88 spectacular works of art tell the story that haunts us still of the Confederate States of America: its leaders & commoners, its determination & spirit, its pride & romance with a lyrical supporting text that explains historical details.

The Civil War was not what either side expected or wanted. A few hotheads - militant abolitionists from the North & secessionists from the South - fed the flames while the majority of Americans stared on in bewilderment as the Union disintegrated.

In The High Command Mort Kunstler gives us glimpses of the movers & shakers of the battles to come; fresh in their uniforms, devout in their cause & James Robertson's narrative keeps pace with this artist's energy & insights.

Through heat of summer & cold of winter, over trackless hillsides & through mud- coated towns, Mort Kunstler keeps us going; from bloody battle fields in the mists of morning to cavalry charges into the smoke of cannon fire; from sunbaked drummer boys to bone-weary marchers; from cheering infantrymen as their leaders ride by to face-to-face gun fights in wooded ravines; from heartbreaking bad news to new babies born; from dazzling balls to heroic stands in broad daylight to dismal retreats in the dark of night.

A wonder-filled pictorial history book, rich in the details of the life & times of the people of the Confederacy with fascinating stories. A must for any reader of American history. Do visit my site for my full review of this & many more books on history & art.

Having taken a Civil War class from James I. Robertson at Virginia Tech, I can tell you that this man is a poet. When reading this book you can actually feel yourself in the shoes of these brave men. Most people can speak or write, but Robertson can do both. He paints a picture with his moving words. Even if you aren't a Civil War fan, this book will open your mind to a side of the Civil War rarely seen.

This book is a must have for any follower of Mort Kunstler's work. It is packed with 88 of his Confederate based works, including 30 not before found in any book. A true gem. These works are complemented by the text of Civil War historian, James Roberston Jr. I highly recommend it to any collector of Civil War books.

Gods and Generals: The Paintings of Mort Kunstler rivals its previous companion book to Gettysburg. Kunstler tells the story leading up to the battle of Gettysburg using his masterful brush to translate history into color paintings. The text and the paintings weave the tale of how America eventually tore itself asunder in the Civil War. Its an excellent collector's piece and great introduction into the Civil War.
I also found Kunstler did not paint as many movie scenes in this book, instead capturing the actual historical looks of these "Gods and Generals" of the Civil War. Any lover of history or military art will appreciate his attention to detail and riviting scenes. Enjoy!

Mr. Kunstler has provided us with another book of his arrestingly beautiful paintings. Art, of course, is largely a matter of taste and proverbially in the eye of the beholder. Mr. Kunstler, however, even from as objective a standpoint as possible, has no peer as a chronicler of the Civil War. I have been interested in that period of history for about half a century, but it has been Mr. Kunstler's paintings over the past dozen or more years that have brought that war to life for me, and, I am sure, for many others. Although he is a prolific artist, he never compromises with quality, and the quality of his work is unsurpassed.

The subjects of Mr. Kunstler's paintings are invariably interesting, and he does not like to paint scenes or events that have been done previously by other artists. This book is the companion to, and illustrative of, the events and people of the novel "Gods and Generals" by Jeff Shaara, soon to be made into a motion picture of the same name. It follows four exceptional soldiers through the first two years of the war: Robert E. Lee, Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, Winfield S. Hancock, and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.

In this book, there are many new paintings not yet published elsewhere, but whether you are an old Kunstler aficionado or newly introduced to his work, you will find this book unequaled. The reproductions of the paintings are eye-catching, displaying each painting in vibrant, striking colors, true to Mr. Kunstler's originals. I say above that his paintings are educational, and so they are. I urge you to look closely at every work of art. If you do, you will not only see an astonishing amount of detail, but also learn much about the people, the times, the objects people used, and the war. Again, we have Mr. Kunstler's constant striving for perfection to thank for paintings which are correct in every detail. He is the quintessential perfectionist, who painstakingly researches every detail, no matter how small, to provide his audience with true, as well as beautiful, depictions of people, places, and things. He consults with knowledgeable historians, such as Professor Robertson, who wrote the text for this book, on even such matters as the weather on the particular day that he wants to depict in a painting. All of the accouterments are true, as well as the animals, the uniforms, the weapons, the landscapes, the battlefield situations, the lighting -- everything. Rarely does one find, in one individual such as Mr. Kunstler, artistry to the point of genius coupled with an unceasing demand for perfection in all of the details of his art.

