In "The Surgeon's Mate", as the title suggests, Stephen Maturin is the main protagonist. Although of course Jack Aubrey is always present to help Maturin accomplish his goals, most of the action revolves around intelligence activities.

The book opens right where the previous "The Fortune of War" ended. Maturin & Aubrey sail into Halifax Canada as conquering warriors & are much acclaimed by the locals (with some humorous entanglements for Aubrey). Soon, tho, we are back at sea, being pursued by privateers paid to kill Maturin. From this point on there is almost constant action, for Maturin has new intelligence assignments as well as unfinished business with the French. Meanwhile, his personal life continues rocky due to Diana Villiers presence. Of course, all will end happily as Patrick O'Brian lets you know by his choice of titles.

It is hard to critically discuss "The Surgeon's Mate" as a stand-alone novel, since so much of it is a continuation of plots begun in "The Fortune of War". It is complex, exciting, & definitely not the best choice as your introduction to the Aubrey/Maturin series. At the very least, read "The Fortune of War" before embarking upon this particular voyage. You will enjoy all the more for having done so!

This is the seventh in O'Brian's 20-volume series. It follows the now well-established formula, as Captain Jack Aubrey and ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin sail smoothly from one book to the next. This book is really two tales, two unconnected sea voyages, split by an interlude in England that feels more like an intermission. Picking up where the previous volume left off, the two find themselves in Canada where Aubrey's behavior may surprise you. The first voyage brings them home for the first time in many months (and three volumes). The heart of the story is the second voyage that takes them to the Baltic for the first time (both for them and for readers) on an intelligence mission. As the voyage ends, they find themselves in France and Maturin at his most interesting in extricating them from a dilemma and in reconnecting with Diana Villiers.

O'Brian is simply a great writer. This series is not for everyone, for the prose is spare and sophisticated, the plotting both delicate enough to sustain readers for many volumes on end, yet bold enough to satisfy fans of adventure tales. The nautical terms are easily mastered, this is not a book for sailors, but for readers who enjoy good adventure stories.

This volume is the third in a mini-trilogy within the larger Aubrey-Maturin series, and it's rather more given to personal and political rather than purely naval affairs. Again, it opens where the previous volume closed, with the victory of Shannon over the Chesapeake and the arrival of both at Halifax. While they're being feted by local society for the victory, Jack, in a peke over his lack of mail from home, gets carried away in an indiscretion with a local fortune-hunter, which haunts him for the rest of the book. Diana Villiers, meanwhile, has a parallel problem as a result of her liaison with Johnson in the previous volume. The three finally leave Canada for England on the packet carrying the great news, but are hotly pursued by a couple of American privateers apparently in Johnson's employ; he wants both his papers and his woman back. When they reach England, Steven's own intelligence coup leads to his being sent on a mission to the Baltic, where he must convince a Catalan contingent to desert the Napoleonic cause, and this whole episode is one of the most interesting I've read yet. In the latter stages of the mission, however, Jack and Steven find themselves in the clutches of the French, and then in prison in Paris, and Steven's talents are called for again. This one is more a spy adventure than a sea story, but it's very enjoyable for all that. (It took me an embarrassingly long time to catch on to the title, though.)

This book is great when you just need the down and dirty on a disease, and don't want to wade through a 50-page description in the heavy-duty references. It was also very useful during second-year, when you're just trying your hand at figuring out the diseases, and need a little confirmation of your diagnosis and treatment plans. Or, when you're totally clueless and need help get started in the right direction. Fair warning, faculty usually won't accept it as 'reference' especially if you're trying to argue a point, but during a recent open-book final, I brought mine in anyway and there was practically a mob of other students rushing over to check out one thing or another.

Tilley's 5 -Minute Veterinary Consult book has been an extremely valuable asset to my library. When the CD-Rom came out, it was even more useful in that immediate and current information can be retrieved much faster than picking up a book. It is faster since topics related to a case can be searched for and reviewed with a touch of your mouse. This information can be quickly printed and given to clients to further understand their pets diagnosed condition. This printed information alone is priceless! A client that has something in hand and can follow and confirm their veterinarian's diagnosis and treatment, helps establish the trust a client needs to have in their pets doctor.

