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From the time of Abraham Lincoln’s nomination for the presidency until his assassination, John G. Nicolay served as the Civil War president’s chief personal secretary. Nicolay became an intimate of Lincoln and probably knew him as well as anyone outside his own family. Although he did not keep a diary, Nicolay recorded his conversations with the president in a series of memos. He wrote numerous letters to his assistant John Hay and others, describing the mood at the White House and expressing opinions that were almost certainly shaped by Lincoln. In this expertly edited collection, Michael Burlingame compiles Nicolay’s memoranda, journal entries describing Lincoln’s activities, and excerpts from most of the nearly three hundred letters Nicolay wrote to his fiancée, Therena Bates. This first paperback edition of With Lincoln in the White House offers essential information about Abraham Lincoln.

"Lincoln scholars will feast on this book."—John Y. Simon, executive director, Ulysses S. Grant Association

"Burlingame deserves thanks for making these important letters readily available to scholars and the general public." —Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society "Burlingame, who has blessed us with a series of edited volumes of papers from Lincoln’s White House circle, now brings together Nicolay’s papers, carefully selected and annotated in marvelous and useful detail. . . . With Lincoln in the White House is both editorially neat and brimming with glimpses into the very heart of the Lincoln Administration." —The Civil War News ... Read more

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The creator of an extraordinary illustrated edition of The Constitution of the United States of America presents a hand-lettered, strikingly illustrated version of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. 20,000 first printing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A fine refresher
The the horrors of war, and especially the Battle of Gettysburg are sobering through the illustrations and photos of that time in our history.
One will come away appreciating Lincoln's eloquence and oratory skills, affirmed by reading the Gettysburg Address
and Emancipation Proclamation. Although very biased in favor of the North, I still found this book informative and
interesting.

The great American speech
Lincoln at Gettysburg in the midst of the Great Civil War dividing the nation, and causing the loss of so many American lives redefines the goal of that nation, and promises it a new birth of freedom. In it he sets forth the ideal that will bind the nations wounds, and bring it together again in pursuit of that freedom and justice that is its founding goal. Lincoln at Gettysburg redefines America to itself , for the duration of that war and for the generations to come. He tells a people the essence of what it is in solemn deep and heartfelt tones that will reverberate not only in the hearts and minds of his own countrymen but throughout the world as a whole .
Lincoln at Gettysburg is the American soul in liberty being told to mankind who may be inspired too to at last come to the day when government of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from this earth. ... Read more

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Through his speeches, John Fitzgerald Kennedy presented his vision to America and to the world. From his announcement to seek the presidency to his speech in Fort Worth, Texas, 1963, this recording contains over twenty major speeches delivered by President Kennedy. Carl Sandburg * Press conference, Washington, D.C., January 2, 1960 * The Primaries and the pre-convention campaign * The Democratic National Convention, Los Angeles, July 13, 1960 * The Acceptance Speech, Los Angeles, July 15, 1960 * The Greater Houston Ministerial Association, Houston, Texas, September 12, 1960 * The Kennedy-Nixon Debates, October 21, 1960 * The Concession by Vice President Nixon * Senator Kennedy's first address as President-elect, November 9, 1960 * The Inauguration * The Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961 * The First State of the Union Address, January 29, 1961 * The Bay of Pigs Crisis: Address to the American Society of Newspaper Editors, Washington, D.C., April 20, 1961 * On His Visit with Krushchev in Vienna: A Report to the Nation, June 6, 1961 * On the Berlin Crisis: A Report to the Nation, July 25, 1961 * Address to the United Nations, New York, September 25, 1961 * Medicare Rally at Madison Square Garden, New York, May 20, 1962 * The Race for Space: Address at Rice University, Houston, September 12, 1962 * James Meredith and the University of Mississippi, September 30, 1962 * The Cuba Crisis, October 22, 1962: Its Sequel, November 2, 1962 * The National Cultural Center, Washington, D.C., November 29, 1962 * AConversation with the President, December 16, 1962 * Final State of the Union Address, January 14, 1963 * American University, Washington, D.C., June 10, 1963 * Civil Rights: A Report to the Nation, June 11, 1963 * West Berlin, June 24, 1963 * The Test Ban: A Report to the Nation, July 26, 1963 * Amherst, Massachusetts, October 26, 1963 * Fort Worth, Texas, November 22, 1963 * Funeral, November 25, 1963. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Lincoln The Road to War
It took me a long time to finish. This basically the political side leading up to the civil. It is interesting. There was a fews that got too much and I had to skip but it is a very excellent book.

