Anyone interested in tanks and mechanized infantry in the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps ought to read this collection of historical essays. The emphasis is upon technical and doctrinal development, and while most of these topics have been treated elsewhere, their compilation here makes for a nice (if uneven) survey. Strengths: the discussion of armor use in the Marine Corps, the recognition that U.S. tank destroyers were as significant as tanks during WWII, the development of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, and the relationship of doctrinal development and the use of armor in the 1970s and 1980s. This reviewer faults an emphasis on post-WWII developments, a lack of discussion on armored artillery or the seemingly-immortal M113 and its variants, glossing over survivability criticisms of the M2/M3, a lack of tabular comparative technical data, and limited discussion of armored and mechanized tables of organization and equipment. That said, highly recommended for any modern military collection.

Three points about this volume are of particular positive interest. First, the editors decision to have contributors discuss not only history, but also doctrinal and technological development of American armor. This makes for a volume which will be of interest to both amateurs and professionals. Second, the choice of contributors could not, in my opinion, have been much better. Lastly, the inclusion of chapters dealing with the history and development of armor in the U.S. Marine Corps is an often overlooked area of discussion.

In such an excellent volume, my criticisms are few, but relate to what the editors and the individual contributors have decided to exclude. For example, though there is a fine chapter on U.S. Army tank operations in Europe (Chapter 5), there is no corresponding chapter on U.S. Army tank operations in the Pacific. Instead, the editors have included a chapter on U.S. Marine Corps tank operations in the Pacific (Chapter 6). This decision is rather curious in that, at its peak strength, the U.S. Marine Corps only had 6 tank battalions and 6 amphibious tractor battalions (one of each per division), while the U.S. Army had 18 tank battalions, 10 tank destroyer battalions, and 19 amphibious tank and tractor battalions, and a cavalry mechanized reconnaissance squadron in the Pacific. Unfortunately, this sort of omission might lead the amateur reader to believe that the U.S. Army's commitment to the Pacific War was so minuscule that it was not worth mentioning, which is absolutely not the case.

Two other items received only scant mention in this volume - tank destroyers and the M113. While the whole concept of tank destroyers ultimately proved unsuccessful, the amount of resources devoted to them during the war certainly necessitates more discussion than the half dozen or so pages in this volume. The other odd omission is the M113 armored personal carrier. This venerable workhorse of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps from the 1950s to the 1980s, receives only scant mention, while the M2/M3 Bradley fighting vehicle, a relative newcomer, receives much more extensive coverage.

I submitted a review on this format on 3 September (8 working days ago). I really worked hard on the review etc. Should I resubmit..or are just just a little bit behind and I should be patient. Thanks. Charles

"Auchinleck's Command" is the second volume of a three-volume set by Barrie Pitt published by Cassell & Co. in London. Pitt is no stranger to war or the theater about which he writes, having served in both the European and Middle East theaters in World War II.

Pitt gives the reader first hand accounts of fighting in North Africa from a soldiers' view point as well as that of the generals. Highly readable, accurate and with well-researched detail, this definitive work brings the reader to the crucial battle of First Alamein in July 1941. Gen. Erwin Rommel and his Afrika Korps had consistently outfought the British since Rommel's appearance in theater in early 1941. However, thanks to Auchinleck's personal intervention at First Alamein, disaster was averted and Egypt remained in the hands of the British.

Although Auchinleck was forced into retirement after First Alamein, on June 20, 1943, he was back in the good graces of Winston Churchill and placed in command of the Indian Army.

In the end, one has to give credit to Cassell & Co. for introducing all three volumes of their "Crucible of War" series on North African fighting-you won't want to buy one without purchasing the other two.

The 1940-43 desert campaign is probably the most satisfying of WWII. Civilians were scarce, so one can admire German military prowess without the usual atrocities. The British revealed their best qualities: magnificently stubborn in defense, fearless but slow in offense, hobbled by inferior equipment but more by cautious generals.

