David Webster was a Harvard-educated literature major who served as a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne throughout World War II. This memoir of his experiences during the war was published posthumously, and clearly was not intended by the author to be published in this form. Not that the book is without merit - far from it. Webster was obviously a very talented writer and he does an excellent job of sharing his impressions and experiences. His account of D-Day, the fighting in Holland and the final advance into Germany are all interesting and insightful. The problem is that the manuscript is incomplete. While the primary stories are here, all the connecting bits are missing. For example, the chronicle of the action in Holland ends when Webster is wounded and evacuated. The narrative resumes when he rejoins his company in France, after their remarkable stand at Bastogne. However, there is no real effort to explain what happened in his absence, and principal characters from earlier in the narrative have disappeared without explanation and new ones appear without introduction. No doubt these rough spots would have been smoothed over if the author had been available to edit the manuscript. Nevertheless, the stories that are here are remarkably well told and offer a unique perspective on the war. Webster was adamant about remaining a lowly private throughout the war, and as an intellectual among the lowliest soldiers, he had a unique viewpoint on army life. Stephen Ambrose incorporates significant portions of Webster's manuscript into "Band of Brothers", and reading the two books together fills in many of the gaps in Webster's narrative.

Those of you who have read Stephen Ambrose's book, Band of Brothers, will remember David Kenyon Webster as a passionate and articulate member of Easy Company, the unit also featured in HBO's "Band of Brothers" miniseries. Webster wrote Parachute Infantry shortly after the end of World War II; it languished during the post-war years, when memoirs of regular soldiers were of little interest to publishers.

After Webster's untimely death in 1961 at the age of 39, his widow continued to believe in the manuscript and approached publishers without success. After the late Stephen Ambrose came upon the manuscript while researching Band of Brothers, he recommended it to Louisiana State University Press. Parachute Infantry: An American Paratrooper's Memoir of D-Day and the Fall of the Third Reich, with an introduction by Stephen E. Ambrose, was published by LSU Press in 1994, just in time for the 50th anniversary of D-Day. The book received excellent reviews.

Last year, Webster's widow, the long-time champion of Parachute Infantry, approached Dell Publishing, a division of Random House. Dell was a likely choice: it had published a mass market paperback of Webster's shark book, Myth and Maneater: The Story of the Shark, when the movie "Jaws" was released. She felt that Parachute Infantry could find a wider audience now, given the interest in HBO's "Band of Brothers." Dell was interested, and went back to the original manuscript to produce a revised and expanded edition of the book.

In October 2002, this new edition of Parachute Infantry was published. It features over 100 pages of previously unpublished material, including 20 letters home, and restores some of the grittier language and actual names that were used in Webster's original manuscript.

If you want to know more about the men of Easy Company, as seen through the eyes of one young private, read this book. Webster takes you through training at Toccoa, through jumps on D-Day and in Operation Market Garden in Holland, and to the last days of the war in Germany. It is an excellent companion piece to Band of Brothers (the book or DVD/video), and a powerful, unforgettable book on its own.

"Parachute Infantry", by David Kenyon Webster, sub-titled: "An American Paratrooper's Memoir of D-Day And The Fall Of The Third Reich", Louisiana State University Press, Baton rouge, 1994.

This book was published some fifty years after the events described and some 30 years after the death of the author (1961). However, the personal memories are excellent as is the writing. The book deals with the author's personal experiences in the European Theater of Operations and it seems that he did not record the time in hospital after he was wounded. Webster's leg wound made him miss the Battle of the Bulge, so he simply alludes to that struggle when he returns to his outfit towards the end of the war. He does deal with parachuting into Normandy on D-Day and, at the end of the war, chasing the remains of the German Army into the mountains.

I think that you could almost sense that the Author was recording the more "exciting" days and planning to fill in the more mundane details, such as his weeks in hospital, when he later had time. One thing that did come through, loud and clear, was the enlisted man's disdain for the officer corps in the EOT. Webster's record of occupation duty, directly after the cessation of hostilities, is entertaining. I can just picture him, getting ready for his daily swim in the lake, and wondering where he should "dine" that night. Enjoyable book!

