If you are desperately seeking information about John of Gaunt, then this is one of the few sources for it. The book does have a lot of information, but it is incredibly boring to read. Not really surprising, since most of the info seems to have been gotten from account books and inventories. The majority of the book reads along the lines of "On December 6th, 1373, he was at Pontefract castle with his wife. He wore a red shirt with silver buttons. Two months later he was back at the Savoy, apparently without his wife. He wore green hose and a black tunic." (It should be noted that I just made up that passage, but by my truth, that is how it sounds.) If you have a deep interest in John of Gaunt, then I recommend this book for you.

John, Duke of Lancaster, was the son of Edward III, father of Edward IV, uncle of Richard II, and himself the pretender to the throne of Castile. He was also the richest and most powerful subject in England for most of his life -- and probably the most deeply and widely hated. He was certainly the principal target of the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. A key player in the Hundred Years War, he was also on close terms with John Wycliffe and Geoffrey Chaucer. John's controversial career is thus at the very heart of English society and European politics during one of the nation's most turbulent periods, and this semi-scholarly and authoritative examination of the duke's mental processes, institutional goals, and dynastic ambitions is very useful to the understanding of England on the brink of a three-generation civil war.

I was inspired to read this book after a 7 day bicycle trip in and around Lancaster, PA. Certainly any cultural group which resists the juggernaut and onslaught of American consumer culture bears study, and this book must be the definitive look at this group. How do you keep people interested in looking different, in downplaying their individuality in favor of the group's needs; in foregoing creature comforts like cars and electricity? And what is even more amazing is that there are many more Amish today than there were 50 years ago; unlike the Shakers, this sect is thriving. I recommend this book highly.RH

This is simply one of the most insightful books ever written about the Amish.

I learn about this book from the technician at my university. The book contains many "ready to use" circuit (well, it is a cookbook) and they are very useful and handy for projects. (It is great for a "digital person" who needs to work on analogue circuits.) One can use theses as examples, or modify them as needed. It convers clocking, flipflops and other topics. For example: how to use a 555 chip to create a 10kHz TTL signal.

It serves well as a reference book. The first few sections of the book gives some introduction of logic and circuit theory. However, if you are new to electronics, then look for an actual circuit theory book.

I have had a copy of Don's TTL Cookbook around and handy ever since 1984. During one digital electronics course I took, it just happened to be the textbook used for the course.

This book is by far the most practical and well written electronics book I have ever seen, or run across. The methods and rules to follow for using TTL are spelled out so that one can build reliable circuits. The examples given are explained so that one may draw their own conclusions, and use the examples as building blocks or teaching aids to develop one's own circuits.

Time and again, I return to this text as reference. It, along with the CMOS Cookbook, make a powerful set of tools for anyone who wants to build high-reliablility digital circuits.

If you collect Hamilton Electrics, or if you have some in you collection, you'll love this book. It even includes technical manuals for the two electric movements

An engaging and very well written history of the Hamilton Electric watch, which is a fascinating story even if you are only mildly interested in collectible watches. You feel like you are taken back to the Lancaster, PA factory in the 1950's and get to see the watches develop. It was a time of American craftsmanship and pride. The second section of the book is a completely illustrated guide to every model of the electric line, from the January 1957 introduction of the dramatic "Ventura" and more conservatively styled "Van Horn", to the end of the line Nautilus series in the mid-60's. There is even information about watches that were never available except through the Hamilton corporate division, which do show up and confuse you once in a while. Invaluable information for anyone trying to identify a Hamilton Electric, and well worth the investment in your library.

This was a nice, quick read, but i was left unsatisfied. The writing style is very simplistic, and although whimsical at times, i found it too basic. Sometimes the book reads like a composition assignment written by a high-school kid. If you are looking for an account on elderly love, pick up _Spence + Lila_, by Bobbie Ann Mason. In that excellent novella, an elderly couple faces together the medical problems of Lila. That book made me believe that true love is possible!

A sweet,hope-filled story that was a pleasure to read. The story moves along nicely, no bog downs, and was a quick read.

Fast reading as it is such a wonderful sharing of a love story...and it is TRUE...The characters are so well defined..you feel you know them personally within a few pages of the book. I have never met Aaron or his daughter, father, stepmother but I did grow up with his wife and do know his mother in law...and it is a most incredible house on the ocean...but I feel that I now know Aaron and the rest of his family as well and I adore them all.

Paul C Doherty (writing here as CL Grace) is the Earl Stanley Gardner of historical mystery writers, turning out several books a year. Most are set in medieval England, a historical period in which Doherty earned a PhD at Oxford. SAINTLY MURDERS is set in 1472 at Canterbury and features as its sleuth Kathryn Swinbrooke, physician and apothecary. It is packed with murders, mysteries, and royal intrigues. Doherty even gives his readers a locked room mystery, a plot device that has languished since John Dickson Carr. The busy plot tends to distract a reader from the book's weaknesses: shallow characterization and pedestrian dialogue. The historical figures in the story, like Archbishop Borchier and Edward IV, are more fully realized than the fictional ones.

