3 comments about Wade Hampton: Confederate Warrior to Southern Redeemer (Civil War America).

1. I am a new resident of Western North Carolina who discovered Wade Hampton III from some research done on Wade Hampton Frost M.D., the renown epidemiologist, who became the first doctor to direct and build John Hopkins Department of Epidemiology that was the first in the United States. His father Dr Henry Frost, came to the United States via Charleston, South Carolina and named his seventh child after Wade Hampton III because of his high regard for Wade as a fine cavalry officer in the civil war.
   
   While I read numerous biographies on the civil war while in college in Iowa and was familiar with many of the famous battles and William Tecumseh Sherman's infamous "March to the Sea", none of these books left me with a memory of Wade Hampton and his strong influence on the Civil War both as an officer and a strong financial contributor to the South Carolina war effort, and his major influence on the post civil war politics of the south.
   
   It has resulted in my trip to Cashier, NC to visit High Hampton (Wade's hunting preserve and now renown mountain resort) , my review of two books on Charleston, South Carolina and personal trips to Greenville, SC, Columbia, SC, Chattanooga/Lookout Mountain, TN and Charleston, SC to visit historical buildings and meet knowledgeable gatekeepers and rel
   atives of southerners in the Civil War.
   
   The author has managed to cover all aspects of the history of the antibellum period, the development of the slave problem, the secession of the southern states, the war between the north and the south and finally the creation of a integrated union. Wade Hampton III played a very important part in all the phases which is well covered in the excellent manuscript produced by Rod Andrew Jr. It is an excellent overview of this important period of our nation's history.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   



2. After a dearth of many years, four biographies of southern soldier and politician Wade Hampton have recently appeared. I have read three; Rod Andrew's work is easily the best. Many of Hampton's personal papers were lost to fire; there are virtually no letters from him in existence before the war and most of his war papers were also lost, but Andrew has done an excellent job finding sources and scattered letters. Andrew used several letters from Hampton or close acquaintances that Brian Cisco did not include in his recent popular biography of Hampton. Andrew also gives a much fuller portrait of Hampton as a slave-holder than does Cisco, contrasting Wade III's paternal management with the brutality of his grandfather Wade I.
   I was impressed that Andrew detailed Hampton's amazing record as a cavalry commander with such detail, surpassing the treatment of Edward Longacre, who wrote about Hampton's Civil War service. But it is Andrew's analysis of Hampton's character and his commitment to southern ideals that stands out the most. Andrew has done an excellent job of defining Hampton in the era and landscape of his own existence, not forcing him to abide by modern standards of racial justice. Hampton was a racist, and a paternalist, but his legacy to the world was vastly different from men like Ben Tillman, Martin Gary, and James Henry Hammond. Hampton was a man of honor, who came to bitterly hate Yankees, especially William Sherman, and who never regretted or apologized for his role in the war. Although he did earnestly seek black votes and appointed many to office after his disputed gubernatorial election in 1876-77, he was never committed to enforcing civil rights and was an impotent defender of the limited success of his racial policy by the 1890s. Nonetheless, Hampton's record is largely remarkable. He was deeply mourned in passing as one of the finest of his era and section.
   Rod Andrew's biography is a first rate example of research and analysis. William Davis's work on John C. Breckinridge and Andrew's work on Hampton are my favorite biographies of Civil War-era southerners.



3. Wade Hampton III who was born in 1818 and whose life spanned the century (he died in 1902) was an important figure in South Carolina and in the American South. He was born to near-aristocracy, his father having fought in the War of 1812 and his grandfather in the Revolution. He was a wealthy plantation owner, one of the wealthiest in his state. He was also a conservative who opposed the break with the union, but when called upon to do his duty went to war and raised his own regiment known as 'Hampton's legion'. He served in the Stonewall Brigade and then took over JEB Stuart's cavalry units after the battle of Yellow Tavern. He served to the end with Lee. His son died in the war and his house and properties were destroyed by Sherman's union army in its march to the sea. After the war he was drafted to run for Govenor by the Democrats but relented waiting until 1877 to take the helm of his state as a passionate opponent of reconstruction and northern meddling in southern affairs. Later he served as a Senator.
   
   This book is not an fawning biography but rather a more critical one that examines the importance of this influential leader whose life mirrored that of his southern compatriots and that of his class. He was the embodiment of the south and as the title suggests, both a warrior and a redeemer whose efforts and politics hang over the South today.
   
   A very interesting, well written account that will appeal to devotees of Southern history and the Civil War.
   
   Seth J. Frantzman

2 comments about Abraham Lincoln: The Illustrated Edition: The Prairie Years and The War Years.

1. Sandburg's 'Lincoln' is exhaustively researched, and magnificently illuminating. The photographs and illustrations in this edition add admirably to the prose. I feel all the more that Lincoln stands alone as the greatest political leader of all time. No one else (not even Gandhi) was even close. The Emancipation Proclamation was the greatest political act in human history.



2. If this book wasn't loosely based on the excellent Sandburg master I would have only given it two stars. This abridgment is a mess. Vital sections have been sacrificed, paragraphs have been poorly spliced together, photos and paragraphs are duplicated by obvious mistake, sentences have been mangled until they only resemble English, and it so states that presidents can be reflected for a second term of office. I question the editor's judgment and suspect the proofreader's presence. If I had my money back I would purchase the 800 page Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and The War Years (Paperback) instead.

5 comments about Behind Palace Doors: My Service As the Queen Mother's Equerry.