It's nice having because it contains the complete King James Version of the bible as it was originally translated and published. It is one of only two published editions of the complete KJV that I have been able to find. Very few people seem to realize that the KJV included the books of the Apocrypha.

I wish that they made this available in a hardcover without the Michelangelo on the cover though.

I've read the Bible over and over and remain ever-amazed at the "life" of this book. Considering how the Bible was written over such a long period of time, it is amazing it how it all hangs together. It is truly inspired by the Living God through the hands of men. This is a book you can bank your life on. Read a good, modern translation of it. I read The One Year Bible every year.

"The fool hath said in his heart,"There is no god." That is what the Bible says. It is not a book to be interpreted by men, but one to be read and believed as it is written. What it means is not nearly as important as what it says. To better understand the whole Bible, one should begin reading in the book of John. You will learn more about the author that way

This book, geared towards young readers in middle school, is a useful, short book designed to give these readers some appreciation for World War II in both theaters of war. It semi-obviously promotes the American viewpoint, but still has enough interesting data and anecdotes to bring the human side of the conflict into focus. It has plenty of maps and illustrations/photos, and would be helpful in school sna libraries to provide younger citizens with an idea of what service is all about, and intirduce them to good history telling.

Chances are that most teenagers today have or had grandfathers who served in World War II and grandmothers who helped with the war effort at home. Yet those experiences seem like ancient history to many young people. This superb volume should help bring home the message of why the American war effort was so important, and the magnitude of the sacrifices that were made on their behalf. Hopefully, these materials will then encourage these young people to ask their grandparents about their World War II experiences, and help create more connections to and understanding of those worthy elders.

This book is a brief pictoral history of the war from the American perspective. The book's format is to take about 30 themes and develop them briefly. The tools used are brief essays, moving quotes from participants, photographs, and battle maps. Most subjects are handled in two pages (including photographs), but some go on to become four pages (such as the Holocaust). My only complaint about the book is that some photographs are reproduced in one color that makes the detail hard to see. Black would have been less appealing, but the photographs would have been easier to examine.

Those who know Professor Ambrose's work will recognize the quotes. Sergeant Mike Ranney of Easy Company in the 101st tells this story about speaking with his grandson.

"'Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?'

'No,' I answered, 'but I served in a company of heroes.'"

Quotes like that are worth the price of the book for conveying the World War II experience to this generation of Americans.

The book is good for pointing out problems and injustice. You see black Americans training with World War I guns. You see Japanese-Americans being interned in concentration camps. The concentration camp at Belsen is displayed. The devastation at Nagasaki as well as the radiation burn scars on a boy are portrayed.

Many of the famous World War II photographs are here, such as the flag-raising on Iwo Jima, V-J Day in Times Square (the sailor and the nurse), soldiers wading ashore on D-Day into the surf on Omaha Beach, and the Navy battleships aflame at Pearl Harbor.

Professor Ambrose certainly knows this history better than I do, but I wondered about his description of the Japanese emperor's involvement in the decision to launch the attack on Pearl Harbor. The version here seemed closer to the original story favored by General MacArthur that the emperor was manipulated by the military leaders than what I have been reading other historians say, which is that the emperor was right in the middle of wanting to go to war.

Some of my other favorite photographs in the book include Hitler at a Nuremberg party rally (showing the propaganda machine in all of its might), Guadalcanal after a tropical storm (with tents underwater), an Army corpsman tending a wounded soldier, St. Lo after the liberation, an American soldier rescuing a shell-shocked girl in Manila, and Stalin, Truman and Churchill at Potsdam.

Lesser known parts of the war are covered here, such as Rosie the Riveter (including a photograph of women learning to weld).

After you read this book, I suggest that you also take time to tell your teenagers how you feel about America's involvement in World War II. Many of the participants are naturally reluctant to say very much. Your own sense of this incredible struggle can help fill the gap in understanding as well.

