4 comments about The Making of a Radical: A Political Autobiography (Good Life Series).

1. Many people try to live keeping their conviction. However it is difficult to keep it and it is even not easy to have a right conviction. Scott Nearing was the sociologist who practiced the right things that he believed and lived all his life as a naturalist. He lived for true convictions. After reading this book, I reflected my past. At least I think, it could be fortunate to have a opportunity to think of our spiritual slackening in the midst of material prosperity. I recommend this autobiography.



2. Each human being's life is itself of great value and meaning.
   And so, life should be lived just as life itself, not as a means for other doctrines or propaganda. No one is expendable.
   The author also gives a sharp insight into monetary economy in which we live in. Day after day we are getting subject to the Lord of Money, and money becomes our Lord.
   So parodoxically, the more money one make, the more subject to money we get.That's absurd.
   This book shares much in common with 'To have or To Be' by Erich Fromm.
   The author is a real humanist, who wanted every living being live the life as it deserves. Not being deceived by the illusions that we meet in our daily lives.
   I really want to recommend this book to all those who looks upon all living beings as a united One, each not a separate pieces of life against life.



3. This book gives a person an idea about how the controlling forces in America will supress someone that tries to help the lower classes.
   
   In Nearing's early career he spoke out about child labor, and was hated on by the controlling forces at that time. Only time would tell how right he was. Yet he spent his entire career being shunned away from the universities which he wished to teach at, just because he would not shut up when he cared about something.
   
   The greatest part of this book, to me, was that Nearing talks about "avoiding wealth" and "narrowly avoiding getting rich"... as if it is a disease or something. He never aspired to become rich, in fact he purposely stopped anything of the sort from happening.
   
   Nearing sets an excellent example of someone that tries to help out, never gives up, and cannot be silenced. When he turned 100 he stopped eating and CHOSE to die, believing that he had lived a full life and did not deserve any more of the earth's resources.
   
   Now, if that doesn't make you think, what does.



4. Scott and Helen Nearing are familiar to many of my post-WWII peers because of their figurehead status in the back-to-the-land movement in the 60s. Their homestead experience as reported in LIVING THE GOOD LIFE provided a blueprint for many city folk who wanted to follow Joni Mitchell's Woodstock admonition to "get back to the land and set my soul free." Scott Nearing's earlier life was far from invisible, however, and in this work he explains his journey from a childhood of conservative privilege to the forefront of pacifist, socialist economic theorizing and activism. Along the way you will relive his public and popular debates with the likes of William Jennings Bryan and H.L. Mencken, his expulsion from teaching at the prestigious Wharton School of Business. (which became and remains a landmark in the struggle for academic freedom), and his federal trial for publication of anti-American opinion (not-guilty). Though Nearing is sometimes disappointingly uncritical of the Soviet and Chinese experiments with socialism, that does not diminish his clear-eyed critique of our own system. In his view, capitalism replaced feudalism over a period of three hundred years, and the system which replaces our current one of "monopoly-capitalism" will be a similarly gradual process. Communism's failures are to be expected, he believes, because they are an early attempt at a reorganization of human endeavor -- and he reminds us of the horrors of early capitalism (slavery, child labor, sweatshops, violent suppression of unions, etc.), as well as the wars fought to make the world safe for capitalism. This is the story of an intentional life, lived by a profound thinker. You will bid goodbye to Nearing either furious, or inspired, but definitely not unmoved. Whither humanity?

5 comments about Edward M. Kennedy: A Biography.

1. The best senator in Congress... and Clymer explains exactly why it is so. A flawed man, who by hard work and diligence, becomes an excellent representative and spokesman for the highest ideals of the republic. An outstanding biography, a story you need to know.



2. Adam Clymer's biography on Edward M. Kennedy is monumental: the result of fastidious research and decades-long stint writing for both the New York Times and Baltimore Sun. What is so skillfully articulated here is a sober account of the Senator's long, strange trip -- from childhood days, under the shadow of older brothers, Jack and Bobby; to the tragedy at Chappaquiddick, effectively incinerating any dreams of securing the Oval Office; to his resurgence as one of the most influential and powerful political leaders in American history.

