As someone who works privately with students, helping them with dissertations, I highly recommend this book. When students contact me in regard to assistance with their dissertation, I recommend that they buy this book and use it as a reference. The information contained in this book anticipates and answers the questions that students have about the dissertation process and the contents of each chapter. It is one of the most practical guides for writing a dissertation that I have come across.

This gem of a book is truly a life saver to any doctoral student navigating the rough waters of the dissertation process. Drs. Kjell Rudestam and Rae Newton take a usually convoluted process and map out a clear path that easy to follow from start to finish. This book was my bible going through my dissertation. The authors' clarity of writing and comprehensive thought allowed me to easily take the principles off the pages and put them into practice. I highly recommend it!

The authors do an excellent job of showing how the Allies were able to use their material superiority to best advantage and defeat the Luftwaffe. Counterintuitively, the main advantage gained by the strategic bombing program was the defeat of the Luftwaffe. It was only when the bombers started hitting important targets in Germany accompanied by escort fighters that the German fighters had to fight at unequal terms.

Great description of how the air war was won.

If one wishes to learn about the contributions of the US ArmyAir Forces in Europe during World War II, the literature is repletewith books and articles about strategic precision daylight bombing. However, in To Command the Sky, the authors have broken from the strategic bombing mold to inform us of how air superiority was achieved, and how important that victory was to allow the Allied forces to not only carry out their strategic bombing mission, but also to prepare the battlefield for D-Day. Indeed, without air superiority over the landing areas, the D-Day invasion of the continent would have certainly been more costly, if not impossible to achieve. This excellent book recounts how the Luftwaffe was defeated through a combination of strategic bombing and, more importantly, attrition of the Luftwaffe planes and pilots. Although the book begins with a brief history of military aviation and doctrine, the highlight for this reviewer was the chapter dedicated to training, especially since the authors look at both the American and German programs. Flaws in the German training programs directly contributed to their aerial defeat in 1942 - 1944. Due to the prohibition to maintain a German air force by the Treaty of Versailles after WW I, the Luftwaffe started training its pilots in Russia and Italy during the 1920s and 1930s. By the time Hitler announced to the world the existence of the Luftwaffe in 1935, he had established a formidable force. For myriad reasons though, problems consistently nagged the Luftwaffe and ultimately led to its defeat. These included a lack of training planes, a lack of qualified instructor pilots, little instrument flying time, and shortages of aviation fuel. The authors develop these shortfalls throughout the book and keep coming back to the conclusion that inadequate training was a major factor in the Luftwaffe's demise. Two other aspects of the battle for air superiority that the authors examine are the realizations that fighter escort would be needed to defend the bombers on their strategic strikes, and attrition warfare would be needed to defeat the Luftwaffe. Despite the fact losses from attrition warfare were high, the Allied commanders were willing to accept them knowing that replacement aircraft and qualified pilots were readily available. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading To Command the Sky as I felt it gave a truly balanced account of how fighters and bombers were both needed to achieve air superiority and bring about the defeat of the Luftwaffe. Lastly, the authors' insight into some of the key commanders (Eaker, Doolittle, Spaatz, Arnold) thinking was especially enlightening and appreciated. It put the struggles they faced in commanding such a large force in perspective, especially with regard to the D-Day timeline under which they operated. I believe To Command the Sky is a must read for anyone wishing to study the air campaign against Germany during World War II.

This book has one of the most interesting premises of any photography book I have had the pleasure to examine. Spouses, Helmut Newton and Alice Springs, share their photographic perspectives of each other, themselves, and the same models. These different views echo around in your mind to help you understand the personalities, purposes, and methods of two interesting photographers. In the process, you get a better understanding of the photography itself . . . and how it changes the models in our perception. By providing images over many decades, you also get a time-lapse view of a relationship and the aging process.

Before going further, let me note that this volume contains many nude images of men and women that would be past the "R" rating if this book were a motion picture.

The book has a few brief comments by Helmut Newton to set the stage. "The book shows the work of two photographers . . . [who] have lived together for fifty years." " . . . [B]ut neither is usually present at the other's photographic sittings." " . . . [N]either one has in any way influenced the other's way of approaching their subjects." "I can see the truth and simplicity in the portraits of Alice Springs." "[She has] been an actress and a painter before she has taken up the camera seriously if somewhat sporadically." "As for myself, I recognize the manipulation and editorialising in my photographs."

