5 comments about Shakespeare the Thinker.

1. After reading this excellent book, my first thought was one of admiration for Shakespeare that he can provide so much interesting material for so many. Nuttall by no means exhausted the thematic possibilities of any of the plays but found very interesting questions in all of them. But actually not everyone who writes about Shakespeare writes interesting or memorable stuff, it takes what actually is a rare combination of good education, common sense and an open, alive mind. So even though there is an astounding amount of insight in the plays, not every commentator derives and gives us something of value.
   
   I didn't agree with all his points but they are all honest questions: not self-serving and very little arguing with his colleagues. The question of The Tempest and nihilism is quite provocative. I suppose in the way that Buddhism is nihilistic, nihilism leading to transcendent joy, yes, he's right. Well, you'll read it and decide for yourself.
   
   He writes in the Coda: "The universe is indefinitely recessive to the understanding. It will not provide the thing that philosophers cannot help pursuing: the Answer." This is a very good formulation of our situation: we can't help wanting to have the conclusive view - and in fact we can't help assuming at any particular moment that we've got it already. It's natural to try to establish equilibrium. Still, for us, the truth of things comes as gnawing doubt, as a question. It's not truth but it's the accepting to entertain an opposing view, sensation, fact or feeling.
   
   These are essays provoked by long acquaintance with Shakespeare, Plato and Western thought in general. It's not an introduction to Shakespeare. It's really only for people who love these plays.



2. What makes this book especially valuable to me is that A.D. Nuttall brought not only a lifetime of reading and discussion of the plays, but a lifetime of seeing them performed.
   
   This book has already proven to be an excellent companion when considering a specific play (using the Index helped), especially before and after seeing a new production. The contexts and meanings of the histories so remote in time and place are especially useful.
   
   Nuttall writes with fearless precision that honors the best academic standards, yet in an almost conversational style. He writes about nearly all the plays, and his approach is variously appropriate to that particular play as well as its relationship to the others, to its "type," to Shakespeare's times and what we know about him. He does not shrink from the issues which certain plays raise for 21st century audiences: the role of women within marriage in "The Taming of the Shrew", for example. Other commentators may suggest that Kate's submission is meant ironically, but Nuttall does not take that easy escape.
   
   I'm not a Shakespeare scholar, and I don't agree with all of Nuttall's interpretations, but that's the joy of Shakespeare--the dialogue with the plays can be endless. For reference and for reading, I will be returning to "Shakespeare the Thinker."



3. That Harold Bloom sees A.D. Nuttall as his hero should be a tip-off to potential buyers of this book: it is not one for the average reader (like me).
   
   There is no doubt that the author is a scholar of the first rank. However, this book is written for his fellow scholars and those intense amateurs who have a good existing command over the full breadth of William Shakespeare's many plays.
   
   I was disappointed since the title seems to indicate there would be a more overt and accessible discussion of the thought patterns of the great playwright. Instead I entered a great forest, which as Professor Nuttall notes, "is a place to get lost in."



4. Nuttall who recently passed away was considered by his colleagues one of the great Shakespeare scholars of our time. I have read at least two reviews praising this book in the highest terms possible.
   Thus to my own surprise and slight disappointment I did not find myself enjoying the book as much as I had hoped.
   There are a couple of reasons for this. The title suggests that we are going to understand far more deeply, and in something like a systematic way that which Shakespeare thought on the major issues of life.
   This is not exactly what happens. Nuttall continually stresses Shakespeare's extraordinary intelligence but he never really develops lines of thought in a rich and complicated way. What he does is 'read the plays' often by seeing how they grow out of each other. He also in doing this includes a lot of extraneous information often supplying short - summaries of concepts which in many cases it might be assumed the reader of his book would have a knowledge of.
   The writing itself somehow does not flow, and feels to me ' broken up' shifting attention needlessly in a less than coherent way.
   But the writing does contain an enormous knowledge about Shakespeare. It too reveals an encylopediac knowledge of scholarly disputes which often to the general reader seem less than interesting.
   Nuttall does make a strong case for his own conception of Shakespeare as an enormously intelligent thinker, who uses a variety of literary techniques to hide himself and his own position on the question at hand. Shakespeare's long- noted multi- sidedeness, his ability to think sympathetically into and out of the positions of diverse and contradictory characters is also amply illustrated. Nuttall has a wonderful feeling for the most remarkable passages in Shakespeare, and in fact for me the most enjoyable part of the work was confronting and reading again, for instance , what Nuttall considers the greatest speech in all Literature, Antony's funeral oration for Ceasar in 'Julius Caaesar' or Gaunt's sad lament on the decline of the England he has known.
   I believe that there is much to learn for all lovers of Shakespeare in this work.
   But the kind of new depth in understanding which came with reading the great critics like Coleridge and A.C. Bradley I , perhaps mistakenly, did not find in this work.



5. In this delightful book, Shakespeare the Thinker, A. D. Nuttall seeks to defend the great playwright against those who view him as just a product of his time (a view that is a strong form of Historicism). I'm a huge fan of Stephen Greenblatt, who wrote the terrific biography Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare, so I was glad that Nuttall did not disagree with the nuanced New Historicism of Greenblatt and Pierre Bourdieu. Rather he agrees with them that Shakespeare interacted or "negotiated" with his milieu in a complex way, and that the "causation [was] a two-way street." Nuttall goes even further, asserting that "although knowledge of the historical genesis can on occasion illuminate a given work, the greater part of the artistic achievement of our best playwright is _internally_ generated" and that "[i]t is the product, not of his time, but of his own, unresting, creative intelligence."
   
   Shakespeare the Thinker takes the form of a well-integrated commentary on the plays--almost too well integrated, as it is hard to find discussion of a particular play just by thumbing through the book. Several plays are discussed in each chapter, which the skimpy table of contents doesn't mention (my only real gripe with the book). In a way, this is good, because much is gained by reading the book, or at least a chapter, straight through. For instance, Romeo and Juliet is followed by A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Nuttall examines some common themes and how interpretation depends on which play one believes was written first.
   
   Nuttall's new book probably won't replace Marjorie Garber's Shakespeare After All, but will complement it. His synthesis provides a nice counterpoint to her fine-grained analysis; and his (sometimes elliptical) engagement with other critical works, to her careful culling of observations from such works.
   
