5 comments about Francis Drake: Lives of a Hero.

1. This book has been an excellent source for information concerning Drake's life and the violent political era in which he lived. The combination of several authentic and contemporary 16th Century sources give validity to the generous amounts of information contained therein. Sir Francis Drake became a man of destiny, with the flaws and foibles all such heroic men have; the book shows many examples of his brave humanity in a very brutal age, as well as the hard decisions he had to make in the name of fulfilling his pledge to Queen Elizabeth I to complete the grand and dangerous voyage. The details of his actions during the attack on the Spanish Armada showed a clear picture of his part in the battles; likewise the events after his being knighted were noted (often such progressive accomplishments of his life as a man and official of Plymouth have been beglected in other books). As a writer currently working on an illustrated chronicle of Drake's Circumnavigation, I feel most grateful for the excellent period portraits, pictures and maps which have helped me to gain more visual insight into the complexities of Elizabethan Maritime History. The work has been well-researched; it breathes life into a bygone age, the effects of which still reverberates over 400 years later.



2. I started this book expecting to read of the charismatic sea dog and protestant zealot of school history lessons. Instead a far more complicated and contradictory picture of a man who to modern eyes is both admirable and despicable - much like the Queen he served.

   Here Drake is a man of paradoxes. He started his career on slave ships but grew to despise the trade and became the first European to interact with the Cimarrons - escaped slaves - as equals. Drake was capable of fiery nationalism, and a passionate hatred of Spanish Catholicism but yet consistently treated his Spanish prisoners with the utmost courtesy. Perhaps the greatest duality of Drake was one that was apparent during his own lifetime - his dual service of personal fortune and national, English protestant, interest. To Drake these were not as distinct as they seem today, but perhaps it is the only fault of this book that they are not better resolved.

   John Cummins' excellent book practically reads itself, a highly recommended look at an amazing and complicated man.




3. I started this book expecting to read of the charismatic sea dog and protestant zealot of school history lessons. Instead a far more complicated picture emerges, a man who to modern eyes is both admirable and despicable - much like the Queen he served.

   Here Drake is a man of paradoxes. He started his career on slave ships but grew to despise the trade and became the first European to interact with the Cimarrons - escaped slaves - as equals. Drake was capable of fiery nationalism, and a passionate hatred of Spanish Catholicism but yet consistently treated his Spanish prisoners with the utmost courtesy. Perhaps the greatest duality of Drake was one that was apparent during his own lifetime - his dual service of personal fortune and national, English protestant, interest. To Drake these were not as distinct as they seem today, but perhaps it is the only fault of this book that they are not better resolved.

   John Cummins' excellent book practically reads itself, a highly recommended look at an amazing and contradictory man.




4. Reading about Drake's many seagoing professions, I can't help relating his exploits to those of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. While your average corporate adventurer doesn't risk life and limb on long maritime voyages, the desire for fame and fortune is the same.

   Francis Drake, as Cummins presents him, was a man of common birth who sought to make a name and a great deal of wealth for himself. Early in his career he was a slave trader along with John Hawkins, but if we are to believe what Cummins says, he found it distasteful.

   He later took to a highly successful career as a corsair and explorer, raiding Spanish shipping for gold and becoming one of the first men to circumnavigate the Earth. Cummins' portrayal of Drake as an egalitarian holds up under scrutiny. He employed men of many backgrounds in his crews including African Cimarrons who had escaped from slavery under the Spanish and fled into the jungles of Latin America.

   Cummins explores Drake's exploits in great detail without apparent bias. He doesn't shy away from showing the man's less appealing traits in his portrait. One of the things that stood out was Drake's behavior during the battle with the Spanish Armada. Drake had a hard time suppressing his piratical urges when he often was needed for more military endeavors. Nevertheless, Drake stands out primarily as a man of honor in a tumultuous time.

   If you enjoy biographies, history or just a good pirate tale (that's real!) I highly recommend this book. It's a fascinating story of a man whose inner passion and desire for glory drove him to great things.




