If you're only going to read five books on the Civil War - which is like saying, only eat one french fry - make this one of them. Grant's autobiography, written under excruciating conditions of financial pressure and failing health in the late 1880's, is one of the most unforgettable reads available about the American Civil War.
Terse, simple, and almost painfully modest, Grant takes us through his life - the schooling at West Point (he was too retiring to point out they'd got his middle name wrong at registration, and was mistakenly given the name Ulysses SIMPSON Grant which he used for the rest of his life). The bravery and initiative of the Mexican War. The long, lonely postings in the early '50's to California, a continent away from his wife and beloved young children. The depression, leaving the Army, trying to make it in civilian life, failing at almost everything he tried. Then the war begins in 1861 when Lincoln calls for volunteers. It's typical of Grant that he goes to a little midwest recruiting post and modestly says he might take command of something very small - a company, perhaps? This, for a West Point graduate. From then on the book ceases being merely very interesting and starts becoming a can't-put-down.
The simple and good-hearted soul of the man just shines through his words, and he doesn't get caught up badly in the mid-century Victorian fustery of so much Civil War writing. He tells you what happened and what he thought about it; I remember about Lee at Appomatox, he said that he felt like anything in world after Lee's surrender except gloating over so brave an army as Lee's who had fought so nobly for a cause - even though he also thought it was one of the worst causes for which men had ever fought. His prose just flows through the extraordinary events he helped channel - Shiloh, Vicksburg, The Battle of the Wilderness, the surrender, and all points in between. It's an irreplaceable and wonderful resource and you end up falling big-time for Ulysses S. Grant. Don't miss it.

I first read U.S. Grant's memoirs when I was a college student during the Vietnam War. It helped me a great deal to appreciate how horrific war was and still is and that it should only be suffered when the cause is truly worthwhile. It was in the American Civil War and World War II. It was not in the Vietnam War. It was not our finest hour.

But this book also got me hooked on the history of the American Civil War. It is in my judgment, after more than fifty years and reading perhaps a thousand volumes about this watershed event in our nation's history, the single best written and brutally honest work on that event. Especially so in that it was written first-hand by one of the principal characters in that national and human tragedy.

For those of you really interested in becoming a student of the American Civil War, I recommend it highly, after you read the American Heritage History of the Civil War and before you read Lee's Lieutenants by Douglas Southhall Freeman and the four book series by Bruce Catton.

If by that time you're not hooked and become a Civil War junkie, you never will be.

Written more as a military memoir than a personal, Grant proves to be an outstanding author as well as a General. Reading this set me off to find more about the General's personal life. I highly recommend to anyone interested in the Civil War, you won't be disappointed.

I haven't read a book in a long time that I actually really enjoyed every chapter. Biling's doesn't confuse the reader with battlefield strategy or complicating the obvious. He doesn't reflect on battle scenarios with upmost detail after 20 years either. This is a great book for anyone looking to learn about daily soldier life. Bilings captures the daily grind and life of being a Federal soldier while offering humor and straight forward realities that get the mind ticking. The stories make truth stranger than fiction and is a welcomed charge of quick information. It is easy to suggest this book to younger readers as well as the information is clean,concise and well written. I would definately recommend this book for all as many ages can benefit from this educational and entertaining book of soldier life.

There are numerous histories of the Civil War and some have become classics. Most of these focus on battles and great heroes. Billings, however, a Civil War veteran, writes about the daily life of the average soldier. We learn about the soldier's motivation to fight, camp discipline, diet, housing, medical care, recreation and just about everything else that comprised the life of the Civil War era soldier. Billings' book is serious yet he manages to write in a lighthearted tone, replete with levity. This is a great book to round out a Civil War buff's study of the great conflict.

I would have loved to had this book when I was a child. The non-linearity of the chapters makes it a perfect "browser's book" -- a book which you can pick up and flip open to any page and read interesting, amusing and humorous accounts of day to day life in the Civil War army. This is one of the most fun books I've picked up in a long time.

