This is a very genuine and accurate account of a subject that has always fascinated me. It is written by the person who would know the material best--a genuine Civil War soldier--in excruciating detail and a suprisingly lively, colorful style for a book of nonfiction, not the stuffy, pompous style of encyclopedias. It contains well-articulated, balanced, open-mided opinions that are probably as unbiased as is possible for someone so close to the source.

Be aware, though, that this book contains only the personal experiences of the author, and is thus a source of information only about the Union, not the Confederacy. Still, it is an extremely informative book that reads almost like a novel, and I highly recommend it to any intellectual who is curious about conditions for the common soldiers in the American Civil War.

Hard Tack and Coffee is a unique, entertaining. and informative book. Where most Civil War books write about a particular battle, campaign, or biograph a particular general or personality, Hard Tack And Coffee differs in that it covers none of these things but discusses the daily life of a Union Civil War soldier -- food, dress, duties, clothes, badges, bridges, mules, wagon trains, signal flags, etc... I found this very entertaining and a quick read.

If you are only going to read 1 book about the Civil War, I wouldn't choose this book. But if you plan to read a bunch, then you should include this book for sure.

Josh Billings served with the 10th Mass Battery of Light Artillery during the Civil War. After having written the Official "History of the 10th Mass Battery" he responded to numerous requests to write a book about daily life in the Union Army. "Hardtack and Coffee" is an unpretentious, humorous look at life in the Union Army, Particularly the Light Artillery During the Civil War. Mr. Billings paints a vivid picture of living life under canvas, in the field. He addresses such topics as Army food, The day by Bugle calls, Beats (people who "avoided work"), punishments and more. This book is not a comedy, but is written with a light and readable style that makes it interesting to the average reader, as well as to those interested in the Civil War. this book is a must read for all readers of Civil War literature.

I feel that it behooves anyone with impeccable taste to seek out and listen to the essential recordings of the subject of this book. Paul Weller is a remarkable songwriter, a fine musician and an involuntary icon. Reed's product of research articulately underscores these points and also sheds light on other attributes. As an American, it's tough to find other "enlightened" individuals-however, those who have been exposed to Weller's body of work have subsequnetly become converts. In short, if you consider yourself a well-versed appreciator of excellent contemperary music and haven't heard of Paul Weller, I highly recommend that you seek out his recordings and read books like this one.

When a man in one of 'the dirtiest businesses' (copyright Ian Brown) around, manages to come out the other end of 20-odd years of it, after three sucessful incarnations, countless hit singles and albums, and still has his integrity intact, what better subject for a bio can you get.

As for the book, the author remains unobtrusive in the story telling, which helps no end (see the Stone Roses bio) in the reading.

A great (continuing) story, parts of which have been well told before (A Beat Concerto, Mr Cool's Dream), but sucessfully well told again.

From the moment I picked this book up, I couldn't put it down again (which was hard because it's really heavy). It's packed with more detail than an encyclopedia and is an absolute must for any Weller fan. Reed's writing talents are clear and focused, his use of descriptive imagery immaculate and the research that went into this book is exemplary. Though Weller doesn't talk directly to the author, the book is incredibly well written and includes hundreds of quotes here from friends, family and the Modfather himself to enrich and complement Reed's excellent biography. There's not much more I can say except go out and buy it!

This book could have been so much better. But it became the
usual jeopardy game. You know-the hero's in trouble, then he's
not. Recycle over and over with barely believable situations.
Less 'action' and more sublety would have helped this book.
Glad I borrowed it from the local library.

See storyline above.

Tuck Nyland, the protagonist hero of this story, is one of those characters that seems to have nine lives. A sort of Dirk Pitt type. You know from the onset that nothing can kill this guy but you'll find yourself fretting over the characters that surround him. The novel is fast-paced and visually pleasing with it's locales. To me it had a less than pleasing ending.
An overall adventure that could have been a little more fulfilling, but still, I did enjoy it.

Recommended.

great book. read it in two nights. fast moving and interesting. will buy others from this author.

