Conflict Castle - The Second Half

Welcome to the Second Half of Conflict Castle for 2010.

The 2010 Book List

August
30. The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America by Douglas Brinkley
29. Camping and Tramping with Roosevelt by John Burroughs

July
28. No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah by Bing West
27. Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq by Dahr Jamail

June
26. From Baghdad with Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava by Jay Kopelman
25. The Fourth Star: Four Generals and the Epic Struggle for the Future of the United States Army by David Cloud and Greg Jaffe
24. Churchill by Paul Johnson
23. The Forever War by Dexter Filkins
22. David and Winston: How a Friendship Changed History by Robert Lloyd George
21. Coral Comes High by George P. Hunt
20. The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell: An Accidental Soldier's Account of the War in Iraq by John Crawford
19. The Gift of Valor: A War Story by Michael M. Phillips

May
18. WAR by Sebastian Junger
17. Whirlwind: The Air War Against Japan, 1942-1945 by Barrett Tillman
16. Dambusters: A Landmark Oral History by Max Arthur

April
15. Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship by Jon Meacham
14. American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964 by William Manchester
13. The Glory of the Trenches by Coningsby Dawson

March
12. Roosevelt and Churchill: Men of Secrets by David Stafford
11. Clausewitz's On War: A Biography by Hew Strachan
10. With Wings Like Eagles: A History of the Battle of Britain by Michael Korda
09. Churchill and Secret Service by David Stafford
08. Vietnam: The Australian War by Paul Ham

February
07. Carry On: Letters in War-time by Coningsby Dawson
06. Churchill and America by Martin Gilbert
05. The American Way of War: Guided Missiles, Misguided Men, and a Republic in Peril by Eugene Jarecki
04. Warlord: A Life of Winston Churchill at War, 1874-1945 by Carlo D'este

January
03. The Last Campaign: Robert F. Kennedy and 82 Days That Inspired America by Thurston Clarke
02. The Wolf: How One German Raider Terrorised Australia And The Southern Oceans In The First World War by Richard Guilliatt and Peter Hohnen
01. BONNIE-SUE: A Marine Corps Helicopter Squadron in Vietnam by Marion F. Sturkey

Review

Dambusters: A Landmark Oral History by Max Arthur

Shortly after 9pm on the 16th of May, 1943, the quite of RAF Scampton was suddenly broken by the sound of 52 Merlin engines roaring into life as 13 modified Avro Lancaster Mk III aircraft began preparations for take off. Six weeks of intensive training had led to this moment, but the seed from which the newly formed 617 Squadron had grown had been planted more than a year before in the fertile imagination of a "fatherly" English scientist, engineer and inventor. From humble beginnings - marbles skipped over water filled tanks in a suburban English garden - Barnes Wallis' bouncing bomb (codenamed "Upkeep") would prove to have anything but a humble legacy.

Max Arthur, an historian who specializes in oral histories, and perhaps best known for the Forgotten Voices series, has produced a volume that lets history shine through the words of those who took part in these historic events. Divided into chapters that detail the formation of the squadron, the development of the bomb, the low-level training, and the raids themselves; Max Arthur has also provided an important and sobering chapter, "Below the Broken Dams," in which the German participants and survivors are also given a voice.

In all, 19 aircraft participated on the raids of the Möhne, Eder, Sorpe and Ennepe dams, from which 53 young men*, the cream of Bomber Command, would never return. Below the dam walls, over 1,600 men, women and children perished (including over 1,000 foreign prisoners of war and forced-labourers). Designed to cripple the industrial capacity of the Ruhr Valley, the attacks did little to hamper the German war machine; and much to the incredulity of the aircrews, as well as the Germans, was Bomber Command's failure to press home the attack during the most critical and advantageous period - the reconstruction of the dams.

Unfortunately, this book suffers some minor downsides inherent in it's approach, as well as in it's authorship. While acknowledging the wide variety of sources from which the voices have been taken, (including interviews with the five remaining survivors), no effort has been taken within the text to identify from which source each testimony is drawn, or the date on which it was made; important points contextually. The author's voice is present within the text only in short paragraphs that help set the stage at the beginning of chapters and sections, but these do little to set the record straight in light of the contradictions that are inherent in presenting multiple testimonies on the same subject. As such, there is also a good deal of repetition. For these reasons, this book should only serve as a companion volume to a more comprehensive and analytical history.

Recommended.

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* Of the 133 aircrew who participated on the dam raids, 56 were lost (3 survived to become prisoners of war); and of the 77 who returned, 32 would perish in subsequent missions, including Wing Commander Guy Gibson and his entire crew.

Found you again, Peter. I will add the Max Arthur book to the BlackHole. Thanks for the review and recommendation.

ETA: Did you have a 'more comprehensive and analytical history' in mind?

For recommendations on some further Dambuster reading may I direct readers to the "Recommended Further Reading" section at the bottom of this page.

From that page I will highlight the following books...

Brickhill, Paul, The Dam Busters
Cooper, Alan, The Men Who Breached the Dams
Euler, Helmuth, The Dams Raid: Through the Lens
Gibson, Guy P., Enemy Coast Ahead
Sweetman, John, The Dambusters Raid
Ward, Chris, Lee, Andy and Wachtel, Andreas, The Dambusters: The Definitive Story of 617 Squadron at War 1939-1945

On top of those...

Humphries, Harry, Living with Heroes: The Dam Busters

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Trivia: 2010 is only the 7th year since the dates of the dam raids have fallen on the same two days since 1943 - i.e. Sunday 16th & Monday 17th. I read Dambusters: A landmark Oral History by Max Arthur, to mark the occasion. I also reread the beautifully produced Dambusters in Focus by Mark Postlethwaite (official website) and Jim Shortland, featuring approx 250 photographs, with maps and illustrations covering the history of the squadron from the dam raids, to the attack on and sinking of the Tirpitz, to the final hurrah: a symbolic (joint) attack on the SS Barracks at Berchtesgarden on April 25th, 1945.

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Tonight I also rewatched the 1955 movie "The Dam Busters" (imdb), based on Paul Brickhill's The Dam Busters and Guy Gibson's Enemy Coast Ahead. A true classic!

I also have in my collection, the US Gold game "The Dam Busters" (1984) for the Commodore 64. Fond memories :)

#4: Thanks for the recommendations, Peter!

I agree with you about "The Dam Busters" movie. I first saw it more years ago than I care to remember.

Confessions of an Idiot

1. One lucky commuter now owns my unfinished copy of Traitor to his Class, after I very kindly left it on an express train to Odawara. I hope they can read English.

2. Went to the shop to buy At War with the Wind: The Epic Struggle with Japan's World War II Suicide Bombers by David Sears, and came home with Whirlwind: The Air War Against Japan, 1942-1945 by Barrett Tillman. I think the fact they both contained the words "wind" and "Japan" must have confused me.... I really have no excuse. However, after reading this quite damning review I don't feel so bad. As for "Whirlwind", as I expected, having read Tillman's biography on LeMay (Great Generals) last year, it is a very workmanlike effort.

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Note: For those interested in Japan's suicide bombers, a new book to be published in the Fall/Winter of 2010, is Kamikaze Attacks of World War II: A Complete History of Japanese Suicide Strikes on American Ships, by Aircraft and Other Means by Robin L. Rielly (link to publishers website). Looks like one worth looking out for.

#6: I will look for the Rielly book. Thanks for the heads up, Peter.

I know how you feel about picking up the wrong book - it happens to me frequently. Sorry about the book you lost on the train though.

That's why I try to read books with short titles. I can never remember all the words in the right order!

I got an e-mail notice about this conference and thought of you. I don't know when you're heading back to Australia so this might be completely irrelevant to you. If you want additional info, let me know and I'll forward the e-mail to you.

Conference announcement, Gallipoli: a ridge too far, 5-6 August 2010, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australia.

#9 Mike - My sincere appreciation to you for passing on that information. As a regular visitor to the Australian War Memorial website, I was aware of the conference, and deeply regret that I will not be in Australia during the month of August to attend it. The program looks great!

In my previous thread I noted several recent new books concerning Galipoli and the ANZACs. It might be appropriate here, given the subject matter, to cut and paste from another of my posts (from another group) in which I had added some extra detail...

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Appropriately for April, we had all of the following releases (from Amazon US, and/or from UNSW Press) on, or concerning, the ANZACs...

Diggers and Greeks by Maria Hill (link to Amazon)
Much has been written about the ill-fated Australian campaigns in Greece and Crete during World War II, but this book is the first account from the perspective of the Greeks. This compelling history combines details of the campaigns, as well as responses from Greeks and Cretans to the Allied forces on their soil. While miscommunication between the Greek General Staff and the Allied forces was frequent, this study reveals that situation on the ground was far more complex: the personal relations that developed between Australian soldiers and Greek civilians and soldiers were sometimes hostile but in other cases developed into friendships that lasted decades after the war had finished. Elucidating why the campaigns on mainland Greece and Crete compelled people to behave in altruistic ways—even when it meant placing themselves in danger—this insightful chronicle proves that it is possible to form successful relations with people of a completely different culture in conflict situations, and that those relationships are important to the well-being of all involved.

I'm impressed by the promotion for this book. Starting from the authors website, we link to an overview of the book, and a not awfully convincing embedded Diggers and Greeks book trailer, which you can also access directly from YouTube.

On this campaign (released in paperback last month), we also have...
Forgotten Anzacs: The Campaign in Greece, 1941 by Peter Ewer
Detailing lesser-known facts surrounding the legend of the Anzacs—an army formation made up of Australian and New Zealand troops—this study offers the largely obscure story of their campaign during World War II. Comprehensive and gripping, this examination follows the group on their long retreat through Greece while depicting uncanny similarities to the original Gallipoli operation a generation earlier. Based on rarely accessed archives and more than 30 interviews with Australian, Greek, and New Zealand veterans, this superb narrative gives overdue recognition to the brave, forgotten Anzacs of 1941.

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We also have...

Sorry, Lads, but the Order Is to Go: The August Offensive, Gallipoli: 1915 by David W. Cameron
Drawing from letters, diaries, and official reports from both Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) and Turkish sources, this narrative re-creates in compelling detail the five days of the August Offensive of World War I—the last attempt by the Allied forces to break the stalemate with the Turkish defenders. It resulted in some of the bloodiest battles on the Gallipoli peninsula. Describing the complexity of the battles, this chronicle also details how they affected the soldiers involved. Both visceral and poignant, this narrative is the first to look at the failed offensive as a whole, describing it from both sides of the line.

This is the second book in a planned trilogy by David Cameron. The first book was 25 April 1915: The Day the Anzac Legend was Born, which I have, but am yet to read. The third book will focus on the battle for Hill 60.

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Back to WWII. For another book on the ANZACS, we have...

Bardia: Myth, Reality and the Heirs of ANZAC by Craig Stockings (link to Amazon)
Chronicling the first battle of World War II planned and executed by Australia's military, this groundbreaking study recounts the island nation's assault on the Italian colonial fortress town of Bardia in Libya. After 55 hours of heavy fighting, the Australians celebrated a resounding victory, having captured 40,000 Italian prisoners and large quantities of arms and equipment with minimal losses to their own fighting forces. Though regarded as one of Australia's great military feats, this intricately researched history is the first in-depth account of the Battle of Bardia.

This book was actually released last year in Australia, and there is a fine review by John Donovan in the November 2009 (Volume XI Number 11) issue of Quadrant, available online.

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Concerning the ANZAC legend, you might want to check out...

What's wrong with ANZAC? The Militarisation of Australian History by Marilyn Lake and Henry Reynolds (link to UNSW Press)
In recent years Anzac – an idea as much as an actual army corps – has become the dominant force within Australian history, overshadowing everything else. The commemoration of Anzac Day is bigger than ever, while Remembrance Day, VE Day, VP Day and other military anniversaries grow in significance each year. Pilgrimages to Gallipoli, the Somme and Kokoda are commonplace and popular military history dominates the bestseller lists. Anzac has seemingly become a sacred, untouchable element of the nation. In this brave and controversial book, some of Australia’s leading historians dare to criticise Anzac. They show that the Anzac obsession distorts the rest of Australia’s history. They investigate official sponsorship of Anzac through commemoration and education and show that this has mobilised it as a conservative force, often for political ends. Finally—and perhaps most devastatingly—they ask whether the grief and loss associated with bloodshed on foreign shores was all worth it.

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And for a true ANZAC classic (with extras)...

The ANZAC Book (3rd Ed) (link to UNSW Press)
Few books have ever been produced under such harsh conditions as The Anzac Book. Created by soldiers under enemy fire and in extreme hardship, the illustrations, stories, cartoons and poems were intended as a Christmas and New Year diversion for soldiers facing a harsh winter in the trenches on Gallipoli. The Anzac Book became the finest ‘trench publication’ produced by soldiers during the Great War and was an instant bestseller when first released in 1916. This new edition includes a reproduction of the original book, a foreword by acclaimed author Les Carlyon, an introduction from Australian War Memorial historian Ashley Ekins and material originally rejected by the editor, official war correspondent Charles Bean, but preserved in the collections of the Memorial.

Les Carlyon, whose books The Great War and Gallipoli are superb, launched this new edition last month at the Australian War Memorial. You can read his speech here.

Further to the books listed above...

Due to the expiration of copyright, many contemporary books written about the Gallipoli campaign have been scanned and are free to download from the internet (e.g. Internet Archive). It's been a while since I've updated my list, but here is my PDF collection as of mid-last year...

Antwerp to Gallipoli: A Year of the War on Many Fronts - and Behind Them (1916) - Arthur Ruhl
Australasia Triumphant (1916) - A. St. John Adcock
Australia in Arms (1916) - Phillip Schuler
Five Months at Anzac (1916) - Joseph Breston
From Gallipoli to Baghdad (1917) - William Ewing
Gallipoli (1915) - John Masefield
Gallipoli Diary (1918) - Major John Graham Gillam
Gallipoli Diary Vol. I (1920) - Sir Ian Hamilton
Gallipoli Diary Vol. II (1920) - Sir Ian Hamilton
Gallipoli Memories (1929) - Compton MacKenzie
Inside Constantinople (1917) - Lewis Einstein
On Two Fronts: Being the Adventures of an India Mule Corps in France and Gallipoli (1917) - Major H.M. Alexander
Russia, the Balkans, and the Dardenelles (1915) - Granville Fortescue
Some of my Experiences in the Great War (1918) - E. Ashmead-Bartlett
The 28th: A Record of War Service in the AIF 1915-1919 Vol. 1 (1922) - Herbert Collett
The Big Fight (Gallipolli to the Somme) (1918) - Captain David Fallon
The Dardanelles (1919) - Major-General Callwell
The Dardanelles: Colour Sketches from Gallipoli (1916) - Norman Wilkinson
The Dardanelles: Their Story and Their Significance in the Great War (1915) - EC Buley
The Dardanelles Campaign (1918) - Henry Nevinson
The Immortal Gamble and the part played in it by H.M.S. "Cornwallis" (1917) - Archibald Thomas Stewart
The New Zealanders at Galipolli (1921) - Major Fred Waite
The Truth about the Dardanelles (1916) - Sydney Moseley
Trenching at Gallipoli (1916) - John Gallishaw
Trooper Bluegum at the Dardenelles (1916) - Oliver Hogue
With the Fleet in the Dardanelles (1915) - William Harold Price
With the Zionists in Galipolli (1916) - Lt.-Colonel JH Patterson

#11: Thanks for posting that list, Peter. I will definitely be checking out the Internet Archive for those, especially since my local library's resources regarding the Anzacs is extremely limited (read: practically nonexistent).

Completed: Whirlwind: The Air War Against Japan, 1942-1945 by Barrett Tillman
- If you have read Tillman's biography on LeMay (Great Generals), you will know what to expect. A very workmanlike effort, and a little dry. Although Tillman tries to provide a 'popular' account of the air war with plenty of adjectives and a few quotes and personal stories, he fails to really capture the human dimension, and in the end it comes down to facts and statistics. That said, probably still one of the best overall histories of the air war against Japan yet to be published (even if by virtue of the fact that it is also one of the very few!). Recommended.

Next: WAR by Sebastian Junger
- Taking a break from WWII and Vietnam, with a look at Junger's latest work - a portrait of the 173rd Airborne brigade in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley, in which Junger was embedded in 2007-2008.

#12 Stasia - The Internet Archive is an excellent resource. As I've noted in the past, I've been collecting contemporary accounts of the American Civil War for some time now, with the intention of reading a complete history, battle-by-battle, through firsthand accounts.

I've also downloaded over 40 books concerning the Russo-Japanese War, with the same intention in mind.

