Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

FROM VICE-PRESIDENT TO REBEL
WE ARE FORTUNATE AS AMERICANS TO HAVE A NUMBER OF INTERESTING POLITICIANS IN OUR SHORT HISTORY.bRECKENRIDGE IS NO EXCEPTION.DAVIS HAS WRITTEN MANY BGOOKS ON THIS ERA OF OUR LIFE AND THIS IS MATCHED ONLY BY JEFFERSON DAVIS AS A WORTHWHILE BOOK TO READ AND ABSORB.THE AUTHOR TAKES US THROUGH BRECKENRIDGE'S LIFE THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF A STATESMAN WHO TOPS HIS CAREER AS AS VP OF AMERICA IN THE DARKEST HOUR TO A PATRIOT WHO CHOOSES AS SO MANY OTHERS TO FOLLOW HIS STATE AND TAKE UP ARMS FOR THE SOUTH.WE SEE THE MAN, NOT JUST THE POLITICIAN/SOLDIER IN THIS BIOGRAPHY.IT IS NOT BY ACCIDENT THAT SO MANY HISTORIANS AHVE CITED AND QUOTED THIS VOLUME IN THEIR OWN WORKS.iF YOU DON'T HAVE THIS BOOK, GET IT.

Compelling, magisterial biography

As William Davis explains in the book's introduction, in the mid-1960s, while researching the Battle of New Market in BATTLES AND LEADERS, he came across information regarding John C. Breckinridge, the most interesting being that he had been vice-president of the country under Buchanan. "What could have induced a man who had been vice-president . . . to turn and fight against his own country?" He spent the next nine years not only attempting to answer that question, but compiling the information needed to put together the "thorough biography" Breckinridge "deserved." It's a magnificent achievement.

Right off the bat he corrects a mistake that has lingered in historical sketches of Breckinridge, and that is his birthdate: he was born on January 16, 1821 (not the 21st), and it was "in" Lexington, KY (not "near" it). After attending what is today's Princeton University and studying law in Lexington, he was admitted to the bar in 1841. In 1847 he went to Mexico at the head of a force of Kentucky volunteers, but arrived too late to see any action in the Mexican War. After serving two years in the Kentucky state legislature, he was elected to Congress, 1851-55. He was nominated as vice-president with James Buchanan on the Democratic ticket, and his conduct as presiding officer of the Senate (being able especially to put aside his own pro-slavery beliefs for the good of the body elect) has been praised by contemporaries and historians alike.

When the Southern Democrats broke with the national party in protest over the nomination of Stephen A. Douglas in 1860, they nominated Breckinridge as president. He was able to garner 72 electoral votes in the election, effectively splitting the Democratic party enabling Lincoln to take the presidency. Returning to the Senate (so popular was he in KY that he was elected Senator of the state in 1859, even though he would've been unable to take office until 1861), he tried to keep his home state neutral while at the same time opposing Lincoln. But by September all seemed lost, and he abandoned his Senate seat for the Confederacy.

Commissioned a brigadier general, Breckinridge first saw action at Shiloh and then at Vicksburg. In August 1862 he was promoted to major general and was with Bragg at Stones River and Joseph E. Johnston at Jackson, MS. Later engagements included Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and a number of actions in the Shenandoah Valley and Virginia. He commanded the Department of Southwest Virginia at the end of 1864 and saw action at Nashville. He was appointed Jefferson Davis's secretary of war in 1865, and when he was captured by Sherman's forces while escaping with Davis to the South after Lee's surrender, Sherman advised him to leave the country for his own safety. He did, going first to Cuba and then to Europe. He expressed a strong desire to return to America, however, and in 1868 a pardon was granted after which he re-established himself (and his law practice) in Lexington, where he died in 1875.

The "symbol" referred to in the title I think is best applied to what Breckinridge represented after the war: he wanted the country more than anything to move on beyond the differences and hatreds fostered by the War; for himself, he said he regretted joining the Confederacy, though was proud of his service there. Upon his death he was mourned by the entire country.

Davis's biography is among the best ever written, not only of a Civil War figure, but of anyone in the country. He writes with great authority and magnificent style, and the pleasure one gets in reading him is almost beyond measure. It's a long, thorough book, but always fascinating, always engaging. Highly recommended.

From US Vice President to Confederate Secretary of War
Excellent biography of one of the most interesting men in the US Civil War. From a political star as Vice President and Presidential Candidate against Lincoln, Brekinridge typlifies the great split in our country. Dutiful and professional serving as VP to the virtual end of his term he leaves as a vagabond due to his southern sympathies. Brekinridge served as a Confederate General during the war and ended it as perhaps the most proficient Secretary of War that the south had. Davis covers Breckinridge's rise as the succesor to the great Henry Clay. When the crisis of civil war looms, he is reaching his zenith as a political star. In an almost sad despair, he leaves to fight for the south as his border state home Kentucky remains in the Union. Breckinridge is a great subject of the war as he serves in both the western theater and the east as well and as a succesful independent commander in southwestern VA. Davis captures Breckinridges life throughout the war with great detail such as when his division is severly punished at Stones River under Bragg who in turn accusses Breckinridge unfairly of incompetence and drink. But Breckinridge thives later as an independent commander in an undermaned and threatened theater of southwestern VA. He consolidates his troops and wins one of the souths last great, although small, battles at New Market that is forever associated with the valor of the VMI cadets who supported the final charge. Breckinridge later serves wiith Lee at Cold harbor and throughout the overland campaign. But as the author Davis carries you through Breckinridge's career, you become a witness to the south's final destruction as Breckinridge is the Scretary of War during the final months of the Confederacy. Aside from closely associating with Lee, Breckinridge is with the Confederate government that flees Richmond. Breckinridge, with loyalty but with objectivity, tries to steer Davis into the realization that the war is doomed. While Davis is in flight, Breckinridge stays with Joe Johnston and helps negotiate terms that Stanton felt were so generous he publicly embarrased Sherman causing Sherman's return for a new surrender. With this biography, the author provides you an inside view of the sadness the war has on a leader who does seem caught in the middle and who is involved in both the military and political situation. Breckinridge was in the center of the military and the government throughout the last year to its final collapse. An excellent biography that bridges you to many of Davis' other books such as the Battle of New Market, his Davis Biography, The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government and the Orphan Brigade.

Begin here to understand the Civil War!
John C. Breckinridge was one of the most notable politicians of the 1850's, a confederate general serving in all theaters of the war, and a member of Jefferson Davis cabinet, playing a key role in negotiating the terms of surrender.

It is not too much to say that an examination of this one life can throught new clarifying light virtually all issues relating to the Civil War. From the Compromise of 1850, to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, to the Lecompton covention and the Dred Scott decision, the split of the Democratic convention in 1860, to the move toward secession, to the last ditch efforts for peaceful reconciliation, to the war itself, to the surrender of the armies of Northern Virginia and Tennessee, to the immediate aftermath Breckinridge was there frequently as a major player.

