Be careful what edition of this book you get. The original edition was a large, useful collection of primary sources. However, another edition was put out which, while still a collection of primary documents, was much shorter and could not be considered definitive at all. The latter was the one I wound up with, and I didn't get much use out of it.

This compendium of battle studies and reports was written by commanders of all levels: Grant, Sherman, Lee and Longstreet down to lieutenants commanding companies for points of clarification on minor skirmishes or segments of the battlefield.The accounts were set down when the war was still fresh in their memories, yet when enough time had passed for reflection.

The fact that several viewpoints, some conflicting, are given for each major battle and campaign adds immeasurably to the value of this work. Of course recent "scholarship" has eclipsed and corrected many of these accounts. However, you get the immediacy and vigor of the post-war controversies and the finger-pointing --- the first early exposition of the rift between Longstreet and the Jubal Early faction for example.

Battles and Leaders was for a long time THE source for the early critical historians of the war such as John Codman Ropes, W. Henderson (the pre-eminent biographer of Stonewall Jackson) as well as the generals themselves who wanted to cross-check their accounts. This was the case until well after the release of the Offical Records some ten years later.

There were inevitable lapses of style and critical ability in the original multi-volume edition; these for the most part have been weeded out from this accessible one-volume version.

The great part about this book for me is that one can get the flavor of the passions still raging, even though the writers attempted a detached and clinical tone for credibility's sake.

Johnson and Buell made a concerted effort to elicit a well-rounded picture for battles and episodes which were the subject of intense debate.

If you have any interest in the Civil War, and lack the time to sift through the voluminous post-war memoirs of the commanders, you'll want to keep Battles and Leaders handy.

This book is a veritable dictionary of the civil war. It holds everything one ever wished to know about the war and its leaders. I recommend it!

If you think that you're going to hike into the wilderness and learn to identify medicinal plants with this book, you may be in for a surprise. There is no index except for the list of common names in the front. An index with the Latin names as well as the pathological conditions the plants are useful for would have been helpful. There also seems to be no logic (except maybe to the author)to the order of the plants presented. It would be quite difficult for you to identify a plant with this book unless you already had some guess as to what you were looking at, and then look THAT up. A more descriptive title would have been just plain "Medicinal Wild Plants of North America."(i.e. nix the "Field Guide" part because, that it certainly ain't!) Having said that, I think the book is worth reading just for the information you get from it. I certainly learned a lot about how the plants were used from a historical perspective (lots of anecdotes about the native Americans and their herbal medicines).

A full page is dedicated to each plant, showing in color, a detailed drawing of the leaves and flower, fruit or other identifying characteristic. The text is at least a page and covers: Family, Common Names, Characteristics, Area and Uses. The text is easy to read and offers interesting notes about the plant's uses, primarily from American Indians and pioneers. This is not a field identification book, but it provides additional information to a known plant. The guide is alphabetical by common name.

This book is really great. Let's say that you fell on a rock and your kne cracked open and it's bloody, well this book will tell you plnts that you kneed to put on it. If you have to mix some plants or liquify them to a certain point it tells you exactly how to prepare it so that it will have effect. I highly recomend this book for anybody who goes into the woods and has a chance of getting hurt.

Brad's book is strong on concepts and illustrations. The book is well-written and reads like Aesop's fables, i.e. Brad tells you a story and you walk away with the idea. I wish Prof. Cornell could add an audio version of this book. Very few people can explain complicated financial economic concepts as well as Brad can. An audio version of this book can make more people enjoy Brad's lecturing talent, while absorbing the gist of corporate valuation sketched in this book. That's right, sketched ... :-)

A great summary on the conventional wisdom about the equity risk premium. It covers -and combine- theory and evidence in a very reasonable balance. A couple of warnings. First, it puts the same emphasis on several alternative explanations, not always comparing and weighting them. Second, the book has some typos being probably the most important that of page 103 (equation 3.2). Nevertheless, a must have for every finance practitioner.

For what this book is, it is certainly the best written of its kind. What is it? A perfect example of there's no such a thing as a bad boy, society is to blame, who can define duty or patriotism, we are all responsible but the criminal, liberalism.... in other words, a mix of Father Flanigan and George McGovern. Yet it is sharply written, if not reasoned, and makes for a compelling story. Slovik certainly wasn't a duty, honor, country sort of fellow. He was a petty criminal--more a follower and delinquent than anything--who spent four years, as an adult, in a Michigan reformatory. He avoided recidivism upon his release, marrying, holding steady jobs, and enjoyng his 4-F status. Then came the barrel-scraping; the need for replacements outweighing previous standards; so Slovik was drafted. And then the whining begins. Reading Sloviks letters to his wife, one is struck by the self-pity. His whimpering is such that I believe Mother Theresa would have wished to slap him. His letters make Bill Clinton seem another Audie Murphy or Joe Foss. He arrived in France in the summer of 1944 and immediately "got lost." When he finally caught up with his unit--six WEEKS later--he informed his CO that he would desert if put on the line--and desert he did. As jail had once been a comfort for him, the stockade seemed preferable to duty, he turned himself in the next day, writing the confession that almost made his execution a certainty. In it he admitted to cowardice and added in bold print "I'LL RUN AWAY AGAIN." An officer offered to tear up the confession if Slovik would go on the line. He refused. Yes, he was the only soldier executed for desertion since 1864, and yes, there may have been more egregious examples of cowardice, but Slovik took the decisions that led to his fate. And he whined all the way.