   Edward M. Kennedy: A Biography, is what Mr. Clymer achieves. There are no speculations, conspiracy theories, or interviews with shady "informants"; only an astute biography of a man who is as brilliant and perseverant a leader as he is controversial and complicated a human.




3. He was the "last" brother, the Kennedy who, despite a (mostly) sterling reputation and record in the Senate, will never become president. And so we are delivered yet another Kennedyana kernel, this one by "New York Times" reporter Adam Clymer. The book fails to capture the spirit and humanity of the man; the insights are surprisingly shallow for such a respected journalist. On the Chappaquiddick incident, during which a young female Kennedy supporter was drowned when the car in which Ted was driving went off the road, leaves Clymer writing the shocking news that Kennedy was a bad driver who "probably" was drinking prior to the accident! A faded rose indeed.



4. In this book, Adam Clymer offers us a well-written, detailed portrait of the life and career of Edward Kennedy, a man who has long labored under the shadows cast by his ambitious family. Burdened by the expectations the came with the family name and tarnished by the self-inflicted wounds of scandal, he nonetheless persevered to become a force in the United States Senate, one whose career the author ranks as one of the greatest in the history of the institution.
   
   Such a judgment certainly reflects Clymer's bias for his subject. But he does make a convincing case for the influential role that Kennedy has played in the Senate over the past three decades. Clymer conveys Kennedy's love for the Senate, which he argues was reflected in his half-hearted attempts for the White House in the 1970s and 1980s. While some may argue that his failure to win the nomination makes any effort to minimize his presidential campaigns a case of sour grapes, Clymer demonstrates how Kennedy thrived in the Senate in a way his brothers - who seemed to treat their careers there as little more than platforms from which to launch their bids for the White House - never did.
   
   Yet Clymer's biography is not without its flaws. As some reviewers have noted, the book occasionally bogs down in the minutiae of legislative maneuvering, the deals and rules that play such an important role of Kennedy's career (and his mastery of which is one of the keys to his influence). Even more troubling, though, is Clymer's inability to reconcile successfully the powerful senator with the dissolute personal character. He acknowledges Kennedy's personal problems but refers to most of them in passing only, which has the effect of reducing Chappaquiddick to an isolated incident rather than the most tragic example of the personal conduct which has defined the man in the minds of many Americans.
   
   In spite of this, Clymer's book stands as an excellent biography of Edward Kennedy. Detailed, insightful, and well-argued, it will remain for some time the best book about the Kennedy brother who might turn out to have been the most important and influential one of them all.



5. Like all of us Teddy's life has been good and bad. I have not gone through deaths of his brothers in such a tragic way. I especially loved Robert. His long tenure in the senate is historic even though I have disagreed with a lot of his beliefs. He also lost 2 sisters tragically. and all of his children have been affected by cancer. His first marriage ended in divorce and alcohol has been a factor of many events. The event in July of 1969 influenced national and personal politics. Overall, he has been blessed with both good fortune and tragedy unspeakable. This book explores them all. And that he has been responsable for 16 children. And now he is in the fight to save his own life. Life has dealt him some really sad things and this book like life is worth your reading.

5 comments about Rivers in the Desert: William Mulholland and the Inventing of Los Angeles.

1. This is the real story behind the movie "Chinatown." If you're interested in Los Angeles's history, this is an entertaining way to get it.



2. The water we drink in Southern California still comes from the aqueduct built by Irish immigrant Mulholland. What is amazing is how Ms. Davis brings Mulholland to life; from his stubborn fights with politicians when building the Owen Valley aqueduct to his last tragic days after the St. Francis dam disaster (when he literally pulls out all his teeth with a pair of pliers)! Ms. Davis proves that Mulholland was not responsible for the St. Francis dam collapse. Culpability lies with politicians and graft which forced Mulholland to pick a reservoir site not to his liking. This biography shows that this entirely self-educated Irishman was one of the greatest engineers of his time. The men and women of the East coast get plenty of print; this book is about the American West and specifically about one the engineering marvels of the 20th century--an aqueduct still in use, the largest and longest in the country. Mulholland is more than just a scenic drive. Without him there would be no Los Angeles (for better or for worse!) It is impossible to even begin to understand Los Angeles without first reading this book. By the way, Ms. Davis writes marvelously.



