The Molsons: Their Lives and Times: 1780-2000

Book Description

This is the true story of a remarkable family as told by a direct descendant of John Molson. Through generations, we follow their saga. We see the Molsons cope with change and opportunity in business, and we watch them deal with personal triumphs, private tragedies, and the everyday aspects of life.

The first Molson arrived in Montreal in 1782 from England, with little money but a single-minded ambition. Working hard, with a belief in the future of his adopted land, John Molson established a small brewery in Montreal and put his heart and soul into the business.

Over the next 200 years the Molsons expanded the brewery again and again. The founder's drive and ability was passed on to his sons, grandsons, and future generations. The family established a bank and a steamship line, recognizing that as the young country grew, opportunities would grow with it. They became a major force in politics, sports (the Montreal Canadiens hockey team), and philanthropy. And they witnessed history, both through privileged eyes and as everyday participants. They were involved in the young nation's achievements, and in its rebellions, wars, and epidemics.

Much more than a business history, The Molsons: Their Lives and Times is rich in details. It chronicles the many changes over two turbulent centuries of Canadian history, bringing familiar and unfamiliar events to life with warmth, drama, and emotion. Featuring dozens of never-before published photos and drawing on diaries, letters, and contemporary materials, the author illuminates this powerful, extraordinary family from a unique perspective and tells its story with surprising candor.

Customer Reviews:

Superb biography - the characters are real.......2002-04-20

A must for biography lovers. The story of the Molsons - their businesses, their family - comes alive thanks to the author's style, which draws us into the private world of the Molsons. There is drama and charm in a book that chronicles the history of Canada along with one of the country's foremost families. Excellently researched; extremely readable. Loved the photos too. A very satisfying book.

Book Description

From the author of Romantic Comedy (“brilliant, meticulous, a monumental work of scholarship” —Margo Jefferson, New York Times), a fresh, illuminating look at the films of the 1950s.

Harvey begins by mapping the progression from 1940s film noir to the living-room melodramas of the 1950s. He shows us the femme fatale of the 1940s (Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Bennett) becoming blander and blonder (Doris Day, Debbie Reynolds) and younger and more traditionally sexy (Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly) in the 1950s. And he shows us how women were finally replaced as objects of desire by the new boy-men—Clift, Brando, Dean, and other rebels without causes.

Harvey discusses the films of Hitchcock (Vertigo), Ophuls (The Reckless Moment), Siodmak (Christmas Holiday), and Welles (Touch of Evil, perhaps the single greatest influence on the “post-classical” movies). He writes about the quintessential 1950s directors: Nicholas Ray, who made movies in the old Hollywood tradition (In a Lonely Place, Johnny Guitar), and Douglas Sirk, who portrayed suburbia as an emotional deathtrap (Imitation of Life, Magnificent Obsession). And he discusses the “serious” directors, such as Stanley Kramer and Elia Kazan, whose films exhibited powerful new realism.

Comprehensive, insightful, written with intelligence, humor, and affection, Movie Love in the Fifties is a masterful work of American film, and cultural, history.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2005-05-27

Although I agree that, for some film fans, Harvey's analysis can be infuriating, this text is one of the more engrossing studies I've come across in recent years. But you should pick it up and browse the chapters to see if the actors, films, and directors he selects are ones that you'd like to read about. Being a huge fan of the majority of the works he does choose to focus on, I find this book to be a valuable companion. His chapter on Out of the Past is entertaining and informative and I love all the attention he gives to Nicholas Ray and Douglas Sirk.

Interesting, if only to browse through.......2003-06-04

Sandwiched uneasily between the 1940s, when Hollywood reached its wartime peak, and the 1960s, when the studio system finally collapsed, the 1950s was an odd transitional decade in American filmmaking, whose oddity James Harvey explores at length (if not always in depth) in his new book, "Movie Love in the Fifties."