Excellent Treatment of Critical Part of History
This book lays out in great detail (with plenty of references to the basic documents) the events leading up to the US Civil War.

For all practical purposes the original US Republic ended in the Spring 1861 and was recreated after the War with a new character.States Rights including the right to secede were lost in the process.

This book explains how it all happened and why you may feel you live in a high-tax Empire instead of a Republic.

Not the Lincoln we learned about in school...
All Northerners,such as myself, should read this book which takes the luster off many of the myths which we were taught in high school and college.Because it was his armies that won that War his subsequentassassination and virtually immediate deification, has led to not taking acritical look at his many flaws, mistakes and faults.Lincoln, a countrylawyer, unschooled in Constitutional law repeatedly ignored that documentin his stubborn quest to restore the Union.Read how Lincoln never didhave a Constitution basis for invading a soverign country.Read aboutLincoln's 13,000 political prisoners.A must-read book for all of usschooled in "Lincoln-Lore." ... Read more

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Takes up U.S.-Cuba relations, Cuba's role in the fight against apartheid rule in South Africa, the overthrow of the Grenada revolution, and the social consequences of the foreign debt in Latin America and the Caribbean.

16-page photo section, index. ... Read more

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In mid-March 1781 John Adams received his commission and instructions as minister to the Netherlands and embarked on the boldest initiative of his diplomatic career. Disappointed by the lack of interest shown by Dutch investors in his efforts to raise a loan for the United States, Adams changed his tactics, and in a memorial made a forthright appeal to the States General of the Netherlands for immediate recognition of the United States. Published in Dutch, English, and French, it offered all of Europe a radical vision of the ordinary citizen's role in determining political events. In this volume, for the first time, the circumstances and reasoning behind Adams's bold moves in the spring of 1781 are presented in full.

In July the French court summoned Adams, the only American in Europe empowered to negotiate an Anglo-American peace, to Paris for consultations regarding an offer made by Austria and Russia to mediate the Anglo-French war. In his correspondence with France's foreign minister, the Comte de Vergennes, Adams passionately insisted that the United States was fully and unambiguously independent and sovereign and must be recognized as such by Great Britain before any negotiations took place. This volume shows John Adams to be a determined and resourceful diplomat, unafraid to go beyond the bounds of traditional diplomacy to implement his vision of American foreign policy. ... Read more

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A new chapter in John Adams's diplomatic career opened when the Dutch recognized the United States in April 1782. Operating from the recently purchased American legation at The Hague, Adams focused his energies on raising a much needed loan from Dutch bankers and negotiating a Dutch-American commercial treaty. This volume chronicles Adams's efforts to achieve these objectives, but it also provides an unparalleled view of eighteenth-century American diplomacy on the eve of a peace settlement ending the eight-year war of the American Revolution.

John Adams was a shrewd observer of the political and diplomatic world in which he functioned and his comments on events and personalities remain the most candid and revealing of any American in Europe. His correspondence traces the complex negotiations necessary to raise a Dutch loan and throws new light on his conclusion of a treaty of amity and commerce with the Netherlands, achievements of which he was most proud. Events in England and elsewhere in Europe also provided grist for his pen. Would the establishment in July of a new ministry under the earl of Shelburne hinder or advance the cause of peace? That question bedeviled Adams and his correspondents for the fate of the new nation literally rode on its answer. The volume ends with Adams's triumphal departure from The Hague to face new challenges at Paris as one of the American commissioners to negotiate an Anglo-American peace treaty.

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The American victory at Yorktown in October 1781 and the fall of Lord North's ministry in March 1782 opened the possibility that John Adams might soon be involved in negotiations to end the war for American independence. To prepare for the occasion, Adams and Benjamin Franklin discussed in their letters the fundamentals for peace. Adams made it clear to the British government that there would be no negotiations without British recognition of the United States as independent and sovereign.

This volume chronicles Adams's efforts, against great odds, to achieve formal recognition of the new United States. The documents include his vigorous response to criticism of his seemingly unorthodox methods by those who would have preferred that he pursue a different course, including Congress's newly appointed secretary for foreign affairs, Robert R. Livingston.

In April 1782 the Netherlands recognized the United States and admitted John Adams as its minister. For Adams it was "the most Signal Epocha, in the History of a Century," and he would forever see it as the foremost achievement of his diplomatic career. The volume ends with Adams, at long last a full-fledged member of the diplomatic corps, describing his reception by the States General and his audiences with the Prince and Princess of Orange.

