Simply Safari

Amazon.com

In our culture, the word safari--which means journey in Swahili--conjures exotic images: romantic treks across desert plains rife with wild animals, journeys through dense jungles and down winding rivers, and the stylish indulgence popularized by early explorers like Captain William Cornwallis and depicted in movies like Out of Africa. Nowadays, Africa still attracts adventurous travelers who want to experience wilderness in the style of these early explorers. Lucky for them, many camps and lodges perpetuate these traditions, adopting the decorative style and offering many creature comforts to provide at once a romanticized way of "roughing it" and an experience of great luxury.

In Simply Safari, Swaziland-based wildlife photographers Daryl and Sharna Balfour illustrate a broad spectrum of architectural and decorative styles--from the more traditional to the most modern, and from the original tented safari style to motifs more reminiscent of a luxury hotel in the wild. The authors take readers on a photographic tour of 26 lodges in seven southern African states, including Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, illustrating the dynamic combination of primitive architecture and the high decorative style of European explorers. They depict romanticized versions of safari life ranging from a tree-house camp in Zambia, high on the banks of the Zambezi River, to the air-conditioned luxury of South Africa's Shamwari Lodge.

Botswana's Abu Camp on the Okavango Delta offers lavishly furnished tents with polished teak floors, a custom-made mahogany sleigh bed, and solid brass and copper bathtubs imported from Italy. Sossusvlei, Ongava, and Skeleton Coast safari camps in Namibia avoid competing with the stunning setting by relying on the simplicity of raw materials and natural textures. Combinations of vibrant earth tones and natural materials such as canvas, wood, stone, and thatch blend effortlessly to delight the eye without detracting from the views beyond.

Sumptuous photographs and inspiring text will entice those who want to transform their homes--whether city apartments or rambling country spreads--into exotic retreats that call to mind these breathtaking African locales. A handy source list is included to make it easy for readers to find many of the home furnishings pictured. Contact information for the featured lodges is included for those inspired to experience safari life firsthand. --Robin Donovan

Book Description

Born out of the landscape of the African savanna, safari style is a dynamic combination of primitive architecture and the high decorative style of European explorers in Africa. From tree-house camps and thatched bungalows to lodges akin to small luxury hotels in the wild, the 26 lodges featured in this volume come from the southern African states of Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Earthy color palettes, patterns, and textures are paired with the luxury and sensuality associated with the colonial safari to give us a romanticized version of "roughing it."

Accompanying 200 glowing color photographs is a inspiring text that will entice any home decorator into transforming a city apartment or country house into a home reminiscent of any of these African locales.

Lodge addresses are provided for the intrepid traveler, and a source list makes it easy to find everything you need to recreate an African atmosphere with elegance, simplicity, and vitality.

Customer Reviews:

~Simply Safari is simply,B-e-a-t-u-i-f-u-l ~.......2007-03-28

This book is sooo absolutely amazing. I looked through this book & was in AWE with how B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l-l-y put together it is!

There are gorgeous photographs of 26 lodges of the southern African states from: Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia & Zimbabwe! You will enjoy looking & reading through this book time after time.

The wonderful picture's in this book will inspire you if your are decorating or wanting to decorate in African Safari, British Colonial or just wanting to add a splash of Safari to your life. Obviously there are items that you cannot get easily in America, but some of idea's in this book can be found @ Cost-Plus World Market or Pier1 Imports!

I ordered this book along with "Safari Chic" & although both books are wonderful, "Simply Safari" is my personal favorite!! It is a large book, ALMOST: 10x13" & has 192 pages (including addresses & index in case you decide to visit these lodges).

I think you'll be super happy with this book ... I am!

Highly recommended.......2002-04-04

This is a book that captures the beauty of elegance in the wilderness. The photographs are impressive and, together with intelligently written text, successfully convey the ambiance of those lodges and tent camps shown.

