2 comments about The Recollections of Rifleman Harris (Cassell Military Paperbacks).

1. I agree almost entirely with the fine review written by Roger Kennedy. Just a few more points to add: (1) I think what sticks in my mind more than anything else are the horrific marches and the lack of medical care - the authors descriptions are all the more memorable for their off-handed understatement. (2) It's also an interesting recording of the social mores of the time - the author feels that the Lash is a necessity, and deplores the idea of having promotions done by merit rather than by noble birth. Not what you might expect to hear from a commoner serving in the ranks!



2. This book is one of the classic Peninsular War recollections of the period. Harris was a devil-me-care lad of the English shires, who was first chosen by lot to join the English militia in 1806. Once in Ireland he becomes enamored of the green-jacketed 95th Rifles, Britian's new experimental Rifle corps, and decides to join them as a volunteer. The memoirs of Harris and many others like him were no doubt the inspiration for Bernard Cornwall's now famous "Sharpe" series. But Harris's work is certainly worth reading for its own merit, as it provides a vivid impression of what it was like to be a British soldier in the Napoleanic period. Unlike many of the memoirs of his compatriots, Harris only served for a brief time. He experinced Britian's initial efforts to support Spain in her rebellion against napolanic France's domination. As part of that early expedition, harris sees action at Rolica and Vimero (1808), and partakes in the grim retreat to Coruna (1809). He is thus privy only to the initial stages of what would become the Peninsular War in Spain (1808-1814) Harris's recolllections are vivid, but at times confused and lack chronology. This is reflective of the fact that he was a common ranker, and his level of education was somewhat less than many officiers. This does not detract from the value of his work; for Harris is in fact an amusing writer with an adroit sense of humor. He recollects his experinces as they come to mind, and the reader often feels as though he is seated right next to him relaying his stories as they come to mind. At times this can be confusing, and some knowledge of the period certainly helps in understanding the merits of this work. Christopher Hibbert has provided some valuable notes both in the introduction and within the body of the work, which adds greatly to it. Modern readers will certainly find Harris worthwhile, and with the recent interest sparked by the "Sharpe series", will see how the real thing compares to the fictionalized character. Sharpe is most certainly part Harris, and the reader also gets an understaning of the 95th regiment as well. Worth having.

No comments about Flying Without Wings: The Story of Carroll Guy - A World War II Bomber Pilot.

5 comments about Man Without A Face.

1. Markus Wolf was definitely a dedicated communist and he chose to spy for his then new "homeland" the so called Deutch Demokratiche Republik, which was neither a republic nor democratic. Perhaps the most subservient of Soviet Satellites, the DDR created the dreaded Stasi which Wolf served as a top officer until his retirement in 1986. Among other things the Stasi trained not only members of the intelligence and armed forces of other communist countries but also helped train international terrorists like "Carlos", Abu Nidal, as well as communist elements in Africa and Latin America, etc. Even though Wolf tries to disassociate himself with the brutal enforcement branch of the Stasi he chose to collaborate with them. However the book is well written and is an interesting story from a master spy, perhaps the most effective and secret of the former Soviet Bloc. In spite of his "professionalism" as a master spy, Wolf belongs to those with the erroneous belief that you can only combat one extreme, in this case nazi-fascism with the other, communism, totally failing to understand that neither works nor will ever and both do nothing but suppress human rights, and all freedoms, causing nothing but ruin to entire countries and their societies with brutality and murder.



2. As a long-time fan of John LeCarré's espionage novels, I was interested in reading Markus Wolf's autobiography. Wolf was rumored to have been the figure that LeCarré based his character, "Karla" -- the chief of the KGB Foreign Directorate -- on in his earlier novels. LeCarré has denied this, but the similarities are striking.
   
