Loss Reserving - An Actuarial Perspective (HUEBNER INTERNATIONAL SERIES ON RISK, INSURANCE AND) (Huebner International Series on Risk, Insurance and Economic Security)

Book Description

All property and casualty insurers are required to carry out loss reserving as a statutory accounting function. Thus, loss reserving is an essential sphere of activity, and one with its own specialized body of knowledge. While few books have been devoted to the topic, the amount of published research literature on loss reserving has almost doubled in size during the last fifteen years.
Greg Taylor's book aims to provide a comprehensive, state-of-the-art treatment of loss reserving that reflects contemporary research advances to date. Divided into two parts, the book covers both the conventional techniques widely used in practice, and more specialized loss reserving techniques employing stochastic models. Part I, Deterministic Models, covers very practical issues through the abundant use of numerical examples that fully develop the techniques under consideration. Part II, Stochastic Models, begins with a chapter that sets up the additional theoretical material needed to illustrate stochastic modeling. The remaining chapters in Part II are self-contained, and thus can be approached independently of each other. A special feature of the book is the use throughout of a single real life data set to illustrate the numerical examples and new techniques presented. The data set illustrates most of the difficult situations presented in actuarial practice. This book will meet the needs for a reference work as well as for a textbook on loss reserving.

Loss Reserving: An Actuarial Perspective. (Book Reviews).(Book Review): An article from: Journal of Risk and Insurance

Average customer rating:

Loss Reserving: An Actuarial Perspective. (Book Reviews).(Book Review): An article from: Journal of Risk and Insurance
Kevin M. Madigan
Manufacturer: American Risk and Insurance Association, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0008FS5JA
Release Date: 2005-07-30

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Risk and Insurance, published by American Risk and Insurance Association, Inc. on September 1, 2002. The length of the article is 965 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: Loss Reserving: An Actuarial Perspective. (Book Reviews).(Book Review)
Author: Kevin M. Madigan
Publication: Journal of Risk and Insurance (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 2002
Publisher: American Risk and Insurance Association, Inc.
Volume: 69 Issue: 3 Page: 433(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

In this innovative book the author examines the link between environmental, trade and industrial policies within an interregional setting. He models how regional governments, using tax rates on real capital and pollutant emissions, determine policies to favor their residents in terms of the provision of public goods and reduction in environmental degradation. Regions or countries engage in competition for mobile capital in a world where production causes pollution and tax revenues are required to finance public goods. In Fiscal Policy and Environmental Welfare the author considers the efficiency consequences when governments act strategically and seek to manage trade, capital flows and emissions. Using formal models, which extend and modify existing literature, the author demonstrates that interjurisdictional competition typically leads to inefficiencies. He argues that although interjurisdictional competition may lead to the overprovision of public goods and to an inefficiently high environmental quality, often the opposite seems to occur. This book will be welcomed by environmental economists, and those scholars interested in welfare and fiscal policy.

Book Description

Just a little over five decades ago all but Thailand among the ten nations that comprise the Association of Southeastern Asian Nations (Asean) were colonized, impeding their economic and political development. The colonial powers exploited the natural resources of the region for their own gain, retarding industrialization, advanced education and any independence internal and external conflicts such as border disputes, the Vietnam war, the Indonesian-Malaysian Confrontation, the separation of Singapore from Malaysia, the breakup of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Malaysia, and the Khmer Rouge holocaust, followed by Vietnam's liberation and immediate occupation of Cambodia, robbed these countries of any opportunity to form an association that would help the speed reconstruction, cooperation and regional friendship. Not until 1974, when the first five member countries formed Asean, was there a beginning for regional unity.

By November 2002, the occasion of the 8th Asean Summit, all ten nations in the region were members and a number of cooperative economic efforts had been forged, including plans to develop road and rail links aimed at leapfrogging regional cooperative development. On the eve of the summit, held in Cambodia - the last nation to join Asean - seven leaders of the region voiced their views in interviews with the editors of The Cambodia Daily on such issues as poverty reduction, women empowerment, competition from China, human rights, "Asian values", impact of the Internet, threats from terrorism, the responsibility of the richer nations towards the poorer, the potential of becoming another "European Union", and non-interference in each others' affairs. This book focuses on the issues facing these ten Southeastern nations and how their leaders assess the problems, solutions and the new direction Asean is moving in uncertain times.