However, as much light as Breckinridge throws on these various issues, there are aspects about his career that remains troubling. While Davis protrays Breckinridge as a unionist and personally opposed to slavery, Breckinridge *continually* sides with the pro-slavery contingent in Congress. Whether it's Dred Scott, or Lecompton, or running on a rival "southern rights" platform to Douglas, Breckinridge is unerringly on the pro-slavery side. Breckinridge (and Davis) always have a reason (or an excuse) for a given position, but the overall pattern is clear. In the final analysis, it may have been Breckinridge's devotion to the "right of property" as being *absolute* and hence even *above* the constitution.

In any case Breckinridge's finest hour comes in the twilight of the confederacy when he serves briefly but effectively as Secretary of War and going behind Jeff Davis's back , who is border line delusional at this point, to negotiate with Lee and Johnston a plan of surrender to the Union. This story is one that Davis tells more fully in his HONORABLE DEFEAT and it cannot be understated that Breckinridge prevented the Confederacy from decending into guerilla warfare and banditry that would have lingered for years if not decades.

Also in the aftermath, Breckinridge takes principled stand in favor of accepting negro testimony in court and against the Ku Klux Kan in Kentucky. Toward the very end, his participation in the Lee memorial in Lexington KY throught light on the emergence of the "Lost Cause" mythology as Jubal Early will set up a competiting memorial in Lexington VA. (This smacks of different apparitions of the madonna during the Mexican revolution with the rebel adopting the lady of Guadalupe, while the government forces adopt Pilar.)

Finally this book, it has to be remembered that this book was written 30 years ago and while it's still valuable a lot has been published on the Army of Tennesee (particularly Pat Cleburn) and on the southern Unionists during the secession crisis. I think a revised edition that could take these recent developments intoaccount would be valuable.

I loved it
I love this book. It really gives an in depth view of John, who I want to mention is my great great uncle. I loved seeing his life through someone else's view point. It paints him in a very graphic way, very colorful. Davis doesnt shy away from writing the truth. Very great book. ... Read more

Product Description
Stuart Davis (1892-1964) made a mark on the art world early in his career, first with his Ashcan works and then with his highly personal version of Cubism, which firmly established American modernism as a force that could rival its European counterpart. Over the course of six decades, Davis produced artworks that drew inspiration from the European modernists but were deeply rooted in the popular culture of the United States. Jazz music and hipster talk, vaudeville stages, city streetscapes, New England fishing villages, gasoline stations, store fronts, and commercial packaging and advertising images were among the sources that infused his art with energy, bringing crisp edges, radiant colour, and syncopated rhythms to a vast body of paintings, watercolours, and drawings. Documenting the life's work of this prolific and highly influential artist, who affected almost every development in American art from second-generation Ashcan realism around 1912 to colour field and geometric painting in the 1960s, is a monumental achievement.In these three volumes, the editors have catalogued 1,749 artworks by the artist, including more than 600 works never previously illustrated, providing extensive documentation and information about each one. A detailed chronology of Davis' life, as well as an enlightening discussion of the compositional relationship between certain works spanning his oeuvre, rounds out this study. Exquisitely designed and produced, "Stuart Davis: A Catalogue Raisonne" will be the definitive reference on the artist's work for many years to come. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

stuart davis is treatedright!
You would have to be petty to quarrel with this three volume set.It is very heavy.It is 27 pounds Our mail lady had a hard time bringing it to the door.The choice of paper and typographry are all excellent. The reproductions are first rate. Some could be larger ,but they are in other volumes as well . This set contains work that anyone who knows Davis's work,will not have seen before.Many sketchbooks are in volume 2 , I have two of his sketchbooks and I was happy to see these as I knew he favored line drawing ,AND THEREARE A PLETHORA OF LINE ART..If you like Stuart Davis,the American father of pop artyou will love this set.Whatever you had studied of Davis before this set will add depth to that study.This set will keep you busy for a while, you will need a table to read the books.The local book store didn't have the set on their shelves, so I am happy I got the set,so promply. I predict this work will become more valuable as time goes on.Please note, I purchased the set from Amazon.As I said:if you are a Stuart Davis fan ,you will want this set.The repros are first rate and the volumes ,speak volumes. Volume one has series of his works (after the essays by Wilkin and Agee both Davis experts)in the back, the repros are small but it is one of the most interestingsections of the set.You can compare and contrast the various aspects of a series,such as Mellow Pad... I would hope in a future edition that this section would be available on a CD so that the paintings and drawings can be enlarged.This set is instructive a friend came over to look at my set and after examining the books and finding everything first-rate went home and ordered a set.Since I received the set I continue to find theories and works that are instructive.His subject matter didn't change over 50 years,it was always the urban scene. The change in his work came from his democratic ideals: he no longer worked in social conscious subject matter. He learned that the work was more democratic if the formal properties were better undersood.That is where the cultural gap is : hard ,difficult formality..vs. workthat can be more quickly absorbed.I bought this set from Amazon ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
Sherman's March is the vivid narrative of General William T. Sherman's devastating sweep through Georgia and the Carolinas in the closing days of the Civil War. Weaving together hundreds of eyewitness stories, Burke Davis graphically brings to life the dramatic experiences of the 65,000 Federal troops who plundered their way through the South and those of the anguished -- and often defiant -- Confederate women and men who sought to protect themselves and their family treasures, usually in vain. Dominating these events is the general himself -- "Uncle Billy" to his troops, the devil incarnate to the Southerners he encountered.

"What gives this narrative its unusual richness is the author's collation of hundreds of eyewitness accounts...The actions are described in the words, often picturesque and often eloquent, of those who were there, either as participants -- Union soldiers, Confederate soldiers -- in the fighting and destruction or as victims of Sherman's frank vow to 'make Georgia howl.' Mr. Davis intercuts these scenes with closeups of the chief actors in this nightmarish drama, and he also manages to give us a coherent historical account of the whole episode. A powerful illustration of the proposition put forth in Sherman's most famous remark." -- The New Yorker

... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

The Barbarous Sherman
Excellent book. However, it's sad that Sherman's claim to fame was his targeting of civilians in his destruction of the south, very reminisced of Genghis Khan, whom history has a more unfavorable view of, unlike Sherman.

Rape and murder
Make no mistake.

A large army of servicemen, who had not seen women for extended periods of time, will and did rape - and by necessity, drunkenness and accessibility- murder civilians with total impunity. This was especially true the more removed they were from the main column, where there was virtually no supervision by senior officers.

Those civilians, although structurally a part of the southern system, were innocent. Brutalizing and killing women and children is the type of action that should and will leave a scar in the history of a nation and the history of warfare in general.

The proof of its inherent evil is that even if it may have worked for the purpose of wining the civil war- according to Sherman's rationalization- it also became the seed of what ultimately led to its inevitable conclusion: the atomic bomb.

