I found the early chapters tough to get into, but by the time Donaldson began the history of James I I was hooked. A fascinating study at the lives and reigns of some colorful personalities and crucial times. The book managed to cover Scottish political struggles, foreign alliances and how the Stewart monarchs failed and succeeded with these challenges. All in all a great book, perhaps its one drawback was its relative scarcity of information on the Scottish Reformation.

From his description of Alexander III being installed at Scone in 1249 -- in rites reminiscent of a pagan tribal chief instead of the Christian monarch of a western European nation -- to the sparsely attended coronation of James VI three centuries later (the result of a precarious revolution that deposed his predecessor), the author explores the reign of each monarch and sets him (or her) against the broader canvas of European history. Donaldson is one of the foremost authorities on Scottish history up to the unification of the island and his scholarship is impeccable, but he also has a happy talent for clear and colorful narrative. A good overview of the dynastic machinations and complex foreign relations that kept the Scottish mon-archy on its toes.

An excellent, comprehensive, and very readable text, written by a true expert on the subject. I highly reccomend it.

nothing to say just read i

I am a new fan to Arthurian legends. I read this book and it hooked me. I have since read many books, fiction and non, about the life and legends of Arthur. This book provides detailed descriptions of all the players in the legend.

I have long had an interest in Arthurian legend and myth. This book, with its beautiful illustrations and wonderful recount of the myths that surround Arthur, was one of the most enjoyable texts on Arthur I have read. Not only did it include the myth, or legend, as it is told, but detailed how the myth came about and/or how it has changed through the years. Anyone who has ever been interested in Arthurian legend, history, or popular myth should own this book. It will become one of your favorites!

Walt Crowley and his gang at historylink.org provide a valuable service to anyone interested in the history of Seattle, King County, and western Washington generally. While this book is necessarily less comprehensive (and less easily searched and updated) than the online version, it's still an interesting and informative browse-through for Emerald City residents and a good introduction to the greater wealth on their web site.

This small title's pages are packed with colorful illustrations and punchy copy. It probably works better to open and read it at random than to try to follow it systematically from page to page, because while it's basically organized chronologically, there are so many sections, subheads, and sidebars -- plus the timeline itself on nearly every page -- that trying to keep it all straight could get maddening. It's much more fun simply to open a page and read about why Seattle's streets aren't aligned north and south of Yesler Way, what happened to the communities known as Squack and Slaughter (they're still here, under different names) and why there were as many arguments about light rail 50 years ago as there are today.

On the whole, any Washington resident with an interest in this city would probably find something entertaining or worthwhile to justify browsing this title. Gene Logsdon writes that one of the ways to avoid provincialism is to know your own province really well. This book is one useful way for Seattleites to do that.

(...)This compact volume is chock full of interesting information, some of which has never appeared in other histories of Seattle. It is readable, very attractive, and includes mention of the September 11 attacks and other recent events.

Some of the new stories include Pioneer Henry Yesler's Native American family, the early smallpox epidemics that decimated the local tribes, the last several decades of the 20th Century, Ivar Haglund, and the arrival of the Buffalo Soldiers.

I'm buying several as gifts.

A bit phlegmatic, but the 5 spare songs presented here are worth the whole pakage. I wish the tracks were divided up so that one could edit the songs out from the spoken text. I imagine this was avoided on purpose so one would be forced to listen to the somewhat intersting(the first time!) ramblings of a one Nick Cave.

These were two very powerful lectures by a very powerful performer. He manages to make lectures that can appeal to both the Christian and non-Christian. There is a whole heapload of thought and reflection, and at the same time there is enough ambiguity that you can take things in two directions. His second lecture on the bible is amazing in its ability to relate the divine to the mortal. He shows the two intertwined in a way that they are inseparable, and it takes a lot of effort to try to prove him wrong.

I read a lot of short stories, and this collection really knocked my socks off. Totally amazing.

Ms. Edward's book contains fascinating stories about outsiders in "normal" society. The stories really grab you and you won't be able to easily put the book down.

Sams' argument has not been accepted by the 'academic establishment', but in my opinion the case which he makes in this book that "Edmund Ironside" is an early Shakespeare play, is very strong.

The idea that the author of the Shakespeare-folio suddenly started writing masterworks is at last proven to be nonsense. Eric Sams makes the case for Edmund Ironside being an early Shakespeare-play so masterly, that only the very stubborn (& the very stupid) can harbour any doubt after reading "Shakespeare's Lost Play". All the same, "Edmund Ironside" stinks, and should (I hope) never be performed on stage. But this monstrosity is fascinating reading-matter, written by a very young and unexperienced bard, who started, just like any other normal being, his professional career not simply by being the best, but at the bottom, by trying - and failing many times. It makes the author of Shakespeares works almost human! This book shouldn't be missed by any serious Shakespeare-student; Eric Sams shows how authorship can and should be proven - and how opponents should be silenced. That Sams apparently completed this study without the benefit of a computer opens new horizons for humanity!

The Shepherd's Song is written in an engaging style making it easy to read. It brings scenes and events from David's life alive and then shows how the same struggles are ours today. This book takes you beyond seeing David as a dirty, shepherd boy watching sheep and writing songs to the man his own mighty men feared. The Shepherd's Song reviews David's failings and his restoration by God's grace when David turned in repentance and sought the Lord's will. In reference to David's adulterous affair, the author states we are a very deceptive people--how often does the phone wake you and you tell the other person "no you didn't wake me."

This is a good book for independent reading. At the back of the book discussion questions are divided by chapter, so Sunday School classes or small groups could use it as a study.

I read this book nearly two years ago and based a Sunday School adult class on the practical lessons each chapter contains. One of the most popular classes at our Church. The reader comes to understand how a man who sinned so grievously, time after time could be reffered to by God himself as "a man after my own heart". By discovering how God could possibly see David as a man after God's own heart, the reader comes to understand that he too can have a God like heart even though he makes mistakes.

This is really wonderful Sci-Fi. Ordinarily, I am not a fan of the genre but Empey gets inside the characters and makes them come alive. I highly recommend this must read!

This was a great book...full of exciting twists and turns...I could not put it down!!! The plot was very well thought out and the characters were deep and intense....the descriptive language used was excellent!! I would definately read another book by this author-!

One of my favorite Christmas memories when I was a kid was when, at Christmastime, my mom would pull out our copy of Silver Spurs and read to us. The story is perfect for inquisitive little ones who just don't understand how Santa can get into the house without a chimney. Spending most of my childhood in the Southwest, chimneys can be hard to come by. I can't wait until I am able to share this classic with my little ones, and am sad to read that it is now out of print. Thankfully my mom knows how special it is, so she had kept it all these years.

Silver Spurs answers the question many kids have asked: Just how does Santa get into your house if you have NO chimney! I've had this book for twenty years - and have given two as gifts (not recently!). It's such a shame the book never received widespread publicity - because it's an engaging story with beautiful illustrations (very detailed, I might add). My children (now 24 & 18) have tender memories of Silver Spurs - and one of these days I hope to read it to grandchildren.