This book is clearly a political move made by Huey Long when he was aiming for the presidency. I found it interesting to discover about his life, and how he tried to show that he was just like everybody else.

This is the tenth book in the Georgian saga series of books by Jean Plaidy, also known to her legion of fans as Victoria Holt. This is an entertaining work of historical fiction replete with many period details. Well written, it is a look into the life of stage actress, musical star, and comedienne Dorothy Jordan. A shining star of Richard Sheridan's Drury Lane Theatre, Ms. Jordan was to capture the hearts of theatre lovers, as well as the heart of the third son of King George III, William, the seafaring Duke of Clarence.

From poverty in Ireland to fame and notoriety in London, England, the multi-talented Dorothy Jordan would have many admirers. A one man woman, however, she was devoted to hearth and family. Her intimate relationship with the Duke of Clarence would span twenty years and ten children. They would live in connubial bliss as a family, though he could not, for reasons of state, marry her, being third in the line of succession to the throne of England. With William, Ms. Jordan was to know great joy and great sorrow.

William's penchant for living beyond his means, however, ensured that Ms. Jordan would continue working in the footlights of the theatre, as her income was a necessity to maintain their high standard of living. This would prove to be a sore point between them, as Dorothy wanted nothing more than to leave the paintpots of the theatre and live the life of full-time wife and mother. William's profligate spending would ensure that her dream would never come to fruition.

Eventually, William would have a mid-life crisis and their twenty years of family life would come to an abrupt end, as William would ostensibly seek to meet his obligation to the state. Dorothy Jordan, now an ill woman in her fifties, abandoned by her long time lover and husband in all but name, ignored by the very children to whom she had been so devoted, would live the lonely life of an expatriate in France, living out her remaining years virtually alone and friendless.

This is an engaging work of historical fiction, providing many glimspes into the lives of members of the royal family and all their contretemps. It provides a peek into the madness of King George III, the various relationships of George, the Prince of Wales, including that with his long time mistress, Maria Fitzherbert, and that with his much disdained wife, Caroline. All these personages and their lives provide a backdrop for William's and Dorothy's relationship, making for a three dimensional, well told tale that all those who love historical fiction will enjoy.

This book is both inspiring and informative. Many effective techniques are discussed which can add much to any therapist's list of favorites. You'll refer to it often

Any medievalist will undoubtedly find William of Malmesbury's Gesta cited throughout the footnotes of other studies. This volume provides a comprehensive commentary and analysis of the Malmesbury manuscripts, equal in every respect to the high standard expected from Oxford Medieval Texts.
Be forwarned, however, that this volume contains only the commentary. Those interested in reading the excellent full-text English translation, or making their own interpretation from the Latin will require the companion Volume I, which for some reason, Amazon does not include in its catalogue listings.

Author Harry Rinker does a great job in bringing back the images of a forgotten hero, Hopalong Cassidy as portrayed by actor William Boyd. His book recaptures, vividly, the massive Hoppy merchandise of the 1950's when Boyd-a marketing genius- was a superstar to children the world over, including this Australian who, as a six year old during Boyd's Australian tour of 1954, was absolutely devastated that Hoppy didn't come west to WA. We got the Queen instead! This book, complete with lavish colour plates of the thousands of Hoppy items is not just a book for collectors of Cassidy memorabilia.Rinker's early chapters include the effect of Hoppy on him as a child, the evolution of Cassidy in novels films and television, the history of Boyd's visionary marketing skills and an interview with his widow, Grace, who is still alive some 28 years after her husband's death. The durability of the film and TV Hoppy (vastly different from novelist Clarence E Mulford's original character) lasted for 20 years thanks to Boyd fusing his own persona with that of the character. Boyd commenced in the Cassidy role in 1935, as a middle aged actor of 40( making 66 films as Cassidy over the next 13 years) and retired in 1954 as a TV and radio hero, internationally renowned. The transformation of Boyd into a hero of children is well captured by Rinker- albeit briefly- although a more detailed biography of William Boyd is long overdue. Boyd's morals,responsiblity,concern and many acts of kindness towards his youthful supporters, as Hoppy, was an example of the very best America had to offer-and America's best is very good indeed. That is why people who grew up in the middle of the 20th century will always recall with affection the black-garbed knight gallant of their childhood - Bill Boyd as Hopalong Cassidy.

