Authors, Bill and Sylvia Varney's herb farm is in the Hill Country of West Texas in a town called Fredericksburg. Right from the beginning of their book you're aware that the knowledge they pass on to the reader is the result of on-the-job research and information they learned through trial and error while working on their farm. That to me is the best kind of information. As I read this book I was aware that their love affair with herbs had infused all of the pages. This is not just a cut and dried encyclopedia of the usual culinary herbs everyone has heard about, but rather a book written lovingly by two people who have deep feeling about herbs and their uses. In addition to the usual culinary herbs there are also descriptions of medicinal and cosmetic herbs, information on using herbs to decorate your life, and ways to add them to your landscape. In the Gallery of Herbs section the information for each herb supplies a little history, planting and care, and harvesting and uses. A nice touch in this section is the side-bars with additional information such as recipes, folklore, and different quotes such as "He who bears chives on his breath is safe from being kissed to death" by Martise, a Roman poet. Too often a new gardener just jumps in and decides one day to plant an herb garden and the next day puts the plants in the ground. It's easy to forget that although everyone says herbs are easy to grow, there are important tasks that come before the planting. The sections 'Framework for a Garden' and 'Putting Down Roots', will ensure your success when planting your new garden and is what makes this book great for beginners. Besides the side-bar recipes there is also a section called 'Herbal How-to Recipes' to help you use your harvest in both the kitchen and bath and to decorate your home. At the beginning and end of this book are two handy sections that are always an asset, the 'Glossary' and 'Sources and Resources'. The exceptional photography throughout the book might lead you to keep it on your coffee table for everyone to enjoy; but the soft cover says to me that this is a manual to be used.

Let me put it this way - I loaned it out to a couple of neighbors and now I am online buying them a copy. First of all it is put together in an easy to understand context. The information can be found in a quick manner. The information that is provided is exactly what we were looking for. It tells about the herb, a little history, how to plant it, any variations that are available, and finally how to use it effectively. So many times I would have to be looking at 3 books to get just such information. The recipes are very useful too. It's great to go to the nursery now - pick out an herb that isn't oregano, basil, parsley, etc. and know exactly how I am going to effectivley use it. This book gave me so many ideas beyond adding the herb to salads or teas.

This book is very useful for someone, like me, who lives in Tokyo and needs a bit of inspiration to get up at the weekend and drag themselves out to see a bit more of Japan. If you're planning a trip and not sure where to go - this book will also be useful. It is full of very beautiful pictures.

It's not, however enough on its own to be used as a guidebook. Maps are too small, listings too brief and it lacks sufficient practical advice on coping with day to day life. For people coming to Japan to live or travel I would recommend this book as part of a selection of books to take. If you don't have the luxury of choosing several books then this may not be suitable. On the other hand if you're just sat at home wondering where to spend your next holiday - it would be a good buy.

If you are coming to live in Japan then I recommend: Being a Broad in Japan (by Caroline Pover) which is aimed at women, but probably useful for all travellers, to give you the practical side of things.

This book will tell you everything you need to know about Japan. I live in Tokyo, and it'll teel you that it is the largest city in the world, the most populated, and probably have the most cars you willl ever see. This book is something you should you for people going to Japan as a tour guide to hep them understand the Japanese cultures, and major tourists sites in Japan. So ig your ever planning a trip somewhere in the orient or planning on movie in Japan, read this book before getting there. It will help you a lot.

The Beautiful and Damned is a Naturalist novel that recounts the slow dissolution of Anthony Patch, heir to a large fortune, and his charmingly immature, hedonistic, and impulsive wife Gloria.

There's something a little "off" in this novel--even saying the title out loud requires an odd caesura. The plot has a feeling of artificial inevitability. Early on, it's easy to sympathize with Patch, even to root for him, but at times his thought processes and actions are so maudlin that one wants him to just *fall* already. Gloria is a fine and interesting character, but by and large the peripheral characters are closer to caricatures.

The book's strength is its prose, natural and authoritative, never self-consciously clever to an annoying extent. Fitzgerald's pacing is steady; occasional meandering narrative passages are fished quickly out of the water with dialog and plot events.

All in all it's a fairly good book, worth a read if you're NOT looking for the near-great Gatsby.