I now own two copies of this book, one for me and one to loan to friends and family. This book is in no measure short of a miracle. Putting aside learning disabilities and her youth, Ms. Abeel is a gifted poet and author of exceptional depth. That this began as a middle school writing assignment by a child struggling to survive in an insensitive world makes it a tribute to the difference one or two "seeing" people can make. This book is a must for anyone interested in well expressed observation of the rich tapestry of life. --Dave

This poetry book by a thirteen year old learning disabled child opens the doors for all of us as writers and readers. It allows both children and adults to recognize their own "personal disability", maybe something no one sees, and realize that all are conquerable! The prologue and epilogue include Samantha speaking, her parents, and her english teacher...these three points of view bring an in depth view of the "gift within us all" just waiting to be recognized and nurtured. This is a must read for anyone who touches the lives of children!

Though this book is recommended for kids, its greatest value is for anyone, adult or child, who is learning disabled. The author, a teenager at the time of writing, was learning to deal with her severe learning disability-dyscalculia- a total inability to deal with numbers. It is evident from reading her poems that what she lacks in arithmetic abilities is more than compensated for by her exceptional way with words and images. The fact that she was only 15 or so when she wrote the poems is even more astounding. a must for anyone who has a learning disability or knows someone who has one. This is one book that should be catalogued under learning disabilities and education!

The 5-minute pediatric consult is written in an easy to read outline format. The writers have eliminated unnecesary obscure data and offer a concise outline of all major pediatric diseases. The topics are designed to be read in 5 minutes or less and all the up to date information to diagnose and treat a specific illness is included. The topics are alphabetized, so they are easy to look up. The writers are accomplised experts in their fields and the book has been edited by the distinguished Dr. Schwartz, at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. As a professor of Pediatrics, I highly recommend this book to practicing pediatricians, family practitioners, nurses and students.

when will the CD be available? I travel to several schools providing healthcare to uninsured children and would like to use this valuable reference. (a PNP)

love the format. listed alphabetically, the items are presented in a easy to read format. Just about all I want to know about the problem when working in a busy office. I can read more later but this gets the job done. an excellent 90's type of book. where is the CD?

This book is very well written, the explanations are very clear and accompanied by high-quality illustrations. I recommend using it together with "Self Assessment Picture Tests in Medicine: Clinical Medicine", the companion book with question covering the content of "Color Atlas and Text of Clinical Medicine" for a better preparation for USMLE Step 2.

It is a great book. More than 1,500 color pictures that you can see on all USMLE Steps and speciality Boards.

This text was a perfect review for USMLE Steps 1, 2 and 3! Has full color reproductions of classic ECG's, X-Rays, V/Q's and clinical patient presentations. As an example, I only found pictures of "rachitic rosary" in one book and this one was it! A must have for board review.

This is a great book but don't be sucked into buying it for 150 dollers goto the UK site and get it for 8 bucks. Ships just as fast.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0261103474/ref=sr_aps_books_1_2/026-5367973-8334817

This is one of the best biographical books I've ever read. Carpenter captures the character of some of the most interesting British writers of the WWII/post-WWII era: C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Charles Williams. He manages to tread that careful balance between criticism and adoration. He accomplishes this, I think, out of true sympathy for each of the writers involved. He helped me understand the nature and complexity of the different relationships surrounding C.S. Lewis without resorting to vulgar fault-finding or "taking sides". At one point, Mr. Carpenter recreates an Inkling meeting. The intellectual vigor and personalities of the participants rises off the page and helps to explain why the Inklings generated (and still generate) such interest.

Several recent events have renewed an international interest in the writings of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein: the 50th anniversary of the publication of "The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe" (1950), and the screenplay release of J.R.R. Tolkein's classic "The Fellowship of the Ring" on movie screens around the world in 2001.

