The Autobiography of Henry Merrell: Industrial Missionary to the South

Book Description

Melvin Thomas Ott was smaller than most home run sluggers, at 5'9", 170 pounds, but he could sure hit 'em as far as the big boys. Over a 22-year playing career with the New York Giants, Ott slapped 511 homers, then a National League record. At the tender age of 20, he erupted on the scene with career highs of 42 home runs and 152 RBIs. He went on to win or share six home run titles, appear in 11 All-Star Games and play in three World Series. It was a foregone conclusion when Ott was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1951. This is the first-ever biography of baseball's renowned "nice guy." Every aspect of his remarkable baseball career is covered, from his jump to the big leagues at age 17 to his tragic death at age 49. Ott's managerial and broadcasting careers are also discussed.

Customer Reviews:

Mel Ott: The Little Giant Who Was A Big Man.......2007-04-05

Mel Ott, in this day and age, seems to be a forgotten superstar. I think there are a number of reasons for this: the team he played for moved from its home of more than 70 years, from the place Ott played to a city across the country, where it developed its own heroes; he died at much too young an age, he was never a controversial figure in baseball, and the records he set, especially the league records, were largely eclipsed - a normal happening over time - by someone who played on the same team that he did, so he didn't even get to own the team records that he set.

Thus, Fred Stein has done us all a favor by writing this book to remind us of the talent of Mel Ott, and of the temperment, sportsmanship and manners of the man. He traces Ott's life from his roots in Louisiana up to New York City, the development of his talent, the foresight of John McGraw to educate and protect him from anyone who would change his batting style, through his many years of stardom and his managerial efforts. There was not much of the book devoted to after he was released as manager of the Giants, such as his work on the farm system or his time as a Tigers broadcaster, but in the big picture of Ott's life, these are only footnotes to the greatness of his career.

One other item that did bother me: at the end of the book, the author interviews a writer who, in the course of his work, interviewed Carl Hubbell and found him to be "dull," and had the opportunity to sit at the same table with Dizzy Dean, Frank Frisch and Rogers Hornsby, whom he described as a "boor," a "chatterbox," and "mean," I believe the descriptions were. The writer and Stein are entitled to their opinions about these people, and they may well be truthful and honest in their assessment; except for Rogers Hornsby, I hadn't heard the other gentlemen described in these terms, not to say that they may or may not be of which they are accused. I do know that by this stage of the book (almost at the end), Mel Ott does not need to be compared to these gentlemen; Stein has already completely made his point that Ott is polite, kind, entertaining, a fine interview, etc. There's no need to elevate Ott at the expense of lowering these ex-players. Ott and his personality can stand by itself; if you want to call someone a "boor" or "dull," write a book about them and how they got to be that way; all of these fellows would make interesting topics in biographies (by the way, there are good books about Dean and Hornsby out there).

Also, something interesting that Stein did not mention but would have been a point of coincidence is the number of ex-Giants in that era that died from auto accidents. Besides Mel Ott, other teammates include Carl Hubbell and Frank Frisch; there may be more, but I'd have to investigate. It's not often that a number of teammates and stars pass away from the same cause.

Mel Ott: The Little Giant of Baseball.......2006-11-10

Fred Stein did a terrific job of bringing Mel Ott to life with great stories of his entry into baseabll at the age of 16 and his subsequent rise to become a Hall of Famer . The Postal Service recently honored Mel Ott by issuing a commemorative stamp and named him one of the all time great sluggers. Stein depicts the era in which Ott, Terry and Mcgraw as manager of the NY GIants, played, as one of the most exciting times to witness the greats in action. Well done and a must for any baseball enthusiast.