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On the last day of December 1780 John Adams wrote that he had just spent "the most anxious and mortifying Year of my whole Life." He had resided first at Paris, then at Amsterdam, attempting, without success, to open Anglo-American peace negotiations and to raise a Dutch loan. In volumes 9 and 10 of the Papers of John Adams, over 600 letters and documents that Adams sent to and received from numerous correspondents in Europe and America provide an unparalleled view of Adams' diplomacy and a wealth of detail on the world in which he lived.

These volumes chronicle Adams' efforts to convince the British people and their leaders that Britain's economic survival demanded an immediate peace; his "snarling growling" debate with the French foreign minister, the Comte de Vergennes, over the proper Franco-American relationship; and his struggle to obtain a loan in the Netherlands, where policies were dictated by Mammon rather than republican virtue. Adams' writings, diplomatic dispatches, and personal correspondence all make clear the scope of his intelligence gathering and his propaganda efforts in the British, French, and Dutch press. The letters reflect his interest in Bordeaux wines, the fate of Massachusetts' Constitution that he had drafted in 1779, and political developments in Philadelphia, Boston, London, and St. Petersburg. The volumes leave no doubt as to John Adams' unwavering commitment to the American cause. Even in this most difficult year, he believed the revolution in America to be "the greatest that ever took Place among Men." He felt honored to serve a new nation where "the Wisdom and not the Man is attended to," whose citizens were fighting a "People's War" from which the United States would inevitably emerge victorious to take its rightful place on the world stage.

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James Parton's "Revolutionary Heroes, and Other Historical Papers" is a classic work read by book lovers, students and scholars. ... Read more

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*8 b/w photos
* 6 x 9
* Lead essay by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
* Foreword by award-winning historian William C. Davis

On November 19, 1996, six distinguished American scholars met in Gettysburg and offered unique perspectives on the place of President Lincoln, his unforgettable Address, and the titanic battle of July 13, 1863, in American history and the collective conscience. Here for the first time, these monographs are made available to the general public. Includes essays by the Honorable Sandra Day O'Connor, Richard N. Current, Harold Holzer, Edna Greene Medford, and John Y. Simon.

John Y. Simon edited the multi-volume Papers of Ulysses S. Grant; Harold Holzer is the author of numerous books on politics and Lincoln; William D. Pederson is the author/editor of several books including Abraham Lincoln: Contemporary, An American Legacy and is a professor of political science at Louisiana State University. ... Read more

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White House Weddings describes in colorful detail all of the weddings that have taken place in the White House from its beginnings through World War II. Thoroughly researched, it includes interviews with all of the then living brides and grooms, and is replete with anecdotes and tales. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Read
This is an interesting book for anyone who is interested inWhite House Weddings. I strongly recomend. ... Read more

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The personal correspondence between President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Prime Minister Anthony Eden during the time they were simultaneously in office tells the dramatic story of a relationship that began with great promise but ended in division and estrangement. Many of the letters have only recently been declassified, making it possible for the first time to publish this unique historic collection in its entirety.

Peter G. Boyle's introduction, annotations, and conclusion provide context for the letters--details about the personalities and careers of Eden and Eisenhower and major issues that influenced the Anglo-American relationship up to 1955, such as relations with the Soviet Union, nuclear concerns, colonialism, the Middle and Far East, economic issues, and intelligence matters. The letters themselves offer an intimate look into the special connection between Britain and the United States through the often eloquent words of their leaders. They offer particular insight into the Suez Crisis of 1956, when Eden's and Eisenhower's views greatly diverged over the use of force to resolve the situation. Their personal relationship cooled from that point on and ended with Eden's resignation in January 1957. ... Read more

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The essential collection of writings, memoirs, speeches, and books on the 16th President of the United States. With active table of contents:

Memorial Address
Abraham Lincoln - Charnwood
Lincoln's First Inaugural Address
Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address
The Papers and Writings of Abraham Lincoln (Complete)
Lincoln's Speeches and Letters
Lincoln; An Account of His Personal Life
Lincoln's Last Hours ... Read more

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Learn leadership Lincoln's way- with quick wit and great stories. ... Read more