Lets not be distracted by Sherman's brilliant character as a military man and his talent as a writer: once you purposely approved the hostile action by desensitized military veterans against innocent women and children you have mangled your legacy and left a gift of unaccountability and hopelessness for humanity.
Something we would learn much too well in the 20th century and today.

SHERMEN'S MARCH
tHIS BOOK SHOULD BE READ BY SOMEONE WHO ALREADY HAS READ MUCH ABOUT THE CIVIL WAR, iT IS CHOCK FULL OF PERSONAL INFO,BUT WILL BE CONFUSING TO THE A READER WHO IS NOT FAMILAR WITH THE CHARACTERS AND PLACES

One Of The Best Books I've Read
This book is easy to read!The author does not write above or below the reader.It's a great straight forward book filled with a large amount of information. The information presented will be appreciated by Civil War buffs of any level.He covers both the military and civilian angles.

And Now for the Details...
I have been a Civil War buff all my life and thought I knew a fair amount of detail on all of the major engagements of the war.However, until I read "Sherman's March", I really didn't know anything about his post-Atlanta campaign except that he marched to Savannah.Presumably his soldiers fought battles along the way and presumably they did something after capturing Savannah but I guess my curiosity never led me to find out more.It was in the Atlanta campaign that my great great grandfather was captured so I thought I should find out what happened after that.

What the author, Burke Davis, chronicles is what exactly DID happen after the fall of Atlanta.He has put together a fascinating account of the March to the Sea (and beyond) by compiling first-hand accounts of the events of the campaign.Sherman's men found little oppostition after Atlanta but their march had a devestating effect on the South.The brutal, unforgiving thievery that his foragers and "bummers" committed led to a great loss of resources and morale for the Southern folks.What few battles there were did not register on the richter scale of war but the destruction wrought by his troops was of tsunami proportion.There is much about the various communities put to the torch (beginning with Atlanta) and focussing on Columbia, SC.There is also much to suggest that Sherman was guilty of oversight by not maintaining tight control over his troops.His attitude was that the South needed to learn the consequences of their wrongly conceived rebellion.The sooner their morale was broken, the sooner the war would end and the fewer number of soldiers would become casualties (on both sides).While the reader may find truth in Sherman's attitude, it is hard not to become enraged at the extent of the mayhem.

Davis also presents a fair amount of information of the slaves that were freed along the way and the attitude of the different Union Generals towards their emacipation.In the 21st Century it is pretty commonly felt that the Civil War was about slavery.However, a significant percentage of the Union's fighting men felt the issue of the South's secession from the Union was the cause they were fighting for, Sherman included.Nonetheless, they used the freed slaves whenever it was to their advantage and abandoned them when it wasn't.

Sherman's concept of a large army invading deep into enemy territory with no lifeline of support was a challenging concept at the time and its' success influenced military strategy thereafter.Although Davis documents that the soldiers were able to take far more than they needed, it was still an impressive campaign.There were plenty of things the men did without for roughly six months; clothing, pay, letters from home, and many other things that the Army of the Potomac took for granted.

After Savannah, their march through the Carolinas spelled the defeat of the South and Davis does a good job of detailing Sherman's significant involvement in the war's end.There was controversy surrounding that and Sherman found himself at odds with the Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton.Davis concludes by giving us a brief synopsis of the rest of Sherman's life after the war.

During the first chapter I was apprehensive about Davis's style of writing but the rest of the book made me appreciate his approach to the subject.His frequent use of primary sources was helpful yet not overdone.His writing gave way to some editorial comments but, overall, I thought the book was pretty well balanced.I gave it 5 stars because, after the first chapter, I couldn't put it down and because I learned so much about an aspect of the Civil War that no one else seems to make much mention of. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Amazing Glass Flowers at Harvard!
I have visited the glass flower exhibit at Harvard twice and these exquisite reproductions never cease to amaze.They are as well-produced as is possible for human hands and most cannot at first be told from the real thing.In fact I had to convince myself that they were really glass!

The book "The Glass Flowers at Harvard" by Richard Schultes and William Davis and produced by the Botanical Museum of Harvard University gives the reader some idea of these remarkable models.The photography of Hillel Burger was certainly difficult as each model had to be removed and photographed in a special way to avoid breakage and to produce the best likeness.In this the photographer succeeded remarkably well.

The models themselves were produced not by an unknown and unreproducible method, but by an extremely tedious and exacting methodology that few people would take the time to duplicate.The Blascha's glass techniques, developed in Dresden, Germany, could only be done by people of enormous patience and talent. The models are a treasure and one of the most worthwhile collections to see in Boston.I recommend the book highly, but better still see the glass flowers in person!

A must see if visiting Boston!
This book contains stunning photos of the Blaschka's glass art, as well as information on the plants -- and is not out of print.I've seen it for sale for visitors to the Harvard Museum of Natural History in on the University campus in Cambridge, MA, where the over 3,000 amazing Blaschka glass models of plants, flowers and fruits are on permanent display. Definitely worth a visit, if you're ever near Boston.

Glass Flowers at Harvard
This contains the history behind the famous glass flower collections at the Peabody Museum.It is packed full of beautiful photographs and you will be amazed how realistic (and unlike glass) these creations are! Simply excellent. ... Read more

Product Description

No American president has enjoyed as intimate a relationship with the soldiers in his army as did the man they called "Father Abraham." In Lincoln's Men, historian William C. Davis draws on thousands of unpublished letters and diaries -- the voices of the volunteers -- to tell the hidden story of how a new and untested president became "Father" throughout both the army and the North as a whole.

How did Lincoln inspire the faith and courage of so many shattered men, as they wandered the inferno of Shiloh or were entrenched in the siege of Vicksburg? Why did soldiers visiting Washington feel free to stroll into the White House as if it were their own home? In this through and authoritative work, Davis removes layers of mythmaking to recapture the real moods and feelings of an army facing one of history's bloodiest conflicts. Lincoln's Men casts a new light on our most famous president and on America's revolution -- on our country's father and its rebirth.Amazon.com Review
Prolific author William C. Davis offers a biography of therelationship between President Lincoln and his Union soldiers--a studybased on letters found in more than 600 manuscript collections, someof them private. Lincoln, of course, didn't know his troopspersonally, but he related to them through his own brief experience inarms (the Black Hawk War) and the duty of his office. The bluecoats,by contrast, all knew about Lincoln, and as Davis shows in thisengaging book, viewed him as a kind of father figure.