   Nuttall's writing is enjoyable, sprinkled with insightful references to modern pop culture--for example, Ian McEwan's Atonement, Wife Swap, Goodfellas, and Star Trek! He takes delight in language (and not just Shakespeare's), like when he's describing Katherina's response to Petruchio in the sun-moon exchange: "Turning his non-committal `say' into `know' exposes the lunacy of all this moonshine with solar clarity."
   
   What shines through, most of all, is Nuttall's admiration of Shakespeare's intellect, encapsulated in his "law": "Whatever you think of, Shakespeare will have thought of first." Fellow admirers and students of the playwright will enjoy this excellent book.
   
   Here is an expanded table of contents:
   Ch. 1. To the Death of Marlowe
   p. 25: Henry VI, parts 1-3
   45: Richard III
   56: The Comedy of Errors
   63: Two Gentlemen of Verona
   70: The Taming of the Shrew
   Comparison of Shakespeare and Marlowe.
   
   2. Learning Not to Run
   87: Love's Labour's Lost (preceded by brief discussion of Titus Andronicus)
   99: Romeo and Juliet
   119: A Midsummer Night's Dream
   
   3. The Major Histories
   133: Richard II
   150: Henry IV, parts 1 and 2; Henry V
   
   4. Stoics and Sceptics
   171: Julius Caesar
   192: Hamlet
   205: Troilus and Cressida
   
   5. Strong Women, Weaker Men
   221: Much Ado about Nothing
   226: As You Like It
   239: Twelfth Night
   247: All's Well That Ends Well
   
   6. The Moralist
   255: The Merchant of Venice
   262: Measure for Measure
   
   7. How Character May Be Formed
   277: Othello
   284: Macbeth
   290: Coriolanus
   
   8. Shrinking and Growing
   300: King Lear
   312: Timon of Athens
   321: Antony and Cleopatra
   
   9. The Last Plays
   333: Pericles and Cymbeline
   345: The Winter's Tale
   360: The Tempest

5 comments about American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic.

1. This is a great addition to the history books covering the founding of our nation. Ellis covers the facts and corrects the fictions have become lore, and does so in a manner that is interesting and revealing. The Founding Fathers were neither geniuses who walked on water with the foresight of gods; nor were they evil white men hell-bent on establishing a utopia for themselves only. Yes, they were remarkable men with great talent, but they were men nonetheless, with weaknesses and inconsistencies. Ellis bears this out as he describes the various key events at the birth of the country: Valley Forge (not exactly what you thought it was); the Constitutional Convention and others. With skillful writing, Ellis brings to life all the important characters, and the character flaws, of the revolution: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, et al, and shows us how they made the best of an uncertain situation, and, in an almost ad hoc manner, put in place the foundation that has brought this country to where it is today, via an almost predictable path along a rough yet flexible route, where slavery, Indian decimation and the marginalization of women, would ride parallel besides a republican state, the establishment of separate branches of government, and the introduction of a two party system.
   
   It is fascinating to read about the thought processes of these men, particularly James Madison, and how they struggled both privately and publically to achieve their goals, while maintaining consistency between each epochal event which with they were confronted. This book is a must read for any student of the revolution and its founding fathers.



2. Admittedly, there's not much new here, but this concise, well written, thought provoking book still serves as an excellent introduction to the many complex issues faced by the founding generation. The chapters on early U. S.-Native American relations, and the Louisiana Purchase were particularly illuminating.



3. I have read so much about this time period that only Joseph Ellis will give me an excuse to once again read about early US history.
   The problem with most popular historic studies is that it tends to be littered with the adjectives of "brave, bold, noble, patriotic, heroic, etc." and therefore eliminates the objective analysis that provokes examination of the situation. Ellis examined Valley Forge, American and Native American treaties, the Constitutional convention and of course the Purchase with a scholarly perspective that always teaches me a bit more about the time period that most books ever do. I never grow bored with Ellis because he really digs into the matter. For example, every book that talks about Articles Of Confederation gives off the idea that it was both inevitable and the ONLY reality. In this book, Ellis points out what probably would have happened if the Articles stated in place and the realization that most supported the Articles as a function of the Revolution. The Constitution was seen by many as a threat to political balance -- something I always knew but had never seen brought beyond a foot note. This is when Ellis is at his finest. We are seeing the implications of this today with the reintroduction of imperial president.
   Now if Ellis will write that biography of Benjamin Franklin that he has talked about in the past, I will so be there to read it.



4. Joseph Ellis is a well-known writer of popular histories, winner of both the Pulitzer and the National Book Award, so I began American Creation with high expectations. Of course, the major players at the Founding have filled countless books. As the author points out, it's tough to even-handedly write about men who were early cast as heroes or villains in our now almost mythological past. Like his "Founding Brothers," "American Creation" is a series of sketches. Each chapter examines the principal actors at a pivotal moment in the history of the Founding. Ellis begins with Adams, subject of his "Passionate Sage," then moves to the equally familiar Washington, the subject of "His Excellency." Next is James Madison, who was, briefly, during the Constitutional Convention, less Virginian than Nationalist. Rarely mentioned failures are also included in Ellis' story: the treaty-by-treaty betrayal of the Native Americans, and the avoidance of the slavery issue in order to win ratification for the Constitution. The evolution of political parties, and the author's fascination with the brilliant, slippery Jefferson segues into a final chapter on the Louisiana Purchase. In that one stroke, America changed from coastline bound Republic to continental Empire. What was missing-and what I expected from any book titled "American Creation" was the usual--any discussion of the innovative economic foundation upon which the modern U.S. stands. To any reader interested in this essential topic, the dollars and cents as well as the high flown ideals, I'd suggest Forrest McDonald's "Hamilton." Professor McDonald is a fierce partisan of his currently unpopular hero, but his discussion of the financial miracle Hamilton worked, saving the new born republic and laying the groundwork for the Purchase, is succinct and illuminating.