I reach for my 5- Minute Vet Consult CD-rom more than any other resource in my library. It is very accurate and has a surprising amount of detail to assist in the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of each topic. The drug search is a very helpful formulary for those quick reference needs. The most recent CD has a good number of cytology and radiographic images attached to the topics. These can be enlarged to see more closely the great detail.

In my opinion the 5-Minute Veterinary Consult CD-Rom was one of the best reference investments for my practice. It is definitely the most utilized reference I have. Time is money and this has saved me many steps and thus time and money. Every practice needs this reference without doubt!

....

My vet suggested me getting this book (I have worked for him for 6 years) and I am glad I did! It has 4 different sections in it, "Presenting Problems and Physical Findings", "Diagnostic-Laboratory Tests", "Diagnostics-Electrocardiography", and "Diseases and Clinical Syndromes". Each section has detailed information on each finding, usually two pages per each problem, which covers the Basics (definition, signalment, causes and risk factors), Diagnosis, Treatment, Medications, Follow-up and a Miscellaneous. There is plenty of information in the Appendix section of the book as well. Including a Formulary, Conversion Tables and more! I would highly recommend it to vets, students and vet techs.

I did not need any other book on AutoLISP programming - This book went with me anywhere I did - the toilet , my bed , my computer desk. It DID NOT teach DCL programming so I bought another (by Christian Immler). If you want to see what I used AutoLISP for - check the website mentioned below. If you can get the book it - DO IT ...

Too bad this book is out of print. I was impressed by the content, the ease of looking items up, and the examples. I wish the book had been updated for Rev. 13 of AutoCad. If you have Amazon try and locate a copy for you and they find one, consider yourself a luck programmer.

inside AUTOLISP first edition 1989 Dear Authors, I would like to order the lastest book that you wrote, Please contact me as soon as you can. Thank you

Famed patriarch Joseph Kennedy Sr.'s granddaughter, Amanda Smith (she is the daughter of Jean Kennedy Smith) did an extraordinary job of collecting missives written by various family members over a period of nearly half a century. The years 1914-1961 are meticulously laid out in militarily neat precision; it is through these letters that readers glean insights into the dynamics of a famous family.

My favorite parts in the book were the letters to, by and about the late Senator Robert Kennedy. Third son and seventh child of patriarch Joseph Kennedy, readers are treated to witness his growth and development, almost from the beginning. A composition he wrote at age 13 describing himself and his preferences is enlightening. One can smile at the boy who strove to keep up with his older siblings revisited in the man who achieved leadership status. From all accounts, Robert Kennedy was a diligent worker; the boy who sought to make himself heard by his siblings and by Joe, Sr. became the man who served as the voice for many. In adult life his voice was one that was very much heard and resounded throughout history. In reading this, it was impossible not to cheer his progress and feel encouraged by what he accomplished in his lifetime.

This is a delightful "peek behind the curtain" into the dynamics of generations of Kennedys.

I loved it.

What a nice surprise to see a book about the Kennedy family based on fact. Smith's choice of letters help the reader visualize Joseph Kennedy as father, businessman, and ambassador. These letters are as historically important as they are touching. Smith's work has given us first hand accounts of many great historical events of the 20th century. This book will prove to be an important resource for biographers as well as a wonderful gift to Smith's own family. Highly recommend.

I have read countless books on the Kennedys and I've got to say this is, by far, one of the most valuable books I've read.

Amanda Smith, who is Joseph P. Kennedy's grandaughter, did a phenomenal job gathering correspondences between Joe Kennedy and family members, dignitaries, colleagues and friends during the years of 1914-1961. The manner in which Smith compiled the letters allows for a smooth and enjoyable read of the book.

