1 comments about This Fiery Trial: The Speeches and Writings of Abraham Lincoln.

1. An excellent book containing many of the best writings of our country's political heritage. Professor Gienapp does what is needed in this type of introductory book: He has chosen text wisely and started each selection of Abraham Lincoln's work with a short but helpful introduction.
   
   There is a reason Lincoln is our greatest president. This book is perfect for one who would like to gain a direct understanding into this fact.

5 comments about Attic..

1. This is a English translation of the German version of 'Reliquary'. Great read all the same, just letting those out there that were wondering if these were new books.



2. I bought this thinking it was a new Preston/Child book. Turns out it is a German version of "Reliquary," translated back into English. It is not verbatim from the English version so I have no idea why anyone would buy this instead of just buying "Reliquary." Some of the translations are not entirely accurate either.



3. Amazon needs to make its users CAPITALIZE the printed language of the book. Paid $$ for this, and can't even read it. Yeah for me.



4. I was very excited to see this book by Preston/Child. I have read every book by them and this one was new...however, it's in German! I can't read German...I assumed it was in English. I am very disappointed and just hope I can get my money back. Joanne Reese, Washington



5. 
   This book was in German, I don't speak German, so was unable to read it.

No comments about Lincoln and the Civil War in the Diaries and Letters of John Hay (Da Capo Paperback).

3 comments about Herndon's Informants: Letters, Interviews, and Statements about Abraham Lincoln.

1. In the preface to his "Life of Lincoln", William Herndon expounded that when writing the history of Lincoln's early life "the whole truth concerning him should be known" and there should be "nothing colored or suppressed." Having set the standard Herndon failed to follow it, for there were something's even Herndon must have felt should not be put into print. Scholars wishing to explore Lincoln's early life beyond the insights offered by Herndon's biography had to turn to examining the letters and notes collected for over a twenty year period by himself and his collaborator Jesse Weik. This often proved to be a daunting task. As the editor's in their introduction noted even though available on Micro roll film specific documents are "very hard to locate" and even if located are "very hard to read." To further complicate matters the index to the Herndon collection prepared by the Library of Congress is "neither accurate nor complete." What Editors Douglas L. Wilson and Rodney O. Davis have done in their "Herndon's Informants" is to transcribe all of the known Herndon, Weik letters and notes into a readable and properly indexed Documentary Edition. What they have also done is create a masterpiece of scholarship that will be used by students of Lincoln for decades to come. "Herndon's Informants" offers the student the complete Herndon collection, unabridged and un-editorialized. To anyone who has a strong interest in learning more about Lincoln's early life this is just about all that is available and it simply must become a part of your personal library.



2. Forget authors, historians with agendas. Read what the people who actually knew Abraham Lincoln said about him.
   
   Before Lincoln's body was cold, William Herndon, Lincoln's law partner for 17 years and friend for longer, began interviewing Lincoln's friends, family members, enemies, acquaintances, neighbors, etc. His goal was to collect as much information as possible about his friend, so he could write a completely truthful biography. "Warts and all" Herndon said. Unfortunately, Herndon soon realized he could not use some of the information he collected because it was very personal and Lincoln's image would be tarnished. Fortunately, some of this information he could not use you will find in this book. While 98% of this book contains very interesting information about all aspects of Lincoln's life. It is the remaining 2%, the unsavory stuff, that is so fascinating! For instance, I was surprised to read about the number of Lincoln's friends who told stories about Lincoln's involvement with prostitutes (before his marriage). Some friends even speculate about Lincoln maybe having one or two illegitimate children. This book contains information I never learned in school about Lincoln!



3. With Herndon's Informants Douglas L. Wilson and Rodney O. Davis have made a tremendous contribution to Lincoln scholarship. Much of what we know of Lincoln's pre-presidential years, especially, was compiled through interviews and correspondence by Lincoln's last law partner William H. Herndon. Although many of these items were published decades ago in Emanuel Hertz's anthology The Hidden Lincoln, that collection's limitations have long frustrated Lincoln students. The only alternative was the expensive and awkward-to-use microfilm verison of Herndon's papers available from the Library of Congress.
   