   What you won't find in this book is an extended discussion of espionage "tradecraft" or gripping stories about spying operations. What you will find may be a bit more disturbing. Wolf was (he died in 2006)) an unreconstructed Communist, as other reviewers have noted. He remained a true believer in Marxism, even after the collapse of the Berlin Wall and his subsequent trial. What I found most troubling was the last section of the book, his Epilogue. In it, and as a Communist, he looks at capitalism and expresses clear disapproval of any society based solely on money and the accumulation of wealth by the few at the expense of the many. Predictable, you might say. And, he opines that money can have as powerful and as insidious an effect on a society as any form of government. And, that the notion of personal freedom in the West is sometimes used simply as a tool to facilitate business interests. Coming on the heels of Enron, WorldCom and Halliburton, these statements simply can't be dismissed out of hand. One of the chief benefits of democracy is the ability to criticize the government, and, to my mind, there is more than a bit of truth to what he says.
   
   In the main, the book is quite candid and, as I said, more than a little disturbing. Definitely worth reading.



3. Ok, ok, here's more. Wolf was the son of a renowned German playwrite, Fredrich Wolf, so he learned to communicate exceptionally well. His autobiography reflects that. The translator was also exceptionally good; nothing jarred me out of the tale by an obvious mistranslation. Wolf wrote quite frankly about how he was raised a committed Communist, how Communism failed him and his country, how his country failed Communism, and how his country failed, period.
   
   He's rather humorous about how the HVA was established and its early, amateur days. (Note to several reviewers--Wolf was head of the East German foreign intelligence service, not the internal Stasi.) He wrote about unintended consequences, which are quite enlightening, considering how the West blamed the HVA for a number of incidents in which it had no direct involvement. The sections on HVA attempts to influence emerging African nations and on terrorism are very interesting, indeed.
   
   He wrote the book after he was tried by the West German government and the German Supreme Court threw out the conviction, so he was more open than one would have suspected, given all the mystery and myth surrounding him (he was quite amused about that). He did not give away any HVA sources, except several who were already blown before he began writing.
   
   When the wall fell, several of us CI types chatted about what a good idea it would be to have Markus Wolf present briefings on how the HVA cleaned NATO's clock, without asking him to give away sources. What we didn't know was that CIA had approached Wolf about debriefing him, maybe giving him sanctuary in the US (Wolf was about to be indicted by West Germany), and paying him a lot of money. How and why Wolf refused is exactly how and why I thought he would have responded to such an approach.
   
   The book reads almost like a novel, albiet a tad dry in places. I highly recommend it to any CI professional.
   
   I was always impressed with Wolf's professionalism. His autobiography only deepened my respect for an honorable enemy. This book will always be a permanent part of my library.



4. Mr. Wolf wrote a good book. He didn't apologize for his past, while providing detailing information (the most interesting thing, IMHO) about the "mood" of the times. Wolf was - in several ways - a man between two intelligence era, ss his opinion about security and computer shows: he claims having had no security leakage while handling agent files "by hand". But when information technology comes ...
   
   This is a dramatic forseeing of what intelligence and information gathering would become in the very next future: a technology-controlled activity, able to collect a huge quantity of information, without anybody out there able to understand it.
   
   Conclusion: as all the book of this genre, information cannot be taken as "holy spell", nevertheless the reading is really a good experience.



5. While Markus Wolf's style is understated and matter of fact, he reveals an extraordinary life and political workings. He is clear about what is not included and why -- some of which the reader would have been eager to see.
   
   This is how he felt and thought and worked. A rare and wonderful glimpse into an honest and intelligent opponent of the US and its allies in the Cold War.

5 comments about Tempered Steel: The Three Wars of Triple Air Force Cross Winner Jim Kasler.

1. I was lucky enough to have seen Kasler speak along with his two biographers.
   
   Kasler was also at the same place my late father was during WWII. The book relates how, at Las Cruces on July 16, 1945, Kasler was at the mess hall and saw the atomic blast at the Trinity Site. Since my father was an NCO pilot, he was at the same mess hall at 5:30am as Kasler. I told Kasler how my father was smoking a cigarette outside with a friend when the dark sky lit up. They both thought a B29 had exploded. Whereas that was it for my father, Kasler was a tail-gunner and his job was to fly behing the Enola Gay and take photos of the bomb damage.
   
