Product Description
The first major biography of America’s twenty-eighth president in nearly two decades, from one of America’s foremost Woodrow Wilson scholars.

A Democrat who reclaimed the White House after sixteen years of Republican administrations, Wilson was a transformative president—he helped create the regulatory bodies and legislation that prefigured FDR’s New Deal and would prove central to governance through the early twenty-first century, including the Federal Reserve system and the Clayton Antitrust Act; he guided the nation through World War I; and, although his advocacy in favor of joining the League of Nations proved unsuccessful, he nonetheless established a new way of thinking about international relations that would carry America into the United Nations era. Yet Wilson also steadfastly resisted progress for civil rights, while his attorney general launched an aggressive attack on civil liberties.

Even as he reminds us of the foundational scope of Wilson’s domestic policy achievements, John Milton Cooper, Jr., reshapes our understanding of the man himself: his Wilson is warm and gracious—not at all the dour puritan of popular imagination. As the president of Princeton, his encounters with the often rancorous battles of academe prepared him for state and national politics. Just two years after he was elected governor of New Jersey, Wilson, now a leader in the progressive movement, won the Democratic presidential nomination and went on to defeat Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft in one of the twentieth century’s most memorable presidential elections. Ever the professor, Wilson relied on the strength of his intellectual convictions and the power of reason to win over the American people.

John Milton Cooper, Jr., gives us a vigorous, lasting record of Wilson’s life and achievements. This is a long overdue, revelatory portrait of one of our most important presidents—particularly resonant now, as another president seeks to change the way government relates to the people and regulates the economy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Excellent biography of an often misunderstood preisdent
Well written and deeply researched.If you have an interest in Wilson, the Progressive Movement amd WW 1 and its aftermath it is a great read.

A fair biography of a controversial president
Woodrow Wilson was as much of a conversation maker in his own time as he is in our own.Most recently, opinionated pundit Glenn Beck has labeled the twenty eighth president as one of the worst in U.S. History.He has even gone so far as to call Wilson "an evil man." Because current events are saturated with debate on such questions as the proper balance between the branches of government, the relationship between government and industry, and the role of the United States in the world at large, the fact that Wilson tackled the same issues nearly one hundred years ago makes this biography all the more intriguing.And although a comparison between Wilson's time and our own was likely not the intention of the author, the reader none-the-less cannot help but note the similarities between the two.

Wilson came to power after a particularly contentious election, which saw two former presidents (Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft) vying for a return to that office.As president, he directed the enactment of legislation which ultimately transformed the way our government functioned-making the executive office the center of leadership, while regulating to Congress the lesser responsibility of ironing out the details of the president's agenda.Unfortunately, because he dictated his ideas to Congress, instead of working with that body on the formation of crucial policies, Wilson ultimately failed to get Congress to pass the most important legislation of his presidency (the involvement of the U.S. in the League of Nations).Consequently, as Cooper suggests, because of this failure at the height of Wilson's influence, the outbreak of the Second World War occurred only twenty years after the end of the first.

Although he seems to criticize Congress' inability to ratify the Treaty of Versailles, Cooper is certainly not apologetic in his treatment of Wilson's public and private lives.For instance, in discussing the president's leadership style, he criticizes Wilson's reckless abandonment of responsibility in pursuit of the future-Mrs. Edith Wilson.President and Mrs. Wilson's decision to remain in office after the president's debilitating stroke receives similar scrutiny.

In the end, Cooper's study is a fair biography of a controversial president.It is worth reading, if for no other reason, because the figure at the center of its story is still relevant nearly a century after he first took office.