He discusses not only films that cinephiles will be sure to have seen, but a few they're likely never to have heard of (among them the Deanna Durbin vehicle "Christmas Holiday," which Harvey makes sound so perversely engaging you'll regret it's not available on video). His view of the period, however, is both idiosyncratic and incomplete - you'd be hard pressed to realize from Harvey's account, for example, that directors as disparate as Samuel Fuller and Vincente Minnelli were doing some of their best work in the 50s. Some great films of the era -- Minnelli's "Some Came Running," for example -- go unmentioned here.

When Harvey is intrigued by a director, such as Nicholas Ray, Robert Siodmak or the currently trendy Douglas Sirk, his analysis can be enthralling (his take on Sirk's "Imitation of Life" alone is worth the price of the book). But as well as being a little uncertain factually (he has Marilyn Monroe and James Dean dying, respectively, a year earlier and later than they actually did), too many pages are devoted to meandering plot summaries of films all-too-readily available on video.

All told, the book is worth checking out, but you might want to do some judicious skimming.

Heavy-Handed, pretentious and just plain no fun.......2002-09-03

This is one of the worst film books that I have ever come across and certainly one of the most dishonest. Starting with the title - twice!!! This book is not about "movie love" (the film's discussed are not necessarily romantic films but films from all genres, including films with no love theme at all) and the "fifties" according to Mr. Harvey is the "late forties into the sixties"!!! Huh??? Late 40's Hollywood was outrageously different from the 1950's in terms of motion pictures and themes. To throw them together is as lopsided as discussing silent films of the 1920's and the films of the late 30's as one era. (The back cover incidentally is a romantic pose of Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in A PLACE IN THE SUN, a film that is mentioned only briefly in the book). This book frankly reads like a bunch of essays the author wrote at various times on various stars or films of the late 40s and 1950's and then compiled into a very incongruous book (I also noticed in his essay on the film CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY he or his publisher neglects to mention the film is a 1944 release which pushes his definition of the "fifties" even further). Mostly concerned with film noir movies, he pushes a ridiculous theory up front trying to tie the film noir damsels of the late 40's into the sugary girls next door stars of the 50's, which basically seems like a desperate attempt to justify discussing such different films from different eras in one book. But worse than all of this is his commentary, which is strictly his own and has not actual critical consensus, then or now. In his eyes, Doris Day is "butch", Marilyn Monroe was "not aging very well" in her last years (mid 30's!!), etc. etc. He slams several popular and acclaimed films in passing and praises some flops, too. Way too much time is spent on that overrated director Douglas Sirk and his various films. How disappointing publishers are knocking out books like this where one individual essentially passes off their opinions as the gospel truth about films when there is a desperate need for more actual film HISTORIES giving us facts and real information while there are still a few people around who worked in that period of Hollywood history who can provide it. Harvey's writing style is stiff and psuedo-academic and sure to make you wonder why anyone would even bother watching old movies if they were as joyless as this. This is most definately not a book for people who love movies.

Like overhearing a wonderful monologue on Fifties films.......2001-11-16

I think Harvey's "Romantic Comedy" is one of the best books ever written on Hollywood films, so I really looked forward to reading "Movie Love." I was not disappointed. The new book is as thoughtful and well-written as the previous book. My only complaint is that "Movie Love" is not chronologically organized.

Harvey sets up an opposition between traditional Hollywood cinema and the "new realism" of the Fifties. He comes down in favor of the traditional filmmaking of Douglas Sirk, Alfred Hitchcock and Robert Siodmak, as opposed to the emotionalism of, say, "East of Eden" or other movies influenced by "Method" actors.

Reading "Movie Love in the Fifties" is like listening to a wonderfully informed person talk about the movies he is enthusiastic about. Harvey's style is free of academic jargon, and he makes you remember that people went to movies because they were fun. I found myself dying to see "Vertigo" and "Written on the Wind" again after reading this book, and Harvey has persuaded me that I've got to track down and see "Christmas Holiday," "Lured," and "Imitation of Life" now.