I'm sorry I don't share the enthusiasm of previous reviewers about this book. I borrowed it at the library because I liked the cover (by the way, I looked in vain in the book for a reference to the jacket illustration) and I was intrigued to read a plot about Justinian's and Theodora's court. I found the book hard to read because it's not well written (and has many typos), it's difficult to get attached to any single one of its many characters, and the style of the descriptions really failed to put me in the picture. Three religions are "described" in the book: Orthodox Christianity, Heretic Christianity, and Mithraism, but you'll be hard pressed to know what each stands for after reading THIS book... I finished reading it only because I was hoping it would get better in the end--no such luck!

This time John must divine the cause of stylites suddenly bursting into flames. Is it a godly punishment for blasphemy or the work of sinister plotters? John, Lord Chamberlain in sixth-century Byzantium, must solve the mystery, save his friend Anatolius from execution, keep the city from being destroyed by a panic stricken populace and keep his own head from being detached from his body.

Mary Reed and Eric Mayer bring Justinian and his empress Theodora to life though John's eyes: "Caught unawares, she was simply a short attractive woman, her complexion carefully lightened by chalk, her deep set eyes accentuated by artful application of kohl, as if she depended upon enticement to work her will, rather than command." Theodora sees herself as the power behind the throne and John must step carefully as he serves Justinian and protects the empire.

As in the previous volume, the authors take us to the shores of the Bosphoros and present life in the ancient city. Philo, once John's instructor at the Athens academy, incidentally introduces a board game called shatranj: ". .. something to do with trapping your opponent's king." This sort of historical color, along with the mystery, make this series an entertaining read.

This book is an outstanding mystery with plot turns as intricate as Byzantium's court intrigue and with such seamless detail the reader cannot tell what is fiction and what history. I call it amazing because the reader is not only swept into the larger currents of life as the old gods fell to the new but also such minute detail, one is living it with the characters. The pacing is excellent for an exciting read and the sense of place beautifully crafted. I seldom read historical mysteries; I'm delighted I made an exception here. Mari Ulmer, Taos, NM

This is clearly an examination done by a sociologist. His previous works demonstrate what the reader ought to anticipate. He has done useful research in bringing PH pamphlets to light, but reinterprets the Ritual movement in terms of something akin to the 1960's protest movement of counter culture. It might provide some soclological insight to 'some' followers of ritualism but it says nothing about the heart, mind, soul, and theology of the leaders. It falls far short of giving an apologetic, history, and theology to ritualism

High church? Evangelical? Broad church? As a relatively recent (4 years) member of the Reformed Episcopal Church, these terms have been a matter of both great interest and great confusion to me. Reed's book is a terrific history of the Anglo-Catholic movement in England, but touches many other bases along the way. His prose is lucid, his style humerous. This book was difficult to put down except during periods of helpless laughter. It should be of use to any Anglican wishing to become better informed about the history and development of our "via media."

An epic tour-de-force which examines the fascinating life of John Reed, the only American to be buried in the Kremlin Wall. An ecclectic mix of personalities - from Lenin to Gertrude Stein, from Lincoln Steffens to Teddy Roosevelt - pass thru the tapestry which was Reed's life, each having their own unique impact on the art which remains. From his childhood in stoic Portland Oregon to his years in Harvard and New York to his coming of age in Mexico covering the Villa revolution, Reed absorbed experience and reflected his concept of justice and equality in his writing. Each stop along the way was preparation for Reed's ultimate mission - to report on the earth-shattering 1917 Russian Revolution. The book "Ten Days in October" is still the seminal work on the topic, and this book delves into the evolution of Reed from middle-class dabbler to full-blown Socialist commentator. Mr. Rosenstone does the man justice - well-documented, fair, and without overt "gushiness". An exceptional read.

This is the book the academy-award winning movie "Reds", starring Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton, was based on. An epic (but true)love story, you finish reading it in awe at how much life was packed by these people in such a short time.

This book thoroughly explains each commonly used electrotherapy modality, the physiological indications for its use, and gives thorough guidelines and principles for the dosage and application of each.

It is presented in traditional textbook style and makes use of clear diagrams and graphs to aid one's understanding of concepts. After reading each chapter you will be able to apply principles in a logical way to decide on appropriate treatment for your patient's specific condition.

It is however not an "quick reference" book where you can quickly find the dosage to use for a particular modality. The book is aimed at giving the reader a thorough understanding of why and how to use a chosen modality and would not be easy to use at a glance in a busy practice.