   Now, however, Wilson and Davis have made this treasure trove of firsthand information available in an affordable and convenient format. Moreover, they have carefully tried to reproduce texts exactly, retaining oddities of spelling and punctuation, a feature entertaining to ordinary readers and valuable to scholars. The book's presentation of documents in chronological order is welcome. Scholars will probably be the main consumers using this product.
   
   This volume is a major contribution to Lincoln studies.

3 comments about Churchill and Chartwell: The Untold Story.

1. Mr. Buczacki provides a nice, well-written history of the various houses and gardens directly associated with the long life of Winston Churchill. In doing so, the author also reveals important elements of the non-political side of this most remarkable man.
   
   Many general histories of Churchill speak in passing of the domestic trials imposed after the purchase of the family's most important home, Chartwell. Reading this book gives one a keen understanding of what Mrs. Churchill endured as Chartwell and its grounds were slowly, slowly brought into good shape.
   
   If you have a friend who is interested in English landscaping and gardens, this is a book to consider. If that friend also is an admirer of Sir Winston, then it is a must purchase.



2. a great book one of the must have for any churchill library . great anecdotes good pictures .recommended by the churchill society



3. I am a huge fan of Winston Churchill (I'm even tackling Martin Gilbert's eight volume biography at the moment!). Since WSC loved Chartwell so much, and spent so much of his time there, I come to this subject with some interest. My wife visited Chartwell a couple of years ago -- what a treat. That experience only heightened my interest and great appreciation for the house and its history. Leaving no stone unturned, this book provides a complete (if sometimes a bit dry) history of the house. It also has some great photos of the house at various points in history. If you want to know nearly everything about this ancient, though modern, house and home to WSC then this is the book for you.

1 comments about The Greenhouse Gardener.

1. Probably not a good book for anyone interested in greenhouse gardening in the Northern US or Canada. The book dwells mainly on the use of unheated greenhouses during the season when northern gardeners would have their plants outside. Nothing about over winter greenhouse use (snow, subzero temps). However, if you are interested in how someone in the UK utilizes their greenhouse, then this is the book for you.

1 comments about A Food Lover's Treasury.

1. All of us have opinions stated or unstated, mumbled to ourselves or shouted from the rooftops. There is one subject on which everyone has an opinion and that is food. Polite diners may cautiously use their forks to push aside an unwanted slice of mango while a baby who cannot yet speak can utter a distinct blagh as he spits out his first taste of peas. Yes, opinions about food are everywhere, and most delightfully collected in A Food Lover's Treasury, a book about the references to food that are found in literature.
   
   There are over 400 entries, some as brief and clear as Samuel Johnson's, "A cucumber should be well sliced, and dressed with pepper and vinegar, and then thrown as good for nothing." Others opine at length, a bit lyrically about their favorite dishes. In Sea and Sardinia D.H. Lawrence was ardent in his praise of vegetable shop displays on a "dark, greasy, night-stricken street," writing of how the street "seems to beam with these vegetables, all this fresh delicate flesh of luminous vegetables piled there in the air..." Yes, we are passionate about food!
   
   Entries are organized in nine chapters beginning with Food Philosophy through Local Delicacies and concluding with Manners and Morals. Readers may well find them themselves tempted as I was to go back to a favorite book and locate the quote in the context of the narrative.
   
   That was good fun and so is the reading of A Food Lover's Treasury. Tuck your napkin in and enjoy!
   
   - Gail Cooke

No comments about Great Speeches and Writings of Abraham Lincoln.

1 comments about Bezpieczne miejsce Matej Matpki/Little Monkey's One Safe Place (Polish/English Edition).

1. A wonderful story for little ones (I enjoyed it too!). I did have one problem with the shipping, however. The first book I received came as French/English as opposed to Polish/English even though the slip cover was correct, but Amazon's return policy is great and they shipped a new book out pronto.
   
   Got a kid...get the book, any child will love it. Want to reinforce your family's culture and language...it is easy to do with the duo languages printed on each page.

1 comments about The Coffin Dancer: A Novel (Lincoln Rhyme Novels).

1. We have always enjoyed Jeffery Deaver and I think we have read all the Lincoln Rhyme novels. I wish they would come out even faster. I would recommend this book to all Deaver fans and to anyone looking for a new mystery writer to follow.