The 1936 election marked the birth for pollsters George Gallup and Elmo Roper, whose names are now well-known. But no one knows the name of Emil Hurja, who was the driving force behind the Roosevelt campaign. While the Literary Digest was predicting a landslide victory for Republican opponent Alf Landon, Roosevelt was entirely confident of his reelection because of Hurja's work. Holli, seemingly the only person to even mention Hurja's name, amazingly recounts his life and details how Hurja led Roosevelt to be consistently victorious. A must-read for anyone interested in the history of public opinion polling or the New Deal Era.

Overall a very good book. The authors try to show the incredible importance of workplace design and offer many examples of well designed workplaces. They are a little weak on empirical backing for some of their claims but all of what they say has at least an intuitive appeal.

Rachel Stern, Jack Halder, and Harry Weaver are all friends working on an archeological dig in Egypt in 1939. Both Jack and Harry are actually in love with Rachel, but war in Europe looms and the three must part. Rachel, a German Jew, and her parents plan to wait out the war in Istanbul while Harry returns home to the USA and Jack to Germany. However, they're destined to meet in Sakkara again in early 1944 as Jack and Rachel lead a German commando team whose mission is to assassinate Franklin Roosevelt as he meets with Winston Churchill in Egypt. And it's Harry's job to stop them.

This book is loosely based on an actual German mission that apparently came very close to succeeding. However the addition of Jack, Rachel, and Harry are pure fiction. And the author has taken liberties with how the mission was actually conducted which is, of course, his perogative. I was bothered by a number of things with this book. First, why is it that the heroes can always take beatings, gunshot wounds, stabbings, etc and it never slows them down. I know, I know, it's fiction. But this sort of thing threatens the versimlitude of the story and makes you leave the author's world. Second, why do the bad guys, whenever they have the good guy at their mercy, always do dumb things. For instance, at the end the evil Major Kleist (a cartoon SS major who's also along on the mission) has the drop and both Harry and Jack (who have joined forces by this time, don't ask). Kleist hates them both, Jack because he's the son of a rich Prussian, Harry because he's the enemy. Kleist relishes their death as he holds a machine pistol on them. One pull of the trigger and our two heroes are both history. However, Kleist has even a better idea. Let's get them into the boat and drop them in the Nile for the crocodiles. Of course this gives Jack and Harry the opportunity they need to escape. Nitpicky? Perhaps. But if the situation is dumb, the author doesn't have to put them into it. There are other ways to do these kind of things.

Another example. To find out if Roosevelt is really in the secure compound Harry and Kleist have to crawl through a dirty, dusty tunnel which takes them past the defenses and onto the grounds. They're wearing US Army uniforms. They walk freely about the secure compound and Harry actually gets right next to Roosevelt. Didn't they get dirty from crawling through the tunnel? Even if they weren't recognized for Axis spies the first officer who'd seen them in the dirty uniforms would have stopped them, especially with the President of the US nearby. Once again, details the break the versimlitude of the story.

The ending. I won't give you details, but it drags on and on and on.

This was my first Glenn Meade book and it will probably be my last.

This was an excellent story about World War II. Three friends who share quality time at Sakkara on an archeological expedition are seperated by the War. Harry Waever is in military intelligence for the United States. His other two friends,Jack Halder and Rachel Stern are at work for the Nazis. They are setting up a German plan to assasinate Roosevelt and Churchill in Egypt. It is up to Weaver to stop them. They are of course reunited. This excellent book has many surprises as well as many

twists and turns. The book will definitely leave you wondering what if? Be sure to read this book, you will not be dissapointed.

Having read all Meade's books to date, I'd definitely recommend The Sands of Sakkara. It's slightly different to Brandenburg and Snow Wolf--but then who wants the same menu all the time? It has a great cast of characters, an excellent storyline, and some terrific twists--what the hell more do you want? Also, the fact that the story is based on a factual event makes it all the more compelling. I don't know what the reader Bobbiewig@aol.com means by trends--and that reader sure has his facts wrong: Brandenburg was Meade's first book, and Snow Wolf his second. Some folks like nothing better than to gripe! And you can't expect a writer to serve up the same dish each meal--enjoy the difference, don't knock it. Besides, Meade is a far better thriller writer than anyone in the genre. He knows how to keep a story moving, his characters are memorable, often truly wonderful, and his books not only entetaining, but moving and sincere. The latter two facets you rarely get in this genre, and for me they're a marvellous bonus. Meade's among the very best I've read in the last twenty years--and possibly the very best. Enjoy!

