5 comments about James Madison: (The American Presidents Series).

1. As stated in the Editor's Note, the American President series, of which this book is a part, aims to ".... present the grand panorama of our chief executive in volumes compact enough for the busy reader, lucid enough for the student, authoritative enough for the scholar." At 164 pages of text, this book is certainly compact. It is quite lucid and it is surly authoritative. The book is not, however, an analysis of the life of James Madison, or even a comprehensive presentation of his whole life. It discusses the many facets of his life in terms of his contribution to the United States. As the man considered to be the "Father of the Constitution", a co-author of The Federalist (the series of essays that were instrumental in getting the Constitution ratified), as a leader in the first Congress, Secretary of State (under Thomas Jefferson) and then as a two term President, Madison made immense contributions to the founding and early government of the Untied States. All these facets of his career are discussed, but given the compactness of the book they are only discussed briefly.
   
   The primary thing that I came away with was the feeling that Madison was an enigma. I guess that this just shows my ignorance of the finer points of American history, as historians have been trying, largely unsuccessfully, for the last two hundred years to explain the enigma that was James Madison. Indeed, Madison was also vexed with the difficulty of trying to explain his many contradictory actions. In working on the Constitution he unsuccessfully tried to give the federal government the power to veto state laws. Yet he later was secretly the author of the Virginia Resolutions that promulgated the idea that the states had the right to nullify federal law. He opposed Hamilton's Bank of the US, but then tried to renew the charter and when this failed he supported the formation of the second Bank of the US. He opposed war, yet he led the US into a war with Britain for which it was completely unprepared. Garry Wills tries to come to grips with these, and other contradictions, but I do not think that he was completely successful, but then again neither has anyone else. For me, just realizing that this conundrum exits was worth the price of the book.



2. Garry Wills is an exceptional documentarian, and this effort is a fine example. A very comprehensive review of the formative years of this Founding Father is provided, those years that helped define the political system and policy of early America. Madison's contribution to the constitutional constructs of Virginia and the U.S. are well-woven, even if his presidency is less a focus of Wills energies. Portrayal is of a deeply insightful humanist who performed best as a thinker than an administrator, WIlls has captured the essence of the man himself.



3. Garry Wills, eminent author on the American mind, writes a literate and compelling political biography of James Madison, "Jemmy" as he was called earlier in his life. Here was someone whose resume seems made to become president. Yet this man, "the Father of the Constitution," was not near the success that one might have guessed from his background.
   
   His pedigree includes: key figure in the Constitutional Convention--from getting George Washington to attend (a coup) to helping structure the agenda (from amending the Articles of Confederation to trashing the extant constitution and replacing it with something very different); to serving as a major figure in the early Congress (including helping to produce a Bill of Rights), to organizing the first political party (along with Thomas Jefferson, although it took Martin Van Buren and his circle to perfect the arrangement).
   
   Wills begins by observing that there is consensus that (Page 1) ". . .Madison, though one of the nation's greatest founders, is not one of its greatest presidents." Wills suggests that one can account for this by (a) bad luck falling Madison's way (which Wills discounts); (b) his temperament (he had more legislative than executive talent--more apt an explanation in Wills' view); (c) errors (a very poor reading of the British Empire, leading to foolish foreign policy and the War of 1812).
   
   As with other in "The American Presidents" series, this begins with a brief sketch of the future president's youth, his early career, and his rise to the presidency (from the Constitutional Convention to Congress to Jefferson's Secretary of State). Trivia is included: Madison was the shortest American President ever.
   
   This represents a standard, literate Wills' work. His literary approach is as expected (what a wonderful command of the language!). The work nicely lays out why Madison was not as good a President as one might have guessed--as well as his later life.
   
   All in all, an estimable addition to this valuable series.



4. James Madison(1751 -- 1836) is revered for his role as one of our nation's Founders. Madison played a major role in organizing the Constitutional Convention, in drafting the Constitution, and in securing its ratification through cowriting "The Federalist" (with Hamilton) and through winning a difficult debate with Patrick Henry which led to the narrow ratification of the Constitution in his home state of Virginia. Madison also worked valiantly for the separation of church and state.
   
   Madison's accomplishments as the fourth President (1808 -- 1817) are less well remembered. Madison's presidency is the focus of this brief book by Garry Wills as part of the American Presidents series. Wills tries to explain why Madison's presidency was less successful that his brilliant earlier career. Wills points to Madison's provincialism, shyness, lack of executive experience, and tendencies toward idealism rather than practical politics to conclude that Madison's talents and prodigious learning made him better suited for a legislative, behind-the-scenes role than for a position as the nation's chief executive.
   