If you feel comfortable, you may also want to talk about the cold war.

Be glad that D-Day was a success!

I am really not that amazed that my nine-year-old nephew loved this book, after all Stephen Ambrose wrote it, the pictures are great and the topic is timely (what with that new WWII movie out). What I'm surprised with is how much I enjoyed reading it. Most of us know a smattering of WWII; Pearl Harbor, D-Day, Battle of the Bulge, but again and again I found myself saying "Wow, I didn't know that!" Ambrose has a knack for telling a great story through the eyes of individuals, and what story from the previous century could be greater? The more I think about this book, the more I am convinced it is a great way of introducing children to the courage and greatness of our G.I.s, as well as impressing upon them the destructiveness of war.

this book is good for the introduction to ASP.NET. needless to say its arrangement is clear and direct. the examples are short but adequate to highlight the essential coding for the features.
well, i don't want to digest any example with large codings except in case study.

although the book comes with no cd-rom, and the diagram on P. 273 is incorrect (maybe more), i still recommend this book. i'm on the way to build a content management website based on the knowledge learnt from this book.

if you want to learn more features, pickup ASP.net Unleashed by the same author.

Without a doubt one of the best books on asp .net for quick learning and clear examples.

I've gone through three "Professional" top selling ASP.NET books and everyone seems to ignore Visual Studio.Net but really who programs without VS.NET???? This is the first one that explains differences when using VS and it's ASP.NET coverage is on par or better than other books by Wrox, Sams, and especially better than O'Reilly. I highly recommend it if you're doing an ASP.NET web application.

This is a very well-written history of one the most famous battles of World War II which was written for a general audience. Those looking for a David Glantz-like, academic study of the campaign should pass this one by. Eisenhower is a very skilled writer, and his description of the first weeks of the German offensive is very well done.

The book does have some problems. Being the son of the former commander of the ETO and President, Eisenhower had access to interview for his research many of the top commanders who fought in the battle. However, that strength could also be a weakness because most of those commanders interviewed were friends and comrades of his father. Thus, Eisenhower is rarely if ever critical of any of the commanders despite the fact that serious errors were made on the eve of the campaign on the part of the American high command. Also the book is full of GI slang such as "burp guns," which may have been recognizable to readers in the early 60's, but not so in the 21st century.

I first read this book in a hardcover used edition about 15 years ago and enjoyed it. I finally found this reprint edition several years ago and rediscovered this fine book.
Beginning with background information on the major participants in this battle from both sides and continuing on through the battle; both sides story is well represented. This book will give you a great understanding of this pivotal battle.
I highly recommend it.

There is certainly no shortage of excellent and detailed titles dealing with this subject, from Stephen Ambrose's own "Citizen Soldiers" to John Toland's "Battle" to Charles B. MacDonald's "A Time For Trumpets", yet this, too, is an excellent and inspiring cover of the events leading up to and including the Battle of the Bulge. This book follows in the vein of detailing at the unit level what the war was like for the man on the ground, and incorporates a lot of first person testimony a la Stephen Ambrose.

Thus, the reader is treated to a very thorough look at what the moment-to-moment experience was like from a number of the men who were there to fight it. As Col. Eisenhower was also a career military man following in his famous father's footsteps, he speaks with obvious authority and knowledge about the multitude of factors leading to the engagement on both sides, and one gains an appreciation for his expertise if not for his somewhat pedantic and limited writing skills. Still, the book is an interesting and accessible reading experience.

Of course, since I had already read a number of other titles covering the same ground, much of the material was repetitive, but my impression after finishing it was that "The Bitter Woods" is a very authoritative single volume on the campaign, and that it competes favorably with all the others, although I should not want to so limit myself to a single such source for this, one of the finest moments in American war history. It is stirring to read about the first hand experiences of the tired, overextended, and under armed units of the American forces as they first engage the overwhelming German juggernaut. Beaten to a pulp, they regroup, and surrounded, outnumbered, outgunned, and outmaneuvered, in a desperate hand to hand combat, fight back with hellish ferocity and beat the German forces back.

