This is a fascinating work on a fairly esoteric topic. Although I usually don't usually encounter such works unless I am looking up specific information, I came across this book and had a difficult time putting it down. The illustrations are a magical blend of art and fact. When I have visited the courthouses, I felt as if I had been there - from both the prose and the drawings. If this topic (Texas history and culture) sounds interesting, get the book - you'll love it. If you are not sure, get the book - you'll love it. This will make a wonderful gift.

Great book whether you are from Texas or not. The author's artwork is superb and gives you the real feelings of these "old Texas friends". The stories are right out of history and very entertaining. Whether you are young or old, the past is always a great place to visit and Mr. Morgan's book is a wonderful time machine with which to travel there. Highly recommended.

The prose is remarkably uplifting and allows one to look at history in a unique fashion. The stories are interesting and some local people with firsthand knowledge about one particular story told me the article was correct to the letter. The drawings are amazingly accurate to the finest detail. An excellent gift for the upcoming holidays. Your friends or relatives would greatly appreciate this book.

Dr. Peck...has assembled an engrossing account of the illnesses and injuries as gleaned from the journals of the captains and enlisted men...The best known medical compilation in book form is the widely cited "Only One Man Died:The Medical Aspects of the Lewis and Clark Expedition"...Or Perish in the Attempt is a major improvement in that it provides detailed differential diagnosis and critical commentary on treatments that Chuinard did not include...The strength of Peck's book is its delightful readability...a valuable analysis of the process by which the diverse personalities blended into a coherent team with all committed to succeed, a team whose members readily risked their lives for one another...Peck has a detailed analysis of Meriwether Lewis' death, carefully exploring the possibilities of suicide, murder, opiate addiction, and neurosyphillis...Or Perish in the Attempt is an excellent contribution to the Lewis and Clark medical canon and a must for medical Clarkies. It is a delightful and satisfying account of the journey."
JAMA, July 2, 2003

The story of Lewis and Clark is fascinating ' one of the original legendary American expeditions with extraordinary implications. The historical record and the many books available to us that interpret this journey into the unknown let us relive the excitement of exploration of the American frontier. However, until Or Perish in the Attempt by Dr. David Peck was written and published, only half of the legendary story of Lewis and Clark has been told. Now you can experience the 'rest of the story' through the eyes of an articulate, practicing modern physician who unveils the medical threat that the Corps of Discovery was under during the few years it took them to get to the Pacific northwest and back. Dr. Peck sets the foundation by first explaining the prevailing medical philosophy of the times by leading physicians, including Dr. B. Rush ' a leading advocate of blood letting. Then, we follow Lewis as he gets his guidance in person from Dr. Rush for the perceived medical threat and heads off up the Missouri with Clark and all their men, materials and supplies into the heart of darkness. While the Corps of Discovery went about their business meeting their basic survival and occasional life enhancement needs, Dr. Peck takes the story to a much deeper and scarier level. While Lewis and Clark and their men worried about Indians, snakes, bears around the bend, the medical threat loomed all around them in the form of mosquitoes carrying deadly malaria and all sorts of bugs and germs that the men ingested from drinking river water and eating inordinate amounts of meat from all kinds of critters that were available to them for life sustaining food. Dr. Peck shows that these guys were very rough and tough. However, they got sick and were often very sick along the way and didn't have an emergency room to run to for help. Everyone turned to Lewis for help as he handed out the Thunder Clappers and other drugs from his supplies. Dr. Peck takes these complex ideas and concepts from the medical world and breaks them down so we can understand them thoroughly. In so doing, the story of Lewis and Clark becomes more real than ever before. As a result, the reader comes away with a serious education about health care and the awesome power of the human body to heal itself ' if things are done correct. The ending of Or Perish in the Attempt was the high point of the book because Dr. Peck clearly shows why Lewis died shortly after returning from the expedition. That explanation alone is worth the price of admission. So, if you want to take a ride, then get in line for your E-Ticket on the Or Perish in the Attempt roller coaster ride by Dr. David Peck. This is a must read for anyone who thinks they already know the story of Lewis and Clark or for anyone who might think they know how to take care of themselves in the wilderness or their own backyard.