   After brief consideration of Madison's earlier accomplishments and his roles under the presidencies of Washington, Adams, and Jefferson (he was Jefferson's Secretary of State), Wills examines Madison's two terms as president. Early in his administration, Madison showed poor judgment about people in selecting his cabinet members, Supreme Court Justices, and military leaders. He also displayed weaknesses of leadership and administration in coordinating the efforts and minimizing the feuding of his subordinates. Even thought he came to see the wisdom of the Bank of the United States, (he had opposed Hamilton on the formation of the Bank) Madison foolishly allowed its charter to lapse, when any sort of endorsement on his part would likely have saved the bank in Congress. This mistake haunted Madison throughout his administration.
   
   Most of Wills's study of Madison's presidency is devoted, as it must be, to the War of 1812. If Madison's presidency is little-known, the War of 1812 remains our country's most confusing, obscure, and little understood conflict. The War had its roots in the conflict between England and Napoleon as Jefferson tried to steer clear of war. At the end of his presidency, at Madison's urging, Jefferson imposed an embargo with near disastrous results.
   
   Wills traces the complex course of events that led Madison into war. Some of these events were due to misunderstanding and to slowness of communication (Britain had repealed the Articles in Council to which the United States had taken offense in declaring war. The ship bringing the repeal to the United States crossed the Atlantic at the same time as the United States ship sailing to England with news that war had been declared.) But, Wills argues, Madison was active in bringing on the War, in part because he had grandiose visions of annexing Canada. The result was a conflict for which the United States was ill-prepared. The country had a weak army, only six frigates built during the Washington administration, no generals with military experience, and, with the end of the First Bank of the United States, no money to conduct the war. It was a harrowing conflict for the United States.
   
   The United States and Madison were fortunate to be able to end the War of 1812 without loss of territory. For Wills, Madison led the Nation into an unnecessary war for which it was ill-prepared. But Wills praises Madison for conducting the war without treading upon the constitutional rights of Americans. This was an important and difficult accomplishment which partially redeems Madison's presidency. And the United States came together as a nation following the conflict for the first time in its history.
   
   Wills's book is both more reflective and more detailed than most of the works in the American President's series. Indeed, Wills has written extensively about this period of our history. Readers of this volume may wish to turn to Wills's study "Henry Adams and the Making of America" which examines Henry Adams' monumental history of the Jefferson and Madison administrations. Wills' short study is heavily indebted to Adams's history. Ambitious readers may want to explore Adams's history of this period for themselves. It is available in a two-volume set from the Library of America.
   
   Robin Friedman



5. James Madison is often one of the least remembered founding fathers. However Madison was very important in the early years of the United States of America. Known as "the father of the Constitution" he was influential in the convention and is one of the best legislators of all-time. The book also reminds readers that George Washington asked for Madison's advice on Constitutional matters because he knew he would be setting precidents that would be followed by other holders of the Executive office.
   
   The book quickly addresses his pre-Presidential years but mostly focuses on his time in the Executive office. The book gives a good quick look at the interesting if lackluster Presidency. The war often referred to as "Mr. Madison's war" dominated his Presidency and he deserves some of the blame for beginning the war, even though the country was completely unprepared. His embargos were disasterous and left the U.S. economy in ruins for a short while.
   
   The book does a very good job at showing that Madison was a very good legislator perhaps one of the greatest in US History, but Madison was not made for the Executive office. He had the political knowledge, but lacked the size, leadership, and ability to stand up and announce what was going to happen (in an authoritative voice, perhaps because of his stature). Overall Madison was a very important man to the founding of the country although his 'flip-flops' are also shown throughout the book. Overall this is a good quick introduction to the Presidency of James Madison.

5 comments about Fire in the City: Savonarola and the Struggle for the Soul of Renaissance Florence.

1. I had read enough about Savonarola to have a vague idea as to what he was about, but this book gave me a very different perspective. Savonarola was much more complicated, and less a mad man than I had thought. The destuction of the "vanities", which was the most lamentable of all his actions from our perspective, is better understood after reading this book. Obviously, the value of the destroyed art in Savanarola's context is quite different than it is in ours, and Mr Martines made the point very well. It is a great read, full of history, and I enjoyed it very much.



2. Fire in the City is another revealed hornet's nest from Martines that picks up the thread where his previous book April Blood left off. As the title suggests, this is not an exclusive biography on Savonarola, the author casts his net wider than that detailing, in a very readable fashion, the political and social settings that were bound in with Savonarola's actions.
   
