Queen Elizabeth II: A Celebration of Her Majesty's Fifty-Year Reign

Queen Elizabeth II: A Celebration of Her Majesty's Fifty-Year Reign
Average customer rating:

Not at all what I wanted

Another great book of Tim Graham photos

Queen Elizabeth II: A Celebration of Her Majesty's Fifty-Year Reign
Tim Graham
Manufacturer: Rizzoli International Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Photo Essays | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Elizabeth II | Royalty | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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The Queen: A Biography of Elizabeth II

Queen and Country: The Fifty-Year Reign of Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II: A Birthday Souvenir Album (Royal Collection)

Lilibet : An Intimate Portrait of Elizabeth II

Monarch: The Life and Reign of Elizabeth II

ASIN: 0789312166
Release Date: 2004-09-18

Book Description

Peace and war, triumph and disaster, joy and sadness-- the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has encompassed them all. This sumptuously illustrated book takes you on a journey through the fifty years of her reign, from the stage-managed opulence of the coronation to the informalities of everyday life.

Photographer Tim Graham has specialized in royal subjects over many years and gained unprecedented access to events, capturing both the public pomp and the preparations that go on behind the scenes. Thus we see red carpets being swept, state carriages undergoing repairs, robes being laid out, and rehearsals taking place to create the colorful occasions that are the hallmark of the British monarchy.

The half century from 1952 to 2002 has been a time of turbulence and change for the whole world, and, like all of us, the Queen has had to endure good times and bad: five wars, ten prime ministers, three poet laureates, numerous weddings, six grandchildren, several divorces, and more banquets than she can remember.

Since the day she declared to the nation, 'My whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service,' the Queen has applied herself to duty with diligence, loyalty, and discretion. In return, she is held in great affection and esteem around the world, and this beautiful book celebrates her remarkable fifty-year reign.

Customer Reviews:

Not at all what I wanted.......2007-07-19

I wanted a biography. This is a coffee table book of pictures - nothing really to "read." Very little insight into the woman or the monarchy. Two stars instead of one because the pictures are good, if that's what you want in a book.

Another great book of Tim Graham photos.......2003-05-02

If you collect books on British Royalty, this book is a must-have. Not only does it record the life of a lady who personifies dignaty and duty, but it's sections are divided into sections of interest rather than a boring chronology. However, I bought it for two reasons: 1) I don't have books on the Queen and this is a great collection of her history 2) I LOVE Tim Graham's photography! I have collected many of his books on the royal family, particularly his photographs of Diana. The trust the royal family has given him shows in his work. The photos are real, but they're not "fake" or demeaning. Even non-royalty fans should own this book as a piece of history.

Customer Reviews:

The "Wild Hoss of the Osage" comes to life!.......2003-12-24

This is an excellent biography of one of baseball's truly remarkable characters. Although names like Dizzy Dean, Frankie Frisch and Leo Durocher are more reknowned, Pepper Martin was the true heart and soul of the legendary "Gashouse Gang" Cardinals team of the 1930's and Barthel leaves no stone unturned in detailing the life of this unique and talented ballplayer from yesteryear. News article references chronicling his World Series exploits are included and serve as a glimpse back to a time when a signing bonus consisted of a couple of hunting dogs and a Winchester rifle.

Also included are numerous AP and never before seen photographs and illustrations.

Pepper Martin was truly one of a kind and this book captures the essence of his life and character.

New Image of Religious Film (Communication, Culture & Theology Series)
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New Image of Religious Film (Communication, Culture & Theology Series)
John R. May
Manufacturer: Sheed & Ward
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

Nourishing Faith Through Fiction: Reflections of the Apostles' Creed in Literature and Film (Communication, Culture & Theology.)

