No comments about The Diary Of Anais Nin, Volume 6 (1955-1966).

1 comments about King of the Delawares: Teedyuscung, 1700-1763 (Iroquois and Their Neighbors).

1. Anthony F. C. Wallace, like his father, Paul A. W. Wallace, is an acknowledged authority on the Lenni Lenape, or Delaware, and this book is one of his finest. It tells the story of the enigmatic Teedyuscung fairly, accurately, and (at times) grippingly.

   Interestingly, the flow of the book reflects the uneven, back-and-forth fortunes of Teedyuscung and his people in eighteenth century America, which can be somewhat dizzying for some readers. But it is well worth the effort, and the persevering reader will be rewarded.

   The maps that are included in the volume are so helpful that one might wish there were more, but that fault is easily overlooked.

No comments about The William E. McLellin Papers 1854-1880.

5 comments about Madame de Pompadour: Mistress of France.

1. Remembered today in narratives of the past, heralded in poetry and song, Madame de Pompadour, born Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson in 1721, continues to be a fascinating and enigmatic figure.

   The daughter of a mother noted for her beauty and high spirits, Jeanne inherited both of these qualities. In addition, a fortune teller predicted that the little girl would one day be the mistress of Louis XV. This foretelling Jeanne later told Voltaire "struck her with the force of a thunderbolt." And, it was a prophecy that the young woman seemed hellbent on fulfilling.

   Christine Pevitt Algrant's comprehensive and cogent portrait of the woman who would, indeed, become the most potent force in the court of Louis XV is a welcome addition to the annals of history, as it includes a telling picture of a troubled France.

   Courtiers were shocked when the humbly born Poisson became recognized as the king's maitresse declaree. After all, the king's prior inamoratas had all been members of the elite, born of royal lineage. However, it was one thing to become his lover, and quite something else to become his sole confidante and the power behind the throne. A title was purchased for her thus the transformation into Madame de Pompadour was complete. She was reviled by many, and obeyed by all.

   With Versailles as her backdrop she became an important patron of the arts, nurturing such luminaries as Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau, and Boucher. It was she who masterminded the building of the Petit Trianon Palace at Versailles.

   Yet as a part of the world continued to be torn her quest for power was unsatisfied. France and England were at odds, and she cast a pall over the treaty allying France with her hated Austria. She succeeded in removing her enemies from positions of influence, and replacing them with trusted friends. Her creation of an opulent court incurred public wrath, and her political maneuverings created foes in court.

   Nonetheless, the king's trust in his paramour never waned.

   Incisive and thoroughly researched "Madame de Pompadour" bursts with color and intrigue. It is fact even more fascinating than fiction.

   - Gail Cooke




2. Madame Pompadour broke through an enormous social barrier for women of society - she was the first of the bourgeoisie to be appointed "official mistress" to a French King. (Even in the Court of Versailles, women faced glass ceilings). Her relationship with Louis XV, a man of immense carnal appetites, was hardly the stuff of which romance is made: she was groomed for her role by a clique of favor-seeking investment bankers, who duly cashed in when she achieved influence. Pompadour's real talent - and greatest legacy - was her patronage of arts and literature, most notably Boucher and Voltaire, but also the fine arts such as the porcelain works as Sevres. Her role in policy, on the other hand, was hardly beneficial in the long run: for all the talented ministers she was able to promote, none of them solved the profound inequities of ancien regime France. What, though, could be expected under the reign of Louis XV? As Pevitt demonstrates, he must qualify as one of history's most boorish (and depraved) leaders. This is a well-balanced biography - giving all due credit to Pompadour's good taste and cultured eye, yet ruthless in exposing her pettiness and pretentiousness.



3. I was hoping for insight on more of the private life of Pompadour; instead, I got a very in-depth account of her political involvement. These were so detailed that at times, I tired of the seemingly endless political escapades Pompadour was a involved in. Sometimes, the book felt more like a biography 18th century French politics rather than the life of Pompadour. Her life was abrupt and her time as the romantic love of Louis XV's even shorter. After it was obvious that Louis XV no longer looked to her as a romantic partner, Pompadour positioned herself as a confidant, a friend, an advisor, among many other roles. This made her a very well-known woman in French royal society; some dubbed her as the Prime Minister of France, others called her the true Queen. While this book was well researched and well written, I still feel that it's a pity that this book focused more on her foray into politics rather than the overall doings of her private life.