Until this novel, Salman Rushdie was a tease. Yes, his words are musical and magical, inventive and playful. And yes, his characters are complicated and real.

But I knew I was missing half of what he wrote. Who caught the targets of his allusions? Not me. I don't know the Koran (Satanic Verses) or the history of Pakistan (Shame) or India (Midnight's Children).

Now he has written something for me. Set in India and London and New York, the references and allusions are all to rock and roll. Elvis, Ike and Tina, Dylan, Madonna and U2 are obvious. Less obvious are David Bowie, David Byrne, and the Clash. But they are all here.

And the story is moving, easily the most emotional work he has crafted.

"The Ulysses of Rock and Roll", trumpets one reviewer on the dust jacket. Maybe. I can't think of any other decent contenders for that title. Certainly Rushdie has not let his fans down if what they were hoping for was for him to sustain his reputation for daring inventiveness and great writing.

This novel is the story of a rock star couple, in the vein of Ike and Tina Turner (though later on with the reclusive lifestyle of Michael Jackson), told from the perspective of a friend (and sometime lover) photographer. The settings span India (of course), England and the US; the themes include music (naturally), mysticism, insanity and loyalty. Oh, and seismology - the earthquake is ever-present, warning the reader that nothing is to be relied on, that the ground can give way beneath you at any point.

Without giving away too much of the plot, the book is set in what science fiction writers would call a parallel universe, where Simon and Garfunkel are women, where Bill Clinton never makes it to the presidential candidacy (due to the premature discovery of certain extramarital liaisons), and England joins the Vietnam conflict. All the settings are beautifully portrayed, but the greatest literary trick that Rushdie uses is to use real people - mostly rock stars - as characters. U2 put in an appearance (a group called Vox Pop - referring to Bono's full name, Bono Vox, and their mid-90s album Pop) as "a promising Irish quartet"; Andy Warhol is there, with Basquiat, Lou Reed and the rest of the crowd; David Bowie is the "thin guy from England" ; and so on. The rock fan will have a lot of fun looking out for the others. The honour of most prominent real person, though, goes bizarrely to Brian Eno, portrayed as himself (a music engineer). Amazing.

In a case of art imitating art, U2 have written material using lyrics from the book. The songs, in turn, are in the soundtrack to the Wim Wenders movie Million Dollar Hotel. And Rushdie goes on to feature as a character in the spy thriller The Hit List, by (real life) former British special forces operative Chris Ryan. Multimedia indeed.

Where will it end? I don't care. This is great fun, and brilliant writing to boot.

Sometimes Salman Rushdie's books are, I must confess, a bit obscure. Unless you were a comp. lit. major & also understand Indian & Muslim politics. I have no doubt that those books are "great" but they are a hard read if you want to really follow all the allusions. The Ground Beneath Her Feet is a much more accessible work that shows Rushdie's brilliance without overwhelming the reader with obscure allusions (it does, of course, help to be well read in some of the classics & in Indian history, however). Two aspects of Rushdie's strengths are most manifest -- his ability to write beautiful sentences and his ability to intertwine multiple plots together into a beautiful, elegant & coherent whole. And, of course, the book has an intoxicating ryhthm -- which goes with one of its themes -- the music of 2 of its 3 protagonists -- that keeps the reader wanting to go on, to learn more about the misadventures of the characters. I recommend this book highly. Don't be put off by any experiences you've had with other works by this author.

* I was a bit surprised when I picked up Edmund S. Morgan's
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN and found that it was only about 300 pages
long. Professor Morgan is clearly a scholar, and scholars
generally don't write short, simple works. Short, simple
works don't win them any prestige, they're not distinctive
enough to be salable, and besides, scholars are generally so
deeply into a subject that doing something short isn't all
that satisfying to them.