Aseminal one-volume biography about a controversial president
During the last days of his presidency,one famous journalist,Ray Stannard Baker, has visited Woodrow Wilson,who was recovering from a strong stroke.Baker was shocked and wrote:"A broken,ruined old man,shuffling along his left arm inert,the fingers drawn up like a claw,the left side of his face sagging frightfully.His voice is not human;it gurgles in his throat,sounds like that of an automaton.And yet his mind seems as alert as ever."
Sic transit gloria Wilson.He was indeed a very controversial president and his actions are still felt today.Suffice it to mention the Versailles Treaty which in itself caused a lot of post-war problems and is regarded as a conclave which has brought only further divisions and hardships among the many nations that were scrutinized and debated then.
Wilson was a Democrat who ascended to the White House after many years of Republican administrations,and he wanted to be remembered as a president who had worked in order to change not only his country but also the world order.It was Wilson who guided his nation through WW1 and Professor Cooper is extremely adroit in demonstrating how many efforts Wilson has made in order to avoid America's entrance into this horrible war.Volens nolens,in the end he had no choice and the barbaric submarine war conducted by the Germans pin addition to the Zimmermann telegram were the last straws which were used by the president to convene the Congress in order to declare war against Germany and its Allies.The isolationist days of America were over and now Wilson went out on a crusade to make the world safe for democracy.
Another controversial aspect discussed at length in this fascinating study is the way the subject of the League of Nations was advocated by Wilson but proved to be unsuccessful.In spite of this, Wilson managed to change the way people and policy makers would think about international relations that would carry America into the United Nations era.
On the one hand Wilson appears to be detached and cool, while on the other hand he is deeply a passionate man in his private life and Professor Cooper is superb when describing the president's private affairs, his two wives(Ellen and Edith),his lover(Peck), his children and in-laws.Quotes from the president's letters are supplied throughout the study.
Yet Wilson also vehemntly resisted progress for civil rights,while his attorney general launched an aggressive attack on civil liberties.Race relations were totally ignored.Wilson was prepared to fight his enemies and adversaries with all the means he got from his days as president at Princeton.He was the msot intellectual president the USA has had and one of his books is still regarded a milestone for those who study politics and constitutional law.It was Wilson who took care to nominate the first Jewish judge ,Louis D. brandeis,to the Supreme Court,in the era when anti-semitism played a significant role in the USA.Despite coming from a religious home,Wilson did not go to war in 1917 because he thought God was telling him to do so.As the president put it:"War is not declared in the name of God:it is a human affair entirely".Unlike Theodore Roosevelt,his greatest rival,he never compared politics to religion and preaching and had never supported the greatest moral reform crusadeof their time-Prohibition.He despised Fundamentalist manifestations.
The best part of the book is the second one where Wilson is busy in his efforts to establish peace in Europe.The negotiations had worn him out physically and emotionally and the decisions he made in the process of peace-making have stirred almost as much argument as his decision to enter the war.His famous Fourteen Points have caused a lot of controversies not only in Europe but also at home and this further drew fire from his opponents.His stroke which made him an invalide also led America to undergo the worst presidential crisis in American history.
As Professor Cooper points out, many sawor regarded Wilson as an Amerian Icarus,who perished because he flew too close to the sun.Boldness and thinking big marked the president all his life,and this charaterized him during his days at Princeton and as the governor of New Jersey.
This volume is very rich in details and is a very comprehensive combination of scholarship and narrative and shows an extraordinary but also deeply flawed president and leader who started hsi career as a dynamic reformer and ended it shortsighted and delusional.

Woodrow Wilson - PROGRESSIVE
Unfortunately this President was instrumental in making our government a monstrosity and he is one of the first progressives to create this "nanny state" in America.when are we going to see that you must take personal accountability and not expect government to "bail" you out during every difficult time.

A review
Please note: I will state up front that this is not a review of the book per se, but of a talk the author gave yesterday about the book, and which I attended (I have done this kind of review before on Amazon, and it got a good reception, so I ask that you please allow me to do this here).

First off I just want to say that the author seems like a very good scholar and his comments were very balanced. I managed to ask him one question, but here is what I wanted to ask him:

- He states that Wilson is one of the more successful presidents, despite some pretty "serious" civil liberties violations. Well, I think that George Bush and Nixon would be glad to hear that, because what Wilson did was 100 times worse than what they did. Woodrow Wilson imprisoned over 175,000 people for the "crime" of speaking out against the war in 1917-1918. His administration is clearly the worst civil liberties offender in US history. Newspapers were closed down if they criticized the war effort. Some have called Wilson's US "statolotry" = worship of the state. Wilson arrested more dissidents than Mussolini in Italy ! Any criticism of the war effort could earn a prison sentence. German books were purged from libraries. German-Americans were harrassed. The American Protective League, which operated like the Secret Police in East Germany, spied on Americans and turned them in.

- The author blames this "rigidity" on Wilson having had a stroke. Evidently, the stroke was to blame for this all happening. I find that explanation really unsatisfactory. (and how do we not know that the "stroke version" of Wilson was not the "real Wilson" ?... or that he himself just used the illness as an excuse).

- Creating the Federal Reserve. Some (Austrian economists like the Nobel Prize winner Hayek blame the prolongation of the Great Depression on the Federal Reserve). In our current 2008 financial crisis, the Fed is, in my view responsible for setting interest rates far too low, thus creating a massive housing bubble.

- World War I: The author makes it sound like the Germans began hunting US cruise ships in the Atlantic for fun in 1915-1917. He did not mention that the US cruise ships like the Lusitania were carrying arms to the British. When I mentioned that they found guns on the ocean floor near the Lusitania wreck, the author poo-pooed it by saying "(only) some rifles". In reality, one can view this incident as the US precipitating entry into World War I, the way that the US did in World War II by cutting Japan's rubber and oil supplies from Malaysia, thus forcing the Japanese into a corner, or the way we got into the Spanish-American War, or the Gulf of Tonkin in Vietnam. The US seems to force a potential adversary into a corner, and then when he hits us, we get into the war.

- The League of Nations: Was considered a huge joke by almost everyone. Failed. And yet, the author views it as some sort of triumph for Wilson. The United Nations is more associated today with the Iraq Food for Oil scandal, for screw-ups like the gay Dutch soldiers in Srebrenica allowing the Serbs to massacre Muslims, and for things like Moroccan UN troops trading supplies for sex in the Congo. Hardly a "world government" to be proud of.

- The rise of fascism. This is the part I really don't get. The Versailles Treaty is almost always acknowledged as a terrible decision, which almost forced fascism to rise in Europe in its wake. I agree with the author that Wilson was not 100% responsible for it. But I think the author gives Wilson way too much of a pass on this.