Add This Book to Your Baseball Library.......2002-03-11

Author Fred Stein has provided us with a well written biography about Mel Ott, one of the greatest players in the storied history of the New York Giants baseball team. Milton Shapiro wrote a biography of Ott in 1959 on a more juvenile level and it was long overdue for another more detailed biography of Master Melvin. Ott arrived at the Polo Grounds in the mid 1920's for a tryout on the recommendation of Harry Williams, a friend of Giants' manager John McGraw. McGraw didn't want anyone tampering with Ott's batting stance in the minor leagues and wanted to keep a close watch on the young teen ager. After gradually breaking Ott into the lineup and with the added confidence, Ott became one of the most popular players ever to play with the Giants. The book covers the story of Bill Terry's succeeding McGraw as Giants' manager as well as Ott's career as Terry's successor at the helm. It may be true that Ott didn't have the disposition to be a manager. When he acted up over an umpire's decision, his ranting just didn't appear to be real. I read with great surprise that Ott didn't attend his Hall of Fame induction at Cooperstown in 1951 because he was managing the Oakland Oaks in the minor leagues. I remember very well when Ott broadcasted Detroit Tigers' baseball games with Van Patrick from 1956 through 1958 and enjoyed him very much. His death in November of 1958 was a great loss to all of baseball and to those who followed the Tigers on the radio. Many athletes may be great on the field, but are a disappointment off the field. Ott didn't disappoint those who looked up to him. The book is easy to read and should be enjoyable for anyone from teen agers to adults. Thanks, Fred Stein for a great effort. I only wish the book was available in hard cover.

Very nice telling of Mel's story.......2002-02-01

This book really showed me how good Mel was as a player and as a person. He was my great uncle, and although I never got to meet him (since he died before I was born), this book provided me with a great opportunity to learn more about him and how he lived his life. I recommend this book to any Mel Ott enthusiast or just about anybody who likes baseball, as it tells about one of baseball's best players and best people.

A fascinating account of baseball as it once was!.......1999-05-31

I initially ordered this book because I wanted to learn more about the life and times of a hall-of-famer whose mono-syllabic name appeared so often in baseball's record books. But I came away with a great appreciation for baseball in far simpler times. The author's love and affection for his boyhood hero and his undying devotion to our national pasttime leaps from the pages.

A must read for anyone who loves baseball and heroes.

Book Description

"Contributes significantly to our understanding of how Warner Bros. crusaded against fascism from the middle 1930s to Pearl Harbor. Drawing on extensive archival research, Birdwell provides particularly lively discussions of Alvin York's conversion to interventionism during the making of Sergeant York and of the 1941 Nye-Clark Committee investigations of 'premature anti-fascism' in Hollywood."
--Charles Maland, University of Tennessee

"Will be a lasting contribution, not only on the impact of media on our nation's policies--a topic of concern for most thoughtful people--but also for academics in popular culture studies."
--Peter Rollins, Editor-in-Chief, Film & History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies

During the 1930s many Americans avoided thinking about war erupting in Europe, believing it of little relevance to their own lives. Yet, the Warner Bros. film studio embarked on a virtual crusade to alert Americans to the growing menace of Nazism.

Polish-Jewish immigrants Harry and Jack Warner risked both reputation and fortune to inform the American public of the insidious threat Hitler's regime posed throughout the world. Through a score of films produced during the 1930s and early 1940s-including the pivotal Sergeant York-the Warner Bros. studio marshaled its forces to influence the American conscience and push toward intervention in World War II.

Celluloid Soldiers offers a compelling historical look at Warner Bros.'s efforts as the only major studio to promote anti-Nazi activity before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Customer Reviews:

Films Warns Against Nazism.......2001-03-18

"Celluloid Soldiers: Warner Bros.' Campaign Against Nazism," by Michael E. Birdwell, New York: NYU Press, 2001. A book review by Harvey Karten, film_critic@compuserve.com.

Politicians pursuing the "family" vote regularly chime in like critic Michael Medved about the harmful effects of film on theatergoers, particularly the young. "'The Basketball Diaries' has led to an increase of heroin use in teenagers," says one. "'Pulp Fiction' shares the blame for the increase of gun use in junior high schools," asserts another. "James Bond encourages the drinking of martinis, shaken not stirred," insists a third.

Motion pictures influence our thinking. How could they not? We sit in a darkened space, focused on little other than our popcorn and the big screen, as heroes from Humphrey Bogart to Tom Cruise spin their tales across the celluloid. But to what extent do they influence the way we actually act? Pondering and debating that unresolved issue should give us something to talk about at cocktail parties for years to come. Do filmmakers actually WANT us to behave in a certain way? Probably: to the extent that they supply us with propaganda, or, what theater people call agitprop. One of the best examples of passionate partisanship involves the case of Harry Warner, one of the founders of the illustrious Warner Bros. studio, who, during the 1930's, was so incensed by Hitler's actions in Europe and so disgusted by the isolationist views of the American government and a majority of its people that he set out to influence everyone from F.D. Roosevelt to backwoods 'billies to see that the policies of the Third Reich endangered this country as well as the continent of Europe.