Of course, I wasn't unhappy about finding a short biography
of the magnificent Franklin. Big scholarly biographies are
a fine thing in themselves, but they generally give me several
times more than I want to know or could retain, and a short
simple biography makes it easier to see the forest for the
trees.

However, on reading Professor Morgan's FRANKLIN it wasn't quite
what I was expecting. Instead of a simple, general biography,
what Professor Morgan provides is a book that focuses mostly on
Franklin's political development and work. As such, it seems
more like a selectively edited-down version of a much larger
work.

This was a bit disappointing because I was expecting something
more casual and entertaining, but that being said I have to go
on and say this is a good book. After all, it would almost
take effort to make Benjamin Franklin seem dull and uninteresting,
and if Professor Morgan doesn't focus on how colorful Franklin
was, he doesn't ignore it, either. One of my favorite comments
was Franklin reporting how, in a pre-Revolutionary visit to
France, the French got him to wear French clothes and adopt
French customs, and soon, he concluded, he would have to start
making love to the wives of his friends.

Still, it is telling about Professor Morgan's book that he
doesn't add the famous story about how Franklin took to
wearing a coonskin cap during his diplomatic effort in France
to reinforce their perceptions of him as a person from a
wild, frontier country -- when Franklin had lived in cities
all his life. So this book comes across as a bit neither fish
nor fowl, not exactly the kind of book that would light up
someone who was just starting out on Franklin, and not
all that satisfactory to someone who couldn't get enough of
him and would want a lot more.

Benjamin Franklin by Edmund S. Morgan is not only an excellent biography, but an insightful review of American history surrounding the Revolution-a history that I had mostly forgotten since my high school days. The book is particularly good in describing Franklin as the full-time statesman (post 1757). Certainly, no book could ever equal his autobiography in describing his "earlier" years.

The book succeeds in producing such a favorable impression of the character of Benjamin Franklin and the justness of the American Revolution that one wonders whether the book is highly skewed in those regards. In the end, I think not. Franklin was a most remarkable man, not only because he was both a scientist and a public servant, but he was highly virtuous as well.

I found the casual, almost colloquial, style of writing difficult to follow at times, particularly at the beginning of the book. Also, Prof. Morgan often repeats facts, sometimes separated only by a page or two. Although this habit was annoying at first, I came to appreciate its usefulness in reminding the reader of key pieces of information.

After reading this book, it's virtually impossible to say anything bad about Benjamin Franklin. John Adams apparently thought he was indolent, but that's probably because Adams didn't understand Franklin's style. And what a style he had! Take, for example, his famous quote about Adams: "...is always an honest Man, often a Wise One, but sometimes and in some things, absolutely out of his Senses". A candid, but balanced observation, considering the damage Adams had done to the diplomatic relationships Franklin worked so hard to build with France.

Edmund Morgan's affection for Franklin comes through loud and clear in this well-written, absorbing book. There's not much of Franklin's family life here, although is touches on his relationships with his wife and two children. The focus is on his role as a public servant, which he took very seriously, and his modus operandi, which is fascinating.

A highly social person, as a youth Franklin began founding organizations for the public good. He was responsible for organizing the first lending library and the first volunteer fire company. He later put this skill into diplomatic work with England and France and for the revolutionary cause. In addition to the enormous service he gave to his country, he took delight in being of service to his fellow man worldwide through his scientific research and inventions. The two most notable inventions were lightning rods (arising from his discovery of electricity) and the Franklin stove.

At least as impressive as his accomplishments is the mastery with which he dealt with people, particularly in delicate situations. He knew when and how to use his renowned wit. Although he had strong views, he recognized the power of popular opinion and was capable of suppressing his views to achieve results.

This is a well-written, well-organized portrait of Benjamin Franklin as public servant and social genius.