Recommended for students and those with time to read chapters thoroughly.

Most material dealing with public finance or budgeting delivers more drudgery than useful information. Reed and Swain cut through buzz words and cliches--their writng provides detailed explanation without confusing the reader, offering a better understanding of how money moves in the public sector. I definitely recommend starting with this book before you go anywhere else.

"Ten Days That Shook The World" is the account by John Reed of what he saw during the Russian Revolution. Reed was an American Communist and journalist who is the only American known to be buried in the Kremlin. Throughout this book we read a series of observations and dialogues reported by Reed, virtually without comment, although his bias is apparent. We read his reports of political meetings, encounters with minor officials and his observations of events occurring during those turbulent revolutionary days in Petrograd.

This book is a classic case of missing the forest for the trees. The view is too up close to permit the reader to see the big picture. One does not look here for the history of the Revolution. We look here for its spirit. Here we see the swirling chaos, hear the repeated buzz words and get a feeling for the competing factions which fashioned the Communist tyranny which emerged from the Revolution.

In writing this book, Reed gives the reader a view of himself and other American Communists who saw in the Revolution the future that worked. His view can best be summarized in his comment that, while watching a funeral, he realized that the Russian people no longer needed priests to pray them into heaven because they were building a world brighter than any which heaven promised. This hope is in stark contrast to the now known Communist record.

Overall I enjoyed this book as it taught me some more about the Russian Revolution than I had learned from other books which I had read. (See my Amazon review of "The Russian Revolution" by Alan Moorehead.) For that it was worth reading.

Having just finished John Reed's great work of historical journalism I would call it compelling, articulate, a page-turner, etc. It is unfortunate that Reed died so young and was unable to see what his idealistic heroes set loose upon Russia and later the world. Reed was undoubtedly a good man and I don't mean to discredit his character, just his logic.

That aside, this work is fascinating in that it presents so many of the pivotal events in the formation of the Soviet Socialist system from the point of view of someone who was right there while it happened. Add to this the fact that he was an American and thus understood the American sensibility and you have a work of near genius. For the average American reader, this work must have been illuminating for reasons of its style as well as its content.

Reed does have obvious bias in favor of the Bolsheviki, indeed Trotsky is portrayed as a demigod, but he is able to sympathetically depict the plight of the nation of Russia near the close of WWI and enlighten the reader to the numerous causes of the Revolution, and why it must have seemed so inevitable and right to those who experienced it.

Overall a stunning work of journalism and history, highly worth your time.

This is a most powerfully written American radical journalist's eyewitness account of the Bolshevik seizure of power--recording the excitement of the October days and the beginnings of John Reed's own revolutionary disillusionment.

Ten Days That Shook the World is the classic account of the Russian Revolution of November 1917 by a western journalist and has been admired worldwide since its first publication in 1919. Lenin endorsed it as "a truthful and most vivid exposition of the events so significant to the comprehension of what really is the Proletarian Revolution."

Already based in Europe and sympathetic to the cause of the Russian Revolution, Reed was able to observe dispassionately exactly what was going on and to find out not only what the Bolshevik leaders were doing, but to move among those on the streets and note experiences of the masses of ordinary people. Witnessing first-hand the day-to-day events of the Revolution, he captures in vivid and graphic detail the atmosphere of that time.

An extraordinary document of history in the making, this newer edition is the first with contemporary photographs, while a new introduction by Harold Shukman, University Lecturer in Modern Russian History at Oxford University, sets the work in context. Published to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, this illustrated edition will appeal to anyone interested in modern history. And quite possibly re-ignite a political polemic.

Warren Beatty dared to make the film Reds, which gives us a poignantly epic visual view of John Reed, his life, his loves and his fierce beliefs as read in Ten Days That Shook The World.

Not the worst book I've ever read, but there are many books about veganism which are far superior. I prefer Joanne Stepaniak's the Vegan Sourcebook, because it's far more comprehensive.

This book is wonderful for the working family. Although a few of the recipes are uninteresting, the majority are simple and delicious. This book is a great reference for new and veteran vegans.

This is a wonderful cookbook, very easy recipes with ingredients you can find at most any store. I have made 5 or 6 in the last few weeks....our favorites are mexican noodle casserole, and the quinoa and sweet potato patties. I highly recommend this book.