This middle volume of Pitt's definitive history begins after Operation Battleaxe, Wavell's disastrous June 1941 offensive that persuaded Churchill to replace him. Solid, if unchiarismatic, the new general, Auchinleck, fended off Churchill's demands for quick action, reorganized the army, and launched operation Crusader in November. Rommel, obsessed with besieging Tobruk and misled by spies (caught and turned by the English as usual), assumed this was a feint until almost too late. During the confused fighting that followed, both sides suffered heavily, and Auchinleck showed more offensive spirit than many of his generals. On the verge of victory after a week, Rommel abruptly turned and retreated 500 miles into Libya. His long, fragile supply line had dried up. Both sides were exhausted when the front finally stabilized, but after only a month the Afrika Korps recovered and took the offensive. The battles and retreats in spring 1942 marked the nadir of Eighth Army morale. Discouraged soldiers and junior officers often admired Rommel more than their own leaders. Taking over direct command of the fighting, Auchinleck performed well in stopping the Germans inside Egypt, but Churchill was determined to make another change. Auchinleck's successor, Montgomery, enjoyed great success, but that happens in the next volume.

Three volumes on the North African campaign might seem too much for anyone outside a staff college, but Pitt (who served in the Middle East) is a fine writer: lucid, witty, and opinionated. Besides providing clear descriptions of complex unit actions, he brings the major figures to life and gives a vivid picture of the problems and miseries of soldiering in the desert.
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The second installation of Barrie Pitt's three-book long history of the War in the Desert, this is probably the best book of the three. This volume deals with the period in which General Claude Auchinleck was the British C-in-C and the battles between the British and the Rommel's Afrika Korps ranging from the earlier defeats to Auchinleck's triumph over the Desert Fox at the decisive battle of First Alemein, before Auchinleck would be unjustly sacked by Churchill, an interferer in military strategies that had prolonged the desert war by three years.
Masterfully narrated, this book is both detailed and easy to read, and includes very useful Orders of Battles and several notes. The definete book on the Desert War, highly recommended to any WWII history buff.

Richly, colorfully illustrated The Desert Home is both a guide to and panorama of the architecture and interior design found in the American Southwest. We know that region for a relaxed, casual lifestyle enhanced by unique terrain and a cover of unbelievably blue sky.

With twenty years experience as an interior designer, Tamara L. Hawkins is well equipped to offer a tour of the diverse structures to be found in this area. The homes vary both in size and architectural style from contemporary adobe overlooking Phoenix to a remote desert home with elements of an old adobe mission and a distinct south-of-the-border flavor.

We learn that while America's three hot deserts - the Chihuahuan, the Sonoran, and the Mojave have many unifying characteristics, they are quite different in geologic formations, animals, plants, and history. Our largest desert, the Chihuahuan, spans 200,000 square miles, primarily in Mexico, while the Mojave is a mere 25,000 mile area in California, Nevada and Utah. Each of the deserts has a unique history which often determines the ambience of architecture and home interior.

The three cultures, Native-American, Spanish, and Anglo-American, which have contributed to the Southwest are found in the homes as art, rugs, artifacts, paintings, crafts, even dishware.

With over 225 photographs and a well researched, readable text "The Desert Home" both a source and reference for decorating inspiration.

- Gail Cooke

This offering, by Northland Publishing, of "the desert home" is a visual feast for those who long to bring the beauty, serenity and spirituality of the desert into their living space. Sumptious decorating ideas abound whether you call the city, 'burbs or rural counties your residence and all have taken the flavor of the American and Spanish deserts. From clean modern designs to old world collectibles, this is a wonderful expos'e on decorating and living as a desert dweller.

The Desert Home by professional interior designer and freelance writer Tamara L. Hawkinson takes the reader upon a wonderful and memorable tour through a series of Southwestern American homes which are filled with personality, flavor, charm, and showcase a love for life in the desert. Warm earthen tones predominate the styles depicted herein, all of which are beautifully illustrated with numerous full-color photographs, and commented upon at length in a "reader friendly" text. Simply put, The Desert Home is great source book of ideas when searching for a desert or western motif for any area of one's own home.

Desert Rain loved her husband Arm Bow so deeply that when he died saving the life of a child her grief overwhelmed her to the edge of oblivion. Desert Rain considered ways to join her beloved in the next life. She slips out of her village knowing how unsafe the wilderness is with feral two legged animals protected by blue coated beasts, but she is on a mission to find a way to rejoin Arm Bow.

