This book, edited by the great giant of early modern history, John Guy, provides an accessible collection of various essays by respected historians which have recently appeared in more obscure parts of the academic press.

These essays demonstrate the extent to which this period of history is still dominated by Geoffery Elton, who was tutor to two contributors, Guy and David Starkey, at Cambridge. Both historians' currnet writings are a reaction against the ideas of their former tutor, although both also acknowledge their great debt to and respect for him. Starkey is the more populist historian, with his stories about the activities of Henry VIII's bedchamber, but his, to say the least, unique insight is also valuable in that it makes one consider again the function of the early modern court. In his mind these historical figures are very real people, and this is communicated through his writing. John Guy, if less flamboyant, is also fascinating.

I found this ! ! book especially enlightening on the importance of Tudor iconography, especially Elizabeth's use of Yorkist symbols.

As an economic way of reading various opinions on various subjects, this is an invaluable resource for any serious student.

Incidentally, I was not paid or asked by anyone to write this-it is true!

Author takes a total view of organizational issues that confront companies and reduces the solution process into an understandable, practical, and systematic way to overcome problems. Arnold's years of experience implementing his techniques are specific highlights that bring life to the information. A "must" if you want to take the easier, softer road to problem resolution and positive results. Highly recommended and worth finding.

This is a fun book that should help your youngster develop an interest in American History. It is easy to read an has great illustratiions. You will not be disappointed with this purchase. Look for others by the same author.

This book about Benedict Arnold told of his heroic deeds as well as his betrayal of our country. The book shows how Benedict Arnold's need to prove that he was courageous, and his desire to be a great hero and receive recognition, led to his downfall. It is a well written book which provided both historical information and entertainment.

This book was great! It tells all about Benidict Arnold. He is a VERY interesting boy. If you really like reading about Revolutionary Heros, then this is a good book to read. Of course you might not be able to call him a hero when you find out what happens at the end. This book tells all about Benidict, before, after, and during the war. Even if you don't like reading non-fiction, you will now. For instance, did you know that Benidict was obsessed with shoes? Or that he killed his own horse because he didn't want to give it to the British? Or that the woman he married was involved in a terrible scandal? Well, if this sound intriguing... READ IT!!!

I agree that some reproductions are rather small but it is a beautiful and interesting book that makes a great Xmas present. I enjoyed following Sargent through his far away destinations !! I personally think he is underrated when compared to Winslow Homer !

Sargent's inspirations were Velasquez, Hals, Rubens. These were painters who understood the play of light. And they had a worthy apprentice in JSS.He understands that it is light that is the unifier of all his paintings, regardless of theme. JSS painted in watercolour for his own pleasure. (His mother taught him the medium at an early age). His brilliant mastery of both technique, light and sumptious colour are all captured in the reproductions in this book. Like others who have reviewed the book I return to it again and again. Happy pictures by a Mozart of the medium. How could you not buy it?

I turn to this book time and again and am always astounded at the paintings. In his watercolor work, Sargent was a "Painter's Painter" - an artist who worked with paint so playfully, with color so passionatly, with caligraphic brushwork so seemingly irreverent - that the final effect is breathtaking and as fresh as the moment it was painted.

Although John Ensor Harr is not the American Revolution's answer to Hilary Mantel, and "Dark Eagle" lacks the fluid, graceful and intense prose of Mantel's French Revolution-era story "A Place of Greater Safety," Mr. Harr's novel is, however, an interesting and worthwhile piece of historical fiction. It did take me a while to get into the book, due to the clunky pacing and rapid changing of viewpoints- I confused many of the minor characters since many of them are not particularly well characterized. However, unlike the gentleman before me, I had no trouble with the upper-class Loyalist tone of the story. I actually find it refreshing- so many books set in this time period are filled with flag-waving hokum a la "The Patriot" or "Johnny Tremaine," that it's nice to see something that DOESN'T portray the American Revolution as the apex of goodness and light! (I challenge anybody who does think this way to read chapter 4 of Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States.") I thought, all in all, Mr. Harr very sensitively portrayed Benedict Arnold's virtues and failings. The secondary characters- the sophisticated yet clueless redcoat John Andre and the manipulative society belle Peggy Shippen- are fascinating as well. All of them- Arnold, Andre and Peggy- make a wonderful trio, and seeing how they all destroy themselves through lust, pride and greed is the stuff worthy of a Balzac novel. In the end, "Dark Eagle" is about the destructive power of money and pride. There is no place for the conceits of American propaganda in this book; it is devoted to the study of the rise and fall of a proud, talented and- ultimately- pathetic individual. Anyone who would not find this interesting, please look elsewhere.

If you like historical fiction and/or have an interest in knowing what made Benedict Arnold's name synonymous for the word "traitor," Dark Eagle is a book you'll definitely enjoy. Harr demonstrates a strong ability to weave many interesting and little known facts about the Revolutionary War, Benedict Arnold and many other historical figures into a well-written and, at times, suspenseful work of fiction. Further, as some other reviewers have noted, Dark Eagle is rich in visual imagery that makes you feel you are right in the middle of the action. Dark Eagle should find a large audience among those who are fans of books about history, war and even suspense.

