This book is drawn largely from the archive of the Central of Georgia's company newsletters/magazines. It is a treasure trove of photos of the employees and customers of the line, but does not as heavily emphasive the rolling stock and motive power. So most of the pictures of maintenance and locomotives are shown within the context of showing the employees. The book is pretty light on operational issues and so is not very useful for those who would be looking for maps, equipment lists and other operational details. Still, its a fun read and captures the feel of the "golden age" of railroading.

The first clue that this is not a reliable reference was that it has no publication date. The printing technology indicates it was published within the past 20 years, and the cover refers to a book that has not yet been published in 2001, but I found nothing else.

Omission is also the most common defect inside. Regarding the sudden appearance of agriculture in Japan (500 BCE), there is no mention of the modern Japanese from Korea displacing the older civilization that was probably related to the Ainu. The fine chronology in front mentions independent early development of agriculture in New Guinea, but it does not appear in the text. The idea that evidence of the caste system has been found by Indus archeology is important enough to warrant a little information about the evidence, but none is provided; it should appear in "A Peaceful Realm", whenever that is published. I think they are trying to avoid any possible controversy, but of course that endeavour always fails. I could have used a map showing the land with the sea level at 10000 BCE level, when Japan was connected to Asia, England and Ireland to Europe, and the Black Sea wasn't.

I was looking for something about India from 1500 to 600 BCE, since Jane McIntosh seems to have expertise in the Indus civilization, but found nothing. That, however, may simply indicate there is no archeological evidence. (Hindu nationalist "archeology" notwithstanding.)

Some details seem at odds with other recent mainstream sources. I would not really trust any single item in this book without checking another source. Perhaps that is an inevitable result of squeezing world history into a short book, probably on a tight schedule, but it is why I gave it four stars instead of five. The larger matters, meriting two or more sentences, are probably accurate within the limit of current knowledge.

The Eurocentric viewpoint is evident, but somewhat muted compared to other world histories. That too is probably inevitable because history is determined by the available evidence even when it is not dictated by the winners. This is an excellent and beautiful short overview, contains superb maps, and includes many fascinating insightful sidebars. Just remember to write in the year of publication.

High Blue Battle is an annotated and edited reprint of the War Diary for No.1/401 Squadron, Canada's longest serving and most successful fighter squadron of World War II. No. 1 squadron was formed several years prior to the outbreak of war. Following Canada's decleration of war against the Germans, the squadron--at the time equipped with Hurricanes--was sent to England. After serving gallantly in the Battle of Britain, No. 1 (RCAF) was transferred from airfield to airfield with frustrating regularity. With the formation of more exclusively-Canadian squadrons, the RAF began assigning RCAF squadrons 400 numerals, hence No. 1 (RCAF) became No. 401 for the duration of the war. From the end of the Battle of Britain until the invasion in 1944, No. 401 participated in numerous fighter sweeps and escort missions. Shortly after the invasion, No. 401 was transferred to France, and until the end of the war operated out of airfields close to the front.

As Dave McIntosh, author of the fabulous book Terror in the Starboard Seat, indicates in the introduction to High Blue Battle, the War Diary for No. 1/401 Squadron is exceptional in that, unlike other war diaries, it provides an anecdotal account of the squadron's day-to-day activities. Not only do we read about what pilots were lost or claimed victories during a given day, we learn more about the pilot's non-combative engagements (with booze and women) and, surprisingly, although somewhat infrequently, what the respective diarist's opinion was of some big-wig or new military regulation.

On the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and really wish that if possible more of such works be resurrected from the depths of the National Archives. The only matter of complaint that I have is that the editor apparently deleted number of entries that were repetative or provided no information of value. This no doubt made the book more accessable and practicle to publish, but for those people (such as myself) who revel in such minutiae, this is somewhat of a disappointment.

BOOK REVIEW
MALCOLM MCINTOSH
JAPAN RE-ARMED
FRANCES PINTER (PUBLISHERS) LTD , LONDON, 1986
169 PP ...

1.Malcolm McIntosh is a graduate of the University of London and has an MA from the School of Peace Studies at Bradford University. He also has obtained doctorate degree from School of Peace Studies at Bradford University. As a journalist he has worked for BBC Television, specializing in defence matters and written articles for magazines and journals around the world. Apart from this book, he has written Japan - Military Policy, Japan - History, Military-1945, Global Companies in the Twentieth Century : Selected Archival Histories (Nine Volume Set), Managing Britain's Defence, Arms Across the Pacific : Security and Trade Issues Across the Pacific and Corporate Citizenship: Successful Strategies for Responsible Companies. The author is well qualified to write on the subject, 'Japan Re-armed'.

