I have a project to read a biography of every American president, and since I knew Page Smith's excellent 8-volume history of the US, I decided his biography of John Adams would be the one to read for that president. I now have finally read the work, and I was not wrong. These volumes tell in fascinating detail of the momentous life of our second president, and it is hard for me to see how the telling could be improved upon. I have only a few presidents I have not yet done. Any thought as to the best biography of Millard Fillmore?

This classic two voume set reads like a novel. Once started I could not put it down. From his childhood and education, the revolution and founding of the country, through the trials of his presidency and retirement, the events of the times unfold in intimate detail. A prolific letter and diary writer, John Adams left a treasure of detail and insights to the events of his life, and P Smith has assembled them in a most readable form. This book is a must read for anyone interested in early American history.

This classic two volume set reads like a novel. I could'nt put it down. The reader is treated to an intimate look at the history of the times through the eyes of one of the most under-rated of the founding fathers. From his childhood and education through the revolution and founding of the country, insight and detail of the events unfold in a most interesting manner. A most prolific letter and diary writer, John Adams left a detailed account of his life and times, and virtally every aspect of the book is documented and noted. An excellent resource for anyone interested in the history of the times.

I read this book because it was recommended in _Bear's Guide_. Having been a graduate student and a teaching assisiant I knew that something was profoundly wrong with higher education. This book outlines just what that something is.
Briefly, Smith's criticism centers around 1) "academic fundamentalism" and the vitriolic politics that thrive in academia, 2) The emphasis on research (much of which is generated for it's own sake and is of absolutely no use to anyone), 3) the increasing dominance of government and big business on the campus- often in direct conflict with students', or the ordinary citizen's, interests, and 4) the application of scientific method and statistical analysis to fields in the humanities where they literally kill the spirit of the discipline. Overall, Smith emphasises the essential deadness and ossified sterility of a system that has not fundamentally changed for well over a century.
From my own personal experinces it all rings true. Indeed, I've come to the conclusion that the American public has been sold a bill of goods concerning higher education. Most of us have been brainwashed into thinking that a person who lacks the "relevent" academic credentials cannot possible know what they are doing- not only is this way of thinking dead wrong, but it is dangerous, destructive, and anti-American. If anything, the best and brightest minds are simply refusing to sit through year after year of mind numbing lectures and busy work just to get a degree. No, just because the people hired to do the important work in this society must have the appropriate academic credentials does not mean that those credentials are the cause of their competence or success. All too often they are competent INSPITE of the handicap of their academic background.

If you like this book try reading _An Alterntive History of American Education_ by John Taylor Gatto.

Review of Page Smith, _Killing the Spirit_

This is probably the best of the many books on the state of higher education in America, being a critical history and case study of our colleges and universities from the beginnings up to ca. 1990. It describes in detail the development of the flight from teaching, the vacuity of most academic "research," the specious notion "social science," the disintegration of the academic disciplines, alliances of universities with the non-academic Powers, the corruptions of big-money inter-collegiate sports. Smith's target is the elite universities. He emphasizes the value of the lowly community colleges, which for the most part have escaped the undesirable trends he speaks of, and where "thousands of able and intelligent men and women take their teaching opportunities with the greatest seriousness and give more than value received." (p 19) The history itself makes up the greater part of the book.

What does Smith mean by his title? No systematic argument is offered; Smith speaks rather vaguely of "higher things... a realm beyond the immediate existence, beyond the material world." The spirit is killed by what Smith calls "academic fundamentalism" which is defined as "the stubborn refusal of the academy to acknowledge any truth that does not conform to professorial dogmas." (p 5) "You cannot indefinitely omit one-half or more of human experience without paying a heavy price." (p 294) What is being omitted is religion, a term which Smith intends in a broad sense -- perhaps "the spiritual dimension."

_Killing the Spirit_ is, perhaps predictably, short on specific remedies. Smith speaks of a sort of Hegelian synthesis of "Classical Christian Consciousness" (p 29: "The founding fathers were all more or less orthodox Christians, the majority of them Episcopalians...") and "Secular Democratic Consciousness" (the results of the Enlightenment peculiar to America) both of which would need to be revived before they could be synthesized. Smith rejects Hutchins and the Great Books, because he says he does not know what a "trained intellect" is; he also rejects the concept of the "well-rounded person." But Smith himself offers us the likes of the "true person" and the ideal of "being at home in the world" (pp 202-3). One has the strong impression that Smith means quite a lot more than he says. Alfred North Whitehead is quoted: (p 297): "The essence of education is that it be religious... A religious education is an education which inculcates duty and reverence. Duty arises from our potential control over the course of events... And the foundation of reverence is the perception that the present holds within itself the complete sum of existence, backwards and forwards, that whole amplitude of time, which is eternity." He eloquently advocates the imparting of "courage" and attention to the physical body. He invites us (p 209) to imagine a campus where members of the "academic community - faculty, students, and even administrators - gather together to dance and sing and dine! Is that so bizarre, so unacademic, so 'emotional' that it cannot even be imagined?" This is followed immediately by what is to me at least a rather astonishing line: "How are we to learn to celebrate life and lift our spirits in festivals if we are not taught? How are we to get 'in tune with the world'?"