Imaging the Divine: Jesus and Christ-Figures in Film (Communication, Culture & Theology)

Explorations in Theology and Film: An Introduction

Screening the Sacred: Religion, Myth, and Ideology in Popular American Film

Seeing and Believing: Religion and Values in the Movies

ASIN: 1556127618

Book Description

Contributors from richly diverse backgrounds explore a wide range of current issues concerning the interrelationship of religion and film.

Average customer rating:

New Image of Religious Film

Manufacturer: Sheed and Ward
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

Arranged for Piano/Guitar/Chords with Lyrics. Titles are: Bitter Side of Sweet · Loosen Up My Strings · Nothin' but the Taillights · Ode to Chet · Our Kind of Love · The Shoes You're Wearing · Something that We Do · Still Holding On · That Something in My Life · What I Feel Inside · You Don't Need Me Now · You Know It All.

The Human Comedy of Chess A Grandmaster's Chronicles
Average customer rating:

Very entertaining

The Human Comedy of Chess A Grandmaster's Chronicles
Hans Ree
Manufacturer: Russell Enterprises
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Chess | Board Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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Kings, Commoners and Knaves Further Chess Explorations

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The Day Kasparov Quit and Other Chess Interviews

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ASIN: 1888690062

Book Description

Brilliant, first-hand essays on Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov, and dozens of other famous and not-so-famous chess players. Hans Ree, the leading international chess journalist, provides fascinating insight into recent chess developments.

Customer Reviews:

Very entertaining.......2000-09-15

This book is a collection of diiferent articles that Ree has written. Among the topics that he covers are the FIDE conrtoversies of the mid 90's. Another one of the articles is a very interesting idea about what really happened in the first Karpov - Kasporov match. There is a long article about the KGB involvement in chess. This is a topic that still hasn't been completely explored. As a person who has studied Soviet History, I think that while many of his conclusions are valid, most Westerners have basic mis-understandings of what Soviet society was really like. There are also a couple of short biographies about famous and not so famous chess players.

The Human Comedy of Chess: A Grandmaster's Chronicles

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The Human Comedy of Chess: A Grandmaster's Chronicles
Hans Ree
Manufacturer: Russell Enterprises Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OT2BKE

Average customer rating:

very practical and helpful

Good ... but for a different reason

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Dealing with Difficult Employe

Complete Idiot's Guide to Dealing with Difficult Employees
Robert Bacal
Manufacturer: Alpha
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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Managing Difficult People: A Survival Guide For Handling Any Employee

How to Manage Problem Employees: A Step-by-Step Guide for Turning Difficult Employees into High Performers

101 Sample Write-Ups for Documenting Employee Performance Problems

Discipline Without Punishment/the Proven Strategy That Turns Problem Employees into Superior Performers

Managing Workplace Negativity

ASIN: 0028633709

Book Description

In a "Business Week" survey, "improving leadership/people skills" ranked in the top three qualities desired by companies for their managers. This book will help managers deal with problem employees, offer constructive feedback, and handle conflicts.

Customer Reviews:

very practical and helpful.......2006-06-27

i first purchased this book when having difficulty with a co-worker. i've since used this book as a small business owner and even, on occasion, when i've consulted with someone dealing with difficult employment situations. it's important that we all get along and work effectively. when we're not, we need to all work together to address the issue. these idiot's guides are great. they don't include a lot of research or theory but they do provide very helpful tools for diagnosing problems and dealing with them. this is an easy to read format, written well, and it has absolutely been worth the price. i would, by no means, say that this is the definitive work in the field. it is an excellent practical book that's well worth the price or more.

Good ... but for a different reason.......2005-08-17

I have been a manager in three employment situations and have taken motivational training before. But when I first read this book, I was an employee. As a manager, I'd always thought (and still do) that the best way to deal with a difficult employee was to discover the roots of his/her difficulty ... and then, try to put that difficulty in perspective with his/her responsibilities as an employee. After that, it was simply of a matter of letting the employee decide what to do ... and taking whatever appropriate action was necessary based on that response.