I enjoyed this book immensely and wished it was required reading in high school. What originally attracted me to want to read this book was Fitzgerald's reputation as a talented author who wrote "The Great Gatsby." I didn't want to start of with his most recognizable title, because in my mind that may set the bar too high by the sensitive hype placed on the book. (Don't ask me to explain that last sentence if you don't understand it. I simply mean reading Gatsby first could place a judgement barrier for me on his other books.)

The book was very well written, interesting, and very entertaining. It's difficult for me to read a large portion classic novels because of the older syntax, grammer, and slang used to write them, but with this book I could easily understand it and get involved with what's going on. As much as it can be said to be a love story it also, to me, is a life story. It's Anthony's life experience of finding love, not simply falling in love. I enjoyed this book very much, but must give it a 4/5 star rating. (You know the old grading technique - never give a perfect grade unless you know for sure it takes the cake and nothing can top it!)

By no means his best novel (as others here suggest) but highly underrated. Often one hears of Great Gatsby as his best, Tender is the Night as his labored over lost classic, This Side of Paradise as his promising and famous debut, and The Love of the Last Tycoon as the classic that never was, but Beautiful and Damned is never mentioned. In my opinion this is the book that best describes the hedonistic society I have read of called the Roaring Twenties. As the reader watches all the characters lose their dreams and fall into a depraved, hollow existent based on alcohol I am reminded too fondly of my college years.

If you are a Fitzgerald fan read this one after This Side of Paradise. If you are someone with a passing interest in the Twenties read this. If you are someone with just a passing interest in Fitzgerald then read this one last, after any of the other Fitzgerald novels.

If you have programmed in another language before, but not Delphi, this is the book for you. After a quick overview of general programming concepts, Pascal data types, etc., it goes into a thorough description of the Delphi 3 language and features. I did wish that it had more info on database programming--5 chapters wasn't enough for me!

This is one of my favorite Delphi 3 books, as it covers material not easily found elsewhere. This is not a beginner's book by any means. The coverage of DLLs, COM, and threading is outstanding. This is a book for those who want to delve more deeply into the relationships between VCLs and the WinAPI.

I purchased this book with a view to learning more about OLE and COM which is covered very comprehensively. But I found that once I started reading the other chapters I could not put the book down. Some people have commented that this book is a poor teaching aid. This is not what this book sets out to do. QUE's guide puts this book at Accomplished to Expert level. If you are an experienced, professional programmer who needs an excellent reference book, buy this. You will not regret it.

This is not just another book on Gettysburg. It is a long-overdue study of this important battle written from the point of view of what Lee and his generals knew before and during the 1863 battle. The authors care-fully craft Lee's background and his history and relationship with other leaders including Jefferson Davis and Jeb Stuart. They describe Lee's plans and the actual battle, including the failure of subordinates to effectively utilize their artillery on the disastrous last day. The authors did not base their presentation on how the battle turned out. Instead they explored the actions of the Confederates and analyzed the facts known to Lee, Stuart, and the others to determine the basis for decisions and courses taken. In doing so, Bowden and Ward reach conclusions drastically different than those of many other historians, showing that many of the popular myths about the battle are indeed false. By using Stuart's initial troop movements while Lee was moving north, they show that Stuart did indeed have orders to move north rather than take his wayward ride around the Union forces. They show that Lee's orders to Richard Ewell to take Cemetery Hill were not discretionary. They not only look at actions taken; they also examine options not taken. Lee's generalship in this battle is shown to be much better than often credited to him. The arguments of many of Lee's critics are addressed and refuted in detail. Even a reader with great knowledge of this battle will benefit from this book. It is a "Must Read" for every student of the War.

Bowden and Ward provide a well-researched and compelling look at one of the most researched and written-about battles in American history. I have read more than 20 books about Gettysburg and countless others on Lee's generalship. "Last Chance for Victory" was one of the most thought-provoking and compelling books on this topic I have ever read.

The author's analysis of Day Two of the battle is a refreshing look at the many controversies surrounding the battle and Lee's battle plan. Their analysis of President Davis's decisions prior to the Gettysburg Campaign and Stuart's famous and controversial "ride" also were refreshing and compelling.

In addition to forcing readers and historians to reassess traditional concepts about Lee and Gettysburg, this work is well researched.

Most important, it is well-written. The text flows easily and in many instances it reads like a novel.

I could not put it down.

