Thomas Sanchez has been ill-served by his publisher, Flamingo, (paperback). Whoever wrote the cover blurb had obviously not read the book. The action does NOT take place 50 years after the death of Louise, one of the two central characters in this love story. In fact she has only just died and her humble estate has only just been finalised. The language of the book is certainly poetic but there is a thread of violence and sexual perversity underneath. It is a great story of love of the kind that survives only because it is not corrupted by marriage or mundane living together. The horror of war and injury, the pettiness of people when they are reduced to basic survival is well illustrated.

This is one of many fine reproductions produced by the Geo. Braziller company. This particular manuscript is a 15th c. book of hours generally considered to be a masterpiece in the book-art community. It's a very nice reproduction.

My personal opinion, of course, colors my perception of the quality of the art of the Rohan hours. Frankly, I think the art in the Rohan Hours is of medium quality; its miniatures are cetainly emotional, but the technique is rougher than most of the books of this era that are considered to be "masterpieces."

Individuals who find the art charming, of course, would give this book a higher star rating, because it has all the usual nice qualities of a Braziller publication. There is an essay detailing the history and discussing some of the manufacture information , followed by lots and lots of pictures of manuscript pages accompanied by a short paragraph detailing the actions of the people in the pictures. The clor reproduction is nice.

I own it; it's a pleasant enough book. I don't mean to discourage a lover of the illuminated manuscript from buying this book. However, you should also be aware that the art of the Rohan Hours isn't quite as finely done as you might expect.

AS MOST OF THE REVIEWS HAVE SAID, SIMILAR TO THE ALIENIST. PANAMA IS A GOOD MYSTERY EVEN IF A LITTLE SLOW. THE INVENTION OF FINGERPRINTING WAS GREAT. THE BOOK TAKES PLACE IN 1892 IN PARIS BUT GETS A LITTLE TO DESCRIPTIVE.

I read this book several months ago and so I don't remember all the details of it. I do remember that it was a very enjoyable read. The plot is very clever and complex, the characters are interesting and well defined, and there is some action and suspense in some parts. The best thing about this book is its atmosphere; you really feel transported to late nineteenth century Paris. I wouldn't say that it was an outstanding novel, but it definately deserves a lot more than the one star some reviewers gave it.

As you will see from many of the customer reviews, this historical thriller is not a purely plot-driven page-turner, a la Robert Ludlum or Ken Follett. If that is what you are looking for, you will be disappointed. Rather, the author takes the time (and, yes, forces the reader to do so) setting a mood, at the same time capturing the spirit of the age and the tormented inner spirit of the protagonist (Henry Adams). This is first and foremost a book about Adams' emotional recovery, so, no, it is not as fast-paced and action-packed as The Alienist. (I liked both books very much, but they are different--perhaps the marketers are at fault for raising false expectations.) But, so long as you are willing to savor a mood, and to arrive slowly at your destination, this is an excellent read.

Anyone who has made use of Vincent Esposito's classic Westpoint Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars (or any of his other Atleses) is sure to be disappointed by this replacement in the Westpoint series. The maps are still the most detailed and complete collection readily available, but they offer no improvement over the Esposito edition. If anything, the addition of more, and brighter, colors simply detracts from the content.

Missing too is any narrative or descriptive text. In fairness, this book is meant to be a companion to a text, but dividing the description so completely from the maps precludes the two best aspects of the earlier works. First, this book is not at all suitable as a self-contained reference. Second, the old format of text-opposite-map forced the short, crisp narrative style that makes the more traditional West Point Atlases so appealing.

The scale of the maps chosen for this work is also unfortunate. Except for a few of the bigger and better known battles, the maps are on too large a scale to reflect the tactics, but too narrow a scale to show the grand tactics or strategy of the situation.

When I saw a paperback version of the Westpoint Atlas for under twenty dollars I bought it sight unseen. It now has the distinction of being the only book I have ever returned for a refund. The price was right but the book wasn't.

It turns out that the earlier Espositio edition is still available, and it is well worth the extra thrity or so dollars.

It's unfair to judge this atlas purely in comparison to Esposito's work, for which it was not meant as a "replacement." This book is part of the larger West Point Military History Series, each work compiled and written for the series by numerous West Point authorities; Esposito was simply a West Point professor writing his own books, and not specifically for the series.
This atlas effectively accompanies the series' Wars of Napoleon, and is best used in conjunction with that text. But it can be a useful guide no matter what book you read. It is true that Esposito's work is more detailed, and that is deservedly the specialist's choice. But the more general reader should find this guide helpful and easier to follow, in addition to being considerably cheaper--a better deal all around.

This is the sort of guide for people who need a guide to walk out the front door of their house. The advice about money exchange is completely outdated now that ATM's are found nearly everywhere in the world. The guide misses several interesting areas of France, most notably the Ardeche region. It completely misses the mark on Vieux Nice by characterizing it as unsafe when in fact it is probably the most interesting part of the town. And if you follow the bar advice, you will normally end up in an Anglophile ersatz pub and miss the French cafe experience. If you are a traveller who likes to remain insulated from the French, buy this book.

