This book has been the BANE of my existence since I started A.P. History. I'll let some typically horrendous qoutes speak for me. "The Russian bear, having lumbered across Asia, was seeking to bathe its frostbitten paws in the ice-free ports of China's Manchuria..."; "...looted and polluted...w/ speed and greed.."; "fearing that a new generation of Germans would follow in their father's goose steps..." and so on. There's an entire chapter with section names such as "Unhorsing Knights of Labor" and "Gvt. Bridles the Iron Horse" and shameful use of alliteration such as "Wrongdoing in Railroading" and "Miracles in Mechanization". Bailey even throws in one that rhymes. It may seem funny to an outsider, but it's not--the entire book is written exactly like that. Bailey amazes me anew w/ every chapter. Just when you think it can't get any worse, it does, big time. My theory is that his 1st ambition was to be a grocery-store romance novelist, but his writing was too bad, even for that--so he turned to textbooks to pay the bills. It's not even close to being objective, as a text should be; he constantly passes judgement on events, policies, even people. My hatred is impossible to fully express. I used to LOVE history, but this thing makes reading a chore. I plan to complain to the proper authorities in my school, to try to improve the lot of future generations of students.

Bailey made clear distinguishing characteristics between the roots of the early democratic and republican parties and carried their philosophies throughout the book.

I guess that the history of American politics and how it REALLY became what it is today bothers many who feel that capitalism is nothing but evil, that there were ever countries that threatened our nation once upon a time, and that REAGAN whooped communism by OUT-SPENDING them on arms...these truths are spelled out in this book whether you want to face them or not.

This book is the finest work of American history that I have ever read. It is high informative while tracing the historical currents in American politics, economics, and society. It provides superp preparation for the AP US History exam. It is a truly enjoyable book to read: a pleasant mix of wit and scholarship.

Gerd Ludwig photography is first-class but I wish written text had been as creative as the photographer's eye. Nothing to discredit the author, Fen Montaigne. But Fen, must you be so boring and bland. A single image captured a thousand words and your text was a dreadful mono-tone grounded in a yawning choice of vocabulary.

If your looking for images and insight text read "The Home Planet" by Kevin W Kelley. Two different subject matters, but the written text illustrates where this book went astray.

Broken Empire leaves an indelible mark on the memory. This stunning work presents a passionate and proud people, ravaged by the merciless process of political change. The book's coverage of the effect on the Russian environmental landscape alone, makes this a documentary of great importance. But most unforgettable, are the images which capture the entire spectrum of human experience that the nation's new self-image has imposed - from humiliation and despair, to dignity and triumph of the spirit against all odds - making this work an uncompromising testament to the historic realities of post-communistic Russia.

Contrary to the cover image of the book, this work clearly takes the blindfolds off in delivering a superb body of photographic work.

I have been traveling to the former Soviet Union now for the past twenty-five years and have always been surprised by how ignorant the world was about this marvelous nation. Ludwig clearly has an intimate feel for the soul of this great world. The images breathe and display the majesty of this people and empire wonderfully, warts and all. This is not a tragic populace, but a noble collection of races and groups who share a common pride, humanism and patriotism with a unique perspective and outlook on life that is both refreshing and vital.

I thought that the Western world would never get it right about the great land and her people, but Ludwig's masterpiece clearly and artfully reveals the nuances of an emerging colossus whose rightful place in history, commerce, politics, art and culture is assured by its dogged determinism to continue, to live, to strive to express the essence that is "Mother Russia".

And to do all of this with photography...what an achievement!!

I can't stress this enough - you can't expect to read this book alone and be entertained, you must read the later books in the Tales of the Jedi series. Alone, this book lacks action and focuses more on the beginnings of the exciting events that would take place later. If you're looking for early Nomi Sunrider, Ulic Qel-Droma, or especially Exar Kun stories, this is as early as they come. Otherwise, don't read this unless you plan to spend plenty of money on the other titles in the series.