   During the Korean War Kasler was a jet pilot and would become an ace. What is not in the book as the fact that he may have shot down Mao's son. His two biographers believe that is the case, but did not have enough evidence at the time of book publishing.
   
   Kasler time in Vietnam would be his worst time. He was shot down and taken prisoner. He believes that the one thing that saved him was the fact that a magazine article had just come out with him dewcribed as a "one man air force." He believes that made him a high value target to the North Vietnamese. One thing that all POWs remember is the time a man known as Fidel. When he started to talk about him, Kasler just looked out the window and his voice trailed off. He slowly remarked how that was the worst time in his life. He also explained that he felt he had a high pain tolerance, which meant he could take more than regular people. He stated, though, that with torture you will say whatever they want you to.
   
   Kasler left the military not long after release. He had been badly injured when he bailed out and, with the poor treatment in Vietnam, he is almost crippled in one leg. He was able to fly again, though, but once he got out he never flew again. He had toyed with getting an "experimental," but after his wife found out about the high death rate of these pilots he thought otherwise.
   
   Kasler now spends his time sitting on a bank board as well as running and designing golf courses. This book is well worth the price and quite an interesting read.



2. An excellent book outlining the life and military career of James Kasler. His patriotism to his country was vividly displayed in the chapters dealing with his prisoner of war years during the Viet Nam war. He endured more pain and torture than most men could bear. Every American should read this book.



3. Perry Luckett and Charles Byler have opened a new generation's eye's to a period of time that many would rather like to forget. After all the political embarressment and face-saving, it's time to honor the actions of the honorable. The legacy that the pilots left through their deeds is one worth telling. Men such as Col. James Kasler have paid their dues in full by standing to be counted for what they firmly beleive in even when that meant torment and punishment.
   Luckett and Byler have compiled a great account of a very honorable man!



4. This is not your usual run of the mill biography. This is the story of a warrior.
   There are many types in the military, diplomats, politicians, sycophants, citizen soldiers, patriots, war lovers, otherwise unemmployable, etc. They are all needed, and, with good leadership, most perform well under stress. But, surprising as it may seem, the warriors are marked by their rarity, Jim Kasler is a WARRIOR.
   Having been a POW with Jim and being an aviator (Navy) I can verify that this account is reliable, factual and even handed. It doesn't try to tell any one else's story but Jim's own. It is not a revisionist history. It pulls no punches. It tells it like it is (was). It makes you proud to be an American.
   Thank God Jim Kasler was on our side.



5. TEMPERED STEEL is a portrait of a time, an inside look at a culture of speed and machines, but most of all it's the life of a man who endured what few ever have. That Jim Kasler survived his time of trial through fire is a testament to his courage and toughness. His biographers, Byler and Luckett, have with meticulous research recreated the life of an authentic American hero.

1 comments about An American Soldier in World War I (Studies in War, Society, and the Militar).

1. ~An American Soldier in World War I~ is an annotated collection of letters written by George Browne, (nicknamed `Brownie,') and addressed to his girlfriend. This twenty-three year old enlisted as a civil engineer in the U.S. Army at the onset of the Great War in 1917. Having enlisted voluntarily, rather than being subjected to the draft, Browne had his choice of assignments. He chose combat engineer. He was summarily assigned to the 117th Engineering Regiment. The editor of the book, David Snead, reveals his purpose by stating "[r]eading the letters within the larger context of the war's events gives a window onto what Brownie--the average American doughboy--experienced in World War I." Snead offers an insightful perspective of the life of an American soldier during the Great War. In surmising the life experience of George Browne, the reader may better appreciate the day-to-day life of the American doughboy during this time. With his thoughtful organization and informative commentary, Snead achieves his purpose.
   
