Excellent in-depth coverage for those who want more than the usual cursory overview. R. Thomas Campbell's Sea Hawk Of The Confederacy brings drama to the naval war, providing both a biography of Charles W. Read, a Confederate Navy officer whose battles were legendary, and a narrative style which reads like a novel while incorporating plenty of strategy and military facts.

Thomas Campbell's latest addition to his several other books on the Confederate Navy is the most exciting, as an 'old, mostly unknown' hero emerges to the spotlight he so well deserves. This first, complete biography of Lt. Charles W. Read, CSN, skillfully weaves various obscure sources of information, mostly unknown except to serious students of the Confederate Navy, to new family histories recently discovered. Many of the generous number of photographs have never been seen in public before. Read's participation on such ships as the CSS McRAE, ARKANSAS, FLORIDA AND WEBB are but a portion of the many thrilling experiences he originated and encountered. A brief history of each of the ships such as with Capt. Maffitt on the CSS FLORIDA fills the reader with anticipation of the next chase and adventure. Charles Read's overland escapades will surprise many students of the army to find they were done by navy personnel. In short, this book is a must for anyone who wants to learn of a true life adventurer and to ask themselves "why haven't we heard of him before?". Thomas Campbell is to be commended for this work. John E. Ellis, founder, Confederate Navy Research Center, Mobile, Alabama, http://www.csnavy.org

This is a well written and engaging look into the importance of the Mandan and Hidatsa Indian villages as a pivotal point in trade systems during the late 1700's through early 1800's. Being located along the Missouri River in present day North Dakota, the Mandan/Hidatsa Indians traded horses, robes and furs to Canadian Fur Companies in return for guns and ammunition. They would then trade these goods for other commodities from various Northern Plains Indian Tribes, who previously may have traded with other tribes or the Spaniards further south. In part one, the authors give a lengthy but excellent and relevant chronological introduction as to the fur trade history of this geographical area. Part two includes five journals (or excerpts) of some of these Northwest Fur Company traders' first hand accounts depicting life as it was: John Macdonell's descriptions of the Indians, geography and trade in the 1790's; David Thompson's narrative describing his harrowing 1797 journey from Fort Assiniboine to the Mandan villages in the dead of winter; Larocque's two narratives, the "Missouri (1804)" and "Yellowstone (1805)" Journals, the latter of which, in the company with Crow Indians, he may possibly have been the first white man to descend the Yellowstone River, pre-dating William Clark by more than a year. The final narrative is of Charles McKenzie's four journeys to the Mandan villages (1804-1806), the first two in company with Larocque's expeditions. This is a fascinating read for fur trade enthusiasts and/or those whose interests are in early western exploration.

Excellent book. I am a graduate student in neuroscience, and am currently using this book as a text for a course. All of the chapters (papers) are very well written by experts in the field, yet at the same time are very easy to understand with only basic neuroscience/biological knowledge. Although it's not my area, I believe synaptic plasticity will explode with implications and explanations for psychological phenomena.

Anyone even remotely interested in folklore, folk music, or American history should get this book. It contains over 400 rhymes (some with music) collected in the early 1900s by Thomas W. Talley, a black chemistry professor from Tennessee. Most of the rhymes are American, but there are a few from Africa, Jamaica, and elsewhere.

This alone would be worth the price of admission, but this edition also contains a new essay on the work, plus an updated bibliography and index, plus the original introduction by Thomas W. Talley (an excellent 50-page essay which covers performance practice and even details of instrument construction), plus additional rhymes and music that didn't make it into the original edition.

Great to page idly through or to read cover-to-cover, this book would be a fantastic addition to anyone's collection.

I enjoyed reading ANDERSON'S FAIRY TALES by Hans Christian Andersen. My favorite stories in this book were The Mermaid, and the story about the Dustman. I loved the vivid language and the way the stories came alive, seeming to burst like balloons from the pages of the book. I also enjoyed the way common household objects and animals were personified. I found fault with the story that had the better part of its setting in the Garden of Eden. The winds from the ends of the earth were personified well, but one of the winds dispargingly referred to Africa.