Now I just need an e-reader that specifically suits my needs. Still looking. Still waiting...

#14: There is a very good trilogy of books by Peter Cozzens, each of which addresses a specific Civil War battle. I know that they are not the contemporary battle accounts you are looking for, but I would recommend them as a secondary resource.

#13 - I look forward to your thoughts on WAR. It's already on the tbr list.

#16 Mike - So far (5 chapters in) it's excellent. Looking forward to seeing the feature-length documentary - Restrepo

Miscellanea

1. WAR by Sebastian Junger is quite possibly one of the best books I've ever read by an embedded journalist on the physical and psychological aspects of serving as an infantry soldier in combat conditions. Will finish this excellent book tonight (or tomorrow).

2. Added to the collection is Churchill by Himself: The Definitive Collection of Quotations by Richard Langworth. This 600+ page book is very accurately described as "exhaustive, attributed, and annotated." Amazon has new copies for as little as $1.62. Ridiculous! Have a copy by your favourite reading chair and pull it down whenever you want to be inspired :)

3. What does the army recommend we read vis-a-vis military books? Find out with the Australian Chief of Army's reading list, or from the USA check out the Center of Military History recommended Professional Reading List.

4. Pet spelling peeve: miscellanea is a miscellaneous collection. Miscellania is a small island off the north-west coast of the Fremennik Province ;)

#18: Adding WAR to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation, Peter.

#19 Stasia - You won't regret it. As for me, I'm sure I won't regret my next book - The Gift of Valor: A War Story by Michael M. Phillips. In WAR, Sebastian Junger ruminates at length on the concept of bravery, and perhaps the ultimate act of that virtue in battle: throwing yourself, without regard for your own life, on a hand grenade to save the lives of your fellow bothers-in-arms. Philosophical discussions such as this are what marks Junger's book as particularly special, and it was such an act that posthumously earned 22-year old Corporal Jason Dunham, the subject of The Gift of Valor, America's highest award for military valor, the Congressional Medal of Honor. By all reports this is a powerful book, and I think an excellent follow-up to WAR.

#18 - I'm #23 on the hold list for WAR so it will be a while until I read it, unless I break down and buy it before then.

In addition to the CMH reading list, each of the U.S, services has a list of their own. You can find them here: http://home.comcast.net/~dwtaylor1/categorylist.html#MILITARY%20READING

#21 Mike - Thanks for the link. As for Junger's book...

A couple of my favourite military memoirs from last year were Philip Caputo's A Rumor of War, and Colby Buzzell's My War: Killing Time in Iraq, so it was great to find that both authors have reviewed Junger's book with the insight and critical eye that comes from having served. Check out Caputo's particularly good review in the Washington Post here, and Buzzell's review in the SF Chronicle here.

Further to my posting of recent books on ANZAC in #10 above, renown Australian military historian Robin Prior (Gallipoli: The End of the Myth, The Somme, Passchendaele: The Untold Story) has authored a review of What's wrong with ANZAC? The Militarisation of Australian History in the May 2010 edition of the Australian Book Review, entitled Fighting on the Beaches: The Battle for Australian History (link to PDF).

Stasia - I'll post this message for you here since I'm sure you'll find it. Thank you by the way for your active interest and participation!

One of our last exchanges in my previous thread was on books covering the North African campaign. Well, I've recently been made aware of a book (sight unseen) that you might like to chase up (I know I certainly will); namely The Desert Rats Scrapbook: Cairo to Berlin 1940-1945 (link to publisher's website) - the story of Ted Fogg and Ernest Webster, who joined 'The Desert Rats' in 1940, told informally through over 180 photographs (many from Ted Fogg's personal collection) in a scrapbook format with text supporting.

#24: Thanks, Peter. I will see if I can locate a copy.

Recent Perusals

Coming from a family with it's fair share of Generals, I find books like Mike Urban's Generals: Ten British Commanders Who Shaped the World (2005) fascinating reading to say the least. And while none of my own relatives made Urban's list (below), my Great Grand-Uncle, General Sir..., had very close relationships with two who did - Kitchener and Allenby - making this book of even greater personal interest. Agree or disagree with Urban's choices, this thought-provoking book is recommended for anyone interested in what it takes to lead, politically as well as militarily.

Urban's TEN...
- George Monck (1608-1670)
- John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722)
- William Howe (1729-1814)
- Prince Frederick, Duke of York (1763-1827)
- Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington (1769-1852)
- Charles George Gordon (1833-1885)
- Horatio Herbert Kitchener (1850-1916)
- Edmund Allenby (1861-1936)
- John Frederick Charles Fuller (1878-1966)
- Bernard Law Montgomery (1887-1975)

Link: 'Leading Questions' by David Ramsbotham - a review from The Guardian, Saturday 25 February 2006.

#26: I will be looking for that one too!

New Additions

1. Another Churchill book added to the reading pile - Churchill by Paul Johnson. The Washington Post ended it's review of the book: "In the end, Johnson's book gives us a cartoon version of the man." Given it's brevity at less than 200 pages (compared to Gilbert's 8-volume treatment, or even his 1000-page single-volume biography), a "cartoon version" of Churchill seems almost inevitable, but is it all that bad? I look forward to finding out.

2. In post #26 (above) I made mention of a Great Grand-Uncle, a General in the British army and a battle-scarred veteran of several campaigns. With a preference for biographies (mainly military), he never had much time for fiction, but there was one novel he carried with him always - Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne (or to give it it's full title, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman), which was published in 9 volumes betwen 1759 and 1767. Virginia Woolf called it 'the greatest of all novels', and it was so innovative that it has been referred to as the "father and mother of all experimental novels." Freely available online, and still in print, this has become another recent addition to my own library.

3. Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq by Dahr Jamail, takes a place on my bookshelf alongside such books as Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, which was one of my favourite books of 2009. I hope for even greater things form Jamail's much lauded work.

I'll be interested to get your take on Tristram Shandy and the Churchill book.

I believe I own the Paul Johnson book. I just need to wade through the books in my library and find out for sure.

I know I own Tristram Shandy, which I like, although it is not a book for everyone. I think a re-read is in order for me, since it has been a while.

An oft repeated quote, but one that is appropriate for Memorial Day (USA)...

"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived."
- General George S. Patton. Jr.

#31: I like that one!

Definitely putting Junger's War on my list! I have loved everything I've ever read of his writings.

#33 Terri - You won't regret it. You might want to add The Gift of Valor: A War Story by Michael M. Phillips to your wish list as well - an incredibly moving book.

Peter, I am currently watching Ken Burns' documentary on WWII on Netflix. Have you seen it?

Browsing the Book Shelves

1. I see Christopher R. Browning (Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland) has a new book on the shelves with Remembering Survival. Subtitled "Inside a Nazi Slave-Labor Camp," this is a micro-history of the slave-labor camps at the Starachowice factory, Poland.

2. For those intrigued by intelligence, Japan, and the Pacific War, two titles released in 2009 might be of interest: Deciphering the Rising Sun: Navy and Marine Corps Codebreakers, Translators and Interpreters in the Pacific War by Roger Dingman, and Japanese Intelligence in World War II by Ken Kotani. I've actually just ordered another book in this field - the hardback edition of Intelligence and the War against Japan: Britain, America and the Politics of Secret Service by Richard J. Aldrich (pricey new, but worth a look in 'like new' condition).

3. One of my favourite reads in 2008 was Darkest Hour: The True Story of Lark Force at Rabaul - Australia's Worst Military Disaster of World War II by Bruce Gamble, so it's fantastic to see Gamble carry the story further with Fortress Rabaul: The Battle for the Southwest Pacific, January 1942-April 1943.

4. Tokyo Rose / An American Patriot by Frederick P. Close, is a fascinating looking "duel biography" of Tokyo Rose and the Japanese-American Iva Toguri, who, in contrast to Tokyo Rose, "trapped in Japan for the duration of World War II... exploited her position as an English-speaking disk jockey to aid Allied POWs in Tokyo’s brutal Bunka Camp."

5. The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn by Nathaniel Philbrick. Hmmm... Worth a look?

6. Having read a bit on Andrew Jackson, I was interested to see a new biography of Jackson's nemesis, Henry Clay, hit the bookshops, entitled Henry Clay: The Essential American by husband-wife team David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler (Old Hickory's War: Andrew Jackson and the Quest for Empire). From the reviews this biography looks to focus on Clay the man, rather than Remini's more politically oriented work.

#35 Stasia - I've watched Ken Burn's superb "The Civil War" (1990) three times, and saw "Jazz" (2001) when it first aired. But I'm yet to get my hands on "The War" (2007). I look forward to seeing it, as well as his forthcoming production "The Dust Bowl" (scheduled for 2012).

Completed: The Gift of Valor: A War Story by Michael M. Phillips
- Highly recommended

Commencing: The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell: An Accidental Soldier's Account of the War in Iraq by John Crawford
- Once I get started with Iraq / Afghanistan it's so hard to pull away!

#37: I did not realize he had another documentary upcoming. Thanks for the heads up, Peter!

I have also watched 'The Civil War' and 'Jazz' multiple times, but my favorite documentary of his remains 'Baseball.'

Review

The Gift of Valor: A War Story by Michael M. Phillips

Moving book on the short life of 22-year old Marine Corporal Jason Dunham. Essentially divided into two halves, the first half follows Dunham's life leading up to the events of April 14, 2004, when Dunham suffered mortal wounds shielding two of his fellow marines from almost certain death by placing his helmet over a hand grenade, and his body on top of that. The harrowing second half follows his journey through his final 8 days, from Iraq, to Germany, to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, where his adopted parents were forced to make the heart-wrenching decision to switch off his life support systems.

Published in 2005, Phillips notes in the final chapter the decision by Dunham's chain of command to nominate Dunham for the United States' highest award for valor in combat, the Medal of Honor. Awarded in November, 2006, Dunham was the first Marine to receive the medal for actions in Iraq, and the first Marine to receive it since the Vietnam War.

Despite knowing the tragic ending to this tale of heroism, Phillips pacing, sensitivity, and depth of detail, nevertheless demands a strong emotional investment by the reader.

Highly recommended.

#40: Looking for that one! Thanks for the recommendation, Peter.

#40 Wow! That one sounds stunning! I shall look for it!

Completed: The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell: An Accidental Soldier's Account of the War in Iraq by John Crawford
- Powerful, and rates amongst the best of memoirs to emerge from the war in Iraq.

Starting: The Forever War by Dexter Filkins
- Not to be confused with Joe Haldeman's sci-fi classic by the same name.

Generally speaking, I hate poetry. In my humble ignorance, 99% of it pretension and self-indulgence over meaning and substance. Then, there are poets like Siegfried Sassoon, who give voice to a generation that transcends time; poetry with a pure raw intensity. Perhaps it's the 'war' thing that does it for me, perhaps it's the lack of lyrical flourishes or flowery phrases, because Brian Turner, another veteran, this time of the Iraq War, also has a voice that is difficult to ignore. His new book Phantom Noise (2010) - a follow up to his debut Here, Bullet (2005) - is a compelling examination of the returned soldier's hardest battle - the home front.

If you are at all interested, then read this superb review: Walking Among Them: Brian Turner's Phantom Noise by Edward Byrne of the Valparaiso Poetry Review, as well as his interview with Brian Turner. Links to these articles, as well as three poems by Brian Turner can be found at the Valparaiso Poetry Review, Spring/Summer 2010.

#43: Adding the Crawford book to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation, Peter.

In the darkness of night on March 24, 1944, 76 men made their escape from Stalag Luft III, 100 miles south-east of Berlin (now Zagan, Poland), in what was to become famously known as The Great Escape. Fifty of those men would be recaptured and executed within days. The 98th of the 200 men scheduled to escape that extraordinary night was Royal Air Force pilot Jack Harrison. A vital member of the escape, this unassuming classics teacher from Scotland survived the war, and died peacefully at the veterans' hospital at Erskine, in Bishopton, Renfrewshire, on June 4, 2010, aged 97.

RIP

Progress

1. Halfway through The Forever War by Dexter Filkins, and I can report that.. if Sebastian Junger's WAR is the type of book that will have young men lining up to become Marines, then Filkins' equally, if not more, impressive work will have them protesting in the streets. A must read!

2. Having finally caught up with the last few episodes from HBO's "The Pacific", I thought I'd read Coral Comes High by George P. Hunt. Almost forgotten amongst works such as With the Old Breed and Helmet for my Pillow, Coral Comes High deserves to be rated amongst the very best. I'm loving this short but powerful book which was originally published in 1946.

3. Paul Johnson's Churchill might be lacking in it's depth of detail, awash in unabashed hero worship, but it undeniably makes for good reading and is perfect for those who don't want to become Churchillian scholars.

#47: I have read both With the Old Breed (which I loved) and Helmet for my Pillow, so I will definitely be looking for Coral Comes High.

Peter - you've probably already seen this, but I saw a short article in the paper this morning about the discovery of a lost battlefield on the Kokoda Trail.

#49 Kerry - May I direct you, and anyone interested in this, and the Kokoda Trail, to the following website: The Lost Battlefield. An epic 1200km journey to the lost battlefield started on the 7th of June, and can be followed on line at the Adventure1000 website.

#48 Stasia - A short synopsis of Coral Comes High can be found in the May 06, 1946, edition of Time: Forty-Eight Hours. You could easily read this book in one sitting, but since I actually have 6 books on the go, my progress will be a little slower :)

Unfortunately, none of my local libraries has Coral Comes High so it will be a while before I get to it. Thanks for posting the link to the synopsis though, Peter.

#52 Stasia - I suddenly had an idea! Since this book is past copyright, I checked over at Internet Archive, and sure enough.... HERE IT IS! Happy reading :)

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Just picked up The Fourth Star: Four Generals and the Epic Struggle for the Future of the United States Army by Greg Jaffe and David Cloud. I'm really looking forward to reading this one! It will follow immediately after Dexter Filkins' The Forever War.

#53: Great! Thanks, Peter.

Yipee! Just arrived - my autographed hardback edition of The Highway War: A Marine Company Commander in Iraq by Maj. Seth W. B. Folsom, USMC.

What with The Fourth Star, and now this, it's like Christmas in July ...only it's June!

Merry Christmas, Peter!

Coral Comes High by George P. Hunt - Completed
- Review by request

#57: I'm requesting! I'm requesting! lol

#58 Stasia - Thanks. As you can see I've been overwhelmed with responses, and I'll try and knock out a review ASAP :)

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Just Completed: David and Winston: How a Friendship Changed History by Robert Lloyd George

One of my many areas of fascination is the Russo-Japanese War of 1904/5

If this is a conflict or era that interests you, then you might be interested in the upcoming (and updated) August 2010 reprinting of In Many Wars, by Many War Correspondents (link to publisher).

From the publisher's website:

"Printed locally by a Japanese printer and largely forgotten until now, In Many Wars, by Many War Correspondents offers colorful stories and insights about the lives and personalities of some of history’s most celebrated war correspondents. With a foreword by John Maxwell Hamilton that chronicles the circumstances under which the contributors compiled the book, this new edition opens a window into the fascinating world of foreign newsgathering at the turn of the twentieth century."

Well, I could leave it there, or I could give you some additional insight through the benefit of my own readings...

One of the many correspondents alluded to above was the celebrated Melton Prior, an English artist and war correspondent for the Illustrated London News. Turning sixty years of age at the time of the Russo-Japanese War, this veteran of a great many Victorian military campaigns was holed-up alongside many other foreign correspondents at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, in 1904, desperately (and unsuccessfully) seeking permission to travel to the front.

In the posthumously published book Campaigns of a War Correspondent (1912) by Melton Prior, edited by S.L. Bensusan, there is a chapter devoted to Prior's experiences in Tokyo taken from his correspondence, of which one entry refers to the book "In Many Wars"...

March 8th. (IMPERIAL HOTEL, TOKIO.)

...

All the correspondents are getting up a book to be published
and sold here for the benefit of the widows and orphans of the
killed in this war, and it has created quite a sensation. The
great bankers, Mitsui & Co., have undertaken to act as
treasurers to receive subscriptions. There is to be an
edition de luxe published at a guinea, and already there are
one hundred and fifty subscribers, and the list was only opened
to-day. All the clubs all over Japan are expected to want a lot
of copies, and we are going to start with five hundred special
copies, and the ordinary number will only cost 5s. It is said
we ought to clear at least £2,000, but I believe we shall make
much more. There are some awfully clever articles already
written, and a wonderfully clever cartoon, drawn by an Austra-
lian, a Mr. Grant Wallace. I am doing one or two sketches
for it, and so is Mr. Williams, and the book is to be called
"In Many Wars," by the correspondents in Japan.