   At the onset of the Great War, American faced difficulties with mobilization. Further it is poorly equipped and supplied initially. From George's account on November 9, 1918, one gets the picture that the American soldiers are allowed rest and relaxation to recuperate from wartime hardship. He noted, "I spent about three days right near the hospital in what they call a Convalescent Camp. Then we got on a train and rode all night. We landed in a place they call a `Rest Camp.'" He added that he was moved around again, and slept on a train and later in a Red Cross hut near the train station. Brownie lamented "this army is sure a huge and complicated machine."
   
   Does this book, or more aptly Browne's letters, offer an accurate picture of the war experience of an American soldier? Yes. For starters, the context is important. George was, of course, Marty's fiancé. His underlying purpose in sustaining contact with his fiancée by letter-writing was to comfort her and assure her of his physical well-being. Marty naturally cared for George and vice versa. Accordingly, it is to be expected this letters and would not relate the wartime horrors of combat experience. So in that regard, the letters may be limited, as they do not particularly magnify the horrors of the war, but rather gloss over combat without too much graphic detail. However, with regard to the day-to-day life of an American soldier apart from combat, the reader may give credence to the veracity of Brownie's recollection of events, happenings and places, as he had little reason to embellish the truth.
   
   For morbid recollection of the wartime terror, one most look to the editor's commentary in this volume. Where Brownie's letters are obviously lacking in details about the horror of war, the editor rallied to fill the void. Snead, for example, points out how an account about a "draftee" who is struck by a "shard of steel from a Germany artillery shell" and a private recalls that it "took off everything above his eyebrows..." and "seeing that slick, pink brain-pan on top of his truncated head didn't do any of us any good." But does such lurid detail have a purpose besides shocking the conscience? Quite frankly, yes, it does. In an outside source, Private Nathaniel Rouse implied how adequate preparations could avert the disaster of a gas attack: "Clear beautiful day... Had gas attacks two times last night. No harm done." But many Allies were not so lucky. If Americans were merely taught to recollect war without mention of men in the agony of death, than they would have an incomplete picture of the events and hardships attendant to war. The nostalgic reminiscence does not do justice to the hardship experienced by its combatants and casualties. As General Robert E. Lee wrote in 1862, "It is well that war is so terrible -- otherwise we would grow too fond of it."
   
   One theme readers may draw from the book is that American soldiers were hopeful, and indeed very much optimistic for victory, in spite of the hardships attendant to the war. Another theme is that there was a deep yearning to triumph that animates the fighting spirit of the American soldier. Finally, the letter compilation illustrated how love can and does persevere amidst the trial of war, as both George and Martha were reunited, and subsequently married after the war.
   
   The historical context that the editor provides in his commentary fills in the blank spots in Browne's letters about the realities of war. The historical recollection of facts goes a long way in helping one understand and conceptualize the nature of the Great War conflict. For example, he notes the significance of the Somme offensive, which "had a great influence on the course of the war," which conceptualizes George's excitement as the events incidental to the offensive unfolded. (For those already `in the know' about the Great War, the editor's commentary might come across as superfluous window-dressing. But context and commentary is nonetheless valuable. We see the American soldier at times experienced extreme discomfort aside from the fighting. For example, the transatlantic voyage was aboard ships amidst the most squalid conditions. Snead interjects that Browne's statement that it was "not enjoyable at all" was "an understatement." Also, the reader is reminded that the trenches were filled with vermin, and the men therein infested with lice. Here we see the Great War for what it was: excruciating painful at times and anything but enjoyable.
   
   The penpal courtship of George and Marty showed how love can persevere even in the midst of war. On March 7, 1919, in his last dispatch of letters, George wrote Marty: "Do you still want to marry me Marty? Let's love all the more, Marty, I want to. Don't forget me Marty." The two were married shortly thereafter in August 1919. The story of George Browne represented the triumph of human spirit. George could have been just another statistic, one of the many forgotten dead, but providence seemed to have favored him, and he came out of the conflict alive.
   
   Did Snead accomplish his purpose? Overall, yes. He does indeed provide an accurate and comprehensive recollection of the experience of the average American soldier in World War One. Although, in order to get a more comprehensive depiction of the Great War, there is something to be said about the virtue of reading a generalized narrative history of the Great War. If one is narrow in their readings on the Great War, it would be better to start with a narrative history of the war. Snead's book nonetheless succeeds in giving the reader a window into life of an American soldier in the Great War.
   
