"The Journal of James Edmond Pease" by Jim Murphy is about a 16-year-old Civil War Union soldier who is chosen to write an account of the war. In the beginning he seems to be a little whimpy. I liked this book, even though I am not interested in the Civil War. It was interesting becauseit is the direct point of view.

I'm a sixth grader, and I read this book over the summer. I highly recommend this book for history-lovers. I went to Gettysburg, PA, this Spring and it really got me into the Civil War. When my mother showed me the book, I couldn't pass it up. It's a great book with lots of true background. James Edmond Pease goes through lots of interesting things. I don't know how he did it. Some parts were so exciting I couldn't sit still!

A Six-teen year old James joins the Union Amery . He was asked by Lt. Toms to write a jonural about what happens to his Company in the war . I loved how Jim Murphy described the war . One day James was afraid to die . Read this book and find out if he lives or not. I liked how the auhor used powerful words to make the story better.

This is a very quick read even for the 9-12 year age group it is intended for. Never-the-less, it is a very exciting and interesting bit of true Civil War drama. It is the story of Sarah Emma Edmonds, or Emma Edmonds as she was known, a young woman, born in Canada, who, disguised as a man, became a solider, battlefield nurse, spy and detective for the Union army. Emma was sworn into the Union army as Private Franklin Thompson and served bravely and cunningly in many dangerous missions and in many disguises. She was also a devoted and skilled battlefield nurse and tended the wounded of both the Union and the Confederacy with compassion. Her career as a male soldier ended at Vicksburg when she became so ill with malaria that she had to go AWOL in order to escape detection as a female. Her adventures did not stop there. This book is sure to grab the interest of anyone who picks it up. It is not a great work of writing skill, being very episodic with little to link together the various elements of Emma's courageous life. The dialogue is fabricated, of course, and rather stilted, but the facts here are accurate and taken from Emma's memoirs and other historical documents. At least 400 women disguised as men fought for the North during the Civil War, but Emma's tale of espionage is perhaps the most thrilling. I highly recommend this book to young people as a wonderful introduction to the Civil War. Getting to know the people who fought this tragic and bloody war is a wonderful way to understand this astonishing chapter of American history. This book is definitely a page turner and so all the better for keeping interest high and fostering curiosity and discovery. Don't miss it.

Written by Seymour Reit, "Behind Rebel Lines" tells the true story of Emma Edmonds. Running away from her father at the age of sixteen, she had left Canada for the country where freedom and liberty would become a reality. Now the year 1861, Emma is now 21 and the Civil War between states has begun. When President Lincoln asks for volunteers, Emma is determined not to just sit by. She disguises herself as a man and enlists herself into the Union Army. Now everyone, including her superior officers and fellow soldiers, believe her to be Private Franklin Thompson, assigned to Company F. But Emma wants to do more, so she volunteers to be a Union spy. But while she has been all this time fooling her own army, can she keep her secret behind rebel lines?

A truly well-written story, "Behind Enemy Lines" is sure to please. The author did a lot of research to write this book, re-creating Emma Edmond's story through Emma's memoirs, U.S. Army Records, and files from the National Archive. At the front cover of the book it is written "Great Episodes". This is because each chapter is separated in such a way. In that sense, while reading the story the reader might feel as though the book does not really flow as well as you would like. But on the overall, the whole story is written well if not a bit aimed more for younger audiences.

Emma's character is captivating and very realistic. Oh, I know that she WAS a real character, but in few cases, some authors cannot seem to grasp the character of who they're writing about. Fortunately, Seymour Reit puts down Emma's life down on paper flawlessly. You can almost 'hear' the imp voice in Emma's ear!

On the whole, "Behind Rebel Lines" is a gripping and fascinating historical biography and I can easily recommend it. Best for ages 10 - 14 but older teens and some adults might find this a good read.