I admit that I am no connoisseur of art and that I can claim no expertise or experience in art. Even someone such as I, however, can at least partially appreciate the artistic techniques used by Mr. Kunstler. His positioning of people, animals, buildings, and other objects to lead the observer's eye to the main subject of the painting, his extraordinary use of light to play on this or that subject in the picture in greater or lesser brilliance in order to accentuate or subordinate that subject, and his use of color, always precise, to delineate bright sunshine or dark shadow, or to emphasize or minimize, are all techniques that even such as I can note and admire. His paintings are so life-like as to defy the observer to differentiate them from photographs. But no photographs could depict such wonderful color and the precise instants in time which Mr. Kunstler so deftly chooses to picture.

Mr. Kunstler has, with every book he has introduced, been able to obtain the very best in historians/commentators to draft the texts. He has obtained the services of, for example, Henry Steele Commager (for the book "The American Spirit: The Paintings of Mort Kunstler"), James I. Robertson, Jr. (for "Jackson and Lee: Legends in Gray," "The Confederate Spirit: Valor, Sacrifice and Honor," and the current work), James M. McPherson (for "Gettysburg"), and Dee Brown (for "Images of the Old West"). Dr. Robertson's text in "Gods and Generals: The Paintings of Mort Kunstler" is, as always, the perfect complement to the paintings. As with Mr. Kunstler's art, so also with Dr. Robertson's narrative, one can learn much, whether one is a novice or an experienced hand.

Thus, whether you are a "Civil War buff" or simply interested in exceptional art and edifying prose, you will enjoy this book (and you would do well to consider obtaining Mr. Kunstler's previous books, named parenthetically above). You cannot go wrong with the team of Kunstler and Robertson.

This book is worth 5 stars!! My 8 year old son is just beginning to discover what it means to be born in the south. I want him to have an accurate picture of what the civil war was all about. It is hard to find civil war books with enough pictures to keep him interested. This book has plenty of high quality art for him to see and includes text that we can read together! I highly reccomend it based on those gorgeous paintings.

I was a regular reader of the Any Fools Principles of Dairy Farming in the British magazine Dairy Farmer, this book is every bit as funny, being a Dairy Farmers son myself I could relates to so many of the awkward situations. Dairy cows are really cool animals with a total mind of their own, some are real characters. Excellent.

No beer lover should leave home without it! Excellent reviews of individual beers from the smallest village braueries to the largest Munich producers. All beer styles included- light, smooth, pils to strong, rich, doppelbocks. Stock up arriving and departing southern Germany at Karl Maruhn's largest beer store in world (south of Darmstadt) for all the highly rated beers from breweries you can't visit. The book's weakness is locations/lack of maps to find the breweries. No problem, buy a German map atlas, ask for directions, but take the author's advice and seek out every beer he highly recommends. You'll have a great time. Prost.

James R. Andrews' "A Choice of Worlds: The Practice and Criticism of Public Discourse" is an ideal choice for introducing college undergraduates (or even high school students) to the basic mysteries of rhetorical criticism. In Part One, "The Rhetoric of Public Discourse," Andrews establishes a series of practical and critical principles based on the centrality of the relationships between a speaker, an audience and a message understood in relation to its context. In Part Two, "Speeches for Analysis and Criticism," look at each of his six principles through a pair of speeches, the complete texts of which are included at the end of the chapter. For example, "The Primacy of the Audience" is presented through a critical introduction, "Peace Among Ourselves: Lincoln, King and the Rhetoric of Unity," which uses Lincoln's "Second Inaugural Address" and King's "I Have A Dream" speech. Other chapters include speeches by Franklin Roosevelt, John Kennedy, Thomas Jefferson, Winston Churchill and Malcolm X. "A Choice of Worlds" is an introductory text, refined over the years by Andrews at Indiana University, which will provide students with an appropriate grounding in the study of public discourse and prepare them for the next level where they will study specific rhetorical theorists such as Aristotle, Burke and Toulmin. However, this text more than adequately establishes the basics.

This absoloute Civil War site traveler book is fantastic in helping you locate and enjoy virtually every Civil war site in Virginia. Robertson smartly divides VA. into geographic regions
where he maps out the locations of famous CW sites with not only directions but brief description sof the events. With this book I found the famous Drewry's Bluff defense site located above the James river 7 miles below Richmond where the Confederates stopped the monitor and it's fleet and in 1864 played a key role in stoping the Union advance to take Petersburg and Richmond. A remote and beautiful earthwork over the river. Obviously, the great sites of Manasas and Richmond are noted but
off the beaten path locations are best. The site of Turner Ashby's death putside of Harrisonburg off a dirt road into the woods, the site of the Rifle pits and trenches of the North Anna campaign, the star shaped eathern fort in Smithfield, the remote twin on the opposite side of the James in Fort Eustis Army Base, Fort Early an earthwork in Lynchburg, the huge trenches in Newport News City Park, the Jackson valley Campaign and on. A great road trip book and I hope he will have an updated edition with more off road sites.