Both of these world famous novels were first introduced "publically" at the regular gathering of a few British writers and friends, who informally called their literary club "the Inklings". Even the name "inkling" was a playful self-parody, referring both to the fact that they displayed their imaginations in ink and they often only had an "inkling" of what the other was really talking about.

Carpenter, also the authorized biographer of J.R.R. Tolkein, helps readers enter into the private lives and late-night meetings of these writers. You can smell the cigarette smoke, hear the whistling of the teapot and sense the tension of Oxford intellectuals wrestling with the outbreak of World War II. Thanks to Carpenter's careful retelling of these gatherings, you sit back in the evening, sip your tea and imagine yourself among these writers as another member of the fellowship.

For books on the fellowship of the family, look into these two titles: "The Family Cloister" and "The Christian Family Toolbox" both by David Robinson (New York: Crossroad, 2000 & 2001).

I first read lives of the musicians when I was about 7 yearsold or so. Then, I thought it was terrific. I still do. However, I amnow 12 years old, and now that I have paid more attention to it, I see several faults, but overall it is still a very good book. First of all, their choice of musicians is not the best. I would have recommended Debussy and Schubert, like the Kirkus Reviewer. Some of the composers I have hardly ever heard of, like Igor Stravinsky or Nadia Boulanger. And while Clara Schumann was a great pianist, I think they should have focused more on her husband, Robert, a prolific composer, whose works are among the very best. Also, some of the parts of the biographies are questionable. Frederic Chopin may not have actually been romantically involved with Aurore Dudevant (George Sand), but in love with the Countess Delphine Potocka. The book states that the Waltz in D-Flat, or Minute Waltz, was written for George Sand's dog, when in fact it was probably written for Potocka. However, the book was still very well written, and I enjoyed it, despite the possible mistakes. I recommend this book to anyone who likes music, classical or not. So sit back and enjoy!

I loved this book because it made those musicians seem like real people instead of great-all-star-super-geniuses. It is full of strange little facts about all the famous musicians like Bach,Gershwin,Beethoven and Schmann.

---Megan W.

This book provides interesting insight into the lives of composers. I teach music to elementary and high school students and I read this book to all of my students. They all enjoy learning the details of the composers lives. The book presents the composers in such a way that the students remember the information about the composers. The book does not provide information about what the composers' music sounds like, and that is something I also like to teach. A great book to gain kids'interest in famous composers.

The original version of this glossary, done by C.T. Onions, was certainly a landmark publication. Indeed, there are some things in it (not many) which over the years I have discovered Eagleson has unaccountably omitted in his revised version. On the whole, Eagleson does, however, offer quite a bit of extra material, though the claims made on this score by both the publisher and some reviewers seem to me exaggerated (and I have used Onions's text and Eagleson side by side for many years).

How good is the present compendium for today's purposes? Certainly very good for what it does within its limits, but those limits are significant. By now there have, for example, been a good many books proving the existence of bawdy puns and various related kinds of slang within Shakespeare, and for proper understanding of that author a glossary should certainly explain such Elizabethan usages. In common with *The Oxford English Dictionary* (for which Onions did a great deal of important work), *A Shakespeare Glossary* is - and remains even in its present form - largely silent and uninformative on these matters, with the result that modern readers who look up a word suspecting that it may have a bawdy sense now no longer current will find themselves almost always frustrated (in strictly scholarly terms!).

Such readers will have to turn to e.g. Eric Partridge's *Shakespeare's Bawdy*, which remains invaluable, but is itself coming to look less than complete now that we know so much more, perhaps especially since the publication of Gordon Williams's *A Dictionary of Sexual Language and Imagery in Shakespearean and Stuart Literature* (expensive and not easy to use, but a real mine of information).