Lovely to look at..........2001-05-24

I loved the first half of this book. It's filled with dreamy mosquito netted fantasy rooms and is a real delight to look at. The second half,in general, seemed to feature more contrived sort of interiors, a little bit too over the top for me. Overall a really pretty book full of lovely pictures and a totally different world. A must for anyone with rustic/tribal/colonial sort of tendencies. I must admit I haven't read a great deal of the text yet so I can't comment on that, but it's the pictures that make this sort of book worthwhile and there are plenty of those.

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A Painterly Approach
Mary Beth McKenzie
Manufacturer: Watson-Guptill Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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A Painterly Approach
McKenzie Mary Beth
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ASIN: B000UIH7RQ

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A PAINTERLY APPROACH Working in a Broader, More Abstract Way in Oil, Pastel and Monotype
Mary Beth McKenzie
Manufacturer: Watson-Guptill Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JV5NVQ

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A PAINTERLY APPROACH Working in a Broader, More Abstract Way in Oil, Pastel and Monotype
Mary Beth McKenzie
Manufacturer: Watson-Guptill Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JV5R4O

Customer Reviews:

A Shaker Sisterês vision on plants.......2000-12-28

Maybe the Shakerês visions of the "spiritual world" shaped Sister Sarleês perception of the "natural world" and therefore influenced her nice, simple, stylized drawings. On stressing the straight stalks and the symmetry of every plant she captures the essence of each species. I like the a little bit naive-looking illustrations very much because of their honesty and purity. The plants are well-arranged on every page, with a certain economy of layout, which fits into the Shaker-philosophy. I think in some way Sister Helenaês spirit lives on in these prettily-drawn illustrations that can please both- flower lovers and botanists.

Shaker Life, Art, and Architecture : Hands to Work, Hearts to God

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Deceptive marketing

Shaker Life, Art, and Architecture : Hands to Work, Hearts to God
Scott T. Swank
Manufacturer: Abbeville Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0789203588

Book Description

In this pioneering study, historian Scott T. Swank reveals the links between the daily life of the Shakers in their planned religious communitites and their artand architecture.

As the Director of Canterbury Shaker Village, the author has had unlimited access to the Village's archives, resources, and grounds, examining papers and artifacts, exploring the 25 remaining buildings, and experiencing the seasons. He has literally been able to walk in the footpaths of the Canterbury Shakers, whose community remained prominent for 200 years. It is one of the oldest, most typical, and most completely preserved of all the Shaker villages, the only community with an intact first-generation meetinghouse and first dwelling house on their original sites. The result of the author's painstaking research and close observation is this perceptive book, filled with discoveries, presentingthe full sweep of Shaker art and architecture in the context of a specific Shaker community in Canterbury, New Hampshire.

Two centuries ago, the Shakers established America's most successful communal societies. They lived in isolated, rural villages, pursuing work and worship in communitieswhere religion, social behavior, and environmental design were constructed as a harmonious whole. These utopian communities were regulated by "gospel order" which assured their members that their disciplined lives were in harmony with God's will. In these spiritual havens, they endeavored to accomplish their founder's twin mandates,"Hands to work, hearts to God."

Shaker designs have endured long after the communities that created them have passed from the American scene. Shaker style, encompassing all elements of art and architecture, has been greatly esteemed for its craftsmanship, sense of proportion, simplicity, and practicality. The author's well researched text, detailed captions, and excerptsfrom diaries and letters bring life to the legacy of Shaker objects as well as to the architecture. He also provides a time line, a bibliography, and notes.

Accompanying the text are 250 illustrations including 150 in color principally by Bill Finney, who has been photographing Canterbury for over twenty years. There are alsohistorical pictures and maps and newly created plans and diagrams.

This insightful book should especially interest collectors, historians, interior designers, and architects, giving readers a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Shakers'artistic legacy.