This book is a good one for taking you from ground zero as far as knowing how to use Flash to being comfortable with everything and creating your own stuff. I had an animation up and going (one I created myself, without tutorials) in minutes. The book covers the tools, what they're for, how they can be used pretty well. Combined with the tutorials and the help files that comes with Flash this book is a great tool to learn Flash with. This isn't a book for experienced users unless they just need a basic reference, but there is a wide range of things covered here. How to draw with Flash, sound, animation, interactivity, even putting movies on the web, or making them into gifs or jpegs for the web, it's all talked about in relatively nice detail. There are typos, however, but that's more of a minor annoyance and not much of a hinderance at all. The important information is clear enough that unless you're immensely bothered by typos, you'll enjoy this book no matter what. It's a helpful tool, but I think I'll need another, more advanced book eventually. This book has enough information and help that I should be able to go from ground zero to getting myself employed doing Flash, it's worth checking out. This isn't the sort of book (especially since Flash 5.0 just came out a few months ago) that is going to have a second edition come out, so typos and errors won't be fixed. I think it was money well-spent though, I'm a satisfied customer.

This book is an excellent resource for learning and usingFlash! Three of my friends have used this book for learning it aswell! It gives comprehensive coverage of _all_ the commands and functions of Flash, including drawing tools, the menubar, and the Actionscript functions.

The best way to use this book is to go through the tutorials on the CD (which are immensely helpful) as you read along. In this way, it feels like you're actually being taught by someone! Great job!

The only qualm I have with F4CWA is, while every aspect of the Actionscript language is covered, and it gives a practical usage for each, I find it difficult to create some advanced effects. For instance, I download numerous .fla files on such sites as Flashkit.com which feature Actionscript. But I read the actual Actionscript though, I find that I'm lost, and am thinking, "How did they do this! "

Despite this, I still feel that this book is an excellent tutorial and reference to all Flash developers. Although this is the only Flash book I have, I have read through numerous other reviews on Amazon.com that complain about no Actionscript section at all! Therefore, I commend Derek Franklin and Brooks Patton for putting together such a useful and comprehensive book!

Highly recommended!

I found this book to be an excellent resource for using this software the way it was intended to be used. It's a rare thing to find useful documentaion that comes with a product and describes how to use the procuct to it's fullest. Flash 4 is no exception! The software does so much, but if you were to judge it's potential based on the manual that comes with it, you'd think it was half the product that it really is. Also, it's tough to find any ONE third party book that EVRYONE is happy with. Everyone has a different learning style that works for them. Some of us learn by reading, others by seeing, and others by doing. This book is designed to take the reader (or learner) by the hand and walk them through the most fundamental aspects of the product. Lots of us like to look through a table of contents, see the subject we're after, jump right to that page, and expect things to be comprehensible. Not so true with this book. If you're like me, you'll learn best with this book if you start from page 1, have patience, and read through it chapter by chapter. DO THE EXAMPLES, watch the movies on the CD, study them, and apply what you just learned to your own projects. The product is quite complex and does some fantastic things. There's no quick and easy answers to blow you through all that Flash 4 has to offer. But the authors of this book seem to understand this and present it in such a way as though you were taking a course on the subject. No instructor is going to start teaching in week 12, what ought to be taught in week 3. Stick with them, try not to jump ahead, and when you're finished, you'll have an extremely solid grasp of the software (much more so than if you had picked up a "quiky" book). I now have four books on Flash 4 and have read all of them cover to cover (and some more than once). This book, by far, takes the cake!