1. A fun book and an easy read by the equerry to
   Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother for two years.
   Very little has been written about her private
   life so this was interesting. I just wish the
   book had been longer!



2. Interesting read. Gives a behind-the-scenes look at palace life. Nothing juicy. Make a cup of tea, put your feet up and relax for an hour or two.



3. Major Colin Burgess' book about being the Equerry to the Queen Mother from 1994-1996 makes a wonderful read. Real insight to what its like to be "behind the scenes" of Clarence House from someone close enough to see quite a bit. He does not reveal anything that isn't really already known about the Royal Family. In fact, he is quite diplomatic about the Royal Family, but what makes this book such a fun read is learning the little quirks and interests about the Queen Mother. It is sadly a bit of a quick read, but I enjoyed it!!



4. Not quite below-stairs gossip nor entirely unbiased, either, this account of two years spent as an equerry to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, gives only a glimpse of her life and activities during the years when Prince Charles and Princess Diana were making headlines with their marital problems. The ghost writer who helped the equerry to write this book said, in his preface, that there were so many other interesting stories that could have been shared but, for a number of reasons, were not. I wish they had been, since several chapters chat about difficulties that staff members of other royal households face rather than staying on point. I'm sure the author was very relieved not to have worked for either Prince Charles or Princess Diana while their marriage was breaking down, but the key bits of intelligence that those chapters provided were that the Queen Mother removed herself from the battle lines early on and that Prince Charles has a nasty temper. The overall focus of this book is more about the duties an equerry to a member of the British royal family is expected to fulfill and less about the Queen Mother. Still, it's a good, fast read and provides an interesting view of the other members of the Queen Mother's senior staff and their little foibles.



5. This is a great insight written by a young military officer who was Equerry to the Queen Mother for 2 years. It's written with great respect and fondness of his experiences as her close personal assistant. A rare glimpse into the everyday life of the Queen Mother and her association and influence in the Royal Family. An endearing book that touches on her home at Clarence House, other members of her household, his duties, and describes her "little extravagences" like Lobster, strawberries in winter, champagne, and daily fresh flowers in all the rooms. He describes her other residences at Royal Lodge and the Castle of Mey in Scotland. Full of interesting little known facts and antecdotes. No scandals (she never had any)or unflattering gossip. You'll LOVE this book. Easy reading!!

4 comments about What the Stones Remember: A Life Rediscovered.

1. DEPRESSING BUT HOPEFUL BOOK ABOUT RECOVERY FROM DRUG AND ALCOLHOL ADDICTION AND RETURN TO NORMAL, SOBER LIFE.



2. As a 60 year old male recovering from my own life of addiction, I was somewhat resentful when I first read the reviews for this wonderful book -"how dare someone write my life's story!" was my first thought. Having read the book, however, I am glad that Patrick Lane took the time to write such a moving and poignant story. His skills as a poet echo throughout every chapter of the book. The peace he finds in his garden stands in total contrast to the chaos he put himself through for forty five years. As a member of a 12 Step fellowship who followed almost the exact same path (minus the gardening skills), I have told all the other men in my program that this book will help them find a piece of themselves - and ultimately peace for themselves. Lane's book will be a cornerstone for the foundation I am building in my own recovery.



3. This memoir by one of Canada's best-known poets follows Patrick Lane's first year of recovery from a lifetime of alcoholism, a recovery that unfolds almost entirely in his Vancouver Island garden. The narrative weaves between his present-tense garden and the struggle and brutality that was Lane's past. His poetic voice permeates his storytelling, compelling us to see how the honesty and enchantment of the natural world can save us from our nightmares, our addictions, our terrible losses - if only we will let it.
   
   Originally published a year and a half ago in Canada as There Is a Season: A Memoir in a Garden, the book won the 2005 BC Award for Canadian nonfiction. It is not at all disingenuous for Lane to re-release his memoir under a new title - What the Stones Remember - as there really are two stories folded into the one book. This new title summons the story of Lane's turbulent past as a wayward child, an absentee father, a fledgling poet, a failed husband, a triumphant writer, and ultimately a recovering addict. We follow him deep into his personal history and come to understand, along with him, that it is a miracle he is still alive. This story is rich with personal intrigue, gossip, sentimentality and curiosity. I think it's rare that we look even into our own lives so intimately.
   
   The second story is the simple unfolding of the seasons in his suburban garden, and it mirrors Lane's journey of recovery and self-redemption. His garden is his sanctuary and the midwife of his rebirth as a sane and sober person. He delves into the ecology of his garden with the same studied depth as he digs through his personal history. The carefully documented hours of observation are underscored by a book knowledge of plant and animal classification, behaviour and habitat.
   
   This being said, Lane is first and foremost a poet, and his garden ramblings are never dry or dense. How can they be when he periodically unearths old vodka bottles in the woodpile or under a bush? Or when he stops to watch a hermit thrush dance and mourn beside its dead mate? Or sees his mother, long decades dead, kneeling in the corner under the plum tree?
   
   What the Stones Remember contains equal parts beauty and horror. Patrick Lane describes a past that many people would be inclined to leave buried in the furrows of time. But in bringing forth the dead, the wounded, the lost, this poet carves a path of healing and new life.