2.At the end of the Pacific War (World War II ) in 1945, Japan laid down her arms and submitted to US technological superiority. The situation in 1986 was radically different, with Japan leading in many areas of advanced technology to match with armed forces and weaponry of many NATO countries and the situation has not changed much even today also. Japan is now being forced into the role of a Super Power, as US foreign policy keeps a firm hand on the tiller of defence build-up. If Japanese 'Self Defence Forces ' (SDF) expand any further they cannot be seen as being merely defensive and as the Pacific becomes as heavily armed as Central Europe and the Middle East , a strong defence capability can become to be perceived as a threat. In this book, Malcolm analyses the role Japan could play in securing a peaceful Pacific, her relations with other Super Powers in 1986 and the trade and investments for which Japan is famed and feared.

3.In this book, the author covers the history of Japan till 1945 in chapter I, Comprehensive security, self-defence and rearmament of Japan after 1945 in chapter II, Threats to Japan in chapter III, Japan and the world in chapter IV, Changes in Japan in chapter V and in conclusion he brings out the recommendations for the path to be taken by Japan to enter into the twenty-first century.

4.Chapter I touches on those aspects of Japan's history which are reflected in her actions in 1986. The concentration is on the era that began in 1853 when Admiral Perry from US sailed into Shimoda harbour and began the process of moving Japan towards inter-nationalization and industrialized militarism. In this he brings out the fact clearly, how Japan has never been successfully invaded except from 1945 to 1952 by the US and how Japan achieved an almost unparalleled homogeneity in two thousand years of unbroken history.

5.Chapter II covers the origins of the Self -Defence Forces, Japan's armed services and their constitutional legitimacy. Here it is brought out that the growth of SDF is the product of American pressure, the rebirth of Japanese militarism and an economy that supported the present level of military spending. The author analyses the 1947 Constitution especially the Article Nine which says, "We shall secure for ourselves and our posterity the fruits of peaceful co-operation with all nations... Never again shall we be visited by the horrors of war through the action of government", one per cent of GNP for defence expenditure, role of SDF for purely defensive purposes, various treaties signed between US and Japan and security umbrella enjoyed by Japan and its implications.

6.Chapter III covers the perceived threats to Japan and the real menaces on the horizon. Here the threats from erstwhile USSR, threat to the trade routes through the sea lanes from Muslim extremism in the Middle East, fallouts of Korean War and Vietnam war on Japan , US_Soviet political confrontation, stationing of US troops and warships in Japan and the arms race under way in East Asia have been analysed.

7.Chapter IV shows Japan's involvement with the major power brokers in the world, with her immediate neighbours and on a global basis. Japan's relationship with US, erstwhile USSR, China, Europe and ASEAN countries both militarily and commercially have been analysed and the advantages enjoyed by Japan in terms of economy, quality of produced goods, electronic technological improvements , automobiles and dual use products produced by them have been highlighted.

8.Superficially, Japan has changed considerably since the end of World War II. But have the Japanese themselves changed fundamentally? This has been analysed in chapter V with relation to the rise of the right wing thinkers, growing militarism, use of education, peace movement, Article Nine of the Constitution, the three non-nuclear principles and a non-offensive defence policy followed by Japan.

9.In chapter VI, the author discusses a number of areas that are important for Japan's future. They range from internal economic issues to overseas investment policy, from the Pacific to the militaristic and from Tokyo to Washington and Moscow. Here, he gives the options open to Japan and gives out the recommendations for the path to be taken by Japan to enter into the twenty-first century.

10.Malcolm has accomplished an impressive piece of research. He presents a tremendous amount of inter-related information data in very few pages. These data have been checked from other books and found factually correct. The only point for the author is he could have included more sketches / figures to illustrate various events described in the book. The cost of the book is reasonable. Overall 'Japan Rearmed' is an interesting and absorbing book and recommended to be read by all and for keeping in the unit library.

Maj S Renganathan , 3 GR

The book itself gave some good basic starting information on how to wok and what are standard ingredients for most asian foods. I enjoyed the ingredients section immensely, I knew what sauces or spices to add to get the right flavor to the food. I have been stir-frying and wokking for several years. But I was never able to get the flavor to match what I tasted in resturants. But with this I knew what sauce would bring out the flavor I wanted. It is a good book to learn some of basics. Instead of guessing what I needed to change to make a healthy stir-fry it told me how to get the results I wanted. A very good book to learn the essentials.