5. The Key to Sir Francis Drake was that he was in the essence a shallow water boatman.The technique of long distance navigation had been discovered and exploited by the time Drake hit the water. Drakes first edge in his line of work was that he sailed to the West Indies with shallow water boats on board his transatlantic ships, in partially assembled form or complete 'ready for action' towed behind. His second edge was that he had the sponsorship of the Queen of the Realm, E1. With The Royal Patronage, like 007 he could do whatever, no problem. Let Sir Fancis test his new maritime tactics in the shallow lagoons and bays of the Caribbean against the hated Espanish, if he succeeds everybody's rich, if he fails he's dead. In the early years Sr. Francis exploited every advantage; particularly the huge differences in time and distance between the government of Spain and its Western claims. In Francis' time those regions barely qualified as any governmental area, so far from authority and management they were. Happening upon a likely victim, our pirate simply cut a deal with the site governors, the treasure caravan leaders, and the treasure ship captains in transit. Francis took most but left enough to make the employees rich. He cast off with fair regards for all people, and everybody involved looked forward to the "Good Pirates" return next season. Philip of Spain was more circumspect. Over a period of years he established his authority via clear management lines of responsibility and procedures for the transportation of loot and filthy lugar. After the Spanish King consolidated his realm, Sr. Francis days were done. The Spanish had yet another use for our pirate hero. It was Spanish Literature that was first to elevate Sr. Francis to the place of folk hero, epic warrior, and national poltergeist. For a generation whisper of "El Dragon" was sufficient to warn every child to bed and more importantly every shipping manager, captain and dock clerk to do his best for King and kind.

2 comments about Constance Markievicz: Irish Revolutionary.

1. This is my favorite biography of the Countess. It seems to be the most complete and unbiased version of her life that I have read. I recommend this book to any serious student of Irish history.



2. I have read several biographies of Constance Markievicz. This proves to be the most complete as well as the most enjoyable read. Haverty does an admirable job of tracing Constance's life from her sheltered childhood on the Co. Sligo estate of her Anglo-Irish family, to her years in the Arts Salons of Paris, to her conversion to a revolutionary leading the charge of Irish Republicanism and Labour. The imagery and language of this book, will make this a treat for the reader. Quite informative and well researched, I highly recommend this book.

No comments about George Fox: The Journal (Penguin Classics).

2 comments about The Most Beautiful Man in Existence: The Scandalous Life of Alexander Lesassier.

1. What a modern occurrence: a young man works only enough to get by, seduces every lovely young thing he can, spends himself into bankruptcy, and abuses his professional position, all the while wondering with complete innocence why the world isn't beating a path to his door. But Rosner's book isn't a comedy of 20th-century errors; it's the tale of a Regency-era stud who badly needed to be disabused of his notions. Fear not. He never was. Each few pages brings some fresh misadventure, in which the good doctor thinks he's found the perfect source of free money or true love, while you, the reader, are already squirming in anticipation of disaster. Here's a taste: Lesassier's specialty is obstetrics, at which he actually was quite competent. However, there was that little problem with him seducing his patients. This book does take a certain amount of attention to read. Published for the academic community, it's page after page of small print and few illustrations. It's well worth the effort.



2. This is a remarkably engaging tale based on the in-depth study of an 18th century physician's voluminous diary. In this actual history that reads like a page-turning novel, Rosner brings to life an ambitious, social climbing man from his youth and his training through a career marked by multiple scandals. A reader is forced to wonder how much the world of the protagonist's sexual pecadillos and ambitious exploitative manipulations are reflected behind the scenes in today's medical world. The author has turned scrupulous historical scholarship into a fully engrossing read.

No comments about Winston Churchill: A Biography.

1 comments about Queen Victoria: Fifty Golden Years ; Incidents in the Queen's Reign (English Heritage) (English Heritage).

1. I thought this book was going to be bigger, and less stylized. I came to appreciate it better, though, because of that reason. Its produced very much like it was released in 1887, with that high-Victorian feel, and its size makes it easy to store on a shelf or on a coffee table.
   
   If you admire the Victorian age, or better still, Queen Victoria herself, this is a book that is fun to own and display!

1 comments about The Twinkling of an Eye: My Life as an Englishman.

1. It seems to me that the practice of the literary memoir is more prevalent in England than in the United States. At any rate, few distinguished English writers seem to escape autobiography. For me, the memoirs of writers I admire hold great interest, despite the usually somewhat mundane everyday lives of authors. There's something compelling about tracing the roots of a writer's imagination, and I also take gossipy interest in the accounts of meetings with other well-known writers that these books usually contain. And, to be sure, famous writers are usually good writers, and their memoirs are more likely to be well-written. The Twinkling of an Eye delivers on all counts: it is a very enjoyable literary autobiography.

   Brian W. Aldiss is a giant in the Science Fiction field. His major contributions are of course as a writer of the stuff (he's a winner of both the Hugo and the Nebula, and among his SF books are Hothouse, The Malacia Tapestry, and the Helliconia series). He's also made significant contributions as a critic/historian of the field (his controversial Billion Year Spree (later updated as Trillion Year Spree with David Wingrove) is his most famous work in this area.) But Aldiss has always been part of the main stream, if you will, of post-War British writing. His first book, The Brightfount Diaries, a comic account of working in a bookstore, was certainly not SF, but it was very successful. He worked for many years as Literary Editor of the Oxford Mail. And he had some non science fiction bestsellers in the late '60s and early '70s.