Customer Reviews:

Bill Clinton Meets the Shrinks.......2004-11-08

An objective and well-researched psychoanalysis of Bill Clinton. I appreciated Lowinger's clear explanations of psychoanalytical jargon, which made the book accessible and lively.
While experts may not agree with all of Lowinger's conclusions, I think he presents well-reasoned, believable arguments about Bill Clinton's psyche based on publicly available information and his own expertise as a psychoanalyst.
I assume author and subject have never met and that Lowinger has made some assumptions that cannot be proved. But I think he makes this clear throughout, often using words like "may" and "points to" rather than flat assertions.
In this enjoyable and fascinating portrayal, Clinton comes across as an Everyman who still struggles to overcome the deficits of his early life, yet one who has achieved a great deal in spite of his difficulties and demons.

Modern "Psychohistory".......2004-10-27

Dr. Paul Lowinger is a distinguished psychoanalyst. Here he follows in the footsteps of Sigmund Freud who did
"psychohistories" of Moses and daVinci. He tackles the Clintons. The book will be of special interest to anyone interested in psychoanalysis and/or the sex lives of the Clintons. Not all analysts will agree with Dr. Lowinger's surmises. However,now that he has done his treatment it's unlikely anyone else will focus on the Clintons again soon. But now that they have been done, can a psychohistory of the Bush clan be far behind? Will we learn that we invaded Iraq because of W's unconscious oedipal urges? At least when Clinton lied, no one died. Readers interested in a modern, non-Freudian view of the psychological issues of love and power may wish to see "A General Theory of Love," by Drs. Thomas Lewis, Fari Amini, and Richard Lannon.

The Clintons Meet Freud.......2004-10-02

Paul Lowinger is a physician, author, teacher and an extraordinary psychiatrist. (He taught me all that I know about psychiatry). His training is a rare combination of psychoanalysis with an eclectic and humane focus. In this book, Dr. Lowinger examines in great detail the events in the lives of the three Clintons - Chelsea, Hillary and Bill, and interprets these in the light of psychoanalytic principles - a sort of 'psychopathology of everyday life'. The result is a richly erudite psychohistory of this important family, flavored with gentle touches of humor. I like the book very much because it bustles with objectivity, relieving the reader of any tendency to allow preconceived biases to color their reading enjoyment.

Product Description

Updated and redesigned editions of the classic guides to the music of the world s best known acts. Written by experts, each book examines every song in a given artist s recorded repertoire, making it an invaluable guide for collectors and fans alike.

Customer Reviews:

Slow shipping.......2007-01-12

Item not available in timely manner at all. The book is good and in good condition.

Depends on WHO you are...........2005-12-26

Great book for the uninitiated who are listening to the Who album by album for the first time. Skip this one if you're already in the know.

Pretty Skimpy.......2005-08-11

Part of a series, this book seeks to say something about every song released by The Who in as concise a manner as possible, so as to keep the book's length commensurate with the format of the series, I suppose. Charlesworth is quite good at sifting through the complexities of the Who's CD catalogue, which keeps getting upgraded and altered, with overlapping bonus tracks appearing here and there (and sometimes in different mixes), but his judgments about the music itself are both mercurial and banal. BOringly, he affirms all the tracks everyone already affirms, then fails to give the wealth of non-album material that has appeared on CD over the last decade even a cursory listen. "Glittering Girl," "Melancholia," "Water," "I Don't Even Know Myself," and so on are cursorily addressed with a minor shrug of indifference. "Cut My Hair" is astoundingly judged "one of the less memorable songs" on Quadrophenia. And absolutely everything after The Who By Numbers gets coolly dismissed. Someone needs to do for The Who's catalogue what Ian McDonald did for The Beatles' in _Revolution in the Head_.

The Who!.......1999-03-24

A small book which examines every song recorded by the Who, one of the most majestic rock bands of all time. Mr Charlesworth is the leading expert on the Who and this book pays great attention to detail.