I will leave on a quote from Wilson himself, as a student and a member of the "progressive movement", in 1890, and let you decide for yourself, if Wilson was just forced into war, or whether, as a true progressive, he viewed war and the national state as necessary in order to remake society along the lines of the "philosopher kings" from the Ivy League:

" The true leader uses the masses like tools". ... Read more

Product Description
A paperback guide to 100 of the FUNNIEST Bad Movies Ever Made, THE OFFICIAL RAZZIE MOVIE GUIDE is written by RAZZIE Awards Founder/Creator John Wilson with tongue decidedly in cheek. Covering a wide range of hopeless Hollywood product, from THE OSCAR and VALLEY OF THE DOLLS to BATTLEFIELD EARTH and SHOWGIRLS, and also including rare RAZZIE ceremony photos and a complete history of EVERYTHING ever nominated for Tinsel Town's Tackiest Trophy, this is one GUIDE every Lover of Truly Bad Movies simply MUST read! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

I was on CNN...
For ten years, I had a job in a major downtown revitalization district and my task was to attract people there to patronize the local merchants. One day in the mail, I got a catalog of movies on VHS (yes it was awhile ago) and DVDs and as I sifted through it, I said to myself that there were some really really really bad movies around. So I did a film festival entitled "Really, really, really bad movies" - "Plan Nine from Outer Space," "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes," "Mesa of Lost Women," and a bunch more. One morning as I was doing my morning thing in the bathroom, I heard the series announced on the radio (and it was a BIG metro radio station). Next thing I know, I get a call from CNN for an interview and there I was handing Jean Moos a real heritage Killer Tomato! I guess there's a real affection for real bad flicks! ENJOY!

All Razzie's to 2006
For the movie lover in you. Or for the person you likes to laugh at the unfortunate movies that have actually been made on purpose. It's nice to feel vindicated for hating or knowing you would loath a film, or part of that film for that matter. Just delicious fun.

One BERRY Funny (and Fun to Read) Book!
If you appreciate movies that "rank" as So-Bad-They're-Good, this book is a MUST. Razzie creator Wilson names his 100 favorite amusingly awful movies, listing cast and credits, original (often hilariously vicious) reviews for each, as well as a pithy essay on what makes each one such fun to watch. For once, someone has written a bad movie book that's about enjoying bad movies, as opposed to just trashing them. For titles available on DVD, Wilson even gives "Choice Chapter Stops," for those who can't wait to go straight to the crux of each clunker's most laughable low-lights. At the back of the book, there's a listing of where and how to buy, rent and/or catch on cable the 100 films listed -- As well as a complete history of The Razzies' first 24 years. Anyone who loves laughing at bad movies will love this book!

Pretty good, lots of movies- Mike Nelson (MST3K) is much funnier, though
If you have ever had a friend who tells you stories that should stand on their own, but instead must continually prop them up by reminding you how funny they are and how funny other people thought they were, then you have an idea of this book. You are told in each synopsis that each movie was so bad it was funny, but rarely does it come across as to why this is so. This may be more a fault of the format than the author, but as someone else stated- you're expecting something livlier from the creator of the Razzies. Still, I enjoyed it, and would give it a nod because of the sheer number of bad movies it lists, and the information it gives. However if you are looking for less of a reference book and more of a humor book, you'll probably want to keep looking.

Hilarious and informative
My previous favorite trashy movie guide "Cult Flicks and Trash Pics" by the Videohound (see listing elsewhere) has just been superseded by Wilson's Razzie guide.Written in tongue-in-cheek fashion and filled with lots of juicy tidbits about each film it discusses, this is a great read.The originator of the Raspberry Awards IRazzies) given to the worst movies of the year, at around the same time as the Oscars, got his start in 1980.Although not all Razzie Award nominees are covered here, for that matter not even all the winners are represented, Wilson does a great job with the ones he does cover.

He even goes back into Razzie pre-history, digging up such wonderful gems as 1977's mondo horror joke "The Car", and several exploitation films from the drive-in scene of the 1950's, "Glen or Glenda?",High School Confidential", etc.And Ed Wood, that maven of bad movies is represented here on more than one occasion (although "Plan 9 From Outer Space" is missing...too easy a target?)

There are even a couple of Oscar winners that get the Razzie treatment.Ubiquitous Easter movie, "The Ten Commandments" is torched, and deservedly so.Not because of it's message, its just that some of the character actors and actresses in that movie are just plain ridiculous.(Why does Edward G. robinson play every character the same way in every movie?)

To my shame, I saw some of these movies when they first came out, originally thinking they were great movies, but to my credit I was young and naive.I have seen "Xanadu" and "The Jazz Singer" in recent years and wondered "What the heck was I thinking?"I intend to see more than a few of the movies in this book now just for the laughs.


All-in-all a very good read.Besides any book that manages to mention the greatest drive-in movie critic of all time, Joe Bob Briggs, deserves a look.Anybody with that kind of taste gets my vote. ... Read more

Product Description
Ex-reporter Benjamin Justice is trying to come to terms with his HIV status, no job, and no hope. Then the daughter of a onetime Hollywood hunk offers him a job to ghostwrite a payback book after a sleazy bio links the actor to a shadowy world of sinister perversion and blood-chilling crimes. When she's found dead with a needle in her arm, Justice goes looking for the truth.Amazon.com Review
Former investigative journalist Benjamin Justice has decided that blue agave is a whole lot better than bleak reality, so he's spent the better part of six months trying to pickle himself in tequila. Justice has any number of reasons to be depressed. He was fired from the Los Angeles Times for fraud (and had to give back a Pulitzer Prize to boot); his lover of 10 years died from AIDS; and Justice himself was infected with HIV during a brutal rape.