This last question is not untypical of the intellectual eclipsing stance one finds in many books of this sort. We are told (p 144) that "without some knowledge of [the past of the human race] a man or woman cannot be fully human; he or she cannot be truly a person or at home in the world." It seems to me that such writers cannot have thoughtfully interacted with very much of humankind to make such assertions, even with the best of intentions.

For its abundant factual information alone, this is a fine book; I have been through most of it twice and recommend it very highly.

Ken Miner

This book should be read by anyone considering a career in the academy. It should also be read by virtually all college students, who have a right to know that the academic world is cheating them.

This book was used by our study-group in Israel 3/00. It was part of a group of books recommended and I found it very illuminating. Lots of info available in easily readable writing style. I would strongly recommend this for anyone going to Middle-east/Israel and for those studying here for a more complete picture of the role of geography, etc in the development of the Bible. The impact of this facet becomes "alive" to the reader using this text.

Mr. Page came to our university (University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Arkansas) to lecture and is going to be our tour guide on a trip to Israel that our Biblical Geography class is going on. He was very knowledgeable and the book is well written and will give you great insite to the lan.

This book helped introduce me to the many historical sites mentioned in the Bible. It is a valuable guide for people visiting the Middle East. Charles Page's book Jesus and the Land is also a wonderful and inspirational book about Jesus' life and times. This boook is a must for people who want to learn more about the ancient Biblical sites and an excellent companion for Biblical studies.

I love Le Mot Juste. My 1987 edition copy is well-worn. It is good to see that the book is continuing to be updated. Sylvester Mawson's original version was published in 1934!

Nearly always, I have been successful in finding expressions I have looked up in these pages. But, if you are like me, a lover of lists, you will enjoy browsing when you are not hunting for the meaning of a word.

In my edition, the definitions are not separated into language groups, which means you don't have to know which language the expression comes from. But I would guess that most users of the book would have some idea of the likely section to hunt in. Could be confusing with Italian and Spanish, though!

Recommended for all lovers of language.

In a world where many foreign words and phrases have become increasingly common in both spoken and written English, this book is almost a necessity.

It clarifies numerous words and phrases from Greek, Latin, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, and Yiddish that are used, and just as often, misused, by English speakers and writers.

A few examples:

Under French we find "maison de societe" which literally translates to society house. I had always thought that this must refer to the manor in which some rich or powerful personage resided. No way! It really means a brothel. That's a good one not to misuse.

Here's another from the French language: How many of us know that "bel air" means poise, grace, or good deportment?

Any of us who have ever followed a court case have probably heard the Latin expression "in camera." That literally translates to "in a room," but really means "proceedings conducted in secret."

Now for one from the Italian. We have often heard that someone is a dilettante and most of us probably have some vague sense of what the word means, but how many of us could accurately define dilettante if asked? I'd hazard a guess that the honest answer would be "very few." A dilettante is an amateur, particularly an amateur lover of the arts, but there is a subtler nuance to the word. It also means that this amateur is one who approaches the subject with little or no serious study, and may well pretend to have more knowledge than he actually has.

This is just the surface. LE MOT JUSTE defines and discusses such disparate words and phrases as "Kung Fu," "Pandora's Box," "Nabob." "Kismet, Kimono, and Kibitzer," to name but a few. It also emphasises the nuances that often give the words and phrases their fuller meaning.

It's a good book for any literate person's book shelf.

I bought my first copy of this book ten years ago, and used it until it literally fell apart. This book should be included in any home library, especially in homes with students.

One copy of this book just isn't enough! We would love to share this as gifts to all our friends and family with children! The illustrations are wonderful and the flip-page format works very well with the story. Our son was always anxious to flip the page to find out what noise might be disturbing the tired princess (it's been one of his favorites since he was one). Lullabyhullaballoo is a clever story which uses "fun" words for children - - "ghosts and the goblins are guzzling and gobbling and slurping and burping... what shall we do?". Our 3 year old son now reads it to our 9 month old son and we're sure it will be repeated for years and years. We highly recommend this book to anyone who loves children's books! We're anxious to read more from Inkpen - - especially since Nick Jr. has added Inkpen's "Kipper" to its preschool weekday line-up.