I am quite impressed (and thankful!) that Smith meticulously documented and made footnotes of the individuals who were either the recipient or author of a letter or are mentioned in the correspondence - as it provides the reader with a much better understanding of the context of the letter.

I've always had a strong appreciation and interest in reading original documents and writings. Amanda Smith truly did a fantastic job editing the letters and showing a new side of Joe Kennedy which I never saw before.

Definately well worth the cost of the book and most certainly recommended with the highest regard for those who enjoy reading about the Kennedys, political science, or correspondences.

Jack Aubrey falls upon hard times, beginning with the apparent failure of his luck when a long, long chase across the Atlantic from the West Indies after a privateer ends with the quarry slipping into port just ahead of him. The old SURPRISE is for the knackers -- she's been living on borrowed time for the past two volumes -- and Jack seems headed that way, too, after falling into a cunning trap that ends with him being roasted in a political show-trial for trying to manipulate the stock market. Stephen Maturin's fortunes, on the other hand, seem to be rising. He has found himself unexpectedly wealthy and he comes into information that answers the disturbing questions arising in his recent intelligence operations. As always, O'Brian shows himself a master of the details of early 19th century British society, language, and general style, . . . but his plotting is unfortunately becoming almost pro forma. A pretty good story, but far from his best.

The eleventh installment in Patrick O'Brian's excellent series of naval adventures finds Aubrey and Maturin back in Britain as their journey to the Pacific, begun in the previous book, comes to a conclusion. Aubrey, always a minnow among land sharks when he has money in his pocket, finds himself innocently ensnared in a complicated stock exchange scam that may have been set up by Maturin's enemies in the intelligence game. The complex case and courtroom scene, O'Brian assures us in a note, are based on a real case. The pillory scene is powerful, as Bonden gruffly clears the square of all but sailors, and officers and seamen of all stripes come to show Jack their love and respect.

After several books at sea, "The Reverse of the Medal" brings readers back to the Admiralty in London with its complicated and layered intrigues, back to Ashgrove and Sophie, and back to Maturin's espionage machinations. As always, O'Brian's wonderfully intelligent prose and satisfying grasp of historical nuance captures the reader in little pockets of 18th-century Britain. The entire Aubrey/Maturin series is great, and this installment is no exception.

I find Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series a challenge to read, albeit an excellent, well-connected long novel. I could not put down the eleventh in the series, The Reverse of the Medal, once I began it. Although most of this book occurs on land, where Captain Jack Aubrey is naive and awkward, O'Brian exploits this: the force of the plot is as strong as the earliest, more typically naval stories in the saga. The climax brought tears to my eyes, and the last chapter's denouement evoked a cheer for Maturin and his dear friend. I went right to the Web to order the next two novels.

This is the eighth in the naval action adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin, and, except for the last twenty pages, there's a surprising lack of action. Jack is doing a turn commanding a seventy-four-gun ship of the line in the blockade of Toulon on the French Mediterranean coast, a mostly cold, dreary, boring, enervating sort of warfare. The admiral he admires is wasting away from overwork and the vice-commander, Jack's old nemesis, tries to use him in a diplomatic feint which turns into a debacle, damaging his reputation among those of his crew who don't really know him and even making him doubt himself. Stephen is busy behind the scenes, sharing the secret limelight with Prof. Graham, an expert in all things Turkish. Finally, in a narratively somewhat disconnected incident, they are sent off to the Turkish-held Greek islands to undermine the French among the local beys and pashas. While it makes for interesting reading in depicting another, rather less dashing, side of the naval war against Napoleon, this volume is uncomfortably episodic and not at all one of O'Brian's best. I would definitely not recommend this as one's first novel in the series.

Patrick O'Brian continues his series of wonderful novels about the Royal Navy in the age of sail. I am amazed how he is able to continue to construct fresh interpersonal dynamics to keep the plot lively. I continue to be impressed with his ability to convey vivid images and emotions of his characters. Those who have served in the military will sympathize with O'Brian's characters through his great descriptions of how leaders wrestle with leadership and endure bureaucracy. Anyone unfamiliar with his work should start with the first in the series, Master and Commander.

