This book is a compilation of several articles about the Spanish Civil War by different authors. Over all I think the most debatable is the chapter about the affair of weapon supplies to both sides. If we have to believe, the Republican side was strongly damaged by the embargo of France and England in order to sell arms to the Republic, but I think the author does excessive stress in this point, no doubt very important, but not the only reason of these defeat. The rebel army of Africa, although well trained by years of real war in Morocco, could be surely stopped during the first 72 hours of the insurrection, but the government in Madrid did nothing. There are more than 600 Km between South Andalusia and Madrid and these troops -about 45000- had to traverse firstly the strait of Gibraltar aboard Italian and German planes, an hazardous adventure in 1936. But Azaña, the president of he Spanish Republic and many of his ministers were isolated idealist men without capacity for action. Middle class almost not existed in Spain in 1936, only rich and poor people, and also highly intellectual persons beteween a huge mass of low educated people. Theme of the supplies of petrol and firearms was more crucial later, but at the beginning the defeat I think was a failure in decision and organization of the official government. The rebellion wasn't a surprise but fully expected. Warships were on the Republican side and they didn't nothing. Once in the peninsula the rebel army had to advance a long distance by the Spanish ground, mountainous and rough. Poor unarmed Andalusian peasants certainly couldn't do nothing against expert troops, but surely a firm counterattack by Extremadura leaded by trained officers and soldiers from Madrid could have stopped the army of Franco so, I believe lack of political and social cohesion was the most important cause of the triumph of the rebels.

If and when you are building a scale model of the F-84, or when you are interested in this plane and its camouflage and markings, this is the book to buy. Published in Britain by Osprey as Aircam No. 14 and in the USA by ARCO as ARCO/Aircam No. 16, this book provides you with 6 pages of text, 43 color sideviews and 2 in black-and-white, as well as top vieuws of the various camouflage schemes. The rest of the 50 pages are filled with photographs of all the air forces that flew the plane in all its versions, with an average of four photographs on every page. Well worth searching for!

I ONCE HEARD A SONG BY CHUCK BERRY HE SANG A SONG ABOUT A CHOCOLATE BROWN CADDILAC WELL INEVER HAVESEEN A CHOCOLATE BROWNCADILLAC BUT I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HE MEANS WWHEN HE SINGSIT.WHEN KATROVASWRITES IN HIS UNIQUEWAYHE CARRIESUS TO PLACESTHAT ARE FOREIGN TO US BUT IN A WAY THAT WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HES TALKING ABOUT.IT MAKES YOU FEEL AS IF HE IS SHAREING A DIRTY LITTLE SECRET WITH A FREIND. YOU WANT TO HERE MORE.

The late Ross Westzsteon had crammed this big book with a wonderful amount of love and research and it shows on every page. Republic of Dreams (Greenwich Village: The American Bohemia, 1910-1960) consists of mini-biographies for chapters as it is not so much a history of the Village as it is a history of the significant people who made the Village their home, sometimes briefly and sometime for life. The idea is presented that the Village was only truly the Village as it exists in lore in the 1910s. Three-quarters of the book is devoted to this period and this is the funniest, most touching and most fascinating part of the book. All of the lives covered in this first period intersect creating a true picture of a community of artists, actors, writers, labour leaders, society matrons, anarchists and hangers-on that create a unified whole in the book. The last quarter of the book (covering the next forty years) feels a little uncooked, while still being interesting. This book is an incredible place to spend a number of hours and a great chance to meet the people who made the Village the Village.

Williams takes the reader on an exotic journey of the landscape of French Filmmaking. Williams situates French film movements against the backdrop of the simultaneous and pioneering innovations both in France and the United States that eventually led to the film revolution. Williams' lucid writing provides both beginners and seasoned film analysts with insights about the influence French films on world cinema.

Paul Rahe depicts in nearly perfect form the ways and wonders of the ancient world. A wonderful informative on the political and economic intricacies of ancient Athens and Sparta, as well as surrounding Greek city-states, with brief allusions to our modern society. The only reason why I do not give this book a 5 is because, alas, no one is perfect. A must have in any classics library.

This is a good book to learn about the Choctaw tribe from the early spanish that first meet them to the point that they are moved to the indian lands in OK. I recommend it for anyone that wants to learn more about the history and culture of the Choctaw People.

Mike Hoare's leadership qualities truly stand out in "The Road to Kalamata: A Congo Mercenary's Personal Memoir". Hoare's narrative relates the trials by fire that he and his men underwent in the crucible of the Congo in 1960-1961 as a simple supply trip, scheduled to take just a couple of weeks, turned into months of bitter struggle with stifling heat, rains that turned roads into bogs, disease, and occasional brushes with bad guys.

