No comments about Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria.

1 comments about Radclyffe Hall: A Woman Called John.

1. the major players in this book were so thougoughly unlikeable that it flavored [negatively] nearly every page. Author goes into exhaustive detail about the minutea of these womens' lives. The greater part of the book was taken up with Hall's youth, Una Lady troubridge and a russian nurse; , of whom she was embarrasingly enamoured. If prospective readers enjoy tortured prose,a woman of some talent but a larger ego,and a great deal of egomaniacal self justification you are going to love this book!

No comments about William Ewart Gladstone (EasyRead Super Large 18pt Edition).

2 comments about Life of Sir John Moore: Not a Drum Was Heard.

1. Despite the claims made for this biography there is hardly any new material in it. It is based mainly on the memoir of Moore by his brother, the 1923 edition of Moore's letters, and the 1904 edition of his Journal (i.e. not the original documents).
   
   It is chock-full of inaccuracies, right from Page 2 where the author confuses Moore's father with his grandfather. Some are small - a sloop is called a frigate, a wainscot wall is described as "lath and plaster" and so on. But others are serious, such as the author's assertion (a key point in his assessment of Moore's character) that Moore may never have killed anyone himself. This is nonsense; both Moore's diary and his brother's memoir describe him doing just that. Day also describes an occasion when Moore's ship was attacked by a privateer, which he says had "most of its crew shot to pieces" as Moore's shipmates fought back. But the source says clearly that the privateer didn't attack but sailed away instead. The stirring battle Day describes is wholly imaginary.
   
   The book is full of passages in quotation marks, but many are inaccurate, some of them so much so that they are only paraphrases of the original quotations.
   
   Weirdest of all - although the author and the publisher's blurb both stress Moore's importance as a trainer of troops - his most important contribution to British military history, the creation of the British Light Infantry arm at Shorncliffe, just isn't in the book at all. The book simply leaves out the years in which Moore worked on his greatest achievement, skipping without comment straight from November 1802 to August 1806. So if you don't already know why Moore is important to the British Army, you won't find out from this book. Bizarre.



2. This new title by Roger Day, `The Life of Sir John Moore' provides the reader with an interesting view of a man who the author categorizes as "the classic tragic British hero". This is the first biography I have read of Sir John Moore although I have come across him in many previous books. The author's view of Sir John Moore differs from many other accounts, the most recent being in `The Peninsular War' by Charles Esdaile.

   Regardless of these differences I found that the author's biography of Sir John Moore was well presented and a delight to read. His campaigns were covered in enough detail to allow the reader to form an opinion on the man and his achievements. The narrative runs to only 220 pages so it could not be considered an exhaustive study but more of a general overview of the man and his times. According to the publishers much of the primary research material has previously not been utilized.

   Upon finishing the book I felt that Sir John Moore was a brave man who actually felt some responsibility towards his troops welfare and did all in his power as a leader to ensure that they were well looked after and used in an intelligent manner. At times it appeared that these concerns and his forward thinking, taking in the `bigger picture', did not sit well with both his superiors and politicians in London nor with some of his subordinates.

   Once again I was amazed and disgusted to read of the political backstabbing and cover-ups conducted by some of the politicians at the time. This appears to be a constant thread throughout history, the soldiers doing the dirty work while the politicians find some way of appearing to be squeaky clean when things go wrong. Overall this is an enjoyable book and should find acceptance with those who have read little on the subject, a good primer for further reading.

1 comments about The Saxon and Norman Kings (Blackwell Classic Histories of England).

1. "The Saxon and Norman Kings" (2001 hardback) is an interesting and informative inquiry into medieval English rulers. Early on author Christopher Brooke admits that many of the earliest chieftains "are rarely more than a name; but as the centuries pass we find some who have left their mark..." in the pages of history (page 17). The book is well documented with many maps, black and white photos, charts and drawings (but surprisingly few footnotes and no endnotes). It concludes with four helpful royal genealogical tables prior to an extensive index.
   
   Starting with the implosion of Roman Britain (about AD 400) Brooke systematically describes the reign of the Saxon and Norman kings. Originally, English kingship ascended from various regional tribal leaders. It is difficult to say who was the first powerful king (chieftains such as Egbert of Wessex, Ecgfrith of Mercia, Ethelbert of Kent, etc., might vie for the title). This history moves from the earliest Celtic and Saxon chieftains to the final days of Norman King Stephen (1154).
   
   Professor Brooke points out that England's early kings were chosen, but not necessarily elected, by area elites. The "king" then took on the task of protecting the realm from foreign invasion. Later, he learned to levy taxes and lead a growing baronial class. (A woman might be chosen, at least early on, as queen. Sometimes, the queen ascended to power at the death of her kingly husband.)
   
   Brooke speaks to Saxon, and later Norman, realm building. He relates palace, chancery, church, and priory construction. He talks about tax collection and administration. He recounts several important battles (Mount Badon about AD 500, Winwood in 654, and Hastings in 1066) and various royal intellectual pursuits (Alfred ordered his army learn to read for understanding written orders during war, Offa engineered a extant dyke along the River Wye, and Oswiu's convocation of the Synod in Whitby to decide the date of Easter). Medieval English monarchial history is a lively study.
   