This book was very enjoyable, but, after reading the first eight books in this series, I have the feeling that I've already read the best of the series. This book is wonderfully well-written, as have been all of the books in this series so far, and there is no shortage of the wit and humor that O'Brian is famous for. There are a couple of problems with this book, however. First (and this will be a problem for all of the rest of this series as well) there is the problem of time. In the previous book in this series, O'Brian stopped giving us real historical events that would allow us to know exactly what period of time the events in the books are taking place in. The reason is obvious; by the time the events in this book have taken place, the war would be very nearly over (I figure late 1814 at the earliest) and there is still another ten books or so in this series before the war ends. The other problem with this book is that nothing very exciting happens until about two-thirds of the way through this book. In the last third of the book, Jack is given a special mission that requires diplomacy as well as fighting ability, and even Jack knows that diplomacy is not his strong suit. There is a great plot twist towards the end of this book worthy of a good mystery novel which leads to a fantastic ending. Everything comes together at the end of this book, and it gives the reader a good reward for persevering through the earlier slow parts. I will certainly continue reading this series, although I don't think the later books will quite equal his early masterpieces.

This was a funny, touching true life story that I couldn't put down! Definitely a great book for anyone, whether you like rodeo or not.

I loved this book. It was one of the only books I have read with such a real life country setting. Not only was this guy a wonderful bullrider but was and is a good person at heart. Being raised around cattle and horses made for a great start for a bullrider. I think this book is very enlightening to the life of a bullrider and how hard they work to become what they are. It takes a very special person to climb on the back of a bull, and try to hang on for 8 seconds. They are faced with life and death everytime they nodd there head and come out of those chutes.

I couldn't put this book down. I would recommend this to anyone. Please take the time to read this book and you will soon appreciate the courage these guys have in taking on a bull.

The night my book arrived I burnt supper because I couldn't put it down. I found myself up at 2am reading it. I laughed, I cried and I laughed so hard that I cried reading the stories and remembering the people and places from this book. PeeWee, You did a wonderful job, I am soo very proud of you. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a look into the life and character of a cowboy!! Hurry up and write us another one!!

Of the early Aubrey-Maturin novels, this is my favorite! O'Brian has dug deeply into historical reality to place his characters in the middle of the War of 1812, making real-life sea heroes like Bainbridge, Lawrence and Broke come alive in their scenes with Aubrey. What's more, O'Brian finally lifts the veil off Maturin's espionage, as Stephen's previous activities have blown his cover, and enraged the U.S.-based French intelligence officers who hope to make him pay big-time. Less talk, more action than in earlier books, as French and American spymasters hunt down Maturin in Boston. Yet he has time for another coup, and Aubrey recovers from serious injuries to show amazing resourcefulness and courage in engineering Maturin's escape. Regarding the obligatory-and-thrilling battle scenes, American readers will cheer the USS Constitution's capture of HMS Java, and mourn anew the bloody defeat of Lawrence's USS Chesapeake by the determined Captain Broke of HMS Shannon. O'Brian does an excellent job of describing just how seriously the little US Navy humiliated the Brits during the Second War of Independence. Finally, O'Brian plucks the romantic heartstrings with grace as he renews Maturin's and Diana Villiers' relationship (which I'd earlier found unconvincing) in a most unusual fashion.

"Fortune of War" is the sixth installment in Patrick O'Brian's monumental 20-volume 19th-century maritime series. It is full of energy, as Captain Jack Aubrey and best friend Stephen Maturin limp into port in HMS Leopard, after their adventures from the previous book. Aubrey learns that he is to be given a fine new ship, but must take a transport to Britain to meet her. He never makes it. He suffers shipwreck, two burnings, and two of the epic sea battles that O'Brian depicts so keenly that a reader is torn between reading them apace and pausing to catch some breath. The War of 1812 with the United States has begun and the American frigate USS Constitution is building what will become an enduring historical legacy. In Boston, Maturin meets Diana Villiers, his long-time love, and confronts shadows from his past of espionage.