Alice Springs looks for the core of the person, and captures the realities of daily life and aging very well. She shows you the joking and self-absorbed sides of Helmut Newton that help explain the stylized and challenging images that he is famous for producing. Helmut Newton obviously adds a gloss and a pose to everything, that gets his editorial position out. But it's fun in this context, much more so than in his other work. I found myself reevaluating his work after seeing these images by Alice Springs.

Here are my favorite images in the book by Alice Springs:

Of Helmut Newton -- Spain 1956; Rue Aubriot, Paris 1971; Ritz, London 1976; With Sylvia, Ramatuelle 1981; Monte-Carlo, 1987; Hollywood 1988, 1991

Of Alice Springs -- Ramatuelle, France 1975; Vail, Colorado 1996

Princess Caroline and son, Monte-Carlo 1985; Karl Lagerfeld, Monte-Carlo 1983; Rudi Gernreich, Los Angeles 1985; Tina Chow, Beverly Hills 1986; Angelica Houston, Hollywood 1983; Antonio Lopez, Paris 1977

Here are my favorite images in the book by Helmut Newton:

Of Alice Springs -- June as Hedda Gabler, Melbourne 1960; In our kitchen, Rue Aubriot, Paris 1972; Hotel Volney, New York 1982; Rue Aubriot, Paris 1974; Ramatuelle 1976

Of Helmut Newton -- Photomation, Paris 1970s; With wife and model, 1981; Clinique St. Jean, Cagnes-sur-Mer, 1997

Birgit Nielsen, Monte-Carlo 1987; Gianni Versace, Lake Como, Italy 1994; Donatella Versace, Off coast of Antibes, 1990; David Hockney, Los Angeles 1988; Peter Beard, Paris 1996

After you see this remarkable book, I suggest that you have some fun with your family. Take a day, bring a camera for each person, and make photographs of each other and the same subjects. Do this once a year to develop a better sense of your perspectives and relationships. Then comment on each other's work, and create a scrapbook or album out of this sharing. You'll have a lot of fun looking back on these images in future years.

Take a good look . . . and see more!

Great book I been througt it a hundred times already. You will find out where he gets his great influences from! Also see junes great work, that greatly resembles his work! If you like Helmut Newton this is a must!

Spanning the Red River Siege of Lousiana to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia during the Civil War, this dramatized account is based on the actual diary of Union soldier Silas Newton Cross, which is still owned by his family's descendants.

The people, battles, and events are real, and the author says fiction has been used in parts to "tie together incomplete details," much as Gore Vidal did with his book __Lincoln__.

Real generals are mentioned with their actual words according to Silas. Silas served under Gen. Nathaniel Banks in Lousiana, then boarded a steamer and served under Sheridan and Ord.

I must differ slightly with the Amazon-indicated reading level for the book in the listing. This book is written in daily diary form -- as Silas did it -- and thus it seems great reading for me for adult readers of any age, in addition to the student levels indicated. This book should definitely interest collectors of Civil War soldier "war diaries," Union firsthand accounts, anyone who studies the battle history in Louisiana and Virginia, the Red River Siege, and anyone with family named Newton or Cross or who lived in Clinton, Iowa, or Lawton, Oklahoma, where Silas lived!

As a Civil War veteran and diarist, Silas owned a restaurant and inn in Lawton and lived till 1918!

I find this book very interesting about accounting theory and principles. He base his structure about a revenus-expenses method, instead of the usual assets-liabilieties approach. Furthermore, the Author develops his structure starting from some declared principles, instead of implicit or misunderstood assumptions or preconceptions. He derives some operational concepts starting from these principles. His assumption about satisfying principle is most insteresting. The Author considers this satisfying principle as opposed to the maximisation principle as firm's objective. See also an article in Harvard Business Review, 1960. A book to buy, to study hard and to remember.

This is a great book, but you must read it for it's historical value not just for it's scientific value.