Other Details:250 illustrations, 150 in full color240 pages10 x 10"Published 1999

Customer Reviews:

Deceptive marketing.......2000-04-23

I had no idea this book only covers the former Shaker village at Canterbury, New Hampshire. The title and cover of this book indicates a comprehensive treatment of Shaker buildings, not just one village. None of the info available . . . amazon.com indicated the true nature of this book. This is a real problem with buying books sight-unseen from internet booksellers. Nonetheless, this is a good book about Canterbury. But some of the finest Shaker buildings are in Kentucky, and the only buildings still inhabited by modern Shakers are in Maine. All these and more are in Julie Nicoletta's definitive book, "The Architecture of the Shakers." It's also a better price!

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Connecting the spiritual with the temporal
Connecting the spiritual with the temporal
A beautiful book...

Shaker: Life, Work and Art
June Sprigg , and David Larkin
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0810982145

Book Description

Although only a handful of the Brothers and Sisters of America's unique Shaker community are left, the Shaker legacy lives on in the architecture, furniture, crafts, and inventions they created. Shakers were famous for their unusual way of life, for the excellence and simplicity of their work, and for the dance worship from which they drew their name. A comprehensive and insightful text discusses the origins and beliefs, the work and daily life of these remarkable people, and more than 200 full-color photographs taken especially for this book by Michael Freeman richly illustrate their environment and creativity. More than a book of architecture and design, Shaker: Life, Work and Art is a celebration of this fascinating American society and a tribute to their pursuit of perfection.

Customer Reviews:

Connecting the spiritual with the temporal.......2003-06-30

June Sprigg's great introduction to the Shakers has happily been reprinted. It is a most beautiful book.

It's rare that something that looks at first glance like a "coffee table book" that should be admired largely for its pictures but that also contains such a thoughtful and illuminating text.

There is no other book that shows as clearly how the Shakers connected practicality and simplicity with elegance and harmony of design. The photographs are subtle, understated but quite lovely to linger over.

It's easy to dismiss the Shakers as a fringe group, and few up us would embrace their doctrine of celibacy. But June Sprigg documents the appeal of their fundamental values: Do all your work as if it was to last for 1,000 years, but live your life as if you knew that the Judgment Day was coming tomorrow. Her ability to articulate this apparent paradox makes this a spiritually moving book.

Buy it as a gift for anyone interested in design, or with a serious interest in religion. And be sure to order two copies--you'll want one yourself.

Connecting the spiritual with the temporal.......2003-06-30

June Sprigg's great introduction to the Shakers has happily been reprinted. It is a most beautiful book.

It's rare that something that looks at first glance like a "coffee table book" that should be admired largely for its pictures but that also contains such a thoughtful and illuminating text.

Buy it as a gift for anyone interested in design, or with a serious interest in religion. And be sure to order two copies--you'll want one yourself.

A beautiful book..........2000-04-06

Shaker: Life, Work and Art is a beautiful book. I first saw acopy several years ago and was disappointed to learn that thehardcover version was out of print. The book has short narrative sections that provide insight into Shaker history, work, and communal and spiritual life. One section captures a "typical" day in the life of the Brethren and Sisters. The enlarged font is easy on the eyes and the top of each narrative page is headed by the famous Shaker wall pegs. The narrative sections are separated by numerous pages of high quality, well-captioned color photographs of Shaker crafts, furniture, and architecture. Lots of beautiful pictures! The Shakers legacy still seems to have a profound impact on our contemporary lives in spite of (or perhaps because of) the simplicity of their work and their unusual communal way of life. Although this book does not present a comprehensive history of the Shakers, it does an admirable job of providing an insight into the lives of these interesting people. This book is deserving of any coffee table and should get a lot of attention in your household. END

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SHAKER. Life, Work and Art
June and LARKIN, David SPRIGG
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000J03OJU

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Shaker: Life, Work, And Art
June And David Larkin Sprigg
Manufacturer: David Larkin Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JGJ5JM