#60: I will look for that one when it comes out in August. Thanks for the heads up, Peter.

#60 - I should note that I believe Melton Prior was mistaken (or there was a mistake in typesetting) when he wrote "There are some awfully clever articles already written, and a wonderfully clever cartoon, drawn by an Australian, a Mr. Grant Wallace." As far as I'm aware, the "Grant Wallace" Prior refers to was the American journalist and artist born 1867 in Hopkins, Missouri, who worked as a war correspondent for the San Francisco Evening Bulletin.

From the Russo-Japanese War to the Great War of 1914-1918, we have, slated for publication in September 2010, Hitler's First War: Adolf Hitler, the Men of the List Regiment, and the First World War by Thomas Weber (link to Oxford University Press). It will be interesting to see how this compares to Corporal Hitler and the Great War 1914-1918: The List Regiment by John F Williams, published by Routledge (2005).

Well, since I have not read the Williams book yet, I better get on the stick so I can compare them!

Completed: The Forever War by Dexter Filkins
- I'm running out of superlatives... Brilliant, Exceptional, Amazing.. A Must read (with a capital M)! I really can't improve on the Publishers Weekly review below....

Filkins, a New York Times prize–winning reporter, is widely regarded as among the finest war correspondents of this generation. His richly textured book is based on his work in Afghanistan and Iraq since 1998. It begins with a Taliban-staged execution in Kabul. It ends with Filkins musing on the names in a WWI British cemetery in Baghdad. In between, the work is a vivid kaleidoscope of vignettes. Individually, the strength of each story is its immediacy; together they portray a theater of the absurd, in which Filkins, an extraordinarily brave man, moves as both participant and observer. Filkins does not editorialize—a welcome change from the punditry that shapes most writing from these war zones. This book also differs essentially from traditional war correspondence because of its universal empathy, feelings enhanced by Filkins's spare prose.... Carl von Clausewitz said war is a chameleon. In vividly illustrating the varied ways people in Afghanistan and Iraq have been affected by ongoing war, Filkins demonstrates that truth in prose. - Publishers Weekly

Dexter Filkins writes for the New York Times, and is a contributer (complete list of 'At War' Contributors) to the NYT At War Blog. For a flavour of his style, check out his posts. I subscribe via RSS. Alternatively, you can check out The Forever War at his website dexterfilkins.net.

Started: The Fourth Star: Four Generals and the Epic Struggle for the Future of the United States Army by Greg Jaffe and David Cloud
- I can't put this one down, even while negotiating heavy Tokyo foot traffic. My apologies to all those people I bumped into :)

Talking to Myself

Just spent an enthralling lunch hour with Revolution 1989: The Fall of the Soviet Empire by Victor Sebestyen. This was a friend's copy, and I'm glad he eventually pried it from my iron grip, otherwise I'd never have gone back to my desk. Published last year to coincide with the anniversary of the "Revolutions of 1989" which heralded the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Cold War, this is a fascinating read. Will be ordering my own copy :)

#65: The local library has that one! It is now on hold, so I am hoping to have it in my hot little hands shortly.

Over the next few months, I will begin the slow transfer of all my reviews to a blog. All new posts and reviews will be posted there directly. I will post a link in time for people interested in taking a look, and while a blog and LT are not mutually exclusive, I prefer to maintain just one. Until then, watch this space :)

I look forward to checking out your blog, Peter!

Just dropping into say Hi and everythings good with you. I have been woefully lacking in keeping up with threads year but I do keep trying!

Will be looking forward to your blog too, your reviews allow me to cherry pick the best history books and add to my burgeoning wishlist!

#69 Stasia - Thank you :)

#70 Claire - Lovely to have you drop in! As for "cherry-picking", I've had so many good reads this year, you'll need a truck to carry these cherries home ;)

Chiming in to say that I'm glad that you are creating a more permanent home for your reviews.

The best military books of the decade, from the Marine Corps Times

From that list...

Books I've Read
- The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell: An Accidental Soldier's Account of the War in Iraq by John Crawford
- One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer by Nathaniel Fick
- The Forever War by Dexter Filkins
- The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education by Craig M. Mullaney
- Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America and the New Face of American War by Evan Wright

Book I'm Currently Reading
- The Fourth Star: Four Generals and the Epic Struggle for the Future of the United States Army by David Cloud and Greg Jaffe

Books I Have, But Haven't Read
- Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership and Brotherhood by Donovan Campbell
- Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq by Michael R. Gordon and Bernard E. Trainor,
- Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq by Thomas E. Ricks

Books I Have To Get
- Shane Comes Home by Rinker Buck
- The Good Soldiers by David Finkel
- Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America by Nathaniel Frank
- The War I Always Wanted: The Illusion of Glory and the Reality of War by Brandon Friedman
- Just Another Soldier: A Year on the Ground in Iraq by Jason Christopher Hartley
- The Long Road Home: A Story of War and Family by Martha Raddatz
- Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles by Anthony Swofford

Based on the books I've read from the list, and the book I'm currently reading, I'm taking the remaining unread recommendations seriously!

#73: What a great list of books! I will be checking them out for sure.

I picked up The Forever War at the library today based on your recommendation. The only book on the list that I have actually read so far is the Thomas Ricks book.

#72 Kerry - Thank you. I hope it will also allow me to expand on some of the ideas I've already been following in my LT threads, as well as tread some new ground. While I've enjoyed my LT experience, and will stay on in the interim, my interests are largely outside of the LT mainstream. And people who are interested enough can always pop in once or twice a week / month / quarter / year to see what's going on (if anything)!

#74 Stasia - I'm excited to see you have Filkins' book. I promise it will be an enlightening, and fascinating, read. Perhaps opening a few new perspectives on the conflict and the region.

#75: Great! I am looking forward to it.

With only a few pages left of Paul Johnson's Churchill, the question is - What next?

Looks like Iraq!

In a stack beside the bed (in addition to the books listed in #73)...

- Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq by Dahr Jamail
- From Baghdad with Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava by Jay Kopelman and Melinda Roth
- On Call in Hell: A Doctor's Iraq War Story by Cdr. Richard Jadick and Thomas Hayden
- No True Glory: Fallujah and the Struggle in Iraq: A Frontline Account by Bing West and Dennis Boutsikaris
- The Highway War: A Marine Company Commander in Iraq by Seth W. B. Folsom
- The Fighting 69th: From Ground Zero to Baghdad by Sean Michael Flynn
- Baghdad at Sunrise: A Brigade Commander's War in Iraq by Peter R. Mansoor
- Big Boy Rules: America's Mercenaries Fighting in Iraq by Steve Fainaru

Halfway through The Fourth Star, and it still retains my highest recommendation :)

I got my copy of A Desert Rats Scrapbook by Roger Fogg in the other day and hope to get it read this next week. Have you read that one yet?

Not yet! On my wish list, since my paternal grandfather's (identical) older brother was one of those "Rats," winning a DSO (equivalent to the US DSC), and later an OBE, for his efforts. Family legend has it that he won the DSO for gallantry because he was so distraught at the news of his first wife's death in Cairo, in 1940, where she was serving as a nurse, that he went into battle with absolutely no regard for his own safety; hoping to die. As for my grandfather, he served in India, where he had lived for much of his life. Both retired from the armed forces after the war with the same rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

I look forward to reading your review :)

Completed: Churchill by Paul Johnson
- review coming (promise!)

Started: Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq by Dahr Jamail
- "Readers unsatisfied with mainstream coverage of the Iraq War will want to grab this, an up-close look at daily life in Iraq since the 2003 invasion." - Publisher's Weekly

Links:
Jamail's website: Dahr Jamail's Dispatches
Jamail's latest book: The Will to Resist: Soldiers Who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan (2009) at Haymarket Books

#79: I will let you know what I think of it when I get it read.

#80: Looking forward to your review of the Johnson book as that is one that I own but have not read yet.

Review

Churchill by Paul Johnson

British historian and author Paul Johnson's short biography of Winston Churchill is a book of two halves. In the first half Johnson takes a succinct look at Churchill's life leading up to his premiership in May, 1940. The second half is dominated by Johnson's examination of Churchill's role as a wartime leader. Johnson asks, "Did Churchill personally save Britain? Was his leadership essential to its survival and eventual victory?" Johnson contends that "the question is best answered by examining the factors and virtues which operated in his favor - some determined by objective events, others by his own genius and exertions. They were tenfold." To wit...

1. The people's renewed faith in the "frocks" after the tragedies of WWI perpetrated by the "brass hats."
2. The concentration of power in Churchill, with the backing of all parties, while adhering to parliamentary procedure.
3. Churchill's rise to power at a desperate time.
4. Churchill's personal example of "furious and productive activity," coupled with his seemingly indefatigable energy.
5. Churchill's oratory, and symbolism.
6. Churchill's appreciation of the importance of airpower.
7. Churchill's strikes against Italy, when Britain was not in a position to take on Germany.
8. Churchill's encouragement of Wavell to "go for Musso."
9. Churchill's search for allies, big or small.
10. Churchill's "uncanny gift for getting priorities right."

So, did Churchill personally save Britain? Was his leadership essential to its survival and eventual victory? "The answer must be yes," says Johnson, "No one else could have done it." It is worth noting at this point that Johnson is to be commended for taking this two-format approach. Maintaining the more convential narrative structure of the first half, Johnson risked losing his focus on Churchill - a problem that often mars other short-form biographies in which authors struggle unsuccessfully to find a balance between documenting the events of the period and the life of the subject.

In a biography of a man such as Churchill it seems only fitting that in the epilogue, Johnson ends with five more points - Five lessons that Churchill's life teaches us all...

1. Always aim high.
2. There is no substitute for hard work.
3. Never allow "mistakes, disaster - personal or national - accidents, illnesses, unpopularity and criticism" get you down.
4. Don't waste time and energy on the "meannesses of life" such as recrimination and harboring grudges. Replace enmity with friendship.
5. The "absence of hatred" leaves "plenty of room for joy."

Paul Johnson admires Churchill, and that admiration shines through on every page; Johnson finding a silver lining behind every cloud, balancing every negative trait with a virtuous one. And while Johnson may note Churchill's many flaws, it's with the loving tone a mother might use when casting an indulgent eye over a mischievous child. Occasionally, Johnson speculates with a certainty and self-assuredness that can be astounding. Of atomic weapons, Johnson states: "If an all-British bomb had been made in time, Churchill would have commanded its use against Germany." Of women, Churchill "never looked at another woman" besides his wife.

In a Washington Post review, James Mann concludes, "In the end, Johnson's book gives us a cartoon version of the man." James Mann is right, but there is a charm and infectious enthusiasm to this book that makes it an enjoyable read; while the short-form biography format gives emphasis to the full breadth, width and height of Churchill's amazing life. Johnson also gives this biography an extra dimension by personalizing it with some of his own observations of the man and the period, having met Churchill as a child.

At only 164 pages of text, Churchillian scholars will gasp at how complex and momentous events and decisions can be reduced to such simplistic terms, and may argue many of Johnson's sweeping assertions or omissions, but for many, this book will be a welcome relief to the 1000+ page tomes that already dominate the shelves; and may convince the odd skeptic that Churchill was indeed 'the greatest Briton of all time'.

Very nice review, Peter! I must find my copy of the book.

ETA: You did not post your review so that I can give it a thumbs up? For shame.

#83 Stasia - Thank you, and as for thumbs... the fact you took the time to leave a personal comment means far more :)

I have added The Forever War to the Wishlist. I am a coward when it comes to war books, but I know I owe it to the soldiers and citizens who are in the middle of it to put aside my squeamishness and horror to read about what they have to live through. Thanks for pointing out a book that sounds like it will make doing that worthwhile.

#84: OK, I will let that one slide.

#85 Nancy - Thank you for dropping by. I hope you enjoy the book. Please drop back and let me know your thoughts :)

#86 Stasia - Thanks ;)

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As an amateur caver, I am interested in James M. Tabor's new book Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth, which has been designated as one of the "Amazon Best Books of the Month, June 2010." Seeing that Tabor is taking part in an LT author chat - James M. Tabor, author of Blind Descent (June 21-July 5) - I have posted a couple of questions, and look forward to reading his response.

Edit: Links

As the old saying goes "It never rains, but it pours!"

For those interested in the Dreyfus Affair, here is a list of recent publications that should bring you up to speed...

September 2009: Why the Dreyfus Affair Matters by Louis Begley
January 2010: For the Soul of France: Culture Wars in the Age of Dreyfus by Frederick Brown
June 2010: Dreyfus: Politics, Emotion, and the Scandal of the Century by Ruth Harris

"Three recent studies of the Dreyfus Affair show three different ways of writing about it: as a detective story, as a war of ideas, and as a human and social drama. Why the Dreyfus Affair Matters by Louis Begley, lawyer and author of Wartime Lies, among other books, puts in the foreground the detective story, with its elements of anti-Semitism, although his writing is particularly powerful in drawing lessons for American society after September 11. For the Soul of France: Culture Wars in the Age of Dreyfus by Frederick Brown, who has written biographies of Flaubert and Zola, sets the affair in the context of ongoing conflicts in France since the Revolution. Dreyfus: Politics, Emotion, and the Scandal of the Century by Oxford historian Ruth Harris, who has unearthed a mass of new documentation, is an extraordinary study of the affair as a tragic drama that swept up a man, his family and friends, and more widely French society and the French state." - source

These are all on my TBR list, but perhaps not in 2010.

#88: Well, I struck out. My local library does not have any of those.

Really enjoyed your review of the Johnson book, and think I will skip it in favour of one of the tomes instead. No idea when that will be, but I think some of the grand assertions would really bug me.

I will look forward to reading your blog when you get it going.

Completed: The Fourth Star: Four Generals and the Epic Struggle for the Future of the United States Army by David Cloud and Greg Jaffe
- Another top read!

Started: From Baghdad with Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava by Jay Kopelman and Melinda Roth
- The next from my pile, according to the list in message #77.

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Have added some more relevant information to the 'Dreyfus Affair' books listed in message #88 - an excerpt from the recent review of all three books in The New York Review of Books, entitled How to Understand the Dreyfus Affair. Unfortunately, you need to be a subscriber (which I'm not) to read the full article :(

New Additions

New additions to the shelves at Conflict Castle:
- In Command of History: Churchill Fighting and Writing the Second World War by David Reynolds
- A Better War: The Unexamined Victories and Final Tragedy of America's Last Years in Vietnam by Lewis Sorley
- Warrior King: The Triumph and Betrayal of an American Commander in Iraq by Nathan Sassaman and Joe Layden
- The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008 by Thomas E. Ricks

#92: I will be interested in seeing what you think of A Better War when you get to it, Peter.

#93 Stasia - A Better War has been on my wish list for some time, so it's great to finally have a copy. As it is with The Gamble, Thomas Ricks' follow up to Fiasco. As I haven't read Fiasco yet, The Gamble will have to wait. I don't know when I'll get to A Better War - realistically, probably not until next year. However, I will be making a start on David Reynolds' In Command of History sooner rather than latter - I'm guessing August.

Meanwhile, From Baghdad with Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava by Jay Kopelman, is turning out to be a far better book than I had anticipated. I was expected something soppy, but it's anything but! On top of that, Kopelman writes with a biting sense of black humour, which I love. I guess now I'll have to look for his sequel, published this year: "From Baghdad to America: Life after War for a Marine and His Rescued Dog".

Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq by Dahr Jamail, is also another winner, and would make an excellent companion volume to Rajiv Chandrasekaran's Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone, which was one of my highlights from 2009. While Jamail's book is probably not the most balanced of accounts, it is undeniably an important look at life in Iraq's "red zone." I have added his more recent book The Will to Resist: Soldiers Who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan to the wish list.

My local library has both of the Kopelman books, so I will have to check those out one of these days.

Completed: From Baghdad with Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava by Jay Kopelman
- Emotional types might want to have a tissue handy as they reach the last page!

Started: No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah by Bing West
- Another account of the battle for Fallujah. Hoping it's as good as Patrick O'Donnell's We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines Who Took Fallujah, which I read last year.

Peter, I finished The Desert Rats Scrapbook early this morning. I am unimpressed. If I were you, I would not waste my money on buying it.

There are a ton of pictures, which is nice, except it is more like a family album than anything else. There is a woeful lack of editing - one phrase in particular just struck me as funny: "This took place very close to the Pyramids and the Sphinx, which at the time were some way out of Cairo." Makes it sound like the Pyramids and the Sphinx up and moved closer to Cairo at some point, lol.

