The Bird in the Waterfall: A Natural History of Oceans, Rivers, and Lakes

Customer Reviews:

An educational and entertaining look at the water around us........1998-02-19

Birds in the Waterfall takes you on a round-the-world tour of the water in, over and all around us. You will never look at water the same way again. Filled with facts to challenge any textbook, it nevetheless reads like an adventure novel. A great read!

The Bird in the Waterfall : a Natural History of the Oceans, Rivers and Lakes

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The Bird in the Waterfall : a Natural History of the Oceans, Rivers and Lakes
Jerry Dennis
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEE54E

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Trilingual Dictionary of Plant Names / English FRench German / Handwoerterbuch der Pflanzennamen / Englisch Franzoesich Deutch / Dictionnaire des Noms de Plantes / Anglais Francais Allemand
Robert Zander
Manufacturer: French & European Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0828812446

Book Description

The most detailed guide to a popular year-round destination, with comprehensive coverage of art, architecture, and history by an expert author.

Whether your interests lie in visiting the historic centers of Avignon, Arles, and Orange; the resorts of Cannes, St. Tropez, and Nice; or exploring the beautiful country inland, this is the guide to bring along. It is replete with comprehensive coverage of the region's art, architecture, and history, and plenty of useful practical information. Color map, 12 maps and plans, 20 illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

A good supplement.......2007-04-10

Blue Guides fill a gap left by other guides if you've very interested in art, architecture and history. The index could be more comprehensive. This guide has some good maps and a sprinkle of lodging and restaurants listed. You should probably also have another guide for additional lodging options.

useful but biased.......2004-07-08

Generally I find the Blue Guides to be the most intelligent guide books around. While I did find much useful information in this book there was an attitude that got on my nerves. Perhaps it was the frequent and disdainful references to the "wars of religion", just a bit too superior for my tastes. Also Marseilles conatains some very important examples of 19th and 20th architecture that receive little if any attention. Similarly the buildings by Le Corbusier and Norman Foster are not discussed. In short a quaint, conservative, waspy view of Provence.

Book Description

In her heart of hearts, Mia has but one wish: an evening spent with Michael in a tux and a corsage on her wrist -- in other words, the PROM. Michael, however, does not seem to share the dream that is the prom. Worse still, a service workers strike (with Grandmère and Lilly at the heart of it and on opposite sides) threatens the very existence of this year's prom. Will the strike end in time? Can Mia talk Michael out of his anti-prom views? Most importantly, will Mia get to wear her pink prom dress?

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Things are looking up for Mia: She's the newest staffer on the school paper, and her miraculous completion of freshman Algebra is just around the corner. Plus she's about to get a new baby brother or sister. Could things possibly get any better?

But in her heart of hearts, Mia has one wish: an evening spent with Michael in a tux and a corsage on her wrist -- in other words, the PROM. Michael, however, does not seem to share the dream that is the prom. Worse still, a service workers strike (with Grandmère and Lilly at the heart of it and on opposite sides) threatens the very existence of this year's prom.

Will the strike end in time? Can Michael be dissuaded from his anti-prom views? Most importantly, will Mia get to wear her pink prom dress?

Customer Reviews:

princess in pink.......2007-03-02

I read the book princess in pink. its about a girl named Miya. she is the princess of Ginovia. and she is upset because her boy friend won't ask her to the prom. And her dad whant's her to go to Ginovia with him for the summer because she is the princess. But she would rather stay in sanfrincisco with her boy friend.

I thought the book was a pretty good book because it was exiting and you didn't know what was going to happen next.

I didn't like some parts of the book because they were kissing and holding each other. But that's just me. If you like that stuff it's probably a good book for you.

But i liked the book over all and i consider you to read it. It's kind of a girley book so if your a boy you probably won't be interested in it.

Princess in Pink.......2006-09-02

Mia is trying to find a way to get Michael to take her to the prom, in this book. She's also having problems because Grandmere took her dog Rommel to Mia's birthday dinner, and when he escapes he causes a waiter to spill soup on Grandmere and get the waiter fired. Which is unjust, and it causes a whole strike in the city.
Either way, I enjoyed it and this book had a happy ending!