While the other major studios pandered to the German fascists by doing business with them throughout the thirties, Harry Warner exploited his celluloid soap-box for all its worth, backing up his lobbying efforts with at least four motion picture productions unique in their evocation of Germany's evil. The heroism of this lone ranger might not be remembered by today's world had Michael E. Birdwell not written "Celluloid Soldiers: Warner Bros.' Campaign Against Nazism."

Birdwell's prose makes the heart beat faster as we join the author in loathing groups that had their own axes to grind in the U.S. during from 1933 to 1945--organizations whose names may have changed but whose professional haters

even today spew their venom against immigrants, Jews, African-Americans and other minorities whom they consider at the very least not to be 100% American. Some of Birdwell's scholarly but passionate statements might be describing activities in the year 2001 rather than movements that should have died a lingering and painful death during the thirties. Birdwell states: "Many Americans knew that Jews played a prominent role in the film monopoly. [One] vicious handbill read, 'Boycott the Movies! Hollywood is the Sodom and Gomorrah!'" What's missing in today's more subtle broadsides against Hollywood is the mention of Jews as the target of abhorrence, but The Pacific Coast Anticommunist Federation of that time had no problem declaring "international Jewry controls vice--dope--gambling. Buy Gentile. Employ Gentile. Vote Gentile."

Birdwell discusses Harry Warner's attempts to counteract the malice by his productions of anti-fascist movies, the most

arresting being his analysis of the film "Sergeant York," starring Gary Cooper as the title hero of World War I--an uneducated Tennessee mountain person who killed more Germans than Vassily Vaitsev but who turned pacifist immediately following the war to end all wars. When Alvin C. York came to his senses in the late thirties, he stumped for intervention. As Warner saw the prospect for waking up the world community to the dangers of Nazism, he convinced a reluctant York to give his permission for a portrayal of his life. "Sergeant York," one of the most influential archetypes of agitprop cinema, emerged. President Roosevelt may have been more affected by the attack on Pearl Harbor than on this movie, but both Harry Warner and Alvin York deserve monuments for their work in splashing cold water on the faces of a largely indifferent America. In the same manner, Birdwell--and the NYU university press, must be commended for its short but thoroughly researched study about the impact of media writ small on politics and American thinking in general... film_critic@compuserve.com

WARNER BROTHERS MOVIES PAVE THE WAY FOR USA WWII ENTRANCE.......2001-01-23

Dr. Michael E. Birdwell of the University Of Tennesse's Center For The Study Of War And Society has authored an interesting, detailed, and scholarly yet readable book about intentional efforts by Hollywood's Warner Brothers Movie Studios to encourage USA entrance into World War II during a pre-war period characterized by massive social and political opposition to war entry by still famous groups such as the Charles Lindbergh led America First group, and also by more than 300 other anti-war entry groups identified by the Roosevelt administration's pro-war FBI in 1938.

Dr. Birdwell explains that the Warner Brothers' effort to encourage hostility to the German government through use of Hollywood movies began in the early thirties, and was particularly the result of the fervor of Harry Warner, the "head" Warner brother, a devout religious Jew who tried without success to purchase Germany's largest movie studio called UFA, producer of famous 1920's German silent classics including THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI and METROPOLIS. As Dr. Birdwell tells the tale, Harry Warner was just about to close the UFA purchase deal when the Nazis came to power in 1933, and stopped German business dealings with Jewish owned and/or dominated companies like Warner Brothers.

Harry Warner became very angry at this rebuff, and began his own personal war with Germany which, Dr. Birdwell argues, resulted importantly in the USA decision to join and support that war, which went on to cost more than half a million American lives.

Anti-war politicians of the 1930's put many roadblocks in Mr. Warner's way, including especially the Neutrality Act of the mid-1930's, which forbade negative characterization of America's then trading partners, in which ranks Germany numbered prominently. This did not deter Mr. Warner whose efforts began with a 1936 Warner Brothers cartoon, and then with a live action movie titled BLACK LEGION about one of the many anti-Black, anti-Jewish political groups active in the 1930's. All seven of the major Hollywood studios of the 1930's were owned and run by American Jews (the Disney studio was not, but was tiney compared to the others, and could not be called a true peer of the "majors" in 1930's Hollywood).