Book Description

In 1997, 30 years after the demise of "Swinging London," Britain again seemed to be the center of the cultural universe, with a thriving arts scene, a new Labour Government and a young and enterprising prime minister. "Cool Britannia" seemed to sum up the new spirit of the 1990s in the hip language of the 1960s. In this book, Clive Bloom offers a radical and controversial guide to the possibilities for intellectual life, popular culture, literary production, and political authority in multicultural Britain in 2000 and beyond.

Book Description

Ien Ang asks the question: what was it about Dallas that made it so entertaining and succesful, and how exactly is its entertainment constructed?

Book Description

This new title offers comprehensive step-by-step instructions and in-depth explanations of the "how" and "why" behind the skills of Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator CS2. Students will easily master each feature as they work through a wealth of information, including end-of-chapter learning projects and reviews and step-by-step tutorials. The full-color interior and user-friendly design create the ideal book for learning the latest features of this popular design suite.

Customer Reviews:

Don't Buy This Book.......2007-09-30

I bought this book for a Photoshop class and after wasting $40 We found out that there are several versions of this book and our class is on many different books all going different directions. I was stupid to assume that this book was a compilation of several of the Revealed books, that's somewhat true but when I got to chapter 6 of my assignments, surprise! NO CHAPTER 6 OR BEYOND. The books are eclectic and miss many steps along the way costing the reader loads of wasted time figuring out what you should have been instructed to do by the book. Isn't that what we pay for?? If you're an instructor who hates their students, or a student who likes to learn everything the hard way , I highly recommend this book.

You Are Better Off Using the Dummies Series of Books.......2007-06-27

This books was required for a primer glass in graphic design. In the class, we learned to use both Photoshop and Ilustrator, two of the most powerful raster and vector graphics packages available.

The problem with the book is its lack of description, it's lack of explication. Within three pages of the Photoshop section, I was completely lost. This meant a trip to the library to find another textbook that explained what these authors did not. That led me to the CS3 Dummies books, and a far better understanding of the material.

I suggest with all my heart that instructors not use this poorly written book in your classes. You are better off with either the "Dummies" or "Classroom in a Book" series.

You poorly serve your students with this garbage.

There are Two versions BEWARE.......2006-09-02

So I bought this book for a class, only to find out that I had purchased the black and white version, that does not come with a disk.

I guess thats why I only paid $ 20.00 for the book. Un benknownst to me the actual version that I needed was the deluxe Education edition. Who Knew?

As far as a text book...its really no different than any other written aide, which is why I do whatever I can to avoid text book.

If you really want to learn a software program use something like Total Traing DVD packages. I can say from exprience you will not be sorry. Its like being in an actual class and what they teach is not just how the software works but actual applications for the real world.

Its a digital age...dont read it, watch it.

The WORST text book I have EVER had........2006-04-14

This book is an absolute waste of paper. Filled with ugly "designs", it focuses on completely unnecessary details while skipping whole sections of useful information. it seems most concerned with making the student duplicate horrible "projects" exactly down to the pixel... rather than teaching the tools.

Avoid this book! It will drive you insane.

You are better off just using the help system in any of these products... you will learn more...faster...without brain damage.

Someone should have told the author it would print in b&w.......2005-11-07

Apparently no one told Chris Botello his book would be printed in black and white. In chapter 8 it says, "When this book was printed, the CMYK image was printed using all four process inks; the grayscale image was printed using only black ink." Sadly, both images were printed using only black. This isn't a huge problem except in illustrations where he refers to a certain color guide or box. I never had too much trouble figuring out what he was refering to because it's written in a very comprehendible way. The only other problem I had with the book may be related to the color/b&w issue as well. There is nothing differentiating tool names from the rest of the text in a sentence. Perhaps the tools were originally a different color from the rest of the text. We'll never know. This wasn't too much of problem except in sentences like, "Simply float the Type on a Path Tool pointer over the path until a plus sign appears beside the pointer, then click the path." I spent several minutes searching the menus for a Path Tool pointer to float my type over before I realized "Type on a Path Tool" is the full name of the tool. These issues haven't been too much of a problem. I still feel I'm learning the program sufficiently. It justs slows me down a little.

