I bought/read this book for a research paper for a Politics of East Asia class I took this last semester (Spring 03). It gives a very good account of the causes of the wars. It is not a military strategy book so don't expect details of the battles, but it goes into great detail about the negotiations and behavior on both sides; it gives accounts of the battles just not detailed strategies. After I read it I loaned it to my father to read and he enjoyed it as well. I recommend writing down the names of the 'players' as you come across them because the British colonial hierarchy plays a major role and after a while you'll be bombarded by names that you may not have heard for a while. It is a bit long, but it is to the point and well written - buy this book and you won't be sorry.

This well written narrative describes the roots and actions of the two Opium Wars (1839-42, 1856-1860) fought primarily between Great Britain and China. It's not a pretty story, and it's not a story familiar to many Americans.

The gist of the problem for the British was that Britain had an insatiable demand for tea and silk, but there was virtually nothing the Chinese wanted to import from Britain. Therefore British traders in Canton imported opium from British-owned plantations in India, creating millions of Chinese opium addicts (including the emperor himself). Not only did drug dealing more than offset their negative balance of payments, it eventually generated nearly 10% of British tax collections.

The first Opium War erupted in 1839 when the Chinese officials 'got serious' about suppressing the opium trade and resulted, among other things, in the British navy and numerically small but well-armed ground troops opening various Chinese ports by force and obtaining possession of Hong Kong. The second Opium War, in which French navy and army forces joined, resulted in the conquest of Peking and the destruction of immense artistic and cultural wealth when the Summer Palace complex was looted and burned. In fact the words 'loot' apparently came into the English language in the first Opium War from a Hindi word 'lut'. Queen Victoria even named a Pekinese dog sent to her from the sack of Peking 'Lootie'.

Nobody comes off well. The British are uniformly horrible, and the French only slightly better. Americans are not active belligerents (excepting one occasion when a US Navy captain intervenes, despite contrary orders, to help the British), but American traders and consuls are involved in drug dealing. And, yes, the Chinese are victimized, but many Chinese grew wealthy as opium importers (the authors describe one Chinese as the world's wealthiest man), most officials were corrupt, incompetent and uncaring regarding their citizens' welfare, and Chinese soldiers serving in the British army commit as many atrocities as the Brits and Sikhs.

While the British ignore this sorry episode and Americans are largely ignorant of it, the Chinese remember Western aggression and their victimization all too well. Opium plagued China for another century, although most was home-grown by 1900. On the eve of World War II 10% of the population was addicted, with 30% of Hong Kong's population addicted (Not the image of efficient British colonial administration, is it?). Massive opium addiction did not end in China until the Communists brutally cracked down on it after their 1949 victory. The authors conclude, 'The Great Helmsman just said no.'

I recommend this book as an excellent overview of 19th Century Western interaction with China and an important piece of knowledge for those who would understand Chinese wariness towards the West since 1949. The few reproductions of paintings and photographs are interesting, but the large scale map of China is inadequate to follow the complex series of military actions. There is a bibliography for those who want to study the subject further, although many of those books will be hard to come by outside a major university library.

I thought the book was well written and interesting. It tells an amazing story of China's history. The author includes interesting parallels to the 20th century as well. I recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about how the British sold Opium to China in the mid 1800s.

This book is a wonderful description of how the Seichelles were 50 years ago. It tells the ultimate (real) adventure of a man who had the strenght to change completely his life, and decided to live remote somewhere in the Indian Ocean. This is a story which will carry You in a world apart, and that it will not be any more. It makes you think of what and how much we have lost in our day after day rat race.
Read and escape for a while. Buy as many copies as You can and make it read to your children before it is too late for them.

This book is an absolute blinder. For any body like myself who is interested in diving or travel it will enthraul, for anybody else just the mere excitement of the story and the histerical situations a bunch of half naked Sechelian men and one very confused westerner can get into will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. You may be interested to know that "Beyond The Reefs" is infact a double book, also containing my favourite of his "Sharks For Sale". Some of the things in here like being puled along side a hooked 30 foot female great white have to be read to be believed. As I said this book is fantastic and if youv'e ever read something like the beach then this is sure if only superficialy to appeal. ORDER A COPY NOW! INFACT ORDER TWO OR THREE!

This is an excellent guide to the city, especially for a first-time visitor. A lot of helpful information. I went to several of the recommended restaurants and enjoyed all of them. This book directs the traveler to many out-of-the-way places you'd never find on your own.