The Harry Warner anti-German campaign included movies such as DR. EHRLICH'S MAGIC BULLET (about the Jewish research scientist who found a cure for venereal disease) and others which celebrated accomplishment by Jews. It also included a series of short subjects, shown in movie houses along with cartoons, etc. to supplement feature films, titled the Old Glory series, which identified Jews prominent in American history, including Chaim Solomon who helped finance the American Revolutionary War, and the Levi family who bought Thomas Jefferson's Monticello mansion, lived in it for almost 100 years, then set up the foundation which still operates and makes tours of Jefferson's home available to the public.

Feature movies of various types were also produced to support the pro-war entry cause, including SERGEANT YORK (about a conscientious objector during WWI who changed his mind and became a winner of the Congressional Medal Of Honor) starring Gary Cooper (who won an Academy Award for his role) and CASABLANCA (about an expatriate American in Morocco who distains politics, but suddenly is converted to the anti-German cause in the last moments of the film) starring Humphrey Bogart (the film won an Academy Award for "best picture," and interestingly includes Conrad Veidt starring as the German villain, "Major Strasse," 20 years after Veight starred in Germany's most famous movie of the 1920's, THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI, a UFA production).

Movies which celebrated England and partiotism on England's behalf (such as ROBIN HOOD and THE SEA HAWK, both starring Warner Brothers Australian born movie star, Errol Flynn) were produced to overcome American antipathy, then widely prevalent, for helping England maintain her Empire.

After USA entrance into the war, the efforts of Warner Brothers (and other studios) to support USA war activity continued, and included the participation of a Warner Brothers contract player (in a movie titled THIS IS THE ARMY) who later became the President of the United States, Ronald Reagan.

Dr. Bridwell's book is worth reading. It is an important addition to the literature of books published over the decades, and longer, about the place of propaganda in propagating and encouraging participation in wars, even when those wars are unpopular, as WWII was in the eyes of many Americans before USA entrance into WWII.

Well-researched on an important subject.......1999-05-05

Dr. Birdwell, an authority on popular culture, has written with fascinating insight about the role of Warner Brothers in their efforts to expose the conditions inside Nazi Germany during the years between the wars when no one else was paying much attention.. The book also delineates the viewpoints of two popular heroes, Charles Lindbergh and Sgt. Alvin C. York, and their influence on public opinion. This book is a "must" for those interested in the subtle ways that Hollywood molds our attitudes toward moral and political issues.

Celluloid Soldiers: Warner Bros.'s Campaign against Nazism. (book review): An article from: American Jewish History

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Celluloid Soldiers: Warner Bros.'s Campaign against Nazism. (book review): An article from: American Jewish History
Felicia Herman
Manufacturer: American Jewish Historical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0008IP52W
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from American Jewish History, published by American Jewish Historical Society on September 1, 2001. The length of the article is 1163 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: Celluloid Soldiers: Warner Bros.'s Campaign against Nazism. (book review)
Author: Felicia Herman
Publication: American Jewish History (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 2001
Publisher: American Jewish Historical Society
Volume: 89 Issue: 3 Page: 310(5)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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The Ted Hawkins Collection
Ted Hawkins
Manufacturer: Hal Leonard Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 063400199X

Book Description

The events of Ted Hawkins life read like lyrics to a blues tune. This vastly talented singer/guitarist enjoyed great fame overseas, but stateside, he was relegated to playing for passersby at Venice Beach. 1994 saw the release of an album that made him a star, and also, unfortunately, his death from a stroke. This collection includes 20 soulful acoustic blues tunes from this gifted artist: Cold and Bitter Tears * Don't Ever Leave Me * The Good and the Bad * Strange Conversation * Watch Your Step * Whole Lot of Women * You're Beautiful to Me * more. Includes a biography.

Book Description

A must-have reference for the Angel Roleplaying Game (RPG), the Director's Screen includes: a full-color, four-panel screen covered with Angel images; easily referenced charts and tables on the flip side of the screen; a section offering game-running and session-mastering tips to simplify game play; three ready-to-run, interrelated episodes for the Angel RPG Corebook Archetypes, the Original Cast, or players' own character creations.

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Why is this the exception?

ideal management

Packed With Knowledge!

In Headlong Pursuit of a Shared Purpose...