In the woods Desert Rain encounters the legendary Sprit Walker when he rescues her from some nasty trappers. He keeps her safe as he escorts her back to her people. Once with her tribe Spirit Walker begins to court Desert Rain.

The warm romance between the lead couple takes a back seat to the powerfully vivid descriptions of early eighteenth century western America. However, the detail does slow down the plot, but on the other hand provides readers with a rare look at a bygone era. Though advertised as a romance, SpiritWalker's novel is a fabulous historical novel with some romantic elements that spice up the story line. DESERT RAIN will provide pleasure for those readers who prefer a very deep look at the American heritage through a close up perspective on an Indian culture.

Harriet Klausner

I have read many books by many authors and I've NEVER been lead to do a review on one. From page one this book caught my heart. The story line and the history was so well put together. By the time my last page was read and the cover closed my heart told me to read it again. This is one beautiful story. Like other readers I can't wait for his next book to come out.

This book is up there with Madeline Baker. It is a book you cannot put down and I will collect all his books and can't wait till his next one. Does Anyone know when his Next book will be out? It is filled with great romance. I like the idea that a man wrote it. I'm native and His writing are good....Keep up the good work Spirit walker. I'm glad Madeline Baker encouraged you to write.....It's awesome. May the Spirit guide you always...

Alex Keegan was never going to marry. Why would she after seeing the way her father hurt and humiliated her mother day after day by his philandering? Nope, men could not be trusted.

Four years ago, she left her home in Williams, Arizona, to be on her own as a Harvey girl at the El Tovar Resort on the Grand Canyon. The El Tovar hosted parties for the rich, famous and powerful - the perfect place for her to make enough money to take her mother somewhere far away from her father.

Luke Toland is the cowboy in love with Alex Keegan and it cuts him clear through to his soul when she can't see past her father's infidelities to open her heart to another. When presidential candidate Senator Winthrop of SC comes to town with his beautiful, young, flirtatious daughter who has her eyes set on Luke, Luke has a difficult time convincing Alex he has no desire to take Valerie Winthrop up on her offers.

To make matters worse, Rufus Keegan, Alex's father, joins the Winthrop party and she must witness his thirst for power and position no matter what the cost. For Rufus, the cost may be his youngest daughter, Alex.

Winthrop's top aide, Joel Harper, who happens to be his daughter's fiancée, has his eye set on Alex because she presents a challenge to him. He usually has girls falling at his feet.

Alex sees him as a man like her father and wants no part of it. He also has a very unsavory past that threatens to rear its head every now and then.

With Valerie chasing Luke and her fiancée chasing Alex, Alex's perceptions of men and marriage are confirmed until Luke convinces her to look in the mirror. Just as she is doing nothing to encourage Joel he is doing nothing to encourage Valerie.

When Valerie approaches him after Joel has been especially cruel, he senses that something has changed. She isn't the calculating flirt she once was. She is confused and lost. Luke decides she needs God in her life and he's willing to share what he knows with her and trusts that Alex will understand why he's spending time with Valerie.

Throughout Alex's day to day struggle with father, her confusing jealousy where Luke and Valerie are concerned and the aggravation of Joel's attentions, Alex's mother is invited by the Winthrop's to attend one of their lavish parties. Rufus Keegan is furious - not only because she is there, but also because of the reason she decided to accept the invitation and join her husband in El Tovar. When she arrives, the story takes a turn from the battles raging in Alex's head - her feelings for Luke and trying to honor God by respecting her father - to the drama playing on the rim of the Grand Canyon.

Though set in the 1920's during the Prohibition era, Alex Keegan is a modern woman. She set out on her own to make money and to take care of her mother.

Though there is a trace of romance and love, the story centers on Alex moving from friendship to trust. There is even a hint of mystery and a plot twist towards the end.

I have read many of Tracie Peterson's other books, so I eagerly picked this one up. This is an interesting story about trust. If you don't your family, can you bring yourself to trust your feelings? Alex's father is a rat, basically--always throwing his infidelities in her mother's face. Seeing this has soured her on all men. Luke is her friend, and he loves her but cannot bring himself to tell her.