This account puts to the lie the idea that the only reason we won the war was superior number and endless logistics. Deprived of those two advantages during the extremely bad weather during the worst part of the battle, the U.S. Army simply outfought their German attackers. I personally would recommend you read this book hand in hand with the Toland book ("Battle"), for together they provide a really complete and quite varied look at all of the aspects of one of the most tenaciously fought battles on the western front of the European theater of the Second World War. Enjoy!

I enjoyed Mr. Ambrose's story of the Lewis and Clark expedition. It's a great introduction with ample details and excerpts from their (Lewis' and Clark's) daily journals. The photographs were outstanding. I have also purchased Mr. Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage" so I can read an in depth story of the expedition. It was very clever how Mr. Ambrose threaded his personal discoveries of the expedition along with their personal experiences in retracing Lewis and Clark's trail.

First of all, I can't get enought of Lewis and Clark or, for that matter, Stephen Ambrose. Having said that, I thought that this would merely be a rehashing of his Undauted Courage with pictures; no more than a nice coffee table book. But, I was pleasantly surprised.

The mixture of breathtaking photographs, Ambrose's great style of writing and the wonderful story that is Lewis and Clark would have been enough for me. However, with the addition of his writings of his family and friend's adventures along the Lewis and Clark Trail, this book brings the expedition into the 20th century. You now feel the cold, slap at the mosquitoes, and see the mist of the Great Falls with them. Above all, you finally realize just how strong and courageous those great adventurers were.

Wow! I love this book. I also love Ambrose's writing. He instills so much energy into this tale. Anyone who has seen Ken Burns' Lewis and Clark-The Journey of the Corps of Discovery, will remember how strong a presence he had in that film. He is truly dynamic. The history teacher I never had. I've been reading this book in conjunction with the journals and it really makes a great combo. When I'm a little confused as to what's happening in the journals, this book helps fill in the blanks. Maps and archival photos are also a real nice touch. Oh, and the landscape photos are beautiful too. I also have to disagree with a previous reviewer who mentioned that the addition of Ambrose's family experiences were annoying. I find them enjoyable and they really help give me a sense of what many of the L & C places are like in the present. I've always wondered about that. This book is A MUST for L & C admirers.

This book is capable of changing the way you look at yourself. The way in which the hellish reality of front line war was brought to life through accounts from veterans depicting the fear, cold and fatigue, coupled with the underlying tone that most of the soldiers who endured this were very young men from ordinary backgrounds, was profound. The accounts of medics and nurses, logistics, tank units etc were equally fascinating. The book had the strange effect of making me think that I have been living most of my life in a void by not knowing any of this. This is a must read for anyone looking for an honest account of the ground war in Europe and is truly a masterpiece.

This book should be on the required reading lists for all Military Officers and for infantrymen of all ages and ranks. I am a serving Infantry Officer and Citizen Soldiers has had a huge impact on my view of the Infantryman's role in World War II. Ambrose has brought his signature style of first-hand oral histories to the plight of the common front-line grunt - and it has resulted in a masterpiece. The book is truly gripping, and will reveal new facets of the ground war in Europe, even to someone who is well read in World War II hisory. I highly recommend this book.

For getting under the skin of the front line soldier and experiencing what it was like, this book takes you there and you come as close as it is possible to feel what they felt. Filled with remembrances and wonderfully researched details this book is filled with the details of actual combat conditions and honours the life of the front line soldier like know other I have ever read. I felt humble, sad and glad, very glad that they were there for us when it counted. Thank you Stephen Ambrose.

Stephen W. Sears, in Controveries and Commanders (Dispatches from the Army of the Potomac), has written a very readable account of the Army of the Potomac through ten specific examinations of controveries surrounding different leaders that cover the entire time span of the Civil War. He gives enough detail to bring the novice properly into the debate without bogging the narrative down. The author keeps the stories, combining to form a single tapestry, humming along. The theme that seems to connect all the various narratives is the idea of jeolousy, betryal, back-biting, and gossip that infected the top ranks of the Army and brought many commanders, whether rightly or wrongly. The human dimension of the leaders at war could not have been brought into clearer focus. It was often a little frightening but also made for very interesting reading. A wonderful book for a Civil War beginner.