   With Lorenzo's death, Florence is at the mercy of his vain and incompetent son, Piero de Medici, whose diplomatic bungling with the invading King of France, Charles the VIII, gets him run out of town by the citizens of Florence, creating political alternatives to Medici rule. Into this anxious period of uncertainty, the searing personality of the reforming Dominican Friar, Savonarola, is catapulted.
   
   Martines shows how Savonarola's political instinct was very much in line with the Christian ethos he espoused from the pulpit, preferring a broader based franchise through the Great Council, sustained by a Republic, instead of oligarchic rule by an elite. Salvation meant not just the deliverance by redemption from the power of sin, but also preservation from tyrannical harm. Yet Savonarola's motives were not as subversive or ego driven ('vainglorious') as his inquisitors and future Medici regimes led history to believe.
   
   Martines also shows how Savonarola's prophecies, another contentious quality to his personality used against him by his enemies in Rome and elsewhere, were not far off the mark. The sack of Rome by Christian mercenaries in 1527, twenty-nine years after Savonarola's execution, seemed to vindicate much of Savonarola's visionary utterances. Was that, indeed, the scourge against the Church he claimed Charles the VIII capable of a generation earlier?
   
   Emphasising the importance of this little Dominican Friar from Ferrara who was prepared to take on Pope Alexander VI over issues of simony and moral corruption, reminds us just how much of a precursor he was to Martin Luther. His insistence on a reformed Church was not merely rhetorical either, his own example proved otherwise.
   
   No doubt Savonarola was a force to behold with his lightning bolts of apocalyptic doom. He profoundly affected Michelangelo and Botticelli who heard him speak, but Martines has stained orthodox whitewash with the blood of historical realism, showing us that Savonarola was more vital and complex and his contribution more positive, than that of just a preaching terrorist who infuriated Rome and encouraged the `bonfire of the vanities'.
   
   After reading April Blood and Fire in the City, the enigma of Florence is much better understood. We patiently wait for his next publication, to read again where it will lead.



3. Overall good
   I was hoping that there would be more on the content of the sermons of Savonarola



4. This is a book about the politics of Renaissance Florence, not a book about religion or theology. The title tells you that, and that's what Martines delivers. Martines makes it plain that he is not interested in Savonarola's theology or in religion generally, except as far as it affects politics. It is a book that will help you understand Florence.
   
   The book is thoroughly researched using documents in the original languages and is well written.
   
   For those readers who want to study the religious aspects of Savonarola's thought and life I recommnend the collection of Savonarola's sermons and other documents also available here on Amazon by putting his name in as a search term.
   
   Some of the reviews here seem to criticize Martines for not writing the book about Savonarola that they wanted to read.
   
   For example, there is a controversy among Italian historians about whether Savonarola was a proto-Protestant, a forerunner of Martin Luther. That is the kind of question that does not interest Martines and that's fine. It's his book, and well worth reading.



5. 
   Murder of a Medici Princess piqued my interest in Renaissance Italy. I selected this book because the jacket of this book says it "reads like a novel"... but it didn't. It's a tough read. If you don't have any background in this era, I recommend trying something else. The author says the book is for the general public. He also says it is not a biography, but a rendering of Florence at the time through the impact of Savonarola.
   
   I'm a general reader, I had 3 main problems in reading this book: 1) the text goes back and forth in time, 2) the absence of verbal links that could provide clarity and 3) some of the major players and events are cameos.
   
   As example of a layman's problem, on p. 80 the discussion "six bean" rule danced around the idea that a bean was a vote. Maybe the meaning of "vote" should have been obvious (it is clearly stated about 100 pages ahead) but with all the text devoted to "bean" on p. 80, I thought I was missing something bigger.
   
   Another example is that after two pages describing the pageantry and "sweet signing" of Charles VIII's entry into Florence, we learn that the residents were only "grinning and bearing it" because they were "on the brink of cataclysm". Then we learn that 2 days before (the sequence problem), 500 people met and the dominant theme was the hatred for Pietro Medici (not about the entry of Charles). When you don't have a background here, the meeting, the festivities and the "cataclysm" are hard to reconcile. You go back to reread it, but the link isn't there. Many pages later, even after reading of Charles as a liberator (which doesn't reconcile with "grin and bear") and then Savonarola as a saving the city from the French army (which doesn't reconcile with liberator), you see what might have been meant by cataclysm.
   