Despite these reservations I would still recommend the Onions-Eagleson glossary as a worthwhile component on "the Shakespeare shelf". It should be added - but this is not a fault of the volume - that in many cases a modern reader is simply not AWARE that a word in Shakespeare does not mean what it means today, and therefore will not look it up in any glossary or dictionary. This makes detailed well-annotated volumes such as are published with the New Cambridge, Oxford, and Arden series (or the one-volume Bevington Shakespeare) essential for anyone wishing to understand what he or she is reading: in such editions, the necessary glosses are volunteered by editors who ARE aware of the fact that many words have changed in meaning since Shakespeare's time . - Joost Daalder, Professor of English, Flinders University, South Australia

This is a good dictionary for Shakespears terms. I was proven wrong when I thought I would never find many of the words I found. I would recommend it.

If you are a reader, actor or spectator of Shakespeare you must have this book. It is an indispensable guide to the speech and hidden meanings of Shakespeare's words. I especially stress the hidden meanings aspect of the glossary--- a feature you may not find in a footnoted version of the play. This glossary also allows for a fast reference to finding a word in any Shakespeare play. A word will have the meaning and examples of the when it is used in a play. This comes in handy when trying to locate a quotation or a scene. The binding is sturdy and the book is easy to carry and reference to. There is no reason not to have this book if you love Shakespeare. If nothing else it is also fun to just peruse!

This book is, quite simply, a fabulous trilogy of novels. It deals, of course, with the two-year voyage of HMS Bounty from England to Tahiti, the captaincy of Captain William Bligh, the mutiny against him, and the aftermath. This is an unforgettable story, beautifully told, well-written, and fast-paced.

I have read reviews here and there that claim this book is written at a "young adult" level. Not so. This is a complex story that only seems to be easily told because the author has mastered the ability to write with utter clarity, and without sacrificing style. As one who reads all day for a living (attorney) I have learned to appreciate authors who can write well. Nordhoff does this--the reader never loses the storyline because it is well told. The novels proceed with the precision of a laser beam but with a poetic, wistful, thoughtful tone that is a delight to read. This book has class.

The story of the trip to Tahiti and the mutiny which takes place early on the return voyage are wonderfully told. The ONLY possible criticism is that this story is not terribly true to the facts of the actual mutiny. The protagonist, Roger Byam, is an imaginary person. By the way, this novel is the source for the first of the Mutiny on the Bounty movies starring Charles Laughton.

The other two novels in the trilogy deal with the voyage by Captain Bligh and those of the crew who remained loyal to him, and the aftermath of the mutiny when the mutineers settle on Pitcairn Island. Both stories are first-rate.

Persons interested in a somewhat more accurate depiction of what happened on the Bounty voyage, as well as a ripping good movie, will want to see "The Bounty" starring Mel Gibson (Fletcher Christian) and Anthony Hopkins (Captain Bligh).

The Bounty Trilogy is a book anyone who enjoys adventure will want to read and own.

I read these stories while at sea on a British research vessel. If you've ever been to sea, or have ever wanted to, you'll probably enjoy reading this trilogy. Nordhoff and Hall write in plain, unelaborate English, so the phrasing never gets in the way, and you can concentrate on all the colorful characters and incredible events. The first two (and half of the third) books are written in first person, putting you right into the action and events, making you think about what you would do in the situations as they arise.

This trilogy has it all: adventure, drama, comedy, history, life at sea, love and loss. It's hard to believe this all really happened. I've given this book to two of my friends already, and they both liked it. You'll probably like it, too.

I give my highest praise to these books. They are far better than current "adventure" stories because of the struggles they had to endure. I found all three books in the trilogy to be excellent (Mutiny on the Bounty, Men Against the Sea, and Pitcairns Island). My favorite one was Pitcairns Island. In all the books I have ever read, this is the first book that ever actually sent a chill up my spine. I won't give the story away, but you will not believe what happens in that book. It's absolutely thrilling and fascinating!