3. Margaret Leslie Davis, it must be said at the outset, is a gifted writer and, personally, a nice lady as well. However, her effort to popularize an admittedly complicated, sometimes dry (pun intended) history in Rivers In The Desert causes her to publish a story that, though ESSENTIALLY true, is filled with factual inaccuracies. Sometimes they're little, such as saying one could view the entire St. Francis floodpath from the dam clear to the ruined Bardsdale Bridge from the hill above Powerplant #2 (impossible, as Bardsdale is over 15 miles away) to major, such as the scene in her book where H.A. Van Norman goes to Mulholland's home at 1:30 AM to tell The Chief that the dam had gone out (in fact, Van CALLED The Chief on the phone at about 1:14 AM, and Mulholland drove over to Van's house to pick him up). These might seem like silly little details, but when one sets out to write of recent history, there's no excuse for journalistic sloppiness, or for the chaging of facts and even fabrication of certain events such as Ms. Davis has done here. This book is a fine novel, but that's all is... a novel, not a true historical account, and liberally embellished with the author's own editorializing. Too bad; with her fine writing style, she could've done much better.



4. Fans of the movie "Chinatown," Roman Polanski's classic detective melodrama, will love this true account of how desperately needed water was brought hundred of miles to Los Angeles, where growth in the early 20th century was rapidly outracing the city's meager water supply. Like the 1974 movie with John Huston and Jack Nicholson, the real story has villains and heroes worthy of the big screen. Fortunately, according to Hollywood Reporter, the book has been optioned by film writer/director Frank Darabont, who directed "Shawshank Redemption" and "The Green Mile." With any luck it will come to your theater one of these days. Liam Neeson would be perfect as William Mhulholland, the steely self-taught Irish immigrant who concocted a plan to-let's face it-steal an ocean of fresh water from unsuspecting farmers and ranchers in a pastoral valley far north of the thirsty city. "Rivers in the Desert" author Margaret Leslie Davis brings the struggle to build the giant aqueduct back to life with vivid word pictures and smart details. Scheming politicians, manipulative newspaper editors and the hard-drinking roustabouts who made them rich by digging deep channels and laying gigantic pipes under impossible conditions are all part of the story. Davis's crisp writing style carries the reader effortlessly through this saga of betrayal, triumph and finally disaster. This is a masterful description of one of history's greatest engineering feats and the real people who pulled it off. Though Muhlholland's reputation was unjustifiably sullied by the tragic collapse of one of his many dams, his incredible aqueduct is still a critical source of water for Los Angeles. This is one of only a handful of books that should be considered essential to anyone who wants to understand the creation of Southern California and all its attending myths.



5. Interesting history of Los Angeles "water wars" in the early 20th century, casting William Mulholland as the flawed but heroic inventor of modern LA. His long tenure as the head engineer for the LA water department included the successful design and construction of a 290-mile aqueduct system from Owen Valley to LA, which unfortunately culminated in the collapse of one of the dams in the system, which killed 500 people and led to Mulholland's official blame.
   
   Fast-moving and timely history, given the ongoing problem of water in the population-exploding West.

3 comments about That Man: An Insider's Portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

1. As a long-time admirer of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, I am always intrigued by new books that are published regarding his life or his Presidency. A book from a contemporary source that has such "insider" knowledge of how FDR operated as Robert Jackson is a marvelous addition to the existing literature.

   Jackson does not make any promises at the outset of the book except to be objective, and he certainly does meet this goal. Jackson describes FDR as President, Commander-in-Chief, and a human being, outlining his strengths as well as his weaknesses. Jackson makes no excuses for the President when his policies and knowledge did not seem to be best for the country (Jackson even criticizes FDR for his lack of economic knowledge and business sense).

   I enjoyed Jackson's writing style (he is considered by many to be one of the best authors to ever sit on the Supreme Court of the United States), and I found that the book was easy to read.

   I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in President Franklin Roosevelt - the stories and anecdotes given in the text make it highly readable, and the examples Jackson provides to detail his points are always logical and related to the subject at hand.