Dr. Peck has rewarded us all with his thorough research and clear explanations. Since first reading Ambrose's book, Undaunted Courage, two years ago, I have steadily digested everything that I could get my hands on that dealt with the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Last year, I remarked to a friend that someone needed to write a book that filled in the gaps that Dr. Chuinard left regarding the medical aspects of the journey. Fortunately, Dr. Peck has saved someone the toil.
I have only three criticisms of the book. First, some of the expressions may be a little too ecclectic for a non-medical person or the person who reads the book 100 years from now. Examples are the referring to phlebotomists as "vampires" and his reference to Pompey being born at 3 or 4 AM. Second, I am curious as to why Peck did not cover the Lewis & Clark's medical study done during the winter spent near St. Louis. Dr. Chuinard covered this extensively, but Dr. Peck does not mention it. Third, I disagree with the conclusion that Lewis committed suicide. Perhaps it is a matter of denial, but there are too many suspicious factors for me to conclude that Lewis killed himself.
When I picked this book up, my most pressing question about the author was regarding the way in which he dealt with Dr. Benjamin Rush. I have found (in 20 years of medical experience) that it is hard to judge the quality of care rendered a few years ago, and that 200 years is a nearly impossible breach of time. Dr. Peck has dealt with Dr. Rush honestly, and does not judge him by today's standard of care. Dr. Chuinard was too critical of Dr. Rush, and Dr. Peck has helped clear Dr. Rush's reputation: Dr. Rush was one of the soundest physicians that America would know before 1900. Dr. Rush helped bring the dawn from the "Dark Ages" of medicine.
Ambrose and Peck are the authors that every student of the Corps of Discovery should start with. Thank you, Dr. Peck.

Judith M. Fertig's "Prairie Home Cooking" is a wonderful compendium of heartland recipes that will make you feel like a modern-day Laura Ingalls Wilder in the kitchen. It is the kind of book you want to sit down and devour while sitting on the couch, drinking a cup of tea and nibbling at a homemade oatmeal cookie.

The recipes are wide-ranging, taking their cue from the many immigrants who settled the American west and midwest. There are many German and Scandinavian recipes here, which is in keeping with the immigration percentages, but there are lots of Native American, Russian, Italian, and other "flavors" in the mix as well.

Sara Love's superb illustrations deserve special mention. These block print pictures lend such a homey, heartland atmosphere to the book and complement Fertig's comfortable-as-old-slippers voice beautifully. This book is a treasure!

Prairie Home Cooking is the kind of cookbook you curl up and read with before ever entering the kitchen. Wonderfully written, it interweaves heartland history with beloved recipes. Growing up in the country, this cookbook took me back to simpler times and the comforts of food made with love. As I plan my move back to the prairie and grow my own food, this book will serve as my never-ending reference and companion. The Blue-Ribbon Brownies recipe (page 373) will make you the most popular baker around! My ancestors, being German, probably made many of the recipes in this cookbook. I am honored to replicate them. Prairie Home Cooking is my very favorie cookbook. A huge variety of recipes- something for everyone!

I gave this cookbook as a Christmas present to a very good German friend of mine who loves to cook and we had fun noticing the similarities between the recipes in the book and the traditional recipes of Germany.

THE RETURN OF THE SOLDIER, published in 1918, may be the most carefully conceived novel I've ever read, and I've read a fair amount of exquisitely executed fiction. Told from the first person perspective of a spinster whose entire life revolves around her cousin, his life and country mansion, it is the story of an English gentleman who goes off to World War I only to be returned not in a body bag or physically injured but with a severe case of amnesia. He does not recognize his pretty, socially correct wife; he has retreated to a hidden youthful romance with a poor woman. The woman, also married now, comes forth in the interest of helping him. The balance of the plot hangs in the implications of recovery. The balance of the full experience of the novel is to watch characters change or not change their class prejudices and worldview in light of their experiences on this country estate. Though only 90 pages long, much is packed into this book, much that is analogous to the English national experience as it moved from the Victorian era into the 20th century.

