Book Description
A Walk through the Heavens is a beautiful and easy-to-use guide to the constellations of the northern hemisphere. By following the unique simplified maps, readers will be able to easily find and identify the constellations and the stars within them. Ancient myths and legends of the sky are retold, adding to the mystery of the stars. Written for the complete beginner, this practical guide introduces the patterns of the starry skies in a memorable way. No equipment is needed, apart from normal sight and clear skies. Milton D. Heifetz is a clinical professor of neurosurgery at the University of Southern California and visiting professor at Harvard Medical School. This is his first astronomy book. Wil Tirion is the author of numerous sky guides, including The Cambridge Guide to Stars and Planets (1997), The Cambridge Star Atlas (1996), and The Monthly Sky Guide (Cambridge, 2003). Previous Edition Hb (1998): 00-521-62513-0
Customer Reviews:
Suits me........2007-09-04
I like to look at the constellations in my backyard. In other books, the constellations are presented separately, and you have to guestimate where they are. This book shows you one constellation, and then shows you how to line up the stars for the next one. For example, most people can find the big dipper, and from there most people can line up the stars on the front of the dipper part, and be directed to the North Star. Well, this book shows that if you follow the curve of the handle, you can find the star Arturus, in the constellation Bootes. All the constellations in this book are connected this way, so that you don't have to guess where they are anymore. Every constellation points to another.
Also, most books have the stars on a dark blue background with black writing. It's hard to read. This has the stars white, on a light lavender background, so the black and white writing stands out much better. All in all, it make the diagrams much easier on the eyes. I am going to try to learn one constellation each night.
Has correct constellation segment connections unlike Rey's "The Stars: A New Way to See Them".......2005-09-26
Undoubtedly lots of beginning astronomers will be trying to decide between Rey's book "The Stars: A New Way to See Them" and Heifetz/Tirion's "A Walk Through the Heavens". I just wanted to point out something that could be a deciding factor for some people: "A Walk Through the Heavens" teaches you to find contellations which are drawn using the time-tested line segments between the stars of the constellations. In other words, the connections between the stars in any given constellation are the "traditional" connections. As an astronomy purist, this is the way I prefer to see them.
In contrast, H.A. Rey used his imagination to re-draw the line segments between the stars in his book "The Stars: A New Way to See Them". Put another way, Rey diverges from the accepted norm in that the connections between the stars in any given constellation are drawn differently than the accepted connections. That means if you look at a planisphere or any other observing aid, the constellations' connections will be drawn differently than in Rey's book (but will appear the same as they do in "A Walk Through the Heavens").
That said, some people find Rey's "new way" easier since Rey's constellation connections are more intuitive for some people to grasp. But if you learn from Rey's book then be prepared to re-learn the conventional constellation segments once you graduate to any other astronomical reference.
A Great Learning Guide.......2004-06-05
One of the best, if not the best, book I have found to easily teach you the night sky and how to find and identify the Constellations. I highly recommend this book for anyone that wants to learn the night sky easily and complete. A++++
Confusing Constellation Relationships - Good Basic Astronomy.......2002-09-28
Those who consider this a really good beginners' book must not have seen Hans Rey's classic "Find the Constellations" or "The Stars: A New Way to See Them".
The latter book was "new" generations ago when my now grown children marveled at the heavens using our heavily worn hard copy of "The Stars" with Rey, and is now collecting grubby fingerprints from the frequent use by my grandchildren in our original and several paperback copies.
Part 2 of the Heifetz/Tirion book uses a labored method of originating and extending lines all over the sky from "Star n" of Asterism "m" through several other hard to define positions of far removed stars and further on to numbered or named stars in destination constellations for its "Walk Through the Heavens".
Too complicated for the purpose for beginners.
One could spend all night trying to imagine these lines in the sky while a few minutes with either of the Rey books would have the beginner naming and knowing half a dozen constellations and then star hopping to others.
Parts 1, 3 and 4 save the book. Part 3, the section on Legends of the Heavens, Milky Way, etc. is very good. Part 4, sort of a Misc. chapter has a small collection of good viewing information.
The book is a good buy, but the Rey books are a lot better for learning the constellations for any age group, and only slightly more expensive.
The Time-Life Skywatching/Advanced Skywatching volumes for a few more bucks are a little more advanced but orders of magnitude better for beginning teenagers, adults or advanced elementary schoolers and provide a lot more bang for your buck.
An Excellent Primer to the Constellations.......2002-09-02
This book makes finding constellations in the Northern Hemisphere(the author has a similar book for the Southern Hemisphere)an interesting and successful endeavor. It is not just for youngsters, but for anyone with an interest in learning how to find constellations and the names of the major stars. The diagrams illustrate the relationships between stars and constellations in simple drawings that make it like an easy-to-read roadmap. It builds from the pointer stars of the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) to all the constellations and how to find them. Instead of frustration and doubt you'll feel the exhilaration of discovery.
Besides the stars and their relationships to each other, there is also a "Legends of the Heavens" section that tells the myths and stories of the major constellations. They are fascinating and not limited to children. This book can open up the heavens for anyone who wonders about the stars. It can lay a foundation by simplifying the sky. Once these basics are learned, the universe and hobby of astronomy can be pursued to whatever depth you want. This book is a MUST for anyone wanting to be successful in satisfying their curiosity about the locations of constellations and their relationships to each other.
Book Description
For courses in American Government.
With a focus on conflict and the struggle for power and a powerful supplements package, this textbook ignites students' interest in American politics.
This balanced and exceedingly readable text uses Harold Laswell's classic definition of politics–“Who gets what, when, and how”–as a framework for presenting a clear, concise, and stimulating introduction to the American political system. Updated with discussions of recent events in our country, well-known political scientist Tom Dye has written a lively and absorbing narrative examining the struggle for power: the participants, the stakes, the processes, and the institutional arenas. An abundance of feature boxes explore timely issues and opinions, draw cross-cultural comparisons, and introduce important people.
Customer Reviews:
Politics in America, National Version by Thomas R. Dye [Hardcover] .......2005-09-22
I am well satisfied with the purchase of this book, Great seller and price.
good overview of government, though a bit biased.......2002-11-10
Overall this book is a good overview of the american political system. The structures of the beurocracy, executive, congressional, and judicial branches are covered very thoroughly. However, I found that the author inserted a bit too much of his own Republican biases in it. There is a whole section devoted to "government waste" - a common election tactic by Republicans. While it is true that the government is wasteful- all beurocracies are to some extent- a recent survey showed the US gov't to be the 3rd most efficient in the world. Also, sprinkled throughout the book are convinient three paragraph long and very shallow "Counterpoints" which try to convince readers of republican principles from the flat tax to the abolition of affirmative action. The most egragrious offenses come in various profiles "people in polics" of various leaders in politics. Invariably, the Republicans profiled have their personal strengths asserted with a folksy charm, while the Democrats are given a far away overview as well as mention of some trivial personal faults (Barbara Boxer's overdrafts from the House banks- a trivial issue in the big picture of things- is in her bio). And of course there are also the "Liberal ratings" in it- with the late Paul Wellstone topping the list. In addition to all of this, the general wording of the book and word choice used betrays the clearly Republican biases of the author. Overall the book is not a bad book, it does a good and thorough job at outlining the structure of the federal government, however, reader beware of the biases of the author.