Money, however, is a powerful motivator. When Charlotte Preston offers him an advance of $25,000 to ghostwrite an exposé of Randall Capri, a tabloid writer whose latest sensational effort claims that Charlotte's late father, Hollywood heartthrob Rod Preston, was a sexual predator, Justice decides to come up for air. But Charlotte is found dead less than a day later, and Justice inherits both her spoiled Lhasa apso and a determination to unearth her killer. It doesn't take long for Justice to discover that Capri was right on the money. In a trail leading from the posh health spas of Beverly Hills to the seedy strip bars of Tijuana, Justice will uncover a network of pedophiles, respected citizens all, who exploit immigrant boys and who will stop at nothing to keep their secret safe.

John Morgan Wilson's hero (Simple Justice, Revision of Justice, Justice at Risk) is brooding, sardonic, and deeply human. His investigation into other people's lives is peppered with moments of often unpalatable insight into his own dark existence and pangs of guilt for distancing himself from all who would befriend him. Justice's propensity for occasional ponderous asides on sex and morality slows down a plot that otherwise moves briskly along. (Perhaps a bit too briskly: Wilson can't seem to decide whether he's writing a solemn meditation on the human condition or a no-holds-barred potboiler.) However, though the denouement flirts dangerously with farce as Justice storms a desert compound populated by former Nazis, Wilson's generally adept prose will keep readers happy, and pages turning. --Kelly Flynn ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Great writing--heavy subject
In "The Limits of Justice," John Morgan Wilson takes his tragic protagonist, Benjamin Justice, through another murder investigation that parallels the former journalist's ongoing struggles with a failed career, lost love and a newly diagnosed HIV infection.Author Wilson is a wonderful story teller and gifted plot spinner, but the living hell that he creates for his principal character and the substance of the crimes at the core of this novel, were heavier than in the other "Justice" books that I've tried--and may be beyond the pale for many readers.At the same time, redemption or the promise of redemption does figure in this story and ultimately rescues it from its otherwise unrelenting brutality and hopelessness.

As other reviewers have mentioned, "The Limits..." is about the exploitation of children, and specifically poor immigrant children, by men with money and power.The perpetrators are portrayed in the darkest and most extreme terms which gives real power and credibility to Benjamin Justice's outrage and motivation to foil them.

Author Wilson is at his best when he writes about his protagonist's inner demons and his ambivalence about the future.A reminder that a past can be so horrific that hope for the future has little chance to grow.Wilson's descriptions of Los Angeles, Southern California and Tijuana are knowing and highly credible, and frame the story well. The supporting cast of characters in the "Justice" series is also well rendered and also gives heart and balance to the otherwise bleak episodes that Benjamin Justice endures.

"The Limits of Justice" is well-written, but first time readers of the series might enjoy other titles better.

Very Good Mystery
I don't know why it is that some authors are able to contrive good plots, but can't write worth a damn, or vice versa. This book is more or less in the first category. This is a page-turning type of mystery, that gets more repulsive (story, that is) as it progresses towards its climactic, repugnant, and bizarre ending. As mystery plots go, this is one of the best.

But Wilson's authorial qualities are a bit on the formulaic side; everytime the set changes, we get a modicum of a description almost as afterthoughts to let us know what the environment or the person looks like. They are at most perfunctory, sometimes unnecessary, and always formulaic interpolations that bog the novel down. If Wilson had a figurative flair, this might not be so bothersome, but Wilson's description of people, places, and things are almost always an afterthought interposed to make the person, place, or thing more than two-dimensional; but they're never really helpful. The story is pretty much linear, and the characters are individuals we could care less if we ever were to meet.

Despite the oftentimes platitidunious writing, this novel is one of the best contrived mysteries I've read, and certainly one of the most bizarre. Even if the characters are nothing more than hastily-described placecards and too abstruse to really care about after 200 pages, the interesting plot keeps the reader thoroughly engaged. So the deficiencies in writing and character development are more than ofset by the controverted (and controversial), economical, yet wholly credible plot.

Despite these serious flaws, recommended.

Fanastic bogglers
A few months ago my sister gave me a "Justice" book as a gift.Ever since then I have been of fan of Justice and his creator, John Morgan Wilson.They make my time on the treadmill and bikes at the gym pass very quickly!

The story lines are always creative and twisted a bit and keep me on my feet trying to figure out the angles involved.I have a problem when I read mysteries...I can often figure them out and that bothers me cause I like to be challanged!Wilson and Justice completely challange me...and I will keep reading them as long as there are new editions to grab up.

One of the things I really like are how the characters are complicated...often some of the persons involved are just regular folks who got caught up in a situation and made a bad choice that went very bad.Also being a Los Angeles native and resident I like how the stories are set in places I have been to or see in my everyday travels.