Horrible, shallow display of teen egocentrism and misandry.......2006-04-28

Lilly has always been the self-proclaimed feminist, but her influence on Mia definitely showed in this latest addition to the Princess Diaries series. Problem: Mia wants to attend the senior prom, but her boyfriend Michael doesn't want to, and it's only through him that she can go. Instead of considering what he wants, she whines and tries to subtly coerce him into going to the dance. She convinces her classmates to hire Michael's band to perform at the dance, further showing her true colors as it goes against even the band members' own wishes. The value she places on herself and her own desires, above the desires of others, is utterly selfish and disgusting. I strongly recommend NOT reading this book, it really made me dislike Mia as a character.

Why is the prom more important than respecting someone else's wishes? If Mia and Michael were so compatible, they wouldn't be split on this issue. From her insistence on the prom (which also seems uncharacteristic for her to want so badly), to the feminist view that men are oppressors and women shouldn't take their husbands' last names after marriage, Lilly's cold disregard for Boris' feelings and later hypocrisy over him and Tina, to the hateful quote that women need men like a fish needs a bicycle, and Mia's goal to "mold" her little brother into the perfect (read: pussified) boyfriend...shame on you, Ms. Cabot. You make masculinity something to be suppressed and ashamed of, when it should be revered.

Also, as some reviewers have said, 15 is a bit young to be exploring sexually, and it's illogical for Mia and Lilly to join in on such behavior. Since when does turning 15 equate with 'becoming a woman'? Kind of an odd thing to say.

a princess story.......2006-03-30

Princess in pink is a diary and its about a girl named Mia who is a priness wanting to go to the prom with her boyfriend micheal.Mia grandma brought a dog to the restaurant and it caused a busboy job. Mia friend is protesting for the the busboy that got fired because it was not his fault.Her friend cheats on her boyfriend with the busboy. Also that Micheal might not want to go to the prom.
What I learned from the book is not to cheat on your boyfriend. Not to lie and to tell the truth.Also to help everybody else not just helping yourselve and to get good grades if you want be a writer or whatever you want to be. When you have a party and your parents aren't looking, don't play nasty games.

Princess in Pink.......2006-02-28

Princess in Pink
By: Meg Cabot
Reviewed by: R. Kim
Period: P.1

This book is mainly about Princess Mia wanting to go to the senior prom. Mia is in love with her boyfriend, Michael who is a senior, and she really wants to go to the prom with him. Michael in the other hand thinks that the prom is stupid and a waste of time and money, so he said that he doesn't want to go. Mia can't go to the prom without a senior, because this is a senior prom. Mia gets upset, but what can she do about it? The prom gets cancelled because no one in the city is working their jobs, due to Mia's Grandmother's dog. Everyone is mad at Mia, because if it weren't for her Grandmother to bring her dog to Mia's birthday dinner, than this would've never happened. Mia's Grandmother reserves a place for the prom, and people are not mad at her anymore. Michael still doesn't want to go to the prom...What will she do? Mia asks Lana, the head senior prom committee, if Michael's band can play for the prom, and Lana says "Okay." Michael only agreed to go to the prom if his friends were going. His friends had to be going, because they were in his band. Mia is happy that she can go to the prom with her loving boyfriend and her beautiful, pink dress.
I really liked this book, because it was in the form of a diary, and it kept me attentive. Mia seems to show a lot of emotion in her writing, by being specific on what her friends or people say to her. Such as, "How could he?" she keeps wailing. "I turn my back for five minutes-five minutes!-and he runs off with another girl? What can he be thinking?" This quote shows affection and emotion. Mia's writing this quote down when she's talking to Lila (person who's speaking in quote.) Another quote is, "Would you please stop writing in that journal for ONE MINUTE and tell me how I can win Boris back?" When Mia's talking to other people, she writes in her journal the same time, which gets the people who she's talking to you annoyed. That characteristic shows that Mia is a great writer. That's one thing that I really like about this book. When you're a writer, you have to be "on top of things."
My favorite part of the book was when Mia and Michael were in the prom. This was my favorite part, because this is Mia's first time going to the prom, and she expresses her feelings down on her journal. I liked it when Mia talked about dancing with Michael and how Michael played in his band. She was very specific when she wrote about the prom. That's my favorite part in this book.

Book Description

The book covers all important topics in the area of Survival Analysis. Each topic has been covered by one or more chapters written by internationally renowned experts. Each chapter provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the topic. Several new illustrative examples have been used to demonstrate the methodologies developed. The book also includes an exhaustive list of important references in the area of Survival Analysis.