Anyway, I do not think this is going to be a book that you would enjoy since you are more of a serious military historian than I am and I had difficulty with it.

#97 Stasia - Disappointing! But I thank you very much for your candid review :)

I respect your opinion, given the number of books that we have both read and agreed on, so I will remove it from my wish list. If I come across it at the library I might still give it a look however, for the photos as much as anything else.

#98: If you ever do come across a copy, I will be interested in your take on the book. I will send you my copy if you like.

In the "What are you reading" non-fiction thread, I wrote of The Fourth Star: Four Generals and the Epic Struggle for the Future of the United States Army by Greg Jaffe and David Cloud...

- What a great book! Fascinating background and examination of John Abizaid (retired Commander of the United States Central Command), George Casey Jr. (current Chief of Staff of the Army), Peter Chiarelli (current Vice Chief of Staff of the Army) and David Petraeus (who, in the last 24 hours, replaced General McChrystal as U.S. commander in Afghanistan, after the recent controversy over the Rolling Stone article: The Runaway General - worth reading!)

If you haven't read the Rolling Stone article yet, then here's another option - you can listen to the article (abridged) over at BBC4, read by actor Christian Camargo, at The Runaway General (BBC4 Programmes).

Let me repeat - well worth reading!

#100: I already checked and that one is not available at my local library yet unfortunately.

Thanks for the link though. I will check it out!

I'm an Anthony Bourdain fan, and I don't care who knows it! So you can guess I was pretty excited to see his new book hit the shelves here in Japan: Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook. It seems the hardback and paperback versions were published simultaneously, and Amazon UK is selling the hardback for £11.21, and the paperback for £10.95. So I guess price isn't going to be the deciding factor here. As for me, I always choose hardback if I can get it.

#102: I prefer hard cover books to paperbacks too. I have not read anything by Anthony Bourdain yet. I will get to his books . . . eventually :)

Private Alan Mather RIP

If, like me, you own a copy of Digging Up Plugstreet: The Archaeology of a Great War Battlefield* by Richard Osgood and Martin Brown, you may be interested to hear that the subject of Chapter 9 of that book - The Unknown Soldier - is no longer "unknown."

When the book was published in 2009, the authors wrote, "The final factor would be to examine the DNA..." (p.165) - well, in the last few weeks, testing commissioned by the Australian Army has determined that the "unknown soldier" was in fact Private Alan Mather, Service Number 1983.

Approximately 6,000 Australians died in Belgium during the Great War with no known grave. Through the important work being done by the Plugstreet Archaeological Project team, at least one may finally be buried with the full military honours he deserves, that his soul may finally find peace, that his family may finally find closure, and that the world know his name.

Links:

- You can read Alan Mather's story in the Sydney Morning Herald article World War I digger enlisted at 35

- The Plugstreet archaeologists have a website, with the story British Archaeologists find Missing Anzac – 90 years on!, posted Monday, June 28th, 2010.

- ABC Radio interviews with Alan Mather's descendants can be found in Finding Peace

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* Book Description
This is the compelling story of the Australian soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division who journeyed to England in 1914, and who fought and died on the Western Front during the First World War. Using archaeology as the vehicle for their story, Martin Brown and Richard Osgood follow in the footsteps of the 'Aussies', from their training on windswept Salisbury Plain to the cheerless trenches of Belgium, where they 'dug-in' north-east of Ploegsteert to face the Germans. It presents a unique window into the world of the men who marched away to fight the so-called 'war to end wars'.

#104: I do not own the book, Peter, but I will certainly start looking for a copy. Thanks for the recommendation and the links!

Thanks for the links Peter, the newspaper article was fascinating. I also lernt a new word: jackarooing ;-)

Update

Completed: Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq by Dahr Jamail
- An important (albeit one-sided) read, offering a decidely different picture to accounts provided by embedded reporters and the mainstream press, of Iraq from 2003-2005, focusing on the First and Second Battles of Fallujah, civilian deaths, and medical care. His second book, The Will to Resist: Soldiers Who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, is on the wish list.

Starting: The Highway War: A Marine Company Commander in Iraq by Seth W. B. Folsom
- I thought it was time to get this highly regarded memoir in before Folsom's second book "In the Gray Area: A Marine Advisor Team at War" hits the bookshops in September.

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Big Books

I'm looking at the books in my reading pile, and here are some of the American History titles staring back at me...

- A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present by Howard Zinn
- What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 by Daniel Walker Howe
- Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
- Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era by James M. McPherson
- Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945 by David M. Kennedy

...big books that at my current rate of reading will take a couple of months each (at least) to complete. Hmmmm.... I think I'll finish off my Iraq war collection first.

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Replaced

Have finally replaced a book I lost on the train a few months back. A book I was 200 pages into. Namely: Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt by H. W. Brands. Now the challenge is to fit it back into my reading schedule :)

Good luck with the big books. I loved both Team of Rivals and Battle Cry of Freedom. I am currently reading Freedom from Fear.

> 104 Thank you for the links on Private Mather and the archaeological project; very interesting.

> 107 I am glad to hear you replaced the lost copy of Traitor to His Class as I am interested in your thoughts. Have you also read FDR by Jean Edward Smith? Both books are on my wishlist, but as I am unlikely to read two huge tomes on FDR in my lifetime, I was wondering if one is better than the other.

#109 Sher - I was undecided between which book to read - Jean Edward Smith or H.W. Brands - but in the end, Brands' book was the one immediately to hand when I had the money in my pocket. I hope to read Smith's book eventually. Also on FDR, I have Nothing to Fear: FDR's Inner Circle and the Hundred Days That Created Modern America by Adam Cohen, and FDR's World: War, Peace, and Legacies, which is part of the The World of the Roosevelts series published by Palgrave Macmillan (links to publisher).
-----------------------

Now for something completely different

I WANT THIS BOOK: Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson

Excuse the shouting, but yes, Breakfast at Tiffany's is one of my favourite movies!

In Message 87 I wrote...

"As an amateur caver, I am interested in James M. Tabor's new book Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth, which has been designated as one of the "Amazon Best Books of the Month, June 2010." Seeing that Tabor is taking part in an LT author chat - James M. Tabor, author of Blind Descent (June 21-July 5) - I have posted a couple of questions, and look forward to reading his response."

Well, Mr Tabor chose to ignore both of my questions. Needless to say, I choose to ignore his book.

Bad Mr. Tabor! I thought the author chats were for us to ask questions. Apparently he thinks they are for something else entirely.

#112 Stasia - How petty is this? This evening I was offered a free copy of Tabor's book by an old caving friend! I declined!

However, I did accept a copy of Bill Bryson's latest - At Home: A Short History of Private Life

Edit: Whoops... Forgot to add that The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America by Douglas Brinkley, has also just been added to the stack beside the bed. Another 800+ page tome! I've got to say, I LOVE the old fashioned way Brinkley has done the contents pages.

Peter, I look forward to your blog although I will miss your posts on LT. I understand what you mean about your reading being outside the mainstream of LT. Reading about your future blog reminded me of how I've been neglecting my own, not that I've done anything about it. It's hard enough to keep up with my LT thread, which I haven't done, and try to read a few other threads and even occasionally respond. My life is getting too busy.

I added a couple of your books to my tbr pile, including The Fourth Star. I'm moving up the reserve list for War and should be getting it shortly.

#113: Oo, that is petty. I do not think I could pass by a free book, lol.

I already have The Wilderness Warrior in the BlackHole. I will be interested in seeing what you think of it.

#114 Mike - At my current rate, the blog will be up by this time next year!

I loved Junger's WAR, as have many readers/reviewers, but I think it's always worth noting dissenting points of view; so let me direct you to the following review: Sebastian Junger, War Tourist.

#115 Stasia - I don't know why, but ever since I picked up The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America, I've had a strange and irresistable urge to throw it right on top of the ol' reading pile. Perhaps that's because I'm a birder, and when I read an opening paragraph like the one below, it's hard not to want keep reading...

"On a wintery morning in 1903 President Theodore Roosevelt arrived at a White House cabinet meeting unexpectedly and with great exuberance. Something of genuine importance had obviously just happened. All eyes were fixed on Roosevelt, who was quaking like a dervish with either excitement or agitation - it was unclear which. ...'Gentlemen, do you know what has happened this morning?' Roosevelt breathlessly asked, as everyone leaned forward with bated breath for the bad news. 'Just now I saw a chestnut-sided warbler - and - this is only February!'"

-----------------------------

I'd just like to add that I am LOVING The Highway War: A Marine Company Commander in Iraq by Seth W. B. Folsom. Now, I almost never stay up past 11pm, not even for New Year, so when I tell you I had to force myself to put this book down at 1.30am this morning, it gives you some sense of how good it is!

#116: Peter, if you have not checked out the book that Dayton Duncan put out in conjunction with Ken Burns' documentary on The National Parks: America's Best Idea, I would recommend that one to you too.

Completed: No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah by Bing West
- A must for lovers of frontline battlefield accounts. From the Whitehouse to soldiers fighting house to house, this is a solid account of the First and Second Battles for Fallujah told largely from the American POV. See also We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines Who Took Fallujah by Patrick K. O'Donnell. Recommended.

Starting: The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America by Douglas Brinkley

------------------------------

#117 Stasia - Recommendation noted! I also see that the Amazon review (Best of the Month, August 2009) notes that "The Wilderness Warrior makes an excellent companion to Timothy Egan's The Big Burn and Ken Burns's (and Dayton Duncan's - petermc) The National Parks: America's Best Idea." So that might be two to look out for. By the way, all the best to you :)

Home From War: How Love Conquered the Horrors of a Soldier's Afghan Nightmare by Martyn Compton

Forget all the hoo-haa! Here's a story that all too often goes untold.

Lance Corporal Martyn Compton's life was changed beyond recognition when he was blown up in a Taliban ambush that killed three of his colleagues. His survival was described as a 'miracle', as he suffered third-degree burns to 75 per cent of his body. He endured 15 operations and doctors used shark cartilage as a base for new skin on his face. But he did not have to face this gruelling ordeal alone. From the moment she heard of his near-fatal wounds, Martyn's fiancee Michelle Clifford found an inner strength to help them both face the future. During Martyn's treatment, Michelle kept a diary in which she revealed the innermost thoughts and emotions she wished she could relay to her wounded partner. "Home From War" gives a rare insight into the story behind the headlines when soldiers die or are injured. It is also the account of Martyn's battle for adequate compensation. This exploration of how one courageous man came to terms with losing his handsome young face cannot fail to inspire. - Amazon UK

This book was ghost-written by Marnie Summerfield Smith, from whose website you can read the first 2 chapters (PDF link).

And finally an article about Martyn Compton worth reading: Blown up, set alight and shot... so why is this hero British soldier getting only a derisory £163,000 payout? (with some before and after shots).

> 119 Thank you for the links, Peter. I will look this up as soon as possible. My library doesn't have it yet, but I hope it will soon.

I'm also looking forward to your review of The Wilderness Warrior, as the paragraph you quoted was priceless!

#120 Sher - I'm 111 pages into The Wilderness Warrior and the young Harvardian, Theodore Roosevelt, has just met Maine Guide William Wingate Sewall. This was to become a lifelong friendship, and has recently become the subject of a book, published in February 2010, called Becoming Teddy Roosevelt: How a Maine Guide Inspired America's 26th President by Andrew Vietze (a Maine Guide, and ranger at Baxter State Park). I've just spent a few minutes at my local bookshop flicking through this thin volume, and will be making a point of reading it after I finish The Wilderness Warrior. "Becoming Teddy Roosevelt" is published by Down East Books, and has recently won a Silver Award in the "Best Regional Non-Fiction" category of the 2010 Independent Publisher Regional Book Awards.

While I was in the bookshop today I spent some time with The Great Task Remaining: The Third Year of Lincoln's War by William Marvel. Apparantly this is the third of four volumes looking at the American Civil War on a year-by-year basis; the other volumes being Mr. Lincoln Goes to War and Lincoln's Darkest Year. I haven't come across William Marvel before, but his writing in this volume was so engaging that I'm hooked!

Oh wow... I went and read the article in msg 119, and I can't even believe it. This man should be set up for life, as he'll be having surgeries for ask long as he lives! It makes me angry that people risk their lives for their country and then are treated like nothing but cannon fodder if they come home injured.

#123 - Thanks for dropping by! I'm glad you took the time to read the article. I agree with your sentiments entirely.

---------------------------------------

Yippee

Imagine my joy and surprise when I arrived at work today, and there, on my desk, in a plastic shopping bag, was Dumas Malone's classic, Pulitzer Prize winning 6-volume biography of Thomas Jefferson - Jefferson and His Time. Instead of working, I've already consumed the introduction to the first volume Jefferson the Virginian. I really have to hide these books, otherwise I'm in danger of neglecting books already on the go!

Peter, have you read The wages of war : when America's soldiers came home-from Valley Forge to Vietnam? I am just curious - I came across it on my local library's website. I have not read it.

ETA: Adding Home from War to the BlackHole.

#125 Stasia - I have not read The Wages of War: When America's soldiers came home - From Valley Forge to Vietnam

I have The Wages of Destruction, which is a brilliant book, but that's about the Nazi economy; and The Wages of Guilt, but that's how "Japan and Germany have handled their collective memories of World War II."

Sorry :(

#126: No problem, Peter. Like I said, I was just curious. I will take a peek at it next time I am at the library and see if I think it is worth the read.

Back up to #110: It's nice to put a book on my TBR at your suggestion that isn't WWI! I immediately put a reserve on Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman at the library. Of course, I'm 18th in line...
And lest you think otherwise, I have greatly appreciated the WWI suggestions too!

#128 Terri - LOL! Even at 18th in line, you'll probably see the book sooner than me. I wish my library had it! I will either have to buy it, or steal it! I haven't decided which yet ;)

Who's excited by the November 9th, 2010, release of George W. Bush's memoir Decision Points (Amazon link). I already have this one on hold at my library!

President George W. Bush describes the critical decisions of his presidency and personal life.

Decision Points is the extraordinary memoir of America’s 43rd president. Shattering the conventions of political autobiography, George W. Bush offers a strikingly candid journey through the defining decisions of his life.

In gripping, never-before-heard detail, President Bush brings readers inside the Texas Governor’s Mansion on the night of the hotly contested 2000 election; aboard Air Force One on 9/11, in the hours after America’s most devastating attack since Pearl Harbor; at the head of the table in the Situation Room in the moments before launching the war in Iraq; and behind the Oval Office desk for his historic and controversial decisions on the financial crisis, Hurricane Katrina, Afghanistan, Iran, and other issues that have shaped the first decade of the 21st century.

President Bush writes honestly and directly about his flaws and mistakes, as well as his accomplishments reforming education, treating HIV/AIDS in Africa, and safeguarding the country amid chilling warnings of additional terrorist attacks. He also offers intimate new details on his decision to quit drinking, discovery of faith, and relationship with his family.

A groundbreaking new brand of memoir, Decision Points will captivate supporters, surprise critics, and change perspectives on one of the most consequential eras in American history – and the man at the center of events. - Product Description (Amazon)

#130: My local library does not have it available yet, but once it does, I will look for it.

#131 Stasia - So you're not planning on buying one of the limited edition, signed copies for $350?

The limited, deluxe edition of Decision Points is certain to be a collector’s item and a highly sought after piece of Presidential history.

Each copy will be hand signed by President Bush. The book itself will be printed on high-quality, acid-free paper and bound in a full cloth case with foil stamping. In addition, the book will have a ribbon marker and a special color photo frontispiece not found in the regular hardcover edition of Decision Points. Each book is individually hand numbered, packed into slipcases, and shrinkwrapped. - Random House

It will be available a little later than the standard edition, on November 30, 2010. You can pre-order from the publisher.

#132: No, Peter, for some reason I do not just have $350 laying around my house :)

BTW - thus far, Freedom from Fear is proving to be excellent. It is also, sadly, adding to the BlackHole.

#133 Stasia - Thanks for the update on Kennedy's Freedom from Fear. Talking of American history, I've just added two new titles to the library - Betsy Ross and the Making of America by Marla R. Miller, and The Fourth Part of the World: The Race to the Ends of the Earth, and the Epic Story of the Map That Gave America Its Name by Toby Lester.

Yours is a fascinating country. It's the only way I can explain having over a hundred-fold more books on American history than my native Australian!

As for my current read - The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America by Douglas G. Brinkley, what can I say? Hmmm.... chock full of detail, perhaps too much at times which borders dangerously between dull and boring..... Numerous factual errors..... Repetition.... However, I can't stop reading! Must be the birder in me :)

#134: Numerous factual errors

I absolutely hate that in a book, even fiction. Of course, a lot of things are outside of my realm of knowledge, so I may not even recognize them as factual errors.

