Mr. Forsyth in this book became the voice of millions of suffering Biafrans whose sin was a determination to exist against all odds.

His analysis captured the brutality of the Nigerian soldiers while the rest of the world fell victim to the deceit of the pronouncements of the Commander of the Nigerian Armed Forces...General Yakubu Gowon.

Forsyth is known for his later works the "Day of the Jackal", "Odessa File" and "Dogs of War". This though is his first book and in many ways superior to the rest.

A non-fiction detailed description of the Biafran war, Forsyth pulls no punches describing the valiant but fruitless fight by the Ibo tribe to secede from Nigeria. Outnumbered, outgunned and out financed by the central government, the Ibo finally fell because of the support of the European powers for Nigeria.

Forsyth does a wonderful job in giving us a journalist eye view of the conflict which eventually became known more for the starvation of hundreds of thousands of Ibo. A long forgotten classic that has never been outdone by his later novels.

If you want to read about a quiet hero this book is a must read hard to put down after you start it...

This is a great biography of a Maine Doctor during his years of practice in the remote area around Moosehead Lake. If you are looking for adventure through hunting, fishing and medical exploits then this is the book for you. Doc Pritham was unique and certainly a forward thinker. I had a difficult time putting this book down.

This book is the best single reference on humanity's long-love affair with this unique gem: the pearl. Information on the pearl is given by time period (up to the early 20th Century) and by pearl producing region/country.
If you love pearls (or are in the process of knowing about them), this book is definitely a must have. It has it all: scientific facts, pearl oyster biology and history. Incredibly well written.

This book has everything that one would want to know about pearls. It includes the pearl's cultural and natural history, commerce, industrial and medical uses, methods of pearl gathering, lists of famous pearls, ancient legends about pearls, (black and white) pictures of pearls, and portraits of royalty with their pearls.

Since this book was written in 1906, the values of pearls are outdated, and the pre-metric measurements used are confusing.

This is the best and most useful resource on pearls that I have discovered.

I purchased this book as I enjoy simulations. This volume contains ten simulations that cover history, politics, and geography. They are easy to understand, come with detailed instructions, and the students enjoy them. One aspect I enjoyed about this book was that the instructions break down how to utilize the simulation with different level students-from basic to advanced. This is helpful for teachers who have a diverse student population. I ran the Alliance simulation dealing with World War I this semester and my students really enjoyed it. I found that the simulation did indeed work for all levels of students. I plan on using the U.S. geography simulation and the Peace in the Middle East simulation when I next reach those eras in my class. A+++

This useful and easy-to-read book promises to make life far more interesting for social studies and intro college instructors. I found the volume to be fun, accessible, and quite interesting. It provides a variety of well-designed and thoughful lessons in a friendly and conversational tone. There is no pretension and no effort to talk down to the reader-- it was very much like picking the brain of a more experienced colleague. The ten simulations are self-contained and manageable. I have not yet used them in my class, but I am looking forward to doing so. On the whole, I strongly recommend this volume to my teaching colleagues, at a variety of levels, across the nation.

This book is probably one of the most cited references of a first hand account of the events in the beginning of the American Revolution. The detailed account of the voyage to the colonies gives information unavailable in other places and his account of Lexington and Concord from the point of view of the British is extremely valuable. A rare find but a must read for any serious student of the American Revolution

This book is a great resource for the history of the 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers. This book also sheds some light on the battles of Lexington and Concord. The book also comes with a nice copy of the map from the battle of Lexington & Concord made by the author. The book is still available at the time of this review.

En el mundo de los espías y de la mafia vemos como el más leve error nos puede llevar al fracaso, en el libro existe amor, intriga, espionaje y lo más importante de todo es que uno no se aburre mientras lo lee, es una obra en la que no se sabe si es verdad o mentira, y... nunca se sabrá.

Forsyth nos entrega una historia muy entretenida, entretejida a traves de Europa y Africa, mostrandonos los entretelones de las guerras africanas y las experiencias de los mercenarios. Este clasico de la literatura de espias revive continuamente en versiones filmicas y de television. Imperdible

This book is just perfect. It's very well written. Conrad shows an understanding of the predicament of women of his time. Conrad advances the plot though the voice of the characters, who tell a story, which involves another character telling a story, etc. At one point the tale is six levels deep; but such is the skill of Conrad that you do not notice and are never lost. One of Conrad's two or three best. A book I was sad to end because I was enjoying it so much.