5. What issues did the Founding Father face and how did they see and approach them? In "American Creation" author Joseph Ellis focuses on the setting, ideas, arguments, dilemmas, and solutions to some of the key issues that faced Founding Fathers during the early period from the 1775-1776 debates leading to the Declaration Independence up to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.The book is more of a lecture series or one-way conversation to the reader than an historical account of the era. Ellis works to get us in the minds of the Founding Fathers as they struggled with the steps of breaking ground and building a revolutionary republic. During the period leading up to the Declaration of Independence, we see how individual rights came to be guaranteed by the Federal government rather than only the States. Later in the Valley Forge period, Washington and his officers came to see the budding nation as one entity and developed the "War of Posts" strategy, a Fabian approach that took advantage of the huge space available and wore the British down. In fact the concept of "space," both in terms of the large geographical territory and also separation from European conflicts and entanglements is one of the reasons for the success of the new nation. Upon the successful conclusion of the Revolutionary War, the argument of Federal versus States supremacy continued through the Constitutional Convention, Indian policy, the formation of political parties, and the Louisiana Purchase with the arguments unresolved. Although Ellis despairs over the failure to reach a lasting and just Indian treaty, the most harmful failure was the continuation and advance of slavery to new territories. Ellis theorizes that the preservation of slavery provided a powerful unspoken impetus for the States Right movement and the rise of the Jeffersonian Republicans. With the Louisiana Purchase, Ellis advances makes the point that the kindling to start the Civil War got its spark when the new territories were not closed to slavery. One chapter describes how Alexander Hamilton and James Madison collaborated on the Federalist Papers and efforts to ratify the constitution. That the Virginian Madison then joined Jefferson's camp seems to leave Ellis dissappointed and dismayed. Thomas Jefferson has taken quite a beating in recent years and "American Creation" continues the trend as Ellis believes his progressive ideas seemed to be for White people only. However, I am sure there are more sides to the story and will soon read a sympathetic Jefferson biography. Perhaps this is just a swing of the historians' pendulum and we will see rehabilitation in the future. I enjoyed "American Creation," and found it stimulating, but consider it just as much a series of "Op-Ed" pieces as history. Nevertheless, Ellis is an excellent writer and makes his case well.

5 comments about Mary Chesnut's Civil War.

1. I bought this book while at the Lookout Mountain battle site in Chattanooga. If you watched the PBS Civil War series, you will recognize Mary Chesnut's name.
   
   This is a annotated compilation of her original diaries. Her husband was high up in Jefferson Davis' cabinet, so there are all sorts of stories about the Confederate elite, and the personalities involved.
   
   There are even funny stories, and gossip.
   
   Even though you know how the story will end, it's an interesting read, especially toward the end, as Sherman is on the march. It's long, but you can pick it up and put it down without losing the continuity.
   
   Mary was a witty and perceptive woman who was ahead of her time. She's someone I'd like to have lunch with.



2. Mary Chestnut was an insightful, well educated, frustrated woman in a society that did not openly encourage women to become interested, certainly not involved, in politics. James, Mary's husband, was what we would call a Washington/Richmond insider. Poor Mary had to convine herself to venting in her diary which requires a good background in the politicians of the day to be informative. For this reason I give it only 4 stars, The earlier edition,Diary from Dixie, was edited by the diarist to be more politically acceptable and better able to sell. There is a considerable amount of gossip in the book which will be interesting to those interested in the personal lives of prominent Confederates, e.g., the affair between General John B. Hood and Sally Preston. Anyone willing to wade through the book with the help of a good who's who in the Confederacy will indeed find this book valuable and interesting.



3. Reading this book is like opening a door through time and having a daily cup of coffee & gossip session with Mary Chesnut. She was from a fine family with her father being a senator and one of the largest slave owners in South Carolina. Her husband, John Chesnut Jr., was also a senator before the war. He remained politically connected in the Confederacy. He was a general and an aid to Jefferson Davis. Given her situation in life it is not surprising that Mrs. Chesnut had an elite circle of friends and knew everyone that was anyone.
   Mary loved to gossip and name drop and had very strong opinions on any given subject. She had no children so she had plenty of time to be self indulgent and a bit vain. She really must have been a fascinating person as people seem to be drawn to her. Varina Davis was one of her closest friends and she visited the Davis home frequently. She believed slavery to be wrong & hated the fact that there were so many racially mixed children that looked very much like the master of the plantations. She complained about the costs involved in keeping slaves and thought the time had come to abolish slavery. On the other hand, she spoke of slaves like children that needed to be cared for. She also had never had to take care of herself or run a house. She relied totally on her servants for everything.
   She wrote this diary with the intention of including rumors, facts,and anything she might be thinking at the time. John Bell Hood was a frequent visitor and is talked of in her diary quite frequently. She talked about Hood's love for a woman and of his wounds. She referred to him as their "wounded knight". She was a very opinionated, outspoken, and (I think) spoiled women. There are no great military strategies and battle description in her book. She describes the dinners they had or how people were dressed. She talks of all the gossip about all the differert generals and the politics of the day. Reading her diary is like sitting down for coffee with her and listening to the events,real or rumored, that she chats about. She loves all the gossip and thrives on attention She had a front row seat to all events about the war, civilian life, and the downfall of the Confederacy It's wonderful to have the chance to get to know Mary Chesnut with her candid way of writting. She also writes of the trials and tribulations when everything was crashing down aroound her. Her first experience of wearing old clothes, food shortages, no money, & wondering all the while what was going to happen to her and her husband. People were dying all around her and her. Her entire culture & lifestyle were disapearing, everything simply falling apart, yet she kept up her writting. What a fascinating woman Mrs. Mary Chesnut must have been.
   It may be a little difficult to read for some. I think maybe most difficult for men for much of it is "idle chatter" that women do when they get together. There is much information in here that you can only get from someone in the middle of it all.



4. This book is very interesting but it is hard to follow. The intro is very interesting but once you get into the diary part she skips from one topic to another and it assumes a lot. I think it will be worthwhile - it is just going to take me a while to get through it.



5. Mary Chesnut was a name dropper, and thank goodness, because in passing along her gossip, opinions, news, and personal undertakings, she created the most comprehensive day-to-day record of life in the Confederacy that we have. Although this is both a diary and a later refurbishment of earlier writings (to the point it almost becomes a memoir in epistolary form) Mrs. Chesnut, an aristocratic lady in a position to know a great deal about the workings of her short-lived nation, makes everything seem like a first-hand conversation. Chesnut, like Mrs. Grant and Amanda Wilson, a Civil War-era diarist from Cincinnati, Ohio, has a true gift at making the distant seem immediate. Her reports on the initial euphoria of southern independence from the north and later the reality of hardship and war, are touching, even for one not in deep sympathy with her ideals. What I took away from this diary was something of the horror of loss, as Mary Chesnut's society reeled from death after death, not just of men from combat, but children and women in part from the deprivations war mandated they endure. By the mid-point of her diary, it is a rare entry, indeed, in which Chesnut does not tell of the passing of at least one more friend, or son of a friend. She lived through the destruction of a society and a war in which blood flowed in rivers. Chesnut personally knew a number of the primary figures of the American Civil War, including the wife of Jefferson Davis. She gives a point of view that is not hamstrung by being modern in sensibility, and charts a course of the war's prosecution that might vicariously suggest a later alteration of the record in northern-authored history books. For all these reasons, Chesnut's diary is worth reading.