Brilliant

Plain Talk: Lessons from a Business Maverick
Ken Iverson
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Company Profiles | Biography & History | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Production & Operations | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Entrepreneurship | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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The Art of Keeping Management Simple: An Interview with Ken Iverson of Nucor Steel

American Steel

Crisis In Bethlehem

Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company

From Worst to First: Behind the Scenes of Continental's Remarkable Comeback

ASIN: 0471155144

Book Description

A visionary, maverick, and genuine American business hero, Ken Iverson is one of the most closely-watched business leaders in the world. Credited with single-handedly rejuvenating the rapidly declining American steel industry to the status of world-class producer, Iverson is one of the most successful and, as he likes to point out, one of the lowest-paid CEOs in the U.S. In his long-awaited book, Ken Iverson shares his ideas, observations, and the lessons he's learned about what it takes to grow a super-competitive, world-class organization.

Customer Reviews:

Why is this the exception?.......2005-09-07

I love when people and companies decide to keep things simple. Iverson and Nucor obviously made that choice. The no-brainer is that when you keep systems simple, they are easier to sustain. The other obvious notion is that when you give people the whole story (what we're trying to do, why it's important, here's how we're doing currently)they will self-organize, self-correct and self-maintain because they know what's at stake. Unfortunately, what Nucor knows and what has always seemed to me the best way to run and sustain an organization, seems to be the exception out there rather than the rule.

ideal management.......2005-06-11

When I read most books written by CEOs, I feel like I am being conned. I know how most CEOs are, telling upbeat lies to their employees and then stabbing them in the back. But somehow I feel that Ken Iverson is really telling the truth and giving us "plain talk". This book describes ideal corporate management, ideal both for employees and for long-term shareholders.

Packed With Knowledge!.......2004-09-17

Perhaps the highest praise for this refreshing little memoir is this: if certain other captains of industry had read Ken Iverson's book when it was published in 1998 and heeded its advice, investors would have been spared billions in losses and a slew of corporate scandals would have been averted. Iverson, head of steel maker Nucor Corporation, injects much-needed common sense into the often-bureaucratic, hierarchical world of corporate boardrooms and corner offices. This persuasive text, written in the sort of clear, muscular prose you'd expect from a steel man, will make you want to give up your executive parking space and embrace an egalitarian corporate structure. We recommend this engaging work to managers who want to look at their jobs a new way.

In Headlong Pursuit of a Shared Purpose..........2001-02-24

Ken Iverson has truly earned the right to be called a "Business Maverick". In this book he explains how the culture he created at Nucor became "60% of their competative advantage". He explains how breaking down hierarchy and opening the lines of true communication in all directions can propel a business to success.

His unique, but successful, techniques at time agree with, and at times flies in the face of, McGregor, classical management theorists, and others who have studied management, communications and human resources.

In chapters entitled, "A Higher Cause", "Trust Your Instincts", "Destroy the Hierarchy", "A Simple Stake in the Business", "The Virtues of Smallness", "Ethic Over Politics", and others Mr. Iverson relates how you too, if you are willing to work hard enough at it, can "turn a confused, tired old company on the brink of bankruptcy into a star player...", while learning that "many of the so-called 'necessary evils' of life in corporate America are, in fact, not necessary".

Brilliant.......2001-02-22

This is a fantastic and priceless book, by a man who turned an almost bankrupt company around, to a company doing over $4 billion a year in business, with much profit. It's an inspiring book, that gives you faith in human nature...all you have to do is appeal to peoples' best impulses to get them to perform well and enthusiastically (the MANAGERS had to rescue a union organizer from the WORKERS, who wanted nothing to do with unions. Imagine that! WORKERS being hostile to the union representative, and MANAGERS, rescuing him from a hostile group!) This may be the greatest business book ever written, frankly!! I'm almost loath to recommend it, God forbid my competitors should read it!....

Plain Talk Lessons from a Business Maverick

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Plain Talk Lessons from a Business Maverick
Iverson Ken
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LCO1ZM

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Perhaps Analyzing Adams Is too Great a Task.

A Lot I Didn't Know About John Adams

Far better than McCullough -- a splendid biography of a fascinating subject

An often analytical look at John Adams

Good man, great book!