However, I've always been extremely skeptical of books (and seminars) that attempt to encourage managers and/or supervisors to practice amateur psychology ... to use "techniques" (instead of common sense and mutual respect) to get a desired behavior. This is why I encourage ALL EMPLOYEES to read this book ... especially part 4 which suggests that managers (not employees) might be their own worst problem. This book is especially relevant to employees of larger firms that can afford to send their managers and supervisors to these types of seminars and workshops. By knowing the techniques superiors use to play "mind games" with you, employees are better prepared to defend themselves against a superior who, for want of a better phrase, is "out to lunch" in the managerial skills department.

Personal empowerment is important to your superiors. It should be no less important to you. BUY and READ THIS BOOK!

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Dealing with Difficult Employe.......2001-08-15

Excellent practical advice on how to recognize and manage unsatisfactory behavior and difficult employees, to include when to pick your battles. This is the first resource that has addressed how to know you are in a no-win situation and what other measures can be taken.

Complete Idiot's Guide to Dealing with Difficult Employees

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Complete Idiot's Guide to Dealing with Difficult Employees
Robert Bacal
Manufacturer: Alpha
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O90XJU

Book Description

My Detachment is a war story like none you have ever read before, an unromanticized portrait of a young man coming of age in the controversial war that defined a generation. In an astonishingly honest, comic, and moving account of his tour of duty in Vietnam, master storyteller Tracy Kidder writes for the first time about himself. This extraordinary memoir is destined to become a classic.

Kidder was an ROTC intelligence officer, just months out of college and expecting a stateside assignment, when his orders arrived for Vietnam. There, lovesick, anxious, and melancholic, he tried to assume command of his detachment, a ragtag band of eight more-or-less ungovernable men charged with reporting on enemy radio locations.

He eventually learned not only to lead them but to laugh and drink with them as they shared the boredom, pointlessness, and fear of war. Together, they sought a ghostly enemy, homing in on radio transmissions and funneling intelligence gathered by others. Kidder realized that he would spend his time in Vietnam listening in on battle but never actually experiencing it.

With remarkable clarity and with great detachment, Kidder looks back at himself from across three and a half decades, confessing how, as a young lieutenant, he sought to borrow from the tragedy around him and to imagine himself a romantic hero. Unrelentingly honest, rueful, and revealing, My Detachment gives us war without heroism, while preserving those rare moments of redeeming grace in the midst of lunacy and danger. The officers and men of My Detachment are not the sort of people who appear in war movies–they are the ones who appear only in war, and they are unforgettable.

From the Hardcover edition.

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Customer Reviews:

Not a positive picture of himself.......2007-05-31

My Detachment is the story of Tracy Kidder's one year tour of duty serving in Vietnam. He describes his experiences, command style, and attitude to the war and the Army in this memoir.

This book has received many accolades, but I find this hard to understand. The story Kidder tells about himself doesn't inspire respect.. He portrays himself as a superficial, lying coward.. Having read the reviews others have written, I think most reviewers found these traits to be endearing. I did not. I think the acclaim this book has received has largely been from people who thought poorly of the Vietnam war and found expression of these feelings in this book. But certainly there are better, more thoughtful and intelligent anti war books than this.

Kidder says he is against the war because a friend told him should be. He gives it no more depth of thought than this. By the end of the book he has become a true believer in the anti war cause, but we never see this develop.. He never gives any indication that he has given this any depth of thought.

Kidder's experience in Vietnam was unremarkable. Nothing happened. He did not see any action. He did not talk to people who saw action. He never interacted with the Vietnamese. He was never exposed, even second hand, to the realities of war. He gives us nothing as a basis for why he opposes the war

The only example he ever gave about something tragic was when he mentioned how the Communists had shelled innocent civilians in a refugee camp. It was the enemy who did this.

The only thing I found interesting in the book was the brief description he gives of his work. His detachment's job was to use radio detection techniques to locate enemy units. The brief description of this was the most interesting.