   I felt there was a lot more to tell. Since this is the story of Florence, and not a biography of Savonarola, some major players should not be reduced to cameos. For instance, what became of Charles VIII? The author says that the ill feeling towards Florence throughout Italy stems from their embrace of him... but he basically disappears from the text. The Medici's are frequently cited when a string is pulled, they are obviously major players, but where are they? How are they holding on to their fortune and influencing events? What of Savonarola's youth group? (It sounds like Mao's cultural revolution.) How did this large group meet? Did they convince people to surrender their "vanities" or did they take them?
   
   The author is obviously knowledgeable and has assembled a lot of information. I recommend this book for those who know something about the period, but not the "general reader".

5 comments about Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite.

1. I had a hard time putting the book down. Even though it is mostly about death, it is an important read so that we can all learn from the mistakes from others. There is also a lot of history about Yosemite that I very much appreciated.



2. Off The Wall: Death in Yosemite is a book that chronicles the history of deaths in Yosemite park in California. From hikers to swimmers to base jumpers there is no shortage of people who will do very dangerous and idiotic things in a national park. The tale is told by two park rangers, Michael Ghiglieri and Charles Farabee who, in addition to performing their normal duties, also are involved in search and rescue for climbers and hikers who have met with injury or even death. Most of these hikers and tourists are either unprepared, overzealous, or just downright stupid. Not to mention those who are blatantly suicidal. The rangers are even deputized as such to be coroners for the counties in which they work.
   The book is extremely detailed and well written. The stories range from comical to ironic to sad and eventually to gruesome and diabolical. There is no shortage of ways to die in Yosemite: wading in rivers with dangerous flows just above fatal waterfalls seems to be the most idiotic. There are: car accidents, failed parachutes of base jumpers, wall climbers who fall, lost hikers, ice climbers, goring animals, bears, mules, suicides and homicides. The book spells them all out.
   There is even the tale of a lost hiker on whom hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars was spent in a hopeless search and rescue only to discover the person had merely hiked a few yards out of sight of his wife, turned around and was found years later alive and well and living in Maine. He had faked his disappearance to leave his wife!
   You will enjoy this book. It's easy to put down and pick right up agin from where you left off as the body count mounts.



3. This book is not nearly as well written as is its sister book Over the Edge: Death in the Grand Canyon. After reading the latter I was looking forward to a similar bit of prose in Yosemite. Yosemite has its moments but there is a bit too much detail on the work of the rangers (authors). Had the book been a 100 or more pages less it might have rivaled the Grand Canyon book. My guess is that Yosemite would have been much better had there been some quality editing.



4. This was a book I just couldn't put down. It was absolutely awesome. From bad luck to dumb luck to out and out vicious deaths, the stories of deaths in the park were facinating. It's definately a must read and ranks in the top 5 of any book I've ever read.



5. Other reviews competently summarize the book, so I will not do so myself.
   
   I found the book to be addicting. I am not an avid reader. I just don't have time. (Or make time.) On our yearly trips to Yosemite last year, I saw this at the Information Center, started reading a story here and there and left regretting not buying it. This year I purchased it and could not keep it down. I even reread the stories I read last year because it is so fascinating!
   
   Ghilieri and Farabee do such a great job of walking the fine line of writing this book for the purpose of educating and not sensationalizing the material, which would be quite easy to do. As a previous comment noted, there aren't a lot of "gory" explicit details, but enough to get a sense of the enormity of the incidents.
   
   At the beginning of each chapter there usually is a story about an incident with a "happy" ending concerning the theme of the chapter. ("Happy" in that the people involved actually survived, perhaps with severe injuries.) Without self-control, it is almost impossible to put the book down in that when one story is concluded, another pulls you in.
   
   I disagree with the two low-scoring comments posted about clichés and wordy narrative. I didn't experience many clichés nor did I notice many repeated phrases. If there were, I ask how would you expect someone to write about hundreds of deaths--all a result of stupidity--in one book without repeating oneself? I disagree completely with the complaint about the excessive narrative as Farabee's insight as a Search and Rescue personnel adds tremendously from not only his analysis but occasionally even his first-hand account.
   
   As a parent and a teacher, I believe this book should be required reading (especially that of males) to learn the book's valuable lesson, not only as it applies to Yosemite or any natural wonder, but to life in general.

5 comments about Dinner with Mugabe: The Untold Story of a Freedom Fighter who Became a Tyrant.