Once again, O'Brian has combed the historical records and offered up an engaging blend of fiction and fact. These ships did exist, the spirit of 1812 Boston is faithful and evocative. Odd as it sounds, Aubrey and Maturin have evolved in something of a Kirk-and-Spock team. Aubrey is all action, sometimes a bit shallow, but always gregarious and outgoing. Maturin is stoic, deep and introspective, and always pulling strings that others can not even see but that often reach across seas and years in their reach. They are a well-matched team, they make us smile. This is a good book.

An excellent book, though no less could be expected from O'Brian. I took a considerable amount of time off between Desolation Island and this book so the characters and the nautical terms were a little unfamiliar to me. After the first twenty pages or so the characters, terms and myself came together like three old friends laughing and remembering our past adventures.

O'Brian re-introduces characters from his previous books (Diana Villiers, Michael Herapath and Louisa Wogan) which I found tiresome from his previous works. In this book, however, O'Brian uses these three characters to great effect. To see my old friend Stephen Maturin become the ruthless spy I always wanted him to be was exhilirating.

This is an excellent book and should be read by anyone who professes a liking for sea stories or historical fiction. Any bibliophile who is aimlessly scanning these reviews and has not read this series should start as soon as possible. Any O'Brian fan who wants to know if this tale is as good as the others in the Aubrey-Maturin series, let not your heart be troubled, it is excellent.

I have read the prior three novels in O'Brian's masterful Aubrey/Maturin series, and thought the first three were uniformly excellent. After a layoff, I returned to the series and while I enjoyed The Mauritius Command, I thought there was somewhat of a slip from the first few books of this 20 novel series.

The novel opens promisingly, with Aubrey suffering in a less-than-ideal domestic situation. His mother-in-law lives with Jack, his wife Sophie and their cranky daughters, and his efforts to manage a farm are comical in his ineptitude. When Maturin visits, and Aubrey tries to show him around and put a brave face on his domestic struggles, the comedy inherent in O'Brian's writing comes shining through. While Jack (and the reader) itch to get to sea, it is there that O'Brian seems to lose control of the story.

Aubrey gets an order to go to the Cape of Good Hope, where he is sent on a mission to dislodge the French from the Mauritius Islands and help set up a British Colonial Governor by the name of Farquar. As is usually the case, despite great achievements in the past, Jack is shackled and insufficiently rewarded by his superiors in the admiralty, and his supposed connections, through his father in the Parliament, are of little help.

O'Brian seems to assume a good bit of nautical knowledge by the reader, and this landlubber sometimes got a little lost in the naval warfare scenes. The most engaging aspects of the novel seemed to me the differences in character, and the seething one-upsmanship among the various ship captains under Jack's overall command including Captains Pym, Clonfert and Corbett. The problem was, just when the author whets your appetite for some great internal conflict or drama between the brutal Corbett and the popular Clonfert, Corbett is sent from the area.

Moreover, the final battle scenes are almost thrown together in summary form, as if the culmination of the mission did not really concern O'Brian as much as the hassles of getting there, and so there was a bit of a letdown at the end. I look forward to the next novel (Desolation Island I think), but have to be luke-warm in my praise of this one. I give it a fairly generous 4 stars, 3 and 1/2 if I could.

O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series seems to get better with every book. I found the first, Master and Commander, hard slugging and gave the series a second try based on recommendations and the publicity following the author's passing. It has been well worth the second try.

Unfortunately, The Mauritius Command reveals the second strategic error that the author made in writing the series. The first error was starting it in 1800 leading to some historical crowding later on. Similarly, the author has let several years slide since HMS Surprise contributing further to the crowding. I have read that the author regretted his timing of the series although in fairness too him it wasn't obvious that Aubrey/Maturin would catch on and that he would ultimately complete 20 novels covering an 18-year period. The novel itself has few flaws and is well paced.