2 comments about Beirut Diary: A Husband Held Hostage and a Wife Determined to Set Him Free.

1. The book (and excellent DVD) concludes with newly "escaped" Jerry saying, "I want to thank my Jewish parents, my Christian wife, and our Muslim friends."
   
   CNN reporter Jerry was kidnapped in Lebanon, with the U.S. State Department telling Sis to keep a low profile. Instead she traveled to the Mid-East, worked music therapy with war-traumatized children, behaved in her Jesus-based peace-with-justice belief, met face-to-face with officials and ordinary people.
   
   What a concept!
   
   Eventually Jerry's handcuffs were put on -- but loose! And the guard had forgotten to lock the door! And in the hallway the guard stared fixedly in the other direction! Can you believe it?!
   
   Read the book and watch the video and lend them around. This message needs to be spread wide.



2. This is a personal ordeal worth reading.
   We saw how many `hostages' looked pale and washed out as they were released from captivity.
   Their predicament was equal to that of the Lebanese people. It was indeed a mirror image.
   The storm broke in Lebanon, and in Beirut in particular on 13 April 1975, ever since we heard the boom of artillery fires in short days and long nights.
   Foreign factions were `simply' fighting each other; directly or by proxy, on our land. The land that had once been a quiet haven in a turbulent Middle East.
   The guns of the warring factions changed the face of Lebanon in the hope that one day it would also change the face of the Middle East.
   Unknown names of dead bodies leapt up into the Newspapers headlines every morning.
   
   Against us was ranged the perpetual argument propagated by the international press, to add insult to our injuries, that the war was `a fight between Christians and Muslims Lebanese'. This was phoney-baloney and utterly fraudulent. This was offensive, pretending ignorance with nefarious ends. Very few told the world the significant fact that this was a war by proxy. All Lebanese have always been peace-loving people.
   
   With the closure of Beirut's only Airport, many Lebanese, seeking emigration, were virtually driven into the Mediterranean.
   Most of the rich had already left.
   Hundreds of thousands of my people were displaced from their villages and rolled out heading for more relatively peaceful places.
   Lebanese could not understand where the enemy was hiding and fighting.
   They all believed though that Lebanon will remain invincible and in the end its banner will be held up high enough to be seen in each corner of this small and beautiful country.
   Many young and innocent `boys and girls', some in their teens, had rallied `to the cause' as they saw it.
   I witnessed the melting away of Beirut (West) in the hellish days of the summer of 1982, and each 24 hours I though that would probably be the last for me. I managed to send my wife and my three children to the mountain for their security and stay put in Beirut to work for living.
   My people were striving to wait in queues to fetch bread, vegetables and water to feed their children. Some even killed by stray bullets, and worse still, many perished by bombs (RPG, B7 or whatever).
   Lines of cars were threatened waiting to be filled with petrol.
   
   We saw different militias from all walks of life. From the East and the West, bordering the Arabian Sea, the Red sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the hinterland of Asia - paid to `fight', they didn't even know who the enemy was?. I saw many of them, and I swear to God they couldn't have possibly been Lebanese.
   
   Beirut slept and woke up on the brink of panic but the brave majority never lost faith; they were convinced that our setback was temporary.
   We saw how `international politics' were beginning to bolt, without proper explanation we were left alone to suffer, and it was not difficult for us to draw conclusions - we must have been stupid to `welcome every body to our country with open arms and our hearty - and innocent - "ahlan wasahlan" : Welcome.
   
   Mrs. Levin:
   Your husband was held `hostage' perhaps in a cell like 10x10 feet. The Lebanese, too, were held hostages in our four thousand square miles, for as long as 17 years.
   Your husband didn't deserve his ordeal, nor did the Lebanese people.
   Your husband was held hostage in Lebanon, but not by Lebanese. No Lebanese wanted your husband to share our fate.
   Nevertheless, on behalf of my people I offer our sincere sympathies and my apologies for any inconvenience this sad event had caused you both (or indeed have caused us all).
   

2 comments about More of Paul Harvey's The Rest of the Story.

1. I literally had to cover up the ending to each story with a piece of paper, so I wouldn't jump to find out who or what the story was about. I would recommend this book to everyone.



2. As someone that grew up listening to Paul Harvey on the radio it was pure bliss to find his "The Rest of the Story..." vignettes compiled and published.

   Betch ya can't read just one!

4 comments about The Life and Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson (Modern Library Classics).

1. Because the letters and other writings have been written in the English of Jefferson's time, the book is somewhat difficult to read. I had to read it slowly to take in Jefferson's ideas and feelings. The book includes the Declaration of Independence which spells out the reasons for the American colonies to declare independence from Britain. Jefferson's letters to John Adams are included as well. Adams and Jefferson were long time friends but became disconnected later in their lives. Finally, they make amends close to the end of their lives. There are also letters to a French woman who Jefferson was in love with while he was Ambassador to France. One of the most interesting concepts was Jefferson's idea of the separation of church and state. Jefferson believed that the religion should not intermingle in the affairs of the state. As Ambassador to France, Jefferson learned about the problems of authoritarian rule of a king over the common people. Jefferson was appalled at the poor representation and meager powers of the civilians of France compared to the powers of the King of France. Overall, this book is a good inside look at the ideals, beliefs, and feelings of one of the founding fathers of the United States.



2. I once met Luthor Evans, the foremost expert on the complete works of Jefferson, and had dinner with him once with a friend who worked at the United Nations. I didn't know much about Jefferson except what I learned in school, but it was interesting to listen to Evans talk about Jefferson and his achievements, and what a true Renaissance man he was. Evans was also the first director general of UNESCO, and a former Librarian of Congress, a position often used to honor the most outstanding American historians, I hear. But getting back to the present volume, I found it a useful selection of his works, even if I can't seem to find the collected works of Jefferson on Amazon, and I owe much of my appreciation of Jefferson to that evening I once spent with Evans. I'm not sure I'm up to reading the complete works, as Evans did in his prime, but I'm at least up to reading a good compilation, and this one served a useful purpose for that.