Adobe InDesign CS2, Revealed, Deluxe Education Edition

Average customer rating:

Great Book
Adobe InDesign CS2, Revealed, Deluxe Education Edition
Just in Time

Adobe InDesign CS2, Revealed, Deluxe Education Edition
Chris Botello
Manufacturer: Course Technology
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Adobe InDesign | Graphic Design | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Design | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1418839671

Book Description

This new book offers comprehensive step-by-step instructions of the “how” and “why” behind the skills of Adobe InDesign CS2. Students will easily master each feature as they work through a wealth of information, including end-of-chapter learning projects and reviews and step-by-step tutorials. The full-color interior and user-friendly design create the ideal book for learning the latest features of this popular design application.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2007-08-10

This is a great book. I recommend it for any beginners who a re looking to learn Adobe InDesign.

Adobe InDesign CS2, Revealed, Deluxe Education Edition.......2007-02-16

This is a very easy to follow and basic introduction to Adobe's InDesign CS2 program. I like the book very much.

Just in Time.......2005-10-01

I can always count on having my books in time for my classes. Of course this was one of those times as well.

Average customer rating:

Awesome!

One of the best

Kilroy Arrives

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and deservedly so

Truly a Masterpiece

An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943, Volume One of the Liberation Trilogy (The Liberation Trilogy, Vol 1)
Rick Atkinson
Manufacturer: Owl Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | World War II | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | World | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 (The Liberation Trilogy)

The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War

In the Company of Soldiers : A Chronicle of Combat

The Greatest Battle: Stalin, Hitler, and the Desperate Struggle for Moscow That Changed the Course of World War II

The Long Gray Line: The American Journey of West Point's Class of 1966

ASIN: 0805074481

Amazon.com

In An Army at Dawn,, a comprehensive look at the 1942-1943 Allied invasion of North Africa, author Rick Atkinson posits that the campaign was, along with the battles of Stalingrad and Midway, where the "Axis ... forever lost the initiative" and the "fable of 3rd Reich invincibility was dissolved." Additionally, it forestalled a premature and potentially disastrous cross-channel invasion of France and served as a grueling "testing ground" for an as-yet inexperienced American army. Lastly, by relegating Great Britain to what Atkinson calls the status of "junior partner" in the war effort, North Africa marked the beginning of American geopolitical hegemony. Although his prose is occasionally overwrought, Atkinson's account is a superior one, an agile, well-informed mix of informed strategic overview and intimate battlefield-and-barracks anecdotes. (Tobacco-starved soldiers took to smoking cigarettes made of toilet paper and eucalyptus leaves.) Especially interesting are Atkinson's straightforward accounts of the many "feuds, tiffs and spats" among British and American commanders, politicians, and strategists and his honest assessments of their--and their soldiers'--performance and behavior, for better and for worse. This is an engrossing, extremely accessible account of a grim and too-often overlooked military campaign. --H. O'Billovich

Book Description

The liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is a story of miscalculation and incomparable courage, of calamity and enduring triumph. In this first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson focuses on 1942 and 1943, showing how central the great drama that unfolded in North Africa was to the ultimate victory of the Allied powers, and to America's understanding of itself. Opening with the daring amphibious invasion in November 1942, An Army at Dawn follows the American and British armies as they fight the French in Morocco and Algiers, and then take on the Germans and Italians in Tunisia. Battle by battle, an inexperienced and often poorly led army gradually becomes a superb fighting force. Central to the tale are the extraordinary but flawed commanders who come to dominate the battlefield: Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Montgomery, and Rommel. Brilliantly researched, rich with new material and fresh insights, Atkinson's vivid narrative provides the definitive history of the war in North Africa.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome!.......2007-10-10

I'm simply putting my husband's 2 cents in because, well, he wouldn't come in here and do it. I bought the book for him and he absolutely loved it... passed it on to a friend.

He is tough to please on the literature end, but big on wars and history and he enjoyed every bit of this book :-)

One of the best.......2007-09-29

Suffice to say I've read a great deal of history over the years and this one is one of the best in terms of narrative, scope, personal insights and coverage of a little known and likely decisive campaign that should really rank up there with Gettysburg and Midway and Stalingrad as recent military turning points. If you like military history at all, you owe it to yourself to read this book. I'll be ordering the next volume on my next Amazon order.

