Perret's book on the formation and use of German armor in World War II is a good read if you just gotta have everything about German tanks. He does a good job relating most of the major campaigns and battles where the panzerwaffe made or failed to make relevant contributions. He relys heavily on German memoirs that we now know are somewhat suspect. I think that he could probably write a much better and more complete book on the subject now, by comparing the German accounts to those of the allies, particularly the Russians.

The overwhelming mass of his story is about the Eastern Front. He provides many interesting anecdotes as well as numerous sidebars on tank development, tank types, and production issues. The book's principle failure though, is introduced by General Senger und Etterlin, whole was no stranger to armored warfare (as an aside, although SuE participated and many of the campaigns described, his name is nowhere else mentioned). General Senger wrote that there were three schools of thought on how tanks should have been employed before WWII. The implication is that the Germans picked one (perhaps the wrong one) and pursued it to its logical conclusion, which was not enough to win the war. Why this happened, and what debates existed in the German army thoughout the war, the author does not address again. Too bad, because the battle details are well known -- what is unknown is how the German reconciled the tactical and operational use of their "two armies."

More space should have gone to the African campaign, and how German victory in 1939-1940 influenced subsequent battles, especially in the East. Also, not every panzer general had the same background or the same experience. He should have highlighted more of these. Finally, the German use of armor after Dec 1941 is totally different than pre 1942 (possibly with the exception of Rommel). If the author could have identified that shift in usage and explained why it occurred, he would have made a great contribution to understanding mobile warfare as practiced by the Germans in WWII.

The appendices are very good, and there is also a fair amount of technical detail that doesn't bog you down.

So, if you have to have everything about panzers, it is a good buy. If you are looking for something with more conceptual substance or a more comprehensive look at German operations, you may be disappointed.

I read this book thinking it would be about Knights Cross winners. It has nothing to do with that.

This book is about the development and war time use of the German tank.

There is a great deal of good information, even if it isn't written in a way that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The author did make some good points about major events in the war that you never hear about. His reason for the Germans stopping outside Dunkirk sheds some new light on the debate.

I personally found it annoying that the author had such a dim view of Rommel, and I found all of his views about his poor leadership very easy to argue away.

There is bery little actual combat action in the book, and most of that is at the battlegoup, or division level.

This is not an action packed book, but the author did his homework, and has some very interesting information on German tanks and their operational useage during the war. You won't see this information in any other book or History Channel show.

Bryan Perrett's Knights of the Black Cross is a brief guide to German panzer units during the Second World War. In the book, you can reach good detailed information about the history of the panzer units as well as you can benefit from Perrett's valuable analysis of comparison of German panzers with their opponents' weapons. His comparison of tanks, armored carriers, assault guns self-propelled artillery and anti-tank guns will help new researchers' studies. Perrett also emphasised and focused on influence of German panzer commanders during the war. In the book, you can find, for example, strength of panzer divisions in the major operations, development of the panzer quality between operations, captured tanks used in operations by German units and more... His information giving in the book was well-supported by good statistics. Each major operation was supported by a map. There are also some maps showing selected local operations. The book consists of eleven chapters and four appendices. In the first chapter, Perrett has written the establishment and first experiences including panzers' first using in the Spanish Civil War. Next three chapters, he has continued with the role of panzers interdependently to the major events during campaigns in Poland, Norway and Denmark, France, Balkans and Barbarossa up to the end of Moscow. In the fifth chapter, he has made comparison of panzers, their critics, upgrades and early actions for preparing German Summer Offensive in 1942. In the next chapter he has included the Operation Case Blue, Stalingrad disaster and Battle for Kharkov. He has set apart the seventh chapter for about the panzer actions in North Africa and Meditterennean. Eighth chapter has a significance due to the development of superior class of panzers and their first experience in the Battle of Kursk. This chapter also covers the events in the Eastern Front during the first half of 1944. In the next chapter, Perrett has completed the previous events upto 1945. In chapter ten he has focused on the Italian and Western Fronts. In the last chapter, Perrett compiled all fronts focusing on panzer foeces in 1945. In appendices you can find more information about German tank design, short histories of German panzer divisions, orders of battles of German, Soviet, British and the US armored units. The book is very helpful for military history researchers and it is an excellent guide to the German panzers.