1. Although Heidi Holland met Mugabe only a couple of times, she still provides some good interviews and insights into Mugabe. He has unfortunately proved to be one of the worst leaders of the past couple of decades. Look at the results of his presidency--100,000% inflation, massive food shortages and an 80% unemployment rate. Zimbabwe is an embarrassment to Africa and it didn't have to be that way. Here's a detailed critique of what went wrong, where it went wrong and who is responsible. Mugabe is an intriguing figure because he began his career largely heralded by everyone as a freedom fighter like Nelson Mandela. To see how tragically it turned out, leaves many questions; it's a void Holland is clearly trying to fill.
   
   Holland writes well--the words are fluid and vivid and so it's easy to see how her years of reporting for the BBC, the Guardian and many other reputable news organizations has helped. The book is broken into 15 chapters with an index and bibliography for further reading. I do have one complaint, that I wish this were written by someone who had spent more time with Mugabe instead of relying mostly on interviews and a couple of brief encounters with him.
   
   However, I am glad this book was written and even more glad that it was published in America! I heard Heidi interviewed on the BBC and was dismayed that the book was available for sale only in South Africa. (Note: The book was rushed into production here so the British grammar remains. IE: magnetised instead of magnetized.) Yes, we are interested in the subject here too and are horrified by the still unfolding tragedy of Zimbabwe. If only there was something more we could do to help, but what?



2. This is a very interesting book and a poignant reminder of how Zimbabwe could have been a success story. The author is familiar with the history through her life as a radical and supporter of black rule in Rhodesia when she, and her husband a surgeon, lived in Ian Smith's outlaw colony. She interviews people who knew Mugabe well and then corrects their misrepresentations from her own knowledge. This is a very valuable technique and, with a man as private as Mugabe has always been, is as close as we will get to the inside story.
   
   Robert Mugabe was a studious child, educated by Jesuits and abandoned by his father at an early age. His mother, something of a mystic, was always convinced that he had a special destiny. The author describes Mugabe's mother, Bona, as "a cold, stern nun of a mother."(page 7) He has been emotionally crippled all his life although, with his first wife Sally, a flamboyant and colorful Ghanaian teacher, he had a loving and loyal marriage. She is described by some of the interviewees as warm but by others as imperious and corrupt.
   
   There is a very interesting interview with Mary Churchill Soames, Winston Churchill's younger daughter and wife of the last colonial governor of Rhodesia. Lord Soames became very close to Mugabe who, in a moment of truth just before the election of 1980, which put him in power, asked Soames to stay on for a lengthy transition period to help rule the country. "And Mugabe then said, 'I want you to stay because I need to be able to talk to somebody. I don't know anything about governing a country and none of my people do either.'" Soames told him that it would be impossible and Mugabe was on his own. When Lord Soames died, Mugabe and his wife arrived at Lady Soames' home uninvited to attend his funeral. This was an example of the rare personal empathy that Mugabe could establish with certain people.
   
   There is also a chapter on Denis Norman, a wealthy white farmer who had no interest in politics but who was prevailed upon by Mugabe to take several ministries to solve problems created by incompetent members of his cabinet. Here was another white man trusted by Mugabe, who insisted on European dress by all his ministers and who emulated English manners and education. In fact, the author comments that his education policies (similar to those in India, in my opinion) left the country with too many white collar workers clamoring for government jobs and not enough auto mechanics and other technical trades.
   
   Unfortunately, in another of the disastrous mistakes made by almost everyone in Zimbabwe, the white voters supported former dictator Ian Smith's party in the legislature, enraging Mugabe who had actually treated them quite fairly, even allowing Smith, who had imprisoned him, to live freely in the country and to seek office and serve in parliament. This was a serious mistake, compounded by Mugabe who then dismissed Denis Norman from his post as Agriculture Minister. He told Norman that the whites had chosen to treat him as a black and he would reciprocate, although he later called on Norman again and again to solve problems.
   
   The story continues to 2000, when Mugabe was losing his power to a new generation and was besieged by "war veterans" while he watched white farmers donate checks to his political opponent on television. The result was the disastrous occupation of the commercial farms and the descent of Zimbabwe to ruin. It seems to me, after reading this book, that Mugabe is no more in control of his country than is Assad of Syria. Both are basically run by warlords and secret police.
   
   The book is excellent and the lesson to me is that there were many opportunities for a happy, or at least happier, ending. Mugabe is an educated man, if emotionally stunted, and he did reach out to some of his white opponents for help early on. Some helped him and became friends. Many of the white residents foolishly voted for his enemies and fed his paranoia. I don't know what the chances for success in Zimbabwe were originally, but it seems that everything that could go wrong, did so. This is a very well written account of what happened. He is a monster now, but he wasn't always.