Members of Trout Unlimited (TU) have had the pleasure of reading Ann McIntosh's "Budget Angler" in "Trout" magazine for a number of years. Her long awaited book won't disappoint TU members and, likely, a whole new group of fans.

"Mid-Atlantic Budget Angler" offers something often hard to find in flyfishing literature: useful information. Ms. McIntosh describes some of the region's best flyfishing spots, some well-known, others not so well known. She describes stream conditions, gives understandable directions and offers tips on fishing conditions, stream idiosyncracies, places to stay and much more.

For flyfishers seeking practical information on flyfishing in the Mid-Atlantic region, this book may well become the bible.

Oprah Winfrey is a subject with whom the author appears to feel well acquainted. The tone of the book almost suggests that they could be good friends, although that is not stated. The author includes seven pages of sources arranged as chapter notes. This section is at the end of the book, and does not interfere with the story. These sources include videos, television interviews, magazine articles, personal interviews and Internet sites. Photographs are also included to validate the accuracy of some of the information about setting and character, such as Oprah's father's barbershop and home, the church and highschool she attended, her Chicago studio, and numerous photographs of Oprah in her various roles. The author has developed a central theme about Oprah's character: Oprah wants to use her influence to make a difference in the lives of people. She documents the many instances in which Oprah has done that by funding scholarships to promote education, recommending good reading to further literacy, and getting people involved in the lives of underprivileged children. According to Wooten, things did not just happen to Oprah. Oprah has taken control of her life in countless ways. She finished her degree, accepted every opportunity to further her career, bought her own studio, and got involved in many community projects to further the interests of others. The use of language was appropriate to the historical period and literary style of the book. There was more than adequate information showing what Oprah's contemporaries thought about her. Phil Donahue's remarks about Oprah are recorded along with those of other professional people as well as the thoughts of some of Oprah's employees. This work escapes an adulatory tone by showing Oprah's mistakes and shortcomings; however, in spite of that, Wooten makes Oprah sound like a pretty terrific person.

If you are interested in maps and the history of the discovery of the americas this book can be recommended. It is sometimes difficult to read. The pages with the maps are not always in the same place where the maps are discussed, which is quite inconvienent. I learnt a lot about the early maps of america and the authors presented their ideas convincingly. The authors should have spent less pages on debunking obvouisly outlandish ideas. All in all I enjoyed the book and the detailed maps in it.

A very good book to keep around for places without refrigeration (i.e. camping, or expedition settings) or for someone single who is not likely to cook often and therefore needs to keep nonspoiling can goods around. The recipes are flexible. I made the curry salmon loaf and it was excellent in spite of not having all of the ingredients, substituting celery for parsnips (who, in the midwest, keeps parsnips around). I also subbed other canned goods for fresh, like canned diced tomatoes.
It was great!

As I began this book, I was drawn in by the powerful imagery that Green created. This didn't continue throughout the book. It became more of a "he said, then he said, then he said" narrative. The beautiful language that Greene uses vanishes as she gets more deeply into the story. I was intrigued by the politics involved. Not being very politically astute, I was amazed at how the sheriff controlled everything in that county. I was also captivated by the tale of civil rights struggles in backwoods Georgia. This was such an interesting book, but Greene's talent at using language seemed to be subverted by her need to tell the story. This was our book group's topic of discussion for this evening; it made for a lively talk. Next time I'm on my way thru Georgia, I DO intend to drive down 17 thru McIntosh County. I may not stop, though.

I grew up in Mcintosh County and was a teen during the years of Uncle Tom, he and his right hand man (deputy) may have done somethings above the law, but he watched out for us kids. We respected them and there is alot more to this story. I have good and bad memories of that time and would love to tell it to Melissa. Melissa there is alot more to tell, your book is great and there should be a movie made, but there also needs to be more of the story told.

Once I picked this book up, I could not put it down. The way Greene chose to set up this book and play out the story is excellent. She laid out the characters and the scene in such a way to allow the reader to draw their own conclusions to the facts, giving equal voice to all parties. Though the heroes and villians are obvious, she doesn't portray them in a straight forward way. It opens with a complete and thorough description of everything surrounding the actual story, which gives the reader the feeling that they are there - a part of it - before all is said and done. The research she did on the subject to offer a tale told with all sides is commendable. Equally Fascinating and Intriguing!!