The author's attempts to draw parallels between the career of Admiral Gordon and the fictional Horatio Hornblower generally are stretches. I thought he needed to reread the Hornblower books before making some of the comments he did. His list of similarities in their careers in the forward would be more effective if they were accurate for Hornblower. However, the dates for different ranks are wrong. He also equates Gordon's enlistment at 11 with Hornblower's joining at 17 as both being "mere boys in 1793." Hornblower was actually old for a new midshipman.

However, we should be grateful that this dubious premise sold the book, because Perrett has provided us with a very solid biography of a typical naval officer of this period. Gordon is not in the first rank of Napoleonic naval officers, but the variety of his experiences and actions shows the type of man who made the British navy great. With the skill of the true historian, Perrett has dug out details of long forgotten actions and campaigns. His style is readable, and he has an eye for the sort of detail that adds zest to a biography.

The life of Admiral Gordon is very interesting and the book is a pleasure to read. The comparisons between Gordon and Hornblower are not overdone, and even readers who are not Hornblower afficionados (like myself) will enjoy the book.

As a lifelong Hornblower/C.S.Forester fan, I read this book with some trepidation, but Perrett seems to be a fan as well. He proposes a new theory: that Forester created the character of Horatio Hornblower using the model of a real Royal Navy captain in the Napoleonic Wars : James Gordon (who eventually became an admiral). Perrett hangs most of the premise for his theory upon an apparent inconsistency in C.S. Forester's otherwise thorough nonfiction writing style. In Forester's NAVAL WAR OF 1812 (nonfiction),he barely mentions Captain Gordon's name, even though Gordon had had a brilliant and successful career. Perrett notes that Forester gives other brilliant naval officers full career write-ups, even including information on their families. This(in addition to a few other similarities in Hornblower's/Gordon's respective careers) has made Perrett feel that Forester was "hiding" Gordon, so to speak, so that future casual readers would not see the similarities between the real hero and the fictional one. This reader does not feel that there is quite enough evidence to support that theory, but the book is fascinating reading in its own right, and anyone who enjoys naval history will enjoy it. Gordon comes off as a brave, smart, and kind (but fair)captain, like Hornblower. But because we know so much about Hornblower's every thought,feeling, and motive (due to Forester's superb skills), Hornblower seems more real to me even than does Captain Gordon! Perrett, who has written at least 14 other books on military history, has however done a fine job himself, and Gordon's exploits are brought very much to life indeed. A very good read!

If you have a dual interest in history and law enforcement, this is the book for you. This volume chronicles the history of USA policing from colonial times to present, via 95 original documents. Each document includes an introduction placing it in a historical, social, and political context, often including very interesting biographical informaton. Unlike most books on the history of the police, this book tells the story in the words of the people who were involved in the struggle to enforce the laws, uphold the ever-changing Constitution, maintain safe and stable communtiies, and create truly efficient and effective police. Because the views are from a variety of perspectives, the reader is encouraged to decide for himself or herself what the role of the police should be, or what it will become. Special features include a timeline of important events in the history of policing in the United States, a glossary of legal and other terms in the book, a listing of police and police-related groups and organizations, US Supreme Court cases relevant to the role of the police, as well as a select bibliography of books, articles, and other particularly useful documents. In general, I found that the book did an excellent job in discussing the changing role of police in our history, and that we come to understand that the police are a reflection of the society in its position on the timeline, i.e., in a poetic sense, "a direct reflection of society's heart". The book is an important source of facts, figures, and quotes on American policing for researchers, police scholars and students, police chiefs and police officers, teachers, journalists, government officials, and especially for those who enjoy history, as well as being passionate about law enforcement issues. I liked the book and would recommend it to fellow law enforcement officers.

As a retired "chief of police" and also a criminal justice instructor at a small college specializing in "police history", I have searched quite extensively for a book which would serve as a suitable text. This work by Dr. Vila and his co-author Cynthia Morris is exactly what I have been searching for. This work provides a clear and concise view of the evolution of policing throughout the centuries. It provides relevant information and substance related to social, political, economic, demographic, and cultural issues which contributed to the development of policing. It establishes sound background information about the causal factors for these changes using formal and verifiable documentation. I believe that this book will serve as an excellent text for students of police history within a college level criminal justice program. I fully intend to make it required reading for my students and recommend that any serious educator in the criminal justice field seriously consider adopting it as required reading within their program of instruction.