   The Great War was a war which I would have assumed that the U.S. never entered and left to Europeans to work out. In many ways, American entry into the Great War, American inducement to keep Russia in the war and the post-war Versailles settlement made the world safe not for democracy, but rather Lenin, Stalin and Hitler. Thus the Great War was a Pyrrhic Victory, a victory won at took great a cost. But it was part of our history, and worth studying nonetheless. This book is helpful for gaining perspective alongside the generalized military histories and social-political histories from the era.

1 comments about Captain James Cook: Seaman and Scientist.

1. There are those who are quite able to transfer their research into the written word in such a way that the reader is fully able to enjoy the fruits of their work - and there are those who are not. Thankfully, Bill Finnis belongs to the former group.
   
   "Captain James Cook - Seaman and Scientist" arrived through my letterbox just as I was departing for a week's diving on one of the many Safari Boats found in the Egyptian Red Sea. I always take a good book on such trips and this one proved to be an excellent choice.
   
   This is a hardback book measuring approx. 11in x 8¼in, containing almost 250 pages of text with just the right amount of charts, sketches, portraits and photographs in support. The book begins with a chapter headed "Setting the Scene" and that is precisely what it does. Drawing on his own vast experience of the sea, the author explains the prevailing wind conditions in the Pacific Ocean before reminding us of the contributions made by a host of individuals - many of us will remember from our school days; Magellan, Drake, Anson, Bougainville, Dampier and Cartaret - to name but some.
   
   So, having been reminded of what has gone before in terms of world exploration we are now treated to an exposé of Cook's early years and how he came to be apprenticed to a small shipping company in Whitby on the Yorkshire coast. Then, after some 4 years - and just as he is offered his very first command of a merchant ship, he elects instead to widen his horizons by joining the Navy.
   
   What follows is an immensely readable account of Cook's life and, of course, his death. Along the way, we learn of the difficulties associated with determining longitude and how this led to errors in fixing the precise positions of islands being charted by various explorers. We also learn how William Bligh - later to become that famous Captain Bligh of Mutiny on the Bounty fame, accompanied Cook on his last voyage. Perhaps, after learning so much about navigation from the great man himself, it was little wonder that Bligh survived that epic voyage in a small open boat after having been evicted from his ship.
   
   Elsewhere, we learn how Cook had conducted a detailed survey of the Coast of New Zealand during 1769-1770. I particularly liked the comment whereby, in 1943 US Forces were based in that country and decided the charts should be brought up to date. Their own survey of the New Zealand coastline revealed several apparent errors made by Cook. Some years later, with the benefit of satellite position fixing, it was found that the US Forces were in error and Cook had been right all along.
   
   In summary, this book contains 250 pages of historical detail written in a style which makes it hard to put down. It is a fascinating account of one of history's most fascinating men and the reader will not be disappointed by either the content or the way in which it is presented.
   
   NM

4 comments about PAPPY GUNN.

1. After having read numerous books on the 5th Air Force operations in the Southwest Pacific (SWP) theatre during WWII, that made constant reference to Pappy Gunn and his contribution to the success of the operations, it was great to finally obtain an in depth look at the man. The book provides a wealth of information on the ability of Pappy Gunn to get what was needed to accomplish his goals of not only modifying B-25s and A-20s into strafers and capable of longer range, but to show that his dedication to his captive family was his motivation. This is not just a war story, but an in depth story of a very significant character in the overall picture of the war in the SWP.
   
   The shortfall in this book is the poor reproduction of the photos and the letters. The letters were especially hard to read and as a result, significant information that could have added depth to the story was lost.



