I read this book with a basic knowledge of what happened on the last days in the life of George Custer. There was a great deal of research into all of the happenings of The Battle of the Little Bighorn. This book covers a great deal of information that will be useful for other researchers or anyone interested in history. The conclusions drawn by the author are insightful and educated. It is definitely a keeper.

Snelson offers a direct and comprehensive study in this compact book that focuses on the battle and its aftermath in just 165 very readable pages. If Graham (The Custer Myth) had access to the more current research and archeological studies he may have written a book like this because Snelson tries to write a very objective account. Snelson utilizes the research of others with few primary sources to examine what occurred at the LBH, which, in one sense allows the book to flow quickly. The jist is that Snelson offers and mitigates what the bare facts are and what can be proven and argues against conspiracy theories, which are very popular. A typical example concerns Reno, was he right stopping his charge and forming a skirmish line? Well, who would want to charge into an 8,000-person village before the rest of the regiment was up? You may not like Reno or Benteen for that matter but Snelson argues pretty good points on whether or not they could have made a difference. He uses several of Hardoff's Indian accounts of the battle to establish what Custer did after he came to Medicine Ford Coulee. He obviously spilt his 5-company battalion into two parts but the mystery today still is did he leave half his command to go further north to attack at a better positioned ford to stop the exodus from the village or was he performing a feint to pull the Indians away from Reno? Who knows for sure but the end result is that Custer with E and F (and maybe part of C) move away from Keogh (L and I and all or part of C) and both now isolated cannot support the other when the Indians envelope and shock the troops into a loss of cohesion. He does make sense as does Fox that Custer had to be confidently on the offensive when the abrupt collapse occurs because he is still moving north instead of south towards the rest of the regiment. Keogh may have been split off as a lynchpin to Benteen who was expected to come up and also deal with Indians that were harassing the rear of the column. At the end Snelson attacks the various theories of why the defeat occurs from all the various angles. One of which is that this is a most unique Indian fight in that they fight in unusually large numbers with an almost unified aggressiveness that was only shown at the Rosebud just a week earlier. This unique nature unlike typical Indian fighting totally overwhelms Custer's and any commander's expectations (such as Crook). It's easy to fault Reno and Benteen because of their personalities and their variation of the facts (did not hear shooting down stream) but Snelson challenges you to look at what was happening at the time without the benefit of hindsight. In fact, they all made errors including Custer but it was based on two primary things, that the Indians would run and that Custer could take care of himself and may have if he had not made the final separation of his 5 company battalion on unsuitable ground. I learned a lot from my two day tour of the battlefield earlier this week one of which is the fact that Benteen did not follow Custer's trail at the morass and take the shorter route, he followed Reno's trail to the creek and thus took the indirect route that probably cost a half hour plus the pack train took the same course. Would that have made a difference? Maybe not if Reno still had time to block Benteen and ask for help. This is compounded by Boston Custer who told his brother that Benteen was coming up to support him as ordered which may have set Custer up to split his battalion, one to safeguard Benteen's connection and leave the other for offensive maneuvering. Unless you have been there, you cannot say enough about the effect of the terrain. The huge rising bluffs blocked Custer's command from having a total view of the village until they were committed and when suddenly put on the defensive, the bluffs offered little protection for Calvary unlike the valley floor that they were best able to operate on. A good book because you can debate the author's views with your own or with a colleague, but it is a challenge to argue his presentation that which makes the book fun to read because all Custer historians enjoy the argument. This is the anti "what if" book, the author concentrates on "what happened and what they knew then".

First things first. You must know I've have read a lot of books about the Battle of Little Big Horn/Greassy Grass (actually it was a minor "battle" and more of an skirmish wich turned into a massacre...).
The present one does a SHORT/HARD/BELIEVABLE/FAIR/WELL EXPOSED/REASONED account of all relevant facts (and logical presumptions) without pesting the reader with a lot of trivia and pedantic "what ifs", as it is, I think I will probable put it on my top three accounts of the Battle, it's a pity the maps are'nt in color (the positive thing is THERE ARE MAPS of detail for the largely supposed movements of the 5 companies of Custer Command), many a good book about it suffers from the fact of poor graphic info. Here it's to the point but the same could be said for the text (only one word "plain" has to be "plane" in a sentence but you will deduct that yourself) a model of clarity and concision. WELL DONE.
Recommended to all, from the hardest aficionado up to the newest come to a theme wich has fascinated many generations since 1876.
For a NOVEL try "A ROAD WE DO NOT KNOW", the narrative wich will complement this one perfectly. For a colored version get OSPREY CAMPAIGN Nº39 by Peter Panzeri (with whom I will enjoy a wargame by the way...).

