2 comments about Burnham: King of Scouts.

1. 
   Fred Burnham wrote "Taking Chances" and "Scouting on Two Continents" - biographies written from his point of view.
   
   This book/novel fills in some of the holes in the facts of what the modest Fred Burnham didn't include.
   The author draws upon information not available until 2000 - a collection of private letters between Burnham and Baden-Powell stored under seal in the Yale Library.
   
   I have read many books about Fred Burnham and that mention Fred Burnham.
   (Biographies of Winston Churchill mention Fred Burnham cause Burnham saved Churchill's life during the Boer War in South Africa.)
   This book one is a welcome addition to my collection of African Tales.
   
   Burnham's exploits never fail to amaze me.
   His attention to detail is complete.
   His ability to see detail, while prevailing in the most trying of conditions, are so advanced that mere mortals can only dream of having that level of perception of their environment.
   He doesn't seem to have realized the extent of his mental and physical gifts.
   Its seems like the complicated information that Burnham collected,processed,interpreted and communicated while scouting came to him as easily as if normal people were checking to see if it was raining.
   But it wasn't that simple - he dedicated himself to the study of the details that would keep him alive in lands filled with tribal strife - the American West and South Africa.
   In this modern world of instant gratification its hard for today's men & women, outside the elite military units like SEALS, SAS, Delta Force, to understand the importance of the art & craft of true scouting behind enemy lines.
   
   I truly believe that Homer would have included Fred Burnham in the Iliad as a major figure if Burnham had lived in that time... That's how singular and brilliant he was.
   



2. It's good, but it was published on-demand by the author and could have used a professional editor to clean it up a bit.
   
   Also, although it's a novel it would have been nice to have an introduction, bibliography, and notes, and generally some more explanation.

No comments about The Radio Man: The Life and Letters of James G. Delaney.

5 comments about Iron Men, Iron Will: The Nineteenth Indiana Regiment of the Iron Brigade.

1. It is difficult finding books that cover single regiments with solid information that only pertains to the unit itself sometimes. Author Craig Dunn has put together a very comprehensive book that covers the birth of the 19th Indiana to final muster in 1865. I liked the fact that Dunn didn't dwell on only officers but brought the private soldier to life as short biographies and the details of their involvement were written about. Dunn covers early exhaustive marches, campaigns, camp life, politics and explains the many personalities within the 19th. Dunn backs his material up well with references and also many statistics are added that enhance this book tremendously. This book serves as a great resource tool in learning about the hard fighting 19th and I recommend it to many interested in learning about the tough regiment of the famous Iron Brigade.



2. What a great book on the Nineteenth Indiana Volunteers of the Iron Brigade. The book was maticulously researched and documented. The best part about the book was that the documentation did not detract from the enjoyable reading. The pictures and roster were very helpful. I have personally read over 200 Civil War regimental histories and this one was my favorite. I have read two other books on the Nineteenth Indiana and found them to be lacking in documentation and in ease of reading. This book is the best.



3. I've had this book for about 5 yrs. and just got around to reading it. Dunn's book is very readable and informative, he blends fact with a strong human element. I look forward to more of his work



4. This book was simply a pleasure to read. While it was well documented, the documentation did not grind the book to a halt. I would consider this more as an anecdotal history rather than a military history. The author puts a human face on a serious topic. I have now read all of the books in print on the Iron Brigade and the Nineteenth Indiana Volunteers and this one is the best.



5. As an ardent student of history I found this book to be wonderfully documented and accurate. I have read all of the books about the 19th Indiana and the Iron Brigade and found this one to be the best by far. I was so intrigued with the book that I visited the critical archives and libraries cited in Mr. Dunn's book to verify their accuracy. Each entry which I checked was quoted exactly as I found them. I have heard through some Civil War circles that there has been an attempt to impugn this book in an attempt to increase sales of the other 19th Indiana books. If so, this is sad. I have recommended this book to all of my friends.

No comments about A Month at the Front: The Diary of an Unknown Soldier.

2 comments about Papa Topside: The Sealab Chronicles of Capt. George F. Bond, Usn.

1. I really enjoyed this book on two levels. First is is interesting in that it covers the scientific proving of saturation decompression. Second, it is a good read. So many diving books require discipline to finish. Not this one. Highly recommended for decompression divers.