This book is small and light and quite an easy read,too,but its value is indescribable.There seem to be a distinct lack of new biographies about the great Travis,although his eventful and exciting life ought to interest any biographer who take pride in his work.
McDonald stresses the fact that he does not want Travis to appear as a godlike hero,he wants to show us Travis as a real man.He succeeds in doing this,and what is even better is that he maintains his respect for Travis and treat him with dignity,even though he becomes more human than most people could accept.(In South Carolina,according to McDonald,some people shake their heads and wonder why Travis didn`t end up in hung instead of a hero.)He also weighs both sides of the matter very carefully.Travis might have been a man who took the law in his own hands and because of that,became guilty of a severe crime(he is said to have murdered a man he thought guilty of having an affair with his wife),but at the same time,he was a man who fathered and befriended all children who came to need him,a man who loved fun and games,a man who was worried about having to do legal work in a foreign language when he arrived in Texas,but who rose to the occasion and taught himself Spanish(he even spoke Spanish to his men during the battle of the Alamo),a man with Mexican friends as well as Anglo-American friends-in short,a man who would never say no to a challenge and who always did his utmost,though his means were small. It`s a terrible thing that he should perish so young,but he was where he was needed when we needed him there.He was a great man, great not meaning perfect,something which McDonald shows in this fine book.
My only complaint is that the book appears to be an introduction to Travis,something which it isn`t-you ought to have read a little bit about him on beforehand.In addition,I sorely miss information on Travis`choice of weapons,both as commander of the Alamo and in his younger years.These are merely trifles,though,and I assure you that you are going to love this book,just like I do.

I'm not sure if William C. Davis' "Three Roads to the Alamo" is a reinterpretation of the 1836 Alamo siege more than it is a truly exhaustive study of the three men who define that battle. A detailed and fascinating examination of the lives of David Crockett, James Bowie and William Barret Travis, "Three Roads to the Alamo" cuts through the myth and legend, revealing the dirt and substance of these men's lives en route to their eventual deaths in San Antonio.

Certainly the myth of Crockett is dented somewhat, as we see that he is a man clumsy in politics, impatient with family life, seeking the next adventure. Bowie also comes across as a rather scandalous man, involved in shady land and slave dealings which would have most certainly placed him in jail today. And finally Travis, whose life has never before been examined with such detail, comes across as a rather poor businessman, constantly in debt and a obsessive womanizer to boot.

Like all great historical figures shrouded in myth, it was only a matter of time before modern-day historians placed these Texas revolutionary heroes beneath a very un-romantic, yet 21st century microscope. So it comes as a rather stunning surprise that after these three statue-like figures are dressed down in human fashion, by battle's end they still, somehow, manage to put their past behind them and become heroes in spite of their many flaws.

I'm not sure if Mr. Davis did this intentionally, just as I'm not sure if you could truly draw a portrait of these men and this battle and not find shades of extraordinary heroism within the walls of that mission fortress. Certainly, John Wayne's infamous 1960 film "The Alamo" is anything but the truth, but the great unvarnished fact about this story is that even with the bones revealed, these men still come across as noble and heroic, having seized an incredible moment in time, thus surviving for all eternity.

And that, undoubtedly, is what continues to fascinate Americans, if not world citizens, about this battle. These men, while holding out for the hope of reinforcements, chose to stay, eventually sealing their doom. Yes, the line may not have been drawn in the sand, but in "Three Roads to the Alamo," that obvious fact becomes surprisingly irrelevant. Warts and all, these men's lives serve as the proper contrast to their eventual final deeds, making their decisions in 1836 all the more unforgettable.

"Three Roads to the Alamo" is a intimately detailed historic work, which will fascinate all readers interested in this legendary battle. Arguably, it is one of the finest books yet written about this 13-day siege.

This book combines the best in historical detail and accuracy with a bold, dramatic narrative that propels the reader forward. Travis, Crockett and Bowie are revealed as full human beings not caricatures or tall-tale characters. The research is exhaustive and the portraits of the men are clear and strong. One knows the tragic event that sealed their fate, and Davis debunks some of the myth clouding the Alamo and the three men inextricably linked to it. It is also a book about a young country and the unique and fascinating men that forged the American West. Not just for Alamo enthusiasts--there's plenty here for everyone! It contains the exhaustive research, humor, attention to detail and "readability" that characterize Davis' books. If you've read his Civil War books--give this one a try! If you've never read him, it's a great introduction to his style. Quite Simply a GREAT read.

This is the most important book about the Alamo and its heroes to appear in the last three decades. Davis has undertaken meticulous research, including review of previously unseen documents in Mexico's military archives, to construct new, revealing biographies of the three most celebrated Alamo heroes. Especially valuable are the sketches of Bowie and Travis, about whom there are no earlier satisfactory biographies. Many will find Travis's story completely new, and Davis portrays the Alamo commander as an important political leader of the Texian revolt, whose death was an incalculable loss to that cause. Bowie, on the other hand, is something of a rogue, forever scheming to turn a dishonest dollar through slave smuggling or land fraud. However, Davis also captures Bowie's daring, bravery, and leadership capabilities, particularly in battle. Crockett's story is more familiar, but Davis adds new interpretation and assessment of the frontier politician and folk hero,! deftly distinguishing the two and tracing the emergence of the fictional "Davy," partially by Crockett's own design. Other historical figures, particularly Sam Houston, do not fair so well, and Davis reveals the petty politics that may have led to abandonment of the doomed Alamo garrison. The work is not intended as a study of the Alamo itself, and the siege and battle are confined to a single chapter. Nonetheless, Davis has uncovered new information and formed unique insights about the event and the actions there of the three heroes. Much myth is stripped away, and Davis reveals the human failings of the three figures, who still emerge as courageous men of stubborn conviction, in many ways typical of those who sought to improve their fortunes by exploiting opportunities along America's expanding frontier. The book deserves a place beside such highly-regarded Alamo works as Walter Lord's "A Time To Stand."