Hoare was hired by Moïse Tshombe, the leader of the breakway province of Katanga, to provide what were basically military and protection services for a contract period, with the blessings of the former Colonial power in the Congo, Belgium. Hoare and his men delivered the goods after the rest of the country fell apart and succumbed to a military coup, led by Army Chief of Staff Col. Joseph Desire Mobutu.

The Katanga province never achieved international recognition and eventually folded under increasing internal threats and UN pressure.

Nonetheless, Hoare's book makes for fascinating reading, with maps and photographs to spur the story along and keep interest high. Hoare's genuine love and concern for his men shines through page after page, and his selfless efforts to recover two men who turn up missing after an evacuation, and his grief at their terrible fate, are the most moving parts of the book.

Hoare retuned to the Congo in 1964 to take part in the fight to save the lives of civilians trapped in the brutal Simba uprising. Please see "Congo Warriors", and "Congo Mercenary", two more fine books by Hoare.

Yergin and Gustafson present a series of three conceivable roads of reform along which Russia may travel between 1994 and 2010. The first scenario, "Muddling Down," which precedes all other roads in their model, is described as "the scenario that extends the present" (pg. 140). It is characterized by a weak central government and a lack of legal infrastructure. The three roads from this point are "Two-Headed Eagle" (the return of a strong state composed of both new and old elites), "Time of Troubles" (chaos and unprecedented decentralization inevitably leading to restrictive nationalism with overtones), and "Chudo" (the economic miracle, compared with both Germany during the 1950's and with Alice in Wonderland). Regardless of the path taken, the authors believe that the outcome will be the same: by 2010 "a capitalist Russia seems almost certain" (pg. 300).

As I write this review, Russia is now six years further along its path than it was when the authors penned their book. Naturally, the material in this book is dated. The authors could have done a better job in making this book more accessible to a future audience -- especially that of a future in which none of these scenarios seem to be taking shape as expected. I would not rule out the possibility that some of the events discussed could still come to pass, but not within the timeframe proposed. For example, in one scenario, Yeltsin steps down in 1996 due to poor health. Looking back, he remained in power for another four years after that, despite heart surgery and repeated ailments. Could that particular scenario still be valid in the future? That depends on many other factors, of course.

In their discussions on Russia's policy towards non-Russians (at home and in the Near Abroad), the authors overplayed the potential for problems with Ukrainians and underplayed the potential for problems with Chechens and other non-Russians to the south. The first Russo-Chechen conflict broke out at about the same time that this book was updated and revised. Yet even before that, one could have foreseen the potential for conflict in the Caucasus. The Summer 1993 issue of Foreign Affairs featured an article by Samuel Huntington entitled, "The Clash of Civilizations?" Huntington's influential article proposed that armed conflicts tend to occur along fault lines between civilizations. A prime example of such a fault line is Yugoslavia, where Islamic, Western, and Slavic civilizations come together at one point. By this rationale, the Caucasus and Central Asia are also fault lines. Ukraine, however, is not a fault line. Despite Ukrainians' dislike of decades of rule by Moscow, Ukrainians and Russians have too much in common for a serious rift to occur. After all, America overcame its antipathy towards its former ruler to become England's greatest ally.

Overall, I would recommend this book with a cautionary note to the reader that the book is not as useful now as it might have been half a decade ago. That being said, the book does still hold water with respect to Russia's future and has certainly retained its value as an academic exercise in scenario-building.

Bater's text presents a comprehensive overview of Russia in the post-Soviet period. The material within the books is applicable to geographers but I think Bater's text is more suited for an undergraduate course of study. The text is printed in a double columned page format that makes text and illustrations easy to read. Each chapter contains subheadings that simplify topic location. I like the way Bater begins each chapter with a noteworthy, sourced quotation that sets the stage for that chapter's content. Bater's figures and maps are an outstanding feature of his book. Each chapter contains an array of flow charts, graphs, diagrams, schematics, maps, histograms and illustrations to elaborate and further explain his narrative. They assist the reader with understanding of concepts, which at times are very complex. I found myself continually referring to these devices as I read each chapter. The one area of criticism with Bater's text is his references section. After the short Preface by the author there is a chart of reference titles, many, of which are very dated, being written in 1968 and 1970. As well, at the end of each chapter there is a Further Reading section, and these sources are also very dated, some being written in the 1950's. Russia and thePost-Soviet Scene as the favourable representation of the geographical perspective of Russia today. It is clearly written with language that is concise and easily understood. The narrative is supported by informative and expertly designed maps and figures. The content of each chapter gives a detailed overview of the changing Russian scene, without burdening the reader with extraneous material. James H. Bater's text successfully serves as an introduction to the geography of this region.