Good introductory-level textbook........2000-08-06
I just finished taking a class called "Introduction to American Politics" and this was our only textbook. I found the textbook to be easy to read, clearly written, and factually accurate. I fear that many students, like myself, who have already studied some in this area may find the book to be too simplified, and will get bored reading about the basics of material which is already familiar to them. The book is great for the novice, but is definitely not upperclassmen material.
Amazon.com
In the predawn morning of May 9, 1970, Richard Nixon left the White House and went to the Lincoln Memorial to speak with a handful of antiwar protesters, most of them college students. The nervous president, who, an assistant later said, "wanted to know what they thought," and the awed students talked amiably for a time, and then all concerned went about their business, Nixon conducting a war, the students trying to end it. So reported Dan Oberdorfer for the Washington Post in one of the dozens of stories, profiles, articles, and dispatches collected in this volume of Vietnam War-era journalism, the second of two content-packed books in a Library of America set. Among the many highlights of the second volume are reports by New York Times correspondent Sydney Schanberg (of The Killing Fields fame) on the deadly aftermath of the American invasion of Cambodia; Seymour Hersh's coverage of the My Lai massacre, in which American soldiers under the command of Lt. William Calley killed 109 South Vietnamese civilians; U.S. Senator John McCain's account for U.S. News and World Report of his six years as a prisoner of war; and, for a weird home-front spin, Hunter S. Thompson's hallucinogen-fueled reportage from the 1972 Democratic National Convention. The complete text of Michael Herr's Dispatches, an influential and estimable book, is included, as well. Students of Vietnam War history will find this and its companion volume to be essential sources. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
A unique collection captures a dramatic and controversial war and the brilliant generation of American journalists who reported it.
This one-volume selection, drawn from the original newspaper and magazine reports and contemporary books collected in the acclaimed two-volume hardcover edition, brings together the work of over fifty remarkable writers to create a powerful mosaic view of America's longest war. Reporting Vietnam follows events from the first American fatalities in 1959 through the Tet Offensive in 1968 to the fall of Saigon in 1975, recording the shifting course of the fighting, its impact on an increasingly fractured America, and the changing texture of American journalism.
Here are Homer Bigart, David Halberstam, Stanley Karnow, and Neil Sheehan on South Vietnam in the 1960s; Thomas Johnson and Wallace Terry examining the changing attitudes of black soldiers; Sydney Schanberg on the fall of Phnom Penh; Philip Caputo on the last days of South Vietnam. Included as well are Norman Mailer at the March on the Pentagon, Doris Kearns on Lyndon Johnson's anguished decision-making, and James Michener's meticulous reconstruction of the Kent State shooting.
The volume includes a detailed chronology of the war, historical maps, biographical profiles of the journalists, notes, a glossary of military terms, and an index.
"Not simply a riveting collection of first-rate writing about the war, Reporting Vietnam is also an epic retelling of an American tragedy." --The Oregonian
"This splendid collection testifies to the courage, endurance and swallowed anger of an extraordinarily brave group of writers who, by sharing the agony, earned their rights to report it." --John Le Carre
Customer Reviews:
Amazing Vietnam War Resource from Beginning to End.......2006-12-20
This is exactly the type of book you want to read about Vietnam - in the words of those who were there, whether soldier or reporter. It contains articles written by the media and excerpts from soldiers memoirs in chronological order from the start of the war until the fall of Saigon. (FYI - There is little here from a directly Vietnamese point of view, though there are some who write very sympathetically of their plight.)
This tome (it's over 800 pages of densely packed information and narration, but doled out in 5-10 page excerpts which make great reading) covers everything from the first days of aerial bombing (letters home from one of the first pilots over there) to the African-American experience in Vietnam, to the desolation of those involved when Saigon fell.
Because this is a compilation of actual stories from the Vietnam Conflict you could use it's wealth of information (and sources) to build a case for any position or point of view. It would be an excellent source for research on the Vietnam War, steeped with original quotes and overflowing with the genuine feelings and experiences of those who were there.
Highly Recommended.
The Best and The Brightest.......2006-06-08
THE VIETNAM WAR AND THE MEDIA
I am a Vietnam Veteran, a college graduate of the Vietnam Era, and a professional journalist. That should establish either some kind of credibility or culpability. The Vietnam War began when I was l7 years old, and ended when I was 30. That means my generation of draft-aged males... lived with the reality of War throughout their adolescence. I went to college in the '60s and, like most of my classmates, lived under the shadow of Vietnam for my entire college career.. Flunk out...you get Drafted. (that happened to a friend of mine at Yale. He partied too heartily and ended up as a grunt in the Mekong Delta.) As the War escalated, so did the dissent and the polarization of the country.
In l968, the following events occurred:
* The Tet Offensive;
* the Democratic National Convention in Chicago with the arrest of the Chicago Seven;
* The Mexico City Olympics black power protests;
* The assassinations of Martin Luther King and RFK;
* student demonstrations at Berkeley, Columbia, and Paris;
* And the increse in the Force Level in Vietnam approached 500,000.
That makes 1968 the most significant year in my life. That was also the year after I graduated from College, and, lacking plans for graduate school, enlisted in the Army (not out of patriotism but pragmatism: I made a deal with the devil--- I'd volunteer for three years as a Broadcast Specialist, and the Army would keep me out of The Killing Zone. When I got to Saigon, I worked for Armed Forces Radio and TV: reading news they wanted me to read (like Robin Williams' character Adrian Kronauer in "Good Morning Vietnam."
During my year in Saigon, part of my job was to attend the daily press briefings cynically referred to by the press corps as "The Five O'clock Follies." (Because they were timed to occur after the evening TV Newscasts in the States). This was long before CNN; Fox News; the Internet; and Pod-casts. The mainstream media then had a far greater role than today. When Walter Cronkite said the Vietnam War was un-winnable, it ended Lyndon Johnson's career. (Johnson later admitted he knew he was finished after watching the CBS Evening News). Vietnam was called the first Living Room War, because most Americans get their news at the dining room table. And that included escalating casualties, various atrocities like My Lai (which is kind of like the Marines in Iraq); and the rising chorus of dissent among the young.
Another disturbing parallel between Vietnam and Iraq is the arrogance, imperiousness, and hubris of the Secretaries of Defense in both Wars. Both Robert McNamara and Donald Rumsfeld were arrogant and disdainful of the professional soldiers they commanded.
Each time they appeared before Congress and the Media, they said basically : this is the way it is. And don't confuse us with the facts. The Press, in the discordantly alliterative words of former Vice President and Convicted Felon Spiro Agnew (his real name) were "nattering nabobs of negativism" (How about: "Clueless Cheerleaders of Colonialism"?)