I picked up this book by John Ensor Harr only mildly interested in Benedict Armold and then found myself drawn in to an absorbing, stimulating novel, which I knew was based on solid fact. {I knew that Harr had written scholarly biographies of the Rockefellers.) I came to a new understanding - if not approval - of Benedict Arnold, but I found out a great deal more about the revolution, Washington's role, and many others. I recommend it wholeheartedly for any one wanting to read a good novel but also learn a great deal about the troubled soul of man and the prcarious thread on which victory hung in the revolution.

The continuing saga of a mother and her two daughters.Mrs Baines is the middle aged boisterous woman who runs rule of the family business as her invalid husband lies in wait of his demise.The Baines` have two young daughters-Constance ( intelligent and stable)and Sofia (beautiful and flighty).the ideal of the story was to examine how one would perceive "a Mrs Baines" if you were to encounter her on the street or in a cafe.would you see her as an old rude lady?Would you be able to invision the possibility that in her younger days she was as Constance and Sofia are? And ther lies the basis of the story-how does one go from being a beautiful,fun loving girl to a boisterous old lady.Well as the story delves further into their lives we witness everything that happens and therefore shapes their lives.In real life events, whether large or small will determine our next path in life and here we get to see where they end up.
A terrific read for something written in 1908.

I'm certainly not the only person in the world who thinks of this book as a masterpiece. The fact that H.G. Wells, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf all praise this book as being so is one of the reasons I picked it up. In spite of that, I really read it without set expectations.

Briefly, to say what has already been said before, The Old Wives Tale is exactly that - a tale of three women who marry in very different circumstances. Mrs. Baines, the mother, is a life who is only briefly touched upon. However, the seperate lives of the two sisters, Sophia and Constance, are the crux of the book. Each life takes its' turn. We are first told about Constance, then about Sophia, and finally, about their reunion. Constance, whose name is not a coincidence, lives a simple provincial life, and Sophia, whose name also matches her persona, chooses romance and adventure. There is only one villain, and yet, he is perhaps the most powerful and chilling of all villains, Time. His grasping, clutching, suffocating presence is ever felt throughout the book, and looms even larger once that final page is turned. In the end, Sophia and Constance each pay the price for their choices, and the true cost of those choices is left for the reader to decide. As unique as we are, we will each believe something different about Sophia and Constance in the end, and that is precisely the point.

To sum up the experience of The Old Wives Tale, a tale of three women living their lives, and their lives changing them (or perhaps not changing them, is that it is the most honest approach to human psychology I have ever read. The lives we read about, Mrs. Baines, Sophia, Constance, and even those who surround them, could be anyone's. In fact, most of us can find someone in this book we could point to and say "that's me". No character, no matter how brief their exit or entrance into this story, is insignificant. Each person gives us a fresh perspective on the human response to events and to, of course, other humans. The three main characters are presented with sheer, unsympathetic, yet respectful honesty. We are not introduced to inhuman, perfect, idealistic souls in this book. Nor are we looking through the eyes of the wicked. Instead, we are searching the souls of ordinary people and in the end, are left with a question about our own existence.

In fact, it should be a large clue to readers when they see that the title of the fourth section is, What Life Is. It is here that something occurred which I totally unexpected, and it left me quite shaken - in fact, desperate. I found that I had been brought from the comfortable vantage point of observing these fictional lives, which are at times inexplicably amusing and heroic, to a sudden uncomfortable sensation that the characters were real and had turned toward me - the reader - begging the question "What of your life? What have you done with it? What have you accomplished?"

That subtle change of vantage point was shocking, and ingenious. Without criticizing his own creation, the author was able to communicate the importance of living our lives to the fullest without telling us how. This fact alone shows great wisdom. Sophia and Constance experience remarkable things, no more remarkable than most people, but remarkable just the same. Each reacts differently because they are different, and each has a different idea about how to find happiness and how to deal with life's disappointments. Both are frequently of the opinion that they could improve someone else's life, yet have not found real satisfaction in their own. Each makes mistakes, and each perform the heroic. The author will on the same page be blunt about their faults and tender with their plight. He tells their story without judgement, and yet in the end, you feel you have read a very wise judgement on the nature of the human race. Here, reader, you will find no prescription for life, but a question that begs a diagnosis. The author makes it starkly clear that the remedy, or whether a remedy is even required, is up to you.

The Old Wives Tale is not a dark story. It is not a comedy. It is not high adventure or mystery. In fact, it is many of these things put together to create something REAL. And it has shaken me to the core.

I first read this wonderful book many years ago. Recently, I happened to pick it up again (before giving it to my daughter to read), and thought, well, I'll just read a few pages, to see if it's as good as I remember it to be. I stayed up all night rereading it. "The Old Wives' Tale" is a heartbreaker, but superb. As somone else has pointed out, there's a real villain in the book, but the villain isn't human: it's Time. It's difficult for me to imagine anyone reading the last few lines without being touched. I agree with Somerset Maugham: I feel presumptuous even praising it. For those who were "disappointed" with it, may I say, with another commentator, that these people will probably be disappointed with The Day of Judgment.