4. Louis XV, historically France's "bien-aime, is rendered here the "bien-damne." Algrant's vision cuts deeply across historical accounts of both the king and his mistress. Students of French literature will recognize Madame de Pompadour portrayed as the intelligent and enlightened patroness of the arts.
   That the seeds of Louis XVI's demise were sown in the reign of Louis XV is not news. However, the degree of Louis XV's dereliction of duty and almost lecherous exploitation of teenage concubines portrays him beyond merely oblivious to the state of his country. He becomes almost "Nero-esque."
   While Louis XV "fiddled," Madame de Pompadour "burned" passionately with grandiose political schemes taking on the role of Prime Minister. Her political disasters drained France of both blood and money as she waged war against England and Prussia simultaneously. Additionally the monarch and former mistress carried on an aggressive building program. It is apparent why she was so greatly despised by the general French population, and remarkable that the French Revolution was delayed until some twenty-five years after her death. I cannot improve on a comment offered by Alistair Horne "...Madame de Pompadour makes you hear the rattle of the tumbrels, just thirty years down the road."



5. Really enjoyed reading about this amazing woman. I think the French monarchy was amazing in their choice of mistresses -- I would have hated being a wife!

5 comments about Stonewall: A Biography of General Thomas J. Jackson.

1. I gave the book three stars for the information but the author's opinions make this book less valuable then it otherwise might have been. For instance he claims the fact that Jackson never lamented his decisions meant he never thought he made a mistake. Jackson wasn't the type of person to go around talking about feelings so no one knows if he did or not. Also the author claims he must have an child out of wedlock and cites sources (just the word sources and not actual people) while at the same time discounting others who claimed the rumors were a lie. The author is just a bit too judgmental and quick to believe things without any proof to back them up. The information may be okay but I found it hard to read with so many of the author's opinions being paraded around as facts.



2. This book is a "must read" for everyone looking for a balanced view of Jackson. Farwell's history of Jackson's military exploits and personal shortcomings (as in Florida prior to secession) are well supported by reference to original documents and by the author's personal research.



3. Biography's of great historical figures are frequently given to exaggeration. Farwell set out to give an account of the "real" Stonewall Jackson, rather than an overly ballyhooed legend. In some respects he did that, painting Jackson as an oddball, eccentric, prude, who bordered on insanity. While the book succeeded in painting Jackson as being more human, I felt the overall tone of the book was far too critical and cynical. It seemed every good thing Jackson did was credited to other soldiers or blind luck...while every bad thing Jackson did was blamed upon his ignorance, stubborness, or lack of sleep. In all honesty, I came away from the book wondering if the author had and "ax to grind" against Stonewall Jackson. Overall the book was well written, and would provide a reality check to those who envison Jackson as being super-human. But just as there are numerous puff pieces on Jackson that make him better than he was...I feel this book to be somewhat of a debunking, which makes Jackson look much worse than he was. In reality, he was somewhere in between. He was a good and godly man who had an uncanny ability to lead men in battle. But he was hard to get along with and a little too bull-headed at times. For a much more accurate view, I would suggest "Stonewall Jackson: The Man, The Soldier, The Legend" By James I. Robertson



4. Byron Farwell's biography of Stonewall Jackson is a comprehensive account of the life and military career of the famous Confederate general. Once I started reading the biography, I couldn't put it down, mainly because of the author's easy-to-read style (given that battles need to be described in reasonable detail). Useful maps accompany the text and enhance the reader's understanding, although the photographic section is somewhat brief.
   
   In contrast to some reviews here, I thought the author was fair and objective with Jackson: he cites first-hand accounts of Jackson's marches, battles and personality, though I'm not sure of the selectiveness or otherwise of these. If anything, he refrains from discussing and interpreting Jackson's strengths and weaknesses at length, leaving the reader to form his or her opinion. Given Jackson's personality, it would have been interesting to have included a comprehensive modern analysis of Jackson's psychological profile.
   
   I have yet to read other Jackson biographies, so I can't compare them with Farwell's biography, but I certainly don't regret buying this book. It made me appreciate the extreme hardships that Civil War soldiers experienced, and brought home the difficulties of serving under Jackson both as a soldier and as an officer, but at the same time it highlights Jackson's military genius and his 'warmer' side.



5. I must admit it was a "good influence" because it was of course heavily sanitized... and I remember it even finished BEFORE his death... leaving the hero marching with his troops to fight another day!... (pre-Chancellorsville ending). So maxims like YOU WILL ACHIEVE WHATEVER YOU PROPOSE TO YOURSELF... and similar I guess were/are "in the right spirit".
   