Had any of them taken the time to read the history of Indochina and the experience of the French ("Street Without Joy" or "Hell in a Very Small Place" by Bernard Fall; "The making of a Quagmire" by David Halberstam; "Fire in the Lake" by Francis Fitzgerald; or "The Best and the Brightest" by
David Halberstam they would have predicted the inevitable outcome of American Adventurism in Other Places. Those who ignore (or, in George Bush's Case, never learned) the lessons of History are condemned to repeat them"
--By Philip Henry
[...]
A Good One!!.......2004-10-06
Althought this is a compilation of the two volumes previously released, this is a terrific title. All kinds of important people from the Vietnam era have essays in this book. Sixty-one of them. Can't wait to reread it....
Terrific Articles - but don't stop here!.......2004-03-11
This very valuable compilation of historically important news articles and its companion (Part One) should be on the shelf of every person who wants to gain a deeper understanding of the Vietnam War. I can't review the articles contained, but know that there are many important pieces. Some of them are the Doris Kearns article on LBJ, John McCain's article on his captivity, Michael Kinsley on Kissinger and Harvard, several on the various incursions in countries neighboring Vietnam, and several on the fall of South Vietnam.
Some of the other famous inclusions are Seymour Hersh on My Lai and James Michener on Kent State, and Stewart Alsop on how the draft was implemented expressed America's Class System. There are many more.
But as I said about Part One, you will also need to read other things. This collection really only represents one side of the debate. At the time it was not as one sided as everyone remembers now. There really was support for the war in the population. Yes, it declined as time passed, but even today many feel that we lost more because we mishandled things more than because the war was wrong. However, that is neither here nor there for this collection. It is a terrific collection. My point is that you can't know the war and how it affected America without reading these articles. But you also can't know its full effects without reading more than these articles.
Semi-definitive 'Nam reportage is contemporary must read!.......2003-07-09
I say semi-definitive reportage because this brilliant compilation of news articles, magazine essays and excerpts from books is the distilled nectar from the two volume hardbound series issued earlier. While I haven't read the above-mentioned 2 volumes, I have read enough other Vietnam material to authoritatively state that this book does a more than adequate, dare I say brilliant, job of crystallizing the plethora of intertwined issues that encompassed the Vietnam war and the world stage upon which it unfolded. This book also offers some very unpleasant lessons to those of us who found our way to it due to the recent round of warfare commenced by the Bush Administration in order to save the world from Communism, ummm, I mean Terrorism.
For better or worse all of the other books I've read on the Vietnam war fall into two categories: The "Minute History of ..." and the "My personal Hell in ...." The problem with the former is that most people either don't have the patience or the desire to wade through all of the excrutiating details that went into the Vietnam war, and since any good history necessarily contains at least a majority of such unsavory bits, all of the 'good' histories of Vietnam rarely, I suspect, get finished. Plus, even when well-done the story is told with such detachment that the reader's mind often wanders while his eyes glide over the text. The problem with the latter style of narrative is that the events contained within are of such a narrow scope that no matter how powerful and well-written (see 'Rumor of a War' by Caputo, and 'A Boy's War' by Wolf, for instance), they are mere pinhole theatre. 'Reporting Vietnam' is unique, enlightening and vital because of the following factors. First, the editors chose to paint a broad canvas of the war by choosing articles that tell not only firsthand of battles, POW camp, campaigns and day to day life but also of home such as the events of and reactions to the Kent State incident, a soldier's return to "the world," and from Norman Mailer, his account of a Vietnam protest in Washington, D.C. The volume also contains extended essays upon the history of Vietnam, its social structures, the conduct of the war and politics (in both USA and in Vietnam), the living conditions and infrastructure of both South and North Vietnam, reportage on the military excursions into Laos and Cambodia, and the effect that the protracted conflict has on tribespeople, peasants, urban dwellers, etc. If one reads this book without more, he will be rewarded with page after page of top notch and fascinating writing. If one chooses to seek answers to common complaints and unspoken questions of history regarding this war, I believe that he'll find some answers. For instance, one of the most common complaints we hear from the diehards (inevitably nonparticipants?) is that we didn't win because we didn't go all out. An answer is found in the article by one of LBJ's personal secretary's on his discussions with her about the war. To wit, only the loonies seriously contemplated nuclear strikes and there was an ever-present threat that some escalation of the war would be the trigger-point for a world war with either or both the USSR and PRC. Also, we really, really were fighting all-out every time our young men and women were out there fighting (at least until the Nixon administration) and it is an insult to any who served in Vietnam to argue differently. An uspoken question never asked or answered in my presence is why didn't the South fight? The easy answer to this is that, of course the South fought, they just were overwhelmed by the Communists. The more compelling answer which this book satisfactorily demonstrates is that the social structure and politics of South Vietnam were fundamentally incapable of sustaining protracted, successful war-winning conflict due to its inherent weaknesses (an "absence of ideology, tradition or a coherent nationalism" says Peter Braestrup in one article). Finally, the question of whether we won or lost the war. To put it succinctly, however inaccurately, we won every battle we fought, North Vietnam won everywhere else. Finally, I believe that this book will lead one to the conclusion that the USA has once again set itself up for the very hard, obviously thankless and ultimately impossible task of saving the world from terrorism by sending US men and women to occupy foreign soil for these stated aims. I base my belief on the contents of 'Reporting Vietnam' which convincingly demonstrate that ultimately no war can be won by proxy, and an occupying power's efforts and accomplishments are always temporary and superficial until and unless the proxy population take to heart the aims of the intervening power's program. This was not done in South Vietnam, I doubt it is being done successfully in the Middle East.
Average customer rating:
- On Intolerance
- The Best Milton is Ackroyd's
- Typical Ackroyd; brilliant premise, unremarkable book
- Intriguing, compelling, brilliant writing and construction.
|
Milton in America
Peter Ackroyd
Manufacturer: Nan A. Talese
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 British
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| 18th Century
| 19th Century
| 20th Century
| Classics
| Contemporary
| General
| Historical
| Humor
| Letters & Correspondence
| Middle
| Old
| Poetry
| Renaissance
| Shakespeare
| Short Stories
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Literary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Historical
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Ackroyd, Peter
| ( A )
| Authors, A-Z
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0385477082
Release Date: 1997-03-17 |
Amazon.com
The poet John Milton was a difficult man who lived in difficult times. A republican at the time of the restoration of Charles II to the throne, the blind Milton found himself summarily bounced from his job, tossed into prison, and threatened with execution before he was eventually released. Despite his troubles, or perhaps because of them, it was in this tumultuous time that Milton created his enduring masterpiece Paradise Lost. But what if he hadn't? What if, instead of pouring his creative energies into poetry, Milton had followed a different path, say, to America? This is the premise of Peter Akroyd's novel, Milton in America.