In the eye of eternity: Shaker life and the work of Shaker hands

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In the eye of eternity: Shaker life and the work of Shaker hands
Theodore Elliot Johnson
Manufacturer: The University of Southern Maine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006YXFHU

Shaker : Life, Work, and Art (A David Larkin Book)

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Shaker : Life, Work, and Art (A David Larkin Book)
June; Larkin, David Sprigg
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LPTD84

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Shaker: Life, Work, & Art
June & Larkin, David Sprigg
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OLTAT2

Book Description

This biography chronicles the professional life of Arthur Preuss, an American Catholic journalist of German descent who, in his day, was perhaps the most important Catholic journalist in America. Through the pages of his journal, the Fortnightly Review and other works, Arthur Preuss provides an informative interpretation of issues related to German-American integration into American society and the German Catholic contribution to the Catholic Church in the United States.

Book Description

You?ve probably noticed that it?s difficult to find entirely objective and pertinent information on timesharing That is, until now! This book is a concise, reasonable, and as far as possible unbiased guide for consumers, presenting them available data, analysis, facts, and trends to let them finally makes their own decisions. Recent books on the topic, though remarkably well written, do not cover the buyer?s point of view. And, few authors may be involved in rendering legal, accounting, or marketing counsel to the industry, while positions overly critical are withheld or subdued. By reviewing what?s been written before, this book sets the stage for understanding the timesharing concept and technique, and helps the consumers in making a sound decision in buying or not buying a timeshare. Many of the controversies surrounding timesharing could be avoided if consumers were better informed.

Customer Reviews:

A decent primer.......2007-07-24

Unfortunately, there aren't too many books about timeshares right now that cater to the consumer. This book is a decent start for anyone interested in learning about time shares from the consumer's perspective. Michael Strauss goes over many of the topics that are important to a first time buyer such as scams to look out for, what to expect from the salespeople, timeshare varities and their pluses/minuses, etc.

One of the main drawbacks of this book is that parts of it read like a rough draft. I would compare it to a lecturer who just starts talking about a given topic for a few hours. Although it is fine for a lecture, it results in a book with many spelling and grammatical errors. The book also has many unfinished thoughts in his paragraphs. The book would benefit greatly for a revised edition with a focus on grammar/spelling as well as expanding on some sections.

Timeshare Condominiums for the Beginner.......2006-11-01

Good information to help investors looking at timeshares as an option for vacations.

Some good advice..........2006-09-07

I have committed to a timeshare presentation (my first!)in the near future and I needed some guidelines as what to expect. Michael Strauss' work Timeshare Condominiums for the Beginner was a rock solid fit for my needs. His straight-forward approach is what I needed to begin to feel comfortable regarding my forthcoming experience. He asks the reader to determine the intended use one has for the timeshare ( sort of implying "is a timeshare what you REALLY want?") and then proceeds to discuss objectively the "ups" and "downs" of timeshares -- how exchanges can work (and sometimes don't); the issues with long-distance travel to one's timeshare; the issues of re-sale; the availability at the appropriate time of the year -- and more. He discusses the major timeshare agencies and how they work. He expounds upon the various types of timeshare options on today's market... he even includes websites which list resale opportunities. Overall, a concise insight to the basic timeshare issues.

Some good information, very effectively disguised.......2005-10-14

It's hard to believe I read the same book as the other reviewers. While I believe there is some really useful information in this book, it is very hard to identify it. It seems every page has grammatical and spelling errors, missing words, and seemingly random thoughts assembled into a paragraph. This book could probably be one-third the size if the information was organized and presented just once instead of popping up randomly over and over.

[...] should be embarrassed by their association with this result. It shows what self-publishing can produce and shows by its absence the value of editing and proofreading.

Every little bit helps.......2005-03-22

As far as I am concerned, every bit of information the public can learn about my favorite subject of vacation timeshare, makes it just that much better. It is a great product, and since it can be a little confusing to a person new to the subject, I am happy to see more books about timeshare now on Amazon.com.