3. This study is a wonderful compilation of the life and writings of Thomas Jefferson. The introduction by Koch and Peden of Jefferson's long and fruitful life is rich and complete. Jefferson's greatness shines forth in the pages of this volume. His Anas, Autobiography, Essay of the Anglo Saxon language, Notes on Virginia, And his numerous public papers and letters show the reader the depth of this great man. Koch and Peden clearly admire Jefferon which is a welcome respite from the sad and anti-intellectual deconstructionist philosophy of modern historians. No PC here. For a student of Jefferson, or someone attempting to familiarize themselves with his ideals, this is a great buy!



4. We added this book to our library when I was doing research for a doctoral project on Racism. In one volume, is Jefferson's autobiography, travel journals, essays, biographies of other historical figures, notes and correspondence. It is a wealth of material into a foundation stone personality of our American identity.

   Lately Jefferson has drawn fire because of his position on slavery and his philandering activities as a plantation owner. Still, within this volume you can observe the full story historical context provides.

   In my favorite passage in connection with the slavery issue he writes,

   "And can the liberties of a nation be though secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of thepeople that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever; that considering numbers,nature and natural means only, a revolution of the wheel of fortune, an exchange of situation is among possible events; that it may become probably by supernatural interference! The Almighty has no attribute which can take side with us in such a contest." (Notes on Virginia, Query XVIII; p. 278 Modern Library Edition)

   I think every family should have a copy of this volume in their library. It is enlightening, powerful and life changing material.

5 comments about Marie-Therese, Child of Terror: The Fate of Marie Antoinette's Daughter.

1. Marie-Therese was a rarity in history. A survivor of a royal massacre who lived to tell the tale. However, her story isn't particularly well known after her parent's death. As a daughter who never had children of her own her place in history seemed slight, but as this book shows the mythos created around her survival made her one of the bedrocks of the Bourbon Royal cause for the rest of her life.
   
   This is a story of great riches, tragedy and constant dislocation. It has ambition, treachery, murder and politics just to name a few elements. If you are looking for a fresh biography of this lady, then this book is unlikely to be bettered anytime soon. You have a good feeling for Marie-Therese's personality by the end of biography. She was a complicated lady who lived through a life of incredible extremes and who somehow survived an ordeal that would shatter most of us.



2. 
   Most important to me in a biography is that the writer lay out the story of the person and the times in an interesting and readable way. For the writer this means finding the right balance between documenting, which can get very dry, and telling, which calls for judgment of what to leave in and out. Susan Nagel has hit a perfect balance. She has sorted through a tremendous number of sources and created what may be the first biography of the only surviving child of Marie Antoinette.
   
   Next in importance to me when I read a biography is feeling, at the end, that I know and understand the person who is chronicled. For a subject such as Marie-Therese, the author must bridge the centuries so that the modern reader can actually understand a believer in the divine right of kings. Here, Nagel shows that she has come to know her subject and this period in France and she communicates it very well.
   
   History certainly has some interesting twists and turns. The most interesting to me, in this book, is the support of the British monarchy for the Bourbon exiles not long after concluding a war with them. Another smaller curiosity is how in exile, in the rudest of circumstances, the royals maintain protocol. They bow before each other and the leave rooms in a prescribed order.
   
   Susan Nagel does a wonderful job. For anyone interested in European history, she has created an excellent read.



3. Being a great admirer of Marie Antoinette and a sympathizer of her downfall, I couldn't pass up this book when it was released, the true story of her daughter and first born, Marie Therese. The biography, very interesting and readable, accurately depicts the life of Madame Royale, from her much anticipated birth (for it was hoped that she was a boy) through the turbulent years with her family in prison, and beyond. Marie Therese, locked up in her own cell for a very long time, never even knew of the murder of her mother, aunt and baby brother, due to the harsh treatment she received from her captors. The outside world was a mystery to her, not knowing of the loyal family members that struggled to have her released. After her release, Marie Therese's life never stopped being turbulent. She lived most of the years in exile, whether in England or Austria, Russia, or numerous other places, the victim of France's inability to pick a government and stick with it (in one hundred years, France had three different republics, two emperors of Napoleon blood, two Bourbon kings, and one citizen king). Though her suffering never ceased, Marie Therese always appeared resilient and kind, never forgetting her country and her people, and the parents she loved and cherished. The book is beautiful and informative, since I had never really known what happened in France after the Revolution. The writer brings history to life, and creates a mind blowing suspense throughout the book on whether Marie Therese had switched with her half-sister and look-alike Ernestine after leaving the prison. I will definitely read this book again and am looking forward to more from this author.



4. A must-read to get a much bigger picture of the last years and days of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, and the fate of their two surviving children. European history buffs will love the details provided from the family's personal letters and from other contemporaries to the Madame Royale. This book was captivating and enlightening, and draws the reader into the heart and mind of Marie-Therese. Truly an inspirational, if not much overlooked historical figure, this book is a wonderful portrait of this courageous and heroic young girl.



5. Nagel has written a splendid biography of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette's only surviving child. The author begins by describing Marie-Therese's birth and early childhood in the luxurious world of Versailles. Nagel then guides the reader on an amazing journey from the sickening brutality of the French Revolution and the French people's savage treatment of the monarchs' children, to Marie Therese's escape and never-ending journeys away from and back to the country of her birth. Nagel takes an enormous amount of historic facts and people and places them neatly in a seamless and brilliant fashion in this biography. The reader doesn't learn only about what happened in the life of Marie-Therese; the reader is also treated to a subtle and gradual revelation of the true and noble character of this woman. If one has enjoyed reading about this woman's parents, then it is such a treat to see that the best characteristics of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lived on in this lady. I was particularly fascinated to read that Louis XVI's judgment was so well placed when he trusted the American, Gouveneur Morris, with a large sum of money to support his surviving family. Morris personally delivered it to Marie-Therese years later. Amazing when one considers the recent news reports of the failed auction of the pearls Marie Antoinette gave to the British ambassador's wife to sneak out of France. Apparently, those pearls never left the ambassador's family's assets in spite of the fact that Marie-Therese LIVED in England for years!
   This is a great biography and I highly recommend it!