4. I can't believe I'm the first reviewer to take a stab at WHAT THE STONES REMEMBER, A LIFE REDISCOVERED. Everyone I know is reading this book! It's especially good for people who are just undergoing recovery, those who will recognize and nod with wonder at the pain Lane describes at just waking up and experiencing the little things, the color of your bedroom walls, the feel of the cotton pillowcase under your cheek, as if for the first time, without the sheltering batting of cocaine or alcohol. He thinks of the American poet Weldon Kees who, fueled by despair and drink jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge in the early 1950s, and of Kees' famous zen riddle, "Whatever it is that a wound remembers/ After the healing ends."
   
   Lane finds the courage to remember the years before he fell into heavy drinking, and what a dreary lot of memories he dredges up! Okay, there were some happy moments too--a sensuous description of lovemaking at age 16 with the girl who would become his first wife--but mostly he grew up in Canada, a misbegotten part of the world with more casual brutality, sexual violence, and abuse against childred than you will find in Ghana or Sierra Leone. For pocket money he sold himself to pedophiles, for a quarter here or a dollar there, allowing them to buy him forbidden ice cream sundaes in depressing town dessert joints. At another time he watches from between parked cars as three white men brutally rape and torture a native Indian woman. For Lane, youth is an unusual place, marked by the absence of his dad during World War II and by the remarkably hard-earned wisdom of a lovely mother, with a caustic wit which, who knows, might have contributed to Lane's own dexterity with words.
   
   I don't like his poetry very much, and it's a shame that he feels he has to quote from it in this book, but as a memoirist he really shines. After getting out of the treatment clinic, he goes to work on his garden, like Candide, but even there memories of different things that happened to him sometimes leap up and assault his senses so that he'd do anything to have just one drink! And sometimes he finds bottles of vodka hidden around the house, and garden too. Malcolm Lowry probably said just as well and earlier to boot everything that Patrick Lane has to say about the sadnesses of Western Canada, the glittering allure of drink, and the repentance of women's arms, but Lowry (author of UNDER THE VOLCANO and one of Lane's literary heroes) has been gone a longtime, the victim of his own alcoholism, and Lane lives on, triumphantly speaking of a new marriage to another of Canada's notable literary figures, a woman who he calls "Lorna" here. Maybe her real name is Lorna too, but in any case you get the idea he's trying to protect the innocent and to lacerate only himself and his people.
   
   I predict a long future for this book if only more people knew about it besides people in recovery.

5 comments about The Last Princess: The Devoted Life of Queen Victoria's Youngest Daughter.

1. A perfectly adequate biography of this rather sad princess, who got the best of her mother at least in being allowed to marry & thus living a richer life than might have been. Otherwise the shame is in her destroying so much of personal letters of Queen Vic. I enjoyed the book. It was worth it if you're interested in Royalty & I am...of Victoria's children & grandchildren & down yet another generation. Not so much the present Royals.



2. Princess Beatrice gave up her private life, her health and most of her happiness in order to be the secretary, confidante and companion of her widowed mother. Starting with the death of her father, Prince Albert, when she was only four years old, her life was a constant reminder of funereal gloom. As her older sisters married and moved away, Princess Beatrice became the Queen's slave in most matters public and private. Such was the Queen's paranoia that her youngest daughter might grow up and want a life of her own, she forbade all talk of marriage in front of the Princess, and punished the girl by not speaking to her for eight months when she dared to fall in love and announced her wish to wed. The marriage was only allowed to go forward, and the Princess forgiven, when the couple agreed to live with the Queen for their married life, with very limited travel (their honeymoon lasted only five days, and the Queen visited for two of them).
   
   I don't think I'd realized just how selfish Queen Victoria was until I read this meticulously researched volume. Princess Beatrice was a far more forgiving and patient woman than I could have ever been, and I veer between being in awe of her, and pitying her.
   
   Matthew Dennison's writing style takes a while to get used to - sometimes he moves back and forth in eras and you have to go back in order to determine just what time frame he's referring to. The text is at times dangerously close to "scholarly" and for this alone I give the book four stars instead of five. I do recommend it, however, for the insights it gives into this complex, frustrating relationship.



3. beatrice was last child of queen victoria and prince albert.after her father death,beatrice became a emotional phsycial slave to a self center and demanding mother .she was not allow to from freidship with people her age or talk of marriage .beatrice did finally find love with prince henry but had to fight her mother who did not talk to her for 6 month to married the man she love.lucky prince henry could put up with his demanding mother-in-law.they share happy marriage for 10 years and 4 childern until his death.beatrice return to being her mother secretary/companion until queen death.even after that she was in charge of her mother papers until her own death.



4. Princess Beatrice was the youngest and least well known of the nine children of Queen Victoria. Born just four years before the death of her father Prince Albert, she did not experience the full rigour of an upbringing and education under her father's control, the only one of the family to escape what seems to modern eyes less raising a child than overwhelming it. Beatrice also seems to have avoided her parents' well known tendency to over criticize and over correct their other children. But Beatrice, as the youngest child, was the one chosen by her incredibly self-centered mother to be an eternal comfort and assistant after Albert's death and the marriage of her siblings. Forced into the role of secretary/confidante (and at times psychologist) to her mother when barely out of her teens, Beatrice developed a personality which was quiet, patient, and undemanding throughout the years during which her peers were getting married and raising families. She seems to have rebelled against her mother only once, when she fell in love with and insisted on marrying Prince Henry of Battenberg, who fortunately was also patient enough to agree to be part of Queen Victoria's household rather than establishing his own independent life. Prince Henry died after a decade of marriage, and Beatrice continued to be Victoria's secretary/companion until the Queen died in 1901. Even then Beatrice was not free from her mother, because she had been given the task of editing/censoring the Queen's journals, a task which took her many years and probably resulted in the loss of much valuable material about Victoria's true thoughts and activities, since Beatrice loyally destroyed the originals after making her copies.
   