I found this a well-told account of the only soldier executed by the U.S. in World War Two. I am sure there were men more deserving of execution than Private Slovik. It is another illustration of the wrongness of capital punishment

This book is, unfortunately, the best English book on the history of Brazil. I really wanted to learn more about the history of Brazil, so I read the whole book, and I learned a lot. However, the book is not broken down by subjects, or events, or individuals, and is just written all together as one continuous stream of thought, which makes it somewhat hard to read and follow. In addition, there is very little insight into the individuals (and their motives) who shaped Brazil. I think only Dom Pedro II got more than a paragraph. This book was clearly written by someone from the "old school." Isn't there a fresh young history professor out there looking to make a name for him or herself who could write a better book? If so, get to work, and I'll buy your book. Brazilian history is very interesting, and remains fascinating even when presented in this dull format.

Dr. Burns, at least get some better pictures and maps in your next version!

This book has been a college classroom textbook for years now, and still is probably the best introduction to Brazilian history. Add it to "Rebellion in the Backlands," "The Brazilian Sound," and "Tent of Miracles," and you'll have a nice library about Brazilian culture.

I am a very apassionated researcher about the development of the great American and Latin American cities. I have found this book very useful for my researchs, with a very great amount of information and a very serious investigation on the issue . The main critic I have found is that the same thing could have been done in a more narrative and amusing way, to keep the reader interested in the reading.The story of New York has been dinamic and full of force, and nothing of that has been reflected on this book. Outside of that, I have really learned a lot about the issue, and it has really been very useful for my own investigations about the issue. I am an architect with a Master on Urban Economics in Buenos Aires, and all this literature is really important for my researchs.

As the title indicates, this book covers New York 'skyscrapers' (loosely-defined) from 1865 to 1913. The book begins with 5-story masonry buildings of the late 1800s and culminates with such landmarks as the Woolworth and Singer Buildings. The authors highlight the technical angle, and explain the developments that occurred in steel framing, foundations, and elevators, although the exterior aesthetics of these buildings also receive attention. Some space is allocated to hotels and apartment buildings; however, most of the book is devoted to office buildings. Best of all are the magnificent period photographs of early high-rises, about a hundred in all. Also, there are twenty floor plans.

I read this book about two years ago, because I had loved There Will Be Wolves. While not exactly perfect in form (the plot seemed rather unlikely), the first book in the Crusades series was a great read. I was really disappointed after the second. The plot was ten times more exaggerated (Theo falling in love with Emma?), and it lacked the feeling that There Will Be Wolves had. While it was not a terrible book, if this is the direction the Crusades books are going in, I will not look at the third.

This book is one of the best books I have ever read! I bought just 2 months ago and must have read it over 40 times by now!! I can't wait until the third book of crusades comes out!! Keep up the great work Karleen Bradford!!

they need elongation , they are very short ,but the stories are wonderful but they need more...... but if u like stories to get to the point , u will love them

One has to marvel at the prolific writing skills of dear Barbara . I once owned a horse that refused to eat its oats , but would gnaw cheerfully ,on a Barbara Cartland book ,then tap dance for hours ,with a rose between its teeth .The sheer romance of her work enthralls , even those of us with four feet .In this delightful book we are transported to the world of Dukes and there Coconut carvings . The Duke who married a fire engine ,never laugh at a bowl of stewed prunes , and a touch of an unemployed town crier . All three are little pebbles in the hillwalkers boot . OH I do wish Henry would stop pestering the gardeners daughter .

This books was nominated for a PEN/Faulkner award in 1991 and as I read it I was amazed I had never heard of it before. It tells the story of Grace Brush, a girl trying to stay sane in a world of migraines, halucinations, and famliy secrets. The language is lush and carefully conceived, inviting the reader into the mind of a young child as recalled by a smart and generous adult. This is not easy going - the story is heart-breaking - but it is well worth the time.

I saw the James Garner movie first, and was so impressed by it I
looked up the novel. I think the movie might be a little better,
but the book is definitely worth reading. It's not very long and actually can be read in one sitting. It's funny, sometimes obscene, sometimes cynical, wise, and realistic. The main character is a "dog robber" during World World II; he is a general's aide, and is supposed to get the general everything he wants. Hence, he supposedly would rob everyone he could, including dogs. He is a detached and somewhat cynical man, who, while stationed in England, meets and falls in love with the Emily of the title ("Americanization" is not such a noble thing; it refers to deprived English girls, made poor by the war, who do what they must to survive. This means attaching themselves to the much richer Americans.) Mostly the book is about war and love. It has a very cynical view of war and soldiering. It's message: only love can conquer the horrible. A book that is half comedy and half horror, but wholly entertaining.