This book seems to be an unbiased presentation that really tries to clear up the diverse subject areas.

Book Description

This text includes eleven chapters devoted to eleven different types of ethnic American families. Students are encouraged to compare and contrast these families—their structures, lives, and experiences—and thus place them into meaningful cultural perspective.

Family Ethnicity: Strenghth in Diversity

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Family Ethnicity: Strenghth in Diversity
Harriette P. McAdoo
Manufacturer: Sage Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0761918566

Book Description

Family ethnicity is the sum total of our ancestry and cultural dimensions: how families collectively identify the core of their beings. Our ethnicity is fundamental to the all-encompassing core of our identity. Families differentiate themselves from other groups and form linkages with families that assume similar identifications and provide reference groups for their members. Ethnicity involves the unique family customs, proverbs, and stories that are passed on for generations. Almost all of us are from families that are part of ethnicities. This new edition provides extensive information about the various cultural elements that different family groups have drawn on in order to exist in the United States today. In each chapter, the authors are intimately familiar with the particular groups, by way of membership in the group or intensive study of the group. The eight sections of the book cover Native American Indians, Native Hawaiian, Mexican American and Spanish, African American, Muslim American, and Asian American families.

Book Description

At the end of World War I, the German military machine lay devastated, forbidden any attempt to rebuild. But by the dawn of World War II, its army and air forces both had been rejuvenated to sufficient vigor to conquer most of Europe. As James Corum shows, the Luftwaffe's dramatic resurrection underscored the remarkable success of Germany's visionary interwar planning.

A superb example of both military and intellectual history, Corum's study provides a complete and accurate account of the evolution of German military aviation theory, doctrine, war games, and operations between the two world wars. It reveals how the Germans, in defiance of Versailles, thoroughly studied and tested the lessons of World War I, analyzed the emerging air doctrines of other nations, and experimented with innovative aviation technology to create the world's most powerful air force by 1940.

Drawing heavily upon archival sources, Corum discloses the debates within the General Staff--led by the likes of Hans van Seeckt, Helmuth Wilberg, Wolfram von Richthofen, and Walter Wever--about the future role of airpower and the problems of aligning aviation technology with air doctrine. He challenges previous accounts and demolishes a number of myths, for example demonstrating that Germany did not dismiss the potential of strategic bombing or embrace terror bombing of civilian populations, and was not heavily influenced by its popular culture's romance with aviation.

Corum also illuminates Germany's comprehensive approach to highly mobile combined-arms warfare, its secret research and training in the Soviet Union, and its remarkable successes during the Spanish Civil War. While focusing primarily on the interwar period, he extends his analysis into the early years of World War II to examine the Luftwaffe's effectiveness in Poland and France, and expose its flaws in the Battle of Britain.

As a companion to Corum's acclaimed study of the German army between the wars, The Luftwaffe reminds us how operational doctrine, combined with one of the greatest fighting forces ever assembled, indelibly altered the fate of nations.

This book is part of the Modern War Studies series.

Customer Reviews:

Another outstanding contribution.......2006-10-03

Another outstanding contribution to 20th Century military history by the Univ. of Kansas Press. God bless them, they publish some great monographs. Proessors Corum and Muller of the School of Advanced Airpower Studies at Mawell A.F.B. know more about the Luftwaffe than any people in the world, except maybe Horst Boog in Germany. And since all you can get by Boog is the incredibly expensive volume he worked on in the WWII history they are writing in Germany, I am very happy with Profs. Corum & Muller. I wonder if they are happy at Maxwell A.F.B. or would rather be at some Big 10 school writing their stuff? Anyway, Corum's book is an excellent look at how the German operational air war was created. Quite readable, it has flat out some of the best general discussion on the Spanish Civil War I have ever read, going beyond just air operations. Corum understands that air operations necessarily include strategic, tactical, and naval operations, and goes into German naval air operations even while the Kriegsmarine itself put so little effort into a fleet air arm. Good discussions of all of the key characters, and this is another book that makes it clear that someone has to get around to writing a book on Manfred von Richtofen. This book is not for the casual WWII reader, and coming to it with some knowledge of German air types is helpful. All in all I enjoyed the book, and would recommend it to students of the Luftwaffe or WWII air operations in general.

