No comments about The Life and Correspondence of Admiral Sir Charles Napier, K. C. B: From personal recollections, letters, and official documents. Volume 2.

No comments about Age of Justinian: The Circumstances of Imperial Power (Roman Imperial Biographies).

No comments about Queen Victoria (Pitkin Guides).

2 comments about For God, Country, and the Thrill of It: Women Airforce Pilots in World War II (Charles and Elizabeth Prothro Texas Photography Series).

1. Author Anne Noggle is a veteran of the Women's Air Service Pilots (WASP), organized during World War ll to free male aviators from non-combat duties. American women flew every type of fighter and bomber, from the nimble P-38 Lightning to the massive B-17 "Flying Fortress". They ferried warplanes from factory to front, and helped train young men in flying and targeting. And in September 1944, WASP Anne Baumgartner test-piloted the American prototype jet-fighter, the YP-59A Airacomet. This big, glossy book contains a brief history of the WASP and narrative of their training, accompanied by large, high-quality black-and-white photos of the youthful aviators and their airplanes. Their pride of service is evident in their smiling faces and the praise from military leaders such as Generals Arnold and Eisenhower. Their bittersweet sorrow at their post-war deactivation is described poignantly. They continue to meet annually, and the book concludes with a series of more recent photos of the women, as they appeared in the early 90's. Members of the WASP have attended as guest of honor at the yearly reunions of Russian female WWll combat-aviators. (Ms. Noggle has also authored the marvelous book of interviews and photos of veterans of the Soviet women's air-regiments, entitled "A Dance With Death".) Note: while very attractive, "For God, Country, and the Thrill of It" seems somewhat high-priced for what is basically a coffee-table photo-album. The book is really a personal tribute to Ms. Noggle's comrades. For superior text coverage of the WASP, read "Amelia Earhart's Daughters".



2. The previous review covers the book thoroughly and well, but I have to add how entranced I was by the recent photos of the women. You can see in their eyes, their faces, and their posture that they are something special. The previous reviewer called this a high-priced coffee table book and recommended another title for more extensive information about the WASPs, but if you want to understand the heart and soul of these women, spend some time with these photos.

5 comments about Frederick the Great: King of Prussia.

1. Once again, David Fraser, author of 'Knight's Cross: A Life of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel' has produced another masterful biography. This beautifully told story of Frederick the Great is an outstanding account of a great military leader. You can certainly feel that Fraser has a love for this subject, even when Frederick has committed a terrible blunder the author tends to put the best light on the event as possible. This is one of the best biographies I have read on Frederick the Great and superior to most that have been available to date. In over 700 pages the author tells the story of Frederick, his conflict with his father, his love for the arts, his role as a military commander, as a King, a diplomat, as the creator of the great Prussian Army.

   The author's accounts of the battles fought by Frederick are excellent and you can understand why Fraser has such a deep respect for this man. There are many accounts of Frederick leading his troops in the thick of the fighting. Losing horses under him, his aids and Generals being killed alongside him, bullet holes through his clothing. This is a commander who led from the front. Fraser also shows the many mistakes made by Frederick which led to some of the bloodiest and costliest battles in Europe during this period. After reading of some of these battles you wonder why his men followed him into others, but they did and that is what stands out about this man. He actually cared for his troops, his people and his country.

   This is a great story and covers all aspects of Frederick. I believe that the maps could have been a bit more detailed but they were good enough to follow the narrative. In all 18 maps were supplied and they assisted the reader in following the battles and movements of Frederick and his armies. The story flowed along smoothly and it was a joy to read, time slipped by effortlessly as Fraser helped you look into the man that was 'Frederick the Great'. I have no hesitation in recommending this book to anyone who enjoys a great history book. Well done to the author.




2. Frederick, King of Prussia, indisputably the greatest general/statesman of the eighteenth century, is also in many ways a more attractive warlord than some of his peers. Unlike Napoleon, he actually left his country in much better shape when he departed office than when he assumed it. Unlike Alexander - and numerous others of that ilk - he didn't murder folks he didn't like. Unlike Gustavus, he isn't associated with Protestant militarism. He was artistic, well-read and reasonably tolerant, by the standards of the day, and a sometime friend of Voltaire. In many ways his military and diplomatic expertise was self-taught - he could be said to be the last of the great "amateurs." Such is the portrait painted by Lord Fraser, who sidesteps discussion of the more intriguing questions about Frederick's private life, and struggles gallantly to excuse the great crime of Alter Fritz's career, the Partitions of Poland. And for all the German-language dropouts among us, a final consolation: Frederick's first tongue was French, and he hardly ever spoke German, a language he greatly disdained.