The story lines are usually very hard to stomach sometimes and makes he happy they are pure fiction(god I hope there is little to no truth in them).I sometimes wish that they would be created into movies, but then again there would have to be too many changes to make them marketable and might further advance negative stereotypes of gay men.I have seen the horrible results of another of my favorite mystery characters brought to the screen and don't really want to see that happen again (Fletch series by Greggory McDonald)

One of these days I hope to catch a signing and get all of my copies signed by Wilson.

Justice Bogged Down!
If I hadn't read two previous John Morgan Wilson mysteries, I would like this one a lot more. Although I continue to like immensely Mr. Wilson's novels, THE LIMITS OF JUSTICE is my least favorite so far and suffers when compared to the other two, SIMPLE JUSTICE and JUSTICE AT RISK. My criticisms are two: first, the main character Benjamin Justice should get on with living. I understand that his life has not been easy. We learned three stories ago that he murdered his own father when he caught him raping his own daughter and Benjamin's sister. I won't give away the plot of this novel, but nobody has sympathy for a whiner forever. Secondly, Mr. Wilson gets a little carried away with both plot and subject matter here. He covers AIDS, incest, pederasty, the cult of man-boy love, castration, alcoholism and sleazy biographers. There are a couple of what I call Steve McQueen car chases as well as other near-death adventures for Mr. Justice. This is not to say there aren't touching scenes here. Rod Preston's ex-wife's remembrance of the difficulty of being gay in the 50's is quite moving as well as Justice's landlord Maurice's repeated attempts to get him out of his depression.

In addition to Justice's landlords, his PNB (potential new boy friend) Oree returns in this novel as well as Templeton, Justice's reporter friend, who now has landed a job with the LA Times. (This time she is the one reading the latest Walter Mosley mystery as Wilson continues his tribute to Mosley.)

This book may be better than I think or I may have read it at a bad time. I'm betting that I'll like the next one "Blind Eye" better.

All out fun!
I read Revision of Justice first, then bought The Limits of Justice and read it.Now I wish I had read these books in order. Yes, I bought the other two (Simple Justice and Justice at Risk).What wonderful books!Benjamin Justice is a great character, especially since he�s so damn human.Not only that, But Wilson knows how to write a novel that is compelling and can stand on its own.You do not have to read all the books in order, he makes it easy to read them in any order you want.However, let it be noted, that if you read Limits of Justice first some of the ongoing drama will be spoiled - - as I found out the hard way.

Because of the subject matter, Limits of Justice is hard to read at times, but is so compelling that you have no choice but turn the page.I loved it to the end.Any mystery fan, gay or straight. Would enjoy any of the Justice mysteries.I have already turned one friend on to them.I�m in the middle of Simple Justice and enjoying it!

They are just so damn good!

Read them in order if you can; or at least read Limits of Justice last. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

And In The Morning
And In The Morning

It's the year 1914, and Scotland is at war. Jim Hay is a strapping young lad turning 16, one step closer to joining the army. When his father is killed in action and his mother dies from insanity. He finds that the trenches of France are not the most welcoming places. With a wife at home Jim is desperate to stay alive. His life becomes a fight for survival.
I recommend this book to anyone grade seven and up for graphic content. It gives a good idea of what our great grandfathers had to go through during WWI. I liked this book because it was made from letters and dairies from WWI.
... Read more

Product Description
This work traces the evolution of two unique U.S. Army organizations _ divisions and brigades_ which combined combat arms, combat support, and combat service support units into well-oiled engines for war.The Army has used divisions for over two hundred and twenty years on the battlefield and for nearly eighty years has maintained them in peacetime as well.Both organizations have played a pivotal role in the American military experience, and their exploits form the core of the Army's history in the twentieth century.

This study is a systematic account of the way these two organizations evolved, highlighting the rationales behind that evolution and the many factors that played a part in bringing those changes into reality.

In this work the reader, whether military or civilian, can follow the development of two of the Army's complex organizations Force planners today will find the challenges faced by their predecessors in making these institutions responsive to an ever-changing threat in an evolving political and technological environment highly relevant.By telling this story in a comprehensive manner, the volume makes a significant contribution to the history of the Army. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An Excellent Overview of US Army Divisions
Most books on the subject cover specific divisions only; these are usually of interest only to former members. Other books on wars, campaigns, or battles only refer to divisions as participants (albeit essential). This work, on the other hand, takes Army divisions on a nuts-and-bolts approach. It analyzes the evolving structure of these organizations over time. Doctrine, equipment, and the battlefield environment imposed changes on divisions throughout the 20th century. These changes were intended to create the optimum mix of weapons and personnel (both specialties and numbers) that would ensure both survival and success in combat. The survey also documents how fiscal restraints always affected the "ideal" or "required" structure and produced compromises in organizational design and equipping of units with modern weapon systems. The tables and figures are complementary to the text and not just space fillers; taken together they document the ebb and flow of Army combat power throughout the 20th century. This book makes a great compliment to Mansoor's work on US infantry divisions in Europe during World War II. This is an essential reference for anyone interested in the US Army.