The critical introduction, which should be read as an afterward so as not to rob you of the surprises in the novel, does a good job of reviewing the analogies between the tightly closed world of the country estate and the national experience. There is much more to be mined from this novel, including a window on the then new science of psychoanalysis and how it was understood. For me, the narration was a particular revelation. At first I thought the voice a bit melodramatic in a 19th century way, but it became clear that the tone was all part of the author's plan, and that it changed as the narrator's vision changed. The specter of spinsterhood hangs thick in the air, itself a comment on the social condition of the era. Here is the perfect selfless, lonely narrator who knows everything about the lives in her tiny circle. The woman who would be ignored becomes the ideal articulator of how England at home received the war.

This relatively unknown work, deceptively short, operates on many different levels and works on all of them. In a brief 87 pages one sees the class divisions in England during World War I, the impact of the Industrial Reolution on the countryside, a conflict between love and duty, family expectations and one's own desires, a frightening picture of amnesia, the pain of unrequited love and the joy of mutual love, a marriage without a soul--I could go on and on. I read it once just because I couldn't wait to see what happened, and then again slowly to enjoy the language, the beautiful descriptions of nature, and to find the hints the author sows from page one on that this beautiful world that these people have created for themselves is not what it appears to be.

West's "little book" was written right when England was leaving the Victorian Era and becoming embroiled in the Edwardian. If you pay attention, you can see the countryside changing as "the red suburban stain" creeps across the landscape. Of all the books we read in my ENG 442G class (Modern British Lit), this book was by far my favorite. It has a gripping story with lots of twists that make it interesting. It's not just about the war, it's not just about an unhappy marriage, it's not just about childhood opportunities lost--it's about a changing nation and a changing world. This book can be read on so many different levels. I have seen the movie as well (the book's much better).

The author is the youngest of six children of hard-working Norwegian-speaking parents, and the account of the struggles her parents went thru is awesome. Sometimes I thought the author indulged in hyperbole, and I would have appreciated a little more exactitude, but it no doubt is true that life during the twenties and thirties in northwestern North Dakota was a hard and demanding one. The first part of this book is the best, as the author relates the fantastic efforts necessary for the kids to be educated. There is a lot of discussion of Norwegian food, and those of you who are of Norwegian descent will gobble that talk up, but for me I could not get too interested in how her mother went to extraordinary lengths to prepare, under primitive conditions, the food she was so good at concocting. There is less talk of the interesting political events during the time than I would have liked. Appam, North Dakota, which was apparently a home town to the family during these years, has, according to my 1958 atlas, a population of 18. I would like to have learned whether it was a bigger place when the author was a child. But the upbeat attitude to her childhood was a real plus for this book--not the dreary catalog of hardship one sometimes gets from depression sagas. I liked this book.

I stumbled on this book in a used book store. It is the amazing story of the author's parents and their life in rural North Dakota. The book has adventures, anecdotes, and gives the reader a real sense of how families existed in the early 20th century. This was a very entertaining story, although perhaps you can't tell from this review. None of us who have read it could put it down, from my 78 year old mom to my sister who is reading it to her 7 year old daughter.

I loved this book. Its a compendium of short pieces about the author's mother, who was a frontier woman with a wonderful outlook on life. I also loved the descriptions of her husband, who had to drive the children through snow, to get to their respective schools, and the descriptions about how the kids were settled in the schoolhouse overnight, while wild mustangs banged against the door. I don't know about you, but I'm not sure I would send my children to a schoolhouse way far away, with food for a week. Can you imagine what they did after school let out... all by themselves? I wanted to hear more about this. The descriptions of quilting are wonderful.It is a great book if you are in the mood to feel cold, hungry, and in North Dakota with the snow beating down upon you. Also if you enjoy descriptions of sumptuous meals at holidays, replete with Norwegian recipes!

Pea Ridge is a well crafted book which deals with an obscure but extremely important battle early in the Civil War. The authors present their story in a very engaging and readable style which gives a real sense of being on the frigid and tangled battlefield in Northwestern Arkansas. The two armies and their commanders are described in wonderful detail, and the action flows right from the start. After finishing the book, I was struck by just what Curtis and the Army of the Southwest had accomplished, and by how many precedents he had set for future operations. Nevertheless, his accomplishments have been largely ignored. This book helps rescue him from obscurity, and is without a doubt the definitive study of this battle. Pea Ridge is a fantastic book on the Trans-Mississippi theater of the war, and when read along with Cozzen's book on Iuka and Corinth, provides a very complete picture of the formation of Van Dorn's and Price's armies and their fate. I highly recommend this book as an essential volume on the Civil War in the West.