2. This book is a great read, and would have made great fiction, but it is based on real life. Pappy Gunn's life was incredible and how he dealt with adversity should be a model for current Americans. America is what it is because it creates people like Pappy Gunn, who rise to crises and overcome overwhelming odds to persevere, through hard work, innovation, skill and risk-taking. I couldn't put this book down once I started reading it. What was accomplished with severely limited resources, and the American can do attitude in the Southwest Pacific by Pappy Gunn and his contemporaries was incredible, and was skillfully expressed in this book. I highly recommend it.



3. This is a singularly unique book that tells a true life, historical account of one of the greatest heros of "The Great War." With stunning photographs, and with every fact offered supported by actual photocopies of historical documents proving each assertion, and written with skill and heart as only his son Nathaniel Gunn could, this is a "must read" for anyone interested in the "Greatest Generation," in WWII lore, etc. In our current existential angst about what constitutes a righteous and reasonable occasion for war, this is a book that will make the most liberal anti-war wonk thank his/her lucky stars that in a time long past there were those who had the courage to stand up and fight for all that we have come to hold so dear. You won't be able to put this book down, I promise you! So put on a pot of coffee, curl up in your most comfortable easy chair, and be prepared to bear witness to one of the most incredible true stories of courage, love, and patriotism that you will ever read.



4. If there is a single outstanding American hero of World War II (and perhaps in all of American history) it is Colonel Paul Irvin "Pappy" Gunn.A former US enlisted naval aviator, Gunn had retired from the Navy and was living in the Philippines with his wife and four children when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and invaded the Philippines. As the owner of a small air taxi operation, Gunn and his airplanes were impressed into the United States Army Air Corps immediately after the outbreak of war. On Christmas Eve, 1941 Gunn was ordered to fly a load of Far East Air Force staff officers to Australia and to stay there awaiting further orders. His family - including the author - remained in Manila and were interned by the Japanese for the duration, leading Gunn to fight his own private war. And fight he did! Historian and author Walter Edmond stated that no other single invidual did as much to defeat the Japanese as did Gunn, who is best known for his conversion of the Douglas A-20 and North American B-25 into powerful gunships that did a number on a Japanese convoy in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. But he did a lot more, especially in those dark days of early 1942. It's not widely known, but Gunn flew several missions from Australia to Bataan by way of Mindanao in his role as the commander of the newly organized Air Transport Command. During the Java Campaign he took a war-weary B-17 that had been turned over to his transport squadron and used it to attack Japanese ships in the Java Sea. In March 1942 he literally stole two dozen B-25s from the Netherlands East Indies Air Force, then flew one of ten on the Royce Raid into the Philippines a few weeks later.
   
   Pappy Gunn is the the famous aviators story in the words of his son Nat, who grew up in the Japanese internment camp at Santo Thomas Prison, then lived with his dad in the Philippines after the war and until his untimely death in 1957. Nat has done an outstanding job of telling not only his father's story, but also that of his mother, brother and two sisters as they waited helplessly in the Philippines for their father and husband to return for them. Instead of their father, it was no less a figure than General Douglas McAthur who came to the gates of Santo Thomas University to put them on a C-47 for the flight to Australia, where Pappy Gunn had been evacuated a few months before after recieving a serious wound from a Japanese white phosphorus bomb. This book should be read by every American! It's the story of a real hero, not a media or politically generated one.
   
   Sam McGowan, Author - The Cave, A Novel of the Vietnam War

5 comments about Napoleon: A Political Life.

1. Steven Englund's Napoleon: A Political Life (available in paperback from Harvard) is a book that should satisfy both the interested lay reader and the professional historian.
   
   It will satisfy the lay person because it tells a fascinating story about one of history's most interesting and influential human beings, and it tells it exceptionally well. In the process, the reader will gain insights into how a topflight scholar advances his or her field of knowledge.
   
   It will please academics because Englund presents a nuanced revision of the current myths about Napoleon, who, after two hundred years, still stirs passions among his admirers and detractors as though he were living today. The author focuses on Napoleon's evolving political thought and strategy and how his contemporaries actually responded to him, not how we wished they had responded to him. A virtue is that Englund avoids smoothing out Napoleon's past choices and actions through hindsight: Englund emphasizes that actual history is messy; it doesn't come in tidy packages.
   