SAINTLY MURDERS bears a passing resemblance to the Brother Caedfal mysteries of Ellis Peters. The central murder victim is a friar of the Order of the Sack, who also happens to be the confessor of Cecily of York, mother of Edward IV. Much of the action takes place on the grounds of the prosperous Order's establishment. Within days of his death, Friar Atwood is being put forward for sainthood because of miracles and mysterious occurrences at his burial site. The Archbishop of Canterbury appoints Kathrn Swinbrooke Advocatus Diaboli (the Devil's Advocate) to argue the case against Atwood's beatification. In the process she uncovers and solves murders and spy plots galore.

Loath though I am to question historical details provided by an Oxford-educated medievalist, Grace/Doherty's having Kathryn appointed Advocatus Diaboli so that she has the power to delve into the mystery of Friar Atwood's death smells extremely fishy. The first recorded mention of an Advocatus Diaboli was in 1513, 40 years after this story takes place, and the office was not formally established until 1587. Those who held the title were generally high churchmen, not apothecaries and certainly not women. My biggest difficulty, though, with SAINTLY MURDERS is not this dubious plot device but rather the way Kathryn exercises her power as Devil's Advocate. In general she behaves just like a brash 21st century female PI. She orders male characters about and threatens them as if she has been doing it all her life. She tells a church prelate to "shut up" and jibes the King's brother about his manhood. In his afterword, Grace/Doherty makes the argument that women "...probably had more rights in 1300 than they had in 1900..." and cites Chaucer's Wife of Bath as a woman who could hold her own with men. Perhaps, perhaps, but that does not mean that a woman of Kathryn's station in life would be accustomed to bossing and questioning, with such panache, men and women of higher social standing.

I find it odd that the Black Death and its aftermath figures not at all in SAINTLY MURDERS' backdrop of English life during a lull in the War of the Roses. The battle of Tewkesbury may have decimated the Lancastrian nobility, but the plague reduced the population of the British Isles by a third, a loss that took three centuries to recoup. The effects of declining food production caused by the plague and climatic change is nowhere visible. The expulsion of the English from their continental possessions is mentioned, but we aren't shown the diastrous reduction in trade that resulted from that loss. Grace/Doherty gives his readers a merry old England going about its business as usual, but that is not the real Britain of 1472.

I enjoy this series, and I was sorry when it appeared that C.L. Grace had ended it. I don't think it's a GREAT series, but I always enjoy the books. This was no exception. I was completely caught up in the multiple plots and I hope there will be more volumes in the series.

I would recommend Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael series, beginning with A Morbid Taste for Bones; Margaret Frazer's Sister Frevisse series beginning (I think) with a Novice's Tale; and Kate Sedley's series beginning with Death and the Chapman.

The War of the Roses appears over with Edward IV firmly on the crown and only Henry Tudor, in exile in France, left to represent the Lancaster hopes. Yet the King of France continues to nibble away at England's strength. Rumor has it that he has a traitor high in the English royal party--but whom.

When a Canterbury monk and the Queen Mother's confessor dies and is found with the stigmata on his body, Kathryn Swinbrooke is asked to serve as Devil's Advocate in his proposed canonization. Was his death a miracle, or could it be something worse?

Certainly there are evil things abroad. Rats have invaded Canterbury and human rats swarm as well. A spy returned from France has learned the name of the traitor but is killed before he can divulge the truth. Kathryn is forced to deal with several intertwined mysteries--and finds herself in grave personal risk.

C. L. Grace writes a wonderfully involving novel set in the fascinating War of the Roses period of English history. Kathryn is an interesting and well developed character--increasing the reader's buy-in to the risk and danger that she finds herself in.

Both the medical technology and the accounts of monestary living add to the readers' interest.

A fine and compelling read.

BooksForABuck.

I enjoyed this book, but it took me awhile to get into it. It doesn't have the interest level of her Heritage trilogy, but it is interesting and I am sure in the next books to come that more mystery will be unraveled and questions answered. Basically, I felt this was more of an introduction to the series and I can't wait to read the next book to find out what happens with Rachel and Phillip.

This book had suspense, mystery, and romance all wrapped up in one! I would recommend this book to anyone! If you like Beverly Lewis, then this one you will love. If you have never read any of her books, jump right in! This is the best one yet!

I really enjoyed reading this book. The Amish people have always interested me. I also like reading light romance and this book definetly fit the bill. I can't wait to read more!

If you are a beginner gardener like me, keep reading this review. If you are an experience gardener, this book is probably not for you.

