No comments about "Out Here at the Front": The World War I Letters of Nora Saltonstall.

5 comments about Ulysses S. Grant: An Album : Warrior, Husband, Traveler, "Emancipator," Writer.

1. I wish they hadn't marketed this as a photo book because there aren't any. At least there aren't many photos of Grant and the ones published are really bad. I was expecting some nice rare ones, but there weren't any.

   McFeely likes to write about Grant's private life, which is OK with me. Grant was one of these types of men who were uxorious around their wives, she was his best friend, lover, helpmate, a person he could talk to and make love to at the same time. They seemed very much in sync with one another and that's always nice to read a great love story. McFeely is less solid on everything else and I really didn't care much about Grant's travels. I did like the section on Grant's autobiography, which I have read and it's great. So 4/5 stars for this new effort.




2. I am a fan of William McFeely's other book on Grant. It's the one Grant biography I can read without getting a headache because he writes so nicely and fleshes out the human Grant. This book picks up where the other ones left off. There are chapters on Grant as a traveler, Grant on the slave issue and most of all, Grant as a husband. McFeely always had a special interest in Grant's relationship with his homely wife, Julia. Those two had special chemistry and McFeely makes hay out of that. All in all, a really good book; the photos are below average and not many of them, but Grant as a person comes out of the pages with a vibrant bang.



3. I agree and disagree with the previous reviewers. I think it's an exaggeration to say McFeely writes breathless, perfect prose. He's a great writer but not as fabulous as that. Having said that, the words are the only thing to recommend the book. The photos are non-existent! I don't know what the publishers were thinking. I have seen all the photos in here a million times. The cover photo is the same photo used on many other US Grant books. What is going on?

   OK, on to Grant's marriage. I take no issue with what is presented. Basically McFeely says the thing which made the Grant marriage work was great sex and he proves how Grant did enjoy this to the hilt. Why not? When you are as rich, as successful and as famous as Grant was in his heyday, I would imagine physical relations would be high on your list. Kissinger said power was the ultimate aphrodisiac. McFeely doesn't criticize Mrs. Grant. He says she is silly, but the other reviewer blowing their fuse about this is the silly thing. He likes Mrs. Grant, he points out she had many strengths, which she did. She was a great wife and helpmate to her hubby.

   The slave chapter I enjoyed. I enjoyed the chapter on his travels, which I knew nothing about. I agree that the chapter on his marriage is the heart, the soul of the book. I wish I had such a good marriage in my two efforts. Hallelujah to Grant. But the photos here are really, really bad.




4. I don't know if the pictures of Grant were rare. I don't know that many pictures of him. But I will say the writing is very good. I know books about Grant from Mr. Catton and Mr. McFeeley writes as well, if not better than the former writer. I liked the way the book was arranged. I would've liked more pictures instead of drawings.

   P.S. Julia Grant WAS a silly woman. McFeeley says many nice things about her. It's not character assassination, he admires her.




5. First, I wonder why the "Reader from Canoga Park, Ca" always refers to the other reviewer and her reviews of Grant books? Every time she reviews a Grant book, this gal butts in to talk about her, NOT Grant. Talk about being obsessed, Canoga Park. My suggestion: recover from your jealousy.

   The book is excellent. McFeely writes real well. The photos are disappointing and I didn't like the etching. McFeely won the Pulitzer Prize so he's obviously a good writer.

5 comments about Phil Sheridan and His Army.

1. Phil Sheridan was a sociopath who wanted to murder the battered remnants of Lee's army just before the surrender. His bloodlust was later satisfied when he was turned loose on the American Indian. Pure genocide. I'm not sure we have ever produced uglier little man in our 400 years in this hemisphere.



2. No. 3 in the postwar Union Army pantheon after Grant and Sherman, Sheridan gets an in-depth review here.
   
   The man who said, "The only good Indians I ever saw were dead ones" would become Commander in Chief of the Army during the height of the western Indian wars. Read this book for further insight about his attitude toward Indians, as well as earlier post-Civil War service as a Reconstruction department commander in New Orleans.



3. This book is detailed and well researched. It covers Sheridan's entire career and and is not boring or over detailed. If you like to read about Indian Wars on the Great Plains, this book will please your quest for good reading.



4. I read this book several years ago and have nothing but fond memories. I recall it being informative and well-told, altogether an easy read.
   
   As for the claim in another review that has Hutton making an erroneous statement that Sheridan never visited Custer Battlefield, just take a look at pages 328-329 and then eat your words. Also, the New Orleans riot was 1866 (July 30th based on the information I found on the Internet), so your inference here was also incorrect.
   
   Anyway, I can unhesitatingly recommend this book.




5. I have been reading about the Civil War and Indian Fighting Generals for over half a century. There is absolutely nothing new here. Any bright High School kid could have written this book in a good library.

   
   In addituion to this criticism, I find a combined error and omission that is typical of academic authors who try to write about everything and everybody. This author states that General Sheridan never got to the scene of the 1876 Indian War. On the contrary read Willert as to exactly where and when he did. Furthermore, related to this is the fact that Sheridan arrived belately because of the riots in New Orleans that took him there. Hutton missed this and its significance, which could have lent the added ingredient to his work that would have made it significant. Sheridan in the earlier Indian War on the Southern Plains cooped up the reservation Indians so they couldn't join the hostiles in the field. He would undoubtedly have done the same (in time - he did it belatedly at War Bonnet Creek) and prevented one of the key elements of Custer's disaster (i.e. too damned many Indians).

   
   Big reputations are made on this sort of actually superficial copying, partly because of an old boy netword, one suspects. The victims are fundamentally ignorant readers. There is little that can be done about this before the fact, which is what reviews are for.