I used this guide while traveling in Paris and plan to use it in an upcoming trip through the Riviera. Their tips were insightful yet witty. With this book I found a really nice hotel which was quite cheap - 130 francs ($22) a day for a single room. Follow their advice and splurge on food, the French take their food very seriously. However, don't follow the advice on exchanging money at the American Express office. Their rate is horrible. A better suggestion would be to exchange US cash at one of the exchange bureaus on the street and compare rates. Their 'security suggestions' regarding places to use caution at night were a bit excessive according to my French friends from Paris. Their maps of Paris could have been more substantial as they only covered a few of the arrondissements in great detail. Otherwise a great guide to France.

There are good books and bad books about the Revolution. This one is terrible. O'Brien goes on for 200 pages about Jefferson's support of the French Revolution (so what else is new?) before getting to his real point: Jefferson was a white supremacist because he didn't free his slaves and didn't support the revolution in Haiti. In O'Brien's drunken fantasy, there is something called the "American civil religion" which is going to split and Jefferson will become the patron saint of the white supremacist nutcases like those of Oklahoma City. (there, there, Con, put the bottle down and come to bed) It's a shame, because I recall that years ago O'Brien played a worthwhile--if strongly Anglophile--role in Irish politics. But now he has alighted on our shores to grind several of his European axes and savage a man who has seen worse and as ever emerges unbowed: a great, if complex, inconsistent and highly ambitious, father of our country. If you want to understand the many contradictions in Jefferson's writings and actions, simply read the essay on him in Professor Bailyn's "To Begin the World Anew". Twenty pages with more wisdom than any number of O'Brien's fulminations.

I would give this book a "0" if it were possible. This book by Conor Cruise O' Brien is a postmodernist/deconstructionist
"history" if it can be even called that. O' Brien, a socialist and Burkean, claims Thomas Jefferson was "high on the wild gas of liberty" because he supported the cause of Revolutionary France against the armies of the monarchies of Europe. This book was written to destroy the American people's connection to their great tradition of liberty and republicanism. O' Brien compares Jefferson to the communist butcher Pol Pot because he supported the actions of the Jacobins in the " Reign of Terror". O' Brien of course leaves out the brutality of the ancien regime, and the murders and slaughter metted out by the "holy alliance". Jefferson did believe in dying for liberty, a concept abandoned today by most plugged in Americans. Next O' Brien relates Jefferson is the father of the KKK, the militia movement, and white supremecy. All utter nonsense. If you want a good history of Jefferson and the French Revolution this is not it.

While researching Edmund Burke and the French Revolution, this book offered wonderful and unique insights into the debate through the eyes of Thomas Jefferson during the heat of the French Revolution (and even some things I did not know about Burke). Instead of just giving a personal interpretation, O'Brien relies heavily on primary sources, letting the reader read what the particular person had to say instead of summarizing (or as some authors do, reinterpreting). This book is essential to understanding either Jefferson or the French Revolution.

If you want to read one of THE dullest, stuffiest, not to mention stylistically ghastly books in all of art history, please read this one. These writers confuse ambiguity and meanlingless hodgepodge for intelligence.

More regurgitated destructive orthodoxy from the arid soul of an academic hack, it's all here every careerist leftist's cliche there is. The arrogance of the previous reviewer could only come from a button down Yalie politically correct snob.

This is the textbook used in Yale's introductory course to 19th century French art, and is considered to be the industry standard for surveying the period.

We took this book on our first driving trip through Provence, and jettisoned it before the second. While it does contain considerable information, the condescending attitude toward the French is, at best, dispiriting, and, at worst, leads you away from wonderful adventures. In no way does this book encourage the traveler to embrace the uniqueness of French culture and country life. We felt misled by the pretentious put-downs of villages, museums, cafes, restaurants and monuments that we found welcoming, enlightening, warm and delightful. If we had believed that some places were as dreary as the authors painted them, we would have missed our best experiences with hospitable people in beautiful settings.

You're better armed with Michelin maps, Cadogan guides and the host of free maps and brochures available at the well-run and helpful Bureau de Tourisme offices located in almost every village, where kindly hosts and hostesses can help you in English if you're not fluent in French. You can also rely on the helpfulness and good advice of people you meet in Provence. Bon voyage!

I took this book with me on my recent trip to Provence. If your intention is really to drive everyday, and spend each night in a new location, then this book would be valuable. But if you are planning a more leisurely visit, then the Cadogan guides are a lot more fun and more useful, especially regarding cultural information.

Reading through this book is a BORE! :( Examples are almost non-existant, there's like nothing (like definitions) on the sides of the pages, and no glossary. How poorly written! Please find an alternative to learn this rather interesting subject. Thank you!
-Upset reader of this school book

Having previously read "Fundamental Financial Accounting Concepts" by the same people, this book was a disappointment. It came off as incredibly dry, and was not all that clear in its presentation of the concepts. The "Fundamental Financial Accounting" volume is great, but I'd recommend another author for the managerial book.