - a book full of physics problems worked out in detailed solutions. All too often I hear people complain that these books are not very helpful because they're not organized better, etc. But that's nonsense! If you're in one of the above-mentioned courses and it's late one night and you're stuck on a homework problem...there's a VERY GOOD chance that there's a problem in this book that you can use to work through the solution. This book should not be used as a study guide, but as a reference source for anywhere from beginning to more advanced problems. The wide range of difficulty level is the best reason to have this book because rarely do textbooks have examples that are difficult. Textbooks like to show "easy" examples in then the student gets stuck on the more challenging homework assignments and exams. This book is well worth the money!

I have the 2nd Edition of this 1935 book. Having read and re-read this and Gibbon and Mommsen, it suddenly struck me that Cary offers a more succinct and incisive interpretation of the MEANING of each epoch in Roman history. He also disagrees markedly from others on the value/meaning of 'controversial' emperors (Nero, Domitian, Diocletian) which is very refreshing and well-stated. Frankly, if you want to get a good sense of the meaning of the History of Rome, read Cary first; then Mommsen, then Gibbon. Then, back to Cary. I wish this book were still in print. Don't let it go unread, if you are a Romanophile...

This extremely dense text is still head and shoulders above other contenders as the standard history of the rise and history of the roman empire. The authors thesis, that Rome never truly fell but evolved into the catholic church/feudal state is well defended with ample evidence.

What makes this book so extraordinary is the depth and breath of the subject matter covered. Military history, politics, technology, art, science, social development, trade, are all given ample coverage. While it can be quite dry, the reader is free to skip around reading only the subjects of interest. For the scholar or the curious, this is a must own text that will serve as a crucial guide and reference.

This is the best Roman History book out there. Its great for JCL -- it took me to a tie for 1st on the Histroy test at NJCL! The index in the book truly stands out - it lists everything. A good companion to it is the OCD. If you're interested in Roman History get this book.

This book was great. this was the first first love stories book ive read so far, and its great. It made me laugh, cry and think.
Max and Jane make a great couple. I reccomend this book to anyone who likes love stories.

I've read several Elizabeth Craft books and find *Max and Jane* to be her very best so far. It's a wholesome, solid romance that was realistic. Max and Jane are very likable characters and they are so fun together. There aren't the childish, silly games being played, just an innocent evolving of their relationship. I really hope there is a sequel!

This was the first Love Stories I ever read,a nd trust me, its kept me coming back for more. It's so sweet and romantic, I practically feel in love with Max!

OKay, Jane is ordinary-or so she thinks- she has 2 really close friends Christy and Nicole. She has blonde hair in a ponytail and a make-upless face. But she does have an unordinary crush on Charlie-the most popular boy in school. She convinces Max, her sorta friend to help her out. He's popular, so she figures he's her sort of key in. Anyway, as he tries to teach her to be "cool" and what "every guy wants' he realizes that she's what HE wants. And as Jane gets to know Charlie a little more she discovers that he's not the one that she wants anymore. She wants Max. Anyways, you have to read the book to find out what happens-even though I'm sure you can guess!!

So please read the book, even if "romance" isn't your thing. Just give it a try! I hoped i help convince you! Oh, and read "Justin and Nicole" and "Jake and Christy"-the other two books in this triligoy.

This is a non-fiction book you can actually read! It's funny, truthful, revealing, exciting and fun. Max approaches this book the way he approaches his music--with vigor and enthusiasm. The pictures have depth--you get to know Max through the photography. Would highly recommend it!

In all of the mass of literature about American entertainment, there are only a few books that give you an accurate idea of what show business is really like -- ACT ONE, by Moss Hart, THE TROUBLE WITH CINDERELLA, by Artie Shaw, ALL OF MY BEST FRIENDS, by George Burns, and the occasional passage in a star's autobiography (Sophie Tucker, Billy Rose, Little Richard).

Now, THE ROAD TO RAGTIME has joined that select company. Thanks to Max Morath and Diane Fay Skomars, we have a document that shows what real American show business is like in the late 20th Century trenches -- the one-man show, the community concerts circuit, the roadhouses and honky-tonks, radio, television, and anywhere else there's an audience ready to be entertained.

Max Morath is one of America's greatest entertainers. He's one of those magical peformers who's able to get the audience in the palm of his hand the moment he takes the stage. What's extraordinary is that he's been able to be so successful without ever compromising the integrity of his music.

He's a national treasure -- and this terrific book helps us unlock it.

-- Murray Horwitz National Public Radio

Max Morath and Diane Skomars have created a handsome book celebrating Max's career as a channeler of American popular culture. Max loves the American present as much as he loves its past. He's been stirring the melting pot for fifty years now, mixing musical styles, fact, fiction, humor, and social observation. This book is much like a Morath concert--that is, it is sweet, funny, and wise. Skomars' photographs gorgeously depict the world of "Present Max"--a world of fast food, lookalike motels, freeway signs--as he travels to take "Past Max" to audiences everywhere. A beautiful evocation of Max at work and on his way to work.

What started out as me simply reading a story for my son at the book store wound up to be me crying and barely able to finish. This story as well as You Are Special are reminders of getting back to the basics of what God has for us. The unduplicated joy of being in His ownership if we would simply allow it.

We are God's chosen people to be His own and to serve Him! We are His! Great book for those who are searching for the meaning of life and for God's love so divine. Highly recommended for children, parents, teenagers, parents of teenagers, and anyone who is experiencing emotional and spiritual brokeness. God Bless You All!