· Includes up-to-date reviews on many important topics.
· Chapters written by many internationally renowned experts.
· Some Chapters provide completely new methodologies and analyses.
· Includes some new data and methods of analyzing them.

Book Description

The flow-injection concept has triggered many important breakthroughs in instrumental analysis -- on-line separation and preconcentration being the most dramatic.

This book is the first to treat this subject -- undoubtedly one of the most active fields in automated chemical analysis and in flow-injection --exclusively, systematically and in great detail.

Special stress is put on the analysis of difficult samples in environmental, agricultural, and clinical chemistry.

The book also provides a systematic treatment of basic principles, practical guidelines and useful hints for all those who wish to upgrade their analytical methods by separation and preconcentration.

On-line separation, preconcentration and determination of trace amounts of gold in mineral sample by flow injection catalytic kinetic spectrofluorimetry [An article from: Analytica Chimica Acta]

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On-line separation, preconcentration and determination of trace amounts of gold in mineral sample by flow injection catalytic kinetic spectrofluorimetry [An article from: Analytica Chimica Acta]
B. Tang , H. Zhang , and Y. Wang
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000RR3JG8

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Analytica Chimica Acta, published by Elsevier in 2004. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
2-Pyridine carboxaldehyde furfuralhydrazone (PCFH) was newly synthesized and its ionization, IR and elemental analysis were established. An on-line separation and preconcentration system was developed for the flow injection (FI) catalytic kinetic spectrofluorimetric determination of trace amounts of gold. The method was based on the fluorescence enhancing reaction of PCFH with potassium bromate, which was catalysed by Au^3^+ in aqueous medium at pH 4.20 and 35^oC. A micro polyamide resin column was used to separate and collect gold from sample solution. Under these experimental conditions, the oxidized product of PCFH had excitation and emission maxima at 296 and 404nm, respectively. The linear range of this method was 0.53-144ngml^-^1 with the RSD of 1.6%. The detection limit was 0.16ngml^-^1. A high analysis rate of 15samplesh^-^1 was obtained. The proposed method had been applied successfully to the determination of gold in synthetic mixture and mineral sample with satisfactory results.

Book Description

This unique volume introduces the reader to the mathematical language for complex systems and is ideal for students who are starting out in the study of stochastical dynamical systems. Unlike other books in the field it covers a broad array of stochastic and statistical methods.

Book Description

Creator of the modern detective story, innovative architect of the horror genre, and a poet of extraordinary musicality, Edgar Allan Poe remains one of America’s most popular and influential writers. His tales and poems brim with psychological depth, almost painful intensity, and unexpected—and surprisingly modern—flashes of dark humor and irony.

This anthology offers an exceptionally generous selection of Poe’s short stories. It includes his famed masterpieces, such as "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "The Purloined Letter," featuring Poe’s great detective, Dupin; his insightful studies of madness "The Black Cat" and "The Tell-Tale Heart"; "The Gold-Bug," his delightful exercise in "code-breaking"; and important but lesser-known tales, such as "Bon-Bon," "The Assignation," and "King Pest." Also included are some of Poe’s most beloved poems, haunting lyrics of love and loss, such as "Annabel Lee," nightmare phantasmagories such as "The Raven," and his grand experiment in translating sound into words, "The Bells."

Amazon.com

Rebel with a Cause is the straightforward memoir of an unconventional teacher turned businessman who founded the for-profit University of Phoenix despite enormous opposition from the traditional academic establishment and, in the process, helped permanently transform America's system of higher education. Beginning with his birth in a backwoods log cabin and life-changing experiences as both a merchant marine and union organizer, the book thoroughly recounts the many obstacles that John G. Sperling overcame as he evolved from an unhappy Cambridge-educated professor into a rookie middle-aged entrepreneur who parlayed his $26,000 life savings into a company that now boasts more than $500 million in annual revenues and a market capitalization of nearly $3 billion. Along the way, it reveals Sperling's decidedly unorthodox views on corporate social responsibility, education's role in the global economy, business practices in general, and even the legalization of marijuana. "I'm still an opportunist, still get into a lot of conflicts, and still find risky ventures exciting," explains Sperling, now 79. Some may find it a challenge to wade through his blunt, just-the-facts-ma'am prose, but those who persevere will discover a first-person saga that paints an enlightening picture of this iconoclastic executive as well as the industry-altering enterprise that he almost single-handedly built. --Howard Rothman