I believe the Toby Lester book is already in the BlackHole, but I know that the Marla Miller book is not. Now you are adding to it! Arg.

Hi Peter

I've been lurking, but not posting. I'm spending time catching up on threads today. Back up to message #107, I highly recommend A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn. It is an incredible book! I hope you have time to read it soon. I'll be curious regarding your thoughts and impressions.

message #117, Stasia is right. The Ken Burns book is great. I also recommend the PBS documentary because it is incredible. Anything Burns does is spectacularly produced, including the music, the photography and the historians used as reference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQwn2txq8Js

Talking of Theodore Roosevelt....

The third and final volume of Edmund Morris' biography of Theodore Roosevelt, will be hitting the bookshops on November 23, 2010! Entitled Colonel Roosevelt (Amazon link) it will cover TR's life after politics. The other volumes are of course: The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and Theodore Rex. I have read neither of these two books yet, but will be picking up the complete trilogy with every intention of doing so :)

I'm disappointed about The Wilderness Warrior. I'll wait to hear your final verdict when you've finished the book.

#136 Linda - Hello!

Re: Zinn - Keep watching this space.
Re: Burns - Have loved all the docos I've seen of his so far. I know someone with the "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" on DVD and will be making a point of watching them some time soon. I'm also looking forward to his next projects: Prohibition* (2011), and The Dust Bowl (2012).

Thanks for the link, and really appreciate the visit :)

* Recent book on the subject of Pohibition that has caught my eye is: Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent, published in May, 2010.

#138 Sher - Don't get despondent yet. Still a long ways to go! And as I said, I'm still reading, and there's a lot to be said for that :)

So sad, so pointless...

Orlando Figes to pay fake Amazon review damages

Orlando Figes is, of course, the author of the highly regarded books: The Whisperers: Private Life In Stalin's Russia, and Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History Of Russia.

Peter

How are those daring sons?

Thanks for the heads up regarding Ken Burn's next projects....This is exciting news!

#130, 132: Oh, hell no. If I get paid $350, then I'll read it. Maybe.

>130 petermc:: Excited would not be the word I choose. I may read it simply out of fascination but GWB and I don't entirely see eye-to-eye—no offense intended to Republicans, Texans or Yalies...Ok, maybe to the latter. :-D

opps...Peter...I meant to ask how are those darling sons!

#143 & 144 Darryl & Tad - I gotta say, I'm curious. My focus on Iraq compels me to read it, if for no other reason! As far as I'm aware I'm first in the queue at my library, so watch this space for a review come November :)

Wow! I cannot believe how big they have gotten!

Ditto what Stasia said. It is hard to believe how they have grown. I love the full head of hair on Rafe.

#130 -I don't know if excited is the right word, but definitely interested. The library does not have it listed yet so I'll have to keep checking back. I'm sure a lot of people will be looking for it.

#139 - Last Call is already on my tbr pile.

#141 - I think the worst part is his trying to shift the blame to his wife.

> 146 Oh my goodness, they are too cute!!! They have grown bunches!! They look like two busy little guys!!!

Adorable!

Stasia, Linda, Sher, and Tad - Thank you for your kind words. I couldn't be prouder!

---------------------------

#136 Linda - Tonight, I watched the first epidsode in the Ken Burns documentary, The National Parks: America's Best Idea, and it was, to quote a Time Arts review, "enough to give a nature lover a petrified woodie." It is the perfect tie-in with my present read, The Wilderness Warrior, which despite my criticisms (see #134 above), I am really quite enjoying.

#149 Mike - Sentiments shared.

A few days ago the BBC One special investigation series "Inside Out" featured a programme called Shipman – When Doctors Kill; a subject that raises deep moral and ethical questions. It's a subject that fascinates, and is a rich source of material for medical dramas such as "House." I recently added a book to my own shelves on the subject called When Doctors Kill: Who, Why, and How by Joshua A. Perper and Stephen J. Cina. Published in May, 2010, this book looks at everything from famous doctor serial killers, to Nazi "scientists," to euthanasia, to fictional physicians. Worth a look if the subject is of interest :)

#153: I will look for a copy of When Doctors Kill. Thanks for the mention, Peter.

@153 Hi Peter, you know I live in th UK but I still miss these fascinating documentaries u find ;) Need to turn the TV on more!

Shout Outs

#117 Stasia - I went and got The National Parks: America's Best Idea by Dayton Duncan! I also downloaded a bunch of digitized works by John Muir :)

#155 Claire - And here I was thinking I should turn the TV off more!

------------------------------
Lincoln

Agghhh... What have I done? Another book on Lincoln!?

A. Lincoln: A Biography by Ronald C. White, joins the following unread Lincoln books already in my American Presidents collection (in no particular order)...

- Lincoln: The Biography of a Writer by Fred Kaplan
- Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief by James M. McPherson
- Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
- 1864: Lincoln at the Gates of History by Charles Bracelen Flood
- Abraham Lincoln as a Man of Ideas by Allen C. Guelzo
- Lincoln and the Court by Brian McGinty
- Lincoln for President: An Unlikely Candidate, An Audacious Strategy, and the Victory No One Saw Coming by Bruce Chadwick
- Lincoln's American Dream: Clashing Political Perspectives by Kenneth L. Deutsch and Joseph R. Fornieri

Enough!!!!!

------------------------------
Theodore Roosevelt

Based on my reading of The Wilderness Warrior, I just had to download a digitized copy of Ranch Life and the Hunting-Trail (1888) by Theodore Roosevelt, beautifully illustrated by Frederic Remington. Well worth a look.

Links:
- From Internet Archive: Ranch Life and the Hunting-Trail (1899 Edition)
- Download the complete Roosevelt bibliography from one handy location: The Almanac of Theodore Roosevelt. (This is an excellent site!)

#156: I think the pictures alone in the Duncan book are worth the price. Just gorgeous. I hope you enjoy the book, Peter.

I must say, you are working on making yourself into an authority on Lincoln (that is, if you ever read all of those!) I would also recommend April 1865 by Jay Winik.

#157 Stasia - Thanks for the recommendation!

--------------------

On the radar: The German Genius: Europe's Third Renaissance, the Second Scientific Revolution, and the Twentieth Century by Peter Watson

#158: I have another of Watson's books in the BlackHole, so I think I will wait until I read it before I try and track that one down.

Love the photo of your boys - they have definitely changed a lot since the last photo post.
What a striking cover - The German Genius.

#160 Kerry - Isn't it just! I spent a little time today with The German Genius, and the cover really does help sell the book!

To get a sense of Peter Watson's purpose in writing this book, I highly recommend people check out the Introduction from the excerpt available from HarperCollins Publishers.

The New York Times book review - Made in Germany - is not overly complimentary, but worth reading too.

P.S. Thanks for the kind words re. photo :)

Never read The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany by William L. Shirer?

Shame on you.

Well, perhaps the new unabridged audiobook (about time!), read by one of my favourite narrators, Grover Gardner, released just last week by Blackstone Audio, will help rectify this shameful omission. This may even convince me to revisit this classic and important historic masterpiece!

Be warned - it is 57 hrs and 13 mins in length!
(but how those hours and minutes will fly by)

#162 I keep meaning to re-read Shirer's book: it's about 15 years since I read it. I don't think I'll be sitting through nearly 60 hours of audiobook, though. (I'm not surprised it lasts that long: the only things two I remember about the book are that it was very good and very long.)

#162: I just re-read it this year, Peter. I still like it.

Catherine (#163) and Stasia (#164) - Thanks for you comments. I guess we now know how long it takes to read 1,149 pages of text aloud :)

I must admit, I have certain reservations about revisiting this "widely acclaimed... definitive record of this century's blackest hours." I can best express those reservations by quoting Klaus Epstein, who wrote, shortly after the books publication in 1960, that the book had 4 major failings. To wit...

1. Its over-all conception of German history is unbelievably crude, and preclude the author from asking many of the important questions that need to be answered about the Nazi period;

2. The book is completely lacking in over-all balance; it is marred by glaring gaps in precisely those areas of the Nazi record where new research is most urgently needed;

3. Many of Shirer's interpretations show a curious inability to understand the nature of a totalitarian regime;

4. The book is in no way abreast of current scholarship dealing with the Nazi period.

- quoted from Shirer's History of Nazi Germany, The Review of Politics, Vol. 23, No. 2 (Apr. 1961)

Criticism #4 is only accentuated now given the passage of another 50 years!

#165 I suppose that one of the book's main strengths, Shirer's insight into the situation from his own personal experiences of the regime, is also one of its weaknesses, in that he was not always able to see the big picture. He was so close to the situation that it prevented him from analysing it in a balanced way and putting it in the wider international context.

And, as you say, scholarship has moved on an awful lot in 50 years.

#166 Catherine - ...one of the book's main strengths, Shirer's insight into the situation from his own personal experiences of the regime..."

Then, if we take into account the criticisms outlined above, perhaps his book Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent, 1934-1941 would be a better read today; while turning to other authors for a more up to date, scholarly, and balanced general history.

#167: I read Berlin Diary earlier this year too.

I do not think I expected either book to be balanced, since eyewitness testimony is always the weakest, but I do appreciate the immediacy of Shirer's books.

#156.

Peter, someday I plan to run away with Dayton Duncan! He is incredibly articulate, intelligent and sensitive.

I recently watched the PBS series re. Lewis and Clark, The Journey of Discovery. When Dayton talked about Lewis' death, his voice chocked and was emotion laden..

By the way, if you haven't seen this series, I highly recommend it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAb-2BDGvAc

#167 I think that's probably a fair conclusion. I've never read the Berlin Diary. Maybe I shall read that instead of re-reading the other.

#169 Linda - Lucky Dayton :)

Thanks for the link. I have not seen the Lewis and Clark doco., but will definitely make an effort to do so.

#170 Catherine - And Berlin Diary is shorter too ;)

I love the various digitizing projects that are making so many obscure and difficult-to-find books accessible again. Here is a list of the 76 books (to date) that I've downloaded just on the Russo-Japanese War...

A Modern Campaign, or War and Wireless Telegraphy in the Far East (1905)
A Staff officer's Scrap-book during the Russo-Japanese War, Vol. I (1905)
A Staff officer's Scrap-book during the Russo-Japanese War, Vol. II (1907)
A Study of the Russo-Japanese War (1905)
America, Asia and the Pacific, With Special Reference to the Russo-Japanese War and its Results (1904)
An Eye-Witness in Manchuria (1905)
An Outline Of The Russo-Japanese War 1904, 1905 - Volume I (1912)
'Bethink Yourselves' - Tolstoy's letter on the Russo-Japanese War (1904)
Campaigns of a War Correspondent (1912)
Cassell's History of the Russo-Japanese War - Volume I (1905)
Cassell's History of the Russo-Japanese War - Volume III
Cassell's History of the Russo-Japanese War - Volume IV
Cassell's History of the Russo-Japanese War - Volume V
Empire of the East, or Japan and Russia at War, 1904-5 (1905)
Epitome of the Russo-Japanese War (1907)
Exciting Experiences in the Japanese-Russian War (1905)
Following the Sun-Flag - A Vain Pursuit through Manchuria (1905)
From Libau to Tsushima (1908)
From the Yalu to Port Arthur (1906)
From the Yalu to Port Arthur - An Epitome of the First Period of the Russo-Japanese War (1905)
From Tokio through Manchuria with the Japanese (1905)
From Tokyo to Tiflis - Uncensored Letters from the War (1905)
In the War - Memoirs of V.Veresaev (1917)
International Law as Interpreted During the Russo-Japanese War (1907)
Japans Fight for Freedom V.I - The Story of the War Between Russia and Japan (1904)
Japans Fight for Freedom V.II - The Story of the War Between Russia and Japan (1905)
Japans Fight for Freedom V.III - The Story of the War Between Russia and Japan (1906)
Kobo - A Story of the Russo-Japanese War (1905)
Lectures on the Strategy of the Russo-Japanese War (1909)
Nogi - A Man Against the Background of a Great War (1913)
Official History of the Russian-Japanese War - A Vivid Panorama of Land and Naval Battles (1904)
Port Arthur - The Siege and Capitulation (1906)
Port Arthur - Three Months with the Besiegers (1905)
Pre-war Diplomacy - The Russo-Japanese Problem, Treaty Signed at Portsmouth, U.S.A., 1905 (1920)
Relief Works During the War (between Russia and Japan) and Some Charitable Institutions (1906)
Report on the Russian Medical and Sanitary Features of the Russo-Japanese War to the Surgeon-General, U.S. Navy (1906)
Report on the War Finance (1906)
Russian and Japanese Prize Cases - V. I - Russian Cases (1912)
Russian and Japanese Prize Cases - V. II - Japanese Cases (1913)
The Authentic History of the War Between Russia and Japan (1905)
The Battle of the Sea of Japan (1906)
The Battle of Tsu-Shima, Between the Japanese and Russian Fleets, Fought on 27th May 1905 (1912)
The Cavalry in the Russo-Japanese War (1907)
The International Spy - Being the Secret History of the Russo-Japanese War (1905)
The Japan Russia War (1905)
The Mission of Japan and the Russo-Japanese War (1904)
The Naval Battles of the Russo-Japanese War
The North Pacific - A Story of the Russo-Japanese War (1905)
The 'Novik' and the Part She Played in the Russo-Japanese War, 1904 (1913)
The Price of Blood - The Sequel to 'Rasplata' and 'The battle of Tsushima' (1910)
The Real Triumph of Japan - The Conquest of the Silent Foe (1908)
The Russian Army and the Japanese War - Vol. I (1909)
The Russian Army and the Japanese War - Vol. II (1909)
The Russian Navy in the Russo-Japanese War (1905)
The Russo-Japanese War V.I - Reports from British Officers Attached to the Japanese and Russian Forces in the Field (1908)
The Russo-Japanese War V.II - Reports from British Officers Attached to the Japanese and Russian Forces in the Field (1908)
The Russo-Japanese War V.III - Reports from British Officers Attached to the Japanese and Russian Forces in the Field (1908)
The Russo-Japanese Conflict - Its Causes and Issues (1905)
The Russo-Japanese War - From the Outbreak of Hostilities to the Battle of Liaoyang (1904)
The Russo-Japanese War - Vol. I - The Ya-Lu (1908)
The Russo-Japanese War - Vol. IV - The Battle of the Scha-Ho (1910)
The Russo-Japanese War Fully Illustrated, v. 1-3 (no. 1-10), Apr. 1904-Sept. 1905
The Russo-Japanese War in Global Perspective - Vol. II
The Tragedy of Russia in Pacific Asia V.I (1909)
The Tragedy of Russia in Pacific Asia V.II (1909)
The Truth about the War (1905)
The War in the Far East (1905)
The White Peril in the Far East - An Interpretation of the Significance of the Russo-Japanese War (1905)
The Yellow War (1905)
Under the Care of the Japanese War Office (1905)
War and Neutrality in the Far East (1904)
War and the Arme Blanche (1910)
With Kuroki in Manchuria (1906)
With Russian, Japanese and Cunchuse (1905)
With the Cossacks (1906)
With the Russians in Manchuria (1905)

Total: 76 books (1.3 GB)
----------------------------------

I hope to eventually also give you a list of contemporary American Civil War accounts.

I will be very interested in the Civil War info, Peter!

#173 Stasia - Please bear with me, it's still only the summer of 1862 here ;)

#174: The war started the previous year. What is taking so long? lol

I think I'm going to have a medical category in my 1010 challenge next year. Am adding When Doctors Kill to my list of potential reads. Thanks for the info!

I saw this in Chatterbox's thread, so I thought I would give it a go...

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
> On rare occasions I'll indulge with a chocolate bar (usually Snickers).

What is your favorite drink while reading?
> In the evenings: A Single Malt Islay Whisky

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
> Never. I use a notebook if I need to take notes. If I read the book again, I want to do so from a fresh perspective, rather than have my thoughts influenced by past perceptions, biases, etc... (I can always go back to my notes for comparisons).

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ear? Laying the book flat open?
> Usually bookmarks, or a slip of paper. If I'm putting the book down for a short interval (e.g. to fix a new drink), I might lay the open book down flat, or use the dust jacket flap. I never dog-ear a page (a pet peeve)!

Fiction, non-fiction or Both?
> Mainly non-fiction. They say that truth is stanger than fiction, and it's true! The world is an amazing place, and I don't like to feel disengaged from that world by reading fiction. However, fiction has its merits, and I concede that fiction can sometimes convey truths in a way that non-fiction struggles to; often evident in military fiction written by conflict veterans. (I also have a soft spot for euro-mysteries.)