Davis tracks the war chronologically, highlighting events thatinspired ordinary soldiers to comment upon their commander in chief,such as his spats with General McClellan, calls for more recruits, anddecision to free the slaves.It's impossible to argue that the menwere all of one mind; time and again, Davis reveals the diversity oftheir views."Thank the Lord for this!" wrote one Ohio private afterLincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Another, however, wasdownright furious. His colorful opinion--written colloquially andwithout regard for modern grammar--is characteristic of the best CivilWar letter writers: "[It] caused me an hour's hearty laugh, two hourstender cry, four hours big with mad, and I am swearing in all thelanguages known to Americans and Europeans." On the whole, however,Davis advances a convincing claim that the troops admired Lincoln forthe greatness with which we honor him today.--John J. Miller ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Lincoln and his army
I actually bought this book by accident, ordering it instead of another book about his private secretaries, Lincoln's Men: The President and His Private Secretaries. I have still to read the other book. This is an excellent book, however, and the story of Lincoln's attachment to his army, especially the Army of the Potomac. One of the volumes of Bruce Catton's great history of the Army of the Potomac is titled Mr Lincoln's Army. I would suggest reading more widely about the history of the Civil War before coming to this book. It is about the relationship between Lincoln and the men of his armies and the rest of the story is told as background. Having read all of Catton's books and several biographies of Lincoln, including the uncritical one by Carl Sandberg, I enjoyed this thoroughly. One review criticized the book as too partial to Lincoln, treating him as a god. I disagree. The final chapter discusses how the mythology of Lincoln grew after his assassination and as the veterans of the Union Army aged. It is limited in scope and I would not recommend it for those desiring a more general history, but for those who know the story well, it is enjoyable and I recommend it.

Overall a good study of Lincoln as Commnader in Chief
At times this book is absolutely brilliant, and at others absolutely wordy.Davis does make several very keen observations and supports these very well from the countless diary quotes from Union Soldiers.Overall, it is a good study of President Lincoln as Commander in Chief, and even Lincoln as a statesman.The book does mostly focus on Lincoln and the Army of the Potomac, but, as Davis contends, that is by far the army that needed his direct support the most.Davis handles Lincoln's relationships with the Sanitary Comission and other civilian organized groups supporting the war effort extremely well.In the end, I would recommend this book as a good and unique study of President Lincoln.

A true Commander in Chief
If you have never read much about Lincoln, you will enjoy this book.If you are a fan of President Lincoln, you will find this work among the best ever written.William C. Davis presents to us the 'best friend' a soldier ever knew.Heenters into the life of Lincoln and especially his relationship with the common Civil War soldier.As each chapter begins with a verse from the Bible about Abraham, you will almost feel a sense of divinity that was felt by many about Lincoln.He was a Commander in Chief that we could only dream about in today's world; a man that loved his soldiers and had a following that would go anywhere and do anything because 'Father Abraham' asked him to.

Lincoln's army
A very interesting and insightful look at Lincoln and his army - the Army of the Potomac which was the only army he had any real relationship with and the only army he ever visited. The book revealed how Lincoln culivated his relationship with this army and how his own personal interest allowed him to make his mark on it. While considered as a hard luck army thanks to its lousy commanding generals, the men of the army and its commander in chief never lost faith and that common bond kept things together in the east while the war was won in the west. One of the more interesting books on the Civil War, it explored the aspects of relationship between Lincoln and his Army of the Potomac.

Very enjoyable: side of Civil War history not before plumbed
Given the mountain of books about either Abraham Lincoln or the American Civil War, one would think that someone would have come up with the idea of exploring the relationship between Lincoln and the rank-and-file Union soldier.But Davis is apparently the first to do so, and he handles the topic in a way that is bound to delight anyone interested in either topic, from the novice to the expert.

He has obviously thoroughly researched the wealth of letters, diaries, and other orginal sources that are available; his points are well documented.Moreover, he avoids repeating himself by either using the same source over and over again (as Ken Burns did in the Civil War series and Bruce Catton tended to do in his otherwise fascinating histories), nor does he pile up so much evidence on a single point that the reader becomes bored.

He explores the Lincoln-enlisted man relationship from a variety of angles, ranging from Lincoln's dismissal of the highly popular McClellan to his liberal use of his pardoning prerogative for wayward soldiers to veterans' attitudes in the 1864 Presidential election to his assassination.He frames much of the book in terms of Parson Weems's classic biography of George Washington, which depicted GW as "the Father of His Country," and suggests that the book had an early, perhaps subconscious effect on Lincoln, giving him a model to adopt when he became President--and makes a plausible case.

He also demonstrates that Lincoln very consciously invested in promoting a positive image of himself with the Union rank and file.Lincoln was very aware of how his position as President affected everyday Americans, and became (according to Davis) the first President to make an effort to be seen by ordinary citizens, especially Union soldiers.

This is a well-written, enjoyable book, satisfying in every sense.It was truly hard to put down. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Informative book on Death Valley
I found this book to be a very good book on Death Valley.It's very informative and fun reading.It's got a nice table of contents which makes it easy to find things.Everything is nicely organized.The thing I like best is the beautiful pictures and there are plenty of them.Whether you are planning a visit to Death Valley or just want to read a book about it I think you will find this book of great value.I like this book and I'am happy with my purchase.

Good as an introduction to death valley
I recently visited Death Valley and relied heavily on this book for planning my trip. Its divided into two halves, with the second half dealing with Death Valley and the first part with the rest of the mojave desert. It covers most of the star attractions within the park, along with some phenomenal pictures. If you are visiting Death Valley for the first time, this book is indispensible. However, I would have like to see more of the "off beaten path" attractions... for ex. I couldn't find information on such places as Falls Canyon. This is the reason for the 4 stars. Nevertheless, this book is a very good starting point for your first trip to DV.

An exemplary guide to an unfamiliar place
This is a most worthy companion to the visitor's guide to CALIFORNIA'S EASTERN SIERRA, previously reviewed by this writer. Written in the same clear, direct, organized style, and similarly divided into sectional analyses of various attractions and history, this guide also has the same outstanding color photography.

It is difficult to sufficiently praise the clear travel directions given to find each discussed attraction. Not only directions, but anticipated road conditions, are set forth at the conclusion of the section addressing each feature.

As you will discern, Death Valley should have been made a National Park a long time ago.It is the hottest, driest, and lowest place in North America.It has recent volcanoes, enormous sand dunes, totally indigenous wildlife, great mineral deposits, a playa where the stones move about from unknown forces (called the Recetrack), marvelously beautiful rock formations and salt flats, and even a castle.Each is discussed in riveting detail that beckons the reader to come there.

You will also read about the history of Death Valley, including marooned pioneers, borax mining and the twenty-mule-team methods of transporting out the borax, old ghost towns, etc, etc.Each section is endlessly fascinating.

The book also takes the reader to many facinating areas outside Death Valley, including the now-dry Searles Lake, with its eroded towers of tufa resembling a city, the Pamamint Range bordering Death Valley, various canyons, and even a waterfall in the desert.You will repeatedly enjoy vicariously wandering this enormous, desolate, but incredibly beautiful and peaceful region.

There is some small overlapping between this book and EASTERN SIERRA, but the effect is magnify the fascinating nature of the regions, and not too distract or bore the reader.

I recommend purchase of both guides before taking any trip to these areas.Reading the guides first and during the trips will increase your enjoyment and understanding manyfold, and help tremendously in planning the trip.

Needless to say, both books are recommended to the hilt.