2. This is a very interesting book which adds something of great value to the ever-growing mound of books on FDR. The fact that the manuscript was uncovered in a closet some 50 years after it was written is something for which students of FDR and presidential power can give thanks. It presents an entirely unique view and highly personal perspective on interacting with Roosevelt. Some of the most interesting discussion relates to interacting with FDR and his circle on an informal basis, such as on those fishing trips FDR savored. Also of great interest is the light the book throws on Jackson's own career--from the Treasury, to the SEC, then to Justice where successively Jackson was in the Tax Division, headed the Antitrust Division, became Solicitor General and Attorney General, and ultimately was elevated to the Supreme Court. Along the way we gain a fascinating perspective on such events as the Court Packing plan. The strongest chapter is on "That Man as Politician;" the most interesting "That Man as Companion and Sportsman." The editor has done an outstanding job in providing extensive notes, material from other sources to supplement the narrative, and in providing a biographical directory. But it is Jackson's own narrative skill that makes the book read so well. With a new major biography of Jackson himself on the horizon, this book becomes even more essential.



3. Robert H. Jackson's insightful and previously unpublished observations of FDR in his presidency appear and are notated in Professor Barrett's THAT MAN in a very readable arrangement. Here is a true and objective account by one who was there and witnessed the inside of the FDR years in the White House. These Jackson writing's being posthumous adds rarity and validity to the work, making it a true find for serious Roosevelt and Roosevelt period historians.

3 comments about Ronald Reagan: The Power of Conviction and the Success of His Presidency.

1. This is an excellent "insider" perspective on Reagan's management style and the Iran-Contra scandal. Wallison debunks thoroughly the prevailing view of the liberal media that Reagan was intellectually limited, disengaged and manipulated by his advisors. Reagan's remarkable accomplishments are attributed to the clarity of and his unfailing focus on a few "big ideas" (e.g. a smaller and less intrusive government, freer trade, a strong defense, faith in the traditional American values of individualism and sense of personal responsibility) and his ability to inspire those within the administration to actively pursue his policy objectives. As legal counsel to the President, Wallison was the White House staffer most involved with Iran-Contra. He persuasively argues that the scandal was basically a foreign policy blunder made worse by a renegade NSC staff (particularly Oliver North) and a press corps more interested in scandal mongering than issues.



2. I love this book as it contains what it means to be a true conservative and not a false one. As the great Conservative economist F.A. Hayek once stated "    . . . the whole conception of social or distributive justice is empty and meaningless; and there will therefore never exist agreement on what is just in this sense... I am certain, however, that nothing has done so much to destroy the juridical safeguards of individual freedom as the striving after this mirage of social justice."
   That is in a Capitalistic Socieity there will be more losers than winners and that is just the way it is. If you can not make ends meet it is not "societys fault" but your own. Don't expect your mommy "the state" to make it right!
   From here the author goes own to explain how all the scandals of the Reagan presidentcy where not the leaders fault but those of his underlings for they were to blaime not him. The buck stops there my friend!



3. This book is based on Peter Wallison's year in the White House when he served as a legal counsel.
   
   This book shares some of Ronald Reagan's wit,humor,and humility.
   
   Mr.Wallison offers an assessment of the media coverage regarding the Reagan administration. The media had a tendency to over-cover the sensational while ignoring subjects of substance,like policy(foreign or domestic).They trolled for scandals.
   
   This book shows what management style was used by the President.
   It also debuncts the myth that President Reagan was not intelligent.
   
   Another interesting topic in this book is the behind the scenes view of situations in the cabinet. Leaks to the media and how rampant they were from the White House and especially the Hill.
   
   There was a comparison of the Chiefs of Staff. Mr. Wallison wrote mostly about Donald Regan because he worked with him.
   
   The chapters dedicated to the Iran-Contra scandal were very good! I came away with a better understanding of exactly what happened and who was involved.
   
   This is the first book that I have read about President Reagan. I recommend it as a balanced book from an author who worked in the White House. I wish that he had been there longer!

5 comments about The Dying President: Franklin D. Roosevelt 1944-1945.