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
> Depends on the book. I often stop at a point where time (or sleep) has beaten me.

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?
> Never.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?
> If an author, too impressed with himself, has gone to town with his thesaurus, I'll usually guess the word from the context, or move on. That said, technical terms / jargon that are integral to understanding the subject, if not already contained within a glossary, are referenced immediately.

What are you currently reading?
> I usually have several books on the go at any one time, but the two which have most of my attention at the present time, are: The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America by Douglas Brinkley, and The Highway War: A Marine Company Commander in Iraq by Maj. Seth WB Folsom USMC

What is the last book you bought?
> A childrens book for my older son (Japanese language).

Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?
> My main focus is usually on two - one at home in the evening, and one for my daily commute. But, I have several others which I dip in and out of over periods of up to several years. I will occasionally read books online (internet archive) when I have a bit of downtime at work.

Do you have a favorite time/place to read?
> The daily two hour commute - home > work > home - is best. I put my train seat into the recline position and lose myself between stations. At home, with two over-active boys tearing the place down around my ears, a half hour before bed is about all I can manage. I often go three or four days without reading at home at all.

Do you prefer series books or stand-alones?
> In fiction, I enjoy the character development that comes from series.

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?
> I do have favourites, and I'm happy to make recommendations, but only according to each person's specific needs or interests, and only if they ask me.

How do you organize your books? (by genre, title, author's last name etc)?
> With my military books (which dominate my collection), I divide by conflict, then by topic. Sometimes it can be very difficult to decide into which topic to place a book, thus I keep a tagged cross-reference database on the computer.

#177: I had to laugh at the last answer: 'With my military books which dominate my collection'

Do you have any other kind of books, Peter?

#172 - Peter, did you find all of those books in the same place? And if so please share.

Do you plan on reading them on the computer or printing them out, a lot of paper and toner I would think. That's one of the drawbacks for me, I really dislike reading books on the computer. If I could put them on a kindle or some such it might justify my getting one.

I'm simply stopping by and waving hi.

#178 Stasia - I actually have quite a large range of reading material, although you'd never now it from perusing my reading list. I have a great collection of books that cover art, architecture, archaeology, astronomy, physics, history (esp. Roman, Middle Ages, American), theology, evolution, wine, and the list goes on and on and on and on....

#179 Mike - Get yourself over to Internet Archive and start searching! :)

You can download the books in various format, such as PDF, ePub, and Kindle, I download many of these in Kindle to see what it would look like using Kindle for PC, and it's not half bad. If you can live with the formatting limitations, then I strongly suggest going down the eBook route. I know I'm planning to, which is why I got all these - I don't plan to read this off my laptop, or print them out!

#180 Linda - Hi!!!! :)

#181: Sure you do. (why am I not believing this?!)

#179 Mike - Let me just add to what I've written in #181 above, vis-a-vis "Internet Archive" and Kindle formatting.

The quality of the book in the automated format for Kindle via the Internet Archive website can give varying results depending on the original formatting of the book, quality of the digitization process, as well as font and typeset.

As you will be aware, some NF books written in the early part of the century used subheadings that were printed in the margins, or indented within the text, which, when converted, are combined without distinction into the text to form nonsensical sentences. Further, if the quality of the scan is poor, the conversion programme struggles to correctly identify letters/words; a problem that can also manifest itself depending on the font and/or typeset. Formatting such as italics, tables, or indentions to denote quotations or speech, are also lost. Let's not even get started on picture captions!

These are not problems for texts specifically designed to be read on the kindle, but can be very bothersome in converted texts. At the end of the day, I prefer PDF for its ability to maintain the original formatting; and I'm still waiting for the 'perfect' eReader, that will give me the same level of PDF capability available on my PC (and I don't consider the iPad to be an eReader).

Here's a book I found mentioned in the non-fiction readers group, but I thought worth noting here, as I love quirky little books like this...

Survivors: The A-bombed Trees of Hiroshima by David Petersen and Mandy Conti

The only comment on Amazon is by the authors, who provide the details from the back cover...

The green oasis of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, built at what was once the hypocenter of an atomic blast, is the most visible sign of the city's renaissance as a vibrant and forward-looking center, and a force for peace in the midst of the turbulence of 21st century politics. But it is not the only reminder of the tenacious spirit of life in Hiroshima. Less well-known outside of neighborhood boroughs are the scores of "survivors" dotting the metropolitan landscape. These treasured trees, shrubs, and groves date from before the atomic bombing on August 6th 1945. For whatever reason, they were spared from annihilation, and are now carefully tended by the schools, homes, temples, and shrines entrusted by fate with their care.

Based on a three-year stay in the city by the authors, this pictorial journey into the heart of Hiroshima documents more than 50 sites and 75 trees. There are maps, bilingual place names and addresses, snapshots of local culture, and overviews of each species of plant. Never-before published translations of essays by the a-bomb survivor Tamiki Hara are also included as practical meditations on the meaning of peace in difficult times.

#184: I love quirky little books like that too, Peter, so I will be on the look out for it. Thanks for the mention!

Thanks Peter, I'm also waiting for an e-reader that while work well with PDF. Maybe one day.

As a mining engineer (even a nonpracticing one), I occasionally get passed on an industry related book, and such has been the case this week. Yesterday, I received Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future by Jeff Goodell. The book is a few years old now; published in 2007 (My copy certainly shows its age! It looks like it's been down a few coal mines... Oh, that's right... it has!) Goodness knows where I'm going to fit it in to my reading (on top of which, I usually avoid 'mining' books), but I'm encouraged by the great reviews it seems to have garnered. Truth be told however, it will probably just end up gathering more dust - at least it won't be coal dust... I have to wash my hands...

I just posted this on Terri's (tloeffler) thread in response to a message, but since I've talked about this book previously on my own thread, I thought I would also make mention of it here...

The official German history of the Great War is the 14-volume Der Weltkrieg, and (excitingly!) last year saw the release of the first English-language translation: Germany's Western Front: Translations from the German Official History of the Great War, 1915 edited by Mark Osborne Humphries, and John Maker (link to publisher).

This is to be a 7-volume set, in 4 parts, published out of sequence. The volume realeased last year is actually Volume II. The rest will be released according to the following schedule (source: Mark Humphries website)

Volume I: 1914, Part One – The Outbreak of War: The Beginning of the War to the End of the Battles of the Frontiers (2010)

Volume I: 1914, Part Two – The End of the War of Mobility: From the Battle of the Marne to the End of the Year (2011)

Volume II: 1915 – The First Year of Trench Warfare (2009)

Volume III: 1916 – Attritional Warfare (2012)

Volume IV: 1917/1918, Part I: Defence in the West – From the Start of the Year to the End of June 1917 (2013)

Volume IV: 1917/1918, Part Two – From Defence to Offence in the West: Events from the Battle of Passchendaele to the Spring Offensive (2014)

Volume IV: 1917/1918, Part Three – Collapse: Events to the Armistice (2015)

---------------
If you don't want to pay the publisher's price, US$85.00, Amazon Canada has it for only CDN$53.55 new.

---------------
Link: A sample translation from Volume II can be found in: The First Use of Poison Gas at Ypres, 1915: A Translation from the German Official History of the Great War, published in Canadian Military History 16, 3 (2007), 57-73.

Very sad news - only the first volume of The Letters of Theodore Roosevelt (as edited by Elting E. Morison) is available via the Internet Archive :(

I can't explain it, but this morning I woke up, and felt a deep need for Samuel Pepys.

Before joining LT, I had read from Pepys extensively, and count Claire Tomalin's Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self as one of my favourite biographies. Unfortunately however, my readings of his diaries have always been of the 'abridged', 'selected', 'extract', or 'concise' variety; and today I was determined to put this sad affair to rights!

So, as of now, the first three volumes (1660, 1661, & 1662) of the 'new and complete transcription,' as edited by Robert Latham & William Matthews*, are being packaged for delivery to me here in downtown Japan! I ordered the University of California Press first editions (c. 1970), as pictured below.



It's like waiting for christmas!

For those who don't want to wade throught the full 9 volumes, but would like a taste of what Pepys has to offer, I can highly recommend the abridged audiobook (Highbridge Audio), as read by the brilliant Kenneth Branagh.

And this is what dreams are made of: The Diary of Samuel Pepys (Folio Society Limited Edition - Sold Out!)

------------------------------
* There are 11 volumes in this series: 1-9 text, 10 commentary, 11 index

At 440 pages (over half way!) into The Wilderness Warrior, I thought I'd make a few comments on the book so far. One Amazon reviewer writes that the book "is among the worst-written histories I have ever read," and as much as it pains me to say this, I tend to agree. One sometimes gets the impression that the author was so overwhelmed with information, that he had trouble with organization and editing. That is not to say however, that the book is not worth reading - it is! While the writing might fall short in many areas (e.g. repetitive, copious non sequiturs, numerous factual errors), this is a great introduction to the ideologies and personalities of the naturalist / conservation movement in America, and a fantastic survey of period literature. There is a great book in there, just demanding to be let out.

While I'm talking to myself, I thought I'd clarify a point....

Colin Tudge (website) has written a book about birds.

In 2008 it was published, in hardback, by Allen Lane, London, as Consider the Birds: Who they are and what they do

In 2009 it was published, in paperback, by Penguin Books, as The Secret Life of Birds: Who they are and what they do

In 2009 the first American edition was published, in hardback, by Crown Publishers, as The Bird: A Natural History of Who Birds Are, Where They Came From, and How They Live

Now you know!

Hey, Peter! Just waving as I catch up on threads!

(one of these days I will get to Pepys!)

Peter - you probably have already seen this but in case you haven't - Bloomsbury to e-publish one-million page Churchill archive

I'll have to track down the audiobook of the Pepys Diary - I'm not that great at listening to audiobooks but this sounds good.

I love how publishers like to confuse us with all these titles for the same book!

#193 Stasia - Hi! Nice to have you back. I was getting a little lonely :)

#194 Kerry - I have read numerous articles that have made mention of this proposed online archive, but this is the first solid evidence. Thanks! Let's just hope that access prices will be reasonable. One thing I think we can be certain of however, is that once this resource goes online, it will herald a whole new body of Churchillian scholarship.

As for Pepys and Kenneth Branagh - Check out this review of the audiobook in question, from AudioFile magazinr. A quote, with which I concur: "Kenneth Branagh is marvelous, matching his narrative style to suit the nature of the entry--a sexual indiscretion gets a lascivious tone; a secret gets a whisper. Listeners will feel like they're eavesdropping." Ooooo....

By the by, despite the confusion of names, The Bird: A Natural History of Who Birds Are, Where They Came From, and How They Live looks marvelous! I spent 30 minutes flicking through it today, and it's one I'll definitely be adding to my library. But then again, I am a birder!

#195: No one is allowed to be lonely in this group. Not on my watch :)

Speaking of birding, I got a birding book in Thursday: Diary of a Left-Handed Birdwatcher. I will let you know how it is. The Touchstone does not seem to work.

#196 Stasia - Toucstone really hates hyphens!

I checked out the Amazon reviews on Diary of a Left-Handed Birdwatcher, and I'll be interested to see whether you agree with the 1-star reviewer who thought the book felt "more like a literary exercise than a book that truly captures the spirit and delight of birding," or the 5-star reviewer who called it "the most unusual and evocative books of prose I've read in a long while, as likely to please lovers of poetry as devotees of superb nature writing."

#197: I tried it without the hyphen too and LT did not like that any better.

I will let you know when I get it read.

I always read your threads Peter...sorry I usually just lurk! I admire all the reading you do. Reading about war, unfortunately, is not usually for me, but birdwatching? That I can handle! :)

I keep meaning to read Pepys properly - I've only ever read a few short extracts - but while I don't really want to read an abridged version I've fought shy of the whole nine volumes. Maybe one day...

I'm intrigued by the Colin Tudge book, though. I might try to get hold of that one.

#199 Angela - Thank you for taking the time to say hello! It's nice to know you're lurking :)

#200 Catherine - I think Pepys is one of those books that you can dip in and out of at your leisure, so don't be afraid of taking the plunge.

Talking of dipping in and out of books, here are two books that I've been dipping in and out of for years...

- How to Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now by James L. Kugel
- Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink by David Remnick

On the Colin Tudge book, some have criticized it for being a bit like a reference book, and I can understand that; but, for me, Tudge injects enough of his personality into the book to keep it interesting :)

By the way.... what I have failed to mention (shame on me!), is that the book is beautifully illustrated with almost 50 pen and ink drawings from the very talented Jane Milloy. For a taste of these, you can check out her website, and even purchase original drawings from the book (scroll approx. half way down the page).

"Each illustration is approximately A4 size and the cost per illustration is £195 framed, £125 mounted or £100 for the illustration only." --- If I didn't have a family to feed, there are a couple of illustrations there that I would definitely buy without hesitation!

Peter

I am always bowled over by your excellent reading tastes. I contain myself because I want to add so many of your suggestions to the huge tbr pile.

I so enjoy visiting here, not only to find what you are reading, but also to learn your impressions of what you are reading.

Thanks for posting the information regarding the art-like book re. New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. Mainly, though, thank you for being such a lovely person that you remembered my reading habits.

The world needs more kind souls such as you!

#202 Linda - Some might say my reading tastes are slightly unbalanced, but thank you so much for your kind words. They mean a lot!

--------------------------------
For those who didn't catch my message on Linda's thread, let me enlighten you as to The Color of Loss: An Intimate Portrait of New Orleans after Katrina by Dan Burkholder.

In this intriguing work, the photographer, Dan Burkholder, has used a technology called high dynamic range (HDR) imaging, which, according to wikipedia, allows "a greater dynamic range of luminances between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than standard digital imaging techniques or photographic methods." Basically, the end result is a picture that looks like a painting - very surreal!

For those who are interested, the book is published by University of Texas Press, which will link you to these SAMPLE IMAGES, as well as a preview at Google Books.

Before I hit the sack...

Putting together my American civil war library, I just downloaded a book called Contributions to a History of the Richmond Howitzer Battalion (1883), which is a collation of four pamphlets, which includes, and I quote, "the fullest and most reliable account of the Battle of Bethel which has yet been written, and is equally valuable and interesting; being, in the main, the work of Rev. E. Clifford Gordon—one of the best of "The Old Third.""

Certainly, the Battle of Bethel is largely forgotten, so it was nice to find this account.

Also of great interest, is a selection of official Union and Confederate 'After Battle Reports' and accounts from Bethel Church (as it is also known), from The Official Records of the War Of The Rebellion website.

>190 petermc: Exciting Experiences in the Japanese-Russian War (1905) had me rolling on the floor! And
>203 petermc: As long as it's only your reading tastes that they call "slightly unbalanced" and not your own self!

And thanks for the link to the poison gas article. It was very interesting! I may have to tackle all those volumes after all...

> 191 Thank you for the additional information on The Wilderness Warrior. I will still keep it in the back of my mind, but it sounds like I can skip it for the time being.

#206 Sher - At the risk of looking like someone without a single original thought in his head, let me quote another Amazon reviewer, who wrote: "Unfortunately, Harper Collins began marketing this book as pop history, which it is most definitely not. It is niche history, and this book would be best served as a companion text to more comprehensive biographies..."

Thanks for reading, and a great weekend to all :)

Peter, I am starting The Defence of the Realm tonight. I will let you know how it goes - but do not expect a report until about August 31st, lol.

#208 Stasia - I hear you! My grand total for July was 2 books, and with more The Defence of the Realm-sized books scheduled for August, we're looking at perhaps 2 more next month!

My copy of DOR (for the sake of brevity), is in Australia, so I don't expect to see it until January or February next year. So, I will have to live vicariously through you for now :)

#209: As long as the books you are reading are good DOR-sized books, I think you are in good shape, Peter!

BTW - I finished Freedom from Fear a couple of nights ago. Overall, I found it to be excellent, with one exception.

#210 Stasia - ...with one exception.

LOL.... well, if that just doesn't beg the question ;)

("It wasn't about FDR and his lack of conspicuous reading, was it?", Peter adds facetiously)

Peter

You beat me to it! I was going to ask Stasia the same question.

She is such a devil eh?

Linda, I guess we'll just have to wait for the weekly Sunday posting ;)

What a hook!

#211: No it is not about FDR and his reading (or lack thereof!)

Hi, Peter, I'm just de-lurking to say how much I enjoy reading your thread (though I may not always have something useful to add to the conversation).

When it comes to non-fiction books, especially on military topics, I highly value your judgment when I'm deciding what's worth reading!

#215 Terri - What a perfectly delightful post! Thank you for reading!