   As I have read other books by the same author... (and thought them very good and absolutely readable... which is always a BIG PLUS...), I decided to buy and read.
   In very few words, the man behind the myth is quite puzzling (probably and partially because of impairing deafness...) but less so if put in context... and that Mr. Farwell does brilliantly!.
   From birth to his death in the field of battle at Chancellorsville (actually he died from the wounds a few days later) his life is extremely well told, highs and downs... and thankfully calling a spade a spade.
   When he performed well he is acknowledged for it, when he was not at his best and did blunder we are told so without palliatives, and this makes him human and IF NOT A SEMI-GOD AT ALL.
   I am truly sorry for "deep at heart" southerners who sometimes swear by Jackson as he was God himself!... and never find any fault in him.
   He really was an outstanding C.S.A. general.
   And his loss probably influenced the war in the short term (I do not think he could have had a determinant influence in the long one...)
   In fact he was extremely lucky in some of his campaigns... but THAT is always a PLUS of successful generals.
   I do not read a lot of biographies (specially if they are penned/embellished by the man/woman themselves) but this one is very good and I can heartily recommend.
   
   ADB
   
   PS: THE GREAT ANGLO BOER WAR by the same author is also a must read.

2 comments about The Diary Of Samuel Pepys 1661.

1. Having only read "excerpts" before -- and the "shorter" Pepys is massive -- I supposed the short version was the exciting and interesting parts and the complete diary was the boring version that put everything in.
   Well it turns out all PEPYS IS EQUALLY GOOD. The reason? This man loved life and said so, with great enthusiasm, and at the same time was a conscientious and effective(not always right or wise) public servant. This startling mix, in the end makes him seem a completely modern person. Fascinating.



2. This is a wonderful annotated expose of seventeenth century British life throughout the city of London. Pepys' language is florid and filled with eccentricity. Also, the editing enables the original language to stand, only with contemporary spellings --to allow clarity of comprehension. The additional explanatory notes are excellent.

2 comments about Angel of Vengeance: The "Girl Assassin," the Governor of St. Petersburg, and Russia's Revolutionary World.

1. Ana Siljak's "Angel of Vengeance" is proof positive that every once in awhile, an extraordinarily talented academic historian can breathe life into a long-dead era and make it accessible to an audience far broader than his or her professional peers. This book is an absolute gem, impeccably researched, engagingly written with a narrative style that reflects the tensions and drama of her subject matter. The book chronicles the first act in the "Age of Assassinations," when an aristocratic woman with revolutionary sentiments killed the governor of St. Petersburg with a revolver she'd concealed under her clothing. Her subsequent trial became a spectacle, the pre-revolutionary Russian equivalent of the Lindberg trial of the 1930's. The assassination and trial became one of the keystone moments that fueled the revolutionary fever which ultimately toppled the Tzar's regime a few decades later.
   
   Siljak has done an outstanding job of blending craft and research into a highly readable, fascinating snapshot of late-nineteenth century Russia. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
   
   [...]



2. I recently finished reading Angel of Vengeance by Ana Siljak. The story was rich with vivid descriptions of the life of the Russian people, those oppressed, the privileged, and those who endeavored to change the status quo. In light of events in the world today, I was intrigued with the background given on the various radical groups that attempted to engage the peasants to overthrow the government. Intertwined with all of this is the fascinating personal story of a young woman. The journey documented in the book of Vera Zasulich's internal outrage toward public officials, the validation of her feelings gleaned from her veracious readings of radical publications and her interactions with infamous terrorists, to her decision to act on her own and assassinate the governor is a winning combination. The unintended consequences of her actions extend the story to show us the impact she had on the world and individuals already familiar to us such as Oscar Wilde. This book is educational, thought provoking and very entertaining.

1 comments about From Pablo to Osama: Trafficking and Terrorist Networks, Government Bureaucracies, and Competitive Adaptation.

1. I've read many books on terrorism and have found many of them well written. This literature is one of the very best. It uses information by practitioners and provides like no other resource. A must for anyone in the terrorism/trafficking field.

5 comments about Perdita: The Literary, Theatrical, Scandalous Life of Mary Robinson.