Book Description

"A great life and a great read . . ."-George Soros

"A remarkably cogent story of a most remarkable man. Sperling's openness about problems and failures inspires and informs the entrepreneurial spirit. Sperling describes the extraordinary power and potential of focused human intensity. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in starting or building a business."-Peter Lewis, Chairman and CEO, The Progressive Corporation

"The University of Phoenix is the largest private university in the United States. It is fully accredited and traded on NASDAQ. Mere mention of its name produces anger, fear, and envy on the nation's college campuses. In the private sector, it has inspired scores of companies to enter the education market. This is the story of the entrepreneur who launched a revolution in higher education."-Arthur Levine, President, Teacher's College, Columbia University

"Education will be one of the key growth sectors of our knowledge-based economy over the next ten years. John Sperling, founder and Chairman of Apollo Group, has been one of the visionary driving forces behind this growth. By developing a unique customer-focused model of higher education, Dr. Sperling has helped to build the largest private university in the United States that continues to be one of the best growth opportunities in education today."-Thomas Weisel, President & CEO, Thomas Weisel Partners, LLC

Customer Reviews:

A great story.......2003-11-30

John Sperling's story of his upbringing, and of his evolution into the Ceo of the University of Phoenix, the largest university in America, for-profit or otherwise, is a fascinating tale of struggle and perseverence. The bright-line antagonist in this saga is found in the intransigence and utter meanness of the entrenched academic establishment in California. Kay Henderson, the reigning head of the California post-secondary system, seems sent from central casting in this seeming story of good versus evil, and Henderson is one evil guy. He keeps coming back, like Freddy in the "Nightmare on Elm Street" or Jason of Friday the 13th fame, to visit continuing indignities on Sperling's efforts to make a college education for the over-25 adult learner more affordable, accessible and accountable.

Sperling, who began his career at 53 years of age, is now a member of the Forbes 400-richest, and a true latecomer (and self-made man) to entreprenurial success,. Per usual, he exemplifies the adage that change only comes to an industry from the outside. And thus, he began on a shoe string and succeeded because academia, then and today, remains bloated with unnessessary costs while ignorant and unconcerned with the outcomes of its graduates.

While the Univ of Phoenix has grown mightily, students at traditional colleges are going broke on ever higher tuition rates and concommitantly increasing student loans while professors continue to jack up their annual salaries and benefits far beyond the annual CPI index increases. Of note is that such increases have closely paralleled the explosion in Title-IV government loan appropriations to the point where state governments and the U.S. Congress are jointly searching for new ways to control these out-of-control expenditures.

Sperling tells a story of life changing bifurcation's as good as any "cliff-hanging" tale of fiction. His narrow misses and perilous good fortunes culminate in a 30-year old company with a $12 billion dollar market-cap on NASDAQ and a growth rate surpassing that of almost any dot.com on the board. With no-debt and loads of cash Sperling's University of Phoenix is bringing the lie to the whiners who run establishmentarian academic institutions as they flail about attempting to defend their delusional and profligate ways.

The new models of for-profit, post-secondary education such as those exemplified by Phoenix look alike Grantham University, a 4-year degree granting, low cost provider, all-online, 50-year old engineering and business school, will continue to follow in Phoenix's footsteps as the for-profit crowd ratchets up the pressure on the hollow reasoning of indifferent and out-of-touch academics who continue in charge of our nations non-profit institutions of higher learning.

John Sperling is a hero to the working men and women of America and his story needs to be told near and far. Just as the sand pile of chaos theory begins to collapse when the slope becomes too steep, establishment academia has begun to feel the inevitable hand of self governing criticality in its non-linear system of business. Indeed, this phenomena can be found in all the cycles of history where continuing excess leads to collapse and renewal. Sperling is just the latest of magnificent catalysts to accelerate this process in this latest of instant cases.

Rebel, rebel, you've outdone yourself!.......2003-01-02

If you are in your forties and have not yet been wildly successful, take heart. John Sperling, once an unhappy 52 year old Cambridge-educated history professor with $26,000 in savings, grew into an enormously successful entrepreneur. Now in his early 80s, Sperling is a billionaire, and heads the Apollo Group, a holding company whose main component is the University of Phoenix (UoP). UoP is revolutionizing access to business education for working adults in N. America and abroad. Rebel With a Cause is Sperling's personal memoir of his long struggle against the educational establishment to found and develop the for-profit UoP, transforming American education in the process. Sperling's background differs from that of many successful entrepreneurs. Born in a backwoods log cabin, Sperling started as a socialist and successful union organizer. Throughout his changing roles, the opportunistic, energetic, and apparently indefatigable Sperling thrived on adversity that would make most give up. In stolid but personal writing, Sperling reveals the details of the endless conflicts and triumphs, up to and including his new fights with the establishment over the legalization of marijuana. Still iconoclastic and entrepreneurial in his ninth decade of life, Sperling is now developing innovative new ventures including the Kronos age management clinics, and Seaphire, a project for developing aquaculture. Good reading for anyone facing adversity as they pursue their vision of something both worthwhile and potentially profitable.