Jack Aubrey has spent the intervening years in wedded bliss although his circumstances and life away from the sea have not been kind to him. Not only is Jack Aubrey married but he also has twins. The opening pages make me wonder what married life would have been like for Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth had Jane Austen written a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. The allusions are there and the writing is good enough for O'Brian to pull it off.

The Mauritius Command really picks up when the duo return to the sea bound for Capetown and a campaign against the French held islands of La Reunion and Mauritius. Aubrey is to fly a Commodore's pennant and administer a hiding to the French. However, he has to deal with an untrustworthy admiral, captains with varying abilities and fighting spirit and personality conflicts. The tension builds steadily and there is more action than in earlier novels. The conclusion is anti-climactic although it is very neatly tied together.

The Mauritius Command was published at roughly the same time as Kent's Passage to Mutiny. Both are examples of the authors at their peaks. O'Brian is clearly the better writer of the two but he doesn't deliver the action the way Kent does. Still if events didn't happen as O'Brian relates, he did a superb job of catching the flavour of the times. He was a great author and The Mauritius Command demonstrates this thoroughly.

This fourth novel in the Aubrey-Maturin series shows more narrative unity than the first three, which is partly a function of Jack Aubrey's now-exalted rank. As a newly promoted commander in a small sloop, and even as a post captain, he was at the beck of more senior officers. Now, as commodore in command of a squadron of several ships-of-the-line and lesser warships, plus a small herd of transports and Indiamen crowded with troops, he has reached a position of high command, with orders to capture the French outpost islands of Mauritius and La Reunion in the Indian Ocean. As Dr. Maturin privately notes in his diary, Jack was probably happier as a junior officer, with only his own ship and men in his direct responsibility; now he must manage other ships's captains at one remove, deal diplomatically with the Army, and oversee the installation of a new British governor. O'Brian hews closely to historical fact in narrating this little-known but complex campaign, and he also delves more deeply into the psychology of the supporting characters -- especially Lord Clonfort, a not unintelligent but very unhappy young commander apparently afflicted with bipolar disorder, who constantly seeks the approval of his own subordinates as well as his seniors. As true historical fiction, this volume is, for me, the most enjoyable in the series yet.

Unlike a lot of cookbooks, this was a delight to read. I find Deborah Madison to be a good observer, and the subject matter benefits from her keen eye--and ear. She certainly finds creative ways to exploit the typical farmer's market fare. The only significant flaw with this book is that Ms. Madison simply tries to cover too much ground--literally and figuratively. Many of the ingredients are obviously regional in nature and availability, and are therefore beyond the reach of many readers. Still, this is a finely crafted volume and the author should be commended for elevating the subject matter to a very high level. Well done!

Deborah Madison's "Local Flavors" hews to her longtime trajectory along the path of encouraging her readers to make use of what's fresh. Of course what's fresh is always better than what's been shipped in, and Madison focuses on this edict with this cookbook chock-full of recipes making use of fresh, fresh, fresh produce from the farmer's market.

The cookbook is handsomely done, with easy recipes and numbered directions (so helpful when you look away and then need to find your place again). While readers on the coasts or in big cities will have no problem finding the ingredients they need, those in smaller or rural areas will have some difficulty. Ingredients that are regularly called for here include palm sugar, blood oranges, lemon verbena, pineapple sage, chantarelles, orange flower water, and more. Still, the recipes are imaginative, the photography sumptuous, and Madison's enthusiasm for her subject positively contagious.

I just purchased this new cookbook by Deborah and I am not disappointed. Deborah Madison comes across as a teasured friend in all of her cookbooks. You can't help but trust all of her tips and recipes because she is so passionate about fresh, healthy food. In Local Flavors, she packs the book with so much information about shopping and enjoying farmers markets. Buying and using fruits & vegetables in season is not only practical, but ensures you are getting the most delicious produce. This book is for all who believe in "eating by the seasons" and for those who support locally grown foods!