The Role of Police in American Society is a well written chronological history of the American Police Force. The text presents the high points and the low points of law enforcement in the United States and the reasons and the people that affected it.

The text begins with the first night watch and ends with an article about women in police work written in 1997. The authors have presented the actual articles, speeches, and court cases so that you may read them and view them as they were written and allowing you to interpret them as though you were there at that time. It also presents personal view points of the people involved in law enforcement and the issues that they faced and helped to change.

It was necessary to bring this book into the new framework of the post Reckoning world of darkness, and this book pulls it off with substance as well as style. Like the original it covers the denizens beyond the pale and thier dark and twisted agendas, but this version does things in a more sinister style and was worth the price for an upgrade. I recommend it, but if you aren't planning on dealing with these elements, the book may best be avoided for your campaign.

I admit it - I'm a relative newcomer to the world of Mage: the Ascension, and to White Wolf in general (right now, I'm in the midst of my first game ever, for which I'm the ST *gulp*). But I have to admit - next to the Guide to the Technocracy, this is probably the most solid and useful Mage book I've seen.

The book is divided into four sections - Nephandi, Marauders, Infernalists, and Umbrood. The Nephandi chapter is probably the best - it gives scads of information on all manner of Nephandic beings, practices, and yes, even the Spheres of the Qlippoth. The Nephandic chapter is solid and useful. And the art takes a turn for the disturbing . . . *shudder*

The Marauder chapter is also fun, but not quite so fun as the chapter on Nephandi. There's a lot of chatter about just what Marauders are. In short, it tells you all the things you need to know in order to create a Marauder or even to play as one.

The chapter on Infernalism is detailed and interesting, and probably the most utile one in the entire book (utile, yes, but not as interesting as the one on the Nephandi). There's information on Soul Trade, various demons, and anything you need to add the ultimate seeker of power into your chronicle. However, I wouldn't give the players the power of infernalism, considering how easy it is to become powerful quickly . . .

Finally, the chapter on Umbrood. This is where the chapter falls down. It's done almost entirely in a series of letters, which can get old really fast. In truth, I didn't even read the whole thing. It just got old very, very quickly.

All together, the Book of Madness is an essential read for anybody who wants to create a Mage chronicle involving the wilder side of the Mage universe.

From an established leader in the Emergency Medicine Textbook business, comes their latest addition to a stable of steady and proven performers. Not only does this text cover the necessary skills and knowledge needed to form a well-rounded field Paramedic, it also touches upon the basics, all without "talking down" to the student. A keeper in the reference library of any student of Emergency Medicine.

i feel this book is great in that it gives actaul real life pics of the topics being talked about.. as in my emt class the book had 98%cartoon pics not real life pics which this book has and gives the better feel for the topics.. i know using this book i will still be able to know what is being said without the help of the instructor to really explain the stuff.

The Ironclads of Cambrai: The First Great Tank Battle was written in 1967 and re-issued by Cassell in 2002. This book has weathered the last 35 years fairly well and is still a valuable and insightful account of the Battle of Cambrai in 1917. Of all the battles of the First World War, Cambrai stands out not for its size, duration or the casualties but rather, due to the first successful use of armor on the operational level of warfare. Although tanks had seen limited, tactical employment for over a year before Cambrai, they had not yet been employed in large numbers or on favorable terrain. The Ironclads of Cambrai is also an excellent thumbnail history of the birthing pains of the British Tank Corps and the difficulties in introducing a new weapon system in the midst of a major war. The author also covers the German counterattack that snatched victory away from the British at the last moment. Overall, The Ironclads of Cambrai is an excellent account of this landmark operation, suited both for military professionals or the general public.