1. In the 1970's Jim Bishop wrote an excellent book titled "FDR's Last Year," which contained some inaccuracies and a lot of very relevant history, (despite sometimes making it sound like FDR could have died at any given moment), but this book by Robert Ferrell is a real mess. Bishop's book was good reading, and followed his subject along through a consistent chronological pattern over the course of a year, and while it did focus a lot on FDR's health, it also revealed all the work FDR accomplished up until his death. This new book is completely unnecessary and a pale comparison to Bishop's. The author's personal agenda must be to prove that FDR tricked the nation into re-electing him when he knew he was dying. An old theory, and there's never been any substantial proof, and certainly not in Ferrell's book. Who really needs several pages of FDR's recorded blood pressure readings on different dates (especially in a book this small)? Who wants to read a book that is so inconsistent in chronological sequencing that it is impossible to understand what the author is attempting to construct or prove? Is this book necessary at all when virtually all the information in it has been known for decades from other books and sources? The book is not well-written and the subject material is derivative. Avoid it and search out better material such as Bishop's book or other more accomplished biographies such as the recent book by Doris Kearns Goodwin, "No Ordinary Time."



2. I couldn't help but contrast this book with the Bishop book, 'FDR's Last Year'. This writer paints FDR as someone and something far different than I've read in many, many other books. He most certainly was ill, he had poor medical care, and possibly he deceived the nation about his true condition. However, he also provided the nation with reassuring leadership and contributed to our war effort literally until his death. This book is poorly organized, but worse, is mean-spirited. Definitely a 'pass'.



3. Some have written that Ferrell's work is sloppy and depressing. I disagree. Ferrell does an excellent job of showing 21st Century readers just how different this country was 50 years ago. That the entire country could look at Roosevelt during his last run for office - and know that he was a dying man - and not know it at the same time, is amazing. This is the same country that couldn't deal directly with a President in a wheel chair. The country knew it, but didn't know it, all at the same time. How different was the relationship between the press and the White House!

   The purpose of this book is not simply to drive home the point that Roosevelt was a dying man when he ran for a fourth term. The point of this book is about collective denial. The fact that most of the country suffered from it, used it, and both benefitted from it in some ways, and paid for it in others. Collective denial isn't much different from individual denial. It is a powerful mechanism that existed not only in the relationship between FDR and the country, but between FDR and himself. It also is the mechanism that allowed the United States to fight WWII to "make the world safe for democracy," while at the same time the country was somehow unaware of its own racist, anti-democratic values. Ferrell's book should be read within the context of the times, so that it may shed light on ours.




4. Arthur Schlessinger theorized that every thirty years, the political pendulum swings between the left and right wings. No surprise then, that nearly 60 years after his death, there has been a slew of books slamming Franklin Delano Roosevelt's wartime leadership. No surprise, either, is that this book is published by University of Missouri press, since Robert Ferrell goes out of his way to all but directly state that Missourian Harry Truman saved the world from the sick and incompetent FDR.

   Ferrell's thesis is that FDR's poor health made him largely ineffective during his last year. His doctors had recommended four-hour work days. Ferrell fails to note that FDR largely ignored his doctors mandates, and continued to submit himself to a punishing schedule which included exhausting summit trips, numerous press conferences, and a re-election campaign. He arbuably worked harder that the physically healthier George W. Bush, and may have worked himself literally to death.

   Ferrell's credibilty is obliterated by the ridiculous statement that FDR was nearly as incapacitated as was Woodrow Wilson in 1920. Wilson was a near vegetable following his stroke. But anyone who has read the minutes of the Yalta conference--which I doubt Ferrell has--will realize that despite his physical condition, FDR remained mentally sharp.

   There is no denying that FDR was in poor physical shape during his last 15 months in office. He suffered from congestive heart failure and high blood pressure. Ferrell also presents the theory, neither denying nor endorsing it, that FDR may have had melanoma and/or stomach cancer, but there is no evidence for that. What were the root causes of FDR's decline? Common sense points to diet and excercise. FDR's diet during the white house years left much to be desired. For example, the President breakfasted every morning on scrambled eggs and bacon. Of course, in the 1940s far less was known about the dangers of cholesterol that today. Despite his paralysis, FDR tried to remains physically active and healthy by swimming daily. (His correspondence with Daisy Suckley indicates that he was mildly preoccupied with his weight, and he tended to "yo-yo" in weight during his first two terms in office.) As the war made greater demands on his time, he abandoned his excercise routine, which was accompanied by weight gain, loss of upper body muscle tone, and increasing blood pressure.