This book is a must buy for any serious student of the Civil War or military history. It is also approachable for those new to the Civil War and Gettysburg.

Whether you agree with the authors' final conclusions or not, you should read this book. You will never think the same way about Gettysburg and Lee again!

There are numerous reasons why this book is superb, and why it has been named as part of the curriculum at the School of Advanced Military Studies at the United Stated Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

1) The description of Lee's art of war, and the explanation of what Lee believed had to be done in order to give the Confederates the best chance to win is rooted in the lessons of the Great Captains, and has never before been presented this clearly;

2) Lee's vision of victory and how he could accomplish same through his operational objectives for the campaign, along with the military, logistical and political forces at work that combined to influence his decision to transfer the defense of Richmond out of Virginia and into the North, and how these continued to bear upon his decisions once the battle was underway, are laid out clearly;

3) The Lee-Stuart controversary is dealt with in unprecedented clarity. Bowden and Ward's presentation of the facts and analysis provides, for the first time, a clear understanding of what all the principals involved knew and understood at that time, and how Stuart, once he reached Haymarket, made a decision that violated Lee's restraining orders and resulted in him compromising his command and the trust placed in him by Lee;

4) The entire issue of how and why Lee concentrated the Confederate army in the Cashtown-Gettysburg area is explained in
detail. The timeline provided by the authors concerning when and where Lee received information, his resulting orders and more, demonstrate the continued implimentation of his operational plan and goals;

5) Thank goodness, that for the first time ever, we have two authors that have deleved into thoroughly and explained properly Lee's role in the July 1 fighting. What's more, Bowden and Ward present, for the first time, the entirety of all the issues---and there are many of them---involved with Lee's pursuit orders to Richard Ewell following the battle that day. Further, the authors demonstrate, conclusively in my military opinion, why so many past and present writers. along with so-called students of the battle, are confused over this issue. These are just some of the reasons that the chapter dealing with July 1 is impressive;

6) As impressive as the book is up to the battle of July 2, it is my belief that the best part of LAST CHANCE FOR VICTORY are the two chapters that deal with Lee's initial plan of battle, and the actual fighting on July 2. In spite of all that has been previously written about Gettysburg, Bowden and Ward are the first authors I know of that PROPERLY explain Lee's initial plan of action, AND how and why it was modified to the en echelon mode of attack once the Federals realigned their positions on the South end of the field. Lee was present to scout the enemy positions, ascertain those changes, and issue a change of orders accordingly that took into consideration the new relative positions of the armies that was consistent with the best way to accomplish the mission for that day. Moreover, the description of the fighting on July 2, COUPLED WITH the explanation of how the en echelon plan of attack was being implemented and how and why it broke down and what that meant to the detriment of the Confederate cause, can only be described as just superb;

7) Lee's plans for July 3, how these had to be modified, and how the attack that did take place that afternoon did not materialize as had been planned, are covered in a succinct manner that helps the reader identify how the attack failed and the multiply people responsible for its failure (including Lee);

8) The summary of the book ("Reflections") provides additional insight (including more analysis than what has already been given) to the most important issues that contributed to Lee's defeat. It is a powerful conclusion to a hard-hitting book.

Are there any drawbacks to the book? Yes, given the reality of today's short-attention span public, and those with their minds already made up, there are. And after reading two recent so-called "reviews," I am more convinced than ever. THIS IS NOT A BOOK THAT CAN BE ABSORBED BY "BROWSING THROUGH" AT A BOOK STORE. THIS IS NOT A BOOK THAT CAN BE CLAIMED TO BE READ BUT THEN CRITICIZED IN A SPECIOUS WAY BECAUSE THE READER HAS NOT READ THE BOOK CAREFULLY ENOUGH IN ORDER TO GRASP THE TOTALITY OF THE
AUTHORS' ARGUMENTS. This does not mean that everyone who reads this book should AGREE with the authors. What this means is that there are legitimate criticisms and those which are not.

LAST CHANCE FOR VICTORY is a highly detailed book that provides in-depth analysis never before presented involving very complex historical and historigraphical issues. As such, it reveals the strengths and weaknesses of Robert E. Lee at his greatest trial by combat. The testiment to this book is in its accomplishments, which to date are:

Winner of the 2001 Douglas Southall Freeman History Award

Winner of the 2001 General N B Forrest Southern History Award

Winner of the 2001 Grady McWhiney Award of Merit

Winner of the 2002 Bonnie Blue Society Literary Award

and, arguably the most telling accomplishment, part of the curriculum at the US ARmy Command and General Staff College.