   The greatest of men, the very few like Napoleon, leave behind an altered world. Englund draws on Christian Meier's masterful biography of Caesar. He frequently compares Napoleon to Caesar, but Napoleon left behind many more permanent structures in France and across Europe thna Caesar did Rome: law code, a system to govern the localities from the center, the Legion of Honor, and in Paris, monuments and buildings and sewer system and roads.
   
   People who won't like the book will most likely object to two things.
   
   (1) It's not a history primer. Englund assumes the reader is conversant with eighteenth-century history history though not at the level of the professional historian.
   
   (2) Englund devotes almost as much time to wars and battles as he does to other issues, both domestic and international. But, especially when discussing Napoleon and his times, Clausewitz was right: war is an extension ofpolitics.
   
   Another objection may be that Englund doesn't condemn Napoleon roundly enough. He admires him but sees what disaster his overweening ambition led him to in the
   end.
   
   Highly recommended.



2. Simply put, an excellent read in content, wisdom and prose.



3. I came to this book thinking that it would focus entirely on the political dimension of Napoleon's life. This is not the case. Napoleon: A Political Life might exclude the word 'political' from its title and be just as fitting, for Englund spends a great deal of time on Napoleon's relations with Josephine, his brothers, the exiles, etc.. In fact, in the introduction (at the end of the book), Englund states that he almost subtitled the book "Empire of Circumstance."
   
   The great strength of the book is its writing style. Englund really captures the drama of the Little Corsican's life, and he sweeps the reader up in it. All of the politics of Napoleon's life is, as you would expect, well covered, but so is his personal and military life. Never did I feel overburdened with detail, and never was the text wanting for humour.
   
   There is, however, some merit in the argument posted by some of the other reviewers that the book assumes too much in the way of background knowledge. This is not an introduction to Napoleon for the novice. While I would not go so far as to say that you need have already read another book on Napoleon to enjoy Englund's work, you should certainly have a reasonable idea of the political zeitgeist he worked in, particularly the French revolution and the foreign (especially British) reaction to it. Ideally, you should also have taken a course in French at some point in your life (and not completely forgotten it). Englund has a somewhat irritating habit of dropping les mots francais at random, and often without translation (although most of the more important French phrases are translated, most of the minor ones are not). C'est la vie.
   
   One of my favourite parts of the book was the analysis of Napoleon's legacy: his admirers and detractors, whence he is glorified, and whence he is ignored. Englund is the most balanced Napoleonic author I have yet encountered, seeming to genuinely sympathize with (and synthesize from) those who love and those who hate the l'Empereur.
   
   Perhaps the highest compliment for a book, I plan to reread this one.



4. The key to understanding this book is its subtitle: A Political Life. Don't make this your first book on Napoleon. The author is standing on the shoulders of giants, and using the volumes of information that came before him as a starting point in the conversation. He doesn't attempt to provide details on Napoleon's military career, his personal life, The French Revolution, or the state of Europe before or after Napoleon. This is a decent book, as long as you understand it is not intended to be "Napoleon: The Compete Story".



5. Many of us in the U.S., Canada & Mexico, trace our genealogy, culture and religion to Europe. Yet, many Gen-Xers and younger cannot name more than 2 or 3 European capitols. We frustrate the Europeans as much as they frustrate us. To know European history is to understand current trans-Atlantic relations. How can we bridge this gap to our cousins across the pond? Steve Englund's "Napoleon" is a great place to start. No period has had a greater impact on European thought than the 1770's through 1815. Englund brings the reader into the eye of the hurricane.
   
   The author assumes that the reader has completed "Intro to European History 101" at the college level. Englund quickly moves the reader from the banal "Who and What" of history to the intriguing "Why?". Englund's facts and research are impeccable, yet he writes in the humanistic style of a novelist. The book portrays Napoleon not as the brooding figure on horseback, but as the driven immigrant-reformer, speaking accented French, who rises to become Emperor. Napoleon is seen as a tyrannical son of Mars, yet also enlightened governmental innovator. Start your own enlightment with Englund's book.

