Collaboratively compiled and edited by Gunter Bishchof (Professor of History and Executive Director of the international Studies Center, University of New Orleans), Anton Pelinka (Professor of Political Science, University of Innsbruck and Directory of the Institute of Conflict Research, Vienna, Austria), and Michael Gehler (Professor of Contemporary History, University of Innsbruck), Austria In The European Union is the tenth volume in the "Contemporary Austrian Studies" series. Offering the reader a series of scholarly assessments of the first five years of Austria's membership in the European Union, as well as assessments with the legacy of Austria's past (particularly in the dark days before and during World War II), Austria In The European Union is a highly detailed, expertly researched blend of history, economics, and a calculating appraisal of a nation's future within the context of the evolving European international collaboration. Austria In The European Union is strongly recommended for European Studies, Political Science, and International Relations supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections.

A very imformative book about one of the greatest women in history. I am not usually a fan of history, or autobiographies but this is a clear exception. The story of Mother Jones has become an american folk legend and has been twisted and altered by all sides. So the time comes to get it straight from the source. Mother Jones tells her own story in a straight forward, yet moving manner. My favorite part is a particularly heart-wrenching chapter on child labor. Where Mother Jones works in the mills along side young children haggard and overworked at age where nowadays they would barley be in school. The book is composed of numerous unique stories divided neatly into chapters which makes for easy reading, but it is very difficult to just stop at the end of a chapter. You'll find yourself making excuses simply to continue reading this wonderful and motivating tale from the one and only, Mother Jones.

Autopsy of a Merger (subtitled, Trans Union: The Deal That Rocked the Corporate World) is the inside story of one of the most controversial mergers in corporate history.

This case study of a megamerger in the age of mergermania should be read by everyone interested in mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, corporate governance, directors' and officers' liability, the social trauma of takeovers, and the impact of the media on major corporate transactions.

The subject is the 1981 acquisition of Trans Union Corporation by the billionaire Pritzker family of Chicago. Trans Union, then a New York Stock Exchange listed company that last ranked no. 278 of the Fortune 500, was a billion-dollar company with a hundred-year history.

The deal was struck shortly before a gala opening night party commemorating the 26th season of Chicago's Lyric Opera. What followed was an opera of another sort -- a montage of drama, intrigue, tragedy, comedy, hope, despair, broken dreams and new opportunities with a real-life cast of characters more captivating than one would find on any ordinary state. It was, some would say later, stranger than fiction.

Four years later, in a landmark 1985 decision that shocked the corporate world, a bitterly-divided Supreme Court of Delaware held that the former Trans Union board of directors had been "grossly negligent in that it failed to act with informed reasonable deliberation in agreeing to the Pritzker merger." The Court's astounding 3-2 decision, which is included in an appendix to the book, would transform the ground rules for corporate takeovers.

In thirty exciting chapters, the book takes the reader through every step of an extraordinary corporate takeover, from the opening night at the opera to the Court's history-making decision.

Autopsy of a Merger cuts the deal to the bone. The "ins" and "outs" of the merger negotiations, the battle of wits and nerves, the financing arrangements, the legal entanglements, the much-ignored human consequences of corporate takeovers -- all of these, and more, are laid bare in this unusual, behind-the-scenes book. As an added bonus, the book includes one of the most comprehensive bibliographies on leveraged buyouts ever assembled.

Here is what some reviewers said about the book when it was first published:

CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS: "What Mr. Owen did was spin the story in one fascinating narrative. And that's what makes the book so interesting. For those of us who enjoy reading about business as a form of recreation, the Trans Union saga makes for great entertainment."

CHICAGO TRIBUNE: "Delves deeply into the merger negotiations . . . worth the book's $19.95 price. . . Perhaps an even greater contribution of the book, however, is Owen's description of the merger aftermarth and its effects on employees . . ."

INVESTOR RELATIONS MEWSLETTER: "Closely examines the business drama and human pathos involved in the most controversial merger in corporate history. Must reading."