Buy the book; read and study it carefully; enjoy it.

JS

Fitzgerald may not have been overly fond of his short stories, but his writing skill and insight shine through anyway. In The Ice Palace and Bernice Bobs her Hair and the Four Fists in particular, Fitzgerald captures individuals struggling with themselves. Who/what should they be, and why? While I wasn't too fond of the pirate story, as it lacked these elements, the other stories in the book show a depth of understanding and introspection that makes for a wonderful, thoughtful read.

Fitzgerald's stories manage to unite his otherworldly grasp of the fluctuations in the human soul. He is a master at presenting its contrivances and vanities as things that happen to people. The tension in these tales rises with almost unconscious force. Red herrings of possible conclusions are whispered but almost in the style of a trickster. Someone always gets conned and someone unmasked- all within that now long-gone era that held a fullhouse of interesting details and premonitions of an ominous future. "Beatrice Bobs her Hair" always has something more to say about savage young ladies. It deserves its place, I think, in every highschool English curriculum. The spoiled rich girls inevitably fall madly in love- with the cads or the tricksters. It was interesting to read "Benediction" in this era of the priest scandals. How priests were seen by Fitzgerald, or perhaps how he conceived his alter ego- is apparent in his return to his natural self through the heroine's choice at the end. This writer always has a trick up his sleeve for the unpredictable conclusion.
I am surprised that there are not more raves over this collection, but perhaps that is the nature of the post modern era. I on the other hand -rave. Story, resolution, all those little formulas that separate the artist from the amateur in the impossible short story form. Fitzgerald, except for perhaps in Gatsby, never achieved such form and plotting in his novels. His youth too, can be sensed in the humorous and rather light-hearted manner by which he casts his characters and those obstacles that they encounter.

This collection of short stories takes a candid look at America in the early 20th century. There isn't a stinker in the lot, but I think "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" is my favorite. Fitzgerald has a way of making his readers connect with unlikeable characters that seems almost magical.

I've always believed in the maxim that the best books on animation are written by animation fans--and this book proves my point. Longtime Rocky and Bullwinkle fan Keith Scott takes us on a long-overdue historical tour of the studio run by one J. Troplong Ward.

Ward, a former real estate salesman, started with a vague desire to "get into television" during the medium's infancy in the late forties. Through his lifelong friendship with animator Alex Anderson, he drifted into the pioneering field of made-for-TV animation. Anderson, nephew of Terrytoons founder Paul Terry, had been knocking around a "comic strip for television" for some time with no takers. Once teamed with Ward and armed with a wicked sense of humor, he introduced the world to Crusader Rabbit, TV's first animated star.

Scott (no relation to Bill Scott, legendary voice of our favorite moose) has penned a winning addition to the ever-growing number of behind-the-scenes books on animation. It is far more detailed than another recent history of the Jay Ward studio (the name of which escapes me). Too detailed, perhaps--the long, convoluted legal battles Ward fought with the "Crusader Rabbit" distributors (and those of "Bullwinkle" and other Ward creations) are spelled out in excruciating detail, and can get more than a little boring.

The book, however, does give us a glimpse inside the wackiest animation studio since Termite Terrace. The only studio (in the words of head ringmaster Ward) approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This, by the way, turns out to be no joke: Ward had popcorn, peanut, and cotton candy vendors stationed in the lobby. Ward himself occasionally could be seen decked out in a ridiculous uniform that made him bear more than a passing resemblance to Cap'n Crunch. That may well have been the inspiration for the character, as Ward's studio produced those commercials until 1984.

Scott recounts for us the sometimes silly, often hilarious promotions (Ward parading with girls in mock Salvation Army uniforms, exhorting "sinners" to "watch the Bullwinkle Show," for one). And, of course, the infamous "Statehood for Moosylvania" campaign which, in a classic example of lousy timing, Ward brought to the doorstep of the White House at the height of the Cuban missle crisis. See Ward go apoplectic in the face of too-tight budgets and incompetant Mexican animators. See Ward battle idiot censors and executives (when one such network "suit" objected to a scene with Rocky and Bullwinkle in a cannibal's pot, screaming "You can't show cannibalism!" the response was typical Ward. "Is it really cannibalism," he asked, "to eat a moose and a squirrel?")