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Movie Love In The Fifties. (Book Reviews). (book review) : An article from: Cineaste
Gilberto Perez
Manufacturer: Cineaste Publishers, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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ASIN: B0009FPY4S
Release Date: 2005-07-30

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Cineaste, published by Cineaste Publishers, Inc. on June 22, 2002. The length of the article is 1906 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: Movie Love In The Fifties. (Book Reviews). (book review)
Author: Gilberto Perez
Publication: Cineaste (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2002
Publisher: Cineaste Publishers, Inc.
Volume: 27 Issue: 3 Page: 52(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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MOVIE LOVE IN THE FIFTIES
James Harvey
Manufacturer: Da Capo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OSUSZK

Book Description

Essays analyzing the stunning global success of American popular culture from Buffalo Bill's Wild West Shows to the Internet as the new American frontier.

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Dark Ages: British Isles (Vampire)
Gavin Bennett , Genevieve Cogman , Chris Hartford , and Adam Tinworth
Manufacturer: White Wolf Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1588462900

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Cries out for Maps

Brings Forth Form From the Dark

Meticulously Pieces Together A 1,000-Year Puzzle

A great accessible introduction to this field

Excellent "easy" history

In Search of the Dark Ages
Michael Wood
Manufacturer: Facts on File
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0816016860

Book Description

The Dark Ages are often considered a mysterious era. Once paid little interest by scholars, this period has yielded astonishing discoveries about its events and the people who lived through them. Based on the classic BBC television series, In Search of the Dark Ages embarks on an enthralling investigation of the mysterious centuries following the demise of the Roman Empire. Richly illustrated and highly engaging, In Search of the Dark Ages is sure to entertain as well as enlighten.

Coverage includes:
* Archaeological evidence for Queen Bodicea's terrible war of resistance against the Romans
* Evidence for the shadowy resistance leader who fought against the Germanic hordes after the fall of Rome-and who may have been the real King Arthur
* The discovery of the Sutton Hoo, a ship that offers intriguing clues about the origins of English kingdoms
* Ofaa, Alfred, and Althelsan, three great kings who laid England's political foundations
* The pivotal and fateful confrontation between King Harold and William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings.

Customer Reviews:

Cries out for Maps.......2007-04-14

I like the way Michael Wood presents history. His BBC documentaries are excellent. "In Search of the Dark Ages" reads like a TV series (and apparently is based on one), as its chapters are a series of vignettes of some of the most important British historical figures during the period of the first millennium (and in the case of William the Conqueror, just beyond).

Wood tells us about the Celtic warrior queen Boadicea; the defender of Roman Britain King Arthur; the Anglo-Saxon chieftain buried at Sutton Hoo, the Anglo-Saxon rulers Offa, Alfred the Great, and Athelstan; the Viking Eric Bloodaxe; the long-reigning failure Ethelred the Unready; and the Norman William the Conqueror, who ended Anglo-Saxon Britain with his invasion of 1066.

This is a book aimed at Britons, as there are things taken for granted that non-Brits may not understand. The biggest flaw is the total lack of maps. This book cries out for them, especially for those of us with a less than total understanding of English geography.

The only other weakness is that in an attempt to be relevant when the book was written in 1981, Wood often describes events in the past with modern counterparts. We get Vietnam references to guerilla warfare (and he probably would have used the term "ethnic cleansing" in some places had the book been written after the wars in the former Yugoslavia). Some of these references might be a bit dated, but the fact that most aren't is a sign that much of the brutality of history is still with us.

There is also a Postscript, written in connection with the 2006 paperback edition, that mentions a few modern archeological discoveries that basically just support the stories in the original edition.

And those stories are fascinating! Each chapter is necessarily short (and could each be a book in itself). But we are taken on an enthralling journey from the Celtic resistance to the Romans through the Anglo-Saxon and Viking invasions, to the arrival of the Normans. It should be an encouragement to read more.

But it desperately needs maps!

