The Key to Sir Francis Drake was that he was in the essence a shallow water boatman.The technique of long distance navigation had been discovered and exploited by the time Drake hit the water. Drakes first edge in his line of work was that he sailed to the West Indies with shallow water boats on board his transatlantic ships, in partially assembled form or complete 'ready for action' towed behind. His second edge was that he had the sponsorship of the Queen of the Realm, E1. With The Royal Patronage, like 007 he could do whatever, no problem. Let Sir Fancis test his new maritime tactics in the shallow lagoons and bays of the Caribbean against the hated Espanish, if he succeeds everybody's rich, if he fails he's dead. In the early years Sr. Francis exploited every advantage; particularly the huge differences in time and distance between the government of Spain and its Western claims. In Francis' time those regions barely qualified as any governmental area, so far from authority and management they were. Happening upon a likely victim, our pirate simply cut a deal with the site governors, the treasure caravan leaders, and the treasure ship captains in transit. Francis took most but left enough to make the employees rich. He cast off with fair regards for all people, and everybody involved looked forward to the "Good Pirates" return next season. Philip of Spain was more circumspect. Over a period of years he established his authority via clear management lines of responsibility and procedures for the transportation of loot and filthy lugar. After the Spanish King consolidated his realm, Sr. Francis days were done. The Spanish had yet another use for our pirate hero. It was Spanish Literature that was first to elevate Sr. Francis to the place of folk hero, epic warrior, and national poltergeist. For a generation whisper of "El Dragon" was sufficient to warn every child to bed and more importantly every shipping manager, captain and dock clerk to do his best for King and kind.

I started this book expecting to read of the charismatic sea dog and protestant zealot of school history lessons. Instead a far more complicated picture emerges, a man who to modern eyes is both admirable and despicable - much like the Queen he served.

Here Drake is a man of paradoxes. He started his career on slave ships but grew to despise the trade and became the first European to interact with the Cimarrons - escaped slaves - as equals. Drake was capable of fiery nationalism, and a passionate hatred of Spanish Catholicism but yet consistently treated his Spanish prisoners with the utmost courtesy. Perhaps the greatest duality of Drake was one that was apparent during his own lifetime - his dual service of personal fortune and national, English protestant, interest. To Drake these were not as distinct as they seem today, but perhaps it is the only fault of this book that they are not better resolved.

John Cummins' excellent book practically reads itself, a highly recommended look at an amazing and contradictory man.

Reading about Drake's many seagoing professions, I can't help relating his exploits to those of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. While your average corporate adventurer doesn't risk life and limb on long maritime voyages, the desire for fame and fortune is the same.

Francis Drake, as Cummins presents him, was a man of common birth who sought to make a name and a great deal of wealth for himself. Early in his career he was a slave trader along with John Hawkins, but if we are to believe what Cummins says, he found it distasteful.

He later took to a highly successful career as a corsair and explorer, raiding Spanish shipping for gold and becoming one of the first men to circumnavigate the Earth. Cummins' portrayal of Drake as an egalitarian holds up under scrutiny. He employed men of many backgrounds in his crews including African Cimarrons who had escaped from slavery under the Spanish and fled into the jungles of Latin America.

Cummins explores Drake's exploits in great detail without apparent bias. He doesn't shy away from showing the man's less appealing traits in his portrait. One of the things that stood out was Drake's behavior during the battle with the Spanish Armada. Drake had a hard time suppressing his piratical urges when he often was needed for more military endeavors. Nevertheless, Drake stands out primarily as a man of honor in a tumultuous time.

If you enjoy biographies, history or just a good pirate tale (that's real!) I highly recommend this book. It's a fascinating story of a man whose inner passion and desire for glory drove him to great things.

As the mother of a 3-year-old who lives for trains and pretends to be a dinosaur all day long; I feel this book was written just for him. The rhyme doesn't quite flow, but the illustrations are spectacular and the story is great. If only I can find a copy for him; it's out of print!

Brother Billy hops right off the page and into your imagination! The pictures are colorful, the story memorable (my son could recite it to me!) and this book is fun to read. The opprotunity to play with the sounds and to assume a southern accent make it ideal for grown-ups that like to act out characters. Not to mention children that revel in fun, exciting reading. I highly recomend this book for all ages.