We feel fortunate to have found this book at a garage sale. From the first reading, our daughter (age 18 months at the time) has loved it. Inkpen creates beautiful illustrations which enhance the delightful story. Our satisfaction with the emotions conveyed through both the story and drawings led to our search for more from this talented children's author. We can't wait to get our hands on "Nobody." Highly recommended.

I read this to my one year old and he loved it! It had great scenes that my son could participate in (giant stomping, etc), and I think it contributed to a great start in our reading experience. We read it over and over and over again until he'd practically memorized it. (I'm here looking for other books by the same author :) It's written for the older child (book says ages 5-8). It's a fun book, though, and I think if your child has a good attention span for books, it could be read at any age.

This book is for anyone who wants to read with children - their own children, their grandchildren - or even the neighbors' children. Although it does have strategies for building a book club, it also has tips for building a reading relationship between one adult and one or two kids. For instance, the book gives ways to read books that have some disturbing events in them - such as any book dealing with the holocaust will have. Don't get me wrong - it isn't all serious, but discussing serious issues is very possible with young readers and this collabortive team lets us know how to do that.

If all parents read with their children in this way, we would have a nation of amazing adolescents on their way to becoming fine leaders and thinkers. Now - THAT'S a thought. . . .

This book's title should not scare off a mom or daughter who feels she doesn't have time or inclination to start a book group. Its content is great inspiration for reading with your own child or a child you care about (regardless of gender). For instance, there are some very good thoughts on how to help a child handle potentially disturbing or scarey parts of an otherwise enjoyable book. Also, the reviews in the last chapter are really meaningful as a suggested reading list.

With the above in mind, I have suggested this to friends in my generation (as a grandparent) as well as to young parents and friends.

This wonderful gem should be publicized everywhere in the USA. Not only does it include practical suggestions for the mechanics of starting a parent-child book club, it also shines with whimsy and freshness. Reading this book is like conversing with friends whose good senses of humor temper problem solving and strengthen their relationships. Sidebars let us see the uniqueness of the members of this collaborative team, and the book reviews by these young girls reveal such perception and kindness. I am giving it to friends - young and old - throughout the year 2001.

It grieves me to know that Moritz Thomsen will never write another novel. His brutal honesty, his self-effacing style, his humility and acceptance of his human flaws, makes his story captivating. Never before has a book filled me with such feelings; rage at his father, joy for his victories, compassion for the difficult life he led, saddness for a life ended. It brought me to tears. This book is a fitting epitaph for a man of astonishing virtues and abilities.

This book is the story of a man who had a dominating father and lived in the dominating world of war. Moritz Thomsen was this man and he tells his own personal stories of the war with his father and the second World War. He captivates his audience with the knowledge of how rough life can be. His father was a rich man that lost all of his families money and still kept spending. He ruled everyone in his family to the point of being called a tyrant. His knowledge of the "feelings" of war are tremendous. He explains and analyzes every detail so that it is possible to believe that you experienced it along with him. It is sad to know that Moritz Thomsen will never write another story about his life. In closing I thought that this was an awesome book that I will never forget.

Devoted readers of the late Moritz Thomsen's first three books needn't be reminded that Moritz wrote better on a bad day than 99% of the authors, living or dead, who have tried their hand at English prose. Just like his classic Living Poor, The Farm on the River of Emeralds, and The Saddest Pleasure, My Two Wars is searingly honest, funny, heartbreaking, compelling ‹ in short, vintage Thomsen. It's more than just obligatory reading for the cognoscenti, however. It documents Thomsen's "involvement with two outrageous catastrophes," his father, and the shorter war he fought against the various forces, insanities, and outrages of WW II as a B-17 bombardier in Europe. The two wars are by no means unrelated. The longer narrative is devoted to military service that began as a draftee. Regarding the longer war, if only half of the outrages Charlie Thomsen visited upon his family are true, "catastrophe" still euphemizes the man. The wartime account is fantastic, but the final scene in which Moritz returns from hell as a decorated officer to confront Charlie, wallowing in drunken bitterness over having been robbed of the prospect of being the father of a dead war hero son, has to be read to be believed. God bless you, Moritz, for an amazing life and for your final gift to us

This is a time in which American ideals are challenged by the reality of a modern, hostile world and internal struggle, so it seems like a good idea to examine our history. The best place I know to do so is Mr. Smith's excellent history of America. Massive yet very approachable, it brings to mind Simon Shaara's novels. Smith, one of our great historians, never succumbs to the academic's temptation to footnote and reference every fact. He writes beautifully, in a manner that brings history alive. By all means look for and treasure a copy of all 8 volumes of this ambitious project. It is sad that it is long out of print, as I know of no better history of our republic. If an editor reads this review, I emplore you to republish the entire set.