Brings Forth Form From the Dark.......2006-09-01

This is a well-written and concise account of England in the Dark Ages. Author Michael Wood seems especially qualified for this sort of subject since he is amazingly proficient in dealing with a time period that has conflicting and missing sources - as he was also with the Trojan War. While the history of the Dark Ages is obscure - in more ways than one - he manages a very clear, concise and accessible narrative. As he was previously only known to me as the host of historical TV shows, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of his writing. (When it comes to history, he is evidently the king of all media.) I particularly like Wood's diligence in trying to reveal history without a lot of personal opinions or filling in gaps with conjecture masquerading as fact.

In this fairly short book the casual historian will almost certainly acquire a significant amount of interesting new knowledge about Dark Age England. My favorite is the chapter on Althelstan (of whom I'd previously never even heard), an enlightened king who conquered the entire island of Britain - something even the Romans never accomplished! The amazing story of Alfred the Great, while less obscure, also makes great reading.

There is a surprising amount of relatively unknown and important history packed into this slim book. This is a period of time when reality was often hazy even for the contemporaries. The borders of now largely-forgotten kingdoms shifted and disappeared as people of different cultures, religions and languages clashed over and over. The results had a profound impact on our present day culture and language. (How different things would have turned out if Alfred had not, against all odds, refused to give up!) While many may know how England and the British Empire helped shape the modern world, this book tells you a lot about what shaped England.

My one criticism is that the title is misleading. In this book you won't find out much about the world in general, or even continental Europe, during the Dark Ages. It is almost entirely concerned with (what is now) England. But that was enough to make it a very interesting piece of work to me.

Meticulously Pieces Together A 1,000-Year Puzzle.......2005-03-28

This book was conceived as a companion volume to the author's 1981 BBC documentary series of the same name, and it stays current with a postscript penned in 2001. IN SEARCH OF THE DARK AGES tackles some of the same territory of at least two of Wood's subsequent books, DOMESDAY and IN SEARCH OF ENGLAND, though his objectives and lens are different each time.

Wood's Dark Age parameters are framed by the Roman triumph over the last, first century A.D. Celtic rebellion led by Boudica (that's right; "Boadicea" was a misreading of the calligraphy in the original source) and the Norman Conquest of 1066. In between, he selects a pageant of personages to elucidate succeeding generations and the overlay of first Roman, then Anglo Saxon, Viking and finally Norman cultures: King Arthur, the nameless Sutton Hoo man, Offa, Alfred the Great, Athelstan, Eric Bloodaxe, and Ethelred the Unready. The Dark Ages are quite the challenge in which to go looking for the truth, thickly crusted as they are with the opacity caused by too few extant primary sources and too many Medieval fictions, as well as so many change-ups in cultures, language and leadership. Wood does a quality job of reading the sources, critiquing the fictions and sorting out contemporary scholarship and archeological finds.

Wood writes in an astoundingly lucid voice that rings with wonder. The immediacy of his tone, though unsensational, does leave you feeling blood-soaked as you emerge from these violent times. Despite the ruinous invasions and battles, you can see a shift in values, the coloring of what would become the English language and the evolution of a nation. This is an excellent book for general readers wishing to shore up their knowledge of western civilization.

A great accessible introduction to this field.......2002-05-27

I loved the care this book took not to become too dryly academic, but at the same time to provide good, useful information. Interesting topics and figures in early English history such as Eric Bloodaxe, Stonehenge and Sutton Hoo are introduced in an engaging way, with many intersting illustrations and maps. This is the perfect book for someone looking to find out more about this subject, but not wanting to be put to sleep.

We can only hope that the television series upon which it is based will someday become available for purchase as well.

Excellent "easy" history.......2001-06-27

Wood is best known as a BBC "presenter" of the PBS variety, but he's also an Oxford-trained historian. His books (and television series) are solid history but still accessible. This book and his Domesday: A Search for the Roots of England are almost two halves of a whole, an investigation of what happened in England between the departure of the legions and the arrival of William's Normans, and why, and what the effects were on the further development of the "English" (. . . Celtic, Danish, Norwegian, Norman French . . .) people. Lots of maps and illustrations, lots of archaeological plats, and a nice turn of phrase in nearly every paragraph.