"This stranger-than-fiction story will captivate history buffs and hold the attention of the most reluctant reader."
-Bank Street College of Education-

This is a true story,written by Seymour Reit, about a woman overcoming the odds in a man's place. The incredible woman i am talking about is Emma Edmonds. She posed as a male nurse named Franklin Thompson. Edmonds was sent as a spy behind rebel lines.She successfully completed 11 missions!
Behind Rebel Lines really did make me think. This book was excellent! I loved it. I could barely put it down(but I did haha). I loved reading about the struggle of a real woman who could demonstrate this amount of courage. It is so inspirational. By the way,I know I sound like a fruit but my teacher is making me write this haha. See ya!Have a GREAT day!!Love yas!

Cyrano de Bergerac is the quintessential Romance of "the Genius against society". However, the main theme is: "Dramatization of the idea that the meaning of true love is a response of one soul to the virtues,or the beauty of the soul,of another being and that love is not concerned with physical appearances."

The plot-theme is: "The love triangle between a gallant, witty, poet-soldier who, because of an ugly long nose is unable to profess his passion to the woman he loves; the woman, and a handsome man who loves the same woman (who in turn loves him) - the ugly poet composing beautiful poems and verses for this handsome man to win over the woman-thus, lending him his soul."

Cyrano.." glorifies all that is heroic in man - self-esteem, fearlessness, intransigent integrity and above all - independence of spirit . At the end of the play Rostand shows that the human spirit shall remain unbroken and unbent - whatever may be the suffering or loss.

The link between the theme of the genius' struggle (here, Cyrano's struggle) against mediocrity, compromise and cowardice, and the theme of love is that important events of the latter are determined by the former (particularly the climax) in a single plot-structure.

One unique feature of this play is that all the characters directly involved in the central plot, by the end of the story are positive characters, without any malice or envy or hatred.

I have not read any other play of serious literature with such charming and yet profound poetry, wit and humor - it will make you sigh, it will make you roll on your belly, it will bring tears to your eyes. The pain of Cyrano is heart-wrenching. I weep everytime I read the story-and almost all the while.

One of the drawbacks of "Cyrano.." is that despite its celebration of Man the Hero, while one experiences an exalted sense of hero worship, one does not experience the same sense of benevolence with respect to this world - the world is portrayed as a place, where, ultimately, where man cannot achieve his values though his spirit is untouched by pain. (The same applies to the novels of Victor Hugo - who shares Rostand's sense of hero-worship).

This play does not deal with any complex philosophical issues (such as the plays of Schiller). However, it carries in its simple message and in its portrayal of probably the most lovable hero of 19th century fiction, a depth of meaning and relevance which is timeless. With its glowing Romantic spirit, "Cyrano.." ought to go down in history as one of the most enduring plays of all time - as a testament to the indestructibility of the human spirit.

My rating is for the play; I've only glanced at the English translation. I'm not too sure if this play should really be called "An heroic comedy", I find it more to be a tragedy. A play of tragic unrequited love, sacrifice, courage and charm, with some amusing moments, for instance when members of the aristocracy and others are made to look foolish compared to the wit and heart of Cyrano, or the scene where Christian and Cyrano meet for the first time.
Cyrano was a real French poet of the 17th century. A bit of knowledge about his time helps to appreciate the play...for instance, one of the reasons why Christian feels unable to speak to Roxanne with his own words is because she was part of that fashionable trend amongst certain ladies of society called "les precieuses" (ridiculed by Moliere) characterized by an overblown admiration of fancy talk, excessive romantic sensibility, and intellectual posturing. Christian, a man of perhaps more basic passions and few words with women, but in no way a dummy (see his wit when meeting Cyrano), rightly felt inhibited before the precious Roxanne.
"Cyrano" was written at the end of the 19th century, is neo-romantic in style and one of the last French plays to be written in verse rather than prose. The charming, witty and poetic ryhme of its verse, which fully develops each of the characters in keeping with the play's romantic theme, is what makes it so wonderful. It is like a poem. In translation the play therefore loses much of its grace and beauty.
The play has been filmed a few times. Skip the Steve Martin "Roxanne" movie (very loosely based on the play) and see the real thing: "Cyrano de Bergerac" directed by J.P. Rappeneau with G. Depardieu in the leading role. Both the film and Depardieu are absolutely fantastic and very true to the play. The lines in the film follow (excepting one or two pages) the original lines of the play.