5 comments about Woody Guthrie: A Life.

1. Woodrow Wilson Guthrie wasn't the most talented of musicians, but few people have had more influence on the landscape of American music. He was an incredibly prolific writer and the grandfather of the 1960s folk music revival, hero to the Dylan, Baez and the like.
   
   Woody was to music what Steinbeck was to literature, capturing the California story of the thousands of "Okies" who emigrated to California looking for employment when dust storms devastated their farms during the Depression. But unlike Steinbeck, Guthrie was one of the people he sang about, leaving his poor Texas panhandle home and hitch-hiking, riding the rails, and singing his way across the country. Along the way, he listened to stories and felt the disenchantment of the other wayward wanderers. He captured those stories and sentiments, then put them to music. Woody quickly found an audience in his fellow immigrants, first around campfires, then on the radio. His character was more authentic than the slick corn-pone caricatures Hollywood had created. The large new audience could relate to Woody. And more importantly, he was voicing frustrations they could relate to.
   Woody Guthrie's life was situated at the nexus of American music and American politics. He spent much of his life as a Communist (most people forget that, though not a threat to take office, the Communist Party had a sizable membership in America pre-WWII), and was one of the first people to use music to encourage political rebellion. He played the picket lines, helped organize rallies and played at Communist party meetings.
   
   While his songs sound happy and simple to us today, the lyrics are often packed with anger and irony, expressing frustration at an America not living up to its promises. There was talk, for a while, of making Guthrie's "This Land is My Land" the national anthem. But in truth, the original "This Land is My Land" is far from the patriotic ditty schoolchildren learn today. It was actually a response to Irving Berlin's "God Bless America," a song Woody found to be full of false hope. Along with the fourth verse, the final verse of Woody's version is typically exorcized:
   
   "One bright sunny morning, in the shadow of the steeple
   By the Relief Office, I saw my people -
   As they stood hungry, I stood there wondering if
   This land was made for you and me."
   
   Personally, Woody was a complex guy, full of good intentions, but falling short on many counts. For all his success as a musician, he was a terrible husband to several women and an absentee father, often leaving his families for months at a time on wandering cross-country trips. He drank too much, was unpredictable and often a pain in the side of some of his closest friends. Only later in his life, when he was diagnosed with Huntington's disease, the genetic nervous disorder that killed his mother, did it seem like there may have been an explanation beyond selfishness for Woody's unpredictable behavior.
   
   Joe Klein tells Woody's story with the kind of craft and poetry that such a story deserves. He paints a vivid portrait of Woody that jumps off the page with life, all quirky and charming and lovable and maddening and irresponsible and admirable and stupefying and brilliant. But WOODY GUTHRIE: A LIFE is more than the story of one man's life-it is the story of America in the last century, of its changing social climate, of its musical maturation, of its dreams and realities. All of these themes can be found in the songs of Woody Guthrie, and the only thing he ever sang about was what he saw in his lifetime.



2. ....and I'd recommend this book even to those not especially interested in Woody Guthrie. The writing is superb, and Klein's reporting skills are without peer. The book also stands as a fine social history of Depression Era America.



3. Klein has written a definitive bio of Woody Guthrie. He portrays Guthrie in his full humanity with flaws and all. As a result, this is a rich real portrait in which Guthrie is illuminated as a human that was able to achieve in-human feats during his life time. This book is a must for anyone interested in understanding this seminal figure of American history and culture.



4. Every Christmas, I buy multiple copies of this book and give it away to friends and family. Every spring/summer, I receive multiple messages of enthusiastic thanks and gratitude. No one who reads it comes away unaffected.
   
   Basically, I will just say this is the most riveting biography I've ever read, and I've read it many times (am rereading it now actually).
   
   There are two primary reasons why this book is so far above all other biographies:
   
   1.) Joe Klein's writing is fantastic. His research is thorough, but his ability to communicate to an audience complex historical, socio-political, medical, and psychological concepts is virtually without peer.
   
   2.) Woody Guthrie's life simply is one of the most fascinating lives I've ever read about. From his birth (even before his birth) straight through to his death, his life never gets boring. There is no plateau, where a great artist achieves his best work and then self destructs or mellows, etc etc.....every single period of Woody's life is equally fascinating. He was an incredible human being, a very complex artist and man-and he happened to straddle many periods of history. You will be constantly surprised. Sometimes you want to strangle him and then he turns around and does something so unbelievabely heroic, that you can hardly believe it actually happened. There is NO ONE like Woody Guthrie today....nor was there ever another in any other time period, the guy was truly a one and only.
   
   I couldn't recommend this book enough. It's so good that not until 2004 was another biography attempted on Woody, and I can't imagine it could be any better than this.



5. This biography is stunningly and painfully intimate. Joe Klein did a fantastic job. This is a great read.

   Guthrie is a tremendous American icon who not enough of us actually know about or perhaps have even heard of. He was a thousand contradictions. In his art and in his life, in his outrageous, childlike, precocious, brooding, energetic, and endlessly subversive behavior... he was just utterly himself, he embodied a particular American brand of freedom in life, outlook, and sense of possibility.

   Even if you haven't got time to read this book, make sure the kids around you know all the verses to "This Land Is Your Land". You may not agree with the politics but it's worth knowing what the man actually said, it makes you think.

5 comments about The Wolves at the Door: The True Story of America's Greatest Female Spy.

1. I highly recommend this book. The personal courage shown by Virginia Hall is almost beyond belief. This book is one that you should share with your children and grand children so that they are aware of the tremendous sacrifices that were made to defeat the Nazis. This book details the vast suffering of the ordinary French citizen during the Nazi occupation.Additionally,it details just how tenuous life was if anyone assisted,harbored,or did not report those who were in the resistance,those who were caught were executed and sometimes their entire family to set an example for others.



2. All the reviewers are correct about Virginia Hall being an extraordinary person. No debate here. My only rather large disappointment with the book has to do with the author's writing style. It resembles the style of pulp romance novels on sale at your local supermarket. For me, at least, this gets in the way of completely enjoying the book. I also got the impression that the author projected what she thought Hall's feelings were about incidents so incidental it didn't seem possible anyone would know. Credibility.
   