An excellent investment
This book is worth its weight in gold for the military historian/enthusiast.It details how US Army Divisions and Brigades have evolved since the birth of the United States and is backed up by ample photographs and charts. You could spend months or even years trying to find out information on this topic and this book centralises all this in an invaluable reference. Well worth the money ! ... Read more

Product Description

In this gripping profile of a pioneer, John R.M. Wilson illustrates how Jackie Robinson’s life transcended his baseball career to illuminate the racial struggles of the nation.

By breaking the color barrier in baseball, Jackie Robinson (1919—1973) brought the American public face-to-face with a dilemma that has plagued the nation throughout its history: the disjuncture between the American ideals of liberty and equality and the realities of racial prejudice, segregation, and discrimination.

Paperback, brief, and inexpensive, each of the titles in the “Library of American Biography” series focuses on a figure whose actions and ideas significantly influenced the course of American history and national life. In addition, each biography relates the life of its subject to the broader themes and developments of the times.

Customer Reviews (1)

Two in One
I read this book on Jackie Robinson expecting it to be about baseball and got a history lesson on civil rights as well. John Wilson combines his two passions in life, Baseball and History. Easy to read with great stories both on and off the field. Highly recommended.

4cheeseburgerguy ... Read more

Product Description
This book tells the stories behind some of the world's most disastrous military mistakes, whether caused by faulty information, bad interpretation, cunning plans to deceive the intelligence gatherers or leaders who won't listen to what they are told. It is an analysis of the "intelligence cycle" that turns raw data into useful information about capabilities and intentions and then brings it to the attention of the decision-makers. Who uses many examples of all kinds of extraordinary decisions and deceptions from history to show how often and badly things can go wrong. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Fascinating, and detailed
Apparently Colonel John Hughes-Wilson was in British Military Intelligence for a decade, and made a study of the profession and practice while he was there. When he left, he set out to write a book on the history of the art, using various historical examples to show why things work out the way they do, and why certain practices should be followed or avoided.

The book follows a simple format. The first chapter is an introduction to the subject, explaining the objective of Military Intelligence and the means of obtaining, evaluating, and disseminating the information involved. The rest of the chapters (save a short conclusion) discuss individual events from the past sixty years where an army or nation was surprised or somehow failed by intelligence. There's a brief discussion of the overall course of the battle and the parameters of what the author wishes to discuss, and then a critical analysis of the intelligence that was available, how it was handled, and what was made of it by the end-users. Usually, of course, the end-user ignored or misused the intelligence, and the result was a disaster.

The one minor quibble I had with the book was the selection of the various anecdotes involved. I felt that a couple were badly selected (notably the one on Malaya in 1942) mostly because the battles involved were British, and of course the author is a Brit. That having been noted, it doesn't detract much from the overall impact of the book, and there actually is some worthwhile information even in that chapter. I would have preferred, however, if he'd used something like the Japanese failure at the Battle of Midway, where their signal intelligence basically lost them the battle.

That all being said, this is a very worthwhile and intelligent book, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject.

A wealth of info in a small space...
An excellent series of case studies by retired Colonel John Hughes-Wilson.He definitely did his homework, as he has a wealth of accurate information on each of his studies.There are a few of his conclusions that I would disagree with, but that is just differing opinions.In some instances, however, he does not clearly distinguish between intelligence blunders and errors of command decision, which are not the same.This may lead the uninformed reader astray.Nonetheless, this is a well-written, easy to read book that provides an excellent review of intelligence practices that have had historic impact in our world.This has become a permanent addition to my library for future reference.Well done.

Nine vignettes with a consistent message
This very engrossing book covers nine intelligence failures, from Stalin's misuse of his intelligence assets in 1941 to the failures that preceded the 1991 Gulf War.All nine carry a similar message:The raw intelligence was available to avert a blunder, but the analysis was in some way flawed; Stalin, for example, chose to be his own intelligence analyst, and he turned out to be a very poor one.Another message comes through, as well:In all nine examples, the defender's intelligence failed.The attacker, if he can maintain surprise, has the intelligence advantage.

Very detailed and interesting look at history
This book was a very detailed and interesting look into some of the most amazing military blunders in history.The author has obviously done his homework, and gives surprisingly intricate detail into each situation.He does tend to ramble on a little with his explanations, and injects a lot of theory based on the facts about why he thinks certain leaders didn't see things coming, but it's very substantiated.He also seems to hold a general dislike for the job that the United States and British intelligence services do.Maybe there's some hidden issues there.

Excellent Insights by an Insider
This is one the best books about military intelligence thatI have read. Having spent many years working in the area, I find that most other books on the subject are written by outsiders who never quite fully understand what they are writing about, no matter how bright or well intentioned they may be. Few outsiders appreciate, for example, the details of the intelligence cycle, the multiple layers of intelligence collectors, the rivalries among collection agencies, the correct technical jargon, the practical effects on intelligence analysis of inter-agency battles for bigger budgets, etc.

Hughes-Wilson utilizes a case study approach. He analyzesnine different events or conflicts from World War II to the present. Having read about manyof the conflicts before, I did not expect to learn much that was new. However, the author presented many new factual details about the events involving the Brits, in particular, that were fascinating.He was clearly a very informed observer and/or possible participant in many of the conflicts.His analysis of the American failure in Tet 1968 is one of the most incisive and dispassionate that I have read. He is no fan of official histories.He is blunt in his criticisms. His comments (actually a very minor part of hisPearl Harbor story)about the FBI's handling of Japanese and German espionage in WW II makes one seriously question the FBI's competence to work effectively as an intelligence organization at that time. But, then has anything really gotten better at the FBI?