This great story of the infamous long-nosed man, Cyrano de Bergerac, tells the tale of Cyrano's love problems. His lack of confidence in his appearance hurts his overall anxiety level. He uses a handsome cadet's, Christian's, looks to woo Roxanne with his (Cyrano's) own graceful words. While unrealistic in nature, many of the morals of the story are presented very cleverly. There are so many great lines in the play that are witty, intriguing, or just funny! A great read for anyone.

No, I'm not some high school kid forced to read this for freshman English who hated it on principle. I am middle-aged, usually love the classics, am a history buff, and volunteer at the site of a Revolutionary War hospital. So, when I found this in a used book store, I was looking forward to the read. What I found was the Seinfeld of historical fiction--a book about nothing.

Well, of course, ostensibly this is a book about the Revolutionary War as fought in upstate New York--at that time the frontier. The writing is good. The history is accurate and well researched, but I kept expecting something to happen at every turn, and very little did. Instead of actual Indian raids, there were usually warnings of raids, so that the folks got into the fort on time. There they spent long, dreary days doing long dreary things--realistic, probably--but not the kind of thing I couldn't put down. In fact, I put it down often, and for long periods.

This is a shame because Edmonds' use of words is quite good, and he did an excellent job whenever he was depicting the relationship between Lana and Gil Martin, a married couple caught up in the events. I wish, in fact, that the author had focused more on their individual story, rather than trying to bring in so many different couples and individuals that they were very diffucult to keep track of, and worse, to care about.

I give this four stars for the writing style and the history, but, for me, it was pretty boring.

This story of the Revolutionary War era settlers in the Mohawk River valley was excellent. Edmonds did considerable historical research and his characters come alive as he tells this tale of the conflict between the Tories who support the King and the farmers who are in favor of the revolt against England.

The story focuses on Gil and Lana Martin, two young settlers who work tirelessly to get a farm established in the valley.

Their hard work is repeatedly destroyed by the Destructives -- Tory and Indian raiders who burn the farms and crops and slaughter anyone who supports the Revolution. The farmer militias strike back at the Tories and their supporters and strike with equal savagery. As in Bosnia and Kosova, the conflict pits neighbor against neighbor.

The novel is about the people of the valley -- both the white settlers and to a lesser degree the Indians -- and their fight to survive in a very hostile environment. I found the story entertaining and I learned quite a bit about the people, the place, and the events that occurred there.

Drums Along the Mohawk is the story of families in the Mohawk River valley that cope with Indian and British attacks on their homes and families. Many of these people fight for the American cause and are very serious about it. This is a different perspective, the fighting on the frontier. It may be hard to find, but it is worth the effort for a challenging and emotional book. The characters and their jobs, no matter how minor they are, come to life in one of the best books I have read about the American Revolution from a Patriot point-of-view. I would strongly suggest this book for a history or war reader and an advance reader.

Louis Edmonds' death in early 2001 robbed Dark Shadows fandom of its elder statesmen. Of all the Dark Shadows cast, Louis Edmonds at times managed, perplexingly, to simultaneously be the most ubiquitous and elusive. On one level, Louis the showman remained a distinct and vibrant personality, very much admired by fans, yet one that at times seems difficult to extracate from the vestiges of Roger Collins and a handful of humourous anecdotes. To many Dark Shadows fans, this persona is arguably as familiar as any of the characters Louis portrayed on the show.