Shea and Hess do a wonderful job bringing to the reader the history of the understudied Trans-Mississippi campaign in the Civil War. The writing is fluid, conveys not only the historical picture but also the human picture. Furthermore, the use of numerous maps helps place the narrative in the proper perspective.

The writers excell at describing the leaders of both sides and the conflicts, bot internal and external, that they had to deal with. I was most interested in the ethnic divisions, between the Germman and native born Federals, and how that effected the cohesivness of the Union Army. General Curtis, who led the Union Army, was an amazing commander and performed feats that have unfortunately been too long ignored. From the initial decision to enter into a winter camapign, to the sucessful changing of fronts to confront the Confederate Army and finally to his masterful control of the battle, Curtis ranks with the great generals of the Civil War.

This book is an awesome description of a forgotten campaign in an area which is forgotten by most Civil War buffs. The Transmississippi remaines one of the most unexplored areas in the Civil War knowlegde (literature) and this book brings a whole lot of light in it. "Pea Ridge : Civil War Campaign in the West", should be read especially by those who still believe that the Civil War took place between Malvern Hill and Shiloh. An estonishing piece of art !

The Donner Party is a story about a group heading to California in April, 1846. However, bad decisions and trickery lead them to the point of starvation. To survive, they must eat those that have died along the way.

The Donner Party is the most exciting nonfiction book I've rea, written not as a documentary or research thing, but as an adventure story. It is, however, hard to imagine this actually happening because it seams so much like fiction. It is also written in a way that all the families, excluding the main family, the Reeds, are shoved way into the backround and seem to barely exist.

I recommend this book to those that don't mind lengthy stories and the overall concept of the book. It may also work well as something to help a report or something, having all the information right there in an easier-to-read way than most forms of research. I'd recommend this book for ages 12 and higher, because of the way it is written and it's length.

I'm not much of a history buff, but I have to teach my kids CA history this year. Once I started reading this book it was hard to put down. The thing that surprised me the most was how thoroughly readable it is. I didn't feel like I was reading a history textbook. The prose is well done, there are ample photos of the people involved and artifacts etc.,.. The only thing I would improve would be to include maybe one more map. But that isn't even worth complaining about. This book covers a gruesome and sad event in American history without being overly maudlin, grotesque or judgemental. Despite the elementary looking artwork on the front, it's not a book for children.

You think you've had "trubels"? Wait until you read this book. This story details the journey of several families, known as the Donner Party, as they travel from Springfield, Illinois to Sutter's Fort, California in the Spring of 1846. The author tells the story through the eyes of the children, detailing Virginia Reed's recording of the journey. This is a gripping story of the unbelievable determination of survival. The book is loaded with authentic pictures and diary entries. You won't believe the sacrifices these people made to settle unknown land in America. A great piece of historical work!

This is a gorgeous book of southwest photographs. It has many examples of how to take great photographs. An interesting feature is the photographers comments about each photograph, found in the back of the book. There are only a few flaws in my humble view. Some of the photographs were printed with very exagerated color saturation. This is painful in some cases. Another problem is Mr. Muench's use of a split density magenta filter for several of the photographs. He tries to give the scenes a warm glow but the magenta color looks totally fake, especially when one sees it only across the top of the photograph. Please throw that split density magenta filter away and let the southwest present its beauty naturally. Still a great and valuable book to own.

This book offers a breathtaking view of the Colorado plateau. The full-page color photos are so incredibly vivid they almost jump off the page. It really makes you feel like you are there.

You get a look at towering mountains & magnificent nature made stone sculptures. Cascading waterfalls, meandering steams, peaceful snowscapes, brilliant autumn leaves, beautiful flowers & endless skies take your breath away.

Muench is a master at capturing detail and light, and this setting shows off his talent to the maximum. A narrative by James Lawrence provides a history of the area and conveys the feelings inspired by this natural wonderland.