Knights of the Old Republic is the first story published in the Tales of the Jedi storyline. Written by Tom Veitch, the guy who also did the Dark Empire comics, the characters and situations herein are pretty much taken from the backstory he created for his prior Star Wars jaunt. Overall this is a pretty good comic, and it paves the path for what will be one of the most exciting epics in Dark Horse's Star Wars publishing run. Knights of the Old Republic is not one story, but two that will tie together in later Tales of the Jedi books. The art is a mixed bag (more on that later), but the stories told are vintage Star Wars.

The first chapter, 'Ulic Qel-Droma and the Beast Wars of Onderon,' tells the story of several young Jedi given their first task by their Master - a diplomatic/peacekeeping mission to a world that is petitioning to join the Republic. Ulic Qel-Droma is a rash, brash Jedi who despite his impulsiveness is a skilled Jedi and strong in the Force. His companions are his brother Cay and the Twi'lek Tott Doneeta, neither of whom are as good with a lightsaber as Ulic, but both of whom are more cautious. There are no real surprises in this story - there is of course the obligatory brush with the Dark Side and lots of fight scenes, but it does serve very well to introduce these characters, their skills and personalities. Chris Gossett's art is very good here, but the coloring seems somewhat dull.

The second chapter, 'The Saga of Nomi Sunrider,' is a much better story even if the art stinks. Nomi is a Force-sensitive woman who is too timid to be a Jedi, although her husband, Andur, has followed that path. While they are en route to deliver some adegan crystals to Andur's future master, some thugs who want the expensive crystals kill Andur. Nomi, without thinking, takes Andur's lightsaber, kills the thugs, and then proceeds to deliver the crystals to Master Thon. For months she is reluctant to learn the ways of the Force, and absolutely refuses to touch a lightsaber, but when the Hutt whose hoodlums she killed shows up looking for vengeance, she has no choice but to take up arms. This story was much more enjoyable than Ulic's, and all around much better. The art, however, is pretty weak and ugly.

While these stories are not terribly exciting as standalones, when looked at in the context of the rest of the series they are a worthy introductory chapter with lots of lightsaber fights, a few new Force techniques, brash students, wise masters, cruel enemies, and decent artwork. Recommended.

Unreal. Amazing. Jedi!!!
And so, with a few bucks to burn, I picked up this holy tome all those years ago. I was fascinated. Never before have I cared about a set of characters so much, save for Han and Chewie. This sets the stage for the next four volumes. The main characters here are Ulic Qel-Droma, Jedi Knight, and Nomi Sunrider, who inadvertently follows the path of the Jedi. Their paths interconnect eventually, and the story unfolds. This a rare set of comics that can actually be classified as a saga. Later volumes introduce Exar Kun, a name you may know from Kevin J. Anderson's Jedi Academy trilogy.

As an archaeologist working on the archaeology of North East Asia, I found this book a very big disappointment. Then again what should I expect from a historian whose speciality is the 18th and 19th century history of Russia?

The author draws heavily on secondary works in English, German, French and Russian. Instead of depending on those, he should have gone directly to the archaeological site reports and the historical annals themselves. Its also sad to see a synthesis on Russia and Central Asia that relies heavily on the works of English language scholars and ignoring the Russian and Mongolian language scholars. In terms of some of his English secondary sources, ones like Davis-Kimball et al. (NOMADS OF THE EURASIAN STEPPE) and Barfield's PERILOUS FRONTIER are still in print and available from AMAZON.COM.

Production values in this book are also uneven. The photographic reproductions in many cases are also poorly scanned copies (see for example p. 53, 214 in the paperback version). The publisher should have done a better job.

My advice: you can do a lot better (try the two suggestions above)

This book is the only book to deal with the lands in question (Inner Asia) so thoroughly. I feel as if a large gap in my knowledge of history has been at least partially filled (there is always more to learn). Not that I'm without my complaints: the maps are few and far in between, the photographs poorly done. Sometimes, the book was downright boring, but that's to be expected with such an extensive book.

If you want to learn about the dynamic relationship between argricultural civilizations and pastoralist civilizations, read this book. It does leave some questions unanswered though. Such as, why did new tribes replace old tribes (ex: the Goths in Hungary, being pushed out by the Huns, who were pushed out by the Magyars)? What were the relative populations of the time? What was the relative demand for the goods of the steepe peoples? What was the trade balance between steppe and agricultural peoples?