The first 2 volumes are a narrative history of the revolution, followed by books on the early republic, then the Civil War, the rise of industrial America, it's emergence into the world, and finishing with the Depression and the New Deal. Mr. Smith is a true scholar, so there are plenty of facts, but they are never dry or uninteresting, and they are presented as a story to be told, rather than a point to be made. Take a year off from other reading projects and take this 7 kilopage project on. You might consider reading Manchester's The Glory and the Dream to finish off with the history of America since 1932, and put it all in perspective. I strongly recommend you read this entire series and get a new appreciation for our country and a truly fine author.

Page Smith's account of The American Revolution is both definitive and highly entertaining. I first read this two volume work in the summer of 1981, and became immediately enthralled with both the subject matter and Smith's elegant but approachable writing style.

"A New Age Now Begins" will reignite the reader's appreciation for the struggles our Founding Fathers confronted to birth a new nation. Today, at the close of The American Century, it is easy to assume that we have always been pre-eminent in the world. But this book confirms what a near miss it really was, and how--without the selfless leadership of George Washington, the wise and witty guiding hand of Benjamin Franklin, the scholarly and erudite arguments for America's legitimacy from James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, the elegant pen and clear voice of Thomas Jefferson, and the fearless voice of agitation from Samuel Adams and Patrick Henry--the America we all take for granted today might well still be subject to the Crown of England.

At nearly 2,000 pages, the book is an undertaking. But it will be one of the most rewarding and entertaining reading experiences you will ever undertake!

I have already reviewed other volumes of this series. Here is an obituary of the author that describes his work and the influence he had on a generation of readers.

Page Smith, an iconoclastic historian and prolific author of books on subjects ranging from the lives of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson to the history of the chicken, died August 28, 1995 at his daughter's home in Santa Cruz, California. He was 77. Dr. Smith taught American colonial history at UCLA until 1964, when he became the first provost of Cowell College at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

An author of wide appeal, Dr. Smith wrote books that were both praised by scholars and read by a wide public. His unusual ability as a writer was first recognized in 1962 with the publication of his two-volume biography of John Adams.

Smith's study of Adams which earned him the Bancroft Prize for historical writing. In 1976, Samuel Elliot Morison described Smith's bicentennial book, A New Age Now Begins: A People's History of the American Revolution as "a great and magnificent work." Both books were main selections of the ook-of-the-Month Club, as was his wide-ranging, The Shaping of America.

His most controversial work was The Historian and History(1964), a witty indictment of American historians. Championing a story-telling approach to historical writing he argued that "great history has always been narrative history, history with a story to tell that illuminates the truth of the human situation, that lifts spirits and prospects to new potentialities."

Although Smith enjoyed tweaking academic historians, he had impeccable credentials himself. He completed his undergraduate work at Dartmouth College in 1940 and after serving as a company commander in World War II, he earned a doctorate at Harvard University. He taught history at U.C. Santa Cruz until his retirement in 1973.

This is such a great book!! I didn't have any knowledge of web creating. Now I am making money by creating web pages. You can learn all about web creation from scratch to multimedia.If you are a beginner, this is the book you want!!

This book does a terrific job of introducing web design to readers. Whether you have experience with HTML or have never created a Web site, the book will help you develop new skills. The book covers some great topics for powerful design in an easy to understand way without leaving out any important details.

OFFICIAL HTML PUBLISHING FOR NETSCAPE assumes little prior knowledge of the Web or its tools, yet it quickly brings the user up to speed and creating pages that range from simple and straightforward to jazzy and slick. The style is confident; the information, clear and nicely illustrated. Well worth the money -- and thats even before the accompanying CD with its free software

My 20 month old son loves this book! We've had it for almost a year and he still reads it over and over again. Before, he loved watching me pull out the inner cards, but he is now able to do it by himself. It's like having a brand new toy. We are buying another since this one has seen it's better days.

My 11 month old loves to look at this book. It has simple pictures that are bright and colorful. We have fun going through this book with all of it's interactive pages. This book teachs kids the difference between up and down, few and many, over and under, big and little. We love watching "Tigger's" tale grow from being short to very long. The words are simple for a young reader also. This book is excellent for any young toddler to start reading with. We hope that you have as much fun reading with Pooh and all of his friends as we do.

My 8 month old baby loves books and this one is her absolute favorite - she sits and "reads" it forever! She will dig through her toy basket to find it - It is a great interactive book!