The Ironclads of Cambrai consists of fifteen chapters, beginning with several on the creation of the Tank Corps and early actions in Flanders. The author provides considerable detail on the development of the plan for the attack at Cambrai, beginning with the efforts by tank enthusiasts to mount an operation that would validate the combat effectiveness of the new weapon. Interestingly, the British chose the Cambrai sector where the German Hindenburg Line defenses were thickest but the ground was suitable. Apparently, the Germans had begun to believe that their defenses in this sector were indeed impregnable and did not react seriously to indications of a British offensive. The Ironclads of Cambrai provides a clear example of the Clausewitzian dialectic in action; the Germans dug extra-wide trenches to inhibit tank attacks but the British developed "fascines" to fill in the trenches. Indeed, the Germans were so smug about the ability of their wire and trenches to stop British tank attacks that they neglected to issue much armor-piercing ammunition to the front-line units near Cambrai. The author's narrative is also supported by many simple, but effective sketch maps.

Obviously the author's main argument is that Cambrai demonstrated that tanks offered a way out of the deadlock of trench warfare. Cooper is fervently pro-tank throughout the book and delights in exposing the numerous British officers who criticized tanks before Cambrai. There is little doubt that the first six hours of the British attack on 20 November 1917 stunned both sides; three front-line German divisions were routed at small cost but the British had not really anticipated such rapid movement. Unfortunately, the British plan began unravel from the start due to a variety of factors. Foremost, one of the British division commanders (Harper of the 51st) - a tank-hater - mis-used his armor and his unit was held up long enough to interfere with the units on either flank. Although Cooper doesn't attach much importance to it, the British failure to adequately plan for engineering assets to help get tanks across the Canal de l'Escaut was a major factor inducing culmination in the British attack. However, Cooper does differ from some other accounts of Cambrai that cite the lack of sufficient reserves as the reason the attack failed to reach Cambrai. Cooper notes, "the lack of reserves was undoubtedly a vital factor at Cambrai, but it can be over-emphasized...there were more reserves available; but the Higher Command were not willing to make use of them for the initial attack." Rather, Cooper believes that, "the mistakes made were mainly due to an inability to understand and exploit a fight in open country...after three years of stagnant trench warfare."

Easily the best part of The Ironclads of Cambrai is the number of first-person accounts from tankers. Despite their terrifying appearance to the German defenders, the early Mark IV tanks were virtually deaf and blind. One commander noted that, "once we started there was no co-operation between tanks, no tactics, no external command - only the objectives we had been given and the method of attack we had been taught during training." Visibility outside the tank was extremely limited through tiny slits and some of the armor was not entirely bulletproof. Oftentimes, German fire produced "spalling" or scabbing of the armor inside the tanks, requiring the crews to wear chain-mail face masks and body protection. Cooper also describes the various German ad hoc anti-tank tactics developed at Cambrai, ranging from throwing sandbags full of grenades under the tracks (successful), to jumping atop the tanks (fatal), to infantrymen attempting to hang on to the barrels of the tank's weapons (foolish).

Finally, Cooper spends the last couple of chapters discussing the German counterattack on 30 November 1917 that threw the British back on their heels. Most of the tanks were withdrawn by this stage, but those remaining played a major role in preventing a British catastrophe. Cooper is particularly scathing in detailing the whitewash effort by the court of inquiry after the battle, which blamed junior officers for the collapse instead of the complacent 3rd Army Commander (Gough). While Cambrai's glory turned sour for most in the wake of this turnabout, Cooper sees the battle as a vital step in establishing the credibility of the Tank Corps. Without Cambrai, the tanks might have remained a marginal weapon, used only in small numbers. Instead, Cambrai showed what large numbers of tanks could achieve under favorable circumstances and is best viewed as a successful experiment.

This book is an important reminder of how much the battlefields of WW1 changed from the slaughter of the Somme/Verdun and how the generals were finally grasping the importance of the Tank and mobile warfare. Although Cambrai itself gained little in terms of territory it provided a blueprint to the Allies on how to fight future battles.

The fact that the tank was comming to the Western Front in ever increasing numbers would prove a death knel to imperial Germany. Whilst the comming arrival of American troops (who never really contributed to any overwhelming defeat of Germany) was on the German high command's radar; it was this opperation that forced the Germans to launch the disasterous "Kaiser's Battle" before British warfare adapted to a point where Germany could no longer defeat them. The book is packed with detail on who supported (Winston Churchill amongst others) this new method of warfare and who opposed it. An interesting addition to a military historians collection.