3. For the most part, this book could have been written a hundred years ago.

   To give it its due, it is quite readable and provides a clear, lengthy, detailed narrative of Frederick's diplomatic activities and military campaigns. (There is some virtue to making the reader spend a few hours on the Seven Years War, rather than whipping through it in a few pages. Part of its dynamic and importance is that it was a very long war.)

   I'm not sure who will really enjoy this book, though. Casual readers will find it way too long. Serious historians will be very disappointed by its narrow focus and its inattention to the massive body of scholarship on Frederick and Prussia during his reign. (The bibilography is grossly inadequate.) Even military buffs will want to know more about the organization of the various combatants and the important battles fought by Frederick's armies (including those of his allies and those he did not personally participate in).

   The treatment of military and diplomatic matters lacks meaningful context. The military history is battles and campaigns; diplomatic history is Frederick's letters to his ambassadors and his fellow rulers and relatives. There really is no broader understanding of the larger context of how diplomacy and warfare related to the society within which it was located, how they affected the relationship between that society and the state that governed it. This is creaky old diplomatic history as a chess game played by monarchs.

   I did a lot of 18th-century European history in college, so much
   of this was a story I've heard before, and one that I like. For some newcomers, it might be overwhelming; for others it will seem relatively pointless.




4. "It wasn't the army that protected Prussia for seven years: It was Frederick the Great." - Napoleon.

   Frederick the Great is undoubtedly one of the most elusive characters of the 18th century: like Napoleon, historians and biographers will have to duke it out for a few more centuries before we can accurately assess who he was and what kind of ruler, and man, he was. Unlike Napoleon, he doesn't get a whole lot of attention (oddly enough, because hes been overshadowed by Napoleon). Who was Frederick? A philospher-prince, a diplomatic genius of the Enlightenment -- or a monster, an aggressor who tore apart continental Europe for his own ambitions on no legality other than "... he could" ? Obviously, the answer is likely neither. Since German unification under the Great Elector, Frederick has been seen, most unfairly, as the root of militarist Germany that dominated Europe in the period of 1870-1945. Most modern biographies focus heavily on rehabilitating his reputation, as this one does.

   This isn't a very good biography in most regards: it is highly readable and written well, but it lacks in greater research and insight. Sir David Fraser, himself a military man, writes most uncritically about a man he clearly regards very highly. The account is bordering on obsequious. Nevertheless, we can be blessed that, because the biography is so old-fashioned, it spairs us the sensationalism of "psychological speculation," limiting the discussion of Frederick's sexuality and the other rumors of the period to a few pages.

   I give this biography four stars for its outstanding military edge. With helpful maps of key battles, Fraser explains the events with the clarity that only an old military man could write with. Military administration is also handled extremely well. No small thing, the biography is well worth the read for this alone.

   Not a great biography, but it has its strengths.




5. Fraser is reasonably clear and informative. This account is replete with important details such as troop strength and casualty numbers after battles, as well as economic data updated to current values (as of publication).
   
   Fraser also does an effective job at conveying important political developments without digressing too far into the extraneous, especially in regard to European dynastic family/political ties. The greatest strength of this work is that the chronology is straightforward and well explained. Therefore it is an excellent general reference for that era in Prussian history.
   
   Unfortunately for those well versed on the sublime greatness of Frederick II you may not find anything new. Also Fraser consistently uses allusions and references in French and German without always explaining them, which may be tantalizing to some.

1 comments about The Wordsworth Book of the Kings & Queens of Britain (Wordsworth Reference) (Wordsworth Reference).

1. This particular reference of the Kings and Queens of Britain provides 2-3 page autobiographies of each monarch from a complete chapter dedicated to the Saxon Kings, and from William the Conqueror to George VI. It provides a breakdown of the eight dynasties that has been seated on the throne from 1066 to 1952 along with detailed family trees for each dynasty. The book also provides detailed maps so the reader can get a visual idea of how Britain was created from the Norman Conquest 1067-72, The Dominions of Henry II Plantagenet 1154-89, to the Hundred Years' War, the War of the Roses, and the Civil War. This reference also has a chapter on Irish kings and a chapter on Scotish kings as well. This reference is good for people who just want a little overview of each king or queen of Britain. For anything deeper, I suggest an individual autobiography for each monarch.

No comments about Year of the Princess.

2 comments about In the House of Muhammad Ali: A Family Album, 1805-1952.

1. Published soon after Prince Hassan’s death, this entertaining collection of personal memories and family reminisces gives shape to an often misunderstood and much maligned period of Egyptian history and its ruling family.

   Told in a chatty, familiar - almost gossipy - style with plenty of black and white photographs, this work provides insight into a past of privilege that survives today in the memory of a select few. Surprisingly little information is available about a royal family that was counted among the wealthiest in the world.