   A life is not a story, really. Thus Aldiss does not tell this book in a linear fashion, nor hew to a narrative structure. He opens with an account of heading off to Burma, to join the XIV Army, the "Forgotten Army", is driving the Japanese out of that country toward the end of World War II. Follows a series of chapters, ordered somewhat impressionistically, which tell of his young life, his less than idyllic experience in public schools, and of his somewhat difficult relationship with his parents. He offers a moving account of his early years, and how the birth of both of his sisters affected him deeply. Aldiss continues with a description of his years in the Army, mopping up the Japanese in Burma, then spending a couple of years in India just prior to independence, and in Sumatra. After leaving the Army, Aldiss moved to Oxford, and worked in a couple of bookshops. At this time he got married, sold his first stories, started writing the sketches which became The Brightfount Diaries, and had his first son.

   The rest of the book is a bit more episodic. The sections concerning his first marriage, and especially its breakup, are very moving, even as Aldiss is still understandably reticent on the details. The pain and sense of failure he felt, and the agony of losing his children, especially his new born daughter, are keenly portrayed. This dovetails into a period of depression and poverty, coupled with increasing artistic success in his fiction. It seems that Aldiss' marriage to Margaret Manson largely brought him out of his funk. Just as he keenly portrayed his depression over the failure of his first marriage, he is able to convey quite wonderfully his love for Margaret, and the happiness she brought him. The later chapters are mini-essays, covering various aspects of his later life: travels to places like Jugoslavia and Denmark; the United States and China; his feelings about Science Fiction, its history, and worth, and its treatment by mainstream critics; a look back at a critical year spent in Sumatra, and his later return; the writing of a select few of his books, most notably the Helliconia trilogy; his experiences with acting and movie-making, including time spent working on a (never completed) project with Stanley Kubrick (apparently this movie, AI, may soon be made by Steven Spielberg); his relationships with his wife and children and sister; some brief comments on political matters; and finally a fascinating account of his visit to Turkmenistan, which occurred only after he had written a book set there.

   I was quite absorbed by this book, and quite moved. I found it fascinating reading throughout. This is a very worthwhile account of the life of a man in this century. Definitely recommended.

1 comments about William Wallace: The True Story of Braveheart.

1. WILLIAM WALLACE: THE TRUE STORY OF BRAVEHEART is a pick for any interested in Scottish history and culture, who should consider it of ongoing interest, offering a new biography based on new research of medieval records. Wallace came to fame through his active opposition to English imperialism: a fight he was willing to die for. He achieved command but was unable to retain it in battle: with little experience in government or war he nonetheless made a name for himself in both areas. Lesser known is the fact that he was a member of the nobility himself: researcher Brown offers new insights on William Wallace's experiences and dispels many myths.
   
   Diane C. Donovan, Editor
   California Bookwatch

2 comments about The Life of David Brainerd (The Works of Jonathan Edwards Series, Volume 7).

1. David Brainerd's recorded life speaks my heart and breath--my longings for my heavenly home. This is a must read for all as it washes away the deceiving beguilement of trendy Christianity.
   
   Traveling through his pages of life, you witness his true mission that of only knowing Christ and Him crucified, 1 Corinthians 2:1-2. He was one of few who despised this vile world with its entertaining ways.
   
   His soul displayed was that of a faithful, humble, loyal pastor who ministered to the natives in isolated areas of New England. He never set himself above these socially rejected ones who he found to be quite refreshing in contrast to snobbish white folk. He became known among fur trappers as "the man who trapped Indians with love."
   
   Below are experts from David Brainerd's diary. The initial are the quotes of "His Heart." The following are observances of "His Natives."
   
   His Heart:
   
   "I know I long for God and conformity to His will, in inward purity and holiness, ten thousand times more than for anything here below."
   
   "God was so precious to my soul, that the world, with all its enjoyments, was infinitely vile. I had no more value for the favor of men, than for pebbles."
   
   "Spent the day mainly in conversing with friends; yet enjoyed little satisfaction, because I could not find but few disposed to converse on divine and heavenly things. Alas, what are the things of this world, to afford satisfaction to the soul! In secret, I blessed the God for retirement, and that I am not always exposed to the company and conversation of the world. Oh, that I could live in the secret of God's presence!"
   
