George Bernard Shaw was called, with good reason, the "English Nietzsche". Though Nietzsche was an aristocrat and Shaw a socialist, both cherished the dream of the superman and looked forward to the day when he would be realised. Both, however, were characterised by their mordant wit and intellectual cynicism, in which "Man and Superman" abounds. Shaw manages to compress a number of disparate themes into a relatively taut dramatic format, even throwing in a scene in which Don Juan, the Devil and a gang of anarchist brigands make an appearance. The central event of the plot involves the wealthy Tanner, a member of the "Idle Rich Class" making himself subservient to the Life Force and seeking the perfect woman to marry, who would guarantee him a very special offspring, his ideal, the superman himself. Though Shaw was not known to have read the works of Bergson at that time, nor to have been conversant with his vitalist doctrine of the Life Force, his use of the Life Force motif and the philosophical underpinnings of the play attest to a pure Bergsonism. The most delightful part, however, is the "Revolutionist's Handbook" at the end, which contains Shaw's most scandalous anti-Establishment jibes. For instance, "Do not do unto others as you would them do unto you. They might not have the same taste."

In this title, G.B. Shaw outdoes himself. Not only does he manage to turn up with a Don Juan play in our modern day and age, which is full of cynicism, and doesn't give in to 'medieval' codes of behaviour, but he even manages to turn around the table. Here, the hunter becomes the hunted, forced to flee from his pursued/pursuer. Shaw includes in this play an ingenious conversation between the original 15th century characters, which not only explains about Don Juan's philosophy, but shines a new light upon our own lives, here and today.

The writings of Bernard Shaw in this particulat play, invites to you use your mind to understand life and philosphy. It has such great insight into many aspects of human nature and at the same time is exteremely funny and really takes you into it's pages. The writing has impecable style and this is truly a classic play.

For those who have read various accounts of action in World War II, Weintraub presents an excellent closure to the entire Second World War, something that the reader does not find in accounts of individual battles.

Weintraub covers the closing moments of the war with the Axis powers, providing the reader with quite good insight into what happened to both the Allied victors, the vanquished Axis populations, and those often-forgotten displaced persons (DP's) and POW's produced by the war.

The book is very detailed and provides the reader with a good understanding of what exactly evolved, and why it happened. Once the war was finished, what were the consequences to the people, the military, the concentration camp prisoners, and, most importantly, the politicians, especially Truman, Roosevelt, and Stalin who receive excellent coverage in this book. Some good surprises come to light...

I give the book five stars for its analysis of the European civilian, military and political situations in the aftermath of surrender.. With regard to the portion of the book covering Japan, instead of describing the Japanese occupation in detail, which I had been expecting, Weintraub spends far too much time on the atomic bomb and political infighting in Japan prior to surrender, both of which are covered far better by Richard Rhodes in "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" and in "Japan's Longest Day" published by the Pacific War Research Society (Kodansha International).

Still, quite good reading.

"The Last Great Victory" is an outstanding achievement. It is written in the great narrative style of Steven Ambrose, Cornelius Ryan, and Bruce Catton. The reader is transported to the pathos of the Summer of 1945. It is a work that has deserved greater attention. Outstanding, vigorous scholarship, coupled with a poignancy and urgency that can create a visceral response on the part of the reader (especially in the Hiroshima narratives), it deals honestly with the likes of Stalin, Molotov, Churchill, Truman, and Hirohito. The only limitation is that the Pottsdam material is at times a bit tedious---however it is an important inclusion if one is to understand some of the policy issues behind the denouement of the war, as well as the policy issues that framed the Cold War. Once beyond Pottsdam, however, the book soars as a tragic poem about both the frailties as well as the aspirations of the human experience. Kudos, kudos, and more kudos!!!

This edition of Oscar Wilde's work - in addition to its inclusion of much personal correspondence - is a fascinating look at the author and, notably, his personal travails.

The novel, of course, and the plays are classics, but I found the letters to be a juicy narrative all their own. The twists and turns of his doomed affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, affectionately called "Bosie" in touching - and bitter - love notes from prison, are here to peruse. Reading them, you get a sense of Wilde's personal feelings at the time of his famed trial and arrest for sodomy, his anguish at losing Bosie and going to jail. It's fascinating, juicy stuff - made all the more touching by the fact that it all occurred without shame, in plain view, over 100 years ago.

Wilde's a great character, a great author, a good role model for gay life and a hysterical wit. And this book is a must.