Mark Twain was a true American original and one of the true titanic figures of American literature. He was also, as anyone who bothers to dig beneath the "The-guy-who-wrote-Tom-Sawyer-and-Huck-Finn" surface knows, a man who held distinct and perhaps slightly provocative political opinions. One of the things Mark most detested was monarchy - once calling it "the grotesquest swindle ever invented by man." In his later highly controversial novel, A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court, he took on the concept in a viscious and fearless adult satire. In this, his earlier novel, The Prince and The Pauper, Twain did the same thing while aiming principally at younger readers. The story, while featuring a lot of dialect in Middle English, is written in fairly simple and straight-forward prose, which, thus, opens the book up to readers both young and old. The novel's oft-forgotten original subtitle, A Tale For Young People of All Ages, perfectly sums up the books' merits: while this novel may have been written, primarily, with a young target audience in mind, it can also be enjoyed and appreciated by adults. Though it is novel length, the style in which it is written reflects that of classic fairy tales, and will probably be appealing to any child who likes to read. Adults, on the other hand, will note and appreciate the books' deeper underlying meanings, as well as Twain's ever-present wit. This book is very well-written; Twain, a master writer, was, alas, sometimes prone to clumsy prose in his novels - but not here. The Prince and the Pauper is practically a tour-de-force of character development and suspense in plotting. Reccommended to younger readers looking to broaden their horizons, as well as Twain fans of any age.

As a final thing worth mentioning, many reviewers here have commented that, owing to its use of dialect (something which Mark Twain uses in every single one of his writings, which is part of the reason why he was such a great writer - not to mention why he is the true father of real American literature), it is hard to understand. If these assertions have bothered you, however, rest assured: they are mightly over-exaggerated. The dialogue, though prevalent, is minor, and the meanings of the words are usually obvious - even to children; after all, one must remember who Twain wrote this book for. Most children who would read this book would probably already be familar with these elementary colloquial phrases from the many King Arthur stories derived from Malory. And, even if not, Twain foresaw this - and was helpful enough to include a useful appendix.

Mark Twain's, The Prince and the Pauper is a classic look back into sixteenth-century English society. Tom Canty is a young boy who is born into poverty and is forced to beg in the streets of London by his father. Edward Tudor is the Prince of Wales, heir to the throne. Both of these boys were born on the same day but grew up in opposite ways of life. One day Tom is dreaming about being a prince and starts walking towards the royal palace. When he reaches the palace the guards try to stop him but Prince Edward sees Tom's condition and invites him to his quarters to hear what Tom has to say. While they sit there they begin to realize what strong resemblance there is between them and decide to switch clothes to fulfill Tom's dream of looking Princely. All of a sudden Edward storms out of the room to denounce the guards who did harm to Tom, only to be mistaken as the poor pauper and locked out of the royal palace. From here on out the two boys experience what life is like in the other's shoes. Mark Twain does an outstanding job of developing each character and showing how each must learn new ideas to deal with their latest way of life. Unfortunately I did find myself losing my concentration while reading this book. This easily could have been due to the fact that the way Twain wrote The Prince and the Pauper was actually on a very easy reading level, which would lead me to recommend this book to readers of middle school age who enjoy adventurous tales like The Boxcar Children or The Hardy Boys.

The Prince and the Pauper written by Mark Twain is an adventurous, exciting book. The book takes place in London around the 1500's. Two boys were born on the same day, Tom Canty and Edward Tudor. Tom Canty was born unto a poor life, and as a boy growing up, "Tom's reading and dreaming about princely life wrought such a strong effect upon him that he began to act the prince." And just his luck, did he happen to some across the Prince of Wales, after suffering the hard blow of the soldier knocking him into the crowd. The Prince of Wales is Edward Tudor, the other boy born on the same day but born into a rich and wealthy family. As a result from the encounter, the two boys decide to switch places, as the Prince of Wales says to Tom Canty, "Doff thy rags and don these splendors."
The book describes the boys' adventures throughout the experience of living each other's lives. As the Prince of Wales lives as the pauper, he is introduced to and learns about many different people such as the Canty family, Miles Hendon, a troop of Vagabonds, Hugo, the peasants, the hermit, and others. And as Tom Canty acts as the Prince of Wales, he experiences living the higher life of royalty, being treated with respect and given so many opportunities and choices.
Through having the plot be that the characters switch places, the book is more exciting because the reader could act in the character's place and experience the lifestyles and adventures involved with each person's life. Other than being able to understand better each person's lifestyle with the type of writing, using dialogue in Old English adds a stronger effect to bringing everything back in time to understand the setting. Although at times, the Old English could get confusing.
Overall, I thought that this book was interesting because it explains the lifestyles of different people in London around the 1500's in a way that is fun and easy to understand. Although at times, I did feel as if it carried on too much about things that were insignificant. Other than that, the book was good and I would recommend that it be read, if you are interested in adventure.
Other adventure books written by Mark Twain, such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, were also interesting, but I enjoyed reading The Prince and the Pauper more because it contained more excitement for me.