A solid work based on the form of the Johannine text as we now have it. The commentary is divided into two parts: Interpretation and Notes, the former offering the main body of argument, and the latter the justification for the Interpretation. Some of its strengths include the following. First, although it belongs to a catholic series, there is nothing that is overtly "catholic" about the interpretation. Second, is not too large, as commentaries on John are inclined to be, and yet it offers significant new insight into the text. Third, Moloney tries and succeeds for the most part in interpreting the main thread of logical argument made in the Gospel. A pastor or scholar can quite easily look up a passage and trace its meaning and development.

I have a single criticism. Although the series is NOT meant primarily for the scholar, Moloney battles to write in a non-academic manner. He is clearly a highly intelligent man whose style is logical and deductive. I find the experience a little too clinical. Moloney seldom becomes existentially involved with the text. Some may see this as a flaw, and others as strength. One gets the impression that Moloney is trapped within the very strict confines of his methodology. The result: a scholarly and sane interpretation that lacks vigour.

Australia's leading Catholic biblical scholar, Francis Moloney, is the latest contributor to Liturgical Press' acclaimed series of New Testament commentaries, 'Sacra Pagina'. The series is being written by an international team of Catholic biblical scholars under the general editorship of Daniel J. Harrington SJ.

Fr Moloney's contribution is the commentary on the Gospel of John, a subject on which he is a world authority. His expert publications on John range from the 'Johannine Theology' article in 'The New Jerome Biblical Commentary' through to an innovative three-volume scholarly commentary on the Gospel of John being published by Fortress Press.

Which begs the question, why do we need another commentary on John from Professor Moloney? The answer lies in the distinctive approach adopted by the 'Sacra Pagina' series.

Produced with the needs of clergy, preachers, biblical professionals, graduate students, theologians, and religious educators in mind, the volumes present detailed, substantial exposition of the biblical texts, based on the best of modern Catholic scholarship while not bogging the reader down in the minutia of academic debates and references.

Moloney's volume is indicative of the well-structured nature of the books in the series. It begins with an introductory chapter that concisely examines general matters such as the Gospel's authorship and structure, as well as its theological contribution and contemporary significance.

The body of the commentary follows, the text broken down into major sections and subsections, according to the perceived intention of John's author. For each section, the book begins by presenting the text of John under consideration in English translation (Moloney uses the RSV with some alterations, including inclusive language; some other volumes have original translations). This is followed by the 'Interpretation', which is the core commentary, and in turn by the 'Notes'. The latter are where one finds the arguments for the particular positions adopted in the commentary, as well as presentations and evaluations of alternative points of view. Each section ends with a list of references and suggested further reading.

The beauty of this approach is that readers can easily access the level of commentary that they wish or require. Indexes of scripture texts, other ancient writings, and authors are also included.

Moloney's distinctive approach is to focus on the narrative design of John, aiming to trace the impact the Johannine form of the Jesus story makes on a reader, which brings its readers to a point of decision.

As with the other 'Sacra Pagina' volumes, the intention is to present the best of Catholic biblical scholarship, but also never to lose sight of the faith context, to continue to see the scripture as 'sacred page'.

Francis Moloney SDB is Foundation Professor of Theology at Australian Catholic University and was recently reappointed by Pope John Paul II to the International Theological Commission for a third five-year term, making him one of the commission's longest-serving members. [Book of the Month Selection, John Garratt Catholic Book Club.]

This is an ideal introduction to the life and work of John Ruskin. It's clear and readable but has lots of facts. My only criticism is that it doesn't give as much of a psychological insight into Ruskin as I would have liked. I was left wondering what kind of person Ruskin really was. Still, I do recommend it - and it is reasonably priced too.

Dr. O'Gorman, a well-known Ruskin scholar, has provided us with an outstanding introduction to one of the nineteenth century's most outstanding writers, critics, artist and creative mind. The wide ranging interests and extraordinary accomplishments of Ruskin are treated to an elegant, intelligent, and highly readable treatice. Ruskin will no doubt grow in importance in the decades to come. This book is the perfect place to start on an exciting intellectual journey discovering John Ruskin.

While the topic is original, the writing and presentation are extremely poor. Significant effort went into this book, unfortunately the result does not reflect this. It is a good source of information, but it was clearly written by an amateur.