Kilroy Arrives.......2007-09-23

Before D-Day, before Anzio, there was Operation Torch and the subsequent battle for North Africa, the first time American troops squared off against Nazi Germany and next to Burma World War II's most overlooked campaign. Rick Atkinson's 2002 "An Army At Dawn" redresses that with a vivacity and eloquence as suggestive of high art as history.

Atkinson's thesis, carefully restated and expanded upon often in a narrative of otherwise constant incident, was that the American fighting man came into the war needing not just experience but a taste for bloodshed, a willingness to endure punishment for the sake of inflicting it on one's enemy. This was particularly so for one American, the soldier who gets the most face time in Atkinson's book: Dwight Eisenhower, the commander of Torch and the Allied fight in North Africa.

"Deficient of experience and of limited ability" was British Gen. Alan Brooke's terse verdict of Ike going in, and he had a point. Eisenhower played shamelessly to his superiors to Washington and left his American troops under the dubious command of Lloyd Fredendall, whose idea of leadership was to sit far in the rear and tell a subordinate to go out "and pull a Stonewall Jackson". But over time, as Americans got beaten in places like Sidi Bou Zid and Kasserine Pass, both Ike and his men began to harden and sharpen into something worthy of the fight they were in.

Atkinson buttresses his points with strategic analysis that is both fine-tuned and accessible to the layman. He tells stories of combat that are tremendously exciting yet never blind to the death and the horror. And he writes with a wit and nuance that reminds me as much of Evelyn Waugh as any historian I've come across.

"The tanks turned toward Chouigui Pass," Atkinson writes about the aftermath of one early U.S. raid against a German airfield, surprisingly but misleadingly successful. "Behind them, to the east, a pale orange glow reflected off the belly of the clouds above Djedeida, like a false dawn."

In fact, a lot of hard work lay ahead for the G.I.s and their doughty leader before they could take their rightful place at the vanguard of the Western front. Until then, winning acceptance from the more battle-hardened Brits would take on the quality of comic opera - albeit with casualties.

Atkinson argues North Africa was not just a beginning of American combat-worthiness but the first step in inaugurating what would come to be known as "the American century." Frankly, that's one bolt of Atkinson's I think lands wide of the mark, as U.S. troops finish the campaign in his telling with considerably more competance but in a secondary capacity. That wouldn't begin to change until the next phase of the Western campaign, in Sicily.

But you can't begrudge Atkinson much. "An Army At Dawn" is not only a worthy Pulitzer Prize-winner but a history that takes its place beside the best of Tuchman and Catton for definitive storytelling. Atkinson's about to publish a sequel volume on the Italy campaign said to be even better; I'll believe it when I read it, which will be soon as possible!

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and deservedly so.......2007-08-11

World War II has always held a fascination for me: the global scale, the impact on world politics and powers of today, the coming of Age of the United States as a super power, the thoughts of what could have been had certain decisions or battles gone one way or the other (see Philip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle or many of the other alternative history novels to get your imagination going). Over the years, I have read many books, including the great John Keegan's, Cornelius Ryan's and a 25 volume Encyclopedia of WWII that my mom got me for Christmas as a kid (no, I am not kidding).

I received The Day of Battle (the 2nd in Atkinson's Liberation Trilogy) as an ARC at BEA, but wanted to read the series in order.

I am very glad that I did. Operation TORCH, the battles of Kasserine, Sidi Bou Zid, the taking of Bizerte and Tunis are told as stories from the perspectives of leaders and soldiers, based on meticulous research detailed in over 100 pages of notes. An Army At Dawn is a great representation of the grisly and personal nature of war, a fitting history of the men and women who fought in WWII.

"Memory, too, has transcendent power, even as we swiftly move toward the day when not a single participant remains alive to tell his tale, and the epic of World War II forever slips into national mythology. The author's task is to authenticate: to warrant that history and memory give integrity to the story, to aver that all this really happened."