   There is no doubt, also, that FDR husbanded his strength during his last year. He concentrated his work on two overriding goals: 1) Allied victory in World War II, with the greatest possible speed, and the smallest possible loss of Allied soldiers (four of whom were his own sons). 2) The creation of the United Nations as a means of preventing a Third World War, which FDR knew humanity would not survive.

   Franklin Delano Roosevelt was successful on both counts.




5. The Dying President: Franklin D. Roosevelt 1944-1945 by Robert H. Ferrell isn't much of a book, and it doesn't cover much information not previously published.
   
   Most FDR fans know the basic facts about his life and death. In 1944, his daughter, Anna Roosevelt Boettiger, insisted that her father have a complete physical because of what could be seen as a visible and marked physical decline. Prior to that, the president's standing physician, Dr. Ross McIntire, was a Navy doctor whose specialty was Ear, Nose and Throat. A battery of doctors from Bethesda Naval Hospital discovered that FDR suffered from severe hypertension and congestive heart failure. In 1944, there was little the medical profession could do for these two maladies. Unbelievably, the president was kept in the dark about his health, and he never asked questions about his health, constant medical testing, or his treatments. These medical experts (who took over his treatment) were also not consulted about FDR's decision to run for a fourth term.
   
   There is not much new in The Dying President, except what comes from the diaries of FDR's distant cousin and confident, Margaret Daisy Suckley. But even these revelations don't add much to the story, other than the fact that FDR did know that Dr. Howard Bruenn was a cardiologist. Ferrell does offer the theories that FDR could have suffered from stomach cancer or melanoma. But he provides no additional research to prove or disprove these already published speculations.
   
   When discussing a book written by Dr. Ross McIntire about FDR, Ferrell describes it as "absurdly thin." The same can be said about The Dying President. The body of this book is only 152 pages, and 36 of these pages are photographs. Ferrell also claims that FDR was such an ill man, that his omissions and mistakes changed the course of history. History reveals otherwise. Even his own cabinet member, Frances Perkins, was quoted as saying "He has a great and terrible job to do, and he's got to do it, even if it kills him."
   
   I recommend you save your money and read The Hidden Campaign by Hugh Evans or FDR's Last Year by Jim Bishop for a better accounting of Roosevelt's last years.

No comments about Glenn Curtiss: Pioneer of Aviation.

No comments about Industrial Genius: The Working Life of Charles Michael Schwab.

No comments about Lachlan McIntosh and the Politics of Revolutionary Georgia.

5 comments about Journal of a Trapper: A Hunter's Rambles Among the Wild Regions of the Rocky Mountains, 1834 - 1843.

1. The trapper's journal by Osbourne Russell during the early to mid 18 hundreds came as a bit of a surprise. First the book is a factual account without any explication of the events more than is necessary. It is not told as an adventure story eg "Last of the Mohicans" but rather as a journal pure and simple of the travels through the Rockies, mainly Yellowstone, of this young trapper over 9 years in the pay and as a member of Jim Bridger's fur company, around 100 men. The trade was at its peak at this time. As is true of most journals it is full of abbreviations of words because of time constraints eg brot. for brought, staid for stayed etc. This gives the impression of crudity in the writing, or of a man not used to writing but rather writing in only a haphazard fashion. Every reader knows how easy it is to loose all the fine points of writing when it is not practised constantly. The journal is full of place names and directions of travel and a few maps indicating the progress of the trappers. There is some description of the scenery and the Indians of the area eg Blackfoot which are a constant threat, Shoshones (Snake), Bonnack and Crow. Occasionaly I was pleasantly surprised by paragraphs of eloquence and beauty mixed in with the simplistic writing which was the norm. Russell was capable of very good writing when he was inspired or wished to do so. This is also demonstrated by his letters to his sisters which are written with great style and few grammatical errors, completely unlike his journals.

   There is much which comes to the fore in regard to the period eg the waste and destruction as the parties of trappers even in groups as small as 3 wonder the countryside and simply kill a Bison Cow for a meal and then discard it, or just take the tongue to eat. Incredible disregard for nature is shown at times. The trapper is in continual fear of Blackfoot war parties who harrass them, both white and Indian, constantly. In one instance an enormous group of Blackfeet, thought to number up to 1000 or more by Russell, attempt to eradicate the entire group of Bridger's trappers, about 100. They decide not to due to an unfavourable (omen) display of Northern lights. Even in his day as the story nears the end of the 9 years Russell tells of the scarcity of Buffalo which were not wiped out in total until 1870 or so (80 million -> 1000). Its almost as if it comes upon them suddenly, "5 years ago thousands crossed the valleys of the Yellowstone, now its hard to find any". Russell even becomes a little conservationist in spirit when he states that maybe its time for the white man to leave this country because the wildlife has been so denuded.

