This is an excellent book. It is the kind of book you will find yourself coming back to for the best, most indepth explanations, and definitive quotes. It is the best and most comprehensive study of the Revolt of the Netherlands that I have yet come across. What's more, it is beautifully written and is a pleasure to read.

C.V. Wedgood is a beautiful writer, combining a novelist's eye for detail and motivation, with an historian's insistence on fact and drawing wise and powerful conclusions. She tells the story of 'William of Nassau, Prince of Orange, called the Silent.'' He was the revolutionary who brought about the independence of The Netherlands not by bold strokes and grandiose words, but by patience, kindness and firmness. Driven out of the Low Countries by an approaching Spanish army, the prince bided his time in Germany for five years, until he could return in strength. And then, mostly by force of his goodness, rallied the Low Countries, most especially the Netherlands, to continue the struggle. Wedgood shows in great detail how William managed a squabbling land of practical burghers, anachronistic nobles, two warring religions and the representatives of countless, towns, cities, provinces and nations. He was a revolutionary, yet a most moderate man. She also details his personal life: the courtship of his four wives, his devotion to his brothers, his generosity tohis subjects, his care of his mother. Her writing, as I said, is beautiful. And she is most wise, as for example when she notes that although events may seem inevitable after the occur, in fact they could have moved otherwise, had not men moved them. William was such a man. Finally, a personal note: If Dame C.V. Wedgood would appreciate learning of a new admirer, please pass along my appreciation for a wonderful book.

The book, The Actor and the Text, by Cicely Berry, is an excellent book which opens actors up to the idea of studying the text of the play rather than the action. Ms.Berry's book specifically focuses on the text of William Shakespeare's plays. She gives detailed examples of exercises that can be very useful to actors attempting to decipher the language of Shakespeare. Personally as an actor, I found this book to be extremely helpful not only for Shakespeare, but for all plays. The book really made me look at plays entirely differently. In the past when first reading a play, I would simply read through it and think about where my character starts out in the beginning of the play and where he would end up at the end of the play. When I read a play now I really pay a lot more attention to the words and the language that the author chose. Once again, Cicely Berry's book is an excellent reference for all actors who are looking to make a personal improvement towards their acting skills and also their interpretation of language.