"Cranial Base Surgery" is an excellent reference for neurosurgical and neuroanesthesia providers, as well as for any students of these areas. This text contains excellent, clear descriptions of some of the rarest and most difficult to access of all neurosurgical problems. Excellent for students of neuroanatomy, it provides in depth descriptions of the structures of the cranial base. Physiologists will be interested in the information on neurological reflexes that can be elicited from manipulation of the structures of the cranial base.

The chapter on neuroanesthesia, written by Wayne Hamm, is a complete reference for Anesthesiologists, CRNA's and anesthesia residents and students who deliver anesthetic care during cranial base surgery. The structure of a customized anesthetic plan for each different procedure emphasizes the individual clinical questions created by this surgically remote area of the brain.

Outstanding compilation of information, and the best images of primiere Civil War artist Mort Kunstler. A "must have" for all serious students of the American Civil War.

Political biographies are difficult to write and oftentimes more difficult to read. David Robertson's biography of James F. Byrnes is rich in detail, history, and brings alive the character of many prominent political figures. James F. Byrnes served as a Congressman, United States Senator, and Governor of South Carolina as well as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, Secretary of State under Harry S. Truman, and "Assistant President" to Franklin D. Roosevelt. Brynes's autobiography was appropriately titled, "All In One Lifetime". Robertson has skillfully described the political life of Byrnes who rightfully enjoyed a reputation as one of the most crafty powerbrokers in the country. Byrnes's career stretched from just after the turn of the century until leaving office as Governor in 1955. Brynes remained extremely influential in South Carolina, helping to push the Palmetto State towards the Republican party, despite his having held office as a Democrat. Robertson beautifully illustrates not only Byrnes, but a host of personalities including FDR, Truman, and South Carolina personages such as racist Governor and Brynes foe Coley Blease. Any student of history should certainly read "Sly and Able". Those who are interested in history, South Carolina, politics, government, or the struggle for equality and civil rights will surely find David Robertson's biography of James F. Byrnes a rewarding experience

Author Robertson is not only a great historian, he is also an incredibly good wordsmith. Seldom in an historical biography have I seen such excellent writing combined with such in-depth and (relatively) unbiased research. This book is jammed with detailed information about Jackson: socially awkward, agonzingly shy and diffident, odedient to orders to the point of insanity, absurdly religious.Yet, this is my "take" on the book. The author never literally comes out and states this. He presents information. It is up to the reader to form his/her own opinions......After 40 plus years of studying Civil War history, I am long past hero worship. I never saw Jackson or Lee or any other general as a god - and I do not now. I don't believe that was the author's purpose. I believe his pupose was to present all the facts he could about Jackson in an organized and entertaining fashion. That the author is also a great writer makes this work all the more enjoyable. .......This is probably the BEST biography I have ever read, both in terms of scholarship and the quality of the writing. My only regret was that I did not get to read the many items that were left out of this already lengthy book by the authors and editors. I was not quite ready for Jackson to go.

Robinson has done with Jackson what Shelby Foote did with the Civil War: generate an incredibly well researched work that is a requirement for any student not only of the Civil War, but of military history, tactics, and doctrine in general, Southern history in general, heroes in general. Robinson adeptly debunks old myths and explains in a very clear way why this man rose to the status he did in the South, in the United States, and in Europe. Additionally, Robinson paints such a clear portrait that by the time Jackson is killed, one cannot help but feel, at the very least, a twinge of pain at his loss. Jackson's youth, adolescence, VMI years, and war years are all presented in great and honest detail that does not attempt to praise Jackson, but generates praise nonetheless. Still, though, the General's faults are recognized, explained, or accepted, whichever is appropriate. Totally unadulterated. Aside from (but not beneath) Foote's Civil War Narrative, the finest work relating to the Civil War I've read to date. One of the finest books I've read. Don't miss this one!

James I. Robertson, Jr.'s biography of Stonewall Jackson will long stand as the definitive summary of the life of this extraordinary military commander. Exhaustively researched and gracefully written, Robertson's biography portrays Jackson as he was - a deeply religious Sunday school teacher in Lexington, Va., a loving and devoted husband and father, and a stern and feared commander in battle. Based almost entirely on primary sources, Stonewall Jackson challenges many of the myths and misconceptions that have surrounded the general. This book also represents the culmination of Robertson's long and distinguished career as one of this country's finest Civil War historians. Without question it is his finest effort and the best biography of Jackson ever written