John Adams: Party of One
James Grant
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Presidents & Heads of State | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Adams, John | ( A ) | People, A-Z | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Revolution & Founding | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
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Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams

ASIN: 0374113149
Release Date: 2005-03-09

Book Description

An acute examination of a paradoxical U.S. president.

John Adams was an undiplomatic diplomat and an impolitic politician--a fierce revolutionary yet a detached and reluctant leader of the nation he helped to found. Few American public figures have ever been more devoted to doing the right thing, or more contemptuous of doing the merely popular thing. Yet his Yankee-bred fixation with ethical propriety and fiscal conservatism never stood in the way of his doing what was necessary. Adams hated debt, but as minister to the Netherlands during the Revolution, he was America's premier junk-bond salesman. And though raised a traditional Massachusetts Congregationalist, Adams was instrumental in bringing about the consecration of the first American Episcopal bishops. He was a warm and magnanimous friend and, on occasion, a man who fully vindicated the famous judgment of a rival he detested. Adams, said Benjamin Franklin, "means well for his country, is always an honest man, often a wise one, but, sometimes, and in some things, is absolutely out of his senses."

James Grant examines this complex and often contradictory founding father in the most well-rounded and multi-faceted portrait of Adams to date. Going from his beginnings on a hardscrabble Massachusetts farm to the Continental Congress to the Court of St. James and the White House, Grant traces the words and deeds of one of our most learned but politically star-crossed leaders.

Customer Reviews:

Perhaps Analyzing Adams Is too Great a Task........2007-09-22

First and Foremost, Adams is a fascinating subject, and Grant is a highly qualified historian.

However, it is disappointing that several of the reviews of Mr. Grant's book find it necessary to compare it to D.McCullough's effort. Certainly the latter did create a mania of sorts a few years back, which in turn led to a golden period for historians with a Revolutionary preference.

But having read both, the one thing that seems clear is that Adams is difficult to contain.

Grant's work is a nicely crafted, eminently readable depiction of John Adams, and one that features many interesting and unique observations regarding the revolutionary that Americans have only recently, it seems, elevated to an appropriate level amongst the founding deities.

But too often, Grant's book begins to develop around a certain point about Adams' life or achievements, only to suddenly trail off, leaving the thought unfinished, and the reader wondering if perhaps they'd skipped a page. Yet,this is no brief inquiry. Grant covers the great expanse of Adam's adult life, but fails to acutely identify very many of the key productions of that life.

It is as if there is too much about Adams to be treated adequately in this sort of Comprehensive Biography.

McCullough's work in many ways suffered from the same affliction, but I would measure his prose a little more lyrical, if somewhat less inquiring.

Both authors are absolutely convincing in terms of identifying Adams as a major force in the shaping of the nation, a bold and dynamic personality who left his large fingerprints clearly evident on so many chapters of that formation, and definitely deserving of Franklin's famous assessment of the man's virtue and insanity. Each one of the chapters of Adams' life are so worthy of their own in depth analysis that the soup to nuts biography only serves to (as George Clooney's character says in O Brother Where Art THou) arouse the appetite of the reader without taking him or her to bed.

Grant would have done well to get his fingernails a little dirtier on issues like the Alien & Sedition debacle; the Paris years with Franklin; etc., instead of leaving them too soon. Too many unanswered questions. Too many superficial or unfinished portrayals. Adams deserves more.

A Lot I Didn't Know About John Adams.......2007-01-09

I found a lot here not available in other recent books about John Adams, and I read one chapter in this book then a chapter in a longer book. Two examples on information covered only here are details of the loans he arranged in Europe after teaching himself the financial trade, and his role in the beginning of the Episcopal Church in the United States.

This is not a shorter version of a more detailed book, but a complete biography by an author with expert knowledge of the financial world of John Adams. I recommend this book to anyone interested in John Adams.

Far better than McCullough -- a splendid biography of a fascinating subject.......2006-10-22

Written with clarity and grace, supported by thorough research, and characterized throughout by scholarly care and respect for both primary and secondary sources, this is the large biography of John Adams to read. It is half the length of David McCullough's tome, but far more scrupulous in its treatment of Adams, especially in its engagement with the rich historical scholarship on the subject. Even an expert can learn from this admirable book, and I did.