THE MAKING OF THE LUFTWAFFE.......2002-10-15

James S. Corum has written a scholarly study of German air power ideas and operational doctrine in a well-researched history of the German air power from 1918-1940. In addition, the text provides an understanding of the human dimension in the development of the Luftwaffe beyond the usual stories of Herman Goring and the Nazis.

The author notes, "In the years immediately following World War I, it looked to the world as if Germany had been completely disarmed as an air power. On the surface, this was so. Yet, in the long-term view, the Allied powers failed miserably in their effort to disarm Germany." While their air power was disarmed, the Germans could not be stopped from thinking and studying. The text narrates how "General Hans von Seeckt and his small group of airmen succeeded in keeping air power as a central aspect of warfare." After WWI, a select group of German officers made a detailed analyzed of WWI army and air power experience. Foreign air power developments and doctrine were also studied with foreign articles and manuscripts on air power translated into German.

Corum notes "Although Germany was denied an air force, it was not denied civil aviation or aviation technology by the Versailles Treaty. This gave the Germans an inherent advantage in the air, for Germany in the interwar period was a world leader in aircraft design and technology."

By 1925 German air power operational doctrine was well advanced so that aircrew training and aircraft developed was needed. Most interesting was the text's description of the formation of the "Shadow Luftwaffe." In 1925, under a 1922 treaty with Russia, a German air base was built at Lipetsk, Russia. From 1929-1933, several hundred officers, NCOs, and civilian employees were there as students, instructors, ground staff and test pilots. Airmen at Lipetsk would test tactics and doctrine by dropping live bombs on simulated targets. Fifty modern fighter aircraft were smuggled in from the Fokker factory in Holland. The text notes that an advantage of the Shadow Luftwaffe was the close and effective cooperation between those who developed doctrine for the aerial war, those who developed and built weapons and prototypes and finally the actual producers of the weaponry.

When the Nazi party came to power on 30 January 1933 and rearmament openly began, the text notes, "a new group of air leaders came to the fore" and inheriting "a sound foundation and built on it." The author states, "the years 1933-1936 were of foundation-building. Several major personalities dominated the Luftwaffe organization and played vital roles in creating new concepts of air power..."

The text narrates the discussions of air power philosophy and doctrine. By 1934 an effective operational doctrine for a small to medium-sized German air force was developed. Contrary to Post-WWII Allied historians, the Luftwaffe was not limited to being "merely a tactical air force geared to army support operations." On page-139, the author states "Regaining control of the air by defeating the enemy air forces was the primary objective" and Lieutenant-General Wever, Luftwaffe chief of staff, stated "Only the nation with strong bomber forces at its disposal can expect decisive action by its air force."

Lack of a German air force in the 1920s pushed "German military personnel and civilians to seriously consider how one might conduct a passive defense that would minimize the effect of a strategic bombing campaign..." As WWII Allied bomber crews would sadly learn, flak would "become the core of German homeland defense". Effective flak artillery was developed with flak battalions placed under Luftwaffe command. Civil defense was also a part of air defense doctrine with civil defense drills being conducted as early as 1936. However, the core of the Luftwaffe's air defense doctrine remained an offensive air campaign in order that home defenses would not be put to the test.

The book's account of the Luftwaffe's 1936-1939 involvement in the Spanish Civil War is fascinating noting "For a relatively modest investment, the German high command reaped some substantial strategic gains from its involvement in Spain." For example, they learned that even in circumstances of general air superiority bombers must be escorted by fighters; a lesson that the Eight Air Force learned at great cost in 1942-1943. Also in Spain, "Air power strategy, tactics and doctrine were tested and corrected so that when WWII began, the Luftwaffe was better prepared for war than any other major air force. Interestingly, while widely covered and reported in the press, France, Britain and America paid little attention to the lessons Germany was learning in Spain.