I cannot believe that there are no customer reviews already for this spectacular novel - full of intruiging situations and wonderful characters - certainly the best Conrad female character I have read. Conrad is a wonderful writer in style and the manner in which he tells a yarn - how then has this novel become so 'lost'? It has wonderful lines ('Don't be in a hurry to thank me,' says he. 'The voyage isn't finished yet.' p22 Oxford World Classics), great insights (women respond to the smallest things, which immediately had me nodding in agreement from my own experience), spectacular descriptions ('Yes, I gave up the walk [along a cliff top with the intention of killing herself],' she said slowly before raising her downcast eyes. When she did so it was with an extraordinary effect. It was like catching sight of a piece of clear blue sky, of a stretch of open water. And for a moment I understood the desire of that man to whom the sea ans sky of his solitary life had appeared suddenly incomplete without that glance which seemed to belong to both of them. p231). The characters are admirable in behaviour sometimes, victims sometimes, regrettable in behaviour sometimes, or just plain confused - just like real people. But one thing I really like is the way the narrator of the story is an observer, barely a participant of the events being described.

This may not be the perfect novel, but I urge you not to miss it. The chapter 'On the Pavement' by itself is worth the read!

Fred Birkett is not just writing about charter schools. He runs the first charter school in Harlem, New York. He is a committed instructional leader with hands-on knowledge about how to make charter schools work. Buy this book and take it from a pro.

Charter Schools, by Frederick A. Birkett, is a well-written and informative guide for anyone considering an alternative solution to traditional public school education. Like the subtitle implies, the book includes "everything you need to know to make the right decision for your child." Debate over quality education (or lack thereof) in our nation's public school system is finally drawing the attention it deserves. Although my own two children are grown and have completed their schooling, I was interested in knowing what charter schools were all about. The concept, barely 10 years old, was not in existence when my sons were in school. But, what about the next generation?

To find out about this new trend in education, I searched for that one "perfect" book that could answer all my questions. Birkett's Charter Schools was the ideal choice. In a simple, straightforward manner, the author addresses everything from "what is a charter school?" to the wide range of flexibility permitted under the charter system, and the different approaches that make each facility unique. Birkett's step-by-step process of what to look for in a system that best fits your child's needs, includes: individualized instruction, class size comparison, and overall quality. In addition, he is careful not to overlook important details as transportation and before- and after-school programs. Finally, the author offers three appendixes of valuable resource material, including--basic facts and figures; state charter granting agencies, websites, publications; and, a complete list of "existing" and "newly approved" schools. I highly recommend this book to everyone interested in the subject!

My Old English class in college was the most laborious of them all especially as my textbook was stolen, which had an extensive glossary. This book helped smooth out the rough edges of my translations and just gave me a better sense of how to put the words together in some coherent form. It's a nice collection of the most well known OE verses and poems and should prove interesting to the non-student who is interested in very old poetry and etymology as well.

Old English poetry is hard to translate for a variey of reasons. OE poetic style is very compact, very nominal and very dense.Accurate translations often seem wordy; "poetic" ones tend to miss a lot. This is the only book currently available ( as far as I know) which provides a selection of OE poems in a bilingual format. I have used this book in teaching; the translations are pretty good and the OE is right there for the curious. A good and very handy book.

Le Corbusier has a dream for Paris, and it is a really interesting and unusual one. He creates a model for the cities that lived for almost a century. Although, you may reject to see it built, put aside living in it, it is a complete (well, almost complete) model. In this book, Le Corbusier presents his model city in detail from streets to building codes. He not only talks about the physical structure, but also the life style it would create. The mass of the city scares you, but you admire how he defends his vision, which is strong and bold, just like the book itself.

As an architecture student interested in the "art" of city planning, I found this book fascinating! Gives Le Corbusier's "radical" views and ideas plenty of substantive support. It is not only a book of design theory, but a book of urban history. Even if you're not too fond of Corbusier's work, this is a must-read for anyone interested in architecture!