THere is betrayal, murder, mystery and romance all wrapped up in 370 pages. A fast read that will have you perched on the edge of your seat. Enjoy!

Luke has fallen in love with his best friend of four years. If he tells her will she run away? Alex is has been burnt by her father's open infidelities. She trusts no man in the area of sex, romance or love. Of course, she has yet to figure out what the difference is between sex and love. She knows Luke is important as her best friend, but she ignores the tugging on her heart. In the meantime, a wicked political game is being played out at the resort where she works as a Harvey girl. Her mother becomes involved and there is a tragic incident. This is a wondrous tale of seeking transformation and new life, but in the search, one must first face the darkness of those who would do evil. Great Read! Tracie P., we want more!

This is a good fantasy book as it goes, but doesn't go very far. It was too action-packed, and didn't have the psychological/philosophical edge that made "Philosopher's Stone" so good.

Since I read the Mind Parasites for the first time, Wilson became one of my favorite writers and I've never been disappointed by his books. And the Spider World saga (The Desert and its numerous sequels) is probably the best his achievement in the fiction field. You find there mystery and suspence in the best traditions of the Mind Parasites, a story of self-development of a young men (which is set even better than in the Philosopher's Stone), bright imagination and vivid language. It's very hard to put this book aside.

It's the best book I ever read! If you like fantasy & sci-fi you'll love this book.

To the people who loves aircraft,this book causes an irrepressible wish to save of all the aircraft that are pictured in it. Do you want to know the fate of that aircraf that you saw when you were only a child?. Here it is. It' sad but it's hopeless. The book for all who want to "feel" the soul of the steel birds.

Excellent photography, and outstanding narrative. Mr. Robson has left the reader with a sense of anguish knowing that these once proud airplanes have finally been bound to the earth forever, dying, slowly. Every airplane lover will shed a tear I'm sure.

One of the few airliner books that truly lives up to it's billing! A sad, but wonderful set of sequences showing the birds of the desert in their various stages of storage. Included with each shot is a small history of the particular aircraft and its history. A must-have for the collector.

From the beautifully evocative opening line, the following 40 pages has the reader preparing for a novel of meltingly beautiful poetry describing the dignity and stoic will of the desert refugees of Mali.

American geologist Ty Campbell, raw from recent personal tragedy works in solitude on the edge of the North African desert dowsing for water and observing the hidden rivers of life beneath the surface of the Sahara. Ty's peace is disturbed and he is made aware of the raw edge between life and human death when a group of refugees, led by the crusading Lila, make camp in his surrounds and demand help for their collective survival.

Ty's emotional bank is drained with the shared responsibility of keeping over 400 souls alive and his re-emergence into the company of others leads him into dealing with Bud van Sickle, CEO of Timbuktu Earthwealth. The nations of the world need somewhere to store their burgeoning masses of nuclear waste, and Timbuktu Earthwealth want Ty's assistance in the process of selling their idea to the world community of burying this waste in the desert. In effect, in return for the company assisting the refugees, Ty agrees to become an industrial spy.

While the effortless comparative similies remain, after the introduction of conflict on an industrial and political scale the novel departs the previously winning formula and battles for purpose. Local warlords, environmental crusaders, political middle men and traffickers are introduced at such pace it becomes convoluted and an effort to follow. Every introduced character seems to be a mystic and after the purity of the opening pages the novel seems cluttered and somewhat inconsequential despite the grandness of its setting.

The working credentials of this debut author impress detail in to what could be described as a technical novel that works hard at crafting for our minds one possible future for Africa. "Desert Burial" is difficult to classify, in parts excellent literary fiction and in others, industrial thriller. Nothing could take away from this novel the beauty of the introduction and the possibilities of excellent reading in future (perhaps more defined in genre) works of this author.

~*~*
Andrea Thompson

Brian Littlefair manages to write a literary thriller because of his superb imagination, his powerful story-telling instinct, and his mind for metaphor.

"Desert Burial" is primarily set in Mali which the author notes is now "one of Africa's more vigorous democracies;" that adds a note of irony to this futuristic horror story. That Littlefair's predictions for that country and the world might actually come true makes this story fascinating and devastating.