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Another example of bad how to books in computing

The word Bible attracts attention... clever marketing.

A Great Resource

This Book is Great !!!

Superb reference material!

3ds max 7 Bible
Kelly L. Murdock
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0764579711

Book Description

* Packed with expert advice, timesaving tips, and more than 150 step-by-step tutorials, this book is a must for anyone who wants to master this complex, expensive software package
* Offers full coverage of new software features and enhancements and shows users how to master everything from the Particle Flow interface and architectural objects and materials to Shockwave 3D Export and VertexPaint features
* The companion CD-ROMs include a demo version of the new 3ds max, tutorial files, 3D models, bonus plug-ins, and more
* 3ds max is used to create approximately eighty percent of the top video games-including Grand Theft Auto 3-and is extensively employed for special effects in movies such as The Matrix Reloaded

Customer Reviews:

Another example of bad how to books in computing.......2007-02-15

This book suffers from the almost universal problem that most computer instructional guides do... lack of any educational theory in its writing. It does not guide the newcomer through the art of learning the software, but rather deals with issues as if one is going through the menu commands. The tutorials consistantly use elements and commands that one will not cover for another hundred por more pages, and the chapters are not designed to "build on the student's knowledge" but rather to give all information about a given cocept right from the beginning. Thus, I am taught how to personalise the user interface and use XREFs (external references) before I am told how to create even the simplest of objects.

I am an experienced 3D analylist, with knowledge of CAD and GIS, so I am not the least experienced of readers on this topic. Even so I found it frequently infuriating to attempt to learn this software using this book.

The word Bible attracts attention... clever marketing........2006-03-17

The book covers a great deal of 3d max. But I was looking for instructions on how to make something glow once, so I thought of Render Post, Max's lens effects UI. I looked at the book and it had a "tiny" and yes I mean "tiny" section on Render Post. Absolutely nothing endepth.
So if you're looking for a great all around book that has small pieces of most aspects inside Max, (not every thing and endepth in everything like I thought it might be because of the word Bible) this book is the ticket.

A Great Resource.......2006-03-01

This big book really covers a lot of territory. Whether you are a beginner or more advanced, there is plenty of great information.

This Book is Great !!!.......2006-02-01

I purchased this book so I could get a handle on some of the new features in 3D Studio Max 7, and guess what, It's got just about everything in it. The tutorials are pretty simple stuff,(no real eye candy here) but the principals learned are great.
I'd recomend this book to anybody using this software, It will give you a great grounding to try out your own ideas on creating special effects and the like.
Well done Kelly L. Murdock for producing such a complete reference manual.

Superb reference material!.......2005-11-03

I keep this book right next to my workstation, and use it all the time! I have been using Max for seven years, and this book still teaches me things I never knew. It may be a little rough for beginners, but no sense in walking when you can run. :) Not to mention it has a cd with it that has the entire book on it plus some basic 3d models to play with. I recommend this book to all my friends who want a good reference that covers it all.

La Biblia De 3ds Max 7/ 3ds Max 7 Bible (La Biblia De)

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La Biblia De 3ds Max 7/ 3ds Max 7 Bible (La Biblia De)
Kelly L. Murdock
Manufacturer: Anaya Multimedia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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3ds Max 7 Bible
Kelly L Murdock
Manufacturer: HUNGRY MINDS IDG
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N6338C

Amazon.com

Evan Thomas's John Paul Jones: Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy grounds itself on the facts of Jones's life and accomplishments to bolster his place among the pantheon of Revolutionary heroes while also working to deflate the myths that have circulated about his name. Jones, we learn, was confronted throughout his life with controversy and was crippled by ambition. But Thomas lauds Jones for early innovations as an American self-made man who rose from Scottish servitude.