2. Papa Topside not only captures the heydays of saturation diving leading up to and including the U.S. Navy's SeaLab I,II and III programs - that it does admirably, but it also provides the reader with a unique insight into a warm, humorous and kind hearted man, George Foote Bond, CAPT, MC USN. Any diver who has ever pondered the decompression question will find this a highly informative book - factual, but not overly technical. But it's much more than a book about diving physiology. For this reader the book's main attraction was vicariously meeting a most interesting man and, through him, getting to know many of the people whose lives he touched. Beginning with his days as Dr. George - a country doctor in rural North Carolina, it follows his work in creating the first hospital in the remote area of his practice and then follows his entry into the U.S. Navy where his lifelong passion for diving and dive medicine began. Dr. Bond is the indisputable father of saturation diving and developed the respect and love of those who dove while "Papa" or "Pappy" as he was known, maintained the "topside" watch over all the intricate variables that go into the saturation equation. His frustrations, challenges, victories and defeats - including the tragic loss of a Sealab III aquanaut - are all chronicled in the form of a daily log which Dr. Bond meticulously maintained. But to suggest that reading this book, edited admirably by Helen Siiteri, is merely a dry re-reading of someone else's notes would be grossly inaccurate - if not downright misleading. The author was an undergraduate English major which becomes evident within the first few pages. Reading the book, I felt as though I was sitting in a cozy, book-lined den somewhere while Dr. Bond, puffing his ever present pipe, talked to me about his life, diving and the U.S. Navy. His candor, humility and wonderful sense of humor are a breath of fresh air in today's politically correct world. For example, having learned that a colleague gave up pipe smoking, Dr. Bond provides the most eloquent defense of this pastime I've ever read. Reading this fine book, one gets the increasing sense that we all lost a friend when Dr. Bond passed away in 1983. True to his roots, he is buried back in rural North Carolina near his devoted patients. As a former U.S. naval officer and active diver myself, I suppose the highest praise I could give "Papa Topside" would be to say that it made me feel sorry that I will never get the opportunity to meet Pappy in person and dive under his careful eye. I was truly sorry to reach the book's last page.

2 comments about Pete Ellis: An Amphibious Warfare Prophet, 1880-1923.

1. Although ostensibly a biography of Ellis, the book tends to focus on other high-profile Marines of the era and the internacine service rivalries that Ellis lived through. Although discussing in the beginning of the book certain peculiarities surrounding Ellis' death (specifically the behavior of Chief Pharmacist Zembsch after recovery of Ellis' remains), the authories summarily dismiss any mystery at the end of the book by stating that Ellis died of alcholism. All in all an interesting read, but certainly not the in-depth biography of Pete Ellis that one might infer from the title.



2. It must have been very difficult finding information on Ellis, but the authors focused more on his drunken exploits rather than his impact on the Marine Corps. I would recommend this book to any Marine or interested civilian who wants to learn more about the legendary Marine Officer. This book may dispel some of the myths about Ellis and his suspicious disappearance.

No comments about The Strategy Of Robert E. Lee.

No comments about The Struggle for Liberty: Testimony of a Fighter.

4 comments about May I Quote You, General Longstreet: Observations and Utterances of the South's Great Generals (May I Quote You--?,).

1. Thin volume of quotes from and about Longstreet, both before and during the war of Northern Agression, or Southern Independence, or the Civil War. The quotes reinforce Longstreet's loyalty to Lee, his fighting spirit, and his advanced tactical skills, while defending him from charges of improper action on that fatal day at Gettysburg.



2. This is another great book of quotes from Southern Generals.
   ( actually you should by the set, which is four books of these) I really enjoyed the quotes, everyone taken from the history books.

   There is one quote, which states, had Lee listened to Longstreet at Gettysburg, the Southern people would today be Free!

   ( Oh give me a break!)

   Ok, that is a direct quote, but it's one Longstreet wrote, simplying putting words in Lee's mouth.

   Please don't discard the book for this single quote, as it's a great book.

   I'd like to see more of these quote books on all the Civil War Generals.




3. This is one of a series of books with quotes by and about "The South's Great Generals." A slim volume, it takes only a short time to read through.

   I enjoyed this collection of quotes, as much for what his Union enemy's said about Longstreet, as what he said himself. However, reading the quotes regarding the criticisms of Lee's Old Warhorse in the battle of Gettysburg are almost painful. Yet they had to be included to give as full a picture of the man and the soldier as can be done in so short a space.

   Readers and scholars of the War Between the States will enjoy this book, perhaps even keep it at hand to browse through at any time.




4. Randall Bedwell's "May I Quote You ..." series is always a pleasure to read. General Longstreet was a plain spoken man, and Mr. Bedwell has captured the essence of him exactly! From General Longstreet, an undeservedly maligned American patriot, I have found words to live by: "Error lives but a day. Truth is eternal." If you enjoyed this book, try my other two favorites in the series, "May I Quote You General Lee?" and "May I quote You General Forrest?"

5 comments about Principles of Biochemistry: With an Extended Discussion of Oxygen-Binding Proteins.

1. I used it as I studied agromy and gave me a strong ground on this subject. I will probably buy it for my personal library, since I always borrowed it from University Of Chile Library.



2. This book is good, with many charts and diagrams. But it is also true that this book is a little bit difficult for a beginner in biochemistry.



3. I am student of Agronomy, Ljubljana - Slovenia. This subject is one of the most terrible in our 2nd year, but when I bought this book it was like I found a treasure. I passed the exam at first time and with a good mark. This is the best book I was ever studying from. I wish you to do more books like this one is. My best and kindest regards. All the best in the future, to everyone at the book and to all the readers.



4. the effects of inhibition and cellular localization of succinate dehydrogenase



5. Lehninger's book remains the best single text in biochemistry, at least in English. A fine book for undergraduates, it is also the one volume that you may keep on your shelf for years to come, and the best biochem text for those whose primary specialty is not biochemistry (e.g. medicine, p-chem, microbio). No text is ever a substitute for the journals if you work in the field, but this book gives a sense of the whole discipline that is beneficial for anyone who may become too narrowly fixed on one topic. Its clear writing is also a blessing, both for those using English as a second language, and for native speakers with some affection for their own language