This collection contains a dazzling reading of C.P.Gilman's "The Yellow Wall-Paper" that should not be overlooked. The powerful reading makes the reader herself seem confined to the old children's room. Quite gripping.

This classic work by one of the great yarn-spinners of all time includes some wonderful descriptive information about California places and people in the early 1860s and some gripping, heartstopping tales about King's own mountaineering exploits. Even in his early 20s, Clarence King was recognized for leaderhip and intellectual ability. He served with the Army Topographic Engineers on the survey of the Western United States along the 40th parallel and was an intimate of Henry Adams and his wife in their small social/intellectual circle in Washington D.C. (See Patricia O'Toole's "The Five of Hearts"). He established his national reputation for being a shrewd, practical man of science when he discovered and exposed a stock swindle based on salted ore and fraudulent assay samples when asked to evaluate a mining promotion in Colorado. "Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada" is a non-chronological, semi-autobiographical reconstruction of some of King's time (circa 1862-63) with Josiah Whitney's Survey, commissioned by the State legislature to catalogue and evaluate California geologic and mineral resources. It is an entertaining and engrossing narration of one foolhardy, death-defying exploit after another. Like those of John Muir (another classic, albeit overrated talesman of the Range of Light), Clarence King's numerous renditions of his own hairsbreadth escapes from impossibly precarious positions by the power of luck, pluck and sheer physical prowess, while entertaining and enthralling, were made possible only by his own chronic rash foolhardiness, if not by tremendous powers of exaggeration. A better man was his fellow draft-dodger (the Civil War was going on back East all the while they were dancing around in the mountains of California, after all), William Brewer. Brewer served longer, harder and more responsibly than King in the Whitney Survey. Brewer also wrote a factually more thorough and reliable description of conditions in the young state of California in a series of letters home to his family in New England (collected as "Up and Down California"), with none of King's histrionics but just as entertaining in its own way. King's book does include some unique insights. One is his near-comic description of the "Piker" rubes (from Pike County, Missouri), rural folk residing in the foothills of the Southern San Joaquin Valley, which can be read as a precourser of all hilarious mountain folk descriptions, from Li'l Abner through the Beverley Hillbillies to Deliverance. But truth be told (rarely enough, one suspects), this book is mostly about the indefatigable King and his own personal exploits in the Southern Sierra. While King's literary talent was substantial, his writing (and indeed his entire public life and historic reputation) were seemingly unilluminated in any way by his own domestic arrangements. These included a life-long love relationship and common law marriage to a black woman, Ada, with whom he maintained a household including their several children. Not only did he keep the marriage secret from all of his prominent social contacts, but he kept his own notorious identity and true name a secret from his wife and children until just before he died. Still, under the constant strain of maintaining a double identity, he continued to support his family and maintained an exhausting schedule of international travel, geological consulting and writing until he died prematurely from consumption at the age of 59. (See Thurman Wilkins' "Clarence King"). You won't find any mention of King's real family anything King wrote for public consumption, or even for the consumption of his well-placed friends. Altogether, this book makes for a slightly less than satisfying cud to chew over, but it tastes pretty good the first time on the way down.

This is one of the books actually sold by the park service at Sequoia National Park in California, so this in itself should speak for its veracity and quality. The color photographs in this large book are nicely supplemented by a not too long text. This book is a good overview for those interested in returning to the Sequoia National Park repeatedly.

Biochemistry by Balcavage and King covers most topics well and in a fair amount of depth. Good for a motivated student but too long for last minute cramming. I'd love to see an updated version with explanations to the answers. A couple of times, I couldn't find the rationale for an answer within the text. There were also some early references to later chapters such as chapter 41, etc. that did not exist as the book only goes up to chapter 38. Another helpful addition would be outlines and lists to better organize "must-know" material. These are minor criticisms that could be addressed in a new edition. Overall, a solid review of medically oriented biochemistry.

This version basically served all of my needs. For those who are reading this for a class, don't expect a Cliff-Notes, but then it doesn't leave you stranded either. The margin notes are contiguous from Chapter and Act to Chapter and Act, allowing you to read it from cover to cover or over the course of days and still have a clear understanding of the metaphors and other figurative language present in the play. The extra materials were also worth looking at. The beginning gives you a good jumping off point if this is your first dabble at Shakespeare, but has some information my teacher didn't even know about! The section at the end of the book is filled with teacher materials such as study notes, re-caps, guidlines and the like. NB: the margin translations are very specific and very helpful if you are not accustomed to reading the Bard's works.