Jones, despite his too brisk manner, was a true success, if not genius, as a naval captain. Early in the Revolutionary War, he captured a shipload of winter uniforms destined for General Burgoyne's army in Canada, which instead warmed General Washington's troops as they swept across the Delaware to defeat British at Princeton and Trenton. Later, Jones helped formulate the Navy's plan of psychological warfare on British citizens. And Jones's strategy to cut off the British fleet via the French Navy was arguably the most decisive strategic decision of the War.

In the end, Thomas makes a good case for a renewed appreciated for Jones's role in the broader revolution, citing his many connections to the Founding Fathers and his contributions to the broader war effort. While it may be that the John Paul Jones who proclaimed "I have not yet begun to fight" never existed, the real man behind the textbook legend is every bit as compelling a figure in Thomas's hands. This temperate biography situates Jones in what will likely prove durable fashion among portraits of Adams, Franklin, Washington, and Jefferson. --Patrick O'Kelley

Book Description

John Paul Jones, at sea and in the heat of the battle, was the great American hero of the Age of Sail. He was to history what Patrick O'Brian's Jack Aubrey and C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower are to fiction. Ruthless, indomitable, clever; he vowed to sail, as he put it, "in harm's way." Evan Thomas's minute-by-minute re-creation of the bloodbath between Jones's Bonhomme Richard and the British man-of-war Serapis off the coast of England on an autumn night in 1779 is as gripping a sea battle as can be found in any novel.

Drawing on Jones's correspondence with some of the most significant figures of the American Revolution -- John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson -- Thomas's biography teaches us that it took fighters as well as thinkers, men driven by dreams of personal glory as well as high-minded principle, to break free of the past and start a new world. Jones's spirit was classically American.

Customer Reviews:

Background to US Navy Traditions.......2007-01-11

John Paul Jones was a historical figure, but I really did know much about him until reading this very well written story. I gave this book to a number of friends this year as a holiday gift. Jones made two voyages around England during the Revolutionary War sailing ships procured for him from France. There have been modern ships in the Navy named Ranger and Bon Homme Richard, but I did not know until reading this that those were the names of Jones ships during those famous voyages. After reading this you will know the answer to a great quiz show question which is who is the patron, that the ship, Bon Home Richard was named after. I look forward to reading the story that Evan Thomas just released describing American naval heroes of WWII.

An excellent and balanced account of Jones.......2006-12-30

I have to admit I bought this book because it was in the closeout bin and I got a deal on it. I next have to admit that it sat in a pile of books to read for at least three months before I got around to reading it. But on starting it, I was highly impressed. It's well paced, factual, well researched without being dry and scholarly.

First, I had no idea that his battles were fought off the English and Scottish coasts and that he was considered to be a pirate by the English- I always thought he fought battles off the American coast.

Second, I had no idea that he was so closely tied with Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and the closing stages of the French monarchy- nor that he served under Catherine the Great in helping her to gain a passage through the Black Sea.

Third, the personality of the man, greatly flawed in its insatiable desire for glory and honor, was balanced by an ability to fight-- and to WIN.

America wasn't a third-rate, fourth-rate or even a fifth-rate naval power during her Revolutionary War. America was essentially a "no rate." But Jones gave America victories when most others (with a few notable exception) did not. And he forced the British to bring home more of Her navy to protect home waters.

For those who have read any of the Horatio Hornblower or "Lucky Jack Aubrey" works of fiction, I recommend that they also read this book.

War is mostly waged by ordinary men- with fears, hopes, desires and needs like all of us. However, in every major conflict there a very few, like John Paul Jr., son of an English landscape gardener, who do more than their duty would dicate. For John Paul "Jones" it was his desire to be covered with glory and honor as well as his desire to build a winning AMERICAN Navy that caused him to push himselves and others far beyond the normal limits.

To "Jones", the thoughts of marriage, children, even his health were secondary to these.