In Milton in America the poet flees England for the New World, where he proceeds to establish a Puritan community and to become increasingly obsessed and repressive as years go by. Milton's madness reaches a bloody climax when a group of Roman Catholics sets up a settlement nearby. Admirers of Ackroyd's previous works will find this one intriguing; admirers of the historical Milton might well be outraged by this radical revision of the great man's life.
Book Description
When Peter Ackroyd, one of Britain's undisputed literary masters, writes a new novel, it is a literary event. With his last novel, The Trial of Elizabeth Cree, "as gripping and ingenious a murder mystery as you could hope to come across," in the words of the San Francisco Chronicle, he reached a whole new level of critical and popular success. Now, with his trademark blending of historical fact and fictive fancy, Ackroyd has placed the towering poet of Paradise Lost in the new Eden that is colonial America.
John Milton, aging, blind, fleeing the restoration of English monarchy and all the vain trappings that go with it ("misrule" in his estimation), comes to New England, where he is adopted by a community of fellow puritans as their leader. With his enormous powers of intellect, his command of language, and the awe the townspeople hold him in, Milton takes on absolute power. Insisting on strict and merciless application of puritan justice, he soon becomes, in his attempt at regaining paradise, as much a tyrant as the despots from whom he and his comrades have sought refuge, more brutal than the "savage" native Americans.
As always, Ackroyd has crafted a thoroughly enjoyable novel that entertains while raising provocative questions--this time about America's founding myths. With a resurgence of interest in the puritans (in the movie adaptations of The Scarlet Letter and the forthcoming The Crucible), Milton in America is particularly relevant. It is also entirely absorbing--in short, vintage Ackroyd.
Customer Reviews:
On Intolerance.......2003-06-01
"Milton in America" is another piece of historical fiction by Peter Ackroyd, in which John Milton, accompanied by the boy Goosequill, flees England in 1660 for the sanctuary of America.
Milton swiftly becomes the leading light of the Puritan settlement he (somewhat fortuitously) arrives at. The Brethren rename the settlement "New Milton" in his honour. However, tensions arise, not only between the native Americans and the Puritans, but also between the Puritans and a neighbouring group of Catholic settlers.
"Milton in America" is at times funny, ironic and tragic. The main part of the plot revolves around the irony that Milton's flight from religious persecution does nothing to stop him resurrecting religious intolerance (that is, his own) in the New World. As such, the novel is a critique both of religious intolerance and of the oppressive nature of organised religions. It's much less of an historical mystery than Ackroyd's other novels, much more of a morality tale. Very well written, entertaining and thought-provoking.
G Rodgers
The Best Milton is Ackroyd's.......2000-03-15
I'll leave it to other reviewers to summarize the plot of this excellent novel, instead calling your attention to the significant episode when Milton disappears from his Puritan village for 6 weeks, regains his lost sight, and is welcomed as an equal when adopted by an native tribe--whose mysterious animism he, in turn, adopts. We see a great 17th-century intellect overwhelmed by a 21st-century spirituality, and we contemplate the structure of faith, intellect, history and truth. Structure is a theme, too, as again Ackroyd's modus operandi is a strand of narratives and narrators whose knot of stories are worth the reader's untying. Of course, Ackroyd's protagonist is a Milton, not the Milton; and this Milton is a doer, not a writer. As another English revolutionary, GBS's John Tanner, said, "He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches." So the novel never mentions "Paradise Lost" because Ackroyd's Milton has come to America to regain the paradise--to `do' paradise--rather than stagnate in Restoration London to teach about a paradise in an epic poem. To take off from Stanley Fish's title on "Paradise Lost," we are surprised by Milton's virtue when he becomes our post-Christian co-religionist. By far, this is Ackroyd's best book from the 14 novels, biographies and critical studies of his that I've read. And the best Milton I've read in a many a year.
Typical Ackroyd; brilliant premise, unremarkable book.......1999-08-16
Peter Ackroyd has a frustrating habit of taking absolutely wonderful premises, such as this one, and turning them into quite dull books. Occasionally he writes wonderfully, but he appears to have no idea of human emotion, and as normal his characters here are like stilted wooden puppets.
Intriguing, compelling, brilliant writing and construction........1998-07-22
This is a wonderful book: Ackroyd at his intriguing and often ambivalent best. It is interesting from an English point of view because, after exciting and unpredictable opening chapters which deal with Milton's (fictional) flight from England to the "New World", it finally resolves into a conflict between a narrow-minded Puritan community led by a hideously bigotted Milton and a Catholic community nearby. Milton's bitter single-mindedness and ruthless determination to wipe out the "Roman Whoremaster" (Ralph Kempis) and his Catholic community is masterfully drawn by Ackroyd. The contrast he draws between a tolerant, easy-going Catholic settlement and the fanatically bigotted Puritans leave one in little doubt as to where Ackroyd's sympathies lay.
From an English point of view, particularly, it is fascinating to recall that at the period in which the book is set England had just replaced a Protestant (Puritan) Commonwealth with a Protestant Monarchy ! (Charles 2nd). Obviously, any Protestant community, even one which not many years previously had lopped off the king's head, would be preferable to the hated Catholics. Thus the New England militia were called out to support the 'bigotted' Puritans rather than the 'enlightened' Catholics. What if they'd backed the Catholics?
Altogether an excellent, intriguing, funny, moving and ultimately poignant book. Wonderfully written. Read it.
Amazon.com
The follow up to his best-selling Nathaniel's Nutmeg, Giles Milton's Big Chief Elizabeth is a sprawling, ambitious tale of how the aristocrats and privateers of Elizabethan England reached and colonized the "wild and barbarous shores" of the New World. Milton's story ranges from John Cabot's voyage to America in 1497 to the painful but ultimately successful foundation of the English colony at Jamestown by 1611. However, the main focus of the book is Sir Walter Raleigh's elaborate and tortuous attempts to establish an English settlement on Roanoke Island, in present-day North Carolina, following the first English voyage there in 1584. Scouring contemporary travel accounts of the period, Milton creates a colorful and entertaining account of the greed, confusion, and misunderstanding that characterized English relations with the Native Americans, and the violent and tragic conflict that often ensued.
Milton has a good eye for a surreal or comical story, such as the colony's first encounter with Big Chief--or Weroanza Wingina, whose exotic title "quickly captured the imagination of the English colonists, and they began referring to their own queen as Weroanza Elizabeth." The Elizabethan cast is also dazzling: the flamboyant and ambitious Walter Raleigh, who provided the money behind the Roanoke ventures; the "sober" ascetic scholar Thomas Hariot, who provided the brains; and hardened adventurers, like Arthur Barlowe and Ralph Lane, who provided the muscle. The myths and stories also come thick and fast, from John Smith and Pocahontas, to the importation of the fashion of "drinking tobacco," but the problem with Big Chief Elizabeth is that it lacks a central driving story. In the end, it reads like an entertaining, but rather labored jog through early Anglo-American history, something that has been done with greater skill and originality by, for one, Charles Nicholl in his fascinating book The Creature in the Map. Those who enjoyed Nathaniel's Nutmeg will probably like Big Chief Elizabeth, but with some reservations. --Jerry Brotton, Amazon.co.uk
Book Description
In April 1586, Queen Elizabeth I acquired a new and exotic title. A tribe of Native Americans had made her their weroanza—a word that meant "big chief". The news was received with great joy, both by the Queen and her favorite, Sir Walter Ralegh. His first American expedition had brought back a captive, Manteo, who caused a sensation in Elizabethan London. In 1587, Manteo was returned to his homeland as Lord and Governor, with more than one hundred English men, women, and children. In 1590, a supply ship arrived at the colony to discover that the settlers had vanished.