The book is split into four chronological parts, with each part detailing not only what the leaders (Ike, Patton, Kesselring, Clark, Alexander, Rommel) said and did, but also with quotes from diaries, journals and letters from the infantrymen, artillerymen and others who participated.

Part I starts with the mostly joint decision by the Americans and Brits to invade North Africa first, vs. France or Italy. It goes through Operation TORCH (the invasion), the lack of experience that showed in the American invasion force, and the senseless waste of the battles with the Vichy French forces across Morocco and Algeria (including the destruction of Allied ships entering French controlled harbors):

"The fighting between Anglo-American invaders and Vichy French defenders would last just over three days; sometimes it was a matter of halfhearted potshots, but there were pitched firefights on a dozen battlefields across two countries. This little war between ancient friends - many Americans still could not believe they were fighting the French - was complicated by concomitant diplomatic maneuvers and the first attacks from Axis forces."

Part II goes into the first battles with the Germans, in which the Allies lack of experience and overall coordination results in many setbacks and lives and equipment losses. The Allies push in from the original landings in Morocco and Algiers to Tunisia, where they meet Italian and German forces, including the to-date invincible Panzer divisions. Their bravado and assumption of an easy victory to Tunis are quickly swept away by defeats at Boudj Toum and Longstop Hill.

"There would be no trapping of Rommel's rump army in Libya between Anderson's First Army and Bernard Montgomery's Eight Army, now lumbering westward out of Egypt. Rather than crushing the Axis forces in the jaws of a vise, the failed Allied strategy gave interior lines to the enemy and all but guaranteed that four armies - Anderson and Montgomery, Arnim and Rommel - would slug it out in a campaign of attrition not unlike that on the Western Front a quarter century before."

Part III reviews the Allied leaders meeting at Casablanca, showing the relationship between Churchill and Roosevelt and the political tactics that had the Americans thinking there were in charge with Eisenhower as Commander-in-Chief, but with three British officers underneath him given much leeway. The lack of coordination and experience continued to show as an Allied offensive to take Tunis was poorly planned and poorly executed, and the Germans, lead by Rommel, attacked. His Panzer divisions pushed through to Kasserine Pass and beyond, but then the Americans and British forces stiffened; even though their losses were high, it marked a turning point:

"Beyond the modest combined-arms showing, three bright gleams radiated from Kasserine's wreckage. First was the competence of American artillery at Sbiba, at Djebelel Hamra and at Thala. Second was the mettle under fire displayed by various American commanders, among them Irwin, Robinett, Andrus, Gardiner and Allen, and comparable mettle in British commanders. Third was the broad realization that even an adversary as formidable as Erwin Rommel was neither invincible nor infallible. He and his host could be beaten. This epiphany was not to be undervalued: he could be beaten. Amazingly, barely two months would elapse between the "handheadness" of Kasserine and the triumph of total victory in Tunisia."

Part IV marks the arrival of British Generals Alexander and Montgomery into the fray, Eisenhower starting to through his weight around, the Americans beginning to "hate the Germans" and fight like it, and the emergence of Patton. The final victory of Tunisia set the stage for the invasions of Italy, Normandy, and the rest of the war.

"At a price of 70,000 casualties "one continent had been redeemed", in Churchill's phrase. But more than territory could be claimed. The gains were most profound for the Americans, in their first campaign against the Wehrmacht. Four U.S. divisions now had combat experience in five variants of Euro-Mediterranean warfare: expeditionary, amphibious, mountain, desert and urban. Troops had learned the importance of terrain, of combined arms, of aggressive patrolling, of stealth, of massed armor. They now knew what it was like to be bombed, shelled, and machine-gunned, and to fight on. They provided Eisenhower with a blooded hundred thousand, "high-grade stock from which we must breed with the utmost rapidity", as one general urged."

The Allied eyes now turned toward Sicily and Italy, and I eagerly move to the next volume in the series.

This review originally was published on my website, www.duskbeforethedawn.net.