A beautiful and informative read !
This book is a wealth of amazing information for anyone from a photographer to someone wanting to know more about the history of this amazing area of the United States. The photos are up-to date (no 1970 fuzzy poor quality images) and the read is nicely paced.

Quotes from those that founded this land, history about the ages of the stone and rock types found here. Lots of info on the animals, plant life and the story behind many if not all of the ghosts towns that are found here (one used to have around 10,000 people living there but shrunk to 1 in less than 10 years).

Of course on top of all this history and images, are descriptions of each area of the Death Valley National Park and what to see in each area (along with driving instructions).

I'm going to Death Valley to photograph this amazing land in two weeks, this book is my must-have companion for the trip. ... Read more

Product Description
William C. Davis's biography of Robert Barnwell Rhett provides a definitive picture of South Carolina's most prominent secessionist and arguably the best known in the nation during the two decades leading up to the Civil War. Dubbed the "Father of Secession," Rhett attached himself to South Carolina statesman John C. Calhoun, but grew more zealous than his mentor on the secession issue. Rhett first raised the possibility of secession in 1826, well before Calhoun adopted the notion, and would ever after hold fast to his one great idea. In this examination of Rhett's personal and political endeavors, Davis draws upon many newly found sources to reveal the extremism that would make and mar Rhett's adult life.

Davis traces the statesman's obsession with a separation from the union, which he initially associated with a protective tariff and internal improvements but by the 1840s had unabashedly connected with slavery. Davis details Rhett's seven terms in Congress, his short-lived stint as a United States Senator, and his leading role in the South’s newly energized movement toward secession after the 1860 election. Davis reveals Rhett's ambition to be rewarded with the presidency of the new Confederacy or, at least, a premier cabinet post, and his disappointment when he received neither. Impoverished and embittered at war's end, Rhett spent his last eleven years planting and writing, devoting himself primarily to a caustic personal memoir that he would never complete.

Davis evaluates Rhett's place in history as the hungriest of the "fire-eaters" and finds that such rabid extremism rendered Rhett largely ineffectual, with even South Carolinians refusing to march to his most radical drumbeats. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent if Overly Long Look at the Prince of Fire-eaters
William C. Davis does not like Robert B. Rhett. In "A Government of Our Own", his look at the founding of the Confederacy, Davis goes out of his way to paint all of Rhett's failings. While it is true that Rhett had many bad qualities, I went into reading "Rhettt" thinking Davis was going to spend hundreds of pages kicking Rhett around. And after reading the book, I still think Davis does not like Rhett. Despite that, Davis offers an excellent biography on Rhett. Davis guides the reader through the often byzantine politics of ante-bellum South Carolina where Rhett and a host of other political worthies (James Henry Hammond, Hugh Legare, George McDuffie, Jimmy Hamilton, Robert Hayne) all tried to find a little bit of room to escape the shadow of John C. Calhoun. Davis shows the bizarre relationship between Rhett and Calhoun; now allies, now enemies, now Rhett is Calhoun's campaign manager. Davis offers an interesting account of the political battles during the 1840s from war with Mexico to the patronage of the Polk administration. Davis shows Rhett to be an uncompromising politician who had a large ego and aggressive political style. But Davis also shows us Rhett the family man. Davis is not as good as Rhett as journalist and editor and one has to conceded that Davis simply fails in trying to show Rhett the slaveholder and political theorist. Davis is back at the top of his game as he shows how Rhett and the fire-eaters prevailed in South Carolina and reveals how Rhett shaped the Confederacy during his time in the Confederate Congress despite his animosity towards Jefferson Davis. Davis closes with a sketch on Rhett during Reconstruction and his posthumous reputation. I can't say that Rhett is anymore likable after finishing the book but Davis does an excellent job in showing the public life of one of the most important politicians of the old South, warts and all.