3. The writer starts with a mysterious dinner that she was not invited to in her own home. The mystery guest is Mugabe prior to his leap to power. Holland also states how she nearly lost her job by putting Mugabe's photo on the front page of a magazine that she was writing for. She ends with a recount of her last interview with Mugabe with only several questions that she asked him (including "Did you ever love someone?" His response was, "I must have. I have married twice.")
   
   Facts are missing in "Dinner with Mugabe." "Mugabe" by Martin Meredith outlines the facts behind the corruption of Mugabe's administration, including within his family. Holland talks (repeatedly and over many, many pages) about her accusation that Mugabe began to lose his moral compass when his first wife died-even though he had already had two children by his current wife when his first wife died.
   
   It's a poorly written book with very hard hitting few facts that you couldn't get from various websites.
   
   Save your money and buy "Mugabe" by Martin Meredith



4. A great account of Rhodesian politics and Robert Mugabe's era. Fascinating to read the events of the past and know that he's still in power - the story is still being told.
   
   The author's approach of analyzing Mugabe's behavior, uncovering & discussing the 'motivators' that are the root cause of his acts, is very well done.



5. With apologies to the above reviewer for twisting her review title, I agree with portions of the review. I found the book seemed to be an attempted psychoanalysis of Mugabe. Perhaps this would be a good idea by a professional psychiatrist or social worker but not from a journalist. For example at one point the author condemns Mugabe's immaturity for ordering his cabinet members to wear suits and ties to their meetings rather than t-shirts and other casual wear. The author states that due to Mugabe's immaturity and insecurity that he cannot be innovative and allow "traditional African wear" (combat fatigues and t-shirts!) I would assume that Mugabe only wanted to emphasize the serious nature of a cabinet meeting. When the author interviews Mugabe she does ask good questions relevant to the changes that have taken place over Mugabe's reign in Zimbabawe but again, in addition to quoting his remarks she then psychoanalyzes nearly every utterance. There are many other examples like this in the book.
   
   Other than that repeating annoyance the book was quite good. Heidi Holland has constructed a biography of Mugabe that provides insight into his seemingly nonsensical change from a visionary, pro-democratic leader into his current destructive tyranny. The book was filled with information on what caused Mugabe's change over the years and contains many interviews with relatives, co-workers, mentors, political friends and enemies and I felt it was a very worthwhile read for that reason despite the psychoanalytical shortcomings.

1 comments about To My Children's Children.

1. If you grew up in the rural outskirts of South Africa, you'll definitely enjoy this one! It is so real, it felt as if I was reading about my life. The way she writes keeps one turning the pages...btw this was my first book to read right to the last page!

1 comments about Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt.

1. As a starting point for learning about Cleopatra, this is a great book. However, if you want to go beyond the basics and what was reported by historians two thousand years ago, I would buy Cleopatra: A Biography by Michael Grant. Grant's book examines Cleopatra's life on a deeper level and with more speculation as to whether this and that might have happened, whereas Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt reports speculation as fact and doesn't examine all facets of disputed events (such as her suicide). Overall, a good book, although given my vast readings on ancient Rome, I do question some of the facts, such as what became of Cleopatra's two surviving sons with Mark Antony.

5 comments about Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution.

1. Webber explains as she only can why Marie Antoinette and her wardrobe continue to fascinate us in the 21st century.



2. I bought this upon reading the recommendations. I've read some of the other books mentioned and loved them. This one, not so much. For me, it seemed somewhat like a text book. I didn't finish it.



3. Wonderful new viewpoint on the age old subject of Marie Antonette. She never really said "Let them eat cake..." but she did a lot of other interesting things!



4. I found this book to be a fantastic read! Out of the many, this is the book I chose to read first when I became interested in Marie. Caroline Weber did a beautiful job destroying (if you will) old stereotypes that are associated with this woman.
   One reviewer stated," Not sure whether it wants to be a biography or fashion."
   I respectfully disagree. I'm not sure you can have one without the other. I'm very pleased that I chose this book to be my first. It made me want to know more about this courageous woman as well as the fashion of the 18th century, the French Revolution, and all who were involved.
   Just recently I pick this book up from my shelf, dusted it off and decided to read it again, only to realize that there were things that I had either dismissed or forgotten, and am now studying them further.
   
