Most avid readers of history know of Winston Churchill's mature works about the First and Second World Wars; and occasionally they know of his histories of the "English-speaking peoples" and of his biography of his illustrious ancestor the Duke of Marlborough. But it is much rarer to encounter someone who knows of, much less who has read, this volume of his collected dispatches as a correspondent to the Boer War. That's a pity, for these very early works, written around the turn of the century when Churchill was in his late twenties, provide an illuminating window into the developing character and literary style of one of this century's preeminent journalists, historians, and statesmen. But the stories are of interest not only because of their author. These collected dispatches serve as a primer on one of this century's first and least-well-known wars, one whose brutality and political intrigue foreshadowed the nation-draining slaughters to follow in this bloody century. The prose is a bit less polished and more stiffly Victorian than in his later works, but Mr. Churchill's sense of his destiny and his place in history, as well as his pugnacious self-confidence, shine through. Well worth a read for those who'd like a glimpse at the formative years of this great man. (by Michael Sebastian)

The indomitable Miss Seeton escorts several local children from her English village of Plummergen across the channel to conduct a one day tour of WW II battle sites and a local art museum. While in France, Miss Seeton meets an attractive widower, Count Jean-Louis de Balivernes before returning home. Romance seems to be in the air when the Frenchman visits Miss Seeton in her quaint village.

However, the Count's idyllic English visits is disrupted by the discovery of a corpse in the kitchen of one of the eccentric but colorful townsfolk. Amateur detective Miss Seeton, sketch pad and umbrella in hand, begins to investigate the case.

BONJOUR MISS SEETON is an interesting English cozy due to the depth of all the characters. In her latest appearance, Miss Seeton remains the classic stereotype senior citizen cum amateur sleuth that make up this sub-genre. Regardless of whom writes as Hamilton Crane, this remains one of the top who-done-it series on the market today.

Harriet Klausner

The bride wore scarlet is a great book well written Diana Hamilton should be commended Bravo. Great ending , but i won't give it away! it's a book you'll wanna read cover to cover!

I'll share the review I wrote for The Home School Manual ========

A Kid's Guide to Attracting, Raising, and Keeping Butterflies. In addition to practical information, this attractive, 40-page book has interesting science information. For example, chemical sensors on butterfly feet allow them to "taste" leaves. 21 species are described with the regions of the US and Southern Canada where they may be found. One sentence I disagree with is. "No one knows why the dinosaurs died out. . . ." 1997, from John Muir Publications

I recently asked a friend, a Shakespeare professor, what she thought about the argument advanced in this book, which I had read perhaps a year previously. I was surprised to hear her say she wasn't acquainted with it. Hamilton seems to demonstrate soundly that the text known to us as the "Second Maiden's Tragedy" could originally have been titled "Cardenio" (a known "lost" Shakespeare play) since its plot appears to be drawn from a character of that name in "Don Quixote" and the current title appears to have been a working title applied by the royal censor. More dramatically, Hamilton (a nationally prominent forensic handwriting authority) argues that the handwriting in the survivng original manuscript of this play and that of Shakespeare's will are by the same man. Given Hamilton's stature in that field alone, I'd have expected the book to have drawn more attention. I don't know if the arguments in the book have been subjected to sound refutation by someone more expert than me, but to this journeyman Shakespeare buff he makes a solid enough case to bear hearing out

(...)I found CLAIMING HIS WIFE to be a passionate read. I liked the change in Cassie because it made her able to face her husband, then running scared like she used to. It was enjoyable but I didn't like it that Cassie was the one who always seemed to express herself. Roman was like high up there in the pedestal and I would like to see him lower himself more often and to display some more weaknesses. He seems so impenetrable, but it does show some parts where Roman wasn't sure of himself or when he was jealous and those were my favorite parts because it made him seem more human.

^_^ ~ Izzy

Hamilton was one of the most influential artists of the pop art movement in Europe, and this book offers amazing insight into the man behind his wonderful art. I would recommend this read to anyone who enjoys Hamilton's delightful work.

The controversial Johnny Sample speaks his mind in this autobiography of his childhood and college days as well as his 11 year career as a top cornerback in the NFL and later the AFL.

Sample was considered a troublemaker and a dirty player, and in this book he doesn't say too much to dispel that reputation. His in-your-face attitude on the field as well as his refusal to put up with the lousy treatment black players received in those days were virtually unheard of at the time. It's no wonder he was eventually 'blackballed' from the league (if you believe what he writes, and he does make a fairly strong case).

The book also gives some insight into Weeb Eubank and his coaching style, the untimely death of Eugene 'Big Daddy' Lipscomb, and the New York Jets' rise from AFL also-ran in 1965 to the champions who shocked the world in Super Bowl III (1969). At the end of the book Sample spends considerable space rating the best (and worst) receivers and quarterbacks he faced during his 11+ seasons, as well as his "all-star" team of toughest opponents he ever played against. Of course his opinionated style makes for some interesting and sometimes shocking reading.

Although hardly great literature, I found the book fairly entertaining and informative, as should most readers who were fans of those years of pro football.

"Custer and His Commands" is part of the series "G/I.: The Illustrated History of the American Soldier, His Uniform and His Equipment". Fortunately, George Custer and his men (both during the Civil War and the Plains Indian Wars) lived during the era of photography, so Mr. Cox depends mostly upon photographs to illustrate his subject and does not have to resort to drawings or paintings. And this means we have the opportunity to see the faces of the soldiers who wore those uniforms, many of whom fought at-- and some of whom died at -- the Battle of the Little Big Horn (about two-thirds of the volume is devoted to Custer's post-Civil War career). Even as a longtime Little Big Horn student, a significant number of the photographs were new to me. This book helps to remind us that history is first and foremost about the people who went before us.