This book made me realize that radio is not just about playing music. It is about sending and reciving waves to make the public happy.

This book focuses on the history of radio from 1899 to 1954 and thus has nothing to do with RCA's CED VideoDisc system, but one of the key figures in the account is David Sarnoff, so a lot of the early history of RCA is covered. In addition to Sarnoff, the book focuses on the technical radio pioneers Edwin Howard Armstrong and Lee de Forest. In some respects this book is a reflection on the development of the modern computer, as parallels can be drawn between these radio pioneers and computer industry figures Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Larry Ellison.

Read some years ago & book now lost. Fascinating in that it vividly displays the genius, sometimes luck, unstinting effort, inspiration, and often the "happy" accident that is part of basic effort when one breaks ground in a new quest in pursuit of a dream. Much of this history could not be repeated in our 2000 world because those opportunities no longer exist. An example is Sarnoff's success in getting meaningful work at the tender age he did in the story! Mankind's unflagging quest goes on but in different ways. The first way of making news available at the instant it occurs certainly shrunk the world. The process continues. Recommended highly for the radio buff of any age!

I cannot beleive the amount of literature thats been written about Football hoolies these days. The thing that makes this one stand out the most is that it is written from a sociological perspective, rather than from the horse's mouth. it really is a good read nevertheless!
Of course there are better works!
If you can't find any hoolie books on the US site, try amazon.co.uk-if you don't mind the cost of shipping...

This outstanding ethnographic study of one particular group of football hooligans--the "Blades" who follow Sheffield United--challenges and dismisses many of the popular conceptions about hooliganism. Based on the author's 15 or so years of following Sheffield United and hanging out with those he is examining, the book is a fairly academic one, brimming with sociology jargon and theory (none of it too distracting or demanding for the lay reader). A few key themes emerge: (1) The Blades are not organized in any way, they are a self-selected amorphous group with members coming and going of their own accord, and being involved at a self-decided level (ranging from "core" to "peripheral." (2) There are no leaders who organize Blade hooligan activity. Buses to away games may be organized, and some "Top Lads" may yell suggestions in the heat of a situation, but no one bears--or wants--a leadership mantle. (3) There is no element of racism, about 10% of the Blades are black. Blades involved with the National Front or British National Party are peripherals who are derided for their views. (4) The media generally get the facts all wrong (either from laziness or police misinformation) or intentionally distort the facts about hooligan incidents, oftentimes mislabeling non-football related episodes as hooligan events. Also, the police are generally effective in limiting hooligan on hooligan violence, but often wrongfully arrest Blades and manufacture charges. This is hardly surprising, but the frequency outlined in the study is somewhat disconcerting. (5) The level of violence as measured by actual punches, injuries (minor and major) is exceedingly minimal and is self-restrained by various unspoken "rules" and "norms" within the ritual of behavior. Most all violence occurs away from the match, either before or after or en route, and is never targeted at non-hooligans. This is a key theme, and an important one, considering the popular perception of what hooligan violence involves. The overall impression that emerges is that the effects of hooliganism are totally overhyped by media, police, and public for their own aims. The caveat is that this study was limited to one group in one city. One suspects that a similarly rigorous and long-running study of, say, Chelsea, or West Ham, would find a much more disturbing set of lads and incidents. For participant accounts, see "Capital Punishment: London's Violent Football Following" by Dougie and Eddy Brimson and for an excellent work of fiction see "The Football Factory" by John King.

It explain the birth of the infamous hooligans. It a good book, bacause it has a good description of what the hooligans are doing to the sport.

I found this book at yard sale a couple of years back and i have read it over again several times--the characters are great--especially the quirky male lead character. it's a great mystery with a hint of romance and i would suggest that anyone in the mood to enjoy an entertaining suspenseful book purchase this!