Despite the questions, the book was worth the read.

The life and times of Chingghis Khan were brilliantly written and I could recommend this book for the last 2 chapters alone. The rest of it was very good. Be prepared to re-read chapters if, like me, you weren't exposed to these regions in history. There are elements here important to scholars of China and Byzantium as well.

Dimitri Simes' "After the Collapse" is a brief survey of recent Russian history that covers roughly the last decade of the Soviet Union and the first of post-Soviet Russia. Written in 1998-1999, it begins its tale with Brezhnev's last years, then surveys Gorbachev and Perestroika, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the rule of Yeltsin in the new Russian Federation. There's a lot of good information in this volume; Simes obviously has extensive knowledge Russia's past and its present situation. His access to major figures in both Russia and the United States is also impressive and allows him to mention large numbers of famous names and imposing titles. His prose is punchy and keeps the narrative moving.

Two problems, however, have led me to take off two stars from my rating. First of all, large sections of the book are far too autobiographical for my taste. Much of the early chapters consists of Simes running through all the meetings he attended (often in the company of Richard Nixon) concerning Yeltsin, Gorbachev and Perestroika. In these sections, "After the Collapse" reads more like Simes' memoirs than an account of the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia. (In its worst moments, it reads more like Nixon's memoirs than anything else.) It's nice that Simes talked with Ronald Reagan once and once sat next to Barbara Bush at a state dinner, but reading about this adds nothing to my knowledge of Russia and its transition from Communism.

The second major problem is that the book is just not well organized. Most chapters have trouble developing an overarching theme and the narrative often jumps around in a disjointed fashion, without giving adequate treatment to many of the topics mentioned. Simes' writing is a little too punchy; people and policies are mentioned and then abandoned after a couple of sentences, only to be treated several more times later in the book. No wonder other reviewers complain of difficulty keeping things straight! From reading this, Simes strikes me as an excellent article writer, but one who has trouble organizing things for more than a few dozen pages.

These problems are generally worse in the early chapters of the book than in the later ones that take place after Nixon's death. Although for a few pages Simes' writing degenerates into pathetic statements like "I am sure that he [Nixon] would have agreed... I believe Nixon would also have been nonplussed..." (104), he quickly pulls himself together and begins writing in a more serious fashion - less autobiographical, with more notes and slightly better organization. Simes' obvious dislike of "Tsar Boris I" and the Clinton administration does not particularly bother me. After all, I happen to believe that much of his criticism is deserved.

So, in conclusion, this book has a lot of good information, but it's not that great. Besides the problems I've mentioned, a lot has happened in the five years since it was written. The Asian financial crisis is old news and Yeltsin has actually released the reigns of government. I am not aware of any better books on the collapse of the Soviet Union and the first decade of post-Soviet Russia, but I'm sure there are some out there. My suggestion is to pass this book by and keep looking for something better. If you do feel compelled to read this volume, at least get it from the library.

Generally a good book. Describes the details, internal workings, personalities and political maneuverings in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet empire. Enlightening about the intellectual capability of the late president Nixon in foreign affairs. Confirms what we would expect from the Clinton administration. Written with a heavy hand. You'll have to wade through the verbiage. Good cure for insomnia. Keep a dictionary handy. Author rather overconfident he has all the solutions to Russia's problems and our relationship with Russia. Overall, worth reading.

This is one of the most coherent, relatively short books available anywhere on what has happened in Russia since the collapse of the old regime. Simes writes in a very clear manner and avoids the long, complex explanations of events common to many who write on this topic. One of the reasons why this book is so readable is that it is more of a journalistic, personal impression which incorporates his discussions with senior Russian leaders as well as former President Nixon. His explanation of Gorbachev's fall, for example, is placed against the background of Nixon's views on the subject as well as his own conversations. I wish I had seen this book earlier. I would have used it in a class I teach on Russian politics.