4 comments about Mi Vida.

1. Como habitante de Mexico fronterizo, vivo en Mexicali, conocemos bastante bien a los Estadounidenses, sabemos que cuando les va bien a ellos, nos va bien a nosotros, cuando Clinton fue presidente creo que fue de las mejores epocas, pero leer su historia ha sido fascinante, todo un ejemplo para los que quieren llegar a ser algo, en cualquier ambito. Pero la historia no ha terminado, Clinton sigue con su impetu humano y espero que alguien algun dia siga con sus ideales. Excelente libro.



2. (I'll write this in English and Spanish because speakers of both languages read these reviews.) Aunque no soy demócrata, tengo un gran cariño para Bill, pues le conocí en la universidad de Georgetown en 1964 cuando era casi un chiquillo, y de veras se ve por su manera de escribir que todavía tiene la misma personalidad. I met Bill in '64 at Georgetown, and his writing style shows he's still the same open and essentially unassuming guy he was then (no, I'm not a democrat). Aunque su estilo va saltando de manera parentética, logra bastante claridad en lo que presenta. His style jumps around somewhat, but his conversational tone still gets his points across clearly. Aquí se presentan los pormenores y las estrategias políticas de su vida. He lays out the problems he encountered and the strategies he used to size up and win elections. Bastantes asuntos muy personales están presentados sin recriminaciones ni disimulaciones. Lots of very personal matters are here presented without excuses or blaming of others. Les recomiendo este libro a los lectores que quieran comprender el corazón de este líder tan talentoso. Readers who want to understand Clinton's spirit should read this autobiography..



3. Uno de los mejores presidentes de muchas decadad ;hasta un buen amante;sin mencionar su corage como hombre de decir,todo lo que sintio,en un antes y despues fabuloso el libro,creo que su carisma pasara a las generaciones y si no hubiera sido infiel en la presidencia,no seria la diferencia de la sociedad democrata en un mundo cambiante;incluyendo a las personalidades.
   Recomiendo de los libros en spanish para leer el Sueno del amor y el amante perfecto



4. Good book, very interesting, and rich in valuable topics that can be used as an indirect experience for life, and learning purposes. From my personal point of view, due to the translation style the book is better in English than in Spanish. In the Spanish version, it's very curious how the translator uses some words like"Madre" instead of "mi mamá ó mamá". Examples: Page 79: "El viaje fue más duro para Madre que para mí". Page 59: "...el 14 de abril de 1962, Madre presentó la demanda de divorcio." Page 36: "A pesar de las reservas de Madre," Take a look at Page 75: "Con esta última realicé un viaje de fin de instituto a Pensacola,".
   
   Furthermore the book let us know that the life of a president is just like any body else.
   
   Rodolfo Aguirre

5 comments about Camelot at Dawn: Jacqueline and John Kennedy in Georgetown, May 1954.

1. It is hard to believe that there was a time when you could have passed Jack or Jackie on the street and not known them. This book has made them into "real people". I really enjoyed reading it.



2. To borrow from the movie HELP!, "Here's how they was before they was." Unguarded and completely charming photos of newlyweds, before international fame overtook them and they perfected their public faces. As one who has read extensively about the Kennedys, I am always happy to find books that can still show me something I haven't seen before. This book does that, and I enjoyed it and recommend it.



3. Camelot At Dawn: Jacqueline & John Kennedy In Georgetown, May 1954 is the collaborative work of photographer Orlando Suero and author Anne Garside. As his first major photography assignment, Suero spent five days with the Kennedys in May of 1954. He enjoyed their full cooperation and the intimate access that produced more than twenty photo sessions as Suero documented a typical week in the young couple's life including Jack at his Senate office, Jackie attending classes at Georgetown, and the couple playing touch football in the park. Camelot At Dawn is a "must" for all of those whose lives and imaginations where touched by one of America's most idealized couples before tragedy would shattered both their personal lives and those all too brief days of an American "Camelot" for the rest of us.



4. As someone who grew up in the Kennedy era, these images had a profound effect on me. They are images that shortly after they were made, could never have been made again. Can you imagine seeing Jack and Jackie Kennedy strolling alone down the streets of Georgetown (in DC), her wearing shorts and him wearing sneakers and a plain t-shirt? Or playing football in a public park with absolutely NO gawkers hanging around? The great impact of these pictures comes from their innocence and irony, because of what came after and what we now know. If you remember the Kennedy era, you might stare at some of the images in this book for many minutes in wonder, about the people in the picture, about yourself, and about how we were then and are now. I gave this book to my brother-in-law--a recognized expert on the Kennedy assination--and he said he almost cried. It's that good.



5. Can the Kennedys ever have a bad photograph taken of them? It is appears not, as this book illustrates. CAMELOT AT DAWN is kind of an artsy photojournalism feast for the eyes, and although at first glance the text will seem to have general information that we all know about, it too is a treat.

   Orlando Suero had his first big assignment taking pictures of Jacqueline Kennedy for McCall's magazine for an article. It would turn out that most of his shots would not be used because the press felt that the Kennedys had been overexposed in the media due to their wedding--so it is only now in this book that most of the pictures taken for that assignment have been published.
   Suero says that JFK manages to sneek himself into most pictures, and so the final result became as much as about him as Jackie...but we also see the Bobby Kennedys as well as the former President Trumans.

   Some of these pictures have been published in other books, so not all of them are seen here for the first time, but seeing them within the context that they were shot makes the photos that have been seen before all the more interesting. However, it is only a few--most of these are just being seen for the first time.

   As for the text, some of it is "well duh" text because it is known by everybody:"Jackