Struggle For The Heartland: The Campaigns From Fort Henry To Corinth by Stephen D. Engle (Professor of History, Florida Atlantic University) relates the Civil War campaign that began in early 1862 with Union penetration under General Ulysses S. Grant into the Confederate held west that culminated with the Northern capture of the Southern defended town of Corinth, Mississippi. Historian Stephen Engle also examines how prewar economic relations formed in this region, how relationships between locality and loyalty were developed and expressed, the commanders on both sides of the conflict, as well as other civil and military authorities. Engle also describes the campaigns' significance within the larger theater of war and the post-war era of Reconstruction. The Struggle For The Heartland is an informed and informative contribution to Civil War Studies and an enthusiastically recommended contribution to academic reference collections, as well as Civil War buff reading lists.

Struggle For The Heartland: The Campaigns From Fort Henry To Corinth by Stephen Engle (professor of history, Florida Atlantic University) is the exhaustively researched, in-depth story about the military campaign that was the first significant Northern advance into the Confederate west. This campaign crushed all hopes the South had for avoiding a protracted battle, and set the stage for a grim and bloody war of attrition. Highly recommended for Civil War studies reading lists and reference collections, Struggle For The Heartland is an alternately fascinating and disturbing portrayal of a pivotal aspect of American military history.

I found Winter's book fresh and insightful. He relies upon archaeology and Roman classical writings to seek meaning throughout the book of 1 Corinthians. He focuses on Corinth as a new Roman colony and seems to reject much of the older studies, which place AD Corinth in a Greek context for the early church. He attempts to understand the book in its first-century social and religious settings (xiii). He suggested that Paul may have provided no apostolic tradition for the problems raised in 1 Corinthians while he was there, except for those in 11:17-34 and 15:3-4.

Winter divided the book into two sections. The first, "The Influence of Secular Ethics," discusses the ethics of the Roman elite. Winter pointed out that first-century AD discipleship, among the upper class, required disciples to be loyal to their teachers but critical of others. He applied this model to 1 Cor. 1-4. The Christians battled for loyalty among their teachers and rejected others. Paul reminded the Christians that God uses leaders in different ways, yet they are all important together.

Winter then discussed Roman law and its condemnation of incest (1 Cor. 5), its corrupt judges, and argumentative lawyers (1 Cor. 6). In both texts Paul tried to avoid shaming the church as well as another Christian. Winter finally discussed the permissiveness and excesses of the Roman elite. These ethics led to immorality (1 Cor. 6:12-20), homosexuality (6:9-12), feasting and excessive eating (10:23), and drunkenness. Paul was concerned about the elite Christians' acceptance of this type of permissiveness due to a belief in the dichotomy of body and spirit. These elite Christians may also have been invoking Jesus as a curse (12:3) and removing toga hoods (veils) as a sign of their new freedom. Secular ethics had affected the new Christian's view of unity, lifestyle, and faithfulness.

The second section, "The Influence of Social Change," covered the issues of marriage and meals. In the section on marriage (1 Cor. 7) Winter discussed the interpretation of "this present crisis" or "distress" (7:26). He overviewed the historical literature concerning the famines in and around Corinth (AD 45-55) and discussed the impact on families. He suggested that the church was concerned about bearing children and forming new families in a city with economically hard times. He also discussed the Roman view of marriage and family as the glory of life. This was compared to Paul's view that a relationship with the Lord was to be the goal of all, regardless of their condition in the world (7:35).

Winter also discussed the presence of the Imperial cult and the Isthmian games, which were both active in Corinth. In some ways they worked together to promote peace and loyalty to the Roman Empire. The Roman elite would have had special invitations, from the procurator of the games, to attend the feast and worship, in order to promote the Isthmian games and Roman rule. The elite Christians had the right to attend and join the celebration, yet Paul's concern was not for their rights but for the spiritual condition of the weak brethren (9:11,15).

Winter has suggested a context that was growing after Paul had left Corinth. There were developments among the upper class Christians which gave them increased pressure to conform to society's standards of materialism, immorality, elitism, and permissiveness. These standards were strong and pressed upon the Christians in their relationships and ethics in the church. Their fear of starvation from famine would have also increased their concerns about family stability, ethics, and values. The presence of the Roman cult and Isthmian games in Corinth also placed pressure upon their ethics and values. First Corinthians, according to Winter, is a letter that addressed issues which developed while Paul was away. Paul did not leave the Corinthians unprepared for these issues. Paul left them with two standards, communion (11:17ff) and the resurrection (15:1-8). While the pressures and standards of society pressed upon the church, Paul guided them in their manifestation of the death and forgiveness of Christ. Winter seems to suggest that Paul's leadership was not about controlling their behavior, but empowering them to apply Christian unity and death to their value system. 1 Corinthians is a letter that guided the early Christians to examine their death and burial with Christ in light of the many social influences that they faced.

I enjoyed this book as it provided insight to a growing area of research which involves social and anthropological studies. I felt that Winters had to stretch his model in the texts concerning veils (11:1-16) and baptism of the dead (15:29-34) but he nevertheless, gives a strong argument for his interpretation. I am surprised that he has not taken into account Rick Oster's work in the veil area of 1 Cor. 11:1-16. I would like to see his discussion of this issue with Oster's model in a more detailed manner. In spite of this I am amazed that he was able to bring the large amount of research to the text and present his points in a clear and concise manner. All this in three-hundred pages!

I would recommend this book for graduate studies in 1 Corinthians, ministers seeking an application from Corinthians, and anyone working in the social science area of New Testament studies. This also is a valuable resource to ministry issues that churches face when confronted with cultural and moral issues. Winter's book can be a great contribution to the Stone-Campbell movement with its emphasis on context and cultural application. It provides us with fresh insight to a culture that we have neglected for so many years. Greek Corinth was not the context of the Corinthian church. Roman Corinth brought immorality but also a struggle for power among the elite and the spiritual leaders of the church.

What a book! I bought it... sort of sight unseen. (They don't have a graphic of the cover online...) I was having trouble finding any books on him in my local stores. What a painter! And this book really does an excellent job of recording his life's work. He was talented and very dedicated - continuing to paint even after having a stroke. I highly recommend this book to other painters interested in figurative painting (this seemed to be his specialty, though he has landscapes too.)

Now in its third revised, updated, and expanded edition, St. Paul's Corinth: Texas And Archaeology by Jerome Murphy-O'Connor (Professor of New Testament at the Ecole Biblique) is a literary and archaeological exploration of Corinth, and presents the literary works of twenty-one Greek and Latin authors in chronological order from the first century B.C.E., to the second century C.E. Exhaustively researched with especial insight into the meticulous translations of the works it presents, St. Paul's Corinth is a fascinating, informative, scholarly, "reader friendly", and very highly recommended study.

The four volumes of the Philokalia represent the Essence of Christian spirituality from those who expereinced it firsthand. As the Church became embraced by the Empire in the 4th century, monastics, following the example of St Anthony, withdrew to the deserts of Egypt and Palestine. The Philokalia is the uncompromising witness to the experience of the desert - and the heart that finds God in the silence of prayer and repentance. The four volumes now in print should be read by every Christian - Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Protestant - if they are truly interested in their salvation and eternal life! And the path they prescribe is one that can be lived today - though not without struggle - even as we enter the 21st century.

Little can be said in review of a work which comprises the very essence and heart of Orthodox spirituality. Contained in these four volumes are the writings of two millennia; the wisdom of the faithful throughout the ages on the spiritual journey that is the life of man. And the message is practical: it is not a spirituality restricted to any time or place, but one that is evident and applicable today and tomorrow in the life of every Christian. All who with a whole heart desire a true depth of spiritual well being are doing themselves a great hurt by not reading this book.

This collection of writings from the Desert Fathers of the Holy Church is indispensable for those who want grow into the likeness of Christ. The Christianity presented by the Philokalia will seem quite alien to an average American Christian, with it's condemnation of virtually everything that American culture holds dear, but make no mistake, the gospel of the Cross is no different for us than it was for them.

I must disagree with another reviewer who said that the entire creed of the Philokalia is "know thyself". By far the central theme and issue is prayer. Not just any prayer per se, but prayer with a purified mind and heart, and so the other crucial theme is the need to purify ourselves and crucify our passions in order to make progress in the Christian life. The Fathers teach not to "know thyself", but to "purify thyself".

I have found Philokalia to be extremely helpful, and cannot recommend it highly enough.

The writer does an excellent job writing about 2 little known, but important strategically, battles in Mississippi following Shiloh. He writes about the common soldier as well as the generals. His descriptions of the battles are as suspenseful as any adventure story...even though you know who won the battles. As well as providing details of the battles, he also writes about the strategic big picture. His characterizations of the generals are also superb.

Peter Cozzens' book interested me for the simple fact that it deals with the very important but largely 'forgotten' battles of Iuka and Corinth in September and October of 1862. My previous reading on these battles included Battles and Leaders, reports in the Official Records, and Frost's rare History of the 10th Missouri. Cozzens brings the story together in a cogent and exciting way. He does a very good job of developing the major characters, none of whom shine on close inspection, from the pompous and self-serving Rosencrans to the libertine Van Dorn. Cozzens is at his best with descriptions of the actual battles. He paints the panorama on a regimental level through the cotton fields of Iuka to the great actions around the fortress batteries at Corinth. I am in awe at the heroism and shudder at the incompetence of leadership on both sides. My only complaint, and this is minor, is that he wrongly identifies Company E of the 24th Missouri Infantry as 'Company F.' This Company was attached to the 10th Missouri, and included my ancestor Hezekiah Lucas and my ancestoral uncle, Drury Campbell, who was killed at Corinth facing another of my relatives, Rufus Yancey Powell, with the Confederate 5th Missouri in the action near Battery Powell on October 4. I am thankful that Mr. Cozzens has written a book worthy of honoring their memory.

Peter Cozzens does it again. In his series of books on the Civil War's western theater, Cozzens has shown a unique ability to convert detailed research into a gripping narrative. I put his books in the same category with those of Gordon C. Rhea-- destined to be the final word on their respective battles for some time to come. Cozzens's sheer attention to detail is amazing, and I love his direct and concise analysis of tactical decisions on the field. A must read.

If you have enough technical background into biblical criticism, this book is a treasure trove because Wire looks behind the text to see what the women in Corinth were up to--regardless of Paul's judgement of their activities. Unfortunately, the general reader will quickly become lost.

The premise of "The Bones of the Buried" is promising: Lord Edward Corinth, a sensitive and earnest British aristocrat investigates three interconnected murders during the 1936 Spanish civil war. He does so with the "help" of Verity Browne, an upper class woman who is passionately commited to communist ideals.

Verity, unfortunately, dismembers what could and should be a satisfying read. There is no opposites-attract chemisty. In fact, this woman is so annoyingly selfish and shallow that Edward's love for her undermines his own credibility.

In his attempt to create a sparky but adorably vulnerable pro/antogonist, author David Roberts instead presents us with a one dimensional harridan who's too obnoxious to lend this book the richness of its premise.

For example, Verity has two lovers, one a smarmy writer and the other a ruthless terrorist, both of whom she adores - and she continually makes darn sure Edward knows it. She actually seems to enjoy degrading and abusing Edward, while he reacts meekly or with amusement. Yes, he's developing into quite a credibility problem for this reader.

I beg Mr. Roberts to do something about Verity before he loses his own believability. If this character can't evolve, then write her out and introduce Edward to someone who's his match for integrity and depth. Alternatively, give Edward a good thump on the head to wake him up. This man needs some romantic backbone!

Here's a tip when reading "Bones of the Buried," have a piece of paper with all the characters names written down so that you don't start confusing one character with the other. This was especially true of the men in this mystery novel -- after a while, they all seem to be variations of a theme/mold. I'm usually rather good at being able to distinguish characters (and love novels that have lots of characters), but even I got confused a few times. Except for this small peeve, "Bones of the Buried" is a rather nifty and engrossing murder mystery, that is highly evocative of the period, and worth touting about as an excellent read.

Lord Edward Corinth has barely unpacked his bags and accustomed himself to being in London again after having spent six months in New York, when a rather hysterical Verity Browne turns up at his doorstep demanding his help. The last time that the pair spoke, Verity was on her way to cover the Spanish Civil War and keeping company with a rather obnoxious fellow communist party member, David Griffiths-Jones. Now, Verity wants Lord Edward to help save Griffiths-Jones from a Spanish firing squad. Apparently, Griffiths-Jones has been found guilty of murdering another communist party member, and a fellow Brit, Godfrey Tilney (an old Etonian whom Lord Edward remembers as being a bit of a bully and fairly unpleasant). Verity is certain that Griffiths-Jones is innocent, in spite of the circumstantial evidence against him, and wants Lord Edward to help her. Lord Edward is not so sure if he can indeed do anything to help save Griffiths-Jones from execution, but he agrees to set off for Madrid with Verity. What he finds is a country in chaos and full opposing little factions. Working against time, Lord Edward and Verity must navigate their way through all the petty internal politics and confusion in order to discover the evidence they need to set Griffiths-Jones free. But will they be able to accomplish this feat?

"Bones of the Buried" proved to be a highly engrossing read. I particularly liked that David Roberts took such care to get the feel of the period just right, and to explain the politics of the times in such detail. The mystery with all its little subplots that may or may not be interconnecting, was a brilliant brain teaser too. The character of Lord Edward seems to have matured a little since "Sweet Poison," however I really kept getting irritated and frustrated with the character of Verity Browne. In "Sweet Poison" she seemed to be on the path towards realising the difference between ideals and dogma, but in "Bones of the Buried" however, she seems to have lost her ability to face the unpleasant truth about the Communist party, and constantly lapses to mouthing the party line whenever something she'd rather not face surfaces. Verity Browne, in this novel, comes across as an insecure and unsure young woman when she was not passionately discussing world affairs. And I kept rooting for Lord Edward to snap out of this fascination he had for Verity, esp since all she seems to do is use him for her own ends, otherwise dismissing completely his abilities and opinions. It's not that much fun reading constantly of one major character putting the other down for whatever reason. However this is only an opinion I have; other readers may enjoy Verity's constant abuse of Lord Edward.

Barrng my nitpicking about the Verity Browne character, "Bones of the Buried" is indeed a really engrossing and fun read.

One of five of the Great Campaigns of the Civil War volumes, BANNERS follows the series format, presenting a moderately-priced campaign study incorporating recent scholarship to present an operational analysis of a particular ACW theater. BANNERS carries the reader from the Confederacy's bungled Kentucky campaign, through the less well known battles of Perryville, Iuka and Corinth; down to the meatgrinder of Stones River. Hess' story is accompanied by 11 sound maps, good notes, and, my favorite, a solid, well-presented bibliographic essay. I own and recommend the entire series, very accessable even to the general reader and well worth the money. This series is an ideal interim step for the history buff graduating from popular history to the more scholarly (& more expensive) works. Happy campaigning!