Truly a Masterpiece.......2007-08-08

Exquisite writing combined with exhaustive research. Atkinson pulls no punches in finding the truth regarding generals and armies and battles right down to the foot soldier. Probably the best written piece of history on WWII to date. I look forward to the next two volumes in the trilogy.An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943, Volume One of the Liberation Trilogy (The Liberation Trilogy)

Army At Dawn - War In North Africa 1942-1943 - Volume One Of The Liberation Trilogy

Average customer rating:

Army At Dawn - War In North Africa 1942-1943 - Volume One Of The Liberation Trilogy
Rick Atkinson
Manufacturer: Owl/Henry Holt And Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LX25PE

ARMY AT DAWN, AN, The War in North Africa, 1942-1943, Volume One (1) of the Liberation Trilogy

Average customer rating:

ARMY AT DAWN, AN, The War in North Africa, 1942-1943, Volume One (1) of the Liberation Trilogy
Rick Atkinson
Manufacturer: Henry Holt & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VB9XLU

Book Description

Renowned for its accuracy, brevity, and readability, this book has long been the gold standard of concise histories of the Napoleonic Wars. Now in an updated and revised edition, it is unique in its portrayal of one of the world's great generals as a scrambler who never had a plan, strategic or tactical, that did not break down or change of necessity in the field. Distinguished historian Owen Connelly argues that Napoleon was the master of the broken play, so confident of his ability to improvise, cover his own mistakes, and capitalize on those of the enemy that he repeatedly plunged his armies into uncertain, seemingly desperate situations, only to emerge victorious as he blundered to glory. Exploring this neglected aspect of Napoleon's battlefield genius, Connelly at the same time offers stirring and complete accounts of all the Napoleonic campaigns.

Customer Reviews:

Very intersting look at Napoleon's battle plans.......2006-12-14

How did Napoleon succeed in battle? According to Connelly it was by having detailed and perfect plans that fell apart leaving Napoleon forced t0 improvise. Napoleon's ability to improvise on the battlefield were the true ways he won. His enemies expected him to follow his plans which were easy to discern and when he did not he won battles. This provides excellent accounts of various battles and does so without becoming bogged down in details. I highly recommend it for those starting out with Napoleon and want to understand how he won battles. (as someone who did their thesis no Napoleon this book would have been invaluable at the time). The book is well written and a quick read that will help understand the Napoleonic wars in the context that they were in.

A Special Kind of Genius.......2006-07-13

Dr. Connelly sees Napoleon as probably the greatest general of all time, in part because, paradoxically, 'he never really made any plans that he stuck to.'

That lack of planning would appear to be disastrous for anyone else. But for Napoleon it marked him as one of the most remarkable military leaders in history, Connelly said. 'He made plans so that he would have special men and supplies in the right places, but made everything else up as he went along. This equates to genius by him.'

It's considered a truism that 'No plan survives first contact with the enemy (Helmuth von Moltke).' So much so that many military organizations have altered the way they do planning so that they are making no presumptions of what the enemy will do. Get good leaders, get enough men and equipment, get them the food, ammo, etc. they will need, and point them in the right direction.

The interesting point is that Napoleon recognized this so long before von Moltke, Patton, etc.

The book is delightful. It's got a bit of humor, and analyzes Napoleon's battles from a slightly different aspect.

Blundering to Glory: Napoleon's Military Campaigns

Average customer rating:

Obvious bias against Napoleon
Deliberately Controversial but Informative
Excellent introduction to the Napoleonic wars
A Little Disappointing
Napoleon in a Nutshell

Blundering to Glory: Napoleon's Military Campaigns
Owen Connelly
Manufacturer: SR Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0842022317

Customer Reviews:

Obvious bias against Napoleon.......2006-02-25

Blundering to Glory is intended to be an account of how Napoleon got lucky as a general and emperor. While there are numerous events where Napoleon was lucky or his marshals saved him from himself, there were times that Napoleon's abilities were apparent. Connelly unnecessarily bashes Napoleon throughout his book while overemphasizing his marshals' accomplishments.

Blundering to Glory is well written if the reader understands the bias Connelly shows against Napoleon. The information included on his battles and empire is informative making Blundering to Glory a good companion to other Napoleon books such as Horne's How Far From Austerlitz, Elting's Swords Around a Throne and Schom's Napoleon.