truth is in want with both this book and it's reviews
Question for Reed Business Information's review where the term northern abolitionists was used as the opposite of fire-eaters.Was it an intentional stab towards every historian that disagrees with the victor's myths? Or is it just another "ignorance is bliss" defense?
Why is it that any popular Southern speaking for his people and their rights are viewed as fire-eaters?And even those (like W.D) that write books about these characters use the term in a derogatory manner. Extremist, absurd, self-righteous.If they were uncompromising, they were so because they believed that the constitution and the will of the people should be uncompromising for their rights.You'll find in all the language of the Southern secessionists the constitution and "rights" and "sovereignty" brought up again and again.These were not personal agendas for power. The so-called fire-eaters were the time's loudest advocates for the people!
What do we call those that were on the other side of the Potomac filled with more ambition yet with equal passion as the Southern "fire eaters"? The writers of history books that are most celebrated by the liberal decedents of puritans give these Northern "gentlemen" the term that their ancestors used to disguise their real motives. Abolitionists. To the "ignorance is bliss" movement that began right on the heels of Lee's surrender, abolition was taught as a free state movement, martyred by Saint John Brown and "Beecher's Bibles." We forget that New England churches raised money for cannon and ammunition to follow their Yellow Leg invasion of Kansas.For some reason I don't understand how cannon could be considered as anything like the Bible I know.Then again, before the mid 17th century, Stowe's own ancestors burned innocent men and women on stakes in the name of the Bible, using these beliefs to also destroy any surrounding Native American culture.The Civil War becomes much more clear when you study the true history of each side before the climax.
In reality John Brown was a terrorist and mass murderer obsessed with blood. Five of the families he murdered in Kansas did not own slaves. If his plan to invade the South had actually materialized, there would have been thousands more innocents killed in the process. Invasion, collapse, and control had always been the Northern "abolitionist" agenda. John Brown's terrorist attack inflamed their sentiment. It was only two years later when the true invasion and annihilation was born.
The only blood that John Brown spilled at Harpers Ferry was that of a free black citizen of Harpers Ferry, Virginia (not before he had already alerted the local militia).
William C. Davis is a very wealthy man just as James McPherson. Their wealth and reputation wholly depend on perpetuating the glamorizing of Lincoln and the majority controlled government that was put on the spot in the Civil War.For the majority of these writer's pay comes from the media and through the universities, the government itself. Your status as a significant historian depends how many pro-Union sources you use and how many years you have been groomed as a student and professor of certain schools.
It really isn't that complicated.The money comes from the controlling classes and without their blessing; a book about any history will fail to bring home the bacon. Davis' book is yet another modern day liberal distorted sculpture of a figure from a whole different world and time. His list of sources is deceiving.He carefully selected the information from his sources, the parts of them that conforms his pre-decided image of Rhett B. I noticed in this book the absence of a full circle of sources that included specific experiences and reviews of Rhett Barnwell. Avoiding very creditable sources, regardless of how authentic and detailed it might be, Davis suspiciously left these out.It would not fit with his one dimension study of the Rhett Barnwell. It is a writer's agenda vs. the true history.
I have spent the past sixteen years studying and researching The War of the Constitution. Every night since my passion began I have been reading one book or another, usually memoirs and autobiographies...unfiltered history. Defenders of both sides wrote these I've read.
In studying the different sentiments that lead to the invasion, the majority of the North favored the right for any state to secede from the Union.Even the common man, on either side of the Mason Dixon Line, knew their rights and constitution those days. Yet, its upper crust puritan club seemed reverent in their principal that their agenda was of more value than the defense of the constitution.The giant wealth of the Northern (shall I say antebellum) industry and political machines were the true aggressors.Between 1860 and 1880 produced the most radical and numerous set of amendments during a short period of time (since the original Bill of Rights). Every one of them, manufactured by Northern Republicans, created loop holes and exceptions of the rights of the people and states in the original constitution. The postwar revision of Southern state constitutions produced the same end. Namely secession, the right to leave if offended. The X amendment of the constitution is as basic a right to the states the rights people have in relationships, careers, and marriages: The right to leave if offended.
I cannot understand why people villainies the South's choice to practice a right that in 1776 was a revolution. Live and let live? Do others as you would do yourself?
Davis' usual distance from the heart and passion of the subjects of his work is arguably the biggest issue haunting named historians today. They make arguments about what the Southern or Northern lifestyle was about based on what was printed in high profile newspapers, speeches, and biographies.They pick and choose only the parts of sources that they can use to force their own conclusion.It would be like limiting the galaxy to a set of pre-selected stars.The ranking media and the words of politicians and rich people were as defected from the common people as it is now!Even still, we allow them to convince us that their history was also our own.
If you want to judge the past on today's lifestyles and views and ideas then there is no argument that Lincoln was more ways like George Bush than any other president. He put his personal principals above the will of the people. He suspended rights and force new taxes in the loyal states by force (suspending Habeas Corpus) and George Bush styled fear hording. Read the Gettysburg Address. It mentions in there that the men that died for the Union had fought so that "this nation may long endure." This is basically saying that the North was fighting to protect the United States. That if the South won the government behind Old Glory would vanquish. There is a huge problem with that argument though. How did England fair when the colonies seceded in 1776 and how did Mexico fair following the secession of Texas?
I just can't believe people do not consider these very obvious facts concerning what the constitution says is a right as opposed to the right to invade other states for any reason.
In your reviews you describe South Carolina's choice not to accept an un-willful tax as a "Crises." You only use this word because politicians and media that write their own history have echoed it mindlessly through the ages and into you. Calling nullification a crises or secession as an issue rather than a right is being woefully biased towards one side in history.Or is it is just your totally misleading understanding of that period's society and principals and values? Neither prejudice nor ignorance has a place in a complete history book or review.
History cannot be written from the outside or the distant looking in. History is made of the lives that lived it and whoever you are unwilling to identify with or study with an open mind, your work will become more a history of you than say Rhett B.
There are several historians in the world that have risen above the narrow minded hashing of the same myths with a more exciting style of William Davis. Douglass Freeman works or The Last Cavalier about JEB Stuart. I am astonished that the majority of Civil War libraries and required reading at our nation's universities do not include memoirs such as The War Between the Union and the Confederacy by Colonel Oates. They all deny The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government written by none other than Jefferson Davis, without argument the central figure of the whole period. Modern writers on the subject show mutual distain towards the works of men that lived their time. Is it because these writers feel they know the minds in history better than they knew themselves? Again, so much of modern studies on the Civil War period are limited to sensational new twists of the same old song. John Brown's Body.

Portrait of an extremist
William Davis's Rhett is an exhaustive treatment of the leading fire-eater of the Civil War era. From the Nullification crisis during the presidency of Andrew Johnson until the firing on Fort Sumter, Barnwell Rhett worked earnestly to separate South Carolina from the Union and formulate a southern nation. Rhett was earnest in his devotion to states' rights, free-trade and slavery, but he also embodied the worst of southern passions in his extremism and petty disdain for all those who did not exactly adhere to his positions. Rhett's hatred of moderates and his fear that his vision of a southern nation would be undermined by "reconstructionists" drove his hatred of President Jefferson Davis, and assured that his legacy to the Confederacy would be largely negative. Rhett held onto his bitter feelings for both northern society and his southern enemies until his dieing day, convinced that his vision if carried out would have triumphed. Rhett's extremism and disappointment becomes redundant at times through this 600 page narrative; his only great triumph, the secession of South Carolina, is soon overshadowed by his disgust with the new Confederate constitution and president. Although a devoted family man, it is notable that Rhett was unable to control himself in the bedroom, putting his first wife through 12 pregnancies that eventually led to her death. He would have done the same to his second wife if she didn't deny him the chance. Many important southerners of the Civil War era had similar intemperate and combative personalities, undoubtedly contributing in some way to the defeat of the Confederacy. ... Read more

Product Description

Cultural differences affect the way people think, feel, and act. In an increasingly diverse society, multicultural competency in research and counseling is not merely a matter of political correctness. It is a matter of scientific and professional responsibility.

Customer Reviews (1)

Great seller!
Book arrived quickly and is in perfect condition!!Better then described, great seller!!! ... Read more

Product Description
A must for any Civil War library.Recounts the stories of thirteen of some of the most important battles of the war, from First Manassas in July 1861 to the Battle of Nashville in 1864.Full-color double-page maps show the reader each move of the opposing forces.No effort has been spared to include rare war era photographs and color photos of rare artifacts.Engagingly written by William C. Davis, the author of more than thirty books on the American Civil War.Writes professor James M. McPherson, "The most readable, authoritative, and beautifully designed illustrated history of the American Civil War."Also in the series: Commanders and Fighting Men. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Beautiful pictures...very bad text!
I bought this collection couple years ago, the Don Troiani's art cover is very attractive and the book is full of nice pictures and maps that is why he deserves one star but the text is a joke, or a "junk". The author William Davis has an ironic style and zero knowledge of the civil war facts. All the CSA generals are stupid for him and he has no respect at all for the great south military leaders of the War Between the States. The author is very racist and, for example, calls the General P.G.T. Beauregard the "Creole" all the time and uses this expression: "... a child could take Fort Sumter..." I never read so stupid words in a historic book... Don't waste your money on this want to be "civil war collection".

Much More Than Just A Book of Civil War Maps
Here, the authors give us through a lively narrative an eminently digestible summary of the very essence of the thirteen main battles of the Civil War. They note that in the span of four years (1861-1865) more than 10,000 military engagements took place. It was these battles, skirmishes, raids and sieges that President Abraham Lincoln immortalized in his famous but short speech dedicated to them at Gettysburg.

Having beat them at Fort Sumner, the South considered itself morally, physically and spiritually superior to the North, and in any, case figured that the North would not have the stomach for a long drawn out battle. The North on the other hand considered the South succession the supreme insult to the stars and stripes and came forward as volunteers in large numbers and with great resolution to redress the insult.They considered the rebels as blustering clowns that needed a "comeuppance," and that they were the one to see that they got it.