:) :) :)

Ditto what Terri said!

#217 Linda - Ahhh... shucks!

-----------------------------------
Just posted at Darryl's, but thought I'd post it here to...

Recently added to my library: City of Dust: Illness, Arrogance, and 9/11 by Anthony DePalma (FT Press Portable Documents edition*).

"The likely dangers of 9/11’s massive dust cloud were evident from the beginning, yet thousands chose not to see, even as the sickening results of exposure became increasingly difficult to ignore. Why? And why have years of politics and courtroom maneuvers delayed justice for those who gave their all when the need was greatest? Anthony DePalma goes beyond his front-page coverage of ground zero in The New York Times, offering the first full accounting of one of the gravest environmental catastrophes in U.S. history. He separates myth from reality…reveals the decisions that destroyed public trust…shares powerful, never-before-told stories of the victims and those who’ve tried to help them…and helps us make sure this never happens again." - Source: FT Press

Link: Sample chapter - Chapter 1: All That We Hold Dear

* Kindle edition available now / Hardback edition available Aug. '10

#218: I will be looking for City of Dust. Thanks for the heads up, Peter.

City of Dust sounds like a must-read for me!

ETA to fix touchstone

Go for it people! City of Dust is a great read, and has become my downtime book here at work. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like I'll be getting any downtime today!!!

---------------------
Seriously toying with the idea of getting the new Kindle. At US$139 it's put me in a happy place, psychologically :)

---------------------
Damn, but if The Wilderness Warrior hasn't had me download another public domain book! This time it's John Burroughs' Camping and Tramping with Roosevelt (1906) - I started reading this online last night, and am already half way through!

> 218 Thank you for the link to the chapter of City of Dust. I read through it, thinking "oh my God" at almost every paragraph. Adding that to the wishlist, pronto!!!

#222 Sher - That "Oh my God!" feeling hits a whole new level in Chapter 2 - believe me, I just spent my lunch break riveted to my computer reading it!

#201: Me too! "Dipping in and out of for years" and How to Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture Then and Now, that is. Kugel is a great writer, but I feel easier kind of...digesting the book, in pieces.

I'm always amazed at the links we make on LT over books. Amazed and grateful.

Karen O.

#224 Karen - It's wonderful to make your acquaintance. Welcome, and thanks for taking the time to comment. We are in complete agreement re: Kugel.

-----------------------
Bookworm

I tend to use a few different computer terminals in my work, some of which don't have software to read eBooks. However, they all have (limited) Internet access, so, looking for a way to read some of my non-public domain books via the computer (I'm yet to go the Kindle route) without carrying them about physically, I stumbled across Bookworm - Online ePub ebook reading, which seems to offer a solution! Just upload your eBooks to your own account on the site, and then log in from anywhere and read your books! Easy :)

I'm about finished with Philbrick's book. I have learned a great deal from this book. The detail is fast paced and enjoyable. I think you will like the book.

#226 - Thanks for dropping by, and the book report. I'm certainly interested in reading Nathaniel Philbrick's The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Talking of Custer, I recently added Custerology: The Enduring Legacy of the Indian Wars and George Armstrong Custer by Michael A. Elliott, to my library.

---------------------------
A new book that caught my eye...

Real Japanese: Learn to speak the same way Japanese kids do! by Mark Smith (Amazon link).

...I don't know if I subscribe to the idea of adults learning a language the way children do, but as I watch my young guys grow up it's certainly interesting to see how their Japanese (and English!) develops. I'm not too humble to admit that I have learnt a few things :)

Progress Report

The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America by Douglas Brinkley
- p.583 The chapter on the "Teddy Bear" was very good

Camping and Tramping with Roosevelt by John Burroughs
- p.52 Note to Self: Must read more Burroughs

City of Dust: Illness, Arrogance, and 9/11 by Anthony DePalma
- p.65 Fascinating, shocking, raises many important questions

The Highway War: A Marine Company Commander in Iraq by Maj. Seth W.B. Folsom
- p.207 Tops the pile in officer memoirs

#228: My local library has a book by a John Burrroughs called Old Yellowstone Days. I wonder if it is the same John Burroughs?

#229 Stasia - I think you'll find Old Yellowstone Days (1979) as edited by Paul Schullery, is an anthology of Yellowstone travelers accounts by such esteemed people as Theodore Roosevelt, Frederic Remington, John Muir, John Burroughs, Emerson Hough, Rudyard Kipling, Owen Wister (from whose article for Harpers Magazine, the title was taken), and so on...

...but yes, it would be the same Burroughs :)

#230: I will have to check out Old Yellowstone Days as well as another one that caught my attention, Harvest of a quiet eye.

#231 Stasia - If you're interested, here's A REVIEW of Harvest of a Quiet Eye: The Natural World of John Burroughs (1976), from the June 1978 edition of Backpacker magazine.

#232: I would say after reading the review that I will definitely be picking up that book at some point. Thanks, Peter.

'It never rains but it pours,' as the old saying goes, and this is never truer than now with the imminent release of several Ostfront books...

WITH THE COURAGE OF DESPERATION: Germany's Defence of the Southern Sector of the Eastern Front 1944-45 by Rolf Hinze
- Dec. 2010

ODER FRONT 1945: Generaloberst Gotthard Heinrici, Heeresgruppe Weichsel and Germany's Final Defense in the East, 20 March-4 May 1945 by A. Stephan Hamilton
- Nov. 2010

DEMOLISHING THE MYTH: The Tank Battle at Prokhorovka, Kursk, July 1943: An Operational Narrative by Valeriy Zamulin
- Oct. 2010

BARBAROSSA DERAILED: THE BATTLE FOR SMOLENSK 10 JULY-10 SEPTEMBER 1941 VOLUME 1: The German Advance, The Encirclement Battle, and the First and Second Soviet Counteroffensives, 10 July-24 August 1941 by David Glantz
- Oct. 2010

BARBAROSSA DERAILED: THE BATTLE FOR SMOLENSK 10 JULY-10 SEPTEMBER 1941 VOLUME 2: The German Offensives on the Flanks and the Third Soviet Counteroffensive, 25 August-10 September 1941 by David Glantz
- Dec. 2010

BLOOD, STEEL, MYTH: The II.SS-Panzer-Korps and the Road to Prochorowka by George Nipe Jr.
- Aug. 2010

STALIN'S SECRET WAR: The NKVD on the Eastern Front by Rupert Butler
- Sept. 2010

Vacation time spent in Yellowstone last July was incredible! I'm adding Old Yellowstone Days to the list I hope to read this year.

#234: I know I will not be getting to any of those books soon, but thanks for posting the list, Peter.

asides

So, I'm walking back to the office from lunch, via the 7th floor of a local bookshop (it was on the way, honest!), and I see two copies of Zeitoun by David Eggers (a book I've been wanting to read for a while). One is a large-format paperback published by Hamish Hamilton for JPY3,308 (USD38.42), and the other is a small-format paperback published by Vintage for JPY2,006 (USD23.30). Before you get me started on Japanese pricing, they say size matters - well, I prefer to save ten bucks!!!

---------

So, I get a great idea for a book (who doesn't want to have their name in print?); and the subject of the book has a lot of his/her diaries available online. It's an exciting idea, the resources are there, I open one of the diaries (figuratively that is) and damn but if I can't read a single word - it's pencil, it's faint; it's scrawl, it's unreadable; it's badly scanned, it gives me a headache. New idea needed....

Congrats on the acquisition of Zeitoun, Peter! I have not had a chance to read it yet, but have seen nothing but good reviews here in the group.

I finished up the Leonard Nathan book Diary of a Left-Handed Birdwatcher and I enjoyed it. I do not agree with the Amazon reviewer who found the book 'boring.' There is even a quote from John Burroughs in the book!

#239 Stasia - Thanks for the feedback. Really appreciate it!

-------------------------

Excitement!

I see via Amazon that a new hardback edition of Edmund Morris' The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt will be released on November 23, 2010, to coincide with the release of Morris' final book in the TR trilogy, Colonel Roosevelt, on the same day. It seems the hardback edition of the second of the three books, Theodore Rex is still readily available, although in a mismatched 'Deckle Edge' edition!

An excerpt from The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America by Douglas Brinkley

"Among the early-twentieth-century conservationists, only John Muir had the temerity to stand up to Roosevelt - at Yosemite in 1903, Muir had challenged Roosevelt to reform his boyish hunting ways. And how was Muir rewarded for his candor? At first, well: Mount Shasta, Mariposa Grove, and Yosemite Valley were all saved by the federal government. But over time Roosevelt repaid Muir's casual insult by saying that Muir didn't know birds and then by siding with Pinchot on turning Hetch Hetchy into a man-made reservoir. There were consequences for challenging Roosevelt - and these might involve policy. The sycophant got farther with Roosevelt than the challenger." - p.636

Quite frankly, I'm quite shocked by this unsupported and malicious paragraph! Considering the rest of the book it seems almost childish - ignoring the correspondence between Roosevelt, Pinchot and Muir; the political pressure on Roosevelt and the government, especially in the wake of the 1906 earthquake; the conservation vs preservation debate; Roosevelt's conflict of interests; the level of popular support for Muir's proposal; and practical long-term considerations for the growth and development of the surrounding region.

I should make clear, that what's even more astounding is that this bizarre speculative flight of fancy seems to fly in the face of these considerations, which in various forms are actually addressed within the text!

An excerpt from The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America by Douglas Brinkley.

On Wyoming congressman Frank W. Mondell's proposal for Devils Mountain...

"Mondell wanted to build an iron stairway from bottom to top: evidently he didn't think it would be obtrusive, possibly because he had no idea what "obtrusive" meant." - p.662

Huh!? Was Brinkley just having a bad day? Is this wit? This is not an isolated example.

Perhaps Brinkley (see message 242) should take lessons in wit from 'Oom' John Burroughs...

"When the President saw those eggs he said: "That is not the nest of the grasshopper sparrow, after all; those are the eggs of the song sparrow, though the nest is more like that of the vesper sparrow. The eggs of the grasshopper sparrow are much lighter in color almost white, with brown specks." For my part, I had quite forgotten for the moment how the eggs of the little sparrow looked or differed in color from those of the song sparrow. But the President has so little to remember that he forgets none of these minor things!" - Camping and Tramping with Roosevelt (1907), p.93

#243: Love that last line!

#244 Stasia - I laughed out loud when I first read that!

------------------------
Another example from John Burroughs' Camping and Tramping with Roosevelt (1907), which I finish tonight; on riding in an "ambulance" drawn by two span of runaway mules, on the road to Fort Yellowstone, on their first day in the park...

"Presently I saw the cowboys scrambling up the bank as if to get out of our way; then the President on his fine gray stallion scrambling up the bank with his escort, and looking ominously in my direction, as we thundered by.

"Well," I said, "this is indeed a novel ride; for once in my life I have sidetracked the President of the United States!" - p.25

#245: That looks like a fun read. I am going to have to track down a copy - unless that one is available through Internet Archives?

#246 Stasia - unless that one is available through Internet Archives?

There most surely is - click, click. In fact, virtually everything he's written is there!

You'll find Camping and Tramping with Roosevelt an enjoyable and quick read - a real homage to Roosevelt.

#247: Yep, I already found it out there and downloaded it to Adobe. I have not yet figured out how to download to my Nook. I will figure it out one of these centuries :)

BTW Peter, have you read Ian Hamilton's March by Winston Churchill?

#248 - Good luck with that. I'd be interested to know how the Nook copes with the scan of the original book in PDF. Of course, you could download a Nook supported EPUB version via Internet Archive as well.

Meanwhile, I'm really stymied on whether to order my future Kindle with the Kindle Lighted Cover in black, burnt orange or hot pink leather! ;)

#249 - I downloaded it a while back, but have not read it. Bring on the eReader! Talking of Churchill, I did recently pick up a non-digital edition of his 4-volume A History of the English Speaking Peoples.

#250: Hah! I went to B&N website and downloaded the book for free from there.

I think hot pink suits you :) LOL!

I have read his History of the English Speaking Peoples, but it has been a long time.

Straight to the wishlist...
Berlin at War: Life and Death in Hitler's Capital, 1939-45 by Roger Moorhouse (Amazon UK link)

Related Links:
- Roger Moorhouse On 'Berlin At War: Life And Death In Hitler's Capital, 1939-45' at Historytimes.com
- Berlin at War - Review by Andrew Roberts at FT.com

Straight to the wishlist...
36 Days: The Untold tory Behind the Gallipoli Landings by Hugh Dolan (Publisher link)

Related Link:
- Success, not failure, is the real Anzac story at WAtoday.com

#253: I am adding that one to the BlackHole too!

Just catching up - I read the FT review of Berlin at War yesterday and it's gone on my wishlist too.

Was doing some TR research, and found this article - Recalling the Blizzard of 1888 - written for The New York Times on the 100th anniversary of the Great Blizzard of 1888, which actually occurred two months after the "Children's Blizzard" (which, if you've been reading Stasia's thread, is a book that has created some interest over there this week).

I quote...

Annals of the blizzard include accounts of heroic walks by New Yorkers to get to work, or to get home after finding that workplaces were deserted, cold and foodless. People were trapped in snowdrifts; some died. Theodore Roosevelt, who lived in the East 60's, trudged through the blizzard to keep an appointment with the librarian of the New-York Historical Society, which was then on East 11th Street. When he arrived, he learned that the librarian, less hardy, had not shown up. Roosevelt walked home and fired off a laconic note: ''I presume the blizzard kept you at home."

Typical Roosevelt I think :)

Love that!

> 256 Good article on the blizzard. One more topic to investigate... :)

AS always, this is an incredibly interesting thread...and a dangerous one for the tbr pile.

#256 Sher - You could always start with...

New York in the blizzard : being an authentic and comprehensive recital of the circumstances and conditions which surrounded the metropolis in the great storm of March 12, 1888 (1888) compiled by Jennings and Lingan of the New York Evening Sun.

This book, with it's very contemporary long title, is only 46 pages long (albeit double column, and in small print), and is compiled from articles that appeared in the New York Sun, depicting life in NY during the blizzard.

#259 Linda - Always a pleasure to have you drop by :)

------------------------------
A beautifully descriptive excerpt from "New York in the Blizzard" (see #260 above)...

"The wind howled, whistled, banged, roared, and moaned as it rushed along. It fell upon the house sides in fearful gusts, it strained great plate glass windows, rocked the frame houses, pressed against doors so that it was almost dangerous to open them. It was a visible, substantial wind, so freighted was it with snow. It came in whirls, it descended in layers, it shot along in great blocks, it rose and fell and corkscrewed and zigzagged and played merry havoc with everything it could swing or batter or bang or carry away."

Little did you know...

While Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory is famous for having been subjected to air raids by the Japanese in WWII, little did you know that the Japanese Navy and Army Air Forces also extended their attacks into north-west Western Australia (my home state), even reaching as far south as Albany (one of my honeymoon locations).

Red Sun on The Kangaroo Paw: Japanese Air Raids and Attacks on Western Australia by Kevin Gomm, finally brings this forgotten episode in Australian and Pacific War history to light, including a chapter on Private John 'Jack' Adams, "the only soldier born, recruited and killed in WA as a result of enemy action during the war."

Links:
- Details about the book, and how to order from ozatwar.com
- Book Review at axishistory.com
- When bombers targeted WA towns - news article from inmycommunity.com.au
- Purchase via Lulu (Paperback and PDF)

Aghh! When I walk into my wine cellar, I know exactly what I want - a wine that will match the food and is appropriately aged for its varietal, region and vintage - the choice is clear! But, when I stand in front of my bookcases I am raked by indecision. As I turn the last pages of The Wilderness Warrior, the question as to its replacement is less than clear...

...after TR, I feel like revisiting another US President who never fails to entertain, but this time I think I should get to know something of his age, thus I feel drawn to What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 by Daniel Walker Howe*, part of the Oxford History of the United States series. Let's hear it for Andrew Jackson, and another 850+ page tome :)

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* I also have Waking Giant: America in the Age of Jackson by David S. Reynolds, but I've been advised that the Howe book is the better of the two.

Peter, I am amazed by your ability to read so continually on one topic (Churchill, Roosevelt), my reading is so scattershot.

#263: I will be interested in seeing what you think of the Howe book, Peter. I have had it in the BlackHole for a while now.