Allen J. Wiener

Not so long ago, the thought of running a corporate PBX on a client/server network was unthinkable, almost ludicrous. Now many companies have a VoIP (Voice Over IP) PBX via their Cisco routers. Some organizations have separate VON (Voice Over Network) systems. While the benefits of convergence are many, their security implications are often ignored or, when they are considered, are addressed too far along into the development process.

That convergence is the focus of Voice and Data Security. About a third of the book addresses the fundamentals of voice and data security, covering topics such as cryptography, sniffing, and spoofing. The rest of the book deals with securing digital and voice assets.

As an example, PBX and mail fraud are huge problems facing corporate America. Yet while most companies are aware of the situation, many organizations don't do all they can to secure their voice systems. This book contains an excellent policy and audit checklist on how to set up a corporate PBX policy. Items such as protection management, standards and procedures, technical safeguards, and incident response are discussed in the checklist, which alone is worth the cost of the book.

A single unauthorized modem in a corporate network will undermine firewalls, cryptography, and all other protection mechanisms. Thus, the authors cover how war dialers and telephone line scanners can be used to ensure that the back doors that unauthorized corporate modems create are closed.

Voice and Data Security is valuable to those needing a good introduction to the core ideas and security repercussions involved with the convergence of voice and data systems. It speaks volumes.

I am a senior engineer for network security operations. I read "Voice and Data Security" (VaDS) to learn more about vulnerabilities in the voice world. A search for "voice security" here yields four results, of which VaDS is the only in-print title. Although I would have preferred VaDS to focus solely on voice security issues, I still recommend it as the only modern published reference for this critical topic.

When reading VaDS, it's important to remember that all of the authors have some sort of relationship with San Antonio-based voice security company SecureLogix. That's ok, as Foundstone is the powerhouse behind the successful "Hacking Exposed" book series. Some parts of the book read like commercials for SecureLogix products like TeleSweep and TeleWall, but the authors largely focus on non-proprietary solutions to voice security.

VaDS is strongest when it speaks solely to voice security issues, and, to a lesser degree, network infrastructure. I learned quite a bit about tapping phones (ch. 11), voice mail abuse (ch. 14), and voice-data convergence (ch. 5). Chapters on broadband infrastructure and exploitation were helpful. Even though the final chapter seemed out of place, its intriguing coverage of cyber law kept my attention.

Less helpful were the chapters covering general security issues, such as cryptography (ch. 18), malware (ch. 19), sniffing (ch. 20), scanning (ch. 21), passwords (ch. 22), firewalls (ch. 23), IDS (ch. 24), and denial of service (ch. 26). This material is so well-covered elsewhere that its appearance did little to help VaDS distinguish itself. Chapter 27 was an exception, with its succinct discussions of popular Microsoft IIS web server vulnerabilities.

Aside from including well-worn material, VaDS suffered slightly from a few technical mistakes. Explanations of buffer overflows in chapter 4 needlessly associated them with TCP-based sessions. UDP-based buffer overflows are exploited regularly. The author of this chapter also seems to believe that buffer overflows are a problem because they overwrite "user ID and privilege information" on the stack. That's rarely the case; subverting return pointers is the problem. Chapters 8 and 15, describing voice protocols like H.323, were difficult to understand, and ch. 18 (p. 283) makes an unsubstantiated claim that "a well-known Mid-East terrorist was discovered to be using steganography." Typos on pp. 155-156 appeared, and port 443 was replaced by 444 on p. 69.

Overall, VaDS marks a welcome contribution to the information security community. I plan to include it in my tier two security analyst reading list, with recommendations to concentrate on its voice-related content. Hopefully the second edition will strip out the unnecessary network security coverage found elsewhere, and include more excellent explanations of voice security issues.

(Disclaimer: I received a free review copy from the publisher.)

The book is *so* interesting. Full of good information and great pictures. But where is the index that let's us find our way through all that material? What a shame. Without an index the book let's me down. I can only give it 1 star.

It is a very good book on what it is like to be a Midshipman but especially a plebe. I have family that went to the Academy and told me how close the book was to the actual thing.

I bought this book hoping it would help me plan a trip to France with my 10 month old----it really helped me with nothing. A lot of common sense "tips" (be sure to always have snacks on hand! bring enough formula/baby food for the flight and a possible delay!), yet I could not find information on car seats, high chairs, outlet covers in hotel rooms, etc. Don't waste your money on this book.