I salute Evan Thomas for an excellent work about the father of the American Navy.

From Pirate to Hero.......2006-12-14

If you want to understand how the modern navy was born in America this is one of two books you will need. Understanding the mentality that drove our early navy to their few successes is a harrowing story that is told best here. This focuses on our lake fleets as well as our ocean fleets and does so in a very concise manner. The prose is very good and the information is well referenced. Anyone looking for information on the history of American navy will be well served with this book.

Don't judge this book by it's cover!.......2006-10-22

Don't judge this book by it's cover! (The cover is beautiful...)

I'll begin with the good things in the book. It has a decent overview of Jones' life and accomplishments. A first-time reader about Jones will find the catalog of his daring exploits both interesting and exciting. Evan Thomas's narration of the sea battles and manoeuvers are as thrillingly told as any of O'Brian's or Forester's epics. However, besides the battles, this book doesn't do much but echo the author's malicious conclusions about Jones.

Thomas seems to think that he is writing a Doctoral or Master's thesis and that we, as readers, continually forget what the main point of the book is. Don't be decieved, the author is not a fan of Jones. In striving to be "historically fair", we are faced with a book mainly about Jones's glaring shortcomings. Thomas has made it his goal to make sure we know that every single thing Jones did (from his letters to his heroics) was motivated by his "demon pride" (p. 310). It seems every paragraph begins or ends (sometimes both) with a scathing statement about Jones' lust for glory. Instead of stating the facts in an interesting narrative, we are faced with a continual repitition of Thomas' main thesis: Jones was not a hero, but a vain, glory-seeking upstart who wasn't even a good seaman. Often we get a sense that the thesis is wearing thin and completely falling apart. In order to buttress that, Thomas redundantly restates it lest we forget and start forming our own conclusions. Heaven forbid great men did great things for great reasons!

I have read scores of historical biographies and none have been as vitriolic towards their subject as Thomas is to Jones. Granted, Thomas does an effectual job belittling everyone, but I thought the part of the title "Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy" meant he liked Jones. It must have been added by someone else, for it doesn't reflect the author's views.

As I said previously, the book isn't without merit. It's battles are told very well, and the overview of Jones' accomplishments (and failures) are great. However, I would recommend reading another account of Jones that didn't seek to villify him and call it "historical fairness" (or whatever the term for giving more pages to his faults rather than his accomplishments is). If you want your conclusions dictated to you, read this book. If you prefer to draw them yourself, look elsewhere.

On Azure Waves.......2006-07-24

I am unaware of any hero from the American Revolution who was not flawed in some way, and John Paul Jones is no exception. But as always, the truth of their lives is much more compelling than the mythology of their lives: the actions and quotations invented about them by storytellers, which seemed to be necessary in order to cement their greatness in history (and probably to sell pamphlets and books), have only served to freeze them into short, individual moments of otherwise longer careers and lives.

There is a certain tragic sadness about the life of John Paul Jones, and Evan Thomas captures that sadness in this excellent biography. Jones was a man who, without a doubt, possessed a brilliance of naval tactics--tactics that provided the American cause with tangible cachet at its darkest hour--but a man who could never quite claim membership in the rarified company of Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin. Jones is the blue-water twin of George Washington: ambitious, dedicated, domineering, persevering, far-seeing, and challenged at every turn by lesser men, but the ducks of fate would never quite line up in his favor to boost his confidence beyond the flaws of his personality.

Evan Thomas' telling of Jones' story makes no apologies, spares no remonstrance. Thomas describes Jones through manic highs and lows, with revelations that can cause the reader to wince at Jones' more pitiful moments. But then a battle comes and Jones stands boldly, for honor not for gold, and sets aside his demons for a greater cause. Jones recognized his flaws and wrestled with them throughout his life. If anything, this struggle makes Jones greater--fully human and fighting to rise above his faults.