1. I'll confess I would never have looked at this book if it hadn't been for the fact that I decided to read the 10 nominations for Richard and Judy's Best Read 2005.This book has been the biggest surprise of the lot,because, to be honest, I was not really looking forward to it.
   How wrong could I be ? This is a dazzling story of a fascinating woman. I am afraid to say the other biography in the Richard and Judy list,"Feel" by Chris Heath, which is all about pop singer Robbie Williams, comes off a very poor second when compared to this volume. Sadly of course there's no doubt which book will sell more.I wish all Robbie Williams fans, or indeed the fans of any of the over-hyped celebrities of today, would read this book and find out that maybe their hero's or heroine's exploits are not so special after all when compared to what the subject of this biography got up to.
   Mary Robinson, whose nickname was Perdita, was married at 15 and her marriage was something of a disaster and included spending some time in prison with her husband. She then made herself into one of London's most celebrated actresses and was a friend of the outstanding theatrical figures of the day.She became a leading figure in the glamorous high society of the city, reputedly being the most beautiful woman in Britain.She voluntarily gave up her theatrical career to become the mistress of the Prince of Wales, thus heightening her celebrity even further. Reading about this time of her life it appears that she was just as famous or infamous as any contemporary celebrity.Maybe more so.There are many obvious similarities.
   In the second half of the book the plot changes almost completely as Mary, after being ditched by her royal lover, re-invents herself as a writer. She is so successful in this enterprise that she becomes one of the leading lady literary figures of the era. She is primarily a poetess, but also writes plays, novels and political tracts and she becomes friendly with both leading political and cultural figures.
   It is an absolutely fascinating tale, made more moving perhaps by the fact that she was not lucky in love, suffered a debilitating illness for many years and finally died young at the age of 43.
   All this is retold in an easy and entertaining way by Paula Byrne and I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone.



2. For those who enjoy the Regency period and life of George IV, this is one of the most perfect books to introduce you into the life of the period. It was a brief, intense and fascinating life which pushed the established mores to their limits.
   
   The Prince of Wales (lat to be George IV) became enamoured of Mary Robinson in her portrayal of Peridita in Shakespeare's, A Winter's Tale. She was a young actress, escaped from a bad marriage and strange father. She took to the stage for some income (as many women of the period did instead of taking up prostitution as such)
   
   The Prince of Wales became known as Florizel to Robinson's Perdita and she was his first 'major' mistress. Their lives intertwined for a brief period in his early adulthood - the beginning of what is known as the 'extended regency'. Robinson was then mistress to many of the influential peers of the time, and was even friends with Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire;
   
   At a time when Georgian morals were of questionable value (everything in private, nothing in public)- when profligacy, spending, appearance and general splendour were the order of the day - Mary Robinson orbited on at the perimetre of acceptability. An actress, an abadoned wife, a mistress, and more.
   
   I found this book overlong, but worth the effort to read. It is one of a series of books about women on the edge of society in this period, and has been great to build up a picture of life and living in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. The author has gone to enormous efforts to track down information on Robinson, and it has paid off. There seems to be a good depth of research to back up the work. Overall a good read and well worth making the effort



3. For the eighteenth century, I suppose you could call her a great 'beauty' as she was privileged to be painted by the famous Gainsborough and other artists of that time. She was a social climber who had her own opera box complete with mirrors. As the actress portraying 'Perdita' in Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale" she captured the fancy of George,the Prince of Wales, and became his mistress at the risk to her reputation and career. Had it happened in today's society, she could have married him and become royalty.
   
   Born in a former monastery in Bristol, England, on November 17, 1757, she was a notorious figure of society, theatre, and literary circles. She derived from Irish roots, she was the perfect 'Juliet.' After her betrayal (in which she produced letters to negotiate a future), she became ill with rheumatic fever and turned to writing Gothic novels. Living in the old ruins of a catheral as a lonely, introverted, sad child, she had a vivid imagination and used it in her books.
   
   She was a product of her time and used whatever wiles she had as a female to further her activities, whether in theatre, politics, royalty, celebrity writers or just her own poetry and fiction. She wrote a memoir of her sordid beginnings and sham of a marriage, which had allowed her to live a fashionable life in London for a short time, then to fall to the bottom of the ladder in debtors' prison. Her early years were one of abandonment and marriage one of infedilities. She had good teachers along the way.
   
   This was well researched and much effort put forth to show the truth, no matter how bad. Her triumphs were greater than her failures.



4. The late 18th Century is a fascinating period of contradiction. The circumspect lives of George III and his wife are at odds at the so-called crème de la crème of society, including the Prince of Wales. Mary Robinson's life story reveals the opulent lifestyles, decadence, and life of privilege of England's aristocracy and nobles. A great commentary on this period.



5. mary robinson lived her life on her on term ,when woman were told there was only one path to follow,wife and mother.

1 comments about Putin: Russia's Choice.

1. It 's really a relief to read an objective analysis of what Mr. Putin's been up to. Thoughtful, thorough with no axe to grind, the author sheds a new and welcome light on current Russian politics. I have traveled the CIS many times and read many books about Russia's post-communist transition; usually finishing a book still a bit puzzled and remembering Churchill's remark that Russia was a 'riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.' But no more! - Now, Mr. Sakwa has turned the lights on for anyone who cares to bypass the tabloid press to find out what the true status is of Russia and the direction the Federation is heading. What truly astounded me was how competent and multi-tasked Mr. Putin has had to be to wrestle Russia's post communist political behemoth into a new, stable beginning for true domestic and international progress. A relief to read, actually.