Author Craig Hamrick does much to redress the balance with the new edition of his biography Big Lou: The Life and Career of Louis Edmonds. With a respectable period having elapsed since Louis' death, the book is able to take a more rounded look at its subject, and the results are frequently illuminating.

Unlike the first book, which took a more formal approach, the new edition is told very much through its author's eyes, and arguably as much Craig Hamrick's story at times, as it is Louis'. From the pair's initial meeting, to Louis' funeral nearly a decade later, the reader is given a very honest appraisal which doesn't attempt to reconcile the contradictions it throws up, and indeed is all the more enjoyable for doing so. Louis' faults are lain bare and the author isn't afraid to note these - for example, his recounting of Louis' pre-occupation with money and occasions of professional arrogance go a long way to explaining why he perhaps never attained the widespread success his talented deserved.

Louis himself emerges as a somewhat melancholy soul in the process, battling the twin demons of alcohol and depression. Noting a suicide attempt along the way, it adds a certain grim undertone to the exuberant public personality so many of us knew. Yet, for all the sadness depicted, there's still plenty of humour and warmth, and perhaps this is Louis' most admirable quality. Louis' final years are perhaps the saddest, yet it is during these that he hearteningly seems to find a sense of peace that had eluded him so badly in the past. Particularly poignant are his indulgement predictions of his own self-dramatised demise, which seem all the sadder when juxtaposed with the quiet exit he eventually makes.

Throughout the book are sprinkled little novelized vignettes of key moments in Louis' life, which work with mixed results. At best, they succeed in painting out Louis' journey in broad strokes, and the passage where Louis reflects on the drastic effects of his cancer surgery in particular, is particularly moving and tragic. An undoubtedly cinematic device, at times they seem forced, yet one feels it is an indulgence of which Edmonds himself would have heartily approved.

As a biography, this is an excellent work of reference and research, but on a broader level, it is a wonderful personal account of a unique performer and individual that manages to strike that rare balance between pragmatism and celebration.

This is a loving, lovely tribute to the late soap opera star Louis Edmonds(Dark Shadows, All My Children)Craig Hamrick, who knew Edmonds during the last 8 years of the actor's life, is clearly in love(platonically) with his subject. He tells the story of Edmonds' life in a highly readable, no holds barred manner.Edmonds was a brilliant actor whose ego might have prevented his career from progressing as far as it could have. He was also a great wit, a passionate lover who had two long term relationships, and a deeply loyal friend. Hamrick writes openly and honestly about all of this, the good, the bad and the ugly, never losing sight of his own deep affection for the man.This book will stand as a lasting tribute to Louis Edmonds' life and career. He might have been forgotten, as so many soap actors are. Thanks to Craig Hamrick, this wonderful actor will be remembered for many years to come.

This hard-to-put down biography which is loaded with many before unknown facts about bigger-than-life performer/actor Louis Edmonds, most widely known as Roger Collins from the gothic serial Dark Shadows, is funny,touching and tenderly told by author Craig Hamrick, who became known as a friend to the actor in the latter years of his life. Yet, do not dismiss this as sugar coated fantasy, for it is told, with Louis' permission, in a forthright , no-holds-barred, bare bones manner that should earn its own praise. Hamrick has a way with laying down facts, yet not in stilted encyclopedic fashion but in a way that you actually get to know Mr. Edmonds in a more intimate light, and I for one, am deeply saddened by the fact I never had gotten the opportunity to meet this great man while he was still alive. Craig Hamrick has earned my respect as a biographer and I eagerly anticipate his next venture "Barnabas & Co" due later this summer, as well as any other literary undertaking this author may take. Kudos to him for taking me into the heart and home of one of my favorite Dark Shadows actors and making me feel as if I'd met him myself! The book is a triumph and a must for all Dark Shadows, Louis Edmonds or All My Children fans! Put this on your list for summer reading. I read it cover to cover in less than two days!