   This nice, self-effacing lady would not have merited a biography had she not been born royal, but its good to have this one because it sheds light on a life which was lived in the shadow of a more forceful personality. Matthew Dennison writes well, if somewhat archaically (I do not recall running across the word "munificent" even once in a modern book, let alone twice!) There are many photos and reproductions of portraits that I had never seen before, and there are some good descriptions of Beatrice's four children: three sons who were to be even more obscure than their mother (one was a hemophiliac, a tragic reminder of the curse genetics placed on Victoria's descendants) and a daughter who became Queen of Spain (and the mother of two hemophiliac sons.) The Last Princess will make an excellent addition to any collection of royal biographies.



5. This is pretty much what you'd expect - but no new information on the princess. Nothing I didn't know before, no new pictures I haven't seen before. Slow reading at times - I had to make myself finish it. A good effort, but nothing spectacular, and the writing style is dry and not very exciting. Princess Beatrice needs a good bio about her - but this isn't it.

5 comments about Diary of an Early American Boy: Noah Blake 1805 (Dover Books on Americana).

1. My 9-year old daughter and I are reading this together. She's not very interested in reading yet, but she likes this book a lot. We're using it as part of a science curriculum about "how things work" and it gives a good perspective on simple tools and machinery from 1805. The illustrations are wonderful.



2. I've used DEAB (Diary of an Early American Boy) in my fourth grade Science curriculum for a few years now. It's amazing how Noah and his father are able to craft so many tools (and bridges, mills, and homes) using such "archaic" technology. Students are given a first hand glimpse at wood-working, pulleys and levers, and splitting and heating using wood (many of my students actually still heat their houses using wood!).
   The budding romance between Sarah and Noah is an added little perk! :)



3. I echo what everyone else has written here - an excellent book. Noah's diary is very terse, but Sloane fleshes it out with fascinating details of what living on a farm must have been like for Noah.
   
   Sad thing, though... as I was reading this I wondered if Noah and Sarah Trowbridge, whom he frequently writes about (it's clear he was attacted to this girl) ever married. Alas! I can find no mention at all of Noah Blake or his parents on any online genealogical database. Other than via Sloane's book, Noah Blake seems to be unremembered... but that's sufficient, I guess. (I can find a Sarah Trowbridge born in 1791, but it might or might not be the right one. Not enough genealogical details in Sloane's book.)



4. Like the previous reviewer, this book was not what I was expecting. Thinking that most teenage boys hundreds of years ago are just like teenage boys today, I was very surprised to find a published diary of a kid who was willing to write down his thoughts on life. With many entries consisting entirely of one or two words like "Plowed today." and "Do." (ditto), this book does little to offer the reader insight into the thoughts of this boy. The diary portion of the book is disappointing, and is used as a jumping off point for the author to explain in words and pictures about the technology of the early 19th century. The explanations are fascinating, the technology amazing. Anyone who has ever thought about how the pyramids could have been built by thousands of slaves should take a gander at how a covered bridge (that could hold the weight of oxen and a cart and it's load and driver) was constructed by a few neighborhood farmers. The illustrations are the backbone of this book and they are excellent. I wish the author would strike a deal with the publishers of Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" series to draw and explain the machinery described in those books. I would recommend this book as a gift for anyone, kid or adult, who is interested in architecture or engineering, or who loves history.



5. I read the other reviews before I bought. I guess this wasn't for me. I love diaries but this wasn't really a diary.

5 comments about Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination.

1. As a kid growing up in Southern California in the 1950's and 1960's, I was absolutely obsessed with Disneyland and the Mickey Mouse Club. The ultimate experience for me was spending a day at Disneyland with my sister and cousins.
   
   When I saw Neal Gabler's interview on the Today show, I was convinced that I needed to read his book. I was not disappointed. It took me about eight months to get through it (the book is over 600 pages), but it was worth it. I now feel that I know the inner workings of a man whose imagination and genius have captured my heart and soul ever since I was a child.
   
   For me, the only things that were missing were the details about the design and construction of the rides at Disneyland. As a kid, I oftened fantasized about jumping off the boat in the Peter Pan ride and runnng around in the sets and playing with the characters. I wanted to see up close how the characters and props moved and operated.
   
   That said, Gabler's storytelling is superb. He goes into incredible detail about Disney's private life and clearly describes his motivations, frustrations, and fears. Disney was a complicated man, and the author conveys that message to the reader.
   
   The eight months that I spent reading Walt Disney was an enjoyable investment of my time. I would especially recommend this book those whose have been to Disneyland or Disneyworld and have wondered where the genius and inspiration for those two magical places came from.
   
   Mitch Paioff, Author, Getting Started as an Independent Computer Consultant
   
   Getting Started as an Independent Computer Consultant



2. What I have to say has already been said in several two-star reviews: for all its impressive length and alleged research, Gabler never gets a proper handle on Disney as either a man or a creative artist. The new Mike Barrier book is better. The old Richard Schickel book is better. The short chapter in Leonard Maltin's "Of Mice and Magic" is better. Heck, there are websites devoted to Disney that are better!
   