No comments about Russia and Beyond: One Family's Journey, 1908 - 1935.

5 comments about Gods of Tin: The Flying Years.

1. Gods of Tin is a book divided into three parts roughly equating to the authors various service assignments within the Air Force. The first section covers his time from enlistment to his flight training and onto the time where he was ready to ship out to Korea. The second part is a partial journal of his time (100 missions) spent flying F-86 fighters over North Korea and China during the Korean War and the third part details life as a pilot in the European theater during the cold war.
   
   The author has a distinctive style of writing that gives you the feeling of being on his shoulder while the events are unfolding. There are short, brutal sentences while he is writing in the journal, which capture the time there wonderfully, as the time was spent living in short brutal bursts. His imagery is impossible to describe for us mere mortals and must be read to be appreciated. A sort of poetry in sentence form would be the closest I could come to a description that would do the author's writing any justice.
   
   My only complaint, if it can be called one, is that the book is small, containing a mere 170 pages. I could have gone on reading this for days, and yet it was over so quickly.



2. If you want real literature without fiction, this is it.
   
   Prentiss Davis
   Truckee, CA



3. Having read some for the works from which this book takes much of its content I was prepared to be disappointed; however, Salter has woven the material into a much tighter and stronger work. It's clear that he looked back at the old material with improved writing skills and a more mature handling of the nature of warfare in the early days of the jets.
   
   He captures the isolation of these modern day knights of the air, the randomness of early aerial engagements in the first jet on jet conflict and one which was further complicated by the political restrictions which put the bases on the north side of the Yalu off limits. With the possible exception of the middle-east the Korean war probably marked the last engagement of large numbers of American aircraft in air to air combat over a small area.
   
   Highly recommended, especially for those who who have enjoyed his other works. Deserves a place on the bookshelf between Stranger to The Ground, Night Flight, Tom Wolfe's writings on flight and other literate classics on the challenge and characters in flying.
   
   For those wanting to know more about the why of the Korean air engagements Robert Cornan's "Boyd The Story of a Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Course of War" is most enlightening.
   
   Like Wind, Sand and Stars the book has a very broad appeal that is not limited to pilots. Great gift for someone who appreciates good writing.



4. This was my introduction to James Salter and it was the book that made me interested in his writing. One of the wonderful aspects about Gods is not simply that it contains Salters wonderful writing, but also that the editors have managed to collect the best pasages from a number of his books. After reading Cassada, Burning the Days and the Hunters, I returned to this volume and found that nearly every one of my favorite passages on flying (achieving competence or learning "equitation" as he puts it at one point) from these books appears in Gods. And a bonus are the excerpts from Salter's jounals as a fighter jock driving F-86s in combat in Korea: these sometimes read like poetry leaving an image that has the feel of a Turner watercolor -- a couple of colorful strokes that still give a strong sense of the energy and paradoxically tranquility of moments flying. Originally in Burning: "I will never see it again or, just this way all that is below. Some joys exist in retrospect, but not this, the serenity, the cities shining in detailed splendor."



5. Salter is a fine writer and an elegant stylist, with the ability to blend exquisite imagery and brute, violent action effortlessly, so that the reader feels transported into the situation he sets up.
   
   This edition of excerpts from three previous books, however, leaves me with a "Rip Off" feeling. Why not just read the books the two editors have ripped this material out of?
   
   The bonus I guess is the frank Korean War journal which has not been published.
   
   In his declining years Faulkner published a similar book BIG WOODS, composed largely of excerpts from books still in print, given his imprimatur as a volume of hunting stories, and his publishers encouraged Faulkner's audience to think of it as a new book by virtue of its new juxtapositions. Now Salter is getting the Faulkner treatment. So be it, but don't expect all the readers to be happy about paying money once again to a speciality publisher for a lot of stories we heard just a few years back when Salter published BURNING THE DAYS (1997). He's great and all but he's no William Faulkner.