This "Account on the Collapse of the Soviet Union" may be the best book I have read about the demise of the Soviet Union - I personally prefer it over David Remnick's "Lenin's Tomb," which won the Pulitzer Price. For one thing I think Mr. Matlock is among the men best suited to write about the Soviet Union, since he has experienced it first-hand for over 30 years. Moreover, although he never denies that the book constitutes his personal account, he still manages to seperate the issues discussed from his own person, something that I found Remnick to have trouble with at times. His theories, although not necessarily earth-shattering, are backed up by oodles of evidence, be it data or just anecdotes. The summary and the description of the CIS states and the future of the Commonwealth also provide a glimpse into the future. All you ever wanted to know about the epochal events and influences shaping the former Soviet block today.

Mr. Lensen's books are always excellent but this one, his last before he passed away, is fantastic. The detail that he has gone into describing the situation in Choson (Korea) just prior to the Russo-Japanese War is very indepth and gives the reader the background of the events leading upto the war between these two countries. With his vast knowledge of the Russians and their expansion towards Korea and Japan, and his access to the Russian files he has made his book invaluable to all who would study and understand Korea.

Kanin's research is solid, and for those interested in San Francisco during the Gilded Age, or labor history, this is a must-read. Focusing in on a clique of unionists that seized contol of the city government, with a particular emphasis on Patrick Henry McCarthy. No, he was not a typical business unionist, but rather a urban progressive who combined a pratical wage-worker consciousness with a social reform mentality. On the other hand, he had no problem fusing a racist ideology into his form of progresivism. If you bothered to read this review, buy this book.

O.k. I know the title of this review looks like I'm shilling for the author/Publishing house...But this is one of the best books on the subject of Slavic Paganism and Magick I have seen yet. If this is a branch of study you are interested in, this book is a MUST have! Any Pagan, whether they are interested in Slavic studies or not can learn something of interest from this book.

Englund's make me feel I'm reading the news from an "embedded" war correspondent reporting from three centuries ago!

After reading (the Swedish edition of) "Poltava" five years ago, I have read all of his six other books. I haven't read any other historians that resembles Englund's unique style. The closest must be either Barbara W Tuchmans "Distant mirror", Antony Beevor or perhaps even LeRoy Ladruie's "Montaillou".

Why was almost the entire Swedish(+Finnish) army slaughtered or captured in Ukraine on a hot summer day in 1709? Englund has been able to reconstruct the the story of the most disastrous battle in the Swedish history minute by minute. Based on reading of a wealth of primary sources, this documentary novel provides the ultimate introduction to the enigma of how it was possible for poor and sparsely populated country like Sweden to play a guest role as a greater European military power ("Prussia of the north") c1600-1814.

Englund doesn't write strictly traditional style military history: He explains Charles XII's campaign by both economic, political, cultural in addition to the traditional strategic causes. This broad approach to military history has later been developed further in Englund's trilogy about Sweden's 17th century wars. (Unfortunately not yet translated to English. In this trilogy Englund writes Braudel-style "l'histoire totale", discussing all aspect of daily life and mentalities of 17th century Europe to put the warfare in it's complete context.) Englund de-emphasizes any positive significance of military leadership in 1800th century battles. Englund distances himself from any attempts to point out a "scapegoat" for the disastrous decision to go to battle at Poltava. This has been a dominant perspective in the previous 250 years of attempts of explaining the campaign leading to the defeat at Poltava. Englund never portray the soldiers or officers in a heroic manner. His story is as dismal as Remarque's "All quiet on the Western front". Nationalist sentiments, or any admiration for the "warrior king" Charles XII, will probably not survive reading this book...

About the author:
Peter Englund rates among the foremost historians in Scandinavia. He holds a PhD degree in history. He wrote his doctoral thesis on the mentality of the Swedish aristocracy in the 17th century. As a recognition of his writing, he has recently been elected as the 10th member to the prestigious Swedish academy.

Poltava was an instant success. It ha sold 250 000 copies since it's publication in 1988, and it has since been translated into seven languages.

Bear Hunting is a real page turner. You don't need to know anything about Russia to like this book. Gripping stuff, and I think the jacket blurbs by Pete Gent and Hunter Thompson say it all.