   It is the trend for current Egyptian literature to shun recording anything remotely positive about the Muhammad Ali family. However, their accomplishments and failures did help to shape this ancient country that still struggles for its own identity today. It is an important look at a period in history through a different perspective.

   A note to potential travelers to Egypt. With patience, one can still visit some of the royal palaces, in a neglected state open to tourists, or a few good hotels.




2. Published soon after Prince Hassan's death, this entertaining collection of personal memories and family reminisces gives shape to an often misunderstood and much maligned period of Egyptian history and its ruling family.

   Told in a chatty, familiar - almost gossipy - style with plenty of black and white photographs, this work provides insight into a past of privilege that survives today in the memory of a select few. Suprisingly, little information is available about a royal familty that was once counted among the wealthiest in the world.

   It is the trend in current Egyptian literature to shun recording anything remotely positive about the Muhammed Ali family. However, their accomplishments and failures did help to shape this ancient country that still struggles for its own identity today. It is an important - informal - look at a period in history through a different perspective.

   A note to potential travelers to Egypt. With patience, one can still visit some of the royal palaces Prince Hassan mentions, although in a neglected state or converted into modern hotels.

5 comments about Diana: The Secret Years.

1. When I first heard about this book I thought what a load of rubbish, but since it has been written, far too many people have come forward and confirmed everything that Ms. Simmons had been the first to write about. Leading world figures and close friends of Diana have spoken out in TV interviews and other books about the Princess, which now gives this book total credibility and shows it to be 100% truthful. All the facts about Diana's private life have been revealed here and it's very sad that so few people appreciated this book when it was first written.

   The fact is that this book is the story of a friendship between two women who shared many emotional experiences, helped each other and grew together - despite obvious class differences. The way in which Ms. Simmons remembers Diana is very touching indeed. She was obviously a true friend whom I believe Diana did ask to write a book and "tell it like it is".




2. I had vowed never to read, much less buy, another book about Diana, but I read the excerpts and decided I wanted to read more.

   The author tells us about the problems Diana had in her everyday life in a matter-of-fact way. She is not overly sympathetic, but relates what happened. Unfortunately she was one of the friends/helpers Diana had turned away from by the time of her death and Ms. Simmons describes why. I think if the accident hadn't happened they'd have made up by now.

   This book doesn't praise or bash a very sad and mixed-up young woman. I would recommend it to anyone interested in Diana.




3. I own practically every book ever written about Diana, Princess of Wales, but I think this has to be the most interesting account ever written. I loved it - it's very well-written, very insightful into her personality, and contains information I had never known before. It truly does explore "the secret years" of Diana's life in the 1990s. As a healer and close friend of Diana's, Simone Simmons had access to knowledge and personal details of Diana's life. But rather than seeing this account as a betrayal, I see it rather as a healer's insight into a unique personality. Much of what is written here is a healer's psychoanalysis of Diana's mind. I continue to be a great fan of Princess Diana's and am thrilled to have come across this book. You won't be able to put it down!



4. This is the biggest load of trash I have ever read. A complete fabrication by the author IMO. I'm just glad Diana is not around to read this utter rubbish.



5. What an under rated book this is. I've just finished reading it, after Paul Burrell's book in which he speaks so well of Miss Simmons' friendship with Princess Diana. Although I'd heard of the book, but not Ms. Simmons, I took Burrell's mention of her as a recommendation.

   I was surprised that some of the so-called "new" revelations in our newspapers and on our TV, were first written about in this book which was published in 1998.

   I found this a genuine and very warm account of a close personal friendship between the author and the Princess. I'm just sorry I never read this earlier.

3 comments about Queen Victoria's Descendants.

1. Queen Victoria's Descendants lists every known descendant of the queen as of the date of writing. It's a good starting point for those interested in royal history and a valuable reference work for historians and royal genealogists, but it's also an eye-opener for those who think Victoria's descendants are all rich, idle jet-setters.

   I strongly recommend this book.




2. If all you want is names and dates, then _Burke's Guide to the Royal Family_ is a better, more detailed source. But if you want more juice, the slightly gossipy chapters of this book -- one chapter per family group -- are informative and well-illustrated, and filled with odd tidbits . . . such as the fact that Queen Margarethe of Denmark is an artist who has designed her country's Christmas seals and also illustrated an edition of _The Lord of the Rings._



3. If you are wondering where Victoria's descendants are, this is the book for you. It is in two parts. The first part focuses on the families with many pictures from the author's own collection. The second part focuses on the genealogical information. The format is lucid and newcomers should have no trouble following the family lines. I highly recommend this book. It is a great addition to anyone's royal or historical library.