Dale Herspring Kansas State University

This book was less about Ho Chi Minh, and more about why the United States should not fight him. This reader was hoping for a more detailed discussion of Ho's life, his philosophy, etc. This book does over some insights into Ho Chi Minh's character and life, but I was left with the feeling that the book was written for other purposes. The book was originally published in 1970, a year after Ho's death so the book also smacks of the eulogy, glorification of the dead variety.

Ho Chi Minh was, in many ways, a mysterious figure. This book reveals some of those mysteries. But also, his stalinist tendencies which caused the death of many of his fellow countrymen and women. Although a revolutionary, he was a stalinist in many ways. Halberstam is such a brilliant writer though, its worth a read.

Yes I read this. You read. You learn so much. YIf you are like me and you can like this book. I went to see Ho in Hanoi. His body was in Russia for maintenance. This was not informed to me by word of David. Sorry my English. Please visit my country.

We're planning a trip to Hungary next year, and using LP's Hungary guide. While it paints the broad strokes of this central European country, and offers an impressive history section despite the guide's slender appearance, it's still missing some key points - which is why we're also using the Eyewitness guide to Budapest and the Rough Guide's Hungary offering. This trio seem to offer the best combination of history, practical advice, upper and lower-end accomodation and a good balance between what to see in Budapest, and what to check out in the rest of the country. (By the way, if you purchase LP's Hungary guide, skip LP's Budapest guide. Aside from a few pictures you won't find in the Hungary edition, you'll essentially have the exact information in the same guide. Save some cash and invest in a Rough Guide.)

As a Hungarian I was wondering if I'd get any new information from this book and being a curious person I bought it and must admit that it covers mostly everything that is worth seeing in Hungary.

The introductory section is a bit obsolete though this is the most vulnerable part to changes. Anyway I laughed my head off at the description of Hungarian post officers and "toilet aunties". These descriptions are true and prepare the would-be tourist for what can be expected. The section is informative, covering all the important points.

The chapter on Budapest is absolutely OK, the walking tours are managable and they cover the whole city. Once you've completed the 12 walking tours you know what Budapest is like. The other chapters are good, too, though the ones describing the Great Plain and Western Transdanubia could have been a bit more comprehensive.

Considering everything this guide is a good choice if you want to visit Hungary.

I used Lonely Planet's HUNGARY travel guide on a trip to Hungary in 1999 and was very pleased by it. It's introductory sections vivdly explain the history of the Magyars and their charming society. The unique food and drink of Hungary is clearly written about (one has to admire a guide that gives a whole paragraph to the wonderful Unicum).

The section on Budapest is impressively complete and made getting around that lovely city very manageable. The maps are clear (as should be expected with Lonely Planet).

Praise goes to the toughness of the book. I've always admired the durability of Lonely Planet's guides, as the double-stiched binding withstands the rough handling that travel guides receive.

I would have liked to have, however, more information on the Lake Balaton region. LP's HUNGARY guide seems to cover only the largest towns (and the most commercial) and leaves out several quaint locales.

But even with that minor fault, the Lonely Planet HUNGARY guide is the best out there.

Overall I thought this was a great book. It went into great detail concerning even the most mundane details of VC/NVA life (I consider this an asset, not a liability). I enjoyed reading about how they fought, what kind of weapons they used, and the tactical and logistical details of the various VC/NVA units discussed. This book is limited in scope, after all it is called "Inside the VC and the NVA", so of course it's not going to go into detail about the ARVN fighting ability and THEIR details, nor does it address allied "atrocities". There were some drawbacks however. The VC and NVA interviews were interesting, but I think the information contained in them needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Although the authors address and dismiss the possibility of coercion, I think that's a very real possibility. Secondly, the book could have done without the input of the generals. For the most part, I thought the comments of the generals were suspect. After all, they had the kill ratio/body count agenda. All in all, a great book.

This book is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the Vietnam war. The first review complains that this "reads like a school book. Ideal for the scholar, maybe less than ideal for the casual reader." Well, what did that "casual" reader expect from a book whose cover proclaims that it "fills a huge gap in the historiography of the Vietnam War" ??

