I thought there were too many characters and the story rambled on over the same ground. In addition, this story had too little emphasis on high finance which is always my favourite area. I felt after I read it that this story could have been about widgets and it would have made no real difference.

I have read all Emma Lathen's books and have just finished this one. It is fun, but I missed some of her usual characters - Tom Robichaux, Everett Gabler and Walter Bowman in particular. However, the plot was tight and altogether a good read

Although the term "Middle Ages" often referred to the European age of transistion, other important events went on the other side of the Mediterranean Sea where Islamic science and culture advanced beyond western's comprehension. Apart from the short descriptions on Reconquista, Crusades, and Ottoman Empire (Devlet?), not much were looked into the making of Islamic history.

The appreciated work reflects the serious research done by the authors but discrepancy on Islamic historical accounts slightly missed the "edge".

This is really one of the best general books on medieval warfare I have seen. It has two great advantages:

First, it covers the overall strategies of campaigns throughout the ages, with insight into motivations, logistics, tactics, and the like. Few major wars are ignored, and the level of depth pursued is great enough for all but the foremost researchers on the topic.

Second, the book has awesome illustrations representing both overall campaign strategies and the tactics utilized in individual battles. Combined with the detailed descriptions, this has offered me the most insight into how medieval battles were carried out and won.

I highly recommend this book to anyone at all interested in medieval warfare.

Nicholas Crane embarks on a journey on foot through some of the remotest parts of Europe, travelling along the chain of mountains that run from the Atlantic in Spain, to Instanbull in the East. It's not just a story about travel, but also about the human condition, about growth and fulfilment.

In parts, it's a wonderful story written with humour. Very colourful characters, an endearing umbrella, beautiful descriptions and yes even some action bring this story to life. However, I think the book falls short in some of it's loftier goals. Nicholas Crane saw the trek as more than just a walk through the watershed of Europe. He describes how the chain fascinated him in part not just because of it's great length, but also with the associations with Christianity in the west where he climbs in Spain, with Islam in the East... a division between Northern and Southern Europe... as a median between Eastern and Western Europe. I felt that he never really succeeded in exploring some of these issues in much detail and I think that's one of the disappointments in the book. It's left to the reader to reflect on his experiences, rather than drawing on the writers thoughts.

It remains an incredible journey and a good treking story that is a good read for any travel enthusiast.

After only one year of mariage the author sets of on a journey walking from Cape Finistere (the most westerly point of continental Europe) to Istanbul (where Europe stops and Asia starts) following the high mountains of Europe. This also means that about half of the journey is in Eastern Europe, where no good maps are available. He is to travel alone most of the way, carry all his luggage with him and use no form of motorized transport.

The journey is long and hard, but also very interesting, not in the least because of the people who are met on the way. Some photographs reveal the beauty of the barren mountain landscape and the architecture found on the way (also beautifully described in the text). Several times red tape makes the journey all but impossible. It remains a question to the very end if the author will reach his goal walking.

I have a reasonable collection of walking books, but this one ranks among the best both in style as in the impressive journey undertaken.

This autobiographical account of the author's life focuses on gender identity issues which appear to have governed most of his life. Anatomically a female, though somewhat androgynous in appearance, the author, named Brenda at birth, always felt as if he were a male trapped in a woman's body. This created many difficult life situations for him as he was growing up. The difficulties compounded themselves when "Brenda" reached puberty, as one may well imagine.

Never feeling that he belonged, yet wanting to be like other people, he struggled alone with these gender identity issues for many years. At one point in his young adult life, he was so depressed over his situation that he voluntarily entered a psychiatric hospital. His autobiographical account is a bird's eye view of the suffering that society can inflict on a human being who means no harm to anyone, and who is only trying to find a way to fit in with that society.

It was not until he realized that he was not alone, that there were others like him, that he began to realize that he could be helped. It was as a mature adult that he made the transition from female to male and became "Mark". Only then did he start feeling a little more comfortable in his own skin. Yet, despite dressing as a male, hormone therapy, and surgical modification, he still had issues, as society would only legally recognize the gender assignement made at birth. This would forever consign him legally to being a female, placing him in a sort of legal limbo.

The book is often poignant in that the author's desire for having a normal life is palpable. He really just wants to be like everyone else and do the things that everyone else does, such as, get a job commensurate with one's education and abilities, fall in love, get married, and have a family. Yet, all this seems to have eluded him, because of the gender identity issues which made it so difficult to attain his desired goals. Even after having become an elected official in the town where he grew up, the taunts of local children still plague him. Society may have come a long way in its understanding of these issues, but it, undoubtedly, has a long way to go.

This book addresses issues that are in the social forefront today, but the author, though clearly intelligent, has a prosaic style of writing that does not fully engage the reader. His is a voice with which to be reckoned, however, due to the dearth of literature on transexualism and its attendant, ancillary social issues.

I found Dear Sir or Madam while looking for appropraite reading for my mother that was both heartfelt and honest, but not grim or especially detailed regarding surgery, etc. This autobiography paints a very accurate portrayal of growing up male, though confined to a female body. This is good reading material for people just beginning their transition, their friends and family, and supporters. In the wake of many other books that leave us feeling pitied, you will be nothing shy of uplifted and celebratory of Mark Rees' journey and conquest.

This book is one that is informative. It gives depth and detail about the early roman armies that Caesar used to expand his vast empire. I recommend this book to all interested in history, or even warfare. It will be an eye opener to all new to Rome. Great book.

This book revolutionized my understanding of the Roman legion. Everyone acknowledges that the legion somehow evolved out of the Greek phalanx, which had come to dominate warfare in the years between 500-350 BC to such an extent that we know it was used by peoples as diverse as the Carthiginians and the Etruscans. In fact, it was from the Etruscans that whom most commentators assume that the Romans learned it, while under the rule of Etruscan kings. Sometime between about 400 and 275 BC, however, two new formations came to dominate warfare, the Macedonian phalanx and the Roman legion. Sekunda argues for a very different interpretation of the development of the legion, arguing that it was done in response, not to the Celtic invasion of the early 4th century, but much later due to the defeats at the hands of the nimble samnites. His interpretation may be radical (and may dim the reputation of Camillus, its traditional inventor), but it makes sense. Anyone who wants to weigh in on the early development of the legion needs to at least take his arguments into account to do the topic justice.

I read this book in the 5th grade and fell in love with it. I still think of it often. It started me in the Sci-Fi genre that still endures today. Get it for yourself or your kid, or both!!!

This book ruled. This was the first science-fiction book I ever bought, and I'm sorry to see it's out of print. When I bought it the first time, it was already older than me.

Summary: Unwitingly abondoned by his parents, Mykl is stranded on a hostile planet, from which escape sems impossible.

More in depth summary: Well, he's on this planet, which is a planet that gets mined off of all the time. Y'see, his parents are space miners, and this planet's a gold mine, but the only problem is that there's these things that eat metal here and, you guessed it, they haven't invented plastic space ships yet. So in thier hurry to leave, they accidentally leave Mykl there. And this dwarf girl who was a hired hand. And there they hang out at this cool dome thing with a robot named Ego.

A badical book. Not much now for me, but I think it's badical because of sentimentality. Get it for the kid in your life. You'll be glad you did.

Please note: this "first omnibus" is *not* made up of the first three Morse novels. Last Bus to Woodstock was his first book (1975), and these are '77, '79, and '81. Confusing.... (ignore the star rating, please)

Inspector Morse is just one of my most favorite British murder mystery hero! If one is at all interested in Colin Dexter's mysteries, this omnibus (there are several other too) is a great way to get the best stories. One of my favorite being "Silent World of Nicholas Quinn".