"When I'd left the United States, some people in the antiwar movement were still saying this was a war waged only between a corrupt South Vietnamese regime and valiant local insurgents. But on the part of our map that covered the brigade's AO, most of what you saw were large North Vietnamese units, and just a couple of Vietcong companies. And here was the kicker..... All of those units, including the two little VC companies, communicated directly with a giant corps headquarters across the border in Cambodia....... which in turn communicated directly with Hanoi. More than geography separated me from my principled antiwar friends back home....... He should be against the war, of course, but I'd bet he didn't know why"

I was appalled when I read this. He offers us proof of North Vietnamese aggression, but this has no impact on him at all.

Kidder dislikes the Army. He volunteered in hopes of avoiding being sent to Vietnam. When he finds out he is going to be sent he argues that his Harvard education made this a waste of material.

Initially Kidder believes that he is too good to be sent to Vietnam. He comments that the war is for the uneducated and unsophisticated. However, once in Vietnam he starts to identify with these people in a total reversal of his attitude. He is their champion. He is an officer but has nothing but contempt for other officers no matter how good they are to him. He likes all enlisted men no matter how shameful their behavior. He doesn't like officers because he doesn't like regulations and inspections.

Kidder makes a big display over how he feels he must protect "his men". But when he says protect, he means protect them from annoying inspections and regulations, But, he has little use for true protection concerns. His men are supposed to wear their helmets. He thinks this rule is ridiculous. His men are supposed to keep the sandbags maintained around their living and working areas to protect from mortars. He thinks this is just "make work" doled out by the Lifers as harassment. The real shocker is even when he hears about people getting killed by mortars in the camp, he still thinks the sandbag filling is harassment.. So much for protecting his men.

His men didn't respect him. He showed no leadership qualities whatsoever. The whole book is a celebration of his weaknesses. He wanted to be a good leader, but in his mind his men had to like him for him to consider himself a good leader. So, to "Protect" his men and make them like him he asks very little of them. No expectations whatsoever. They live up to these expectations. He wants his men to like him yet by the end of the book he is still hopelessly not respected by his men and he knows it. His sergeant didn't have this problem with leadership, so the men listened to and respected the sergeant. But this leadership lesson was lost on Lt. Kidder.. As if to highlight his weaknesses he even tells us that while he was on R&R in Singapore a prostitute rejected him and the madam thought he is gay.

He lied in his letters to family and friends. He never got anywhere close to any danger, but in his letters he constantly suggested he was in the thick of the war, and he is a good and respected leader. He is a writer so he wrote stories about the war while he was there. He wrote stories about soldiers in the field. People with whom he had no contact whatsoever. Stories of combat, racial problems, drug problems, the raping Vietnamese girls. Yet he had no personal knowledge of any such activities nor heard anyone tell him of such things. He admits this, yet he disingenuously wrote these things anyway.

Kidder paints a truly pathetic picture of himself in this book.. I found it very hard to read. Almost embarrassing to read.