For almost twenty years the fate of Ralegh's colonists was to remain a mystery. When a new wave of settlers sailed to America to found Jamestown, their efforts to locate the lost colony were frustrated by the mighty chieftain, Powhatan, father of , who vowed to drive the English out of America. Only when it was too late did the settlers discover the incredible news that Ralegh's colonists had survived in the forests for almost two decades before being slaughtered in cold blood by henchmen. While Sir Walter Ralegh's "savage" had played a pivotal role in establishing the first English settlement in America, he had also unwittingly contributed to one of the earliest chapters in the decimation of the Native American population. The mystery of what happened to these colonists who seemed to vanish without a trace lies at the heart of this well-researched work of narrative history.
Download Description
*Big Chief Elizabeth* is the swashbuckling story of the extraordinary attempts by English adventurers to claim, divide, and colonize what would be the biggest jewel in Queen Elizabeth's crown: North America.
Customer Reviews:
Both educational and entertaining.......2007-01-01
Big Chief Elizabeth is a non-fiction account of the English colonization of America. It's such a fast-paced and entertaining story that it reads more like fiction at times. I found it difficult to put down.
The story draws from historical accounts of the English efforts to colonize America, frequently citing journals, government papers and long-forgotten texts. The central character in the story is Sir Walter Ralegh, who was a hugely important figure in Elizabethan England and devoted to establishing an English colony in America. The first attempts, in the area that is now North Carolina's Outer Banks, are disatrous. It's amazing to a modern reader how badly organized and poorly thought out these missions were. And yet the determination and bravery of the settlers is incredible. These people went to America knowing full well that they would likely die there and never see England or their families again. Giles Milton paints a very vivid picture of the English bumbling and fumbling on the edges of an unknown continent.
The founding and fate of the Roanoke and Jamestown colonies are covered in depth and make for fascinating reading. I learned quite a bit about the earliest history of the English in America and thoroughly enjoyed this book.
The best history book on the various early colonists..........2005-07-11
I got this book, and after reading the first chapter, I was hooked and had to read it through. This is really a fascinating read on the early settlers. There are some gory parts in it and one can almost feel what they went through with the horrors of being on an unknown land and at the same time you get the history of what was happening in England...I highly recommend this book for those who love history.
--Swashbuckling adventures--.......2005-06-15
BIG CHIEF ELIZABETH is wonderful. It combines history with awesome stories of real people. The book covers the exploits of famous adventurers like John Cabot, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, Thomas Harriot, Ralph Lane, Sir Walter Raleigh, John Smith and Indian princess Pocahontas.
The Lost Colony of Roanoke is discussed with detail. Beginning with the place to site the colony, the way the colonists were selected, what craftsmen were required, and the amount of food the settlers would need to have in order to survive. They had to take food that would last until they could plant and harvest there own crops. Food was a constant problem for the settlers and they often had to bargain with the local Indians for grain.
The relationship that the English had with the Indians was often very difficult. It seemed that the Indians felt that the settlers were greedy and were always asking for help with something that they needed. The Indians were not far from the truth, because many of the colonists were hoping to make a fortune in the New World. When the Indians introduced them to tobacco, the English loved smoking and realized that they could become rich growing the plant, and sending the leaves to England. Thus, was the beginning of a truly addictive habit that has lasted for hundreds of years.
I've always been intrigued by the story of the Lost Colony, and this book gave a lot of information about the colonists and provided a plausible explanation as to what probably happened to them. Now, I'm hoping to visit Roanoke Island and see the actual site of the colony.
The book's title is derived from the story itself. When the colonists met the most powerful Indian chief in their area, who was named Weroanza Wingina, they learned that it translated to Big Chief. Then, they began referring to Queen Elizabeth by the same title. BIG CHIEF ELIZABETH is a treasure of fascinating reading! If you enjoy history, you'll like this book.
History at its goriest.......2005-05-17
It's just a good book. 'Hightechrefugee' (one or two reviewers down) gives a fair analysis re its thoroughness and seriousness as a work of history, but if one reads the book on the lighter side, as is intended, then it makes for a great yarn. Read hightechrefugee's review, as he presents the book in a remarkably true and accurate light, but balance this with the realisation that Big Chief Elizabeth is still a fantastic read with heaps of things to discover along the way.
Having read three of Milton's books, I find it interesting that Milton considers himself a specialist in something along the lines of oceanic adventure and discovery. This is factually true, for sure, but in my opinion he is far more the specialist in describing overly gory details. This book is not for those who cannot stomach too many highly detailed descriptions of horrendously painful tortures and the like. Still, with most of us being fully anaesthetised to these things by way of contemporary media, this shouldn't be much of a problem, but be warned. (Violent movies sell tickets, so you're sold already, I'm sure.) Also, some people may not be ready to have their idealised 'Disney' version of Pocahontas and friends so severely mauled. Pocahontas remains cool, but her friends and family... I shudder to recall! (Okay, so order the book then.)
Big Chief Elizabeth presents an informal look at history, but I have faith in both Milton's experience and his credentials, and I think he is more than just a little above the 'amateur historian'. His writing is full of details, and he paints a lusty picture of Elizabethan times. Throughout this journey we also catch wind (or gale) of a few other things that happened during this period, such as a visit to England by the Spanish Armada, and so this highly colourful book plants seed after seed in one's imagination for the times. This was the first of Milton's books that I read, and I now continue to read them whenever I can get my hands on them. Light history, sure; but surely satisfying nevertheless to history-buffs as well as to people who simply love good adventure tales.
Readable, entertaining summary -- nothing more.......2004-05-24
Think of this book as the equivalent of sitting down with a good friend, one who fancies himself an amateur historian, and having him tell you what he knows of the early British attempts at colonization of North America. Your friend is obviously well-read, organizes his thoughts effectively, and most importantly knows how to tell a good story. There is of course no time for footnotes and you're too polite to interrupt with questions like "how do you know that?" Oddly, he's come prepared with more than a few fascinating prints apparently of engravings illustrating various events in his story, but he never finds time to tell you where they're from.
A pleasant evening ensues and you get an entertaining, panoramic view of the progression of English forays across the Atlantic from the years 1536 through Sir Walter Raleigh's death on the chopping-block in 1618. Although he begins with "let me tell you the story of Big Chief Elizabeth", the queen herself gets only passing mentions from your friend, and his story lasts well into the reign of James I. When he finishes, you have many questions, but he quickly packs up his engravings, gives you the names of a few books to check out from the library, and departs. You think, maybe I will get those other books.