'The Snow Queen' is possibly the greatest short story I've ever read. Although its message is essentially Christian, its means of getting there is staggering, Surrealist and far from dogmatic. There is an Alice quality to the heroine's narrative as she seeks her abducted playmate, full of singing flowers, helpful crows and robber barons - the songs of the flowers are full of sexually loaded and enigmatic imagery. But the word-pictures as a whole are haunting, the blazing sheen of the snow, with the suggestive reds dotting it throughout. The final puzzle is worthy of Borges. Wow.

I believe that the path to a well-rounded child is the truth. Too often we sensationalize and sugar-coat the truth when it comes to our kids. This book is a good example of the way things are. My favorite tale from this book would have to be "The Little Mermaid", and it will be the first tale I read my children when they are born. Mr. Anderson was a firm believer in drama mixed with the hard knocks of real life.Here he has just transformed them into a fantastical story that every child needs to be told. The elements of the story are very powerful, from the loss of innocence to the loss of love,and sometimes we need a good dose of something that isn't wholesome. I recommend this book to everyone, children and adults alike.

No one can tell a good bird dog stort like Charley and this book is packed with many stories that will remind you of you and your dogs. I read this book in the off-season everytime it seems like opeining day will never get here. Charley loves the birds and dogs like no one else and it shows in this great book.

No one writes like Charley Waterman, and bird dogs are a subject that he knows well. This is not an instruction manual, per se, but you'll learn a great deal and have a laugh or two.

Unlike many writers on the subject of bird dogs, Waterman avoids maudlin sentiment. A big relief, since we do not need guidance in how to love and mourn our dogs.

One of the must have books for your hunting library.

I was dissappointed with the book. There's no in depth discussion on any event. It just reads on and states facts like those in High School text books. Didn't capture me at all.

A huge book that traces the history of America from pre-Columbus through present day. Although considered by many to be a "text book" for study, it is not written in that format. It reads easily and clearly. It is non-biased and informative. The pictures are helpful. It's the first book on American history that I have been able to finish. Although expensive, I think that every book collection should have a copy and it is an essential part of any history collection.

My AP US History class used this book as its textbook. Statistics speak for themselves: anyone who read and studied the book got a 5! It is one of the most comprehensive texts in American history ever published. George Tindall, the primary author, is a wonderful and knowledgable man who I have met in Chapel Hill,NC. An excellent buy!

This text provides a quick, concise review of the pimary topics covered on emergency medicine exams. I found it to be a good way to prepare for inservice exams and the written boards.

I found this book a very interesting source on the subject. It gives a fundamental understanding of the technology behind interactive services as well as explaining the key concepts that are important.

This book, by the editors of the Washington Post, does a good job of describing the events which led to the deadlocked 2000 Presidential election. In addition to detailing the paths which led to the deadlock, the book discusses all the post-election issues in a very readable format. Surprisingly, the books editors seem only slightly tilted towards Gore (especially considering it is the Washington Post, which is noted for its liberal bias), so no matter who you voted for, there is much to be found here for anyone with an interest in contemporary politics.

Two things struck me while reading this book, the first is that I doubt there is a book out there that is truly balanced and not somewhat biased. The second thing was that Gore really got the shaft, not so much by the recount wars, but by the election official that came up with the Butterfly Ballot. In the history of the USA this decision ranks up there with new Coke and the XFL, what a mistake. As far as the reporting in the book it was not bad for a review of all the articles they had in the paper, but it did not really dig into the particular issues very deeply. I wanted more detail and behind the scenes with both the candidates. I also wanted more details on the court cases; I felt like the sky-high overview of the issues of the cases did not do such an important issue justice.

In reading the book I think a little bit of a democratic bias comes out, just a little, but enough to notice. I also thought it interesting that they had far more details of the Gore group then the Bush camp, it follows the perception that the Post is somewhat liberal in its views. The book is an overview that came out almost 10 minutes after Gore hung up the phone on the second concession call so there are a few more details out now that they did not get in the book. Overall it is a good effort and a readable book, but not the end all be all on the subject.

This book recounts the nation's closest election with fascinating detail. The authors' genuine style of storyweaving lends the impression that the fly on the wall must have had a Washington Post tape-recorder implanted in it's wing. Deadlock was not at all like re-reading the same old newspaper articles again; this book casts a fresh look at the dramatic strategy game that took place in Florida. I enjoyed it as a self-professed political junkie and my husband found it equally readable as a historical account of remarkable events.