I was brought to tears as I read this story the first time to my daughter. She looked up at me with the sweetest face, hugged my neck, and said, "You love me." "Yes I do... very much," I replied. Max Lucado's book will help the message of love really touch the hearts of your children or grandchildren... or any child that you love -- young or old!

This CD has greatly improved my modelling skills and knowledge in max. It is like having a teacher there showing you and explaining every step, with the advantage of rewinding as many times as you need to. I would recommend this to the beginner of max modelling. It has certanily helped me out a long way. And Tim Kugler provides great support as well.

What are you waiting for, go buy a copy!
Shan J

DEAR Jason Leong from SINGAPORE PLEASE SEND AN E-MAIL
FOR ME : MAXBOX200@YAHOO.COM
I'M WATING TO HEARING FROM YOU.

I have talk to Tim before the author for this Cd.He's a nice chap.I got hold his disc and when through.I was shocked all this while I bought a lot of books on MAX.But none help through for a successfull modeling.But I went through his stuff its power and easy to understand.he make it so easy to absord....I recommend for Max lovers to go for his CD.

I bought this book after reading all the great reviews. It is a nice book, bright colors, lots of attention to detail, silly story line, but I didn't think the areas for the child to feel were large enough. The sticky candy in Max's pajamas is just about the size of a child's fingertip, the lace curtain is just a thin slip of fabric, the lightning is a skinny zig-zag of foil and the "cookie crumbs" sandpaper is only about a quarter-inch high. There are other touch-and-feel books that provide a much larger exploratory surface. Still, this book does contain a good variety (sticky candy, rough crumbs, fur, smelly sock, etc.)I'm not sure why, but that smelly sock always seems to be such a hit!

What a joy of a book! My baby loves feeling the surprises on each page from the crumbs in Max's pockets to the gummy nightcrawlers on his feet! A sweet story with tactile turns on each page. A classic in the making, I can hardly wait for a sequel!

It's time for bed, but Max can't fall asleep in this board book for toddlers who will find here a delightful bedtime dilemma. Bright pages with tactile cut-outs attract attention with touch and feel surprises as Max faces a too-long night.

This book introduced me to an area unknown to me as an individual investor-EXCHANGED TRADED FUNDS (ETF). It was very informative and exciting. I read it and then underlined it,immediately. Max, since I read your book,the world has exploded about i shares. Thank you for the introduction and stimulation to look further. YOU SHOULD BE PROUD.

I bought this book because of my confusion with index funds after reading different advertisements from newspapers and websites. The result of my learnings are three limit orders I just placed for different sector funds.

This book is written objectively without a slant towards a specific product. Also, written for the inexperienced as well as the professional trader. It provided some real insights as to how trading is accomplished (in plain English).

The bing "WOW" was seeing how I was being penalized as long term investor in mutual funds because of the annual tax distribution. Also, the majority of funds do not beat the S&P500 index!! Why invest in them when these new investment resources are available?

Highly recommend this book to all levels of investors.

The book introduced me to exchange shares. I bought it a few day ago.I read it with out putting it down. I have re-read and underlined it. This is a very exciting addition to the concept of "index investing". Exchange traded funds (ETF) are a part of my retirement education. Orthopedic Surgeon, Emeritus

Rosemary Wells is a gifted writer and illustrator. The story is engaging and the illustrations add to the personality of the characters. With that said, there are a couple of things that prevent me from giving this book a perfect review. The first thing is the stereotype of the younger sister. Must all younger sisters be shallow, mall dwelling half-wits? The second thing is the part of the story where Max gets lost in the store. This may frighten younger readers.

I have adored the "Max" series by Rosemary Wells for quite sometime, as my three children absolutely loved all the Max books when they were younger. Ms. Wells manages to capture really great nuances on the faces of both Max and his sister Ruby, as well as presenting the most humorous situations for Max and Ruby.

Max wants nothing but a dragon shirt and Ruby is insisting on buying him a much-needed pair of pants, per the instructions of their mother. Max does not give up on his beloved dragon shirt and reminds Ruby every chance he gets. Ruby gets sidetracked in the store trying on dresses and Max manages to wander in the store after dozing off and not finding Ruby in the dressing room. Max finds his coveted dragon shirt, puts it on and is "found" by two policemen in the store. Well, now the dragon shirt is covered with yummy ice cream and Ruby has no choice but to purchase the shirt for Max!

The illustrations and use of color will delight any youngster, as will the antics of Ruby and Max! I love their facial expressions and even after all of these years, I still love reading these books! This was one series of book that neither I, nor my children, ever tired of reading. I find the Max and Ruby books just really classic books! My children would read them over and over again and would find them first with every library visit!

Absolutely pure delight!!!

Another winner in Rosemary Wells' slyly hilarious "Max" series, this time Max and his older sister Ruby have just $5 to replace his "disgusting" pants. Max has his eyes set on a "dragon shirt," but Ruby has to get those pants.

Their ensuing misadventures in a department store take the bunny pair from "Large Appliances" to "Boy's Sportswear" (a caution: Max is momentarily lost in the store, this may or may not be frightening to your little one). With big colorful illustrations by Wells and a happy ending (well, for Max!), this is a fun story of siblings on the loose. 22 pages, with watercolor/pen and ink pictures on each page.