Charles Oman's book is an excellent resource for learning about the history of the period from the military point of view, but, having been written over six decades ago, the book shows signs of its age by (naturally) failing to take into account what historians have learned about the subject since its writing. This leaves the book as valuable, yet not one you can entirely trust. Unfortunately, Oman also fails to add go into developments in Eastern Europe and the Ottoman Empire.

Let me begin by stating that I am a military history junkie. It isn't my profession, but I have a profession largely to support my military history habit. I bought this book for the simple reason that I knew very little about 16th century military history. That, and I needed a fix. After reading Sir Charles Oman's work, I cannot believe that I made it this far in life without it.

To put it bluntly, anyone who claims to know something of modern military history, without a thorough grounding in 16th century warfare, is simply a pretender to knowledge.

Sounds harsh? It is not, and please let me explain why. Everything that evolves into the modern military establishment emerges in a recognizable form during the 16th century. It is the military history equivalent of the first fish struggling out of the antediluvian muck onto land and taking that first breath of air.

The 16th century bears witness to several critical military developments. The most obvious is the emergence of firepower on the battlefield. Gunpowder was several centuries old by that time, but it remained a rare and expensive siege weapon. In the 16th century, all of that changes. Cannon are lighter, limbered on smaller and more maneuverable carriages. Suddenly, armies have a powerful and portable siege train. In a matter of a few years, every castle in Europe becomes obsolete. Furthermore, cannon, for the first time, can be handled effectively on the battlefield. This spells ultimate doom for the large, unwieldy formations popular in earlier times, such as the Swiss pikemen's phalanx.

The new power and portability of artillery forces a radical evolution in fortification. The tall stone walls of the medieval period are now indefensible. Instead, huge, broad and low fortifications, covered by over-lapping fields of fire, become essential. This new style, the "trace italienne", will dominate warfare until the wars of Frederick the Great. Indeed, one finds combat conditions in heavily fortified regions, such as the Low Countries, that resemble World War One: Interminable battles fought in muddy trenches, where snipers dominate No Man's Land and the grenade and mortar are the weapons of choice.

Gunpowder also spurs the rearmament of the infantry. A judicious mix of arqubusiers and pikemen become the favourite mix of battlefield commanders. Interestingly, gunpowder helps to revive the cavalry arm. Long helpless against the Swiss pikeman, German landesknecht and English longbowmen, the mounted soldier regains his effectiveness with the advent of firepower. Artillery now breaks up formerly untouchable infantry formations, making them vulnerable to a cavalry charge. Cavalry also embraces the pistol, giving them firepower in addition to shock value. Gustavus Adolphus, in the next century, actually has to use considerable effort to wean his cavalry off of firepower and its excessive reliance on the caracole.

These technological advances require a new level of prefessionalism on the part of soldiers. The professional warrior of the Middle Ages is replaced in the 16th century by the professional soldier of the modern period. In turn, the nation state finds itself required to maintain a standing, professional military. The increasing dissatisfaction of commanders with mercenary troops only accelerates this move to national, professional armies. This process becomes an essential catalyst to the birth of the modern nation state.

As is his wont, Sir Charles tells the story of this historical process with a lively and engaging prose. His explanations of the political factors behind the wars of the period are succinct and immensely informative. With grace, wit and scholarly aplomb, Sir Charles will quickly convince any reader that he was quite mad to have imagined that he would proceed through life without a thorough understanding of the 16th century's military revolution.

This is a magnificent work - both scholarly and easy to read - that focuses on a time that most military historians gloss over. It focuses on the technology and organization of "pike-and-shot" armies of the sixteenth century (1500-1600)with detailed sections on the Italian wars, England, the Wars of Religion in France, the Dutch revolt against Spain, and the struggle in the East against the Turkish Empire. The only failing of this book is the combination of great length (770 pages) and an index of people and place names only; if you look for something more nebulous like "fortifications" in the index you will be disappointed. Put it by your bed or on the medicine cabinet and read it in short bites - you'll keep coming back for more.