Explains What It Really Was Like in the Rear Echelon.......2007-02-27

Having read "House", I knew that I liked Kidder's writing style and was curious about this book because of my own experiences. Much like Kidder, I was attending graduate school in Boston when I was drafted into the Army and ended up doing a tour of duty in Viet Nam. Also like Kidder, I was somewhat ambivalent about serving in the Army as I did not support the war and did not believe the U S should be in Viet Nam. So we both were sent off to do something that didn't need to be done for people who didn't want it done for them. Kidder does an excellent job of describing the almost fog-like state of mind that someone in their 20s adopts while in the military in order to get through the entire process, from basic training to final discharge.
Kidder discusses how the day you arrived in-country, you started counting off the days until you could leave. It was rare to find anyone who couldn't tell you the number of days until they could DEROS (date of estimated return from overseas) or ETS (estimate termination from service). I will never forget drunken soldiers at NCO clubs, who had been in country all of three days, singing the "Short Song" - the Animals' version of "We Gotta Get Out of this Place."
Kidder does a marvelous job of sharing the sense of tedium you experienced as well as the sense that you were completely and totally wasting your time. For most of us, your only goal and objective in serving in Viet Nam was not to be killed and Kidder helps the reader understand how one would adopt this philosophy. It was clear that we were not out saving America for democracy. Kidder also brings parts of his failed novel on Viet Nam into this book in helping describe the fantasies of those who were serving in the rear echelons.
Kidder does a good job of explaining that many of the people who were sent to Viet Nam were not humping through the boonies but instead were placed in mindless jobs in the rear echelon. There they had to take orders from officers and senior NCOs who were putting in their required time in a war zone because it was a box that needed to be checked off so they could get their next promotion. The constant rotation of new officers on a one year tour meant that for at least the first six months, an officer was learning his job before he became any where close to being proficient. It was almost constant OJT.
This book resonated with me in terms of reminding me of having many of the same experiences and feelings as Kidder described in his book: misadventures on R&R (I was in Bangkok and Kidder was in Singapore but the experience was quite similar); dislike and disdain for "lifers": a sense of how unfair life could be if you received a "dear John" letter from your fiancee; frustration over the fact that most of one's college friends had been clever enough to avoid being drafted and sent to Viet Nam; the fact that your peers viewed you as a "baby killer" instead of a patriot.
If you served in Viet Nam, particularly as a REMF, you will enjoy this book. If you have ever wondered what it was like to spend a year of your life mostly bored to death with moments of abject fear when under mortar, sapper or rocket attack, this book will help explain those sensations. It is well written, is a good read, has a good deal of humor, and takes one back to what it is like to be 23 years old, depressed over being rejected by "the one great love of your life," and totally clueless about what you are doing in a foreign country taking orders from people you do not respect and performing a function that seems completely useless. I really liked the book, but I also lived the experience. Maybe you had to be there.

a boot in the military intelligence camp.......2007-02-09

I almost met Tracy Kidder on October 10, 2006 because he gave a free public talk as an author participating in the Creative Writing Program of the University of Minnesota. Reading the book was a snap for me because I have been reading about Nam since I bought PAPERS ON THE WAR by Daniel Ellsberg back in about 1972. Putting little pieces of that big puzzle together is one of the things that keeps my brain active as I rapidly approach the age of 60. Probably the best idea I found in the book was "creepy lifer puke." Ain't like a man, when people run for public office and ads on TV smear someone for things that you do every day and salute people when you are not in a war zone, but to hear people in the good old U. S. Of A. complain about hippie freaks is just a bunch of creepy lifer puke, as far as I am concerned. When he was questioned about Iraq after his presentation from things he wrote, Tracy Kidder said some things about the terrible nature of war. The big green machine we know so well is unlikely to solve the kind of problems that people in Iraq have after their door gets kicked in. I also liked a bit about things to do in Singapore on R & R. It did not say you have to be in the army to get away with stuff like that, but who'd want to ?

A good minimalist war story.......2007-01-29

I read a lot of genre books and have rated novels with less merit higher than Kidders 'My Detachment'. The reason I mention this fact is that I am holding 'My Detachment' up to a higher light than I would if Kidder had written a story along the lines of James Patterson or Stephen King. Instead I think that this story cries out to be considered along with other war novels that have shaped the great American novel, from 'Red Badge of Courage', to Norman Mailers, Tim O'Brien, Hemingway, and Joseph Heller's first efforts. And if I stack what Kidder has given us against these masterpieces, it is lacking on many fronts.

On the other hand this is an enjoyable little book in its own rights. It follows the time line of Kidders early years, from his college days to his time in Vietnam. The story repeatedly brings up Kidders first foray into writing... a story that he wrote just after coming home from Nam. This story is portrayed loosely, but I felt as though it were along the lines of John Wayne's Green Berets. Kidder mentions this book often and contrasts the story he wrote to his actual experience which is what he is writing in My Detachment. He looks back at this story as a bit of young foolishness, and he looks back at himself as an ignorant self centered young man.