   All in all, a fascinating and fast paced bitter sweet telling of how fashion and Marie Antoinette are intricately entwined.
   A must read for those who are just starting to learn about her as well as the seasoned expert.



5. I was very impressed with this book and how the author was able to blend historical fact with the fashions of the time. This book ties in well with The Journey as well as with the Marie Antoinette movie. I would highly recommend checking this book out.

5 comments about Patriot Pirates: The Privateer War for Freedom and Fortune in the American Revolution.

1. I am halfway through and may not finsih it.
   It is interesting to see all the conflict-of-interest and outsourcing war profiteering scams were just as prevalent in 1777 as 2007, if not more so. Some things never change.
   There is way too much review of correspondance and obscure contracting issues and almost NOTHING from the point-of-view of the actual privateers. If you are looking for action, look elsewhere.



2. This was very enlightening for me. I got a totally new sense of the down-and-dirty Revolutionary world. There are ocean battles in it, but if that's all you're looking for there are probably other books to go to. This one has a much wider scope that includes business, naval strategy, politics, even the slave trade. It features an array of high and low characters, and most of them aren't household names, which I thought was a good thing but others may disagree. I think the storytelling is really artful and smooth, because in a pretty short narrative it presents all sorts of scenes from Massachusetts to the Caribbean to Paris and London, but it weaves them together well, and then it ends with a couple of teenage seamen whose adventures capture the suffering, persistence, and sheer guts of the American patriots. This book turned out to be a much more significant portrayal of history than I'd thought when I first bought it.



3. I got this for my son and read it myself first. I learned things different from anything I have heard before. Some are slimy colonial characters but many just trying to get ahead like everyone. I liked how the stories came together and connect the characters and action together at the end. There was just enough money talk to be interesting but not boring. If I hear people talk about the revolution and not mention sea events in the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean then I'll know they didn't read this book.



4. Make no mistake, the topic of this history is NOT privateering, but rather profiteering. I say this not to discourage readers from choosing this book, but to better inform them. If your interest lies in naval history or even commercial history, look elsewhere.
   
   That said, Patton brings forth an interesting overview of the intermingling of personal, business, and patriotic motivations that made the American Revolution possible in terms of finances and supplies. To that end, this history sheds light into the murky dealings of a few of the more important and lesser known revolutionary financiers.
   
   However, I cannot help but feel intentionally mislead by the author and the publishers. By attempting to portray this book as something that it is not, they have diminished a solid history on an interesting topic.



5. In Patriot Pirates, Robert H. Patton tells the story of the American privateers in the Revolution. The book covers the entire war from Boston to Yorktown. American merchants armed hundreds of small ships to interdict the British maritime supply lines. Patton illustrates how patriotism and business came together in the privateers.
   
   I read this book along with two other works, George Washington's Secret Navy (James L. Nelson) and If By Sea (George Daughan). Nelson's book recounts the the Siege of Boston (June 1775 to March 1776) when Washington took over the nascent Continental Army and quickly realized that he didn't have the assets to do more that continue the siege. He proceeded to arm several small schooners to interdict the British maritime supply lines. These five ships were the beginning of American maritime operations which eventually included the Continental Navy and privateers in an Atlantic campaign. Daughan's concentrates on the US Navy from 1775 to 1815. Together with Patton's book, this is a full history of Early American sea power.
   
   I'd add the following works for a library on this subject:
   
   Frederick C. Leiner The End of Barbary Terror
   Richard Zacks The Pirate Coast
   Ian W. Toll Six Frigates
   A. B. C. Whipple To the Shores of Tripoli
   John R. Elting Amateurs, To Arms!
   
   
   
   In the past year I've read several excellent books about pirates and privateers.
   My interest was originally sparked in 1995 with David Cordingly's "Under the Black Flag" because this book pictured the privateers/pirates as sea-going guerrillas.
   
   The 3 books mentioned above have one flaw. They don't provide any context for American attitudes toward privateers, smugglers, etc. The American coastal communities were very familiar with privateers and their business. Until the Seven Years War (French and Indian War) few Royal Navy ships came to North America. American's were used to doing for themselves, and making a profit therein.
   
   When the Revolution came, Americans were ready to bring the "fight" to the enemy. If this activity mostly involved taking merchant ships as prizes, so much the better.
   
   The following are worth reading:
   Peter Earle Pirate Wars
   The Sack of Panama
   Stephan Talty Empire of Blue Water
   Benerson Little The Sea Rover's Practice
   The Buccaneer's Realm
   Colin Woodard The Republic of Pirates
   Together these works cover piracy from the late 16th to the early 19th Century.