An often analytical look at John Adams.......2005-10-07

John Adams: Party of One by James Grant is a different look at John Adams than the recent bestseller from historian David McCullough. Grant does often quote from primary sources, but not nearly to the extent that McCullough did. This should make the biography less challenging to readers that found the frequent shifts between McCullough's modern style and primary sources difficult. However, Grant makes the text less accessible by some use of vocabulary unfamiliar to the general audience.

The book is worth reading because it gives a look at Adams using primary sources that have not been available previously just as the next Adams biography will do (the Massachusetts Historical Society has spent years compiling Adams' papers and has yet to complete the task). Grant goes out of his way to give a balanced look at John Adams. In some matters, he is highly supportive of Adams' efforts and methods, such as securing loans in The Netherlands. In others, Grant is highly critical of Adams such as his lack of tact as a diplomat. Granted, that particular opinion will not get much argument. One thing that is unusual for most recent biographies, Grant often discusses Adams' faith and religion, keeping its presense throughout the biography unlike, for example, Walter Stahr's biography of John Jay where his noted strong faith disappears for chapters at a time.

As already mentioned, Grant's style does not lend itself to a general audience, at least one that does not wish to have a dictionary handy. Grant brings a highly analytical style, which makes this biography more than a simple narration of Adams' life. The danger with this is that the objectivity can be lost in favor of only citing sources that support a particular point of view. Grant slips into this commentary several times, which could be a distraction if one does not enjoys this style of biography. The stylistic issues raised in the preceding can be considered positives or negatives depending on the reader's own personal preference.

In this reviewer's opinion, this biography of John Adams will not appeal to everyone. It will be heartily enjoyed by some for its analytical and direct style, but may be a disappointment to others who are looking for a milder approach. However, this reviewer endorses an attempt at reading this biography because of the quantity and perhaps quality of what it has to offer.

Good man, great book!.......2005-09-05

James Grant has written one of the most readable biographies I have ever come across. I was never interested in John Adams before (why I'm not sure) and even tended to make light of him in my own novel (if in no other way than that he only slightly appears), but a friend of mine is a big fan of Adams and when I saw this book, it seemed a good chance to spark conversation with him.

Rather than rehash what has been said by other reviewers, I want to commend Grant for placing his historical comments in context. Rather than trying to explain Adams from a 21st century perspective while pretending not to, when Grant injects a 21st century persective (i.e. Adams' stand on slavery or his "progression of faith") he says so within the text. This, I thought, was a more honest way for him to make such comparisons than is found in so many modern writings.

Grant is also an expert on finances and he made the fiscal problems of the Revolutionary era interesting in a way it never had been for me before. An excellent book!

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John Adams: Party of One
James Grant
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OWX7TK

Report of Theodorick Bland, Esq. on South America;: A. Buenos Ayres, b. Chile, to the honorable John Quincy Adams ... Written by one of a party of three ... Congress by President Monroe, Dec. 15, 1818

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Report of Theodorick Bland, Esq. on South America;: A. Buenos Ayres, b. Chile, to the honorable John Quincy Adams ... Written by one of a party of three ... Congress by President Monroe, Dec. 15, 1818
Theodorick Bland
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Book Description

The Canadian army is in crisis. Its command structure is ineffective. Its soldiers are demoralized. Its equipment is outmoded and inadequate for many of the tasks to which it is assigned. The causes of the problem can be traced to a number of sources, including political indecision, peacetime neglect, and budgetary cutbacks. But, perhaps most crucially, the ability of the army to carry out its essential function, which is to maintain the capacity to fight wars, has been undermined by the process of bureaucratization initiated by passage of the Unification Act of 1968 and reinforced by later structural changes. This process has transformed and disfigured the military command structure at every level, from the Chief of Defence Staff to the so-called Hellyer corporal, with disastrous results.

The dreadful torture and murder of a teenager in Somalia was significant precisely because it showed how badly morale and discipline have deteriorated in Canada’s army. In Significant Incident, David Bercuson gives readers a rare inside look at the state of our armed forces. He draws on historical sources, leaked documents, material submitted to the Commission of Inquiry into the Somalia Affair, and on scores of exclusive interviews. He uses this material to describe today’s army, both on duty in Bosnia, for example, and on the home front. It is against this multifaceted background that the deterioration of a proud regiment, the Canadian Airborne, and its ill-fated mission to Somalia begins to make sense.

Significant Incident will be welcomed by soldiers, but will send shockwaves through the media, the military high command, and political circles.