Some images have small quotes & poems under them. In the back, each photo is shown in miniature with comments from photographer and technical details. This book provides a beautiful world to get lost in.

Besides the several landscape books from Muench, I have collected quite a few other landscape books from other famous photographers. By far, this is the one I like most (together with one by Apse called "New Zealand Landscape"). The photos in the book fully demonstrate that one can always breathe new life to old scenes with enough skill, perception and perseverence.

This was a great, handy book to have while visiting southern California. I have been on two of the tours so far. Both were accurate and fun. I am origianally from California, but live in Dallas now. This was a nice way to refresh my memory of the area, and find out new places to see. It is a must have if you are planning to spend some time in the southern California area.

You will have fun reading this handy little book even if you don't go on the variety of tours it has to offer. The concise, often humorous, descriptions are full of little known facts on people and places all over L.A. There are museums, parks, landmarks, cemetaries and unique attractions I never knew existed and it was a great experience seeing them for the first time. Most of them were FREE! Pocket Guide to L.A. is not your typical Hollywood guide book. It is a entertaining and educational activity book that covers a wide range of interesting places to visit again and again. It would make a great gift.

What a great Book! This is the best guide to L.A. that I have seen. Not only does it contain over one hundred of the best attractions, but it also has five self-guided tours around the greater Los Angeles area.

Four of the tours stop at famous landmarks and the homes of the biggest superstars in Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Brentwood and Pacific Palisades. Celebrity biographies are provided for more then 60 of the greatest stars of today and yesteryear. Some of my favorites include Brad Pitt, John Travolta, Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg, Dustin Hoffman. Marilyn Monroe, Lucille Ball, and Elvis Presley.

The final tour is a walking tour exploring downtown Los Angeles. This tour unveils the various cultures, historical facts and gives you a feel for the future of the city of Los Angeles. Featured are water parks, beautiful gardens, mini-museums, three different ethnic communities, architectural feats, and much more.

Not only does the book have very accurate driving directions, but it contains GPS coordinates for those who like to navigate with GPS. Additionally, it contains a very innovative GPS Adventure Game which is a type of cross word puzzle where you are given GPS coordinates and clues. You travel to each GPS coordinate, read the clue and determine the answers. The game's route follows pretty close to the route of Adventure Tour I, so you can play the game at the same time that you go on the tour. For example, one clue is the tomb inscription, "She did it the hard way". The GPS coordinates take you to Forest Lawn Memorial Park to Bette Davis' tomb. Another clue is "A winged lady holding an electron", and you are guided to GPS coordinates at The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences where you see a thirty foot Emmy (the answer) and many more busts of the greatest television stars.

The book was well planned and is very convenient. I highly recommend the "Pocket Guide to the Best of Los Angeles" to everyone.

a brutally honest account of the palestinian intifada experience as written by a jewish american. exposes fallacies in the representation of the case as well as in foreign policy. very necessary in understanding the israel-palestine conflict

As a Jewish woman living in the U.S. it was difficult for me to hear but one side of the story in the Israeli-Arab conflict. That side was the Zionist perspective. It wasn't until I spent time in Israel (ironic as this is) that I began to understand the fallacies in the arguments I grew up hearing. I read this book after picking it up at a friend's house, and now I'm feeling brave enough to buy a copy of my own. That courage comes from Finkelstein. I feel like I'm in good company. There ARE other Jews who can see and dare to shed some light on the OTHER SIDE--the Palestinian viewpoint. Finkelstein presents us with the Palestinian perspective in the context of the Israel-Arab conflict with such integrity and simplicity. As descendents of a terribly oppressed group of people, I whole-heartedly support all efforts to stop dehumanizing the "enemy." Finkelstien shows us the humanness of Palestinians.

Finkelstein's book is that rare gem of a monumental work housed within a slim volume. What makes his ideas so astonishing, in addition to their being meticulously researched and footnoted, is that his parents were survivors of the Nazi holocaust. Based on encounters with Elie Wiesel and the like, one would not expect a Jew of this background to have such a profound understanding of the Palestinian people and of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

This book is a must-read in that it convincingly defies, with powerfully sculpted arguments and towering research, the tired and frequently hypocritical views of the New York Times and other news authorities.

Finkelstein will convince you.