While researching my husband's family history, I discovered that Charles Washington Guy, the brother of my husband's ancestor, died as a prisoner in Texas during the Civil War. The information in his parent's pension application was confused as to his final fate--whether he died in Camp Ford or Camp Groce. Since last year, I've anxiously searched to find out exactly what happened to Charles. The internet contained only the most general information on Camp Groce. I was very happy to FINALLY find a source to check--The Last Prison. Mr. Lisarelli has spent much time and effort to gather information that would have been almost impossible to find on my own with my limited resources. The photos are a little gray and fuzzy in tone (but that's better than no photos since they help to personalize the human tragedy of this subject). Thank you, Mr. Lisarelli for helping me to finally find Charles.

This is a well written book which shines a light on a previously unknown piece of history. A necessary addition to any Civil War buffs' library.

The Two Noble Kinsmen was only partially written by Shakespeare. The primary author was John Fletcher, and Shakespeare seems to have been doing a rewrite more than a collaboration. As a result, you get two different styles of narration and development in the same story. The underlying tale follows very closely on the famous Knight's Tale from Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. As a result, you get a three way perspective on Shakespeare that is not available elsewhere -- what his co-author did, what Chaucer did, and how Shakespeare handled similar problems in other plays.

Where the Knight's Tale was primarily a story about chivalry, love, and spirituality, The Two Noble Kinsmen is very much about psychology and human emotions. Like other plays that Shakespeare wrote, this one shows how conflicting emotions create problems when we cannot master ourselves. In this case, the two loving cousins, Palamon and Arcite, fall out over having been overwhelmed by love for the appearance of Emilia, Duke Theseus's sister. The play explores many ways that their fatal passion for Emilia might be quenched or diverted into more useful paths. The dilemma can only be resolved by the removal of one of them. This places Emilia in an awkward situation where she will wed one, but at the cost of the life of the other. She finds them both attractive, and is deeply uncomfortable with their mutual passion for her. In a parallel subplot, the jailer's daughter similarly falls in love with Palamon, putting her father's life and her own in jeopardy. Overcome with unrequited love, she becomes mad from realizing what she has done. Only by entering into her delusions is she able to reach out to others.

What most impressed me from reading this play is how much better Shakespeare was as a writer than either Chaucer or Fletcher. You can tell the parts that Shakespeare wrote because the language is so compact, so powerful, and so filled with relevant imagery. The tension is unremitting and makes you squirm.

By contrast, the Knight's Tale is one of the dullest stories you could possibly hope to read and admire for its virtuosity without experiencing much enjoyment. Although the same plot is developed, few emotions will be aroused in you. When Fletcher is writing in this play, the development is slow, the content lacks much emotion, and you find yourself reaching for a blue pencil to strike major sections as unnecessary.

In fact, this play would not be worth reading except for the exquisite development of the dilemmas that are created for Emilia. Her pain will be your pain, and you will want to escape from it as much as she does. In these sections, you will find some of Shakespeare's greatest writing.

I also was moved by the way several scenes explored the duality of cousinly friendship and affection occurring at the same time that lethal passions of love and jealousy are loose.

Although this play will probably not be among your 50 favorites, you will probably find that it will sharpen your appetite for and appreciation of Shakespeare's best works.

I also listened to Arkangel recording, and recommend it. The performances are fine, the voices are easy to distinguish, the music is magnificent, the singing adds to the mood nicely, and you will find your engagement in the play's action powerfully increased over reading the play.

When do you lose control over your emotions? What does it cost you? How could you regain control before harm is done?

May you find peaceful, positive solutions to all of your dilemmas!

I will be the first to admit this is not the "best" or the "greatest" play written by the bard, but it is still very worthy of his name, and incredibly beautiful! Kinsmen is a romance in the style of Shakespeare's other late plays, Pericles, Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale, and The Tempest (my favorite). In many ways it reflects his earlier works, namely A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, and The Tempest. It tells a wonderfully romantic story of two good friends who fall for the same girl (I know, sounds familiar, but trust me, it's a different take on the setup) in Athens. The poetry in it is lovely, the characters very well developed, and the plot is incredible. Many people haven't heard of this play as Shakespeare cowrote it with Fletcher, but belive me, it is still wonderful. Highly recomended.