I've read this book over and over for several years! Now I have children and we enjoy it together- The characters put me in mind of the old "Remington Steele" characters, searching for piggy banks with clues in them and out-stepping the bad guys. Lots of fun and some light romance, too.

This is one of Charlotte Armstrongs best books, both plot and characters are excellent, as an airport gift shop clerk gets caught up in a chase to track down a piggy bank, bought by one of four children, before a nefarious criminal gang does the same. A thriller with just enough romance and comic relief.

High Impact Telephone Networking for Job Hunters is not a very thick book, and can be completed over the weekend. Howard Armstrong cautions against several pitfalls that I had previously overlooked. Scripting and informational interview techniques are also discussed. Regardless of what techniques one chooses to apply, persistence is one of the most important ingredients of a successful job search. I especially recommend taking notes from Chapter 12 Dealing with Telephone Run-Around. Most importantly, remember to get a commitment and never allow yourself to be interviewed over the phone. Good Luck!

Amazing book. Highly recommended. Provides an invaluable perspective on how to find and land a job.

A nifty book about an aspect of networking that many people fear to the point of phobia. Though aimed at job-hunters, the techniques Armstrong describes transfer well to marketing freelance or consulting services. Offers important advice on establishing chemistry; focusing your efforts; scripting (yes, it *is* okay--often even preferable--to write out the gist of what you want to say in advance); getting the conversation started; dealing with challenges (e.g., "We don't have any job openings right now") by planning effective answers; asking for a meeting; projecting a positive telephone image; getting to the right person; coping with "telephone runaround"; and what to do if you're making lots of calls but not getting any meetings (which Armstrong distinguishes, importantly, from interviews). One chapter, "When You Just Don't Feel Like Making the Calls," makes a particularly handy support for those nearly inevitable down days. Another deals deftly with nine classic pitfalls that can "hang up" phone-networking novices and cause needless anxiety. Highly recommended.

This book is compiled from the found writings of a sergeant of the Seventh Cavalry who survived the Battle of the Little Big Horn. The first hand accounts of men like Sergeant Windolph and Theodore Goldin are very valuable and interesting reading. They were not men defending their performance as were the officers like Benteen, Reno, and Godfrey. They had their biases but didn't have to grind axes. This account is worthwhile reading for students of the Seventh Cavalry and the Little Big Horn campaign.

As a Custer buff, this book has been on my shelf for a long time. A great book to read, one that fleshes out a lot of the daily life in the Seventh as well as the battle along Greasy Grass. Right up there with "Son of Morning Star" and Walter Camp's book on the subject. Check 'em out, you won't be disappointed.

I am a big fan of thomas bergers book "little Big Man" and loved the film. After reading this book I now know where Mr. Berger probably gleaned his inspiration for his classic novel. Reading this old soldiers memorable account made me thirst only for more. It is a real gem, and every Custer fan should have a copy in the home library.

New Jersey is known more for things it might prefer to be forgotten (parkway and turnpike exit jokes, toxic waste dump sites)than for its contributions. "New Jersey Firsts" sticks mostly to the positive and eccentric side of the Garden State's contributions to History, Sports, Science, Food and more.

Among the more interesting stories are traffic circles, the infamous "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast (First Martian attack)and Bill Haley, the disputed father of rock n roll(first Rock n roll star). From Springsteen to cranberry bogs to the Jersey shore, NJ's brighter side shines through.

Alos recommended, New Jersey Trivia (ISBN: 1558532234).

I thought I knew alot about by home state until I read the book. What a surprise to learn that I did not know as much as I thought I knew. It is informative without being a drag. Every native of New Jersey and/or resident of the State needs to have a copy of "New Jersey Firsts" in their personal library.

This is a great little book packed with information that anyone with ties to New Jersey would find interesting. I bought it as a father's day gift. It has a nice blend of information, some of it light and some serious. The photos are fantastic. Some of the entries I was well aware of, but most were news to me. All in all, it is an entertaining book that I think appeals to a very wide audience.

From the Foreword: "This assembling of their intimate letters was prepared at Mrs. Custer's request. ...[T]here are personal things one cannot say or suffer to be said during one's lifetime, but which ought to be said. For some decades, ending in 1933 at her death, I was [Mrs. Custer's] nearest friend."