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We all know George Washington as the Father of the American Nation; few know him as a 22-year-old Virginia lieutenant colonel who led three-hundred of his soldiers to fight a far-more-experienced French army--and paid a high price. Historian Alan Axelrod brings this little-known story to life in his riveting account of the key battle that launched the French and Indian War--and Washington's role in the loss of that pivotal fight. Published in hardcover in 2007, Blooding at Great Meadows is sure to find a new audience in paperback. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

lightweight but enjoyable
Not quite what the subtitle says as there is little analysis of the events and their impact on Washington. The book is a general introduction to the development of Virginia, the arrival of the Washington family and then GW's early life to the disaster of Braddock's defeat Having read J.T. Flexner's GW biographies and a few books on the French and Indian war, I learned nothing new. I also thought it padded a bit in places. On the other hand, I did enjoy it; the book moved well, and I didn't detect any major errors. Think of it as either a light introduction or refresher. I liked David Drummand as a reader. Maybe 3.5 stars?

Ground rules training for a future leader
I found this book to be quite interesting and insightful on how George Washington entered into the military career and the harsh lessons he had to endured in learning his craft. The book traces Washington's interest in the military aspects from his boyhood days when he was heavily influenced by his half brother, Lawrence Washington and his slight military career. The author made it clear that George Washington not only wanted a military career but push hard to get one.

The core of the book lies from the time when Washington was sent as a emissary from Royal Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia to the French in the Ohio territory and ends with Braddock's defeat. During those two events, was the proving grounds for George Washington as he learned from his mistakes and from the mistakes of others while learning valuable lessons on the art of war in his native land where regular European way of war and frontier style of warfare both interlaced with each other. The book centered a lot around his Fort Necessity campaign that reflects heavily on his inexperience as a military commander. The book didn't go too deeply into the surrender terms where Washington ended up confessing that he "assassinated" the French emissary during his first battle. That probably deserves a book on its own since it does smear dishonor on Washington's good name just by his consent even with ignorance. (Of course, the question is, even if he did knew, would he had sign it because if he did not, that battle could have been a massacre of his troops against overwhelming French and Indian forces.)

I think the book did a good job overall reflecting on the early experiences Washington had as a young man and how that experience helped shape him as a commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. The book proves to be well written and nicely researched.

If there was one element of the book that I thought was lacking, was that there was no maps, no illustrations, not even a photograph of what Fort Necessity looks like from the modern reconstruction at the National Battlefield site mentioned in the book. Now I been to that site and I know the locations of the places mentioned in the book. But I also know that many others do not. (At least my hardback book didn't have these stuff.)

Still, the book deserves a four star rating since I thought it was insightful and accomplished basically what the author wanted to convey to his reader.

Missed Its Intended Purpose
The author does an adequate job of detailing the battles at Great Meadows (Ft Necessity and the Wilderness), with the aid of a lot of previously published material. But Axelrod missed on examining how these events shaped the later Washington. I was hoping for a deeper analysis of the "Father of Our Country Washington" and how the Great Meadows battles directly shaped him. Instead the book bogs down at Fort Necessity and ends with a bland conclusion, weakly speculating on how the events of 1754 will help shape Washington's character in the future. While there are many obvious similarities between Washington's first two battles and his later Revolutionary War experience, these could have been covered in a magazine article. There is little in this book that points to how "the Battle Shaped the Man." If you are looking for an in-depth analysis of Washington - keep looking.

The Makings of America's 1stCommander-in-Chief
If you want to learn how George Washington was able to prevail and ultimately triumph as the military leader of a rag tag, underfunded, outmanned, ill-disciplined, mix of men known in history as the Continental Army, you must see the man in light of his experiences at the outset of the French and Indian War in North America.

Mr. Axelrod takes us back to the years 1754-55. Here in the swamp of Western Pennsylvania known as Great Meadow, Washington not only sufferedone but two ignominious defeats by the French for control of the Ohio territory. Not only did he exhibit poor tactical skills but he failed, due to his naivete and youth, to recognize the critical necessity of procurement,distribution, maintenance, and replacement of materiel and personnel for successfully waging war in the frontier wilderness. Additionally he had little skill in dealing with the duplicitous Indians who waffled in their allegiance between the French and the English.

In spite of these shortcomings, Great Meadows fathered the "Father of His Cotuntry". In these two decades prior to the War of Independence, Washington had learned valuable lessons as a soldier and most importantly as a leader of men. He forged the intellectual instinctive, emotional, and spiritual implements that were to unfailingly service him both in victory and defeat as commander-in chief of America's 1st army. Win or lose, he managed to prevail even against all that was thrown against him, both governmentally at home and militarially from abroad.