If you anjoy non-fiction Civil War books, buy this one. Stephen Sears has put together a series of essays regarding the most controversial of the top commanders and some of the most embarrassing moments of the army of the North during the Civil War. It was most interesting to me to see how the personalities of the commanders involved played such a big part in making the war longer and more deadly for both sides than it should have been. After reading this book, it's a wonder the south didn't win!

General McClellan was so extremely conservative that his decisions were based on assumptions that had no basis in fact. McClellan repeatedly avoided engagements with inferior and disadvantaged forces simply because he didn't know better. It's easy to see from these essays why our modern military emphasizes communication and intelligence above all else.

Exploiting the setbacks of McClellan and the things that happened to a number of his field commanders, regardless of whether they were truly at fault, were other Northern commanders trying to obtain more power and influence. The U.S. Army of the Civil War was clearly much more politically motivated than today's arm, with politics frequently outweighing military decisions. Naturally the southern commanders frequently took advantage of the mistakes the North made with their incorrect assumptions.

Sears admittedly makes some assumptions when facts are not available, but Sears clearly states his assumptions and guesses. You will not be led astray by mistaking fact from supposition.

If you have an interest in why the North made some of the mistakes they did during the Civil War, pick up this book. Each of the essays is well-written and easy to follow. The end of the book leaves you wanting more. I highly recommend this book.

Sears offers a fascinating assortment of brief essays on the Union's Army of the Potomac and some of the storms that swirled around a number of its commanding generals from the beginning of the Civil War to its end. Each of the essays is brief enough to be enjoyed in one sitting, and offers some fascinating new insights into aspects of the Civil War in the East. Even where he is covering ground that has been well covered before--e.g., Lee's "Lost Order" before the Battle of Antietam--Sears manages to introduce some new information and fresh insights.

Anyone who has done much reading about the Civil War knows that one of the major challenges confronting Lincoln as commander-in-chief was finding a dependable general to put in charge of the Army of the Potomac. This volume reviews some of the problem generals with whom he had to deal--including McClellan (a Sears specialty) and Joe Hooker (whom Sears defends in an unconventional review of Hooker at Chancellorsville). But the book also goes below the command level to look at colorful characters like Dan Sickles and Phil Sheridan. Especially engaging are the essays dealing with the court martials and less than honorable discharges of generals who were unfairly treatged for a variety of reasons.

While to some degree, these essays are "insider baseball" and would be best appreciated by readers with background on the Civil War, they stand alone and can be appreciated by almost anyone with an interest in the era.

If you are looking for a story of a man who got what you don't seem to have, you may more or less enjoy this book. It will keep Liberation at a safe distance: only for the few "awakened ones" and not (yet) for you, the reader.
If you really want to know what true awakening is, you'd better read Tony Parson's book "As It Is". Or a book from Steven Harrison, Chuck Hillig, Nathan Gill or Douglas Harding.
I liked the title "my name is nobody" on page 151, but I am disappointed the whole enlightenment issue is personalised. For example, he claims to be awakened (p.65). A lot of readers may be confused about that. Liberation has nothing to do with a person, and even less with perfection or holiness (as is suggested in a lot of books from the East). Although I am sure meeting Stephen is very interesting, inspiring and maybe exiting, keep your head clear about this.
Remember: awakening has nothing to do with me or Stephen or Tony or Douglas, it is about That which we all share. If you can keep that in mind, it is OK to read Stephen Jourdain's book. Or to go and see him.