   Somehow - I guess because of its length and sanctioning by the Disney organization - this has been annointed as the "definitve" Disney biography. But it misses by a mile. It's boring, pretentious, and very unsatisfying. You'll get much more of out the shorter, better-written book by Mike Barrier - a lifelong animation scholar who understands Disney in ways that Gabler simply can't.
   
   Please believe me (as somebody who's read nearly everything about Disney, and has been a major animation buff/collector for 40 years) when I say that this disappointing book has been insanely overpraised!



3. Neither a love letter nor a scathing attack, Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination is an even-handed and thorough examination of one of the undisputed icons of 20th century popular culture. And written in Neal Gabler's clear, crisp narrative style, it's dense but enjoyable reading.
   
   Gabler clearly has done his homework, and done it extensively (and, he notes in the afterword, he did all his own research rather than passing the legwork off on assistants). It makes for a cohesive look at how Disney decided animated characters needed to evoke emotional responses; created the first feature-length animated film; promoted both Technicolor and color TV in their infancies; became the first motion picture studio executive to work directly with nascent television networks; and, of course, redefined the concept of the amusement park.
   
   At the same time, Gabler discloses Disney's involvement in the anti-Communist and blacklist hysteria; his reluctance to credit individual studio artists; and how, later in life, he became a tyrannical figure at Walt Disney Productions while simultaneously always pursuing innovative projects.
   
   Especially important, Gabler shows how Disney consciously created (and even licensed to his own studio) a "Walt Disney" public persona while remaining intensely private -- and how he was never satisified with resting on his previous accomplishments and, in fact, seemed embarrassed that his legacy would be what he had already done.
   
   While it takes a while to read, Neal Gabler has produced a biography that shows how Disney both directly and indirectly influenced how generations experienced entertainment -- and their expectations of it.



4. As with any major celebrity, there is fact and there is legend. With Walt Disney, the lines have become blurred as Walt the man has been supplanted by Walt the icon. Most people today have gotten to know the image of "Uncle Walt," the paternally avuncular picture of middle American success -- the man who went from animated cartoons, feature films, to television and Disneyland and its successors. Yet there was another side to Walt. He was by turns a workaholic, hard-driving taskmaster, visionary, storyteller, tinkerer and technical wizard -- a man who inspired and infuriated subordinates, colleagues, competitors. Ever the perfectionist, he sought to elevate entertainment above the simplistic to the artful.
   
   Neal Gabler crafts a splendid examination of the life of this enigmatic man -- labeled by many as "An American Original." Going beyond the superficial press releases and stock images, he looks not only at Walt Disney the entertainer, but Walt Disney the man. He presents a well-researched, meticulous, balanced portrait of a unique individual -- a genius, who nevertheless possessed deep flaws and human weaknesses. We discover a man who, despite his upbringing (or perhaps because of it), rose to become a giant in the entertainment world. In the process, he became a symbol, alternately, of innovation, artistry, daring, conventionality, stodginess, and ultimately, an icon synonymous with happiness (albeit at an often hefty price).
   
   The author explores his personal relationships with family and friends, including his brother Roy, his wife Lillian, and the animators and studio employees from whom he would later distance himself as he grew in ego and stature. Uncle Walt succeeded in reinventing himself in the image of the quintessential American of his own making.
   
   Mr. Gabler chronicles not only Disney and the company that bears his name, but also an industry and an era long past, but whose roots still entwine the American imagination.



5. If you ever wanted to know virtually everything about Walt Disney and the Disney company, this is the book for you. The author has almost overwhelming detail of Walt's early upbringing and difficult life to his unfortunate early death while in the middle of planning out Disney World and Epcot. This book is not for the light reader on the subject, the biography is massive with over 600 pages not counting the notes and index. But you will come away from the book adoring the man that never stopped planning and making improvements from not just the way cartoons were drawn but by making them more artistic, utilizing new techniques and cameras with an analyzing eye for detail. Often on the brink of bankruptcy, Walt, with the huge contribution of brother Roy, continued to make improved products equiring outstanding loans throughout much of his career. Betrayed initially by a film distributor who not only stole, legally, Disney's Oswald character and stole many of his staff, Disney and his top artist Ub Iwerks, develop the life changing Mickey Mouse. But as Gabler tells the story, Disney's studio grows and so do the risks with perhaps the greatest risk at that time, Snow White, the first full length animation film. What almost seems like a pattern, Walt continues to make improvements, hire increased staff and take out loans as he produces more, works staff long hours to put out a higher quality package. The book also provides a sobering view of Disney as sometimes the pressure was too great for the great story teller and the advent of unions and the need for stock sales along with bankers starting to provide over sight leads to greater restrictions and frustration but then Disney thrives with less costly non-cartoon films such as Davey Crocket that become quite a rage along with the Mickey Mouse TV show and eventually his plan for Disneyland that was an attempt to fulfill his boyhood dreams of his small town life in Marceline, Missouri. Fascinating detail on such things as Ub Iwerks as the actual artist who drew the early Mickey, the need for Donald Duck as a charcter to offset the corporate wholesomeness now required of the mouse, Roy Disney who held the finances together to allow Walt to plunge on and and Disney's plan for developing not only Disney World with modern monorails but Epcot. The sad end of the book of course is Walt's death of cancer that is well hinted very early on by references to a hacking cough many years before. What is really unfortunate was Walt Disney's plan for Epcot that was never completely fullfilled that was to be more of a town with living areas for Disney employees creating a village concept that is actually being realized in many communities today (office parks with stores, landscapped lakes, and condos or apartments). Regretfully as Roy Disney said, the great plans for Epcot died with Walt. Primarily because Walt reached higher and higher, his ultimate plans with stringent notation to detail crerated a fascinating entertainment industry.