Ty Campbell is a geologist who has finagled his way into being paid by an obscure US government agency to live with the silent rocks and aquifers in the heart of eastern Africa. The opening chapters tell of the isolation, quiet and mineral deposits he loves are exquisite. They are a mind-numbing contrast to the bedlam that is about to engulf the world with tentacles so pervasive they reach out even to Campbell's self-imposed isolation in the desert. There are some restrained romantic interests. He comes to know several women of substance who personify the different ways that people might try to make a positive difference in the world. He comes to know some men who are doing their best to undermine world order. He learns a lot in the process.

Littlefair's imaginary (I sometimes wonder if it isn't more clairvoyant than fictional) world is, at times, difficult to follow. The ins and outs and ups and downs of politics, the underworld, and the human traffickers aren't immediately clear. This book is about international intrigue and I'm not sure it wouldn't lose something if the reader stopped to trace every intricacy. Further, I don't feel it is necessary to catch every relationship and motivation to understand and to love a story.. I thought this one was well worth the ride.
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(Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of "This is the Place"

Why isn't everyone talking about this book? Not only is it one of the best thrillers I've ever read, it's the best book about "the developing world" since the heyday of Graham Greene. And the sentences! This book is champagne for every reader sick to his or her stomach on Grisham and Katzenbach and Ludlum. Read it!

Desert Eden seems inspired by the Biosphere at Oracle Arizona. It has a clever idea. There are several biospheres scattered world wide. In one, a study for a cure for cancer tragically unleashes a deadly plague. Suddenly the 10 scientists in the biosphere are in a fascinating trap. If they leave, they will fall victim to the plague. But how long can they stay? The concept is wonderful. Unfortunately, the author doesn't do nearly as much with it as he could, but it's still a page turner. I should add a warning. I read the two sequals, Beyond Eden and Future Eden, hoping the author would correct his mistakes and write a really good book. Alas, it's the opposite. They are still fast-moving page turners, but with increasing lapses in logic and dull characters. Desert Eden is the only one of the three that is genuinely enjoyable (and I wish the author would rewrite it and make a really good story out of it!)

I have really enjoyed Desert Eden, I still can't find the other 2 books. Basically there are domes around the world and when a virus broke out, It killed everyone except those that were immune. The people in the dome suffer through some hard times such as one of their own members risking their life to fix the dome from outside. It's really interesting. I do hope to get my hands on the other 2.

It's about where the entire world falls victim to a disease, But in the beginning, there were biodomes that were experiments that housed 10 people. But there were survivors that were immune to this disease but the people in the biodomes weren't. They were protected, They sent one man out to see if the disease had passed and unfortunately, he caught it. I only read this one because I still can't find the "Beyond Eden" book.

This is the third book I bought with photo's from Steve Schmollinger. I think he is one of the greatest US train photographers. Unfortuanatly some photo's in his last book are made bigger then in previous books and (in my opinion) that did not made the book better. The disadvantage is that the grain is more visable (normally with such big photo's you take more distance, but in the book the distance to your eyes remains the same as for the smaller pictures) and the picture is cut by the gutter of the book. However this book is worth the money, because the pictures are very good. I hope that Steve will make more nice books in the future, but will use the layout as used in his first book.

The only thing that would have improved this book would have been a commitment from the publisher not to run photos across the book's gutter. While two-page photos can be aligned so that the gutter cuts through nothing meaningful in the picture, a few times in this book the gutter cuts the lead locomotive in half.

Otherwise, the imagery is interesting, the text and captions are well-written and informative.

Mr. Schmollinger has done it again with a spectacular collection of photos from both himself and other well-known rail photographers. In addition to the unbelievable (and I'm not exaggerating) photos, this book contains an extensive amount of historical information regarding the original surveys conducted by the explorers who were among the first white men to see much of the territory that this volume covers. There is also sort of a running geology lesson which explains the what and why of the many incredible backdrops that the trains are placed against. The variety of weather conditions and the geographic uniqueness of the area covered is demonstrated through a number of stunning night shots, sunset, and glint shots as well as some whopping telephotos that all combine to give a refreshing look at areas that are over-covered in the fan magazines. Stunning and worth the price.