   An interesting book but with far too few passages describing the trapper's feeling along the way.




2. This is by far one of the best books that a fur trade re-enactor can read. It is also a must read for the modern beaver trapper as well. Osborne describes the everyday events of the fur brigades in their heyday. If you are a buckskinner, living historian, trapper or just an old west history buff then this is a MUST have!



3. This well-known and highly-regarded account of the life of a fur trapper in the Rocky Mountain West was born as a corrective by its author of an earlier narrative (Pattie's PERSONAL NARRATIVE) that he thought was filled with inaccuracies. Osborne Russell spent eight years as a trapper in the employ of a number of fur companies before becoming an independent trapper working out of Fort Hall. Fortunately, when he first went to the mountains with Nathaniel Wyeth's expedition in 1834, he began to keep a journal. From his journal he compiled a manuscript for publication; it's from this manuscript that the present book is based on. Osborne had a tendency to run sentences together and to practice unconventional language usage, all of which editor Aubrey Haines retains in this edition. One quickly gets used to it, however.
   
   Russell was an acute observer and, especially in describing his travels, was careful to mention distances and names (streams, mountains, etc.) when possible. Haines has been able to trace Russell's travels accurately, and ten accompanying maps illustrate his wanderings. (Haines's annotations are also numerous and thorough.) He trapped for a time with Jim Bridger, and some of what we've learned about him has direct bearings on Russell's journal accounts. In fact, Russell's book is the major source of information for a number of important events in the Rockies during this time. He also writes about the Indians (especially the Crows, Blackfeet, and Snakes) and much about the animals found in the West. Most of all, he tries hard to convey the life of a trapper - scouting the country, the laying of traps, hunting for game, dealing with the weather and terrain, the rendezvous experience (Russell attended six of them) - all the everyday routines trappers went through. This indeed is the most valuable thing about the book. Russell left the mountains in 1842 and settled in Oregon City; after an unsuccessful run for governor in 1845, he wrote his manuscript for JOURNAL OF A TRAPPER. He got the gold fever in 1848 and went to California, where he became a merchant. After his partner ran off with the company funds, Russell spent the rest of his life trying to pay off the creditors. He died near Placerville in 1892.
   
   This is a must-read book for anyone interested in the fur trade period of the trans-Mississippi West. It's gone through many editions and always seems to stay in print, thank heaven. Highly recommended.



4. There's not much that one can add to this list of great reviews. That's what kind of book this is. I found it remarkable how quickly the landscape changed in those 10 years regarding populations of Native Americans, buffalo, and beaver. In the last few entries we begin to see some of the damage done upon the Native Americans i.e. small pox, alcohol, and lifestyle and it's very depressing. Likewise, Osborne describes the plummet in buffalo populations and the approaching end of the fur quest as beaver populations dwindled and other furbearers were becoming more profitable. These were a rugged bunch of men and this is perhaps the best look into their lives and into the changed and vanished West.



5. Osborne Russell was never one of the elite of the Mountain Men. He spent most of his time in the mundane tasks of cooking, cleaning, and other camp chores while on trapping expeditions. But he wrote one of the best accounts -- certainly one of the most accurate -- of the peregrinations and the exciting events in the life of a Mountain Man. Osborne was in the Northern Rockies between 1834-1943 and was a minor participant in many expeditions and fights with the Blackfeet.
   
   Editor Haines has compiled the routes of Russell's travel in 10 maps and added explanatory notes to his narrative. However, a lot more could be done to make this book more readable. First, there are no chapter or paragraph divisions to ease the task of the reader. It's even hard to keep track of what year Russell is talking about. Secondly, there is room for many, many more footnotes and explanations of what Russell was doing and when and where.
   
   We need a new edition of Russell's work which will make it more accessible to the reader. This old edition is invaluable if you are a student of the Mountain Man, but the casual reader will bog down.
   
   Smallchief