Tolstoy is one of the most famous names in Russian literature. Sadly, the sheer size of most of his celebrated works, i.e. War and Peace, tend to make many readers anxious. However, readers fail to realize that Tolstoy has quite a phenomenal collection of short fiction, such as this 178-page novella.

Tolstoy explores the dissatisfaction a young Russian aristocrat holds towards the emptiness of high-society, and his subsequent journey in search of meaning. The aristocrat finds himself as a young Russian army officer, serving at a remote Cossack outpost in the Caucasus. Here he finds that his wealth and breeding do not garner him respect. Instead he is looked upon as an outsider, and an unwelcome one at that.

Nevertheless, the aristocrat finds himself in love with a beautiful Cossack girl, who is promised to a Cossack warrior. Tolstoy discusses the emotions that rise between these three parties regarding love, class, and sacrifice.

Indeed, The Cossacks is great first exposure to Leo Tolstoy and his descriptive writing style is sure to lead the reader to explore more of his works.

Truly the best novella that I have ever read. The story of a young Russian aristocrat disillusionned with the life of a city gentleman who looks to the simpler life of a soldier in the Caucasus for his completion. An outstanding read.

Timeless. While the novella centers around a Russian Tribe known as the 'Cossacks', it also tells the story of a young nobleman disenchanted with the high society Moscow crowd who sets out to find himself and discover the joys of youth.

This book is hilarious and touching. Years of research (or experience) must have gone into this one!! Yeah for the venture. It was enjoyable from beginning to end.

I enjoyed this book, found it to be funny and entertaining. Very good reading won't put you to sleep so don't bother reading before going to bed.

I love this book! I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. It really kept my interest. I recommend this book to all types of readers. I hope there will be a sequel. I give this book a big thumbs up!

(This review refers to Volume One only.) Asimov has collected eight stories in this anthology that were influential in his own writing. Asimov read most of these stories when he was about 12 years old, being fortunate enough to devour most of them from pulp magazines that were sold in his father's candy store. As might be expected with any anthology, some stories are better than others, and some have held up better through the years than others. Yet these pieces are not included for comparison to current stories, but to show what Asimov read as a young person and how the works influenced him. Asimov's mini-autobiography alone is worth the price of the book. After each story, Asimov tells how an idea or a concept from a story led to the formation of one of his own works. A very interesting idea. "The Jameson Satellite" is a forerunner of "I, Robot," and "Submicroscopic" is a small step from "Fantastic Voyage." As mentioned by another reviewer, the reader will have to deal with several prejudices from the time these stories were written (especially racial), but overall this book is a great insight into what makes Asimov Asimov.

This collection of early, pulp-style scifi works is a great joy. Asimov's introduction to the stories is exceedingly interesting and helpful. The stories sometimes show flaws or problems in their writing and in their attitudes (while several stories are forward-looking, most show the racism and misogyny common to that time), most of the stories are entertaining and all of them are interesting from a historical perspective. Check it out if you can get your hands on it, it's a great find. I really got a kick out of several pieces, which run the gamut from more reasonable 'conquered man, driven underground, strikes back at his evil alien oppressors' to the completely ludicrous story about the planets of our solar system hatching into giant space chickens. (That last story is meant to be taken seriously, by the way.) A veritable laundry-list of great, long out-of-print authors and some wonderful writing from the early days of popular science fiction.

This book contains the good old stories from the 1930's. There is nothing great here, but it is till worth reading. You can see the evolution of the Science Fiction field by reading the stories in this book.