Bottom line: As one other reviewer has commented, Hughes-Wilson's real message is that political considerations - whether those of a totalitarian regime or a democracy - often lead to what are called "intelligence blunders."His call for truly objective and independent intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination should be heeded, but it will probably be ignored. We will see more such blunders again. ... Read more

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This is a 207 page softback authored by John F. Wilson and published by Moody Press. Contents include: PART ONE: THE MINISTRIES OF CHURCH MUSIC - Music in Worship, Music in Christian Education, Music in Evangelism. PART TWO: THE CHURCH MUSIC DEPARTMENT - Structure of the Music Department, Administrtive Leadership, Othe Leadership. PART THREE: MUSIC FOR THE CONGREGATION - Hymnody, Ways of Evaluating Hymnody, Congregational Singing. PART FOUR: THE MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS - The Graded Choir Program, Children's and Youth Choirs - Methods, The Adult Choir, Instrumental Ensembles. PART FIVE: PHYSICAL EQUIPMENT - Physical Equipment. ... Read more

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The Problems Book helps students appreciate the ways in which experiments and simple calculations can lead to an understanding of how cells work by introducing the experimental foundation of cell and molecular biology. Each chapter will review key terms, test for understanding basic concepts, and pose research-based problems. The Problems Book has been designed to correspond with the first twenty chapters of Molecular Biology of the Cell, Fifth Edition.

• Includes the solutions to the end-of-chapter problems in the textbook Molecular Biology of the Cell, Fifth Edition.

• Contains over 2,000 problems and their solutions.

• All of the solutions to the problems in The Problems Book are on the CD-ROM that is packaged with every copy of the book.

• The problems are organized into the following categories: Terms to Learn, Definitions, True/False, Thought Problems, Calculations, and Data Handling.

The Problems Book will be useful for homework assignments and as a basis for class discussion. It could even provide inspiration for exam questions.

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Benjamin Justice used to be one of Los Angeles's most respected journalists, but a scandal over invented sources cost him the Pulitzer, his job and his reputation.With his life in ruins, he's spent much of the past decade slowly piecing it back together. Now he's under contract to write his biography, but the writing is going slowly and he's in need of a job to tide him over financially. So when Bruce Bibby, a freelance writer, is murdered during an apparent burglary, Bibby's uncompleted assignment for the city of West Hollywood is a much needed opportunity for Justice.Hired to complete the dead man's assignment-researching and writing a booklet on the city's historically relevant buildings - Justice resists becoming involved in the murder investigation, wanting only to maintain his quiet, stable life.

But it's not going to be that easy.There's a fight brewing over the fate of a set of rundown cottages - some believe them historically significant and wish to preserve them, others want them torn down to make way for a new condo project and both sides see Justice's pamphlet as the key to winning the fight. As Justice tries to go about his business, he finds himself intrigued by the complexities of the murder case - the young Russian immigrant tied to the Bibby murder scene may be damned by his father's notorious crimes; the detective leading the murder investigation is quietly searching for her own long missing father; the owner of the houses in question, the would-be developer, and their main opposition all share a secret connection that dates back nearly three decades.When the leader of the local preservation group is found murdered on the grounds of the controversial cottages, Justice must unravel the secrets that surround the murders or let an innocent suffer for another's crimes.
... Read more

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John Dover Wilson's New Shakespeare, published between 1921 and 1966, became the classic Cambridge edition of Shakespeare's plays and poems until the 1980s. The series, long since out-of-print, is now reissued. Each work is available both individually and as a set, and each contains a lengthy and lively introduction, main text, and substantial notes and glossary printed at the back. The edition, which began with The Tempest and ended with The Sonnets, put into practice the techniques and theories that had evolved under the 'New Bibliography'. Remarkably by today's standards, although it took the best part of half a century to produce, the New Shakespeare involved only a small band of editors besides Dover Wilson himself. As the volumes took shape, many of Dover Wilson's textual methods acquired general acceptance and became an established part of later editorial practice, for example in the Arden and New Cambridge Shakespeares. ... Read more