This is NOT a dull or difficult book for anyone interested in the subject. The facts, figures, and background the authors include are very helpful in understanding what led the several armed forces to come into battlefield contact, and why they acted as they did. Particularly helpful is the authors' technique of letting participants tell their own stories -- even stories that contradict each other. The book has a helpful index, and extensive source notes and bibliography for those who wish to read further.

Perhaps the major fault of the book is that the authors detail the terror and coercive tactics of North Vietnamese forces, and the failings of North Vietnamese leadership, while omitting any mention of similar tactics and the failings of the US/South Vietnamese forces (except the inescapable acknowledgment of My Lai). By this omission, the authors leave the mistaken impression that South Vietnam had a legitimate and widely-supported democratic government with civil rights, whose secret police, ARVN, and US troops never engaged in abuse of the population and enemy prisoners. The VC/NVA actions should at least have been put in context by mention of the South Vietnamese/USA Phoenix program, corruption, tiger cages, etc. The reader may wish to also read _Our Vietnam/Nuoc Viet Ta: A History of the War 1954-1975_ by A. J. Langguth to get additional perspective on the failings of the South Vietnamese government.

The authors' limited use of their own feelings about the war, combined with a skillful combination of others' personal narratives and official reports and information, results in a very readable, informative and valuable book. Particularly moving is the Afterword, which reads in part, "We questioned each other and ourselves about whether we were 'going soft' on the VC/NVA who were dedicated to the deaths of our friends.... Yet, the more we researched and wrote, the more we learned that the majority of the VC/NVA did their duty as they saw it -- not unlike ourselves and our fellow soldiers....
"Slowly, and despite our efforts to do otherwise, we began to feel more kinship with the VC/NVA than we did with many of our fellow [civilian] Americans.... Even more sobering to us was the moment when we finally realized that we had more in common with our former enemies than with the politicians who had sent us to war."

Having studied political, religious, and social extremist groups for over 15 yrs, I found this book to be a good primer for not just information on the VC and the NVA, but I saw parallels between the methods used by the VC/NVA and other extremist groups. Be they religious extremist groups or right wing militia type groups. Obviously the parallel breaks down if you take it too far, but it was very interesting and I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in extremist groups - especially with the asymmetrical threat environment nowadays.

The reader from Portland was right--there's something about this book that's not a kid's book. It's weirdly Lolita-ish.

Beautifully illustrated with a wonderful story! You can't help but fall in love with it. I cannot understand how Kirkus has managed yet once more to put down another exquisite book; they are so often wrong I can no longer trust their judgment at all. Sanna Stanley has written a lovely book for children.

Sanna's story of Luzolo fills one with the need to wiggle around and chase after all of the animals, yet also the tug to prove to her parents that she really can stay still as she promised. Matondo was alway a difficult time to stay sill in the seat as all the singing, dancing, clapping, and rejoicing went on around, especially with all the animals. Sanna's story telling and illustrations bring back wonderful memories of my childhood Matondos, of which I am now able to share with my own children in a very special way. Thanks Sanna.

Robert K. Krick, a well known authority on the Army of Northern Virginia, has written a fine account of the culmination of the 1862 Valley Campaign at the Battle of Port Republic. Unfortunately, the maps, which are always an indispensible adjunct to military writing, are a shambles. Thanks, evidently, to an oversight by the publisher, about half of the numerous maps lack the textual labels to identify the various units. Thus, the reader is left to guess at just what the maps are depicting. A work that is otherwise as meritorious as this deserves far, far better care by the publisher than this one received.

I found this book to be well written, extensively researched and very well presented. It took me some time to get into the book but after the first few chapters I was hooked. The depth of information is excellent, the maps well presented, well placed and easy to read. I had no problems in reading this book and understanding the flow of the battle. The stories of the individuals involved in the fighting were interesting and did not distract you from the narrative. At first I thought the author may have had a Southern bias but I was wrong, he presented both sides well and he highlighted acts of bravery on both sides. I am still reading this book with but a few chapters to go and I have enjoyed it very much. In fact I have enjoyed it so much that I intend to order the author's 'Stonewall Jackson at Cedar Mountain' as soon as I can. This book is well worth the time to read.