Cyrano -loosely based on the actual Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac, an early predecessor of science fiction- is a swordsman for the French King Louis XIII. He is also a man with an extraordinary gift for poetry and versification, as well as the owner of an extremely large nose. He is deeply in love with his cousin Roxanne, but she happens to love Cyrano's friend and colleague, Christian. So, being a good fellow and having a quixotic nature, Cyrano accepts to speak of love to Roxanne, impersonating Christian. Under her window, in the dark, Cyrano recites love poems so well crafted, that Roxanne falls even more in love with Christian, who is the supposed lover. After that, both men leave to fight at war. Roxanne shows up at the siege of Arras, to bring food to the soldiers. There, for reasons I won't spoil here, their love affair comes to an abrupt end, leaving their relationship unfulfilled. What comes next shows the true heroic nature of Cyrano, his strength of character, and his loyalty to his friend, but also to his eternal love for Roxanne. This play, which has originated at least a couple of good movies and several tv interpretations, is a homage to the Romantic spirit so rare in our greedy and selfish times. It is full of beautiful images and scenes, and Rostand's writing is perfect for the task. Read it first, and if you haven't seen the movies, watch them. Cyrano is a grand character that will remain as an epytome of chivalry, loyalty, and emotional strength. Not to forget.

If there's one thing that has me miffed, it's those ridiculous academic critiques of this play. Yes, it's unrealistic, yes, it's energetic to the point of insanity, yes, the character of Cyrano is particularly vulnerable to the ridiculous Freudian analyses that Lit. professors are obsessed with. But the essence of this work, what makes it breathe, are the very qualities so mocked by elitists: its color, its flamboyance, and above all its wonderfully unashamed idealism.

First of all, this is entertaining reading at its best: a combination of witty repartee and laugh-out-loud humor, balanced with emotional depth that is subtle yet wrenching in its intensity. With just a few lines the scenes come alive, with characters whose brash gallantry is reminiscent of Dumas' Musketeers.

All this virtuoso treatment finds a focal point in the character of Cyrano, who is at once comic and tragic: his biting wit provides a facade for a soul in torment, for his sensitivity to beauty makes his own ugliness that much more painful. Yet there is so much fire and pride in Cyrano that never once does he beg for our pity, and endures the pain of thwarted love with the same charisma and bravery with which he does battle.

The contradiction between Cyrano as he is inside--a veritable furnace of eloquent passion--and his markedly ugly exterior, is his tragedy. Through the vehicle of this contradiction, Edmond Rostand explores the nature of love, particularly regarding how much of it is dependant upon exteriors. Yet this theme does not smother the tale, which is such a heady mixture of beauty, hilarity and subtle insight that it fairly intoxicates. My only complaint, upon finishing it, was that it had to end.

Anthony Burgess steps out of his psycodelic shell to bring a down to earth translation of the worlds greatest love story. Rostand created a tale true to the human heart filled with romance and poetry, but it took Anthony Burgess to bring the story to the modern reader. There are no 'thee's' or 'thou's' in this adaption, just natural, modern writing. In essence, Burgess did not translate Rostands classic play, he wrote the story over as a poem. Burgess did Rostand the greatest honour, making Cyrano De Bergerac, a wonderfull romance, and beautiful story accessable to modern audiences

It is true. This book is THE authority when it comes to games of skill or chance, and even games that combine the two (like all games that mean anything to anyone). But this book is too authoritative, almost facistic in its clinging to the rules of each and every game. All games need to grow and expand (or contract) from their traditional settings. This philosophy is not, I suppose by definition, a part of this book. Otherwise ... yes, a perfect book. Of its type.

Sure you've been there the fight over how to play a particular game, or better yet the boredom on a rainy day when you've played all the Old Maid you can stomach. Whether you are looking to end a game of poker without bloodshed or want new ways to use that deck of cards Hoyle is the answer. Before you while away another boring day get cracking and secure a copy of Hoyle's latest.

More lurid books have I read,
but that goes better unsaid.
But still, just the same,
these rules of the game
is complete from alpha to zed.

Stop arguments with your family. Checkers really does have rules. Learn if you must jump the other guy, if you must move the piece you touch, and precisely when a red queen can be placed on a black king.

No one who plays games should be without "The New Complete Hoyle Revised." It was great 300 years ago (so I'm told) and is
great now.

Anthony Trendl