I've spent more money than I care to admit over the past three spring and fall planting seasons trying to establish the foundation of a garden using annuals, perennials and bushes without the benefit of much knowledge or guidance. I bought this book last year because I learned, painfully, that the plants I put in the shade should have been in the sun and the plants that were doing beautifully against the trees in the back of my house were the favorite appetizers for the local wild deer.

I found Lancaster's book to be quite helpful (even if he does not live in the US) in helping me to select plants for shade, plants for bog, plants for sun, plants that resist deer and rabbits, perennials for wall crevices and between paving,perennials for groundcover in shade, perennials for groundcover in sun, plants that work better in borders, plants that work better in small beds. You get the idea. And the book has outstanding photos of every plant. It's not a perfect book but I take it with me to the local store, see what they have available, see what Lancaster says about the plant, and decide whether to buy it. I am pretty confident that within a year or so, my house will look terrific. And that is what I was looking for when I bought the book.

Normally I shy away from British gardening books for a variety of reasons. All to frequently they feature plants that are difficult for American gardeners to find. Many of the plants that flourish in Britain struggle to survive in much of the US and vise-a-versa. In addition, frequently British design books discuss formal gardens, showing pictures of gardens around palaces or castles. As I have yet to have a client request a garden design for their castle, I find these books irrelevant to modern day America. Consequently, I was quite shocked when I learned the author of the wonderfully practical book, "What Plant Where", Roy Lancaster, lives and gardens in England.

Whether you are an experienced gardener or a neophyte, you will enjoy this book. The book divides plants into five categories: perennials, climbers, shrubs, conifers and, trees. Within each of these categories it addresses what plants will grow in specific conditions, such as: against warm sunny walls; cool moist soils in shade; alkaline soils: etc... It also delineates plants with specific characteristics, such as shrubs with berries. The photographs of the plants are also excellent.

One of the best features about this book is it specifies plants that are resistant to rabbits! While there are numerous books that address plants that are resistant to deer, few address the problem of rabbits.

The book has two minor deficiencies. First, the list of plants the author recommends for a given growing condition or attribute is typically far from complete. Nevertheless, it provides a solid starting point for the beginner gardener and a memory jogger for the more experienced gardener. Second, as is all too common in the horticulture industry, the author fails to adequately discuss which plants will perform well in partial shade. While many plants perform best in full sun, many will tolerate partial shade. Hence, the gardener with a partially shady garden is given the impression that they are restricted to a very few plants, which is not the case.

Over the years I have purchased several books that list landscaping plants by specific characteristics. This is by far the nicest pictorial listing.

Lancaster begins with 5 catagories: perennials, climbers, shrubs, conifers, and deciduous trees. In each catagory he pays attention to such details as size & shape; soil, sunlight & position; seasonal interests & color; and special features such as attraction for birds & animals, fragrance, thorns, fruits, etc.

As usual with DK books, I find this a quality book with excellent photos reproduced on good paper. This is a good beginner to intermediate landscaping book.

I give this book a 4 and not a 5-star rating because I feel the addition of charts would be helpful -- for instance, to find something in my zone, I have to refer to the details under each picture. A chart would save so much time and organize in yet another way, the info presented. Also Lancaster very nicely included a text list of additional plants in each catagory -- but the downside is, since these are just lists of names I have to refer to other books for pictures and details.

I still consider this "list" book a must-have for my library. If he comes out with a fatter version I will eagerly buy that too.

I enjoyed reading this book and the insights it gives about terrorist and their commitment to their course. It is a balanced book as it also shows dedicated commitment on the side of those opposing terrorism. It leaves us wondering who is right. Why can't people just live peacefully? Cormier, however confuses the reader in chapter eleven. Is Mark insane or is he unable to live with the guilt he feels for sacrificing his young and innocent son in the course of his patriotism? Despite the confusion, it's still an entertaining text, but for students who are reading it as a text for their 'O' Levels these are some questions which need to be clarified so as to give students a clear picture of whats going on or are they expected to come to their own conclusions? Help Please!