The subject is interesting, but watch out for the writing........2001-04-01

This book is a bit puzzling. Looking at the title, you feel that the book is a biography of John Sperling. Reading the subtitle, you would think he is going to focus on the University of Phoenix and the growth of the Apollo Group. After reading the book cover to cover, I am not sure what the author wanted me to take away from this.

Some parts of his life get rather detailed (like his childhood sickness and early schooling) and could be interesting. His tone makes me think of someone on a pulpit trying to get me to acknowledge his past. I would not question the effects of his past if he didn't fly through other parts of it (all the quick affairs/relationships/friendships) which he mentions. His son is part of his company, so I was puzzled to see that there was little mention of him.

Given the sections that Sperling highlights for us, am I supposed to be awed by the rough start and many love affairs? Am I to be astounded by his success because of this?

I personally liked the history of the University of Phoenix. He does go into great detail on the political and legal wrangling with the accrediting board. He touches on the help from some people, but will then mention later that the person no longer had the "fire" and was let go from the company. It sounds like the university is his quest and he will not let marriage or friendship get in the way.

In the last sections of the book, Sperling talks about other projects he is passionate about. How did he decide to cover these? The Kronos Group took me by surprise. I saw no mention of this in the book until the very end. I have the feeling that the publishers were trying to make the book longer, so they just added some other thoughts in there. It does make for a very coherent picture of Sperling.

I have listened to the author speak before and find him fascinating. Reading the book gives me a different picture of him altogether. Either way, I would recommend the book for readers wanting a background on the creation of the University of Phoenix. Even though this is by Sperling, I would not read this for a good understanding of him. I believe some objectivity would be necessary for that.

He IS a Rebel and the book is FIRST RATE!.......2001-02-13

"Rebel With A Cause," by Dr. John G. Sperling, is part memoir, part social critique, and part business history. Though Sperling begins at the beginning - his birth in log cabin in the Missouri Ozarks in 1921 - he mainly focuses on his personal and profession battles over the past 20 years to build a university catering to the needs of working adults. The result of his efforts - the for-profit University of Phoenix - is now one of the largest accredited universities in the world, as well as the source of Sperling's considerable fortune.

Speaking of which, Sperling must be one of the few people on the planet ever to make real money in education (he parlayed a $26,000 investment into a $4 billion company). This alone is a remarkable and significant achievement - not just for Sperling and his investors but for their thousands of customers as well. Yes, "customers" is how Sperling refers to UOP students; I can't help but recall that not once in my own Ivy League education did any administrator use the words "customer service" and "higher education" in the same sentence ("Donation" and "probation" were used frequently, but that's another story.)

Sperling describes numerous obstacles on his long and winding road to "overnight success", including dastardly accreditation bureaucrats, disloyal employees; gratuitous FBI harassment, as well as the usual personal detritus of broken marriages, illnesses, etc. Perhaps the biggest potential hazards that Sperling had to overcome - "harness" is perhaps more precise - was his own penchant for risk-taking coupled with his low threshold of boredom. In fact, Sperling begins his tale by exhorting his readers "to strenuously avoid most of the behaviors that made me successful" - the very opposite of the message of most business books. Add "cautionary tale" to the list of Rebel's parts.

Reading some of the other Amazon comments on Sperling's book, I can't help but wonder if we're all reading the same book, or - perhaps more to the point - if Sperling's critics have ever read another book by a businessman. I had to chuckle in particular at the knucklehead who chided Sperling for abandoning the general "theme of business books where ethics is very important and that it is important to support your fellow human being." I suppose there could be a new business book by the Dalai Lama, but most are written by self-promoting consultants pushing obvious insights and simple-minded formulas. Those few business authors who've actually founded or run large companies tend to produce highly-sanitized success-filled tomes completely devoid of the real carnage, cowardice and occasional brilliance of business.