2 comments about Democracy's Big Day: The Inauguration of our President 1789-2009.

1. Jim Bendat's new revision of Democracy's Big Day is a treasure trove of solid information, little known oddities, and some truly witty tidbits-all of which make reading about the US presidential inauguation great fun while at the same time providing a vast amount of detail about the Big Day. His account of our nation's transition of leadership reveals his excitement and pride in a most informative yet non-partisan way. His breezy vignette style makes for easy reading, where one can turn to any page and learn something new!



2. This book is my kind of history. It is a collection of stories that takes the reader through Inauguration Day from start to finish through a series of wonderful stories and anecdotes about Presidents from George Washington to George W. Bush. It is just plain fun to read.
   
   This book would be enjoyed by any person of any political persuasion, be it liberal, moderate, or conservative. It will remind each of us how extraordinary our country is. Here in the United States politcal power, much of the time, is changed peacefully and without violence. The Civil War, of course, is an exception. Yet even after that conflict--as Bendat notes in one of many, many entertaining and informative anecdotes--an ex-Confederate rebel actually swore in one of our Presidents. Astonishing!
   
   We forget in this time of struggle that our country has seldom been without challenge and danger. Yet, as angry as we become with each other, we hold together. E pluribus unum.
   
   Highly recommended for those who occasionally become discouraged for whatever reason about our nation. Hope is always with us. And of course highly recommended for history buffs.

5 comments about William Tyndale: A Biography (Yale Nota Bene).

1. Dr. Daniell's biography of William Tyndale is sympathetic and masterful. Tyndale's influence as a translator is well-documented, as is his humble devotion to providing the Word of God in a language that laymen could understand. One marvels at how Thomas More has gained greater historical sympathy given his virulent, active persecution of early reformers. Daniell's bio is generously footnoted and includes a fine bibliography for further reading. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the early English Reformation.



2. William Tyndale is a hero of mine. Just a few weeks ago I reviewed a DVD that featured an interview with David Daniell, a prominent Tyndale expert. Having watched this DVD presentation, and being intruiged by Daniell's knowledge of his subject, I knew I would have to read his biography of William Tyndale.
   
   Considering the importance of his contribution, both to Christianity and to the English language, there are surprisingly few biographies written about William Tyndale. In the introduction to this biography, Daniell claims that "there has not been a full-scale study of him for nearly sixty years, since J.F. Mozley's biography of 1937." This leads him to conclude that "there is need for something more modern, especially as the quincentenary of Tyndale's birth in 1494 is widely celebrated." Of course this date passed some twelve years ago, for this volume was printed in 1994. Daniell fills this need with William Tyndale: A Biography.
   
   The outline of Tyndale's life is well-known. He was, as you may know, a brilliant man who was the first to make and print a translation of the Scriptures from the Greek into English. His translation formed much of the basis for what was to become the King James version. In that way, his work continues to be in use today and is still precious to many believers. Of lesser significance, many of the words and phrases he coined, such as my brother's keeper, passover and scapegoat are still in use, even five centuries later. He dedicated his life to the great work of translation which eventually totalled all of the New Testament and the first two sections of the Old. He gave his life for the privilege of translating Scripture and was eventually martyred for the "sin" of giving the Scriptures to the common man in a common language. It is a great tragedy that his life was taken before he was able to complete the remaining books of the Old Testament and, in particular Proverbs, Psalms and other books of poetry.
   
   Surprisingly, for a man of his stature, relatively little is known about Tyndale, for he spent many years of his life toiling in secrecy and obscurity. This book represents a compilation and analysis of most of the important facts available to historians. Many gaps remain, but it seems unlikely that we will ever know significantly more than we do today.
   
   Perhaps the best way of describing this biography is "thorough." This is not a book for the feint-of-heart. While it is only slightly over 400 pages, it is, nonetheless, very thorough and sometimes tough-going. Thankfully, Daniell is a capable writer and he does a very satisfying job of making relevant even what may seem, at first glance, to be mundane. Beyond merely relaying the facts of his subject's life, the author expends great effort in understanding the sources Tyndale used for his translation and the results of his dependence upon particular texts. He examines particular words and phrases Tyndale chose to use, showing him to be a master communicator with a gift for expressing himself with great clarity. He describes even the religious and social implications that arose because of Tyndale's work. Truly Tyndale's influence extended far beyond a simple translation of the Bible.
   
   I was particularly glad to see that Daniell endeavoured to present Tyndale as something more than merely the opponent of Sir Thomas More. Tragically, More has gone down in history as a noble and just man, but the reality is that he was anything but. He proved his lack of character time and again through his bitter hatred of William Tyndale. There is much more to the life of Tyndale than his ongoing confrontations with More and Daniell is careful to document this.
   
   William Tyndale: A Biography was as thorough and interesting a biography as I could hope to read. It was not always easy to read, but it was well worth the effort. I would not hesitate to recommend it.



3. David Daniell gives a most valuable treatment of William Tyndale (1494-1536), "the first person to translate the Bible into English from its original Greek and Hebrew and the first to print the Bible in English."
   