Part of the problem with My Detachment, or maybe it is what makes it appealing, is that Kidder really pulls no punches when dealing with who he was at that time. He is a wholly self engrossed person, and the character that Kidder presents us with is both loathsome as well as fascinating. Its hard to find an affinity for the young Kidder, the novel gives you little in the way to latch on to personality wise, and you are left removed from events. Also, the story itself is an almost minimalist war story. Not too much happens, and this is kind of the point of this book.

Kidder is a fine writer. I don't think that this story will be remembered as his best. It almost felt as though Kidder were going for a Nicholson Baker effect. Baker is a writer who is at his best when writing about the inconsequential. He wrote an entire novel about a trip up an escalator. It would have been interesting if Kidder had investigated his time with a different edge, by this I think that Kidder approached his time as if he were Hemingway crossed with a bit of our post modern culture, and not himself. I think he wrote for what others were expecting and not for originality's sake.

My detachment book review .......2007-01-12

My Detachment is about an Army Lieutenant in the Vietnam War who is stationed in a rear line intelligence base. Tracy Kidder writes about his experience dealing with over enthusiastic officials and under enthusiastic soldiers. I would recommend this book for high school readers and higher because of some graphic violence and strong language.

I think that this book was written to explain the unreported part of Vietnam. For Kidder, the hard part of the war was dealing with the officers of his base. In my opinion, the book tells a part of the war that went unnoticed. I would rate this book at 8 out of 10. This is because it gives an interesting account of the war from a different view. I also like how Kidder tells his reasons for joining the army from college.

My Detachment relates to Juana from The Pearl because like Juana, the lieutenant always tries to please people. This is shown when Major Great comes to inspect the camp and the lieutenant tries to impress him and he dose what the major says. In The Pearl, Junan always dose what Kino says to do.

The Billy Mitchell Affair
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The Billy Mitchell Affair
Burke Davis
Manufacturer: Gryphon Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
ASIN: B000KH0JGS

Product Description

BRAND NEW leather bound book accented with gilt! ! Brigadier General William Mitchell (1879-1936) was charged in 1925 with insubordination and "conduct of a nature to bring discredit upon the military service." The court-martial of this much-decorated veteran of World War I opened on October 28, 1925. Billy Mitchell had spoken loud and clear to any who would listen of the urgent need for the United States to develop air power and of the "incompetency, the criminal negligence, and the almost treasonable administration of our national defense by the Navy and War Departments." Military leaders, convinced that battleships remained "the backbone of the fleet" and deeming change unnecessary, were outraged by Mitchell's outspokenness. Mitchell, a pilot in the Great War, held to his vision. In 1923, he even predicted, in detail, Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. The long court-martial brought to the fore the crusade for a strong, independent air force that he continued until his death. Arrogant, steadfast, and startlingly right, Mitchell has been the subject of a number of books. Burke Davis's BILLY MITCHELL AFFAIR (1967), which we now add to the Notable Trials Library, is the first to rely on the full transcript of the court-martial and other previously classified documents.

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The Billy Mitchell affair
Burke Davis
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006BOB2Q

Book Description

The urgent need for a sustainable environment has resulted in the increased recognition of the field of landscape ecology amongst policy makers working in the area of nature conservation, restoration and territorial planning. Nonetheless, the question of what is precisely meant by the term 'landscape ecology' is still unresolved. Is it, for example, an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the environment at a landscape scale? Or perhaps at the level of biological organisation? Still further, has the inseparability of landscape and culture affected the scope of 'landscape ecology'?
No doubt, a proper foundation of the discipline must first be cemented. This book then develops such a foundation. In doing so it provides all the diverse applications of the discipline with a solid framework and proposes an effective diagnostic methodology to investigate the ecological state and the pathologies of the landscape.

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