Well, as the war progress, neither of these images were to hold true. There was bravery and cowardice on all sides, and in the end, even though the North won the fighting war, what the South valued more than the war, was maintaining the racist social status quo, where White Supremacy ruled supreme. Judging by how short-lived the Reconstruction was, and by the compromise that got Rutherford B. Hayes elected and thus ended Reconstruction and began the Southern Redemption, it is still debatable as to which side actually one the hearts and minds of the new unified nation.

In any case, in addition to its crisp and lively storytelling, there is a lot more to the book than just the wonderful summaries of the main battles and the associated political analysis and commentary. There are inserts, sidebars, footnotes, a glossary of the battles, and highlighted introductions to each chapter.

Being a Virginian and living literally on and around some of the most sacred and hallowed grounds of these main battlefields, I found the large militarily annotated maps contained in the book an invaluable guide to following the progression of the war from battle front to battle front: from Lincoln's issuance of a call for 75,000 volunteers "to put down the rebellion," to First Manassas in July 1861 all through Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North and South Carolina, to Nashville Tennessee in 1864.

But equally important is the fact that I also found it invaluable in divining the strategies and tactics of the generals on either side of the conflict. The annotated battlefield maps bring the strategies and tactics alive in a way that puts the reader in the decision cycle of the field commander's mind themselves. That alone is a very sobering experience and is all by itself worth the price of the book. There are also bonuses for Civil war buffs, that include many haunting candid photos of war weary soldiers and the paraphernalia of the war, and not to be forgotten is the large amount of trivia and folklore that rounds out a more complete picture of the war and of Civil War history. Altogether, it is a "one stop shopping Civil War book," that makes it a "must have." I could not have been more pleased. Five Stars

Excellent
This is an excellent book, full of illustrations, rare pictures and excellent profiles of thirteen of the most important battles during the Civil War.I would recommend this book to Civil War buffs. ... Read more

Product Description
This book tries to describe what an intelligent person would have witnessed in Ancient Rome if by some legerdemain he had been translated to the Second Christian Century, and conducted about the imperial city under competent guidance.

The year 134 after Christ has been chosen as the hypothetical time of this visit, not from any special virtue in that date, but because Rome was then architecturally nearly completed, the Empire seemed in its most prosperous state, although many of the old usages and traditions of the Republic still survived, and the evil days of decadence were as yet hardly visible in the background.The time of the absence of Hadrian from his capital was selected particularly, in order that interest could be concentrated upon the life and doings of the great city itself, and upon its vast populace of slaves, plebeians, and nobles, not upon the splendid despot and his court, matters too often the center for attention by students of the Roman past.

At the time of original publication in 1925, William Stearns Davis was Professor of Ancient History, University of Minnesota. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Never Recieved
I ordered two books on Amazon and only received ONE of them, the one being the incorrect book. I was not given the proper information to remedy this and was hoping that upon receiving the other book I would know who to return the first book to...I never received the other book. I paid $17 in total and only got one book. It was a children's book on ancient Rome, not the textbook I had purchased.

Enjoy your stay in Imperial Rome
I first encountered this book while researching a term paper on the public games of the Roman Empire, and I liked it enough that eventually I acquired my own copy through Amazon. Davis herein did not formally cite his references or include a bibliography, so the book's value is more that of supplying a mental roadmap of and feel for the setting rather than as a formal scholarly work. (Davis covers himself on that score in his preface, however, by outlining generally the sources drawn upon, emphasizing the major Roman writers of the period.) Davis wrote at least 2 other books in this vein: A DAY IN OLD ATHENS and LIFE IN ELIZABETHAN DAYS. I can say definitely that while the latter has a similar structure, A DAY IN OLD ROME scores over its Elizabethan sibling in that herein Davis has confined himself to a real city and real historical characters rather than creating a composite setting to better illustrate his points.

As the author says in the preface, the book describes Imperial Rome on a spring day in 134 A.D./C.E., as seen if the reader were magically transported there and provided with a competent tour guide. That date was picked because the Empire was architecturally near completion, the Empire was prosperous but not yet decadent. Davis deliberately avoids unusual events; he's tried to construct a run-of-the-mill day; the emperor Hadrian isn't in the city until he formally arrives in the last (13th) chapter.

Chapter 1, "The General Aspect of the City", gradually shifts from speaking *about* the city and the surrounding countryside to a viewpoint from a height near the Campus Martius, to obtain an overview before descending into the city. (Nice touch: English translations of place names are provided parenthetically when the names are introduced, providing a flavor of how a contemporary would have heard them, e.g. Ostia, "River Mouth".) Davis' details are interesting; readers may not have realized how advanced Roman architecture really was, wherein impressive buildings were mostly concrete with marble facades, and cheaper buildings were of brick or building stone - not wood, with its increased risk of fire.

As our tour guide, Davis doesn't jump straight to the famous "sights" that would crown a tourist's visit, but works his way inward and upward to the heart and heights of the city, beginning with chapter 2, "Streets and Street Life", a good example of the kind of detail provided. Davis not only mentions that most streets were too narrow for two vehicles at once, and that traffic laws banned most wheeled vehicles between dawn and 'the tenth hour'. (Note the time given in Roman style, only parenthetically translated to 4 pm.) From a pedestrian's point of view, most streets were worn slick, only main roads being kept clean, with special stepping-stones inset against the rainy season. We even get samples of Roman flyers posted on walls (actual text, noted as found in Pompeii, from 'to rent' notices to announcements of upcoming gladiatorial combats) and graffiti, as well as descriptions of typical street processions and crowds' behaviour in public.

Chapters 3 through 6 come in off the street, dealing with "Roman homes", "Roman women and marriages", "Costume and personal adornment", and "Food and drink". Housing covers the gamut from insulae (tenements that ought to be "islands" with space around them to prevent the spread of fire) to great houses of the wealthy, including on the low end the expected rental price in sesterces (with a parenthetic conversion into U.S. dollars where each money amount is mentioned, a convention followed throughout the text). Example of nice touches of detail: the Calends (July first) was the regular moving day, when deadbeat tenants were evicted. Furnishings being skimpy in the slums of Rome, details about higher-class housing treat Roman furniture in more depth, although expected furnishings are covered for the low-end insulae as well.

"Roman women and marriages" focuses on betrothal customs, marriage ceremonies (when there were any), and divorce, which was easier in Empire days than it would be for many centuries after the Empire's fall. A couple of stereotypes are drawn: that of a frivolous woman who might collect gladiators and suchlike, contrasted with the tomb enscription of an archetypal 'good woman' by her mourning husband.

A bit of trivia about costume: the word 'candidate' comes from 'candidati', "extra-white" - office-seekers used to specially bleach their togas so as to stand out in a crowd. Basic things in life never really change.