Aficionados of 18th century naval literature will appreciate Thomas' descriptions of the battles. Neophytes will appreciate Thomas' use of modern language and the glossary of 18th century naval terms in the back of the book.

John Paul Jones: Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy.(Book Review): An article from: Military Review

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John Paul Jones: Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy.(Book Review): An article from: Military Review
Alan Cate
Manufacturer: U.S. Army CGSC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Military Review, published by U.S. Army CGSC on November 1, 2004. The length of the article is 535 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: John Paul Jones: Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy.(Book Review)
Author: Alan Cate
Publication: Military Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2004
Publisher: U.S. Army CGSC
Volume: 84 Issue: 6 Page: 86(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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Navy blues.(Book Review) (book review): An article from: Washington Monthly

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Navy blues.(Book Review) (book review): An article from: Washington Monthly
Michael C. Boyer
Manufacturer: Washington Monthly Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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This digital document is an article from Washington Monthly, published by Washington Monthly Company on May 1, 2003. The length of the article is 1040 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.

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Title: Navy blues.(Book Review) (book review)
Author: Michael C. Boyer
Publication: Washington Monthly (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2003
Publisher: Washington Monthly Company
Volume: 35 Issue: 5 Page: 59(1)

Article Type: Book Review

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Thomas, Evan. John Paul Jones: Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy.(Book Review): An article from: Naval War College Review

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Thomas, Evan. John Paul Jones: Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy.(Book Review): An article from: Naval War College Review
Alan Cate
Manufacturer: U.S. Naval War College
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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ASIN: B000ALNW04
Release Date: 2006-07-14

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This digital document is an article from Naval War College Review, published by U.S. Naval War College on January 1, 2005. The length of the article is 542 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.

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Title: Thomas, Evan. John Paul Jones: Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy.(Book Review)
Author: Alan Cate
Publication: Naval War College Review (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2005
Publisher: U.S. Naval War College
Volume: 58 Issue: 1 Page: 177(1)

Article Type: Book Review

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Winner of the 2005 New Jersey Author Award for Scholarly Non-Fiction

Since Irish immigrants began settling in New Jersey during the seventeenth century, they have made a sizable impact on the state's history and development. As the budding colony struggled to establish an identity for itself in the New World, Irish men and women were forced to grapple with issues of their own: What did it mean to be Irish American, and what role would "Irishness" play in the creation of an American identity?

In this thought-provoking and richly illustrated history, Dermot Quinn calls upon a remarkable treasury of photographs and newspaper clippings that uncover the story of how the Irish in New Jersey maintained their cultural roots while also embracing their role in laying the foundations for the social, economic, political, and religious landscapes of the country they now called home.

Featuring a wealth of anecdotes, sermons, diary entries, and biographical sketches, as well as early census statistics and scholarly references, this entertaining and thoroughly researched volume will appeal to historians and general readers alike. Quinn vividly chronicles the emigration of many families from a conflict-torn and famine-stricken country to the new and unfamiliar land whose discriminatory policies and unwelcoming streets often fell far short of being paved with gold.

The Irish in New Jersey includes many harrowing tales of poverty and struggles to adapt, as the Irish contended with anti-Irish and anti-Catholic prejudice. Using case histories of individuals and of the cities of Paterson, Jersey City, and Newark, Quinn examines the troubled transition of the Irish from a rejected minority to a middle-class, secular, and suburban identity. He also explores the promotion of "Irishness" by means of productions like the famed Riverdance and the annual Saint Patrick's Day Parade, noting how each reflects the Irish American culture. The Irish in New Jersey will appeal to everyone with an interest in the unique cultural heritage of a proud and accomplished people.

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Not readable.......2007-05-30

A reference tome. Not readable. Didn't bother listening to the CD.

Book Description

Combining passionate ecological texts from ancient Christian writers with sixty brilliant color photographs of the natural world, this book provides both food for the soul and a feast for the eyes. The words and images vivify each other and inspire a sensitivity to the Earth, while revealing the long- hidden ecological riches of the Christian tradition.

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