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When reporter Alexandra Templeton drags Benjamin Justice to a party thrown by a legendary Hollywood screenwriting instructor, they stumble into the murder of Reza Jafari, a young, wannabe screenwriter with more enemies that completed scripts. The prime suspect is the victim's roommate, Danny Romero, a young man who will die of AIDS in jail, unless Justice can solve the mystery first, and allow Danny the dignified death he desperately wants. Among the other suspects: a macho Australian action director, with his own dark secrets and a career in decline; a former starlet, now the voluptuous widow of a recently deceased studio executive, who has a good reason to want the victim dead; a high-powered female agent, as button-downed and driven as she is deceptive; a Persian restaurant owner, the victim's devoutly Muslim father, who has a troubling violent streak; and an up-and-coming lesbian film producer, as tough as she is smart. His search for clues takes Justice into musty Hollywood film archives, and between the lines of several screenplays, while putting his own life in grave danger. After the murder of an elderly screenwriter who used Reza Jafari as a younger "front" to pitch his scripts, the murder plot shifts into high gear, propelling Justice and Templeton into a raging fire that consumes the Hollywood Hills, burning steadily toward the famous Hollywood Sign--and the identity of a cold-blooded killer.Amazon.com Review
John Morgan Wilson's Simple Justicewon the coveted 1997 EdgarAward for best first novel by an American author. A brooding tale set in L.A.'smurky underside, Simple Justice featured Benjamin Justice, a gay reportergone to drink and despair, who is forced into a sleuthing/reporting assignment,against his better judgement, by his ex-boss. Justice is back (and feelingsomewhat better) in Revision of Justice, where he once again discovers thatL.A.'s glittering high society is filled with gutter-level lowlifes ready to murder at a moment's notice.Wilson has an ear for crackling dialogue and an eye for theconvincingly shabby detail (this is James M. Cain territory) but his realart lies in his ability to portray with integrity and intelligence the painthat all humans--journalists, victims, cops, murderers--experience as theylive their lives. ... Read more

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This best-selling undergraduate textbook provides an introduction to key experimental techniques from across the biosciences. It uniquely integrates the theories and practices that drive the fields of biology and medicine, comprehensively covering both the methods students will encounter in lab classes and those that underpin recent advances and discoveries. Its problem-solving approach continues with worked examples that set a challenge and then show students how the challenge is met. New to this edition are case studies, for example, that illustrate the relevance of the principles and techniques to the diagnosis and treatment of individual patients. Coverage is expanded to include a section on stem cells, chapters on immunochemical techniques and spectroscopy techniques, and additional chapters on drug discovery and development, and clinical biochemistry. Experimental design and the statistical analysis of data are emphasised throughout to ensure students are equipped to successfully plan their own experiments and examine the results obtained. ... Read more

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Since emerging as a discipline in the middle of the eighteenth century, natural history has been at the heart of the life sciences. It gave rise to the major organizing theory of life -- evolution -- and continues to be a vital science with impressive practical value. Central to advanced work in ecology, agriculture, medicine, and environmental science, natural history also attracts enormous popular interest.

In Finding Order in Nature Paul Farber traces the development of the naturalist tradition since the Enlightenment and considers its relationship to other research areas in the life sciences. Written for the general reader and student alike, the volume explores the adventures of early naturalists, the ideas that lay behind classification systems, the development of museums and zoos, and the range of motives that led collectors to collect. Farber also explores the importance of sociocultural contexts, institutional settings, and government funding in the story of this durable discipline.

"The quest for insight into the order of nature leads naturalists beyond classification to the creation of general theories that explain the living world. Those naturalists who focus on the order of nature inquire about the ecological relationships among organisms and also among organisms and their surrounding environments. They ask fundamental questions of evolution, about how change actually occurs over short and long periods of time. Many naturalists are drawn, consequently, to deeper philosophical and ethical issues: What is the extent of our ability to understand nature? And, understanding nature, will we be able to preserve it? Naturalists question the meaning of the order they discover and ponder our moral responsibility for it." -- from the Introduction

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Cowboy, army guide, farmer, peace officer, and character in his own right, John P. Meadows arrived in New Mexico from Texas as a young man. During his life in the Southwest, he knew or worked for many well-known characters including: William "Billy the Kid" Bonney, Sheriff Pat Garrett, John Selman, Hugh Beckwith, Charlie Siringo, and Pat Coghlan. Meadows helped investigate the disappearance of Colonel Albert Jennings Fountain, and later bought part of downtown Tulsarosa, New Mexico, where he served a term as mayor.

The recollections gathered here and edited by John P. Wilson are based on Meadows’s interviews with a reporter for the Alamogordo News, a partial transcript of his reminiscences given at the Lincoln State Monument, and a talk he gave by invitation at Roswell, New Mexico, to refute inaccuracies in the 1930 MGM movie Billy the Kid. Meadows’s lucid presentation appeared in the Roswell, New Mexico, Daily Record where he spoke about Pat Garrett, Billy the Kid, and other experiences from the Southwest’s frontier days.

"I am not going to leave the country, and I am not going to reform, neither am I going to be taken alive again."—Billy the Kid to John P. Meadows, May 1, 1881 ... Read more

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The Code of Honor, Or, Rules for the Government of Principals and Seconds in Duelling is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by John Lyde Wilson is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of John Lyde Wilson then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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John Dover Wilson's New Shakespeare, published between 1921 and 1966, became the classic Cambridge edition of Shakespeare's plays and poems until the 1980s. The series, long since out-of-print, is now reissued. Each work is available both individually and as a set, and each contains a lengthy and lively introduction, main text, and substantial notes and glossary printed at the back. The edition, which began with The Tempest and ended with The Sonnets, put into practice the techniques and theories that had evolved under the 'New Bibliography'. Remarkably by today's standards, although it took the best part of half a century to produce, the New Shakespeare involved only a small band of editors besides Dover Wilson himself. As the volumes took shape, many of Dover Wilson's textual methods acquired general acceptance and became an established part of later editorial practice, for example in the Arden and New Cambridge Shakespeares. ... Read more