British author Giles Milton begins with the rather comical story of Richard Hore, who financed and led a two-ship adventure to the Labrador coast in 1536. Hore and his compatriots gave no thought beforehand to their route or to how much provisioning they might need for their voyage. Of course, the attempt ends badly. In a foretaste of minor frustrations ahead for the reader, author Milton relates the fate of only one of the ships.
A few other faltering attempts to exploit the New World are described, but it's only when Sir Walter Ralegh enters the picture that Milton's story gains its true focus. (Milton chooses the spelling "Ralegh" from among the many alternatives that the courtier himself utilized --- which did not, according to the author, include "Raleigh".) From hereon, the book could be read as a Ralegh biography.
The Ralegh-sponsored Roanoke colony, with its fate still cloaked in mystery, is the most compelling part of this story. Milton's approach is to first recount the known facts in as uncomplicated a way as possible. This proves beneficial, as the many books written specifically to solve the mystery of disappearance have too often made it seem only more impenetrable. (See especially the captivating yet maddening "Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony" by Lee Miller.) Later, in a somewhat dogmatic Epilogue, Milton lays out what he believes happened to those colonists. Although he makes only an abbreviated attempt to cite authorities and to prove his case, I found his explanation consistent with the best-established facts and therefore convincing.
But before that Epilogue, Milton continues the story with his version of the Jamestown saga, with attendant profiles of John Smith, Powhatan, Pocahontas, and others. This section is workmanlike, adding neither new insights nor detail to this oft-recounted part of colonial history.
There are two maps, acceptable in themselves, but leaving unanswered many questions of geographical detail important to the accounts. This shortcoming, the lack of footnotes, and the rudimentary bibliography relegate the book to one of only passing interest. As a readable introduction to and summary of the history of early English colonization - a place where the best stories of the period are gathered together in an entertaining recounting - the book serves its purpose well. But go elsewhere for a more rigorous study.
Book Description
The fight over the League of Nations at the end of World War I was one of the great political debates of the American twentieth century. President Woodrow Wilson, himself a key architect of the League, was uncompromising in his belief that the United States would rise to a position of leadership in the peaceful union of states that he had envisaged. A masterful politician and distinguished theorist, Wilson was unprepared for the persuasiveness of his opponents and the potency of their argument. Though he struggled tirelessly in the summer of 1919 to drum popular and political support for the League, he could not keep pace: he suffered a disabling stroke in July. The United States Senate ultimately rejected membership in the League, and the League failed to realize its diplomatic potential. In this engaging narrative, John Cooper relates the story of Wilson's battle for the League with sympathy, accuracy, and a deep understanding of the times. John Milton Cooper, Jr., is E. Gordon Fox Professor of American Institutions at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He has held Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships and served as a Fulbright Professor at Moscow University. His previous books inlcude The Warrior and the Priest (Harvard University Press, 1985) and Pivotal Decades (Norton, 1992). Cooper is Chief Historian of the forthcoming biography of Woodrow Wilson on American Experience, which will be broadcast by PBS in 2002.
Customer Reviews:
An essential volume in the study of Wilson.......2002-10-11
Breaking the Heart of the World is the most complete study of Woodrow Wilson and the "League Fight" since Thomas Bailey's Woodrow Wilson and the Great Betrayal and WW and the Lost Peace. Professor Cooper eloquently retells the events from Wilson's return from Paris to his infamous stroke, and finally toward his fall from grace. Cooper has read everything and includes everything that is important to the fight. No one knows Woodrow Wilson better. And what you take away from Breaking the Heart of the World is a better knowledge for why the United States did not join the League of Nations in addition to an understanding of Wilson's personality and immense intelligence and foresight. Indeed Wilson saw that need for a League of Nations. America was just not ready for an international league to enforce peace. World War Two would make this clear. Professor Cooper also presents an unbiased account of Wilson. Wilson has been lauded and excoriated by historians. Cooper avoids both and instead presents the matter critically.
Also recommended: The Warrior and the Priest (John Cooper's dual biography of Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt), Woodrow Wilson and the Politics of Progressivism (Arthur Link's important volume in the New American Nation Series), Woodrow Wilson: Revolution War and Peace, by Arthur Link. These are all important books about Wilson and the Progressive era.
An essential volume in the study of Wilson.......2002-10-07
Professor Cooper's book is an essential volume in the study of an exceedingly important historical event: the failure of the United States to join the League of Nations. Cooper is incredibly unbiased in his approach neither totally defending Wilson nor constantly excoriating him. Breaking the Heart of the World extends deeply into the League debate and is a masterful example of historical research. There are so many players and therefore numerous sources to analyze in addition to the prodigious volumes of Wilson's own papers. Cooper has synthesized these and provided his audience with a rare and exceptional analysis of the events leading to the failure to join in an international League of Nations, followed by Wilson's repudiation, and more than a decade of international isolation.
Amazon.com
In the last few years, with the publication of such books as Jacques Leslie's The Mark and William Prochnau's Once Upon a Distant War, historians and former correspondents have been examining closely the role of journalism in the conduct of the Vietnam War. The two volumes of Reporting Vietnam offer a trove of material for such studies. Part One contains combat-front writing by journalists who are well known to students of Vietnam War history--Stanley Karnow, David Halberstam, Frances FitzGerald, Bernard Fall, Neil Sheehan, Ward Just, and Zalin Grant among them. The hefty volume--which runs the gamut of journalistic genres, including hard news, analysis, profiles, think pieces, and interviews--covers the home front as well, from which the likes of Norman Mailer and Tom Wolfe have their say.
The collection opens with a fairly dispassionate account from Time magazine reporting the deaths of the first U.S. military advisors in 1959; it ends with the complete text of Daniel Lang's long New Yorker piece, "Casualties of War," the basis for Brian De Palma's controversial movie of the same name. In between are accounts of battles on the streets of Chicago and the Central Highlands, studies of the rise of black-power militancy on the ever-changing front lines, and perceptive portraits of ordinary soldiers on both sides of the war. Among the book's many highlights is Neil Sheehan's memoir of his change from hawk to dove as the war progressed. "I have sometimes thought," he writes, "when a street urchin with sores covering his legs stopped me and begged for a few cents' worth of Vietnamese piastres, that he might be better off growing up as a political commissar. He would then, at least, have some self-respect." Such changing views, we can now clearly see, helped shift public opinion in the United States against the war. --Gregory McNamee
Customer Reviews:
Great articles by great reporters - but not the whole story.......2004-03-10
This volume covers the period from 1959 - 1969. This runs from roughly the beginning of American involvement (first US advisors killed) to the time public opinion moved solidly against the war. The articles included here are all of Hall of Fame caliber. The names of the reporters included read like a who's who of reporting. Almost all of these went on to huge careers and shelves full of awards. Reading the reporting included here is often chilling and terrifying and brings back a bunch of memories.