As a college student studying English, I was recently assigned this book for a young adult literature class. I found it an incredibly well written book- powerfully narrated and emotionally strong. The characters are very believable and very real, and you can understand what they are feeling and why. Even the terrorist Miro is believable, because his motivation is not just to kill. He has other motivations, and he really thinks what he is doing is the right thing to do. Of course, we don't agree with him, and I don't think we're supposed to, but because he actually thinks about things- because he is more than just a one-dimensional character- he is real. This book makes you think about it long after you are done reading it. You are able to feel exactly what you would feel in the situation that is presented.
One thing that particularly added to this book, in my opinion, was the unusual format it is written in. The book starts off being written as a first person narration by Ben and then switches its focus to Miro, the boy terrorist, then to Kate, the bus driver. Later in the book the points of view of other characters are added as well. Throughout the book the focus shifts from one person or incident to another, sometimes without any apparent relevance. It goes from people thinking about the current situation to them thinking about the past, and everything is jumbled together, just as it would be, I think, in a real situation like this one. This sometimes makes the narrative a little confusing, but I think it also makes it more realistic. After all, wouldn't be being captured by a terrorist be a little confusing? The horror of the situation is very realistically portrayed and the many points of view provided in it's make-up add to the general feeling of cacophony.
It is impossible not to admire Robert Cormier's strength as a writer. His book is deep and impressive and makes you think about many things, not just terrorism and the sanctity life. It was especially powerful to me when I read it, because it was assigned to me on September 11. 2001. It is one of the most well written and thought provoking books I have read in a long time. And, after having said all that, I would have to say that in good conscience I could never recommend this book to anyone of any age. It is powerful and realistic and terrible- and I will never read it again

Robert Cormier's book After the First Death is an enjoyable, easy read in and of itself. However, I read this book in the aftermath of the September 11th tragedy and I feel there are some chilling similarities between the book and the terrorist attacks in America.
First, I felt that I understood the mindset of the terrorists after reading the thoughts of Miro and Artkin. When Miro talks to the bus driver about his duties to his country, I immediately thought that I was reading a story about the Sept. 11th attacks. The terrorists in those attacks felt that their cause was more important than their life or the lives of other civilians. Miro felt the same way and was prepared to follow his leader's counsel, even to the death if he had to.
Second, I gained a greater appreciation for the men, women and children who died in the Sept. 11th attacks after reading about the violent acts that Artkin performs. When Artkin was giving "the fingers" to Ben, I couldn't help but think about what the terrorists did to the flight attendants to make the pilots open the cockpit door. I now understand that terrorists will do whatever they feel necessary to complete their mission.
Finally, I have become more aware of the roles everyone plays in a hostage situation. Because of the heroic acts of Kate-and everyone on the airplanes-I feel that it is our responsibility as Americans to protect ourselves and those around us. I encourage every one who reads this wonderful book to look for similarities between the Sept. 11th attacks and the book, and to find meaning in your own life.

This is a decent survey of the American Revolution, with an emphasis on the military history. There is a little discussion of the diplomatic history, and almost nothing about the politics, economics or social history of the time. Lancaster covers all of the battles, but rarely in enough detail to satisfy anyone wanting an in depth treatment of the tactics employed. Of course, a comprehensive account would be much longer. In lieu of better description, he is often content to name generals or other military leaders, and the book is chock full of the names of military units and, for the American units, their state of origin. It's a celebratory style of writing about American history that's a little dated now, and ultimatately is not a adequate substitute for a thicker account of what happened. Another irritation that the publisher could fix: the maps are next to useless, containing either too much or too little information. More detailed maps of specific battles would be nice, too.

Many Americans know the American Revolution only as a war in which George Washington defeated the British and, thereby, won American Independence. The true story, which we read in this book, is much more than that.

The "American Revolution" provides an interesting survey of the military aspects of our War for Independence. The background political factors which lead to the Declaration of Independence, both American and British, are presented, but once the Continental Army is established the book tends to focus primarily on military matters. One of the things I like about is book is that it gives thorough coverage to American, British and French personalities and initiatives in the war.

Another thing which I like about this work is its ability to impart an understanding of the outline of the War, both chronologically and geographically. The main events and characters are revealed both in their successes as well as in their flaws. While illustrating his greatness, errors committed by Washington are not overlooked.

This book places the pieces of the story which we have often heard into their proper places in the puzzle. All of it, from the early British evacuation of Boston through the Northern campaigns to the shift of action to the Southern theatres to the final evacuation of New York, now seems to make sense. The campaign of George Rogers Clark which won the West (now Midwest) for the new republic is also given fair coverage.

This book makes clear that, not withstanding the immense sacrifice of the Americans, victory was possible only because of the intervention of the French army and fleet.

We are repeatedly reminded that American sentiment was not totally in support of the war. military actions by Tories in support of the Crown, although largely ineffective, are given adequate attention throughout the narrative.

All in all, I enjoyed this interesting introduction to this crucial, but all too little known war.

Following a recent visit to Yorktown, I wanted to know why it warranted so much attention. Bruce Lancaster has done an exceptional job of building a picture that helped me truly appreciate the significance of Yorktown.

I love Lancaster's clear, rapid narrative of the war and surrounding events. Sure, he has some flare that may not be in vogue these days, but that is one reason why this book is so good. He writes with conviction and style, bringing the characters in the war to life. He also does an outstanding job of helping the reader piece together the critical events in the war. This is a book that makes you want to read more about the period.