Though maybe not as well organized as one might like, this book contains much absorbing information on the last days of the First World War. It starts by telling of the False Armistice, then on to the meeting in the Forest, the 72 hours before the signing, the events in Germany, the Kaiser's going to Holland, the signing, the last shots, and the celebrations. There is much poignancy, and little things reduced me to tears. The material is gathered from accounts of people who were there and numerous memoirs and secondary sources. The book also tells of fiction treating the events--for instance, Parade's End, by Ford Madox Ford (which I read 7 Sept 1984 and did not like). This book is an enjoyable book to read about a fantastic time: November 1918.

The author does an excellent job of detailing Queen Elizabeth's life, from girlhood to her death. Throughout the book are the Queen's own letters, furthing our insight into this dynamic female ruler. After finishing this book, I felt as though I knew Her Royal Highness personally!

This is a unique look at the events of December 7, 1941. Mr. Weintraub has taken on the enormus task of not only describing the events of December 7, 1941 in regards to Pearl Harbor, but he examines the Day of Infamy on a world-wide scale. The reader finds themselves in the frozen Soviet Union as the Germans desperatley try to hold back the counterattacking Red Army. In North Africa, Rommel is being harassed by the British at Tobruk. In Washington, the reader is taken inside the White House as Roosevelt writes his personal plea for peace to Hirohito. I thought that the chapter headings with a clock showing the time at different places in the world was a nice touch for the reader. I have read numerous books on the subject, but never on a world-wide scope such as this. I would highly recommend this book for Pearl Harbor readers. Another book that is similar to this one is Gordon Prange's December 7, 1941.

This book reminded me of Manchester's 'Death of a President,' but on a much larger scale. It's an hour-by-hour, and in some cases minute-by-minute, account of events around the world on the Day of Infamy, December 7, 1941. Each hour receives its own chapter, with a graphic at the start of each chapter indicating the time in various cities around the globe.

Weintraub, an excellent biographer and storyteller, does not break new ground attempting either to exonerate or assign blame. Instead, he places the day's events into the larger context of global war, showing how news of the attack was received and acted on in various locations. This is a valuable reminder that war had been raging for more than two years when the Japanese attack launched America into the conflict.

This book is not the most comprehensive look at what happened at Pearl Harbor itself, but there are many other books with that focus (I recommend Prange's 'December 7, 1941'). 'Long Day's Journey...' helps recreate the confusion, the 'fog of war,' that surrounds great events, and helps us understand how the attack affected lives worldwide.

I think this is useful and rewarding addition to the Pearl Harbor student's reference shelf.

This book is organized in a unique way, telling what went on hour by hour all around the world Dec 6, 1941, to Dec 8, 1941--with two tremendous final chapters on the dropping of the Bomb. Those chapters are a fitting end, since the events in the prior part of the book are sobering indeed. While there are a minimum of footnotes, and no real bibliography, the account sounds quite trustworthy. He often mentions authors: James Jones, J. G. Ballard, Pappy Boyington (yes, he did a book: Baa Baa

Black Sheep, which I read 14 Aug 1990), Ezra Pound, Emily Hahn, etc. I found this a great book , even tho Dec 7, 1941, is now overshadowed by the newer day of infamy: Sept 11, 2001.

An old saying goes something like, 'The child is the father of the man.' Coming off successful biographies of Queen Victoria, the Prince Consort, and other eminent Victorians, Stanley Weintraub has given us a fine biography of the Victorian era's most elderly 'child' of all, Albert Edward (aka 'Bertie'), the Prince of Wales.

Heir to the throne must be a difficult position in the best of circumstances and despite his luxuriant lifestyle, Bertie's circumstances were not the best. His mother decided early on that her eldest son was uneducable (Weintraub argues he was dyslexic), unreliable, untrustworthy, and at least partially at fault for the early death of the Prince Consort, the husband she worshipped. As the decades passed, she refused to modify this harsh judgment, viewing him as a wayward and unruly child even after the Prince was himself a grandfather. In fact, if never an intellectual like his father (Weintraub seems to doubt the Prince ever in his life read a book cover to cover), Bertie proved himself clever, sympathetic, popular with the people, and a fairly skilled, if unofficial, diplomat. Nevertheless, the Queen would not allow him access to state papers, or hand off to him any but the most minor of ceremonial duties.

Barred by custom from involvement in politics, and by his mother from any meaningful preparation for his inheritance, Bertie devoted himself to the one area he could influence the most, society. Weintraub's biography shines in its illustration of how the Prince's active social life, essentially frivolous in so many ways, nevertheless helped him discover talents and develop skills that served him in good stead as sovereign. And while never prurient, Weintraub is nevertheless comprehensive in his treatment of Bertie's many extramarital affairs, from his brief flings to his longstanding relationships with Lillie Langtry, Alice Keppel, and others (including, lest we forget, his beautiful and long-suffering wife, Princess Alix of Denmark).