   Here's an example of the author's style from page 27:
   "The tail end of spring greeted Virginia on her arrival in Paris. As May slid into June, and the Parisian summer began, solace washed over her. The quintessental French conversations, bouquinistes selling books and postcards at stands along the seine, throaty French tunes pouring out of cabaret doors...etc, etc."
   
   It's painful for me, at least, to read prose like this on such an incredibly interesting life.
   
   
   



3. Virginia Hall was the daughter of a well-to-do Marylander with no need to get directly involved in WWII. Instead, she played a major role in the French Resistance, leading up to 1,500 men in attacks on isolated German troops, locate and assist in parachute drops, send wireless messages (particularly dangerous, given the Germans' emphasis on quickly locating the source of any signals), helping downed Allied fliers escape to Spain, sabotaging rail lines. Prior to D-Day the Germans put out a "Wanted" poster on Virginia, along with a description. This forced her temporarily out of France, via climbing the Pyrennees with a guide and two Allied fliers, only to be imprisoned for 20 days until the American Consulate got word and was able to help. All this with a wooden lower leg - cut off as a result of a hunting accident.
   
   Virginia's original goal was to be an American Foreign Service Officer - however, this was precluded by her hunting accident, leading her to resign her clerical position to help the French through driving an ambulance during WWII's early days. She then was recruited as a British agent (spoke French fluently), trained (only two of the twelve women passed) and returned to France. Collaborators on both sides were typically motivated by money (France was in a depression also); even a Jesuit priest became involved as a double agent - for the Germans.
   
   After WWII, Virginia was awarded the DSC (turned down presentation by President Truman to remain anonymous), married one of her French fellow agents, and "settled down" in the CIA until retirement.
   
   A very heroic and impressive woman whom I never would have known about without "The Wolves at the Door."



4. Excellent, excellent, excellent. I plan to donate this book to a college library. Written well, engaging and informative about war, governments and resistance. Also, should be required reading for all young women!



5. Kudos to the author, Judith Pearson. I almost always prefer first person accounts of those who lived through WWII. However, this book gripped me throughout the narrative. This would make a wonderful movie with Virginia Hall played by an actress of Cate Blanchett's caliber. Exhaustively researched and well written. Thank you Ms. Pearson, I'll be looking for your next book!

5 comments about John Marshall: Definer of a Nation.

1. The life and times of John Marshall (1755 - 1835) make for exceptional reading. Although detailed and carefully researched, this excellent biography/history book/study of early constitutional law is written in an enjoyable, non-academic style. In addition to its captivating treatment of the revolutionary war, the evolution of basic governmental structures, and the Nation's other critically important early leaders, the book weaves together a nearly first-hand account of the foundations of the U.S. Supreme Court and its earliest and most enduring decisions.
   
   Marshall was the 4th and longest serving Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. In his 34 years as Chief Justice, he personally shaped U.S. constitutional law, forged the Supreme Court into a strong and independent institution, and defined the powers of the federal government. He swore in presidents Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Hamilton, Adams, and Jackson. And those were just the last 35 years of his life.
   
   As a young man, he fought bravely in several key battles of the Revolutionary War, wintering at Valley Forge in 1777. He became acquainted with General George Washington and the two thereafter held each other in very high regard. On the state level, Marshall served in the Virginia House of Delegates and on the Virginia Counsel of State. Respected as a lawyer and state politician, he was appointed to serve as a delegate to the Virginia convention tasked with accepting or rejecting the United States Constitution and was instrumental in fighting for its ratification.
   
   Marshall's pre-Supreme Court contributions to the Federal government were also significant and interesting. In 1797, President Adams appointed him to a three person delegation to negotiate with France, an unusual episode that came to be called the "XYZ Affair." French ministers spent the better part of a year trying to extort huge bribes from Marshall and his colleagues. News of Marshall's steadfast refusal to pay the bribes preceded his return from Paris and he was received home as an American hero. In 1799 he was appointed the Nation's 4th Secretary of State. That same year, he reluctantly ran for and won a seat in the House of Representatives in a district heavily favoring the other party.
   
   Over the years, Marshall's dedication to his law practice (and need for income) caused him to graciously decline several appointments, including Minister to France, Attorney General of the United States, Secretary of War and even an earlier Supreme Court position. Despite his many other commitments, Marshall felt compelled to write the first biography of his hero George Washington - a well-received five volume set that today is condensed and marketed as a single volume. Marshall delivered the eulogy at Washington's massive memorial service. Lastly, but worth noting, the famous crack in the Liberty Bell occurred while ringing in honor of Marshall's passing.
   
   Next to George Washington, he may be the most important and most admirable of all our founding fathers.



2. This is a full-length, 500 page biography of the fourth Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, John Marshall. It is superb. It is very detailed, yet easy to read. Smith follows the conventional chronological format for a biography, starting with Marshall's birth, and then describing his life sequentially from his childhood, his education, his youthful service as a light infantry officer in the Revolution, his work as a lawyer, his early political career, his rise to national fame as an envoy to France during the time when the nation almost went to war with France during the Adams Administration, his service as Secretary of State to John Adams and finally his long service for 35 years as the Chief Justice who established the power and prestige of the Supreme Court.
   
   What I find most admirable about this book is its balance. It gives you everything that you want in a biography. It is very scholarly, and very readable. It gives you a very good sense of John Marshall, the human being, but it also fully explains the significance of the events in which Marshall participated. As an example of the human side of Marshall, Smith gives us a very moving picture of Marshall's lifelong love affair with his wife, Polly, starting with the dramatic courtship by the penniless young officer and ending with the 80 year old Chief Justice walking twice a week to visit her grave. As an example of how Smith explains the significance of what Marshall did, not only did Smith explain the key decisions, but he gives the facts on what impact they had. In the steamship case, for example, Smith both explains the legal and political issues and gives the economic statistics on what effect the decision had on trade.
   
   I highly recommend this book, both for the excellence of its writing and the importance of its subject matter. John Marshall is one of the most important people in American history. He was instrumentals in making real the balance of the Constitution envisioned by Madison and Hamilton in the Federalist Papers. He was critical in creating the pre-conditions needed for America to be a rich and prosperous nation, with great opportunity for the great majority. Marshall was also a wise and a good man, which shines through on every page of this book. The book is worth reading, finally, as a way to come to know such an extraordinary man.