This reviewer has read many books about Franklin Roosevelt, but not many recently because they are too repetitious. What did I find out here that I didn't read before?- Roosevelt's last evening on earth seemed to be somewhat pleasant. Although he looked tired, after a drink he spoke with animation about his forthcoming trip to the San Francisco United Nations Conference. The following afternoon, April 12th, his next to last words were "I have a terrific pain in the back of my head." His last words as he was carried to his room were "Be careful." A statement on page 51 about the religions could be interpreted as biased or prejudiced. However, he appointed men of all major religions to high office. So in this case actions spoke louder than words.

The title of the new book from Michael Beschloss is completely accurate, once you understand the meaning of THE CONQUERORS: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1941-1945. The key word in that title is not "conquerors"; very little attention is given to Bradley, Patton and the military efforts to defeat the Axis Powers. The focus of the book is not on the disposition of forces, the overall grand strategies, or the use of air power. Beschloss concentrates not on the destruction of German military might but on the destruction of the idea of Hitler's Germany. The conflict in THE CONQUERORS is intellectual rather than physical. It is not about the battle for Germany but the battle for the hearts and minds of postwar Germans. The challenge, as the Allied leaders saw it, was how to prevent another war and how to ensure that Germany could not and would not trouble the peace of the world again.

THE CONQUERORS is primarily the story of the Morgenthau Plan, an ill-starred attempt by Roosevelt's Treasury Secretary, Henry Morgenthau, to impact American policy in postwar Germany. The plan involved the wholesale destruction of German manufacturing capacity and the immediate execution of Nazi leaders; opponents described it as "Carthaginian." Beschloss describes how Morgenthau, Roosevelt's closest Jewish friend, was influenced by early reports of the Holocaust and frustrated by his failure to convince FDR to take action to stop the grisly machinery of the concentration camps. Morgenthau is the primary character in the book; his private letters and papers are the main source of material for Beschloss. As a result, the focus of THE CONQUERORS is Morgenthau's experience, which primarily consists of bureaucratic infighting among the Treasury, State and War Departments, as well as the new Truman Administration.

The result is a masterful work, yet it is a little dry for the casual reader. Moreover, Beschloss provides little in the way of second-guessing, preferring instead to let the story of the Morgenthau Plan explain itself. This allows the reader to see the problems of postwar Germany the way that Roosevelt and Truman saw them --- complete with asides about Roosevelt's boyhood vacations in Bavaria and Truman's reflexive anti-Semitism. However, aside from a brief introduction and conclusion, Beschloss provides little analysis of the mistakes, if any, that were made by Roosevelt, Truman and Morgenthau. Furthermore, Beschloss provides little or no detail about the crucial issue of how and why the Morgenthau Plan was dropped in favor of the more lenient (and ultimately more successful) Marshall Plan.

THE CONQUERORS is a valuable book, if a little frustrating in spots. It sheds light on a period only dimly understood by most and it does a good service by putting Henry Morgenthau in the spotlight of history once more. While it may not be as meaty as a good rehash of the war in the European theater, it is still important and vital.

--- Reviewed by Curtis Edmonds

World War II has been one of the most popular subjects in book publishing in the last few years. But much of those books like Tom Brokaw's Greatest Generation series and the late Stephen Ambrose's books focused on the average foot soldier's experiences. Presidential historian Michael Beschloss' The Conquerors looks at the men at the highest ranking of power, most notably Franklin D. Roosevelt. Mr. Beschloss is an obvious devotee to FDR and he considers him the most important world leader of the 20th century, but the book is even-handed in its assessment of FDR's handling of the war and post war Germany. Most notable is FDR's take on the Holocaust and his Treasury secretary Henry Morgenthau's efforts to convince FDR to take a more active role in stopping the concentration camps. The fact that FDR was reflecting the views of day toward Judaism is not an excuse in Mr. Beschloss' mind for his passive attitude towards dealing with that most harrowing of situations. Though much of the subject matter has been recounted in far too many other books to note, Mr. Beschloss' writing style is more entertaining than most. While he deals with high-minded subject matter, he presents it in an intelligent, yet ease to digest manner.