   Daniell provides a unique perspective on Tyndale, combining expertise in the history of the English Bible with an intimate familiarity with the development and usage of early English (Daniell's Ph.D. is in Shakespeare, whom he has written and taught on for many years). Having authored modern-spelling versions of Tyndale's New Testament and Tyndale's Old Testament, his familiarity with the details of Tyndale's translation techniques provide valuable insight into the work of this underappreciated contributor to the English Reformation and modern English Bible.
   
   Daniell discusses Tyndales achievement as biblical translator and expositor, analyses his writing, examines his stylistic influence on writers from Shakespeare to those of the twentieth century, and explores the reasons why he has not been more highly regarded.
   
   Like other biographies of Tyndale, Daniell provides detailed information--where it is available--concerning Tyndale's origin, his schooling, and the dates and events which comprise the history of his life. Unlike most other treatments of Tyndale, Daniell is positioned to delve into the details of Tyndale's translational work itself.
   
   Perhaps the most valuable contribution of this biography of Tyndale is the evidence it provides regarding Tyndale's capabilities as an exegete and translator--his craftsmanlike usage of both Hebrew and Greek at a time where in-depth knowledge of the original languages was hard to come by, especially in England.
   
   Daniell notes how Tyndale is often relegated as being secondary in importance to other more visible personalities on the stage at the time of the English Reformation:
   
   "Tyndale is today only known in some po0werful intellectual circles as an annoyance to the blessed Saint Thomas [More], clinging like a burr to the great man's coat, as if Tyndale's life were meaningless without More. Tyndale is indeed, sometimes cited first of all as 'opponent of Sir Thomas More', with the fact that he gave us our English Bible mentioned among the also-rans, as being of little account. That is absurd."
   
   Daniell's treatment of Tyndale does away with this inverted priority and establishes Tyndale as a talented craftsman, both theologically and philologically, among those whom God used to bring forth the Reformation. His contribution to the Reformation in England could hardly be overstated.
   
   Throughout Daniell's treatment of Tyndale, one sees a man who is dedicated to producing the Scriptures in the native tongue of his own land while consistently underestimating the negative reaction his work would engender:
   
   "It is possible for the late twentieth-century reader [of the first page of Tyndale's New Testament] to see it as unexceptional, even mild, and even rather over-obvious, and begin to patronise Tyndale. Yet the page, printed in English in 1525, contained high explosive. Inside the reasonableness of tone, stating the need for a New Testament in English as, to borrow a phrase, a truth universally acknowledged; a truth so obvious that it would be superfluous to explain, and only those who were blind or malicious or mad could deny it, as it would be mad to say that the Bible in English would cause evil, darkness and lying--inside that mildness was found an attack so dangerous that it could only be countered by the most vicious burnings, of books and men and women. These first sentences of Tyndale have a calm that suggests that Tyndale himself does not understand yet that his work, and he himself, will be answered with hatred and burning."
   
   Daniell spends considerable time examining the textual work of Tyndale in light of the sources available to him at the time: the Vulgate, the Septuagint, Luther's works, Erasmus' New Testament, and others. He makes a convincing case that Tyndale was not overly dependent upon these other works, but like any good translator, made use of them where and when it made good sense. He pays particular attention to various lines of evidence which show that Tyndale was not slavishly dependent upon Luther:
   
   "The question must now be put: how much of all of that Hebrew-into-English in Genesis is Tyndale's own work? Is it not, as has so often been said, cribbed from Luther? The answer, for example, in that passage from Genesis 42, is absolutely not."
   
   On other occasions:
   
   "Tyndale sometimes follows Luther closely in grammar and vocabulary. That is not surprising given the limited nature of the Hebrew grammars and lexicons available. The brief comparisons here, however, have shown Tyndale independent in passages in Genesis, and a strong case begins to emerge for detaching Tyndale from Luther even more firmly as translator of Hebrew."
   
   As an authority on Shakespeare and the usage of early English, Daniell provides great service in an analysis of Tyndale's translational style. Daniell believes that Tyndale's translation work wed a careful knowledge of the original languages together with a overriding desire to render the result in an English which was understandable.. He gives copious examples throughout the work which bring this point home. Thus, Tyndale's translation method could be to said to stand somewhere between formal equivalence (a close adherence to the words of the original) and dynamic equivalence (taking some liberty with the words in order to better convey the sense of what is being said). With few exceptions, Daniell favors Tyndale over the work of alternative translators.
   
   As Tyndale continued his translation work in the Hebrew of the Old Testament--which was to be interrupted by his untimely martyrdom, his visibility of the Hebrew idiom and thought behind the Greek of the New Testament improved. This contributed to changes in his revision of the New Testament published in 1534.
   
   Daniell is no unattached scholar examining the history of Tyndale's time at-a-distance. He correctly understands the importance of Tyndale in the events of his day and the enduring value of his work both as evidenced in the reality of Protestantism in our day and the heritage of the English Bible. The many hours that Daniell has spent in the presence of Tyndale through his works is evident in his reaction to Tyndale's untimely death:
   
   "We have, at this point to utter a cry of grief. It was a scholar of this towering stature, leading all Europe in his knowledge of Greek, matched now by an equal command of Hebrew, uniquely gifted in tuning the sounds of the English language, who had achieved so much but who still had some of his greatest work to do, who was, soon after this, by a vicious, paltry and mean villain tricked to death. It is as if Shakespeare had been murdered by a real-life jealous Iago half-way through his life, and the great tragedies had never been written. Had Tyndale gone on to the poetic books and prophecies of the Old Testament, we should not only have had them in English far surpassing Coverdale's: we would surely also have had even finer tuning of the New Testament, so much of which is directly entwined with those very poems and prophecies. Tyndale's 1534 New Testament is a triumph; but another New Testament, after another eight years or so, would surely have followed. As Tyndale constantly notes, the work of translation never ends."
   