Deliberately Controversial but Informative.......2005-07-19

The extent and nature of Napoleon's genius will always be a matter of debate and controversy. Owen Connelly has added fuel to the fire in an interesting way. He is in fact trying to stir the pot, not least with the provocative title of this work. In the process, he has turned out his usual well-written, clear and concise work. This book is a great outline of Napoleon's campaigns, whether or not one agrees with his conclusions. I have put it to good use assigning it in my courses, and my students always enjoy it. They get a good, quick overview of Napoleonic warfare. Owen Connelly (an American) is one of the most knowledgable and objective living historians of the Napoleonic period.

Excellent introduction to the Napoleonic wars.......2004-09-03

It is a real gem of a volume, and although I have many other books on the Napoleonic Wars I have used it as a reference source countless times. The writing is very good, all trivial matters have been excluded and the maps although simple are numerous and informative. This book is the perfect choice for someone who wants to learn a lot about the wars of Napoleon without spending weeks to read the massive volumes of the other experts on the subject (Chanlder etc.)It gives the essence of Napoleon's operational art and reveals many little known aspects of his campaigns, like his excellent defensive maneuvers under desperate conditions in France in 1814.

A Little Disappointing.......2004-04-11

I started out very involved and interested in Connelly's premise, but as the book went on, he strained his credibility.

With such misleading statements as, "Massena scored a victory over [Wellington] at Bussaco in September 1810," Connelly made me wonder just how strenuously he had checked his facts and just what he may have twisted to suit his argument. Bussaco was a clear defeat for Massena, who had thrown five assaults at the British/Portuguese troops and been repulsed in every case. The allies were not only left in possession of the battlefield but had lost approximately 1,000 men to Massena's 4,000. How Connelly could count that as a victory for Massena is beyond me. Unless, of course the fact that, two days AFTER the battle, Massena's drive to outflank the allies caused Wellington to start his strategic withdrawal toward the Lines of Torres Vedras, is what Connelly calls a "victory."

And it made me wonder, what else did Connelly change or leave out...what may he have glossed over because it didn't suit his argument? One reviewer here complained that Connelly covered Napoleon's early battles extensively but barely covered what some consider to be Napoleon's most brilliant display of genius: the battles of 1814. Was 1814 glossed over, perhaps, because it was damaging to Connelly's argument? Who knows? It's too bad, really. This book had great promise, but it lost me through sheer sloppiness. My recommendation: Read it for its interesting approach, but don't expect to be convinced by the end of it.

Napoleon in a Nutshell.......2001-10-03

I first read this little gem in 1992 & I've just finished my 4th enjoyable reading. Personally, I can't think of a more readable, economical, introduction to the Napoleonic wars. Following an introductory chapter on Bonaparte, each chapter examines a separate campaign (Italy, Austerlitz, Spain, Russia etc). Professor Connely's lifetime of scholarship in this field is well reflected throughout to include a comprehensive bibliography and a very good bibliographic essay examining works published since the first edition of this book. Whether you agree or disagree with his thesis (Napoleon the opportunist) this work is well worth the price. I also recommend Connelly's FRENCH REVOLUTION/NAPOLEONIC ERA, a short but well-done college text examing the military, political and cultural events of that period. Prior to attacking David Chandler's massive opus The CAMPAIGNS of NAPOLEON, also see
David Gates' The NAPOLEONIC WARS, Charles Esdaile's Thr WARS of NAPOLEON & Gunther Rothenberg's ART of WAR in the AGE of NAPOLEON.
All three are available in paperback. Happy reading!

Average customer rating:

BLUNDERING TO GLORY: NAPOLEON'S MILITARY CAMPAIGNS.
Owen. Connelly
Manufacturer: Wilmington, Scholarly Resources, Inc., 1987. 250 pp., frontis, maps. Fine copy of first edition, in dust jacket.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UDX0NG

Average customer rating:

Blundering to Glory: Napoleons Military Campaigns
Owen Connelly
Manufacturer: SR Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JVAO3I

Average customer rating:
DARWIN AND HUXLEY IN AUSTRALIA
A. J. MARSHALL
Manufacturer: HODDER STOUGHTON
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000S6CT6Y

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books