Weintraub's picture of Albert Edward, in short, is a fully drawn one, and the reader can develop a fairly complete understanding of him as a man and as a Prince. I found him very human, disturbing and yet sympathetic. I would recommend this biography to any student of Britain's Royal Family or historian of the Victorian era.

Edward the Caresser is a fine biography of the Prince of Wales who became King Edward VII. The title is slightly misleading since he was only called "Edward the Caresser" after he became King in 1901, and while he was Prince of Wales he was known to the public as "Prince Albert Edward". But such quibbling should be put aside. This is a wonderfully entertaining story of a boy and man who had many fine qualities which were not appreciated by his parents Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who set impossibly high standards for him and were constantly and openly disappointed when he failed to meet them. Bertie (as he was known in the family) also had to deal with being compared to his older sister and younger brother, who were their parents' favorites. After being made to bear the burden of being (in his mother's eyes) the chief contributor to his father's death, Bertie spent the rest of Victoria's reign looking for something to do. Since the Queen refused to allow him constructive work, having fun in various dissipations was his main occupation. Given such a background, the fact that Bertie turned out to be a kind, good natured man with a wide circle of friends and a loving wife and family is surprising.

Stanley Weintraub always produces a fine biography, and I hope he will follow up on "Edward the Caresser" with another volume on Edward VII's reign. It will be interesting to see how the playboy prince from an emotionall disadvantaged background turned into one of the most successful and well beloved British monarchs of the twentieth centuries

After seeing the A&E production of "Victoria and Albert," I was curious to know more about the lives of the said characters (I'm also a history major so that helps, too). I was browsing through my university's library to find this book on Prince Albert and I read it. I just finished reading it today and wow, this is a stellar book. It's so comprehensive that my mind almost exploded while reading it. There were some minor details that could've been left out, hence the four star rating. I plan to read more about Victoria and Albert in the future. So take my advice. Treat yourself to this wonderful book and put it in your personal library. I'll be sure to buy this book when I have the chance.

I questioned myself before i picked up this book in the library; brought up as a good Englishman, i already knew all i wanted or needed about the Prince Consort, and was unimpressed with it, nor did i care to learn any more. Now i see i was quite correct in my questioning, and i'm afraid i may have to change my long-held, and therefore cherished, beliefs about him. Darn intellectual honesty, anyway! Weintraub's Albert was a responsible, educated, thinking man, thrust into a situation both wonderful and intolerable (his marriage and lack of acceptance in England, respectively). Weintraub shows him as having enjoyed the one side and, through hard work and dedication, partially overcome the other. One is left to wonder, as Weintraub indeed does, what would the monarchy be today had Albert lived as long as Victoria. Surely there would be some differences. On the basis of this book, it is not fair to say (as a previous reviewer did) that Albert laid the foundation for the pax Britannica; he did, however, through his fecundity, insight into both politics and industry, and though a great deal of hard work, aid the shaping of Europe through the First World War. As i look back now, it is hard for me exactly to define just why i have disliked His Royal Highness; i suspect it has to do with his rather poor treatment of his eldest son, the Prince of Wales, which Weintraub does not gloss over, but implies was deserved; also the wreck Victoria made of her life after he died, which really can't be laid at his door; also, though i am probably of the last generation to instinctively feel nothng good can come from Germany, the man was a German (though not a Prussion, at least). Two hundred plus years of racial dislike are hard to overcome. I would not say that i have yet overcome them; Weintraub has helped me see with a clearer vision, though.

At a time when marriages of royals were political matches, and not romantic ones, this is a story of an insignificant German prince who is married to the very young, Queen of England. Victoria and Albert actually fall in love with each other. Unfortunately, physicians at the time did not know when human females ovulated, which resulted in the many children of Victoria and Albert. However, her numerous pregnancies allowed Albert to become a more integral part in the monarchy. He became King in all but name as Victoria retired to the "sidelines." His diligent, untiring work set the stage for the great Victorian Era and the Pax Britannia.

It is wonderful to be able to see the real personalities of the presidents, without the coverup that is seen today. The book allows the reader to see how the earlier presidents responded to their children, especially when they were not up to the standards. The letters of the later presidents are charmingly witty. It is a great book to read, especially when you only have a few minutes, you can stop at the end of each letter. Great to go to bed with.