The book also tells us of lesser-known projects, such as "Fractured Flickers" and "Hoppity Hooper", as well as those that didn't quite make it (one abortive project, a puppet show called "Watts Gnu" seemed quite promising). We also get a rare glimpse of Jay Ward behind the public facade--the nervous, insecure, giggling, shy individual racked with chronic pain from a near fatal injury. It makes the brilliant legacy he left all the more remarkable.

I am probably one of the top 25 Jay Ward officiannados in the world -- And it's a fact I'm really proud of-- The man was an absoloute genius storyteller and cartoonist, who created the first made for TV cartoon series--(now they all are!) Crusader Rabbit was emersed in red tape though right from the beginning--- But Jay prevailed--his next endeavors became even bigger and even more embedded in the nation's psyche---Rocky and Bullwinkle, George of the Jungle, Cap'n Crunch, Quisp, Quake--- the list goes on--- Keith Scott's book is truly a BIBLE for Ward-ites like myself-- He knew Bill Scott and Jay Ward , as a teen he flew himself to America--from his native Australia - because of his love for their incredible cartooning style and productions! This book has it all! Keith is also the official voice of Bullwinkle now-- portraying him in cartoon form in the new movie---even!Who better to write this gem?--- probably no one. The pages are filled with pictures and material that will appeal to EVERYONE.Remember the Kerwood Derby? and "you knew the job was dangerous when you took it Fred" and "A cereal so good they named it after me"-- it all came from the moose --er house (of ideas)that Jay built.---I cannot tell you enough---BUY THIS BOOK!--It is the best book on the subject--EVER!--Thanks Keith Scott!But most of all--- THANKS JAY WARD AND BILL SCOTT!--GO AHEAD< PULL A RABBIT OUT OF THE HAT!--- review by Bill Field

This is the best reference to "Rocky and Bullwinkle" out there. In it is information about the show itself, Jay Ward (the show's creator), Bill Scott (coproducer and voice of Bullwinkle), and info on the other voice actors (Paul "Boris Badenov" Frees, June "Rocky" Foray, Daws Butler ("Fractured Fairy Tales"), Hans "Snidely Whiplash" Conried, and others). Throughout the book, you see information about Jay Ward's pre "Bullwinkle" show, "Crusader Rabbit", along with "Fractured Fairytales," "Dudley Do-Right," "Peabody and Sherman," "George of the Jungle," "Super Chicken," "Tom Slick," and a variety of other Ward productions such as "Hoppity Hooper" and "Fractured Flickers."

This is the best reference guide to Jay Ward and "Rocky and Bullwinkle," and it includes a full list of episodes of all of Jay Ward's cartoons, which includes voice credits (as you know, Bill Scott, June Foray, Paul Frees, and Daws Butler did many a character on the Ward cartoons).

This book bridges the theory and practice of leadership by focussing on the remarkable story of Coach Bill Snyder and the tranformation of the Wildcat Football Program, Kansas State University, and the community of Manhattan, Kansas. Drs. Scott and Shoop are to be commended for selecting a leader whose purpose is to give significance to others rather than seek it for himself. The authors are to be further applauded for taking perspectives and quotes from a group representative of those people Bill Snyder has impacted: players and their families, university employees and students, and citizens of Manhattan and the state of Kansas. The lessons are very practical; Bill Snyder's philosophy of continuous improvement can be freely adopted by anyone.

This book is an easy to understand, step-by-step book on applied leadership principles of one of the greatest college football coaches of all times! Coach Snyder's approach to leadership is readily adaptable by anyone in a leadership position. Dr Shoop and Dr Scott carefully applied Coach Snyder's principles/traits and then supported these with real-world comments by people both external and internal to his sphere of influence. The supporting documentation/comments from these "real-world" experiences enhances the applicability of this book for any leaders "must" have portfolio. This book is a must for anyone in a leadership position, aspiring to be in one, a student of leadership, or a coach. Finally there is an easy to read, comprehend, and apply book on leadership.