Originally published in 1950, this reprint of Ms. Merrington's work interleaves selections from the personal letters of the Custers between a sympathetic narrative of their personal lives, providing an intimate view of his controversial career and their happy marriage. We see him as he leaves his family homestead in New Rumley, Ohio, for a military education at West Point; spy long glimpses of him during his rise to prominence in the Union Cavalry to early fame as the acclaimed Boy General; saunter alongside as he courts Judge Bacon's daughter Libby in Monroe, Michigan; march behind him during his daring campaign on the Washita; sit in silent shock during his unwarranted court martial; and watch with growing trepidation as he delivers his forthright testimony before Congress about the mismanagement by the War Department immediately prior to his return to Fort Lincoln and his final campaign in the Dakota Territory. We see Custer through his own eyes, and through the eyes of his devoted wife, and what we view is a portrait of a strong, courageous leader whose skill, gallantry, and wit account for his remarkably successful military career. It is customary in these later years to deny the underlying truth of this view and paint the man in colors few of his contemporaries would recognize. But there are enough artists of history to paint horns where none may have existed; we may suffer the Custers to sketch a faded halo above his engaging visage, and let it serve to counter the later brushstrokes of politically corrected historians and politicians.

In studying history and people in history we usually base our opinions on second and third hand descriptions of people. In the case of George Custer, a voluminous writer; we have his book, articles and these edited letters to his wife. While these letters are edited, they do give us insights into the character and personality of this man from which to form our own opinions. Readers will likely react differently to the same passages based on their response to the words expressed. Taken in the context of the society of the time, we can each draw conclusions relative to his intelligence, wit and character. History is considerably more real and more alive when we have such an advantage to get to know its' participants.

I grew up like most people being fed the lies of Hollywood and those with an ax to grind about American history and blamed George Custer.
I have read 3 books now on the Custers, My Life on the Plains, Boots and Saddles by his wonderful wife Libby and now this one of their personal letters.
In all of these books, the reader will find a husband and wife emerge who were deeply in love with each other, solid in their Christian faith, of good morals, temperate, loved and respected by all....who enjoyed life to it's fullest.
General Custer even emerges as thee soldier who did not want the Indian Wars, and, for an extra history eye opener, you will find he went to great lengths to rescue the Cheyenne from military confrontation....a people who would later massacre him and his command at Little Big Horn.
I can not say enough positive about this book. It is the truth and is a wonderful read with insights to America from the view of people who actually were part of our history.
Where else are you going to read that Vice President Andrew Johnson was drunk at Lincoln's Inaugural from the eye witness Libby Custer.
This is real...this is true. You will find a General who was always careful in his planning....never reckless as his late critics spout in so many lies.
George and Libby Custer's words should be REQUIRED reading by all the "experts" before they are allowed to publish their thoughts on people they never knew.
This is a cheap book...and worth 10 times the cost.

I bought this book for my 8 yr old. He really liked it. In fact, he used it for a book report. It is well written. It tells Lance's story at a level appropriate for children. Buy it.

Just read this book to a 3 1/2 year old boy that I babysit. He loved it and was so interested in the story the entire time. I also enjoyed reading about Lance's life and felt I learned a bit about his struggles. The child I read it too loved the pictures and asked many questions about racing. He was very interested in the motorcylces, Fabio's death, cycling in the rain and Luke at the end. Kristen thank you for writing about your family's life. Hope you write more children's books.

Having read "It's Not About The Bike" while I was having chemo this summer, I was interested to see what this telling would be like. It's a great story, very well told. Some great photos and illustrations. The final photo is a real cracker - it just radiates LIFE! How come when I was a kid there weren't any books like this to make learing to read a real pleasure. Thanks, Lance for the example and the inspiration; and thanks Kristin for a beautifully written book.