"Blooding at Great Meadows" gives us an intimate portrait of the rise in character of the one who was to become our 1st truly national hero and the events that changed the geopolitical landscape of our continent. You will find it, I'm sure, to be fascinating and enlightening study.

An amazing scrutiny of life-shaping events in a legendary national leader
Written by historian and creative consultant to television documentaries David Drummond, Blooding at Great Meadows is the unabridged audiobook version of the true story of George Washington long before he was the leader of the American Revolution and father of our country. Blooding at Great Meadows examines George Washington as a twenty-two year-old lieutenant colonel, who led four hundred American militiamen against a larger, more experienced French army and paid a steep price for the effort. Washington lost a third of his men, and the Battle of Great Meadows ignited the French and Indian War. In the crucible, Washington forged his intellect, his tactical skill, and his spirituality, all of which would be put to test in the future. Read by David Drummond, Blooding at Great Meadows is an amazing scrutiny of life-shaping events in a legendary national leader, highly recommended. 7 CDs, 9 hours. ... Read more

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William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898) has been hailed as the most characteristic and extraordinary of Victorians. His expansive public career--in and out of office from 1834 to 1894 and four times Prime Minister--was consistently controversial and dramatic.This work, by a highly acclaimed Gladstone scholar, makes available in a single volume the story of one of the most powerful political personalities in British history.The book describes Gladstone's education, his political career from the early years as a Tory to his spectacular first administration from 1868 to 1874 and the remarkable private drama of sexual temptation and moral crisis, which from the 1840s underlay Gladstone's public life. Illuminating the keen ways in which Gladstone managed to keep himself at the "top of the greasy pole" and become one of the most successful political figures in Britain, the work shows how Gladstone's career and views helped shape parliamentary politics of the Victorian age. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Superb analysis of Gladstone's early years
William Ewart Gladstone is one of the giants of nineteenth century British politics. First elected to House of Commons in 1832, he went on to serve in a number of offices, most notably as prime minister for an unprecedented four times over a 26-year period.The leader of the Liberals, he left an indelible stamp on the party which spent a generation emerging from underneath his long shadow.

There are few more qualified to study Gladstone's life than H. C. G. Matthew.An accomplished historian, he was co-editor of the third and fourth volumes of the published edition of Gladstone's diaries and lead editor for the remainder of the series.This project forms the basis of his book; taken from the introductions to the third through the eight volumes of the series (with two original chapters added to cover Gladstone's early years), they offer a penetrating examination into the man in the context of his times.

Born in Liverpool in 1809, Gladstone was the fifth child in an Evangelical household.The son of a wealthy merchant, he attended Eton and Oxford, where he excelled academically.Matthew details Gladstone's intellectual and social development during this period, examining both his studies and the circle of friends he had in school.It was the father of one of these friends, the Duke of Newcastle, who offered Gladstone a seat in Parliament from a pocket borough, thus launching the young man on the political career he sought.

Matthew notes that at the start of his career Gladstone was a Tory and a staunch opponent of many of the reform measures being introduced by the Whig governments of the era.Yet while deemed by many to be "the Tories' best hope" for the future, Gladstone's politics were still evolving.Matthew sees the decade from 1841 to 1851 as the crucial period of Gladstone's political development, as he broke from the Conservatives on the issue of free trade and completed his separation with his attack on Disraeli's budget in 1852.Yet as Matthew shows, the decade that followed proved to be the most personally complex period of Gladstone's career.Like most Peelites, Gladstone had no great attachment to the Liberals; in fact, throughout the 1850s his personal inclinations continued to lay more with the Conservatives than with Palmerston.Cooperation ultimately foundered on the social implications of Gladstone's taxing schemes and Disraeli's presence - in the end, Matthew states, Gladstone became a Liberal by process of elimination.

At the same time as he was building his political career Gladstone was also starting a family, marrying Catherine Glynne in 1839 and presiding over a steadily growing household.Matthew provides an insightful examination of Gladstone's private life, particularly with regards to his faith.Embracing Tractarianism after Oxford, he was usually in attendance at church on a daily basis and in many of his writings he attempted to reconcile Christianity to modern civilization.His faith also found expression in an unusual form in his "rescue work" with London prostitutes.Matthew's analysis of this aspect of Gladstone's life is one of the most sophisticated in the book, interpreting his involvement as motivated in part by Gladstone's acknowledgement of (...) the need to confront and overcome temptation - a process that sometimes included self-scourging.In spite of the appearance of this work, though, Matthew concludes that Gladstone ultimately remained within contemporary social conventions and was never unfaithful to his wife.

