Michael Morris is a brilliant writer. The story he so adeptly captures here is one that should not be forgotten, and Mr. Morris's research was painstaking and thorough. I was 15 year old when I watched the firefighters extinguish the last of the blaze within the shattered Sterling Hall. In the aftermath of the bombing, the city of Madison and the whole of the anti-war movement in America were stunned. This book impressed me so much that I have written a screenplay based on it. I know from talking to several principal figures in the book that Michael Morris's work is respected highly. Read this book. You will not forget it.

Since 9/11 all Americans have come to know their deep affection for their buildings and public spaces. Due to be published on that fated date, this book helps us to recognize our need to preserve and cherish Madison Square Park. Miriam Barman does an excellent job is this epic work.

As far as historical snapshots of cities go this one is pretty lively and engaging. Madison labors in the shadow of it's larger more famous neighbor Nashville, but warrents attention as well. Bockman proceeds logically and provides excellent annotation to his sources. The book brings the city's history to life and is an excellent resource for genealogists who had ancestors/relatives in the Madison area. That's why I bought the book and I enjoyed it in it's entirety.

The quality of the photography is unsurpassed. The color is magnificent! Anyone who enjoys books, gardens, Morocco, or the color blue (Majorelle Blue) will love this book.

MAJORELLE tells the history of the gardens in Marrakesh, first laid out by Louis Majorelle in the 1920's. The beautiful shade of blue that is used throughout the gardens, in the tile work, the paint, the walkways, the ponds and the plants and flowers themselves, was the start of the term "Majorelle Blue". The grounds are now owned by Yves Saint Laurent and are open for tours.

The back of the book shows the layout of the gardens, old photos of Marrakesh, the interior of the salon in Majorelle's villa and a photo of Majorelle, himself.

The small size of this book gives it an added preciousness that makes it a great choice for gift giving.

Making The Modern Medical School: The Wisconsin Stories by Robert Oliver (Fellow in the Center for the Study of Cultures, Rice University) is a collection of true stories about the evolution of medical instructional facilities in Wisconsin. From faculty disputes to advances in medical science, the anecdotal stories and slices of "insider" history in Making The Modern Medical School is simply fascinating reading, and highly recommended for anyone who wants to know the real story behind what happens in Wisconsin's medical school environment in order to teach young men and women how to save lives.

Clinton's study of the origins of judicial review is very interesting despite some major weaknesses. His attempt to understand what the Framers of the Constitution believed judicial review to be would be much stronger with more detail to the controversies raging within states just after ratification about judicial review. This is because he depends heavily upon his assertion that Marbury was consistent with the generally understood meaning of judicial review that the Framers shared. If there was no generally understood meaning about judicial review, then his hypothesis suffers a major blow.

I've seen a lot of nudiii books, but this one blows them all away!!

Mary Ann Adams married Samuel Maverick, a man fifteen years her senior, bid farewell to her privileged upbringing, and willingly embraced life on the Texas frontier of the 1830s. Mary ultimately prevailed over uncommon diseases, primitive living conditions, clashes with Indians and Mexicans, deaths of loved ones, and the loss of innocence.

Mary and Samuel lived in San Antonio, a town with three discordant cultures: Comanche, Mexican, and Anglo. Samuel was instrumental in cementing Texas' annexation to the United States. He was fiercely independent, a quality matched by Mary, and was placed in postions of trust by his fellow Texans - mayor, judge, and state congressman. Samuel participated in the early defense of the Alamo and was a prisoner of the Mexicans for two years. He was truly a man to admire and Mary did that with a devotion that defied time.

Mary Maverick kept notes, correspondence, and other memoranda during her long life and printed a small booklet many years later for a few family members. No copies of her version (1896) have survived. Her granddaughter Rena Maverick Green later examined Mary's written material and prepared a manuscript for publication in 1921. Reissuing Green's manuscript provides a valuable resource for present day readers of Western Americana.

Mary's bold narrative is preoccupied with Comanche raids and conflicts with the country of Mexico. She writes with sadness about the horrors suffered by a 15 year old Indian captive whose "nose was actually burned off to the bone, all the fleshy end gone; both nostrils wide open and denuded of flesh." Mary vividly describes an Indian battle in her town resulting in the death of forty persons, thirty-three of whom were Indians. She had no problem separating the incidents in her mind - one involved unadulterated sadism, the other a battle between enemies. She always faithfully recorded what she saw and heard.

Every day provided unique and gruesome reminders of life on the frontier. Mary reports a pleasant visit to a friend which was interrupted by a Dr. Widemann who came to the front window with a bloody Indian head, gallantly bowed and said, "with your permission." He was collecting specimens from a nearby Indian battlefield and used the window to store one head while he searched for another.

Widemann later boiled both heads and their respective bodies in a large soap boiler located in his front yard. He emptied the contents, including flesh and some bones, into a large ditch which contained the town's drinking water; the same water also used by townspeople to wash clothing and for bathing. The doctor used a skeleton formed from one of the Indians to guard his garden from hungry birds.

Mary Maverick was a writer of uncommon strength who recounted both good and bad times with vigor and poignancy. Cholera decimated the population of San Antonio. Two of Mary's children died in the epidemic - a sad commentary on the unsanitary water that plauged many frontier communities. Mary possessed a fierce love for her family and the deaths of her beloved children tore her apart. Her description of Agatha's last hours is very moving and engfulfs one with the sadness of an unconsolable loss. Less than a year later, Mary's youngest daughter joined her sister. Mary mourned her daughters until the day she died.

There are matters for one to quibble over as the Mavericks were slave holders and intolerant of Mexican aspirations. (Yet the past endures unchanged regardless of our present day abhorrence toward such matters) In addition, some of Mary's recollections are blurred by fond remembrances and don't measure up to historical reality. Even though her memoirs encompass elements of folklore, it is folklore of the highest quality.

The Mavericks were people of extraordinary ability or they couldn't have surmounted the many obstacles and tragedies in their lives. They blazed the path for others and set a standard of individualism, adaptability, and toughness essential for survival on the American frontier.

There is a majesty, passion, and eloquence in the memoirs of Mary Ann maverick that time cannot erode. After a long, loving, and tempestuous life Mary joined the children she always mourned and her live came full circle. This is a very satisfying book.

The Mind of the Founder: Sources of the Political Thought of James Madison by James Madison and Marvin Meyers editor, is a book on Madison's political thought through writings and papers.

This is excellent for students, scholars and general readers as it delves into Madison's thought as a political theorist, practicing politician, and major political thinker in his time. Madison political life went on for fifty years, from the time of the Revolution to the framing of the Constitution, and finially to the sectional crisis over slavery.

This book is divided into five major parts and each is subdivided into small like sections. The five major parts are: Anticipations: Revolutionary Years; Founding: The Critical Period; Opposition: The Federalist Era; Power: The Republican Regime; and lastly Reflections: The Elder Statesman.

This book has an excellent bibliography of selected readings about Madison and is documented through and verified from extensive cross referencing and from Madison's own writings. Reading Madison's writings makes you know Madison rather vicariously, but to know him better you would have to speak with him one on one.

I found this book fascinating and well worth the time as I read, you can almost feel the wheels turning in Madison's head as he plots and thinks through problems... too bad Madison wasn't a better leader... he would have surpassed Jefferson in import. But, as a political theorist, Jefferson depended on Madison.

MITCHUM is a suspenseful who-done-it in the tradition of film noirs of yesteryear. A crafty bunch of characters and a surprise twist at the end make MITCHUM an entertaining, easy read.