This is a beautiful book for anyone who loves the majesty and grace of the horse. The photos are wonderful! Another one of my favorites is a training book called Horse, Follow Closely by GaWaNi Pony Boy. Check them both out!!

Any horse lover with adore this book. The photos are extreemely high quality and capture the true essence of the horse. The wonderful, but not overpowering, write-ups only add to the overall appeal of this book. It is well worth the money because you will look at it over and over-a great buy!

The descriptive accounts for gamers and battletech universe readers of Clan life, history and most interesting of all characteristics bring to life the Clan way.The background information is formidable.A few of the early clans that were absorbed or lost are missing but overall an excellent read to pick up time after time.

This field manual is much like the Comstar one. It tries to cover too many different nations, and as a consequence, feels lacking after you are finished reading it. On the other hand, it provides decent updates of every major periphery nation and excellent information on their armed forces. Also, the manual is written from the point of view of the Word of Blake overall, but incudes sections by the periphery powers themselves, creating an interesting set of viewpoints to compare in the book. As far as new 'mechs and equipment go, the manual has logical developements, but that still didn't hide my disappointment that nothing cooler was coming out of the periphery (I always like to root for the underdogs, especially the Outworlds Alliance). Overall, though, I think that this is a solid book, with regard to its information on periphery leaders and personages, and on periphery militaries (including pirates!). Also, for any Mechwarrior players, the manual excels here, providing over ten life paths with their own individual event tables. The only thing I noticed with that was that many of the next path options list a path called Tour of Duty: Periphery, but the manual (disappointingly) has no such path, so I don't know what to make of that. Like all the other FASA manuals that I've seen so far, this one is well written and layed out, but it falls below the excellence of the Lyran and FedSuns manuals, being more like the Comstar book.

Bryan Fair's book is both analitical and personal demonstration of why affirmative action is still necessary in this country, despite all the diatribe against it these days. Based at the University of Alabama and familiar with the administrative practicalities of implmenting affirmative action programs, Fair gives a wake-up call to all those white males who seem to think that affirmative action's time is past and it's finished it's work.

Fair points out that we'd be creating a minority underclass without AA, and how this would increase tension and make society worse for everyone, minority or not. Most tellingly, Fair inserts his own personal experience as a child in a family with 10 kids. With no AA, people like him wouldve been left behind. An important read.

The book is very real and I loved each chapter. I called my baby sister(the baby of 13) and read some of the preface to her and we reflected upon our own lives of "poverty in the raw." I "felt" the author because we have been there and done that. The book is really open and honest. All individuals of poverty in american can be proud that one of us made it out. We will all one day tell our story. This book provoked me to go ahead and get the law degree. Law is the rule of our experience. Thanks

Kate Bryan's plucky heroine, no doubt one of the few female private eyes in 1875 California, returns in an adventure only slightly less entertaining than her debut in Murder at Bent Elbow. This time around, Maggie Maguire and her cousin/partner Grady find themselves trapped with a group of apparent strangers on Cutthroat Island, an isolated resort. In typical murder mystery fashion, someone is picking off the characters, one by one . . .

Because the plot felt more like a conventional mystery, and because everything happened in an isolated setting that wasn't too different from resorts today, this installment lacked the distinctive historical feel of the first book. Ms. Bryan's colorful, entertaining characters made up for that, though. She creates vivid individuals that create strong impressions in the reader's mind. Maggie and Grady are fun to read about, and that's why I'm looking forward to their future adventures.

One quibble: it wouldn't break my heart to see the characters develop a little as the series progresses. In both books, Ms. Bryan drops hints about Maggie and Grady's lives when they aren't away solving crimes, but doesn't show us any more. I like Maggie and Grady, but I don't feel like I know enough about them to love them or be truly involved in their lives.

The multi-talented Maggie Maguire and her pickpocket cousin, Grady, are back on the job (if only accidentally), and they're a stitch in this very entertaining spin on Ten Little Indians. Grady is snidely sarcastic, as always, while Maggie solves the crime. Loved the bit with the snake in Grady's "convenience"! A rollicking good read!