3. Not all historians are fine, interesting writers. Fortunately, Jean Edward Smith is a superb writer, making Chief Justice Marshall's long life an interesting, even fun, read. Moreover, the writing paralells the substance contained in the Book. I wish all historical biographies were of this quality. Buy the Book.



4. This was one of those books I knew I SHOULD read, but its heft put me off for months. When I finally did pick it up, I couldn't put it down.
   
   John Marshall doesn't have the cache or enduring fame that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or many others have - and it's a shame. He formed the institution of the Supreme Court, and in so doing, shaped many of the ways our country (tenuous at the time, mind you) began its journey, and perhaps why we've endured this long.
   
   The author does a fantastic job of painting a picture of life in the day, John Marshall's life and contributions, and how he and others in his era related to each other and the world at large. The cases that came before the early SCourt were fascinating, if only to illustrate the thorny issues and perils of the time. The extent to which he was able to be brilliant, rationale, and to build consensus focused on the original intent and vision for this country is impressive, and sorely needed today.
   
   Funny story - I finally DID start reading this book on the beach in Mexico. Not quite the fluff one typically carries to the beach. The first day, people remarked as such, and by about day 3 or 4, they are saying "wow, you are really making progress on that!" as the bookmark moved steadily towards the back.
   
   Don't wait for the beach - get started!



5. .....though we can still debate whether he defined it correctly. John Marshall, fourth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was, and remains, one of the absolute giants of our history. Washington fought the battles, Jefferson and Madison composed the theories, but it remained for Marshall to elucidate what it all meant. This is, to my mind, the definitive biography of a titan.
   
   John Marshall was born in what is now Northern Virginia in 1755, the child of a fairly well off family. On his mother's side, he was descended from the famous Randolphs; his father was a surveying associate of George Washington. His dad taught him a love of education and good books that continued all his days. Before embarking on a career in Law, Marshall was a soldier of the Revolution, serving with Washington in several major battles. After marriage to young Polly Ambler, he was a law student of the great George Wythe [also the law teacher of Jefferson, and of Spencer Roane] at William & Mary. Successful practice, and politics, soon followed...Marshall served on the Governor's Council, and was the leading advocate for Constitutional ratification in the Virginia convention; his battles with Patrick Henry are the stuff of legend [though they served as co-counsel in several cases]. He was a constant supporter of Washington, served as one of Adams' three ministers to France in the XYZ affair, and was briefly a Congressman and Secretary of State. He it was who said of Washington "First in War...", though he let Light Horse Harry Lee speak the words, and get the credit. In 1801, John Adams made a "midnight appointment" of Marshall to be Chief Justice, preventing the incoming President Jefferson from making his own choice...
   
   For the next 34 years, Marshall solidified Federal power, freely interpreting the interstate commerce clause, and the clause which allows Congress to make enabling legislation. Marbury v. Madison asserted the right of judicial review, and further cases expanded it. He wrote the judicial opinions that remain the basis of Federal centrilization of power to this day. Smith gives great detail of individual cases.
   
   One of Marshall's great strengths, and we shouldn't make light of it, was that he was a nice guy. A sociable host, his friends loved him, but even total strangers could find him thoroughly modest and charming. Quoits, and good Madiera were real passions. Even his enemies [with two profound exceptions] liked him. His basic decency certainly aided his consensus building.....
   
   ...the two exceptions were Spencer Roane and Thomas Jefferson. Roane was the son-in-law and political ally of Patrick Henry. A long time neighbor of Marshall, and Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court, Judge Roane believed completely in States Rights and held the US Constitution to be a voluntary compact of free and independent states that could be broken at will. What Spencer Roane proposed, Jeff Davis disposed... Alas, where Marshall was a prince among men, Judge Roane was of such acid, unpleasant, temperment that even his friends and allies couldn't stand him...
   
   ....and then there was Mr. Jefferson. The feud between Marshall and Jefferson is one of the absolute central themes of American history. It was multidimensional...personal, familial, political, philosophical...for about 40 years, the conflict was one of cordial, respectful, dislike; after the Aaron Burr treason trial of 1807, it turned into blind, unreasoning hatred. Part of it was rivalry between branches of the Randolph family; part was Jefferson's civilian service during the revolution while Marshall was in the field; part was publication of a letter to Jefferson from his daughter stating "Mrs. Marshall is insane" [sadly, true]. Mostly, the problem was that Marshall and Jefferson had totally different theories of government and visions of America. [They agreed about religion, though Marshall was a founder of, and regular attender at, Monumental Church in Richmond]. In 1807, Aaron Burr was charged with treason, accused of wanting to set up his own empire. He was tried in Richmond, with Marshall sitting as trial judge. Marshall's friend, neighbor, and occasional law partner John Wickham served as defense counsel, along with the drunken genius, Luther Martin. In what is today generally considered a rigged trial, Burr was acquitted. During this trial, an incident occured that is the only evidence of improper conduct on John Marshall's part that I can find; while Burr was out on bail, Wickham threw a grand dinner party for him. Marshall was invited [not improper], went, and stayed the whole evening. You can well imagine the spin that sympathetic Jefferson biographers put on this; Smith doesn't mention it.
   
   John Marshall was a great and brilliant man; he was also a good and decent man. He had his problems; Polly was an invalid with a combination of physical and mental problems for years...one of his sons was essentially worthless. Thru it all, John Marshall was faithful to both his public and private duties. Now, I'll get personal....my copy of this wonderful book was a Christmas present my wife bought me at the John Marshall House in Richmond. Located at 9th. and Marshall, near the Capitol, it is lovingly maintained by a fine staff of really nice people [the Director even helped me with research for a small biography I wrote of Spencer Roane]. The house, and Marshall's grave in Shockhoe Cemetery a few blocks away, are cared for as monuments to greatness, which they are. The house is nice, but not spectacular; Marshall was a modest, unassuming man [John Wickham's house, two blocks away, IS spectacular]. At the John Marshall House [yes, I contribute financially], and at his grave, I feel awe, intellectual interest, and profound respect; at Monticello, I feel reverence. Maybe I think Jefferson was right about the issues, but I can still look up to John Marshall. If you want to understand America, you need to read this book.
   
   This is the best available biography of Marshall, maybe the best ever. If all you want is case histories, read Hobson; if you want a highly technical biography, read Newmyer; if you want to understand the great cases, AND the great man who decided them, start right here. Newmyer and Hobson wrote fine books, but any intelligent person [not just specialists] can read this one.....