5 comments about The Civil War Diary Quilt: 121 Stories and The Quilt Blocks They Inspired.

1. I really enjoyed the stories, just wish that there were more. Good book for quilter's who like to take patterns and recreate them in EQ6 or other software to print out hard copy patterns. You could trace and draw out patterns in the book and do English paper-piecing too.



2. This is a great thick book of blocks that coincide with letters from the Civil War period. A group of us made quilts from this book. ITs a keeper.



3. This is a lovely book but not as good as i thought it would be. I have wanted it for over one year and now that I have it, realise I could live without it. The illustrations and overall appeal ie. colour, setout and feel are lacking. Not a really appealing book in my opinion. Overall it is a lack-lustre offering. Some good facts re: real life stories from the Civil War however.



4. I collect quilt history books and "The Civil War Diary Quilt" book is an excellent addition to my collection. The diairies are priceless pieces of our nation's history and I feel an emotional attachment to each one of the writers. The title of this book is misleading, however, because the main theme is not a quilt pattern, but the fantastic collection of diaries. Don't get this book if you want patterns - buy it for the wonderful history.



5. This was a very interesting book. I find this time in our history rich. The stories are compelling and touching. I have become interested in quilts of this era and have began to do some piecing that reflect this period I was very excited to find this book for its patterns as well as it rich historical content.

5 comments about Patton: A Genius for War.

1. Patton is often described as "controversial". To those who have never fought in war, or perhaps even just engaged in competitive sports, or who otherwise have only a sort of normal, everyday idea about how people ought to act, I suppose he is: Arrogant, sometimes outwardly cruel, demanding, competitive, a taskmaster, single-minded, agressive, angry, all the rest. I've never fought in war, but I've played my share of competitive sports (a paltry parallel, but the best I can do). In sports, everyone (if they're lucky) had a coach like this somewhere along the way, and they most likely took more lessons away from that man or woman than all the colorless middle-of-the-roaders combined. They most likely achieved things under that person's direction that they didn't know they had the capacity to do. They most likely recall details about that person many years later, after they've forgotten most of the others. When the old team-mates get together, that's who most of the stories are about (many told as being funny, now - not so at the time).
   
   To me, that's Patton: An American original who just barely escaped being a bombastic buffoon. He avoided that fate and scaled the heights of history because he was a born leader of men - one who either broke them (rarely), or got the best out of them (much more often); because he knew his business inside-out; because he worked at it day and night; and most of all, because finally, he WON.
   
   I think that this intensely personal essence is what is most completely captured in this book. It fills in many of the overlooked or understated details from the well-known George C. Scott movie, and adds much new material besides. An excellent book, worthy not only as a war biography, but as a study of what it honestly takes to do REALLY well at any endeavor in life.



2. I for one, certainly do not agree with Alistair Horne's phrase,"Revisionism at best" with regards to this book.
   As mentioned by earlier reviewers, Carlos D'Estes book traces the Patton family history to soldiers in earlier times. That General Patton was influenced by these family heroes is without doubt. In fact, it explains a lot about the man's sense of destiny, responsibility, and continual need to excel at whatever he attempted.
   More than a quick sketch of a complex man, this is a biography worth reading and studying.
   Patton was one of his kind.
   An invaluable book to anyone seeking to understand Patton on and off the battlefield.
   Well written, I couldn't put it down.



3. This is by far the most comprehensive and enjoyable biography I've read on General Patton. Mr. D'Este has painstakingly recorded the entire life of one of the greatest battlefield commanders in history. As the New York Times Review states "...he neither damns nor beautifies his subject". There's no better way to sum up this work. It's brilliant and fair. I'm looking forward to the author's new book on Winston Churchill that should be arriving this year.



4. I had never read anything regarding General Patton, but after having watched the movie "Patton" again, I went to find the best biography of Patton available. I read many of them, but BY FAR, this is the best available. A work of biographical art: reveals the humanity of Patton the warrior, and reviews his place in history without prejudice.
   
   Sincerely recommended to everyone who wishes to read an excellent biography of General George S. Patton.



5. I've been facinated by history since grade school and just fell in love with this book. Patton was an amazing character and one of those rare individuals that only comes along every hundred years or so.
   
   This book is very long, but gives as complete a biographical picture of Gen Patton as possible. It details his entire life, from childhood through WW1 and WW2 all the way until his untimely death. Sadly his career was constantly derailed by lesser gifted generals like Ike or Bradley. If you are a history buff or Patton fan, then this book is for you.