This is the most documented source on Jackson at the battles of Port Republic and Cross Keyes where Jackson's army stand between two armies that are trying to trap and squeeze him, which they almost succeed in doing at the start. Like the great author of the Gettysburg series Harry W. Pfanz, Robert Krick is the ultimate researcher on the tactics of Stonewall Jackson. Like Pfanz with Gettysburg, Krick is ultimately familiar with his subject particularly because he was the Superintendent of all the battlefields around Fredericksburg (Spotsylvania, Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg and the Wilderness). Krick is also the grand researcher of soldiers' letters and writings and through his research he has weeded out fact from fiction. Examples are the puffed writings of Trimble about his brigade at Cross Keyes. Krick reveals that Trimble's writings often neglected the role of other units on the field while heaping a disproportionate amount of praise on his own. Discerning historical inaccuracies is one reason why Krick's books provide an accurate portrayal of a battle or the campaign. Others that suffer from exaggeration, misperceptions and/or ego inflation are Chief of Staff Dabney and Colonel Imboden. The references to Colonel Dabney are humorous to some degree as Dabney performs well in some areas, he does try hard but in a lot of cases he is not as effective as he seems to think. Imboden's false references to interaction with Jackson make one question his famous comments that he witnessed Lee's distressed comments after Picket's Charge.

The village of Port Republic is still a small town nestled against the South and North Rivers that form the South Shenandoah with Cross Keyes across the North River to the west. The area still looks the same with modest encroachment from Harrisonburg just west of Cross Keyes. Krick details a blow-by-blow account of the battle interlaced withy biographies of the participants, their role in battle and even quoting them from their own source material or from first person accounts about particular individuals.

I particularly found the beginning of this last battle of the famous Valley Campaign fascinating as Jackson, his staff, his wagons and a small infantry unit with novice artillery are leisurely enjoying a summers' day when suddenly a complete cavalry detachment bursts on the scene almost capturing Jackson and all his staff (bagged some). The disheartening failure of the Calvary after Turner Ashby's death left no protection or early warning of the Federal rush. The story of the small infantry detachment at the end of Main Street with a few guns of artillery banding together to hold off the union force is an inspiring story. They saved the wagon train and gave time for Jackson to coordinate portions of the majority of his army resting on the opposite riverbank in time to salvage his hold on this small town.

The description of Ewell's relatively easy and effective defense of Cross Keyes exemplifies Fremont's failure as a commander. The other high point of the book is the description of the desperate fighting northeast of Port Republic where Jackson transfers the bulk of his forces from Cross Keyes to Port Republic to defeat the Federals who are better positioned defensively with a particularly strong artillery detachment on the side of a mountain called the coaling. Only a desperate attack by Taylor's Division through course woods saves the day as Jackson's units on the flats take a pounding. Ewell coordinates well indicating a perfect and under appreciated subordinate to Jackson.

The maps are difficult to follow in the early beginning but the publisher produces them better toward the end and they become very helpful as they finally label the units.

Take this book after you read it to the town of Port Republic. There are very limited markers in town and at Cross Keyes 4 miles west, but the book and maps help you get a picture of the battles on land that is hardly changed. This is fascinating because the little town has a modest museum in the house that Turner Ashby was prepared for burial in (open only on Sundays) but no commercialism. The fishing and general store always has a pleasant person to help you out with some information. You need the book because you will have better information then what many of local folk can tell you at random. The vicious battle outside of Port Republic has a marker and parking lot on HWY 354 about 3 miles northeast of town. Again, the maps will help, as the area is still much the same at 100 years ago. A very low-key battlefield without any gratuitous designations but hopefully it will be protected some day with enhanced markers.

Oh by the way, Krick gets in his usual swipe at Longstreet by referring to Trimble as bombastic but not as bad as Longstreet. Looking for Krick's dig at Longstreet in any feature is similar to finding Alfred Hitchcock's cameo in all his movies. The similarity, they are always there, you just have to look and wait for them.