However, it is not a balanced collection. This is a collection from the side that one the public debate - the anti-war side. And that is fine. I certainly am not disparaging this volume or what is included. Just don't expect to recapture the public debate that raged in the US about the Vietnam War. This is reporting from great reporters in the field and they were largely or later moved to become strong voices against the war.
And this is print reporting (although it does include one article by Walter Cronkite). It doesn't (and can't) capture the effect the evening news reporting had on the home front. There were also big picture magazines like Life and Look that are gone now. I particularly remember an issue of Life, I think it was. It may have been Look. I am not sure. This issue included the names and faces of EVERY soldier killed or wounded that WEEK. It was pages and pages and pages of faces of young men. I was a boy then so they were just men to me. From where I sit today, however, they were just boys. All dead or maimed. It was a very powerful and the impact is cannot be captured in a book such as this. That isn't to detract from this book. It is simply that as great as this reporting was it isn't the whole story about what happened to move the public against the war.
The book includes a block of pictures of the reporters included in the book and some helpful maps of Vietnam. If you are interested in reading some great reporters writing about Vietnam at the time it was happening, this is a very fine volume. Just don't think it is all there is to know about what was said about Vietnam at the time.
Nam.......2002-03-03
A test of good reporting is the feeling that you were there after you have read the last sentence. Good reporting often translates into great literature, i.e. Hemingway, Crane, Twain. Some of the writing here is near great literature.
Pick up volume one and read "Death In the Ia Drang Valley," by Specialist 4/C Smith. Smith's story is reporting at its finest. Go to Ward Just's Reconnaissance, about the Central Highlands. Then go read the one about Con Thien, and the one about Dak To. This is good reporting.
And read Michael Kerr. He is in volume two. If you have ever read his book, Dispatches, you read the short version of what is surely the best words in the best order about Vietnam. Volume two offers the extended version of that haunting book. There are chapters here found no where else. As you read you will find yourself in Khe Sahn, Hue, Phu Bai, and DaNang. This is great writing.
These two volumes are required reading for those of us who were there and for those of us who were not there. The reporting is great. The writers are all Vietnam era writers. Halberstam, Alsop, Karnow Sheehan, Fall, Arnett, Fitzgerald. Some are easy to read. Some make demands on the reader.
Read these volumes for the quality of the writing. That should always be one of the reasons why you pick up a book. The journalism is solid.
And then read for the feeling of being there. I was "in country" from 1967 to 1968. When I am reading Kerr, I am back in Phu Bai walkimg through the wire out on patrol.
The only other book that puts you there is David Douglas Duncan's War Without Heroes. And that is a book of black and white combat photographs taken at Khe Sahn and Con Thien..
I own a lot of books by The Library of America. These two volumes are among the best by that publisher.
Spurious.......2001-04-24
You guessed it: It's the same leftist b.s. we were all taught in school. Please, I'm yawning already...
Contemporary accounts contains truth if you look for it.......2000-09-03
Reading this collection of Vietnam-era reportage from The Library of America is a stark reminder of the lasting power of the written word. Has it really been nearly a quarter-century since the black and white images of the helicopters taking off from the roof of the American Embassy faded from our television screens? Grenada, Panama, Iraq -- three wars and God knows how many humanitarian efforts (Somalia, Yugoslavia, did I miss any?)
Yet, the power of memory is such that it doesn't take much to bring it all back. Dipping into these compilations of writings about Vietnam -- the original reportage and memoirs in the Library of America volumes and the best of everything else in "The Vietnam Reader" -- shards of long-forgotten memories were struck just by reading the names of towns and villages. Khe Sahn, Haiphong: The words sound so completely alien, as if they had been coined by H.P. Lovecraft. They trigger memories of tracing the S-curve of the countries on maps in the newspapers, seeing the photographs in Life magazine -- for me, the 1960s will always be remembered as a series of black and white freeze-frames from the magazines, with color reserved only for the more silly stories found in the back of the book -- and hearing them recited on TV in the stentorian tones of Walter Cronkitethe who would recite the weekly casualty figures, printedon screen before the national flags, like baseball scores, while the family ate our meat loaf and mashed potatoes and waited for Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom to come on at 7.
Time has passed and in this media-drenched age, so much history has been created, screened and absorbed over the past quarter-century. Vietnam and Cambodia became a backwater in the American consciousness, flaring up from time to time in response to specific, finite events such as the debate over Agent Orange, the construction of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the screening of "Platoon" and "The Killing Fields," and the debate over draft evasion by Bill Clinton, Dan Quayle, Phil Gramm and Newt Gingrich.
For those of us who were not there, who can view the war almost dispassionately, it is this lack of intervening history that makes these books so powerful and painful to read. This is a chronicle of a nation marching deeper and deeper into a war that the journalists there saw as early as 1965 -- about 150 pages into two volumes that total more than 1,600 pages -- could not be won the way it was being run. Historians will probably argue eternally if it could have been won at all. The repressive and corrupt South Vietnamese government could not win enough "hearts and minds" of the people to defeat the Viet Cong, and an invasion of North Vietnam could have triggered a Korean War-style invasion from China. It took nearly a decade for the United States to find the way out of that bloody tunnel and another two decades before full diplomatic relations were reestablished.
The casualty figures fly beyond the mind's grasp: 58,000 Americans killed, 4,400 South Koreans, 500 Australians and New Zealanders, 180,000 Cambodians (with another million perishing under the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1978), a half-million South Vietnamese and an estimated 1.1 million North Vietnamese and Viet Cong.
"Reporting Vietnam" starts with Time Magazine's report on the first U.S. advisers killed in South Vietnam, then continues chronologically with the inevitability of the Zapruder film of John Kennedy's murder ride. It moves with reports from the field -- a report on a Viet Cong massacre in the Ca Mau Peninsula, Neil Sheehan's account on South Vietnamese troops refusing to fight in the battle of Ap Bac, to Joseph Alsop's profile of South Vietnam's president Ngo Diem, from the scenes in Washington of President Johnson and his advisers defending their policies to Tom Wolfe's account of Ken Kesey disrupting an anti-war rally in Berkeley and Norman Mailer's self-important essay about the March on the Pentagon.
Then there are the incidents, as bizarre as any recounted in "Apocalypse Now." The American-run television channel presenting the German opera "Hansel and Gretel" backed by the American Chamber of Commerce; Gloria Emerson reporting the idea by the head of the Civil Operations and Rural Development Support, challenging his fellow CORDS members to participate in the 1971 decathlon comprising "bridge, tennis, gin rummy, volleyball, nautical sports, Chinese chess, winetasting, close harmony, etc." (Emerson, who had spent two years in the field as a correspondent, quoted and commented on Richard Funkhouser's memo: "`It is always open house here at Bienhoa for competitors,' Funkhouser wrote, in that playful spirit so many of us in Vietnam really lacked.")
With respect to the Vietnam veteran who reviewed this collection, it should be pointed out that this is not a history book. It is a collection of contemporary articles, and as such there's nothing an editor can do to juice them up. The books are not meant to be read from front to back either. It is by dipping in and out that you can find rewarding reading.