The book states in the early years, "Goring let the seasoned professionals do their job, while he provided an inexhaustible supply of fund." However, in the late 1930s politics became prevalent resulting in some poor appointments such as Jeschonnek, 1939-1943 air chief of staff, who overemphasized the dive-bomber at the expense of developing the heavy bomber and strategic air warfare. Equally disastrous was the appointment of Ernest Udet chief of the Luftwaffe Technical Office and who was totally unqualified for his position.

Author Corum notes "Rather than being a weakness, the Luftwaffe's doctrine of war developed painstakingly during the interwar period was one of the strengths of the Wehrmacht." The text closes stating "Despite the failure to develop a naval air doctrine and the poor guidance of Hans Jeschonnek, the Germans were able to gain the aerial advantage over the Allied powers in the first years of the World War II not because they had overwhelming numbers of aircraft, but because their conception of a future air war and the training and equipment required for such a war was far more accurate than their opponents' air power vision."

Students of military history will enjoy the text. However, today's military planners should consider the basis lessons from how the Luftwaffe was developed 1918-1940.

A Thorough Analysis of Luftwaffe Doctrinal Development.......2001-02-24

The focus of this book is on the interwar development of German air operational doctrine. Corum demonstrates that the Luftwaffe was not just a ground support air force but capable of strategic operations, including air transport (Franco's troops in 1936) and airborne assaults. In fact, he points out that Anglo-American obsession with strategic bombardment hindered their operational doctrines until 1942-3. Corum points out the biggest German deficiencies as lack of a true naval air arm that could have been decisive in fighting Britain, Udet's obsession with dive-bombers that delayed the deployment of the He-177 and the Ju-88 and strategic misdirection from Goering/Hitler. There are two interesting chapters on lessons from the First World War and the Spanish Civil War. Also interesting is discussion of how the Germans were able to develop not only doctrine, but new fighter and bomber designs under the noses of the Allied occupation forces. The one area in which the Allies succeeded in inhibiting the Luftwaffe was in limiting the German civil aviation industry's engine development programs; when the Luftwaffe went public there were very few engines to choose from and these were less-advanced than Allied models. Weak engines plagued a number of German aircraft designs. There are no maps.

Groundbreaking.......2000-11-15

In a severely overcrowded field of books on WW2, this book is a shining jewel. Revolutionary, concise, and clear, this book explodes the commonly accepted myths about the Luftwaffe, while revealing the truly innovative minds at work in the Reich Luftministerium and the General staff in the interwar years. Thought provoking and generally excellent scholarship abounds in this single volume about the critically important doctrinal development of air-power theory, not only in Germany, but in all major combatant nations before world war two. One way to understand this books's value is that by reading this one book anyone can clearly understand the basics of air-power doctrine and the way it evolved in the Luftwaffe. I eagerly anticipate reading the necessary follow-up volume from J. Corum which will complete the groundbreaking work begun in this book.

Excellent book........2000-06-02

As an amateur military historian I found this book very enlightening and informative. It has provided me with a more balanced view of the Luftwaffe than I had previously. In a couple of instances I felt that he glossed over the downside to some of the Luftwaffe's interwar decision making, but otherwise found the book balanced and interesting. I plan on reading more of Corum's books.