I hope, almost everyone has heard of the "For Dummies" books. The series' direct method and clear (sometimes playful and fun) language make learning easy. It is also a well-known computer book series in Russia. "The Internet For Dummies" is the chance to find out in a simple, clear and fun guide which takes the horror out of meeting the Internet for the first time.

As a computer writer, I am always delighted to discover new great book that makes understanding the computer. Many so-called Internet books are nothing more than printed collections of Web addresses. "The Internet For Dummies" is a guide designed just for newbies. Authors do an exceptional job of explaining a large number of Internet terms. You'll also find here a lot of tips for optimizing your browser for speed, building your first Web page, managing e-mail, subscribing to mailing lists, and go shopping on-line. "The Internet for Dummies" is a great start to learning the Internet.

360 pages of all the facts you'll need about the Web, e-mail, service providers, and search engines. An encyclopedia of the easy to locate information you'll need to surf like an "expert." Provides a complete table of contents and an index of more than 2,200 entries. Topics range from The Net at Home and Work, Your Kids, Web TV and Shopping, to Your First Home Page, Mail, Messages, Chats, and Swiping Files from the Net. Written in the fun, but informative style of the "Dummies" series. At $ 15.95 you'll find a wealth of information to help you. I keep this book on my desk and refer to it often. My two sons are systems analysts and programmers, but I find the things I need faster in this book, than trying to understand what the boys are saying with their technical jargon ! After they answer my question, I still look it up in the book so I can understand the "practical" steps I need to take to get what I want.

Almost everyone has heard of the "For Dummies" books. The "Quick Reference" series' direct method and clear (sometimes playful and fun) language make learning easy. "The Internet For Dummies Quick Reference" is a fact-filled quick reference that gives the chance to find out a small, clear and fun guide which takes the horror out of meeting the Internet for the first time.

"The Internet For Dummies Quick Reference" is a quick guide designed for beginners. Authors do an exceptional job of explaining a large number of Internet terms. You'll also find here a lot of tips for optimizing your browser for speed, building your first Web page, managing e-mail, subscribing to mailing lists, and go shopping on-line. Here is really the perfect guide to help users find their way around the Internet.

The book offers a comprehensive factual recounting of Schwarzenneger's films through 1996, including synopses and summaries of each one's critical reception. But it offers no analysis, no discussion of Schwarzenegger's development as an actor and no insight into how various roles relate to one another, which is what I was hoping for. Bare facts such as the plot of a film or its cast list are readily available for free on the Internet.

There are a few historical tidbits, but the lack of anything resembling analysis, coupled with bad writing, lazy editing and repetition (including some passages appaearing word-for-word in multiple places) make this one to pass on.

Do you have the entire "Predator" screenplay memorized? Do movies like "The Running Man" and "Kindergarten Cop" hold a special place in your heart? Then this is the book for you. John Flynn gives every Arnold film (up to 1996's "Eraser") focused attention, complete with plot synopsis, critical reviews and behind the scenes production details which I found extremely interesting and entertaining. The book suffers, through no fault of its own, from being slightly outdated. Example: In the final pages, Flynn gives his forecasts for "Jingle All The Way" and "Batman & Robin", both movies not yet released at the time of publication. (And I am I alone wishing that they never were?) On the topic of Arnold playing the villan Mr. Freeze opposite George Clooney's Batman, the author seculates, "How can it miss?" Oh, if only he knew. Both of these flicks turned out to be the two biggest cowpies in Arnold's otherwise distinguished career. But that's in the past. Here's to the future. Buy this book! No true Arnold fan should be without it.

The book is simply about the movies of Arnold Schwarzenegger. The thing is this, this is the most interesting book that I' ve ever read. That was because of Arnold becuse he really inspires me.

Many at-risk youth have violent tendencies and an inability to emphatize. This book teaches the adult care-giver, through detailed lesson plans and a comprehensive report of the authors research, a way to teach at-risk youth a sense of moral behavior. While most therapies seem to focus on behavior modification, this program recognizes that lasting change requires more... that is, a development of morality and the ability to empathize with other human beings in society. The book reads like a doctoral thesis (very dry) but an excellent source of information and most importantly, a fully prepared plan that one can implement with their target group.

The Equip Program is easy to follow and provides great pointers to the people conducting the "meetings." This program helps promote positive change in youths through common sense and common language. The "meetings" are easy to implement and the lessons that are learned will help foster positive and productive decision making for a life-time!

I enjoyed reading All the Colors of the Race by Arnold Adoff. (Illustrated by John Steptoe.) It was interesting how Adoff writes from the perspective of a girl. With such strong sentiments, I couldn't help but wonder if there is any relation to his own life or that of someone he knows. I have read other poetry books by Adoff, and this was one of my favorites. In "I am making a circle for my self," I enjoyed the references to Golda Meir and Moses. In "The way I see any hope for later," Adoff powerfully addresses issues of race and gender, saying that we need to "stop looking" and "start loving." What a powerful poem! Even the layout of the words adds to the effect. "Remember:" makes an interesting reference to the fact that way back when there was only one race--a fact that makes one wonder how we ever became so divided.