I would recommend Leadership Lessons from Bill Snyder to anyone interested in leadership and developing their own leadership skills. As a recent college graduate, I found Coach Snyder's leadership philosophies insightful and inspiring. Though the book documents the evolution and success of Kansas State University's football team, led by Coach Bill Snyder, it is much more than a biography or a history of KSU football. Leadership Lessons from Bill Snyder provides concrete examples of Snyder's leadership strategies in an easy-to-read, almost conversational format. A person in any walk of life could easily draw parallels between endeavors with their own organization and Bill Snyder's proven leadership as he turned a bankrupt organization into a top-ranked national powerhouse.

This book has all the potential of being a very useful offering as both a reference and teaching aid. Turns out it fails on both counts, because of the patchy nature of the chapters. This book cannot by any means be called uniform in quality. There are some excellent chapters and some simply average ones and some complete dogs!

By far and away best are the 2 chapters on Data Manipulation and Presentation, although these are let down by poor editing - in the form of a few missing source code listings. Another good chapter is the one on code-behind ("Separating Code from Content"). Also very good is the one on XML ("Using XML"). Although a single chapter on XML is not going to be sufficient for anyone, you will be happy to know that the writer of this chapter (Dan Wahlin) has published a worthwhile book of his own. There are also some rather useful chapters on areas that are usually left out of books of this type, and they deal with Error Handling ("ASP.NET Error Handling") and state management ("Managing State").
The chapters that are really awful and could do worse than being re-written are: "Web Services" and "Application-Level Programming" simply because they simply do not have enough in the way of quality code. One thing that I find quite curious is the chaper on "Enabling Better Browser Support" - which doesn't really have a place in .NET, which aims to reproduce uniform browser behaviour.

All code samples are in VB.NET with some consideration for the C# public, but certainly the source-code is not eqally bi-lingual- which I hope gets addressed in the future.

Overall a good book, although be prepared for some ups and downs in quality.

The book really stands for the title. I found in the book what I was looking for, something to get me started in ASP.NET without it beeing a begginers guide for novice programers. It takes you through every aspect of ASP.NET wich makes some chapters more interesting than others (ADO.NET, XML, Mobile Devices, etc..) almost all the chapters leave you greedy for more (specially passport authentication, webservices, managing state with SQL-Server) but the book is already 837 pages. This is the first time I see ASP.NET covered in every important aspect (web controls, caching and I never saw passport for example).
A mistake was made, by giving the framework sdk in the cd instead of the sample code, wich you can find in a million zip files in the web.
They also failed in telling the sample code is intended to follow your progress in the book. That means you won't see quality code untill chapter 16 (separating code form presentation). I think they made a good desicion, so if your looking for a source of sample code this is the wrong place (Go to the web).
I don't think this will become a reference book for me. As soon as you become proficient in the platform the book becomes shallow but this is the first time i'm happy with a book since i bought "Hitchhiker's guide to visual basic and SQL". This book succeds in having all the Tips, Tutorials and Code you need to get serious into ASP.NET today!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

As a serious developer, nothing is more valuable than nicely annotated code samples. This 878-page book is packed with code, with server-side code in VB. I bought this book together with Programming Data-Driver Web Applications With ASP.NET by Mack and Seven. (These two are among the authors of this book, Tips, Tutorials, etc.) Between the two I have a nice library to draw on for help on my current .NET development project.

I have found the SAMS Teach Yourself series very useful in spite of their beginner level content. This book is part of a newer series from SAMS (blue spines with glossy photos of the galaxy) that are intended as in-depth resources for professionals. SO far the six that I have rank with the very best professional series from Apress and seem a bit beyond the always timely and usually useful WROX books.

The premise of a murder at a reenactment has much potential. Unfortunately, no interesting scenarios or characters exploiting this premise are presented in this book. Nor will you learn anything at all about reenacting or the War Between the States. Neither author could have possibly researched the book by attending an actual reenactment as either a spectator or a participant.

While nothing in this book is offensive (the reason I gave it 2 stars), this is extremely light, non-engaging reading. In fact, is seems to be written for young readers rather than adult mystery readers. One author would surely be better than the "as told to" collaboration attempted here.

Willard Scott, along with Bill Crider, does a wonderful job of giving us that small town feeling. I enjoyed this book immensely (as I did the first one). It is an enjoyable series, and I really liked the idea of a battle reenactment. Willard Scott does an admirable job of modeling Stanley Waters after himself, faults and all. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who would like a nice, light weekend read.

Am sorry to hear from Bill Crider that this series will not be continued. I really enjoyed both of them.