   Daniell's biography of Tyndale may be unique in the balance which is given to both the historical setting of Tyndale's life and the philological work of the man in translation. Considering the countless hours which Tyndale must have spent and the priority of his translation work in his own mind, this approach to understanding Tyndale provides great balance. The result is an enduring thankfulness for the sacrifices and dedication of this English Reformer who paid the ultimate price so that we might have the Bible in our vernacular: English. We highly recommend this book which will appeal to those with an interest in the events of the Reformation, the history of the English Bible, or an interest in Bible translation in general.



4. David Daniell's authoritative biography gives William Tyndale the recognition he deserves as the pioneer of the modern English Bible, and inadvertently, the writer of most of the King James or Authorized Translation. His contribution to the English language has been largely overlooked, and Daniell labors to correct that oversight. William Tyndale worked almost alone, unaided by his church, virtually exiled from his homeland, to translate the Bible from the original Greek (and later, Hebrew) into the English vernacular of the common working man, and at the risk and eventual cost of his life. Before Tyndale's affordable printed English New Testament, the only copies of the Bible available in England were either in Latin, which very few people understood, or a few copies of Wycliffe's Lollard Bible, an awkward handwritten version based on the Latin Vulgate.

   Tyndale bucked the incredible power of the 16th century church, burdened by its bias against a vernacular English translation, and showed outstanding scholarship in producing one the most remarkable Bible translations in the history of the English Bible. He was outspoken in courageously opposing both the official church policy and the hypocrisy of its clergy. He owed a great debt to Luther, yet, as Daniell so well demonstrates, he remained independent from Lutheran bias and dogma, despite the persecution he undeservedly received as a result of the prevailing anti-Lutheran (and anti-Lollard) sentiment.

   One area that the book clearly demonstrates is the bitter and virulent opposition to Tyndale from Thomas Moore - it transcended all reason, reducing the renowned scholar Moore ("A Man for all Seasons") into a foul-mouthed firebrand. History has painted Mr. Moore far tamer than his anti-Tyndale writings would indicate.

   The book is a treasure, and all students of textual transmission, and the history of the English language, owe a large debt of gratitude to Mr. Daniell. It does have a few weaknesses worth mentioning: the book gives us Tyndale the translator, but alas, Tyndale the man remains an enigma. This is not Daniell's fault, but the result of the dearth of biographical material on the man who so often lived and worked in clandestine anonymity. And one might well accuse Daniell of overstating his case from time to time, but I suppose history's oversight of Tyndale's true accomplishments may well merit the sometimes heavy-handed treatment.

   Overall, well worth the read, and one that you will come away from with a newfound appreciation for the faith and Christian humility of this great and largely overlooked scholastic genius.




5. This book covers the life of a man who was instrumental in bringing the English-speaking peoples of the world a copy of Holy Writ. The book is wonderfully written, although some trudging through the translation issues is necessary. It is worth the dig, though. On the other side of the road we see a man who knew what God wanted him to do and did it! I think anyone who is a believer or historian should read this monumental work. The courage, fortitude, and scholarship that Tyndale displayed should be an example to all who follow Jesus. I would also recommend the author's publications of Tyndale's New Testament and Pentateuch.

5 comments about Gandhi the Man: The Story of His Transformation.

1. This book is light reading, and succeeds in capturing some of the essential quotes of Gandhi, including his beliefs in non-violence, and his dedication to satyagraha. It is beautifully presented and rich with photos and quotes from Gandhi. Readers who are looking for a wealth of biographical details should look elsewhere - to Louis Fischer's Gandhi: His Life and Message for the World, for example. Advanced readers will also find this to be a light (but fairly accurate) summary of his book. For the new initiate, or the first-time reader, however, this book would serve as a good, short, stepping-stone to more detailed works about Gandhi.



2. This book was recommended to me by a friend who teaches English at the local college. What a great book! It's not a hefty read - but you feel you get a complete overview of the man and his life's contributions. Highly recommend this book at anyone whether they are a long time Gandhi fan, or someone who just wants to know more about this amazing world leader.



3. Gandhi, in my opinion, is one person we must not forget to get acquaited with if we are searching for the truth about ourselves. He became known for his contributions to the independence of India through his philosophy of non-violence. There have been many books written about the historical events comprising that journey. But, as he himself had said, the more significant journey that he took was one that was internal. The real "war" he was fighting was the spiritual war inside him. This book by Eknath Easwaran is a rare book that focuses entirely on that aspect of the great man. I would highly recommend this book if one is trying to find one's way to the heart of the "great soul".



4. The outstanding story of Gandhi's life shows us how a shy, insecure young man could transform himself into a political, social and spiritual giant. Gandhi, as a supreme representative of a very old culture, understood the momentum of the age he lived in and was able to translate his wisdom into practical solutions using the power of non-violence. Amongst others, he convinced the British to leave India, and was the living example of the power of love, respect and non-violence. Illustrating the power of universal truths common to all religions I highly recommend this book to everyone interested in human values and our future.



5. This is a very readable and insiring book about one of the greatest figures of the 20th century, with many photos that make Gandhi's life feel even more real. The effectiveness of Gandhi's application of nonviolence is well explained, both in his life history and in an interesting appendix about nonviolence in the world today.