   His Natives:
   
   "Discoursed from John 4:13, 14. There was a great attention, a desirable affection, and an unaffected melting in the assembly. It is surprising to see how eager they are to hear the Word of God. I have oftentimes thought that they would cheerfully and diligently attend divine worship twenty-four hours together if they had an opportunity so to do."
   
   "I never saw any appearance of bitterness or censoriousness (being critical) in these, nor any disposition to `esteem themselves better than others.'"



2. This is a rare, almost forgotten document depicting life in pre-Revolutionary America during the period when religious enthusiasm swept the colonial frontier. From 1743 to 1747 Brainerd had been a missionary to the Indians. Riding alone, thousands of miles on horseback, he kept a journal of daily events that he continued until the week before he died, at the age of twenty-nine, in Edwards' house. First published in 1749, the book became a spiritual classic in its own time. As the first popular biography to be published in America, it went through numerous editions and has been reprinted more frequently than has any other of Edwards' works. But what has not until now been known is that Edwards made drastic alterations in the original text. He shaped the narrative events to fit his own needs, presenting Brainerd as an example of a man who by example and deed opposed the rationalist, Arminian stance. Because the Yale edition is the first to print that portion of Brainerd's manuscript that survives, set in parallel columns with Edwards' text, these alterations can readily be discerned.

5 comments about In Search of Churchill: A Historian's Journey.

1. I've been studying about Winston Churchill for more than 30 years. So much that has been written is repetitive or agenda driven, and sometimes I feel there isn't anything more to be said. Then I found this book by Martin Gilbert with insights into himself, Randolph Churchill and the many prominent people that knew Churchill intimately and as participants in his personal history. Churchill's influence on 20th century British history cannot be denied although many writers have tried to trivialize it or to demonize Sir Winston as a war monger.
   
   Gilbert makes clear that none of that is true, and for me one of the most telling quotes from his book describes the true nature of Mr. Churchill. "My search made clear that despite the image of Churchill as a man eager to resort to force, his main theme in each decade had been to try to settle international disputes by negotiation." (Chapter 6) Gilbert is able to back up this statement with original documentations and personal testimonies that lesser reseachers would have neither the talent nor the inclination to gather and formulate into a life's portrait of a great man.
   
   Frankly, this book has renewed my interest in all things Churchill, and I have purchased and am reading a recently issued book, "Troublesome Young Men," by Lynne Olson. Troublesome Young Men This book sets the stage for Churchill's rise to being a war tme Prime Minister and shows that he was not alone (albeit rather isolated) in understanding the nature of appeasement and the folly of negotiating with tyrants from a position of weakness. More importantly the book reinforces the fact that even when faced with enormous political pressures from those in power and a public that neither understands or just doesn't believe, that freedom is a concept that must be defended at all costs. We would do well to remember this lesson today post 9/11. Where (or better, who) are today's "Troublesome Young Men?"
   
   Anyone with an interest in Winston Churchill and the history of the mid-20th century, will gain a much better understanding of that history by reading how Martin Gilbert came to be Churchill's biography.



2. The life of Winston Churchill was so eventful and the available documents relating to his life so voluminous, that penning a complete and unabridged biography of Churchill is truly a lifetime task. So it has been for British historian Martin Gilbert, charged with the task of being Churchill?s official biographer. In this book, Gilbert recounts the events by which he came to become the most extensive living resource of Churchill knowledge and artifacts.

   Gilbert came to his task in a roundabout way. Fresh out of Oxford in the early sixties, the young historian concedes he knew comparatively little about Churchill as the great man was not a highly regarded figure among the Oxford academy at that time. Churchill?s son Randolph had been hired by a publishing house to write the multi volume official biography of his father. Gilbert was hired as one of several research assistants. Expecting to stay with Randolph only a short time, Gilbert ended up working with him for more than half a decade. In the first part of the book, Gilbert describes the experience of working with the mercurial and difficult Randolph in putting together the first volumes covering Churchill?s early life. On Randolph?s death in 1968, Gilbert was asked by the publisher to take over the project. Gilbert agreed to do so and a lifetime task was set before him. In ensuing chapters, Gilbert describes his frustrations and pleasures at the enormous amount of written materials by or about Churchill. Perhaps no other historical figure has such an extensive archive. As recounted by Gilbert, his explorations of Churchill?s letters and papers taught him much, not only about Churchill?s impact on British and world history but about Churchill?s character. Yet as Gilbert states, no historical figure can be brought to life merely on the basis of written documents. Fortunately for Gilbert, at the time he did much of his research, in the sixties, many of the people in Churchill?s life were still alive to be interviewed. This includes many of his secretaries, a number of military and political figures with whom he worked and his wife and children. From decades of research, Gilbert emerged with a compelling portrait of a truly great character. A man, not without his faults but still a great liberal, a great democrat, a great leader and a great family man. The book is filled with anecdotes and quotes from Churchill. As one example, Gilbert discovered a letter of response from Labour Prime Minister Ramsey McDonald praising Churchill for his kindness and friendship. Gilbert never found the original letter Churchill wrote to McDonald but wonders what it could have said to elicit such a response from a man Churchill had referred to in open Parliament as ?the boneless wonder?.