The Luftwaffe : Creating the Operational Air War, 1918-1940 (Modern War Studies)

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The Luftwaffe : Creating the Operational Air War, 1918-1940 (Modern War Studies)
James S. Corum
Manufacturer: University Press of Kansas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H8FMGM

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The Luftwaffe: Creating the Operational Air War, 1918-1940
James S. Corum
Manufacturer: University Press of Kansas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JVACVM

Average customer rating:

A very thorough book

Not quite worthless, but almost

Substandard in almost every regard

Nice pictures, but disorganized

Birding in Belize

A Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Adjacent Areas: Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador, Third Edition (Corrie Herring Hooks)
Ernest Preston Edwards
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

A Field Guide to Mexican Birds: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador (Peterson Field Guides(R))

A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America

Birds of Mexico and Central America (Princeton Illustrated Checklists)

A Bird-Finding Guide to Mexico (Comstock Books)

Belize: And Northern Guatemala (Travellers' Wildlife Guides)

ASIN: 0292720912

Book Description

"This conveniently priced guide will find a niche among both tourists and locals. The illustrations are excellent and provide immediate and easy access to bird identification. For the average birder who wants to identify a good number of species, this book is a useful and convenient way to go."

—Robin W. Doughty, author of The Return of the Whooping Crane

More than a thousand species of birds occur in Mexico and in the adjacent countries of Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Of these birds, a unique mixture of temperate-zone and tropical species, less than half are found in the United States, and many cross the border only a short distance into the southwestern states.

This practical field guide contains detailed annotations for easy identification of all of Mexico's regular species. The descriptions include the English, Spanish, and Latin names; a general range statement for each bird, along with its specific occurrences in the region; its typical habitat(s) and abundance; and its physical characteristics, including size and plumage. Excellent color plates with drawings of over 850 species make this the most fully illustrated guide to the region.

Published by the author in 1972 and 1989, this convenient take-along guide is now totally revised, updated, and re-designed to provide handy assistance and enjoyment to professional ornithologists and amateur birders alike.

Customer Reviews:

A very thorough book.......2007-05-10

This book is very thorough and well researched. The illustrations are very good, though I would have preferred pictures, but it's ok. You do have to learn all the abbreviations by heart, otherwise it will be a little hard to read the entries, because they are all abbreviated. Overall a very good guide to those interested in birds.

Not quite worthless, but almost.......2005-02-21

I took this guide to Oaxaca to carry in the field, as the Howell guide is so heavy. I almost threw it over the cliff at Monte Alban. It will help you remember which euphonia is which, but for anything more subtly marked it is almost no help at all. Furthermore, there are no range maps, no details on alternate plumages, little to no information on vocalizations. I would have done better to bring the old Peterson guide, even though it is out of date.

Substandard in almost every regard.......2003-11-16

To be sure, this field guide is better than having no field guide. If birds posed for observation, it would be a great field guide. But for the real world this guide is disorganized in text and illustrations beyond excuse. I'm not sure this is the author's fault. It may be due to the publisher cutting costs. Still, no excuse. A birder will pay a premium for a great field guide. Illustrations are jammed together on each plate with no regard to proportionate size, or to other birds on that plate. For example, kingfishers are intermixed with trogons, motmots, swallows and woodpeckers on 3 separate plates. The amazon kingfisher is on one plate; the similar green kingfisher is 2 plates later. Quick comparison is impossible. Seven trogons are together on one plate, but the elegant trogon is 2 plates later. Some woodpeckers are on each of plates 20, 21 & 22; the imperial woodpecker is on plate 45. First I cried, then I laughed.

Nice pictures, but disorganized.......2001-04-17

This book has what Peterson's "Mexican Birds" lacks: good colour pictures of (nearly) all birds of Mexico and adjacent areas and their Spanish names. However, the presentation of the pictures is a mishmash. The descriptions of the birds are not detailed but very short. It is a pity that there is no information about the behaviour of the birds, often very important for identification.

Birding in Belize.......1999-04-21

We used this book on a recent trip to Belize. It is THE book in use by local Belizian birding enthusiasts, and we only saw it for sale at one shop during our 12 day stay, so it might be hard to get once you're there. Birds of same species on different color plates slow you down, but the pictures are very good. Highly recommend taking this book with you if you plan to do any serious birdwatching.

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