"The Amenities Of Book-Collecting And Kindred Affections", by A. Edward Newton is a classic in its genre as well as a book that will be enjoyed by anyone who is interested in the collecting of books, and some of the most noted collectors. Some may question the wisdom of reading about this man's experiences, as they were collected in this book in 1918. A variety of books have been published in recent years that claim to offer a guide to the collecting of books or the experiences of novice collectors. Building a library of books is not something that is easily done or learned. And a person with a fortune at their disposal acting without guidance will only amass a collection that had it been guided by a trusted advisor would be exponentially more valuable and complete.

The curator of the rare book department of a noted college who also was a participant in the latest book by Nicholas Basbanes, "Patience And Fortitude", introduced me to this book and two others. Mr. Basbanes is the author of, "A Gentle Madness", and will be publishing a third volume to his work that is already considered a modern classic by collectors and book lovers.

While the prices and auction results that are listed in this book are very out of date, they still make for great reading, and in some cases may bring to memory a book on a grandparents shelf that today would buy a car or home. If nothing else these old prices show just how much value continues to be placed on collectable books. Mr. Newton lived during the same time that some of those authors whose work he collected were alive and writing. He was a collector of manuscripts, which meant that the author's original drafts of their work were often available. At one point in the book he laments the appearance of the typewriter and the effect it will have on replacing the hand written original. Had he foreseen the computer it probably would have caused him physical distress.

Another area he was an avid collector of is so-called association copies. Like manuscripts these have the rarity that comes with being a one of a kind item. Throughout the book he shares many of the treasures he acquired like a book inscribed from Charles Dickens the father to his son. For people who love late 19th Century Authors, this man not only collected their work, but often knew the writers and their friends. In other instances his collection of Boswell and Johnson's work may not have come directly from the author to him, but he still was able to collect correspondence and other written material that is now difficult to find outside of museums.

This particular book is also wonderful for it has photographic illustrations as well as black and white and color plates as well. If you love books, find as old a copy of this work as you can, and you will have added a treasure to your shelves.

This book is an autobiographical memoir of a young man who wanted to be an artist. I liked the flow of characters who were involved in the author's life from his earliest days in Green Bay, Wis., during the Depression and through the World War II years, often told with great humor and depth. I especially enjoyed the description of what it was like to study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the 1940s. The thing that was most interesting about this was that many of the professors were refugees from Hitler's Europe. There was a Russian professor who was a stage designer for the Bolshoi Ballet. They had received their art training in the 19th century and still taught in the style of that era. The author himself has exibited his paintings and sculptures widely and received many awards, and taught art in the Detroit, Mich., area for over 40 years. I liked his perspective on the effects of the Vietnam War era and the turmoil of the 60s relative to education in America.

Balm for Gilead is a must read for any pastor that serves in an African American church or community. The book took a systematic approach to pastoral care for African American families. The cultural and historical background of African Americans was clearly kept in mind. There are some family issues that are peculiar to people of color. The authors skillfully incorporated many other sources into this valuable resource. Moreover, information for organizations that can provide more assistance was included as well. Dealing with family violence is not an easy task. The book addresses ministry to victims of abuse and also perpetrators of abuse. Usually, perpetrators are protected by society and the church. The authors clearly demonstrated the the absolute necessity of protecting the victim first. This book provides guidelines for what should be done and what should not be done. Additionally, very valid reasons are given for the guidance they provide. Overall, a great book.

While the book is one of the loveliest collections of art (in terms of design and execution), it is the art itself which really shines. No matter how good a reproduction, though, I pity anyone who has not had the chance to see Grue's art in person.

He was my neighbor in Indianapolis, before he passed away, and we were fortunate enough to be invited to his exhibition in Muncie, IN. We heard an anecdote about a previous show while there. One work, with a drop of water painted on, was so realistic that a woman tried to wipe the drop off the canvas.

His neo-realism, sense of beauty, integrity, and calm, are a balm in a world where shock value seems to rule the arts. This same calm belies a sense of motion, of breathing; he has invested the still life WITH life, passing on his own soul to the viewer.

On a personal note, I remember his kindness to all of his neighbors, to the people who came to see his art. He was a gentleman, first, not at all pretentious. He and his partner had Russian Wolfhounds, and Russian Blue cats, and were devoted to their care. Everything they touched flourished: the house, the garden, animals, people.

Obviously, I cannot praise him or his work enough. To anyone who is tired of most of the modern art that surrounds us, I exhort you to buy this book to soothe, to enjoy, and to learn.