In 1852 Gladstone joined the Aberdeen coalition as Chancellor of the Exchequer, serving in that office - with a four-year gap between 1855 and 1859 - until July 1866.Matthew considers this the most successful ministerial period of Gladstone's career, as well as the most satisfying on a personal level.Embracing the Liberal ethos of limited government, Gladstone strove throughout his tenure to reduce its role in the economy by minimizing expenditures and shifting finances from tariffs towards a mixture of direct and indirect taxes.Matthew's account of such an intricate and inherently dull subject is excellent, clear in its analysis and straightforward in its explanation of how these policies fit into Gladstone's vision of government and society.This period also saw Gladstone's emergence as a national politician, the unquestioned heir to the Liberal leadership after Palmerston's death in 1865 and Lord John Russell's retirement in 1867.

The final three chapters cover Gladstone during his first ministry.In the aftermath of the 1868 election the administration existed on a foundation of sand.Lacking a counterpart to John Gorst, the Liberals failed to build a party organization in the country, as Gladstone relied on his considerable political skills to maintain his government.Here Matthew concentrates on the issues the prime minister dealt with himself; the broader achievements of his administration, in such areas as education and army reform, are addressed in passing, as Matthew focuses on foreign policy and Gladstone's "mission" to pacify Ireland by addressing discontent over religion, land, and education.The failure of the Irish Universities Bill in March 1873 prompted the resignation of the cabinet; Disraeli's refusal to form a Conservative government forced its return, exhausted and fatally weakened by scandal. When Gladstone decided on dissolution the next year, the result was a Conservative victory and his retirement from politics.Though two more decades remained in political career, at this point he had already left a considerable legacy, one that Matthew has analyzed with an ability and expertise that is unlikely to be bettered. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Mannerheim Magic
This book details everything you need to know about Mannerheim, Marshal of Finland.
Excellent reading, includes interesting photographs.

Short, but still useful account of a Soldier/Statesman
Stig Jagerskiold does a an excellent job capturing the life of Mannerheim in an English version of his work previously written in Swedish and Finnish.From his childhood, through his service as a Russian cavalryofficer, the author clearly documents his evolving sentiments toward hiscountry and her aspirations for independence.Also, the experience hegains in leadership under fire with Russian troops foreshadows his stellarperformance during the Winter and Continuation Wars. After the FirstWorld War, Mannerheim is asked to take command of the "White"forces who, with German assistance, are battling the Finnish Communists andtheir Russian Bolshevik allies.His attitudes toward Germany are formedhere and again the author illustrates later how his impressions affectedhis conduct when Finland and Germany were co-belligerents.Mannerheim'scommand during this period is somewhat controversial:debate continues onwhether he knew, much less approved, of atrocities committed by Whiteforces.The book unfortunately doesn't investigate these allegations asdeeply as it could have, and still maintained the focus of the work. However, the chapters concerned with his leadership in the Winter andContinuation Wars are well done, with examples of his command style clearlywritten and contrasted with those of his staff.The author rightly givesequal weight to Mannerheim's political beliefs expounded when he becamePresident in 1944.His insight into both the psyche of the Soviets andtheir Western Allies was vital in concluding a surrender that left Finlandunoccupied. As an introduction, or as a basis from which to conductfurther research this book is a superb resource.Highly Recommended. ... Read more

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A thoroughly comprehensive (and enjoyable) analysis of Havel
I recently wrote my senior research paper for school on Vaclav Havel.I read through many books on him and found this one the most helpful.Because the book is compiled of essays from a large variety of writers, the overall effect of the book is well-balanced: neither overly romanticized nor overly critical.Unlike some other denser texts, this set of essays contains lots of supportive information, but also reads very well, with many ancedotes, wit, and interesting theses and points presented by the writers.A wonderful tribute to a wonderful man that is certainly worth the read for anyone wanting to know more about Havel and the Czechoslovak people's inspiring story. ... Read more

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Robert Burns and Scottish Ideas
Szasz's book,"Abraham Lincoln and Robert Burns: Connected Lives and Legends" is a fascinating read. It reads like a novel. The research behind the facts and ideas is superb. Great bibliography. Very helpful for history buffs and anyone interested in influences on American freedom as well as those Burns fans still out there. ... Read more