Jan Kersschot, author of "Nobody Home"

mr jourdain is another of that rare breed who see beyond what the rest of us are capable of seeing. awake! he sees beyond the poor shadows and ego games we take as real life and a real world. he knows how to be still and know I AM. this is an interesting book of conversations with a very rare bird indeed. in my humble judgement i rate jourdain with the likes of david hawkins and jed mckenna, but probably still short of ramana maharshi and nisargadatta maharaj and a few, very few, others. i notice these great ones generally tell us seeking is futile, there's no "place" we should go and there's nothing we need "do." they hold rank on me and i can't argue but i always notice that they themselves were extremely driven "seekers" before the great awakening came. things that make you say, "hmmm"...a very interesting read this book is, about a very interesting fellow. for myself, though, i think i'll just keep right on knocking to open, asking to be given, seeking to find.....

I loved this book. I wish SJ would write another one. Call it...Radical Awakening II.

Mr. Jourdain was born with his entire body/mind already wired to awaken. It was only a matter of time and it just so happened at the age of 16 for him. The book doesn't teach you how to awaken but you can surely get glimpes of "how to" for yourself just from just from reading it.

I don't totally understand why Mr Jourdain smokes 3 packs of cigs a day, because it is sort of stupid to do so. They say that he is in excellent health, but from his picture on the back of the book, it sure doesn't look like he's in excellent health, i.e, his skin and all.

A little difficult to read a first, but ever so interesting and enlightening!

Highly recommended!

Interesting structure to a series of tales told by travelers stuck at an Inn during a storm. Cantebury Tales was the inspiration and Gaiman employs many levels of stories within stories and even eventually brings the story full circle, which is cheeky. However it seems that the stories were given little precedence and therefore come off very weak. Now part of this is expectation. Fables and Reflections blew me away and may be my fav of the series so I expected this as a series of individual stories to be just as good. So with it being just average I was overly disappointed. There are some good moments and the few appearances of Death and the Endless are captivating. However they are not enough.

One note: the end of this book overtly hints at the plot of Kindly One's so if you want to be surprised, read this after that one. I wish Gaiman hadn't done that, myself.

I guess one would be extremely hard pressed to choose which of the Sandman collections can be considered the best, but I'm going to choose this one. I'm a little biased, because it was these stories which hooked me on the Sandman when the series was still being published in the early 90s. Gaiman is an intensely storyteller with a wide bredth of mythology at his command which he weaves together in the individaul issues reprinted in this collection. The artwork but such luminaries like Mike Allred of later Madman fame (in the mesmerizing story "Prez") enhance the spellbinding words that Gaiman has meticulously crafted for the right affect.

The Sandman is best appreciated when read it order the magazine was publihsed, which is difficult to do in the TPB and hardcover editions because some of the stories are reprinted thematically, not sequentially. However, if you are not sure who you will respond to Gaiman, Dream and the rest of the Endless this edition will give you a satisfying glimpse of not just great comic storytelling, but great storytelling. I wouldn't call this fantasy, nor would I dismiss this as "a mere comic book." Gaiman helped elevate the medium with his creation, all fans of the written word and graphic art will enjoy this and all the volumes in the Sandman collection.

This is not a Dream-centered books, you crazy women who are, admit it, a little stuck on the Sandman. This is a book about dreams...the lives, in essence, that he touches. He pops up in various places along the way, but this is more a collection of short stories. Two travelers get lost in a snowstorm in June and find their way to an inn of all worlds. Creatures from various times and places, caught up in the "reality storm" have come to this place for food and drink and rest from the icy storm, including Clurachan (sp?), a favorite faerie hedonist from other installments in the Sandman series.

My favorite story is inarguable "A Tale of Two Cities" when a very average man with a very normal job and a great love of his city finds himself, after falling asleep in the subway (see if you can't connect to an interest in subways overall by Gaiman in his book "Neverwhere"), that he has fallen into a dream of the city. Cities dream as do people...anyone who has traveled extensively knows that cities do have their own personalities. New Orleans feels nothing like New York, etcetera. He searches for months trying to find an exit from the dream of the city, only to find temptation to stay.

All of the stories are entertaining, but this one sticks out the most in my mind. I have a great love of cities, especially New York, and I can only imagine what she dreams.

A dark shadow plagues the end of "World's End"...a funeral procession...who this funeral procession is for, well...call it foreshadowing.