Though readers seeking mainly to learn the history of UOP as an educational and social phenomenon will not be disappointed, it's the arc of Sperling's life and the honesty with which he recounts it that impressed me most. To quote one of countless juicy examples: The day young Sperling's abusive father died, he "rolled in the grass squealing with delight." Now seriously, would Kenneth Blanchard have the guts to admit such a thing? With reference to the infidelities of one of his wives, Sperling writes, "I was too cowardly to bring her to heel and I lacked the needed sophistication not to care." This quote highlights the deep source of Rebel's appeal: at 79, Sperling is finally sophisticated enough (and rich enough) not to care what anyone thinks about him personally - which makes for engrossing prose (though his life does occasionally resemble a train wreck).

In the last few chapters of Rebel, Sperling focuses on his current pet projects, which include health and longevity clinics, an aquatic agriculture company, an animal cloning venture and a very successful political campaign against the federal government's War on Drugs - a war that Sperling argues is already lost. The pride and hope of these chapters contrasts somewhat with the weariness with which he recounts his earlier struggles, and this contrast highlights what is ultimately so inspiring about "Rebel": This is the story of a man who simply never gives up - but instead keeps fighting, building, and leading.

Winners Never Quit!.......2001-02-04

Not the first to have grown up poor or the child of a lazy, abusive father, the difference in Sperling's story is that he acquired two things most do not: A desire to understand the economics of a world in which some go hungry while others do not, and a "nothing to lose" attitude that prevails throughout his life, both in his business dealings and personal relationships. Sperling survived his childhood, but it's not the Cambridge education, career in acadame, his years as a union leader, or the trail of broken relationships that draw the reader in. During his tenure at San Jose State, Sperling began to focus on a problem no one else wanted to bother with - the barriers to working adults who wanted to return to school. And so this is the real story - his unrelenting determination to create the University of Phoenix, a for-profit institution for working adults that is now the largest private university in the U.S. These chapters, sometimes a little heavy, leave the reader dumbfounded as to the lengths which his detractors will go to quash his efforts. (And isn't it funny? Most of the traditional universities in the country now copy his model for adult education.) Although at times it seems his determination grew as a result of so many wanting him to fail, it becomes obvious that his sole intent was not the pursuit of wealth. Yet wealthy, he became - albeit in his seventies! It was interesting to learn that contrary to the status quo, acquiring wealth was not the end of his story. Not only does he still play an active role in the continuing evolution of adult education, he's a proponent of drug law reform, and is investing in numerous other projects destined to change the world; seawater agriculture, anti-aging medicine, and the storage of pet DNA for future cloning. Does he hope to get rich from these ventures as well? You bet he does! Sperling makes no apologies for his "take-no-prisoners" attitude - he's learned something about economics today's nouveau rich will never get. You can only buy so many toys, but if you make money trying to make the world a better place, it gives you the ability to keep trying to make the world a better place. I highly recommend this book. This is a great story - honest, fast-paced, thought provoking. His story is certainly proof of the old addage that "winners never quit." With all Sperling has accomplished - and at 79, still hopes to accomplish -this is one book that motivates you to put down the remote, get up off the sofa, and start making a difference.

The Accidental CEO.(Review) (book review): An article from: Chief Executive (U.S.)

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The Accidental CEO.(Review) (book review): An article from: Chief Executive (U.S.)
Alex Lightman
Manufacturer: Chief Executive Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Chief Executive (U.S.), published by Chief Executive Publishing on July 1, 2001. The length of the article is 745 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Accidental CEO.(Review) (book review)
Author: Alex Lightman
Publication: Chief Executive (U.S.) (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2001
Publisher: Chief Executive Publishing
Page: 77

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

The Life of Albert Sidney Johnston, selected by John H. Jenkins III as one of the basic Texas books, reads like a litany of the important events in the life of the Texas Republic and early statehood through the Civil War. A native Kentuckian and 1826 graduate of West Point, and a veteran of the Black Hawk War, Johnston arrived in Texas in 1836 shortly after the battle of San Jacinto and enlisted as a private in the Texas Army. Soon discovered in the ranks, he was immediately appointed the army's adjutant general. His injury from a duel with Felix Huston later prevented his taking command of the army. In 1838 he was appointed Texas' Secretary of War, and later led the expedition against the Cherokee Indians in East Texas. He commanded the 1st Texas Rifle Volunteers dring the Mexican War and became a regular officer in the U.S. Army--one of the few Texas military men permitted to do so.