Customer Reviews:

One of Bercuson's best military books.......2002-02-13

Bercuson has obviously used his past research to good effect in this volume (he even quotes one of the WWII Calgary Highlanders he interviewed for BATTALION OF HEROES early on in this one.) Bercuson demonstrates a solid grasp on the social and political history of the Canadian Army, tracing its roots to the middle ages, in an easy to read and well written book. This is not just a description of the murder committed in Somalia, but a detailed look at why the Army has come to be the way it is.

The military's role in Modern Canada.......2001-08-15

I'm a Yank, but I was in Somalia at the time the Somali was murdered. This book describes both the incident in good detail and the (disgraceful) disbanding of the CAR, but also addresses the larger issue of the role of the military in modern Canadian society. The author notes that with recent defense cutbacks and a deemphasizing of the old values and professionalism that had made Canada successful in battles like that of Vimy Ridge in WWI, that Canada may no longer seen, internationally, as a country deserving respect.

All of the author's points are well written and valid (and hopefully someone in Ottawa has read this book...), but I deducted a star because he does not mention the role that melafloquine, an anti-malarial drug that was taken in Somalia, may have played in the murder.

-Tom

Book Description

"Dennis Kux's book possesses a wealth of new information, based partly on fresh research in published and archival sources, but based even more impressively on the more than 100 personal interviews he conducted with former diplomats and defense officials in both the United States and Pakistan."--Robert J. McMahon, University of Florida

"Kux's study is, to my knowledge, the first full-dress, comprehensive, and authoritative study of U.S.-Pakistan relations. Focused primarily on formal diplomacy between these two countries, it systematically chronicles the major events, deftly handles the primary issues, and sympathetically considers the key political and diplomatic figures on both sides."--Robert Wirsing, University of South Carolina

U.S.-Pakistan relations have been extraordinarily volatile, largely a function of the twists and turns of the Cold War. An intimate partnership prevailed in the Eisenhower, Nixon, and Reagan years, and friction during the Kennedy, Johnson, and Carter presidencies. Since the Cold War ended, the partnership has shriveled. The blunt talking to delivered by President Clinton to Pakistan's military dictator during Clinton's March 25, 2000, stopover in Pakistan highlighted U.S.-Pakistani differences. But the Clinton visit also underscored important U.S. interests in Pakistan.

The first comprehensive account of this roller coaster relationship, this book is a companion volume to Kux's Estranged Democracies, recently called "the definitive history of Pakistani-American relations" in the New York Times.

Customer Reviews:

Good but heavily US slanted.......2002-05-07

Dennis Kux gives a very good history of diplomatic relations between the US and Pakistan, including analysis of the bigger global politics picture. However, this is mostly from the US point of view. Not as dry as many similar books.

Understanding the fluctuating US-Pakistan relations.......2001-11-10

Ambassador Dennis Kux, who had previously authored the study of India-US relations, India and the United States: Estranged Democracies, 1941-1991, has once again produced a masterly account; this time of the US-Pakistan relationship. Thorough in description, tracing events from the initial encounters between US and Pakistan since 1947, to President Clinton's visit to Islamabad in March 2000, Kux's narrative makes for an absorbing and gripping read. Heavily referenced, it has drawn from a variety of sources, including the US national archives, the Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson presidential libraries, Nixon's papers and the Public Record Office in London. He also obtained documents by invoking the US Freedom of Information Act. Moreover, he was able to interview over 50 senior Pakistani officials who had played key roles in their country's dealings with Washington. The result is some rare insights into the making of history, much of it so far hidden from view.

Kux has an added advantage since he served in the American embassy in Islamabad in two critical phases, from 1957 to 1959, and again from 1969 to 1971, and was eyewitness to many of the events that led to the blossoming of the relationship.
Few relationships in the international arena have been as turbulent as Pakistan's with the United States. Washington's engagement with Islamabad has swung like a pendulum in the last fifty years or so. Ambassador Kux tried hard, with some success, to remove the misgivings of Pakistanis about the American lack of sincerity in bilateral relations as Washington always dumped the country once its interests were served. This once again is the topic of intense discussion in Pakistan today, even among the educated and the pro-Western class. To understand the dynamics of this ever changing relationship, especially in the emerging scenario, this timely book is a must read.

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Conservation Guide to the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
Walter W. Timmerman
Manufacturer: Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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