Scott Cookman's book on the "tragic fate of Sir John Franklin's lost Polar expedition" of 1845 provides a fascinating account of the times, the British Admiralty's politics, and the incredible known facts which surround this failed voyage. Cookman cites in his preface the encouragement of his parents in changing a well-paid advertising career to "take up the dubious path of the pen". Let me be honest in saying that Mr. Cookman needs either to refine his style or find a better editor,if he had one, because I was continually frustrated by repeated facts, sometimes within the same chapter in exactly the same words, and repeated phrases throughout the book when trying to make a point. This criticism aside, I salute Mr. Cookman for the amount of research he has done into an expedition from which only one sheet of paper was retrieved with two brief and cryptic messages written eleven months apart. All of his facts were woven into into a fascinating tale of a voyage of discovery to the fabled Northwest Passage by 2 ships and 130 men, tracking the extremities of attempts at survival from accounts of rescue attempts and recent archaelogical discoveries. Cookman has, he feels, uncovered the prime reason for the mission's failure in the incredible fraud perpetrated on the Admiralty by the supplier of tinned food for the expedition, one Stephen Goldner. Cookman's research into Goldner's methods of preserving food are every bit as morbidly fascinating as Upton Sinclair's expose of meat processing in Chicago. Except for the stylistic eccentricities, Cookman's book is a fascinationg read, and adds to the growing library of voyages and explorations gone bad.

This is the story of a fateful 1845 polar expedition that went terribly wrong. This was a British enterprise led by Captain Sir John Franklin to find the Northwest Passage using the most advance ships and equipment at that time. Now I am a complete novice when it comes to this subject matter however I found this book very interesting and it offered a compelling story of misadventure, bravery, corruption, and suspense.

I found that the author, Scott Cookman, presented his story in such an easy manner that the narrative just raced along and I lost track of time reading about this terrible drama. It must be stated from the beginning that the author has no direct testimony of what actually happen to this expedition since all involved died.

However Cookman has utilised the accounts of many other polar explorers to support his theory of what may have happened and to give graphic examples of the conditions these men laboured under during this expedition. Overall I found it a gripping account and although he may not be 100% correct in his deductions I found that it was quite believable.

Cookman has used a wide range of sources including material from the Public Records Office and the Admiralty in London. He takes the time to fully explain the means and methods used at the time for polar exploration and I fully enjoyed his account of the men and ships involved. This is a great story and the book has prompted me to learn more about the brave men who charted the Arctic and Antarctic regions before modern technology made all too easy.

The Arctic expedition of Sir John Franklin is one of the most infamous incidents in a series of infamous incidents that was Arctic exploration in the 19th century. This book retells his story, and the story of his men. In this, it is no different from the many other books on the subject, including Buried in Ice, a recent archeological study of the Franklin expedition. However, this book gives a name to the enemy: Stephen Goldner, who sold the canned food to the expedition. It is the perfect book for the novice, like myself, who just wants a basic overview of one of the more fascinating and tragic episodes in exploration history.

When I was little I loved his books (I had and read all of them) but now I am just realizing how bad the Goosebumps series was. I haven't read this book in a long time but I know this book was bad. If you are a little kid you should read it but I think all the gosebump book should get a 4 or lower.

Ever since I was little I loved water.The reason I read this book was because I read deep Trouble 2 first ,so I decided to go ahead and read the fist one.I started reading it and loved it.I can't tell you what happens in the book like the other reviews I read because I'd ruin the story.You'll just have to read it to find out

This is the best book I've ever read!It's extremely exciting.It seems like every time you turn a page something new's happening.You simply can't put it down.In this book there are crooks, sea monsters, mermaids, sharks etc. I recomend this book to anyone & everyone. You gotta read it!