At the beginning of the Civil War in 1861, Johnston was offered a position second in rank only to the aging Winfield Scott, but he refused the Federal government's offer and instead became commander of the Confederacy's Department No. 2, the Western Department. Keenly aware of the military weakness of the South, he issued a call for men at Bowling Green, Kentucky, and formed and drilled his army. On April 6, 1862, Johnston was killed at the battleof Shiloh. The author, Johnston's son, presents "a whole picture of the character of a difficult, generally taciturn man, and defends his actions in a balanced, scholarly manner." The son, having access to all of his father's private correspondence and papers, including his complete Confederate archives, was able to provide anecdotes only a son could know, and was able to persuade many of his father's associates to submit memoirs about him. Never before reprinted since its last publication in 1878, this new volume is of inestimable value and interest to historians and to other readers of Civil War history and early Texas history. This edition contains a new introduction by Charles P. Roland, author of Albert Sidney Johnston: Soldier of Three Republics, and Jefferson Davis's Greatest General: Albert Sidney Johnston (McWhiney Foundation Press, 2000).

Customer Reviews:

"I will fight them if they were a million!".......2005-01-31

Albert Sidney Johnston is one of the most interesting generals of the Civil War. Johnston already had an extensive military record when the war began, and President Jefferson Davis (his old West Point classmate) personally saw to it that Johnston was given command of an entire army (the Army of the Mississippi, later the Army of Tennessee).

The problem with this was that Johnston had never commanded an army before, and now he was faced with defending a 500-mile-long border stretching from eastern kentucky to western Missouri. He had less than 50,000 "available" troops, and many were poorly armed and equipped (some units didn't have any weapons at all!).

The Union capture of Forts Henry and Donelson in February 1862 paved the way for the fall of Nashville, and soon nearly all of Tennessee was in Union hands. Desperate to reclaim Tennessee for the Confederacy, Johnston planned a bold strike on the Union forces gathered around Shiloh Church in southwest Tennessee.

On the morning of April 6, 1862, the Confederates charged into the surprised Union camps and for the rest of the day pushed them back towards the Tennessee River. But the Confederate assault had eventually come to a stop, thanks to the strong Union artillery position as well as an exhaustion of ammunition.

It was the first day of the Battle of Shiloh where Gen. Johnston was killed, the enemy bullet severing his femoral artery in his right leg. Isham Harris, the Confederate governor of Tennessee, was by his side as the general lay dying. Johnston had ignored the wound and had continued directing his troops, but within minutes he bled to death.

In his "Personal Memoirs", Gen. Ulysses S. Grant wrote, "I do not question the personal courage of General Johnston, or his ability, but he did not win the distinction predicted for him by many of his friends. He did prove that as a general he was over-estimated."

Had he survived the Battle of Shiloh, Gen. Johnston might have proven otherwise, but for the relatively short time he commanded the Army of the Mississippi he proved to be a brave yet unreliable leader. This book strongly defends his actions and is an in-depth look at his life and long military career. It is highly recommended for those who want to learn more about the first year of the Civil War in Tennessee, and for those wanting to know more about this interesting general.

An interesting, if prejudiced, biography........1999-05-01

This life of General Albert Sidney Johnston was written by his son about twenty years after the War Between The States. It covers his entire career, while concentrating upon the events surrounding the fall of Fort Donelson and the battle of Shiloh. It is obviously designed to prove that Gen. Johnston was not to blame for the fall of Fort Donelson, and that he deserves credit for a great strategic success at Shiloh, which was spoiled by his untimely death. Despite the propaganda, I quite enjoyed the book. Gen. Johnston was highly regarded by President Davis. Many thought him to be the equal (or superior) to Lee and that his death was a great tragedy to the Confederacy. The book is somewhat dense reading, containing numerous letters to support the author's case. Many were solicited from the surviving participants after the war.

The Life of General Albert Sidney Johnston: Embracing His Services in the Armies of the United States, the Republic of Texas, and the Confederate States

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The Life of General Albert Sidney Johnston: Embracing His Services in the Armies of the United States, the Republic of Texas, and the Confederate States
William Preston Johnston
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0306807912

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The Life of General Albert Sidney Johnston: Embracing His Services in the Armies of the United States, the Republic of Texas, and the Confederate States
William Preston JOHNSTON
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OSBXX6

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