Progress

Completed:
- Camping and Tramping with Roosevelt by John Burroughs
- The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America by Douglas Brinkley

Still Reading:
- The Highway War: A Marine Company Commander in Iraq by Maj. Seth WB Folsom USMC
- City of Dust: Illness, Arrogance, and 9/11 by Anthony DePalma

Just Started:
- What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 by Daniel Walker Howe

#264 Mike - I'm finding that I enjoy reading several books on one person, event or era. The various perspectives and foci really enhance the subject for me. After The Highway War, I plan to delve into another Churchill tome, namely In Command of History: Churchill Fighting and Writing the Second World War by David Reynolds, and I've ordered several books in Gilbert's 'official biography' of the man.

#265 Stasia - After The Wilderness Warrior I'm finding the quality of the writing, and analysis, in Brinkley's What Hath God Wrought to be a breath of fresh air! As to Brinkley, I was so disappointed that he saw fit not to explore TR's post-presidential "wilderness warrior" activities. I guess we'll just have to wait for November and Edmund Morris' Colonel Roosevelt.

--------------
Side Note: For anyone interested in genealogy, there is a fascinating and enjoyable series currently showing on BBC One - Who do you think you are? (link to BBC One).

FYI

The winners of the 2010 Military Writers Society (MWSA) Awards have been announced, and several new titles have been added to my already lengthy wish list, such as...

- My Last War: A Vietnam Veteran's Tour in Iraq by Charles M. Grist (link to author's website)
- New Dawn: The Battles for Fallujah by Richard Lowry (link to author's website)
- Truman and MacArthur: Adversaries for a Common Cause by Donald J. Farinacci (link to Merriam Press)

...to name just three!

#268: I have never even heard of those awards, so you have given me something new to investigate, Peter!

To Kindle or not to Kindle, that is the question!

The $99 Kindle
Why e-readers will soon cost less than $100.
By Farhad Manjoo

"You can think of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos as the Crazy Eddie of the e-book business: Every time a rival gets close to the Kindle's prices, Bezos goes even lower. He will not be undersold!"

"A $99 price tag will make the Kindle the hottest gift of the season—much cheaper than the $499 iPad, more useful than an Xbox Kinect, and a lot more fun than a cable-knit sweater."

"...at $99, demand will be unbelievable. Last year a Forrester Research survey found that fewer than 20 percent of "U.S. adults online" would consider buying a reader priced at more than $100. When asked about a reader priced under $100, however, nearly 65 percent said they would consider one, and almost 40 percent said they'd buy it within six months. In other words, $99 is a magic price..."

"...Amazon's main reason for pricing the Kindle at $99—it could be the company's best defense against the iPad and the many other tablet computers that may soon dominate the personal computing industry. The millions of people who buy $99 Kindles will also need to buy millions of Kindle books, and it's those books that will push them to stick with Amazon's store over the long run."

"That's the difference between Jeff Bezos and Crazy Eddie, who would always close out his ads by claiming that "Our prices are insane!" For Amazon, a $99 e-reader is perhaps the only sane choice."

#270 - At $99 it would be hard to resist, especially if I can put pdfs on it. It would give me a place to put all the books I've been downloading.

#271 Mike - The article has encouraged me to wait a little longer, but yes, $99 will be very hard to resist!

Six books off the wish list!

Purchased today (all from my wish list)...
- Holy Warriors: A Modern History of the Crusades by Jonathan Phillips
- The Marne, 1914: The Opening of World War I and the Battle That Changed the World by Holger H. Herwig
- Remembering Survival: Inside a Nazi Slave-Labor Camp by Christopher R. Browning
- "Execute Against Japan": The U.S. Decision to Conduct Unrestricted Submarine Warfare by Joel Ira Holwitt
- The Third Reich at War by Richard J. Evans
- Hitler's Foreign Policy 1933-1939: The Road to World War II by Gerhard L. Weinberg

Wow! Nice haul, Peter.

Six more!

Purchased today (more off the wish list)...
- Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century by P. W. Singer
- Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2003 to 2005 by Thomas E. Ricks
- Dear General MacArthur: Letters from the Japanese during the American Occupation by Sodei Rinjiro
- Masters and Commanders: How Four Titans Won the War in the West, 1941-1945 by Andrew Roberts
- Dreadnought: Britain, Germany, and the Coming of the Great War by Robert K. Massie
- Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea by Robert K. Massie

-----------------------

#274 Stasia - I'm particularly happy to finally have Weinberg's Hitler's Foreign Policy, which I have long thought to be an exceptionally important book. The 2010 paperback edition contains the complete text of the original two-volume hardback edition - corrected and revised. It's quite a tome, coming in at 803 pages of extensively foot-noted text; all in small-font, close-spaced type. This now sits alongside my copy of an another equally important text: The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy by J. Adam Tooze.

#275: Wow! Twelve books in two days?! You are on a spree.

I will probably never be able to read Hitler's Foreign Policy. No way could my eyes take 803 pages of small-font, close-spaced type!

Quite a collection! Dear General MacArthur sounds interesting. I've never seen a book on that topic before.

#277 Sher - It's a fascinating book. I've had my eye on it for some time, but was finally inspired by William Manchester's American Caesar. I knew it would be an indispensable glimpse into MacArthur's time in Japan.

----------------------
Downtime

With a rare few minutes to myself, I've started reading The Experienced Angler (1662) online, since it was written by my 9th Great Grandfather, Colonel Robert Venables (c. 1613 - 1687), and together with The narrative of General Venables, with an appendix of papers relating to the expedition to the West Indies and the conquest of Jamaica, 1654-1655, provides some insight into his life.

Three more off the wish list

Purchased today (only 100+ books to go)...
- Nature's Engraver: A Life of Thomas Bewick by Jenny Uglow (NY Times Review)
- Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town by Mary Beard
- The Vikings: A History by Robert Ferguson

Edit: Damn touchstones!

At the rate you are going that 100+ books on the wish list will be gone in no time at all!

...and two more

Purchased today...
- Napoleon's Wars: An International History, 1803-1815 by Charles J. Esdaile
- Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years by Diarmaid MacCulloch

#281: I have heard good things about the MacCulloch book and already have it in the BlackHole. I will be interested in seeing what you think of it - 5 years from now when you get a chance to read it :)

#282 Stasia - Re: Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years by Diarmaid MacCulloch

At 1016 pages of text before the notes, add another 5 years! LOL, I think this is a book I'll get to sooner rather than later - but no promises. What I really like is the effort MacCulloch has taken to develop his "Further Reading" section, chapter by chapter, at the rear of the book. It's already added heavily to my wish list! Fortunately, I already have the 9-volume "The Cambridge History of Christianity," which he recommends.

#283: I think the MacCulloch book is one I will eventually buy. It is available for the Nook, but I really want to own a hard copy of it.

> 283 Wow! I think I may save that one for my TBR in Eternity. It would take me that long to read it!

#285 Sher - I knew I shouldn't... I already have half a dozen books on the go... but last night I started reading Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years, and I'm hooked. Goodness knows how long it'll take me to finish, but this book is definitely on the "currently reading" list. Diarmaid is one of those people I like to call - a gifted writer. I also loved how, in the introduction, he says outright that the reader had a 'right to know' his position on the subject of religion, thus immediately dispelling that elephant in the room. Don't let the page count turn you off!

#286: You are tempting me to run right out and buy that book, Peter!

#287 Stasia - From a review by Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury...

"...a triumphantly executed achievement. This book is a landmark in its field, astonishing in its range, compulsively readable, full of insight even for the most jaded professional and of illumination for the interested general reader. It will have few, if any, rivals in the English language. The story is told with unobtrusive stylishness as well as clarity."

Reviews:
- Review by Eamon Duffy @ Telegraph.co.uk
- Review by Richard Holloway (former Bishop of Edinburgh) @ Times Online
- Review by John Moffatt SJ (Catholic chaplain to the University of Oxford) @ Thinking Faith

Interviews:
- BBC4 Radio interview between Andrew Marr and Diarmaid MacCulloch @ YouTube
- Interview between William Whyte and Diarmaid MacCulloch @ Church Times
- BBC Interview @ BBC Press Office

The Television Documentary:
- A History of Christianity @ BBC4
- A History of Christianity DVD @ Amazon.com

#288: Oh, now that is just downright unfair! lol

...and yes, the DVD Documentary is heading my way as we speak!

I will have to see if Netflix has it.

ETA: They do, so it is now in my queue.

I have the McCulloch book, and I've read bits here and there within it: I agree it's very readable. I really must get round to reading it systematically. The TV programme was excellent, although I think I missed a couple of episodes so I probably ought to get the DVD as well.

#292 Catherine - Appreciate your thoughts. Thank you. I remember reading a review somewhere (probably amazon) that this book makes an excellent reference, which, by definition, invites unsystematic reading. I must confess, I've sneaked in a few pages here and there for areas that fascinate me :)

On the subject of religion, this evening I watched the very recent documentary Faith Schools Menace?, presented by Richard Dawkins. I love Richard, and believe in his message, although I've never been a great fan of how he goes about delivering it. But thankfully, he's a little less rabid here than in previous attacks against church, faith and religion. I was also thrilled to see him on the pulpit (literaly) advocating religious literacy. I think people tend to equate this with religious belief, which is a great mistake - so thumbs up! A documentary worth seeing. It's been uploaded onto YouTube (in four parts), if anyone is interested.

In the Bookshop...

Today in the bookshop I see a new title by Richard Rhodes...
- The Twilight of the Bombs: Recent Challenges, New Dangers, and the Prospects for a World Without Nuclear Weapons

This is the fourth volume in his series that began with...
1. The Making of the Atomic Bomb,
2. Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb, and
3. Arsenals of Folly: The Making of the Nuclear Arms Race.

Apart from being impressed by the great dustjacket design, I was suddenly reminded that I have Dark Sun languishing forgotten, deep within some dusty box somewhere. One of those books lost in the never-ending avalanche of new titles, that just keep on coming... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

#294: I read Rhodes Arsenals of Folly but did not realize it was part of a series. I will have to look for the other books too. Thanks for the mention, Peter.

Progress

What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 by Daniel Walker Howe

Currently at Page 370 (of 855), and really enjoyed Chapter 9 - 'Andrew Jackson and His Age'. Although Howe is clearly no great fan of Jackson, there is meat to chew on (amidst much bias) in his summation and analysis of Jackson, the Eaton Affair, Indian Removal, and the issue of Internal Improvements.

Other impressions - Howe spends much time on religious development in antebellum America, and it is in these chapters he seems most at home. So much so, I looked him up on Wikipedia to discover that he specializes "in the intellectual and religious history of the United States."

#293 - Regarding Richard Dawkins

Readers of my thread in past incarnations will know that I struggled with, and eventually gave up on, Dawkins' The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution - I just felt Richard Dawkins wasn't proving anything, despite providing a thorough and very good summary of evolutionary theory.

Well, I've just been leant two books on the topic of evolution...
- Why Evolution Is True by Jerry A. Coyne
- Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin

I suppose, since these are borrowed, I'd better get to them sooner rather than latter!

Otherwise they'll remain unread, alongside my copies of...
- Monkey Trials and Gorilla Sermons: Evolution and Christianity from Darwin to Intelligent Design by Peter J. Bowler
- Why Evolution Works (and Creationism Fails) by Matt Young and Paul K. Strode

Felt like something light this morning, so grabbed In Search of British Heroes: A Companion to the Channel 4 Series "Fact or Fiction" by Tony Robinson. I'm a big fan of Tony Robinson*, and love his writing style - good, old fashioned, chatty, down to earth story telling. This is not a thick book, full of pictures, and I'm already half way through.

Product Info...
In Search of British Heroes "investigates five heroes of British history: Boudicca, Macbeth, King Harold, William Wallace (better known as Braveheart) and Robin Hood. Although all but one died a failure, each was seen as symbolizing something great during their lifetime. Tony Robinson journeys into history to trace the true stories of some of the greatest Britons that every lived, seeking to discover who the real people were behind the myths that surround them, and ultimately how these myths have woven themselves into our nation's character and its perception of itself.

-----------
* Actor, comedian, and host of one of my favourite television series - Time Team

> 298 In Search of British Heroes goes on the wishlist. I am having a tremendous book slump right now, but I'm slowly going through The Wages of Guilt. I like it, but it discusses many elements of politics in those countries where I am woefully ignorant.

#299 Sher - Waiting for your final pronouncement on The Wages of Guilt. I didn't see the "Fact or Fiction" television series that In Search of British Heroes is companioned to, but I do have a tape of Tony Robinson's recent 4-part series (also on Channel 4) Blitz Street (link to series homepage), in which, in a terraced house reconstruction, he "aims to give some idea of what it must have been like to live under the ferocious and constant bombardment of the Blitz, and to explain why it failed ultimately."

---------------------------------

Three hundred posts, and usually I launch a new thread, but I called this one "The second half" - no where to go from there!

#300: usually I launch a new thread, but I called this one "The second half" - no where to go from there!

The 'Third Half'?

Three hundred posts, and usually I launch a new thread, but I called this one "The second half" - no where to go from there!

"Epilogue?" "Endnotes?" "Encore?" "Exceeding Expectations?"

Just don't stop reading and posting, Peter! We enjoy your insights!

#302: I like "Exceeding Expectations," Terri!

Peter, I finished Defence of the Realm. I know you are planning to read that one some time in the next year or so. I thought it worth the read, although somewhat lacking in the more recent history (probably for very good reasons though). I hope you enjoy it when you read it.

I've added Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years to the tbr pile, although it will probably be years before I get to it.

I'm going to watch the Dawkins videos shortly. I did finish The Greatest Show on Earth and had much the same reaction as you did. I already have a number of other evolution books on the shelf waiting to be read, including (I think), Your Inner Fish.

Just trying to keep up.

I don't think I could read Christianity: the first three thousand years but I've requested the BBC dvd set from the library.
Another book I've been putting off reading is Beevor's The Battle for Spain so today I picked up the unabridged audio version from the library and will try listening to it.
Thanks for the link to libroVox - I ended up listening to Far away and long ago instead of reading it, and thats rekindled my appreciation of audiobooks.

Thank you for your messages, and thank you for supporting this thread. I've decided to end it here, but not my participation on LT. I'll still be lurking, and posting the occasional reply.

#303 Stasia - Thanks for the feedback on the MI5 book. My copy is patiently sitting on a bookshelf in Australia, awaiting my return early next year.

#304 Mike - I hope you enjoyed the Dawkins video. Do you believe, like me, he is terrible at face-to-face interviews?

#305 Kerry - Re: libroVox - you're welcome! Re: "Christianity" DVD - I'm three episodes in. Superb production (and superb book). Trivia... it took Diarmaid MacCulloch 18 months to write the book, the last 6 months while filming the series.

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I'll leave you with my thoughts on some recent reads...

In Search of British Heroes: A Companion to the Channel 4 Series "Fact or Fiction" by Tony Robinson
- Short bios on Boudicca, Macbeth, King Harold, William Wallace (better known as Braveheart) and Robin Hood; sorting myth from reality, and looking at their legacy from the modern standpoint. Loved this book, and loved Robinson's style.

Why Evolution Is True by Jerry A. Coyne
- Books like this often preach to the converted, but if you know someone who is wavering between evolution and creationism, then I very strongly recommend this book. Coyne does what Dawkins tries to do, only better!

Restoration London: Everyday Life in the 1660s by Liza Picard
- Fantastic book on life in the 1660s. I picked this up because of my interest in the diarist Pepys, and learnt a heck of a lot which will only enrich my reading of Pepys' diaries. Warning: This is the type of book that will have you boring your friends with endless 'fascinating facts'! Negatives? The section on "Prices" felt like some pointless afterthought. Also, Picard's sometimes biting wit, can occasionally obscure the point. I will tackle the 18th century next, with English Society in the Eighteenth Century by Roy Porter.

What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 by Daniel Walker Howe
- Will very likely not bother finishing this, despite the many interesting bits, Howe's fascination on religious development bores.

---------------------
Thank you for reading.

I am sorry to hear that you will not be sticking around, Peter. I have enjoyed your thread immensely.

The Restoration London book looks ineresting. I will have to see if I can locate a copy. Thanks for the recommendation!

Peter, sorry to see you're leaving the group but I'm glad I still have the chance to thank you for your recommendation (back in February) of Warlord: A life of Winston Churchill at war. I purchased it for my husband from a library booksale and he absolutely loves it. I would have never known about it had it not been for you and Stasia.

I, too, am sorry you're ending your thread, but you are welcome to lurk or post on my thread any time, Peter!

306: I'm glad you'll still be hanging around and I hope you'll post somewhere if you read a book that really knocks your socks off. Well, I hope you'll post even if you don't!

Take care!

Karen O.

Sad to hear it's the end of a very fine thread but happy to hear you will still be on LT. I have really enjoyed my time lurking on your thread, sigh should of posted more.