   The book offers 13 chapters over 219 pages. Brooke writes this history is a non-technical fashion. His style is instructive and attractive. You won't want to put this book down. The history buff and the general reader alike will find it interesting and informative. It is recommend to all with an interest in medieval royal history.

No comments about Le Second Empire et une nouvelle restauration: Tome 1.

No comments about Queen Victoria's Highland Journals.

3 comments about WINSTON CHURCHILL - SOLDIER: The Military Life of a Gentleman at War.

1. In the popular--especially American--mind, the career of Winston Churchill begins in 1940, but in fact he had many careers, and in all of them, he demonstrated courage and a prodigious amount of energy. In Winston Churchill: Soldier, Douglas S. Russell focuses on Churchill's early life as a gentleman and lieutenant in the service of Victorian England. It was, by any standard, an impressive service and Russell takes us through all the key events, illuminating them with informative and entertaining prose.
   
   In a five-year period, Churchill saw combat in four countries, won several decorations including the Spanish Order of Military Merit, became fabulously famous as an escaped prisoner of war, wrote five books, and gained a seat in Parliament. He was not yet twenty-six.
   
   It is an intimidating task to relate the events of such a life, and it is made more challenging by knowing who your subject was to become. Russell's achievement is admirable. He begins with Churchill's childhood--it is well to remember that the future Prime Minister was born forty years before the First World War--and takes us through his days at the Royal Military College at Sandhurst before going on to his service in the 4th Hussars and combat on an international stage. (It is difficult for an American to picture Churchill fighting in Cuba.)
   
   Russell succeeds in showing the best traits of a biographer in this volume. He is engaged with his subject and yet he retains a scholarly distance. It is not easy to maintain such balance with someone who looms as large in our minds as Churchill.
   
   --David Lang at Advance Book Reviews



2. 
   I've read many books about Winston Churchill and this by far is the worst! It almost seems as if Churchill was punished for serving in the military.
   
   I wish the book would have discussed what I believe motivated Winston Churchill for military acceptance, an example; his childhood in boarding school: He was rarely visited by his mother, Lady Randolph, whom he wrote many letters begging her to either come or let his father permit him to come home and stay. I believe his father wanted Winston at home and to be part of his life, unfortunately back then (the late 1800's) a mother always seemed to get her way concerning the children, no matter how wrong she was.
   
   Another note, Churchill participated in what has been described as the last significant British cavalry charge at the Battle of Omdurman. He also served as a war correspondent for the Morning Post. What's terrific is that Sir Winston Churchill wrote and served in the military at the same time! I wonder if that was ever used against him when he ran for office??
   
   Back to the book, Winston Churchill was a great leader and hero, but it is not conveyed to me in this book. It seems the author did not take into account or see all sides of the picture concerning Churchill's military life, especially the truthful people who took the time to show up and support Winston in his endeavors.
   
   To me, the book was vacant, dreadful, and very one-sided. I'm sorry to say that I would never recommend this book to anyone, not even my worst enemy.
   
   Two great books to read regarding Winston Churchill's military life are "Concerning Winston Spencer Churchill," written by Sir George Arthur and "Winston Churchill: The Era and the Man," written by Virginia Cowles.
   
   I hope my review enlightened you and made you think.



3. This book is a labor of love and it shows. In an overture to his political career, Winston Churchill was graduated from Great Britain's royal military academy in 1894, aged twenty, and served as a professional officer (and part-time war correspondent) t for the next six years. He saw action on India's northwest frontier, in Cuba as an observer with the Spanish army during the Cuban insurrection of 1895, in what was then Anglo-Egyptian Sudan in 1898, and in the Boer War in 1899-1900. Then in 1915, after losing his post as a Cabinet Minister, a middle-aged Churchill returned to duty on the Western Front for a year. He thus saw colonial war in Africa and Asia in the late days of the British Empire, when it was considered something of a moderately dangerous sport for gentleman cavalry officers, and in his own middle age when it had become an industrial-scale slaughter in the mud of the trenches of Flanders. Russell tells the story with thoroughgoing attention to detail based on exhaustive research--including visits to the scenes he describes--skipping nothing, from details of uniforms and daily patterns of army life, to tactics and moment-by-moment experiences in battle. No one interested in military history should miss this book.
   
   But the general reader, too, will find it fascinating because the central figure, never lost sight of, is young Winston Churchill--ambitious, outspoken (sometimes to his disadantage,) eloquent, completely loyal to class and country, and absolutely without fear on the battlefields where he narrowly missed death several times. Likewise gifted with a sense of the sweep of history that he later poured into many books. Everyone should make the acquaintance of this genuine and colorful giant in his formative years to learn why he became a great wartime leader. Those of us, like this reviewer, old enough to remember that deep voice using the mightiest resources of the English language to rally Britain and the free world against the Axis even in the darkest moments of World War II will be especially thrilled. Those younger should make his refreshing acquaintance in this age of cookie-cutter politicians.

No comments about War,Ice And Piracy-Hardbound.

No comments about Religious Liberty on Trial: Hanserd Knollys--Early Baptist Hero.