   Anyone who admirers Winston Churchill and Martin Gilbert must read this book. It is an absolute necessity to any Churchill library. Anyone who would like to learn a little about one of the 20th centuries truly great figures should read it as well.




3. Biographers spend years, and in this case decades, to bring their work, their subject to us. The manner their books came about is generally shared in their acknowledgement, or a section thanking those people and institutions that were instrumental in helping create the work. Sir Martin Gilbert is one of the great Historians of our time, and his main work as a historian is certainly a man that is truly unique, a historic original, a man who's peers can be counted on one hand.

   "In Search Of Churchill" allows the reader to get about as close as he can to the writing of a biography without actually being one of Sir Martin's assistants. His work documenting Churchill is about to cross into its fifth decade. Sir Martin began as an assistant to Sir Winston Spencer Churchill's Son Randolph in 1962. In 1968 he took the task on alone, and has carried it forth, and continues to do so to this day.

   Alone of course is the wrong word, while he certainly has written thousands of pages of what many consider the greatest biographical work ever done, hundreds of others living, and others through the papers they left behind, have helped Mr. Gilbert on this lifetime task. Churchill has not been the only subject of this great biographer which is yet another testimony to this historian.

   Churchill is a constant, he is quoted almost daily, his speeches are legendary, as are his quips, which were at times poked in fun, and at others ended the careers of their target. Mr. Gilbert works toward answering questions that may not have a definitive answer, but if there is an individual to put forth valid opinion, none are more qualified than he. Why is Churchill a figure of history that has not been relegated to the past's vague memory, why does he routinely appear on magazine covers in this Country and others on a yearly basis? What was it about this man that has spawned an International Churchill Society who counts thousands on Continents around the world as paying members? Why are their new books on this man written on a regular basis, and how many authors have their books in print a century after they were written. Great Author's works line the shelves, but writing was an avocation for this man in addition to his other talents.

   Mr. Gilbert brings you along to "meet" people who worked with Mr. Churchill. As his life spanned from the 1870's to the 1960's those who knew him are legion. He was Prime Minister twice, held nearly every major Government position, won the Nobel prize, painted, and held the fort for the Western Democracies until help finally came. If such a man had not lived so large and so long he would almost be more believable as legend and or myth rather than the Statesman, warrior, orator, and one of England's greatest citizens that he continues to be, in some cases in memory only. He did have a head start, as his Mother was American, and perhaps that makes us in the USA feel we can claim him as partly ours.

   The embassy in Washington D.C. has a statue of Churchill, in mid-stride he has one foot on American soil and one on the territory of the English Embassy. In life his influence, his determination, and sense of destiny spanned the Globe. Even in death he spans the 2 Countries he loved the most.

   His like will never be seen again.




4. If you enjoy biograhpies or Churchill, this is a book for you. Gilbert has come across some fascinating material in his pursuit of the great man. It is also interesting to see how exactly a biography is written. The book starts out focusing more on the author, but works its way into Churchill. Gilbert steps away from merely events in his life and through letters and those who knew him best, gets down to the inner man. The best part is a letter Churchill dictated when he was only a small boy where he predicts a great deal of his future. Gibert goes right to the heart of Churchill.



5. Churchill has always been somewhat of an enigma; undoubtedly a brilliant politician who, more than any other figure in contemporary 20th Century History, helped shape the lives of millions. Much has previously been made of disasters associated with his decisions both militarily and politically. Through Mr. Gilbert's brilliant research and analysis, however, many of these are shown to have been fabrications or nothing other than spurious lies. Through these pages you learn that he was the "scapegoat" for the Dardanelles debacle and that he was a far more compassionate and human individual than some would have us believe. His treatment of social issues, including organised labour, was before its time and he was certainly not the "heartless" war-monger so often portrayed in this revisionist era. Surely the greatest historical debate would be to pitch Mr. Gilbert against the most articulate revisionist, Mr David Irving: I have no doubt, having read this excellent book, that Gilbert would secure a knock-out in the first round.