The general task of this book [is] to elaborate the style of attention which works of art solicit. The cultivation of such a style is of importance because it is in the quality of our engagement that the human worth of art is apparent--art matters in virtue of the kind of experience it invites the spectator into. There is no access to art except in private--in looking, thinking, feeling as we stand before an individual work. Cultivation requires that we draw upon our own resources of sensitivity, reverie and contemplation, our capacity to invest our ideals and interests in the process of looking. Without these we can only know about art as detached observers who look on without being able to participate (like seeing people share a joke others don't quite catch). -John Armstrong, Move Closer

John Armstrong, director of the Aesthetic Programme of the School for Advanced Study at the University of London, is concerned here with "our private, individual response to particular works of art." He delineates the various techniques that we use when we approach art and how we use them to appreciate what we are seeing. The book is short, eminently readable and contains sumptuous illustrations which he uses to good effect in making his points. But the points he's making all deal, as his subtitle suggests, with internal reactions and personal likes and dislikes. This is fine up to a point, but there does come a point where this kind of intensely individualistic approach really abandons the idea of art and particularly of great art.

Obviously there are personal reasons why one individual likes Rembrandt best and another likes Michelangelo. Framed in this context, such preferences are not all that significant--who is to say ultimately which is the better artist ? Does the attempt to differentiate even make a whole lot of sense? But carried to it's logical extreme, and it breaks down long before the extreme, the idea that there is much significance to each individual's unique interaction with artwork undermines the concept of art itself. Given the 5 billion people on the planet, it is entirely possible that there's at least one person who will like just about anything that someone puts down on paper. The salient question is : does the fact that someone reacts favorably to it make it art? I would argue that it does not. Armstrong uses the metaphor in the quote above of "seeing people share a joke others don't quite catch." But an emphasis on individual reaction eventually leads to just such a situation, one where we are all incapable of detachment and only react to those jokes (or paintings) which appeal uniquely to us. Then art ceases to be capable of communicating ideas; it is reduced instead to appealing to viewers' emotions. At another point armstrong compares the affection that we develop for certain works of art to the way we develop love for another person, but someone loved Hitler and someone loved Ted Bundy. What do those emotions have to do with the absolute value of the objects of the affection?

Great art, those works which we generally recognize as canonical, should not merely be attractive to a few, but accessible to and appreciated by the multitudes. Art should be universal, not individual, and should prompt a general reaction in most of us, not in an elite or in a handful of folks. There are two excellent books by Tom Wolfe, The Painted Word (1975) & From Bauhaus to Our House (1981)(Tom Wolfe 1931-) (Grade: A+), and one by Jamie James, The Music of the Spheres : Music, Science, and the Natural Order of the Universe (1995)(Jamie James), which together explain how art, which was once held to objective standards of beauty, became so subjective over the past century or two. Mr. Armstrong's book is an entertaining and instructive guide to some of the ways that we process what we see when we look at art and how certain works come to be our particular favorites, but for a compelling vision of how art should be judged in general and of the shortcomings of the modern individualistic approach to art, try Wolfe and James.

GRADE : C

I purchased this book at the end of an exhausting morning fighting crowds at the Vermeer show at the Met in New York City. How lucky for me.

John Armstrong delivers on what he promises: a personal philosophy of art, not a dissertation on why a certain painting is deemed as quote-masterpiece-unquote. The author's point is the more you put into art, the more you get out of it. He then breezily discusses the many ways to extract the most pleasure from a particular artwork.

Art is about pleasure - the pleasure of beauty, of learning, of insight or of truth (even if the truth isn't pretty). This author shows you how to increase your pleasure. Simple. Nothing more or less. The read is quick and very accessible, contrary to most of today's art writing/reporting which is gobbledygook.

If you enjoy art or philosophy then BUY THIS BOOK.

John Armstrong's book is a wittily written essay about our personal enjoyment of the arts, in particular of paintings and architecture. Being generally easy to read, the book not only makes you laugh occasionally, but sometimes requires an all-round humanistic art education to grasp the points ("contextual knowledge" of the world of painting and literature). The book is a small piece of esthetical art in itself, pursuing to extend the philosophy of our unconscious mind to appreciate beautiful art. Armstrong's book carefully analyses what exactly makes art enjoyable and after you have read the book you will find that your personal enjoyment of art has been enhanced. All in all, a refreshing and intellectually stimulating piece of work. The book enables all those readers who are busily pursuing a hectic lifestyle to take a step back and start thinking about what rearly makes life enjoyable.