Great Compilation!!!.......1999-06-01
For somebody who doesn't knew too much about Vietnam, this is a great beginning. Most of the articles success in give me a different view of the war. Some of them are pretty long and other ones give me the feeling that is quite repetitive. But because these are journal articles, the writing style is very simple (with the exception of a couple of them) and easy reading.
I can imagine that most of the people will want more articles from the "real action" of the war but the political analysis (which is the focus of most of the articles) is also an important aspect of every war so this book give me a lot of knowledge about it.
I think it would be better if the notes would be printed as footnotes rather than endnotes, this way it would be easy to follow them.
Book Description
She was the niece of America's Bachelor President and his official hostess in Lancaster, London and Washington. Anyone who met her was instantly enamored. Queen Victoria bestowed upon her the title "Honorary Ambassadress." The Washington press corps proclaimed her "Our Democratic Queen." She was the first White House Hostess to be called "First Lady." Ships were named after her. Songs were written about her. Women dressed like her. She was the most admired woman in the country and established a style of entertaining never before seen in the White House. And only she could get away with beating the Prince of Wales at bowling! Her life was marked by tragedy, yet she lived every day to the fullest. Her legacy lives on in Baltimore and Washington through a pediatric hospital, a school for boys, a museum of art, and a monument to James Buchanan. Thanks to her beauty, charm, and generosity of spirit, America's First Lady will always be Harriet Lane.
Customer Reviews:
I Loved the Book.......2005-07-22
This is a great book. I loved the way Mr. Stern writes, and he paints a vivid, colorful portrait of Harriet Lane. Kudos on a wonderful story of a marvelous woman. I bought five of them as gifts!
Not that interested in her story.......2005-07-20
Although the author attempted to write this book somewhat like a novel with its little narrative tidbits, I found it to be a little tedious at times. He paints Harriet Lane to be this woman everyone should bow down to and admire. Frankly, I did not care anymore about her after I read it than before I did. Her will was interesting, but then again the author did not write that. I gave it one star because all the pictures were good.
Harriet Lane, America's First Lady.......2005-04-28
This is well-written, well-researched book that reads like it's a novel. This book, by Milton Stern, outlines the life and times of Harriet Lane. You will get to know her intimately and you will be amazed at her tenacity and big heart. Mr. Stern has create a wonderful written portrait of Harriet Lane that we can all learn and benefit from.
Fun, pithy read.......2005-04-27
Stern's "Harriet Lane, America's First Lady" is entertaining as it is informative - a fun, pithy read.
From tomboy to hostess of fabulous White House parties, Ster.......2005-04-26
A delightful read. A scholarly work that reads like a novel and has plenty of footnotes for the more advanced study of American presidential history. A long overdue account of the life and times of Harriet Lane, the niece of America's only Bachelor President, James Buchanan. Stern also brings to light the very likely fact that Buchanan had a decades long homosexual relationship with Senator William Rufus Devane King. The Jackie Kennedy of antebellum America, Harriet Lane's role as lady of the house, hostess, and escort of James Buchanan enabled him to entertain as Senator, Ambassador, and President of the United States. A sexy, athletic and cultured woman, adored by high society, and an outspoken supporter of the poor, sick, and enslaved, Harriet Lane was a real doer in philanthropy. "Harriet Lane, America's First Lady" is a must read for anyone interested in American women's history.
Average customer rating:
|
Ain't Gonna Study War No More: The Story of America's Peace Seekers
Milton Meltzer
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Teens
| Subjects
| Books
| Authors, A-Z
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Health, Mind & Body
| History & Historical Fiction
| Horror
| Literature & Fiction
| Manga
| Mysteries
| Reference
| Religion & Spirituality
| School & Sports
| Science & Technology
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Series
| Social Issues
Other
| Biographies
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Social Issues
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| United States
| History & Historical Fiction
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0375822607
Release Date: 2002-07-23 |
Book Description
The Story of America’s Peace Seekers
While terrorists kill in pursuit of their goals, there are people whose goal is never to kill, no matter what the situation. Here, Milton Meltzer explores Americans’ long tradition of pacifism. From the Quakers of colonial times to the conscientious objectors of Vietnam, Americans have risked much to stand against violence in any and every form. First published in 1985, Ain’t Gonna Study War No More is now fully updated and revised by the author.
Book Description
He was the only president from Pennsylvania. He was the last president to be born in the eighteenth century. He was the last of the Federalist Era presidents. He was the eighth in a line of successive one-term presidents. He was the last president to serve before the Civil War. Inaugurated in 1857, he was the last Democrat to serve as chief executive until President Grover Cleveland took the oath of office in 1885. His niece would be the first woman to be referred to as First Lady. She would establish a style that would not be witnessed again until the Kennedy administration in the 1960s. He was our only bachelor president. His closest friend for nearly twenty years would be our only bachelor vice president. He may have been a homosexual. He was blamed for the Civil War. After his death, she would continue in public life, establishing a pediatric center, a national gallery, a boy's school and a monument in his honor. He was the fifteenth president of the United States, and she was his official hostess and the envy of every woman in America. He was James Buchanan, and she was Harriet Lane.
Customer Reviews:
Educational, thorough and well researched.......2005-04-14
This author knows his history, and he has an excellent grasp of what made Buchanan tick. I have just finished reading his second book, Harriet Lane, America's First Lady, and it is extremely entertaining and informative. I wish I had a chance to meet James Buchanan and Harriet Lane.
Great resource on the lives of James Buchanan & Harriet Lane.......2004-10-21
What a great resource on the interesting lives of the fifteenth President of the United States and his niece, the first woman to be called First Lady, Harriet Lane. There is an enormous amount of new material in the book, including never before published letters and other documents. I really enjoyed all the author's facts and other tidbits of interesting information.
I understand he is working on his second book, an extensive biography of Harriet Lane and her life after the White House.
I am looking forward to it.
Books:
- After the Quake: Stories
- An Indian Summer: The 1957 Milwaukee Braves, Champions of Baseball
- Antony and Cleopatra (Arden Shakespeare: Third Series)
- Asterix and the Falling Sky (Asterix)
- At Home in Mitford
- Blood Done Sign My Name: A True Story
- Bridge to Terabithia
- Brother Odd (Odd Thomas Novels)
- Brother Odd (Odd Thomas Novels)
- Can I Keep My Jersey?: 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism
- Lawrence Sanders McNally's Bluff
- Earth Shelter Technology
- Federal Courts: Low & Jefferies
- History: Fiction or Science
- History: Fiction or Science
- Grifter's Game
- Sketching and Rendering of Interior Spaces
- Design Paradigms: A Sourcebook for Creative Visualization
- The Main Corpse
The Stars: A New Way to See Them
The Book of Constellations: Discover the Secrets in the Stars
Find the Constellations
National Audubon Society Pocket Guide to Constellations of the Northern Skies (National Audubon Society Pocket Guides)
Star Maps for Beginners: 50th Anniversary Edition