The Arkangel Shakespeare series being issued by Penguin Audio is now halfway through the plays and the surprise is that was given preference to the remaining more familiar works. Co-authored by Shakespeare and Fletcher, this play remains an odd man out for several reasons. Based fairly closely on the "Knight's Tale" from Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales," it tells of two cousins, who just after swearing eternal friendship in one of Duke Theseus' prisons immediately fall in love with the same woman, Emilia, and become bitter rivals for her affections. One of them, Arcite, is exiled but returns in disguise; the other, Palamon, escapes with the help of the Jailer's Daughter, who goes mad for love of him; and...well, see for yourself. Of the play's 23 scenes, 7 and part of an 8th are attributed to Shakespeare, a 9th doubtfully so, and the rest to John Fletcher, who was probably handed over to Shakespeare to learn the ropes as it were. The Shakespeare parts are easy to spot: they are nearly impossible to understand without a heavily annotated copy of the text open before you! Even more so than in his late plays like "Cymberline" and "Winter's Tale," the syntax is so complex, the thoughts so condensed, that one might (and has) compared his writing with the late Beethoven String Quartets. As one of the scholars quoted in the excellent Signet Classic paperback edition of this play comments, the play is most unShakespearean in that none of the characters change over the course of the play. And I should add the subplot of the Daughter's madness is never integrated into the main plot. One scene, in fact, is devoted entirely to the description of some minor characters and might have been influenced by a similar and much longer sequence in "Seven Against Thebes." In short, do not play this for a casual listen; but be prepared to be challenged. Look especially for echoes of the earlier all-Shakespearean plays. The nuptials of Theseus and Hippolyta recall the opening scenes of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," the main plot that of "Two Gentlemen of Verona," the Daughter's madness of Ophelia, and so on. As for the actual recording, it would be difficult to better it! The voices of the two kinsmen (Johnathan Firth and Nigel Cooke) are easily distinguishable, Theseus (Geoffrey Whitehead) sounds advanced in years and noble, Emila (Helen Schlesinger) mature and alert, Hippolyta (Adjoa Andoh) vocally of African origins as perhaps befits the character, and all the rest as understandable as the text allows and "into" their roles. Thank you, Penguin, for this noble entry in a series that is getting better and better.

I sure reads like one, maybe I'm biased `cause I lived there, grew up with all the doctrine & dogma(not to menton all the great food, they may be killers, but they sure can cook!). I admire the toughness & tenacity[like how "The Hunchback" counted the bullets from the guy shootin` him before he ran out of the phonebooth to tackle him & take away his gun]. This book is a little better, in my opinion, by explaining the details of the connection of the Mayor to the gangsters. I'm sure it's not much different anywhere in the world but you rarely see it documented so well.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was informative, just as good as a book written by George Anastasia titled "The Goddfella Tapes", In both books, they talk about Philadelphia "La Cosa Nostra" and how law enforcement try to defeat them...Wiretaps, Stake outs, asking questions and getting informants...These books are essentailly "Good VS Bad". Go and get them, you'll enjoy them.

The Mafia family in Philadelphia during the 1980s under Nicky Scarfo was by far the most violent group of killers, extortionists, drug dealers, and swindlers in the recent history of the Mafia. Scarfo was a sociopathic killer, ordering killings as a way of doing business, many of his victims were killed on a whim. As the bodies began to pile up, Lt. Friel, a homicide detective, was directed by the Philadelphia Police Department, his employer, to join forces with the FBI's Organized Crime squad.

Friel and the FBI worked well together, a cooperation that resulted in breaking the Mafia's code of silence, and Nicky Scarfo is now serving life plus 40 years. The entire top echelon of the Philadelphia LCN family went to jail with him -- those who he hadn't had murdered during his reign.

Friel is not only a dedicated and very smart cop, he is also a good story-teller. This is an excellent book from start to finish.

This is such a contrived story. It will make you want to quit comics for good.

In the last decade Superman has been through a lot and I was glad I was there for the ride..This isnt a typical Superman story but a Elseworlds story which for those who do know is take a character and put them in a diffrent timeline or alternate reality etc.. As a whole this book is a good read for any Superman fan who fancys something differnt..Definetly one of the better Elseword world books after Kingdom Come and The Kingdom. The plot is simple what if story but if you've never read Superman you really wont have a clue as to who is who in the book..All in all a fantastic read for those who read Superman a lot

The Man of Steel is totally redefined in this tough, gritty elseworlds story. It's a totally new kind a superman story, one that is violent, bloody, and surprisingly dark. Only for those who like elseworlds.