Chapters 7 and 8 cover the social orders (slaves receiving an entire chapter). Davis then moves on to professions, education, and commerce before finally arriving at the fora, the Palatine and the centers of government, and the imperial war machine. The courts, baths, and public games are covered before Roman religion is addressed. A separate chapter on "pagan cults" ends with the most disreputable cult of all, from a Roman point of view: Christianity, including Roman popular beliefs about how debased Christian practices were. (For a more detailed view, set a couple of decades earlier, see Barbara Hambly's well-researched mystery novel SEARCH THE SEVEN HILLS.) After digressing to "the Roman villa" and the grand finale of the Emperor's return to Rome, a final note on where people are in the Roman night ends in the catacombs, with a brief flash of the Christians through their own eyes, holding services while keeping a lookout for watchmen.

NOTE: The paperback edition before me reproduced the colour plates in black-and-white, unfortunately, but otherwise the book is unchanged. The old hardcover edition illustrations consisted of 1) black-and-white line drawings, 2) occasional photographs, and 3) colour plates of illustrations painted by Von Folke, reconstructing various landmarks in their heyday and showing (for example) a scene from a chariot race. (Incidentally, Davis in a footnote commends Lew Wallace's novel BEN-HUR on its accuracy, adding the caveat that Messala, being of high rank, would have considered driving his own team beneath his dignity.)

A nuts and bolts explanation of Roman life
This is one of those rare history books that should never go out of print.It tells you so many of the details of Roman life.Did you ever wonder what Romans wore under those togas?They wore a tunic, which is a thing like a night shirt.Upper classes were allowed (encouraged, actually) to wear a purple stripe down their tunic (wide ones for Senators, narrow ones for Equites), and that's how people knew if you were or were not upper class (I mean besides all those slaves running after you).It's a very complete picture, describing houses, tenements, public eating houses, the public baths, schools,what a Romanbanquet was like, the pots and pans in the kitchen, and even sandals.Did you know the proper numberpresent at a Roman banquet was 9?Why?The couches held three people and there were three couches, ergo 9 people.That was tradition.Just about everything you'd want to know about day-to-day Roman life is in this one small book.It's great.You'll love it.I've got to have "A Day in Old Athens," now.By same author. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A great medieval reference, and well written, too.
I got this book as part of my mother's used book collection, but never read it.When I was enlisted to help organize a Medieval Madrigal Dinner, it was time to pull it out of the bookcase and read it.What a great, interesting, knowledgeable, easy to read book.I used it to put together a book of my own (giving credit to Prof. Davis,) with bits and pieces of info on life in those times.I even made it in a style of books back then, made and illuminated by themonks, with rubber stamps here and there, and pictures, and gold on the edges.It will serve as part of the entertainment, read in between the madrigal singing and the jugglers.

I felt that since Prof. Davis was an expert and also writing in a different age from the present that it was more authentic than some of some self-professed 'experts' who get their info from who-knows-where, and go spouting off about this and that being this or that way. He even gave references for his info sources.It helped me put things I had heard or seen in the context of true or not.

I like History of just about anywhere and anytime--it is of interest to me as to how other people lived.So this book was great to read.I should have read it earlier, but honestly--I have more books than I can possibly read in my lifetime, so this was just the right time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

William Johnson's Natchez: The Ante-Bellum Diary of a Free Negro
My stepfather asked me to purchase this book for him since he did not have a computer. He read the first 400 pages within 3 days. He called me to tell me that he totally enjoyed this book and he asked me to order the book for another person(he raved so much to this person about the book). He's leaving the book to the family (once he passes on) to let each
member to read and learn about Afro American History. ... Read more

Product Description
1923. From the Preface: The book is a beginner's book. It is the result of classroom experience of many years. The need and preparation of a beginner's class in Greek has determined the method and order of presentation. The Greek of the New Testament is the Koine of the first century A.D. It is presented as such in this book. The historical development of the Greek language has been kept in mind. ... Read more

Product Description
250+ color photos and illus. 10 1/4 x 14. ... Read more

Product Description

Going beyond the usual how-to guide, Lean Six Sigma Secrets for the CIO supplies proven tips and valuable case studies that illustrate how to combine Six Sigma’s rigorous quality principles with Lean methods for uncovering and eliminating waste in IT processes. Using these methods, the text explains how to take an approach that is all about improving IT performance, productivity, and security—as much as it is about cutting costs. Savvy IT veterans describe how to use Lean Six Sigma with IT governance frameworks such as COBIT and ITIL and warn why these frameworks should be considered starting points rather than destinations.

This complete resource for CIOs and IT managers provides effective strategies to address the human element that is so fundamental to success and explains how to maximize the voice of your customers while keeping in touch with the needs of your staff. And perhaps most importantly—it provides the evidence needed to build your case to upper management.

Supplying you with the tools to create methods that will bring out the best in your employees; Lean Six Sigma Secrets for the CIO provides the understanding required to manage your IT operations with unique effectiveness and efficiency in service of the bottom line.

Customer Reviews (1)

Lean Six Sigma for the CIO
An eloquent treatise marrying together the concepts of Lean and Six Sigma with ITSM.Clear descriptions and explanations on how to use the various toolkits together.Great examples tying Lean Sigma to Service Management.An intelligent review of the practical applications of industrial engineering methodologies to IT problems.I enjoyed it so much I bought 2 copies, so I could share it. ... Read more

Product Description

Between the epic battles of 1862 and the grueling and violent military campaigns that would follow, the year 1863 was oddly quiet for the Confederate state of Virginia. Only one major battle was fought on its soil, at Chancellorsville, and the conflict was one of the Army of Northern Virginia's greatest victories. Yet the pressures of the Civil War turned the daily lives of Virginians -- young and old, men and women, civilians and soldiers -- into battles of their own. Despite minimal combat, 1863 was an eventful year in Virginia history -- Stonewall Jackson died within its borders and Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. In Virginia at War, 1863, editors William C. Davis and James I. Robertson Jr. present these and other key events, as well as a discussion of the year's military land operations to reveal the political, social, and cultural ramifications of the ongoing national conflict. By this time, the war had profoundly transformed nearly every aspect of Virginia life and culture, from education to religion to commerce. Mounting casualties and depleted resources made the citizens of the Commonwealth feel the deprivations of war more deeply than ever. Virginia at War, 1863 surveys these often overlooked elements of the conflict. Contributors focus on the war's impact on Virginia's children and its newly freed slaves. They shed light on the origins of the Hatfield-McCoy feud, explore the popularity of scrapbooking as a form of personal recordkeeping, and consider the changing role of religion during wartime and the uncertain faith of Virginia's Christians. The book concludes with the 1863 entries of the Diary of a Southern Refugee by Richmond's Judith Brockenbrough McGuire. At the midpoint of the Civil War, the hostility of this great American struggle had become an ingrained part of Virginia life. Virginia at War, 1863 is the third volume of a five-book series that reexamines the Commonwealth's history as an integral part of the Confederacy. The series looks beyond military campaigns and tactics to consider how the war forever changed the people, culture, and society of Virginia.