When I found out I had to read Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens for school, I was extremely dissapointed. I had already read A Tale of Two Cities, and absolutely hated it. Students in other classes had read Great Expectations and not liked it either, so I figured I would not enjoy it either. But I decided I would read it anyway, because it is considered to be one of the best books of all time. The books starts out fairly slow, and it takes the reader a few chapters to get used to Dickens's writing style, for he uses an abudance of description. He was paid by the word so he had incentive to do so. For those who are able to survive the first few chapters, they will enjoy an extremely lovable book and not be dissapointed. The book is timeless, with the basic story line being one that has affected almost everyone sometime in their life; falling in love with somebody who does not return the feelings. Pip, the main character, falls in love with an exotic and beautiful girl, Estella, but of course she does not have any feelings for him. So Pip does everything he can to win her approval, and most importantly her heart. It is hard to skip around in the book. While some passages might seem as if they have nothing to do with the story, they do. Everything in the story is tied together somehow. Skimming the book is not going to help. Certain events and people the reader thinks are insignificant or forgot completley, will appear over and over throughout the book. I am glad that i decided to read Great Expectations, despite the negative remarks from peers. I found out that most of them never made it past the first few chapters, so they missed out on the good parts. The only reason I did not give the book a higher score is that parts of it are slow and dry, but stick with it, you will not be upset.

I've never read any Dickens of my own free will. I was forced to read "A Tale of Two Cities" in high school and I thought that was enough for me. However, one day, on a whim, I bought a copy of Great Expectations. I'm not sure what I expected, but I certainly didn't expect to love it as much as I did.

Dickens is not a writer to read at a swift pace. Indeed, this novel was written in weekly episodes from December 1860 to August 1861 and, as it was created to be a serial, each installment is full of varied characters, great descriptions and a lot of action which moves the plot along and leaves the reader yearning for more. Therefore, unlike some books which are easily forgotten if I put them down for a few days, Great Expectations seemed to stick around, absorbing my thoughts in a way that I looked forward to picking it up again. It took me more than a month to read and I savored every morsel.

Basically the story is of the self-development of Pip, an orphan boy being raised by his sister and her blacksmith husband in the marshlands of England in 1820.

Every one of the characters were so deeply developed that I felt I was personally acquainted with each one of them. There was Pip's roommate, Herbert Pocket, the lawyer, Mr. Jaggers, and his clerk, Mr. Wemmick. And then there was the wicked Orlick. The dialogues were wonderful. The characters often didn't actually say what they meant but spoke in a way that even though the words might be obtuse, there was no mistaking their meaning. I found myself smiling at all these verbal contortions.

Dickens' work is richly detailed and he explores the nuances of human behavior. I enjoyed wallowing in the long sentences and letting myself travel backwards in time to a different world. However, even with the footnotes, I found myself sometimes confused by the British slang of 150 years ago, and there were several passages I had to read over several times in order to get the true meaning. Of course I was not in a particular rush. I didn't have to make a report to a class or take a exam about the book. This is certainly a pleasure.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good read.ting from the secret wealth of Magwitch, who made a fortune in Australia after being transported. Moreover, Magwitch's unlawful return to England puts him and Pip in danger. Meanwhile, Estella has married another, a horrible man who Pip despises. Eventually, with Magwitch's recapture and death in prison and with his fortune gone, Pip ends up in debtors prison, but Joe redeems his debts and brings him home. Pip realizes that Magwitch was a more devoted friend to him than he ever was to Joe and with this realization Pip becomes, finally, a whole and decent human being.

Originally, Dickens wrote a conclusion that made it clear that Pip and Estella will never be together, that Estella is finally too devoid of heart to love. But at the urging of others, he changed the ending and left it more open ended, with the possibility that Estella too has learned and grown from her experiences and her wretched marriages.

This is the work of a mature novelist at the height of his powers. It has everything you could ask for in a novel: central characters who actually change and grow over the course of the story, becoming better people in the end; a plot laden with mystery and irony; amusing secondary characters; you name it, it's in here. I would rank it with A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist and David Copperfield among the very best novels of the worlds greatest novelist.

GRADE: A+

Dickens, along with Dostoevsky, stands atop my list of novelists who could most accurately portray the subtleties of human emotion and passion. "Great Expectations" is simply a masterpiece of 19th-century fiction, and is pure Dickens. In this semi-autobiographical work (a trademark of Dickens' writings), the life of a poor young boy, Pip, is followed from his humble beginnings to his rise into the middle-class, due to the mysterious aid of an unknown benefactor. His pursuit of Estella, a beautiful young girl raised to break the hearts of men by her jilted caretaker, Ms. Havisham, is a classic of literature that has been repeated countless times since. The tragic, gradual break between Pip and his family (particularly the humble but caring Joe) is heartwrenching. Pip's eventual realization of the insincerity of the middle class, and his love for Joe, brought tears to my eyes.

"Great Expectations" is a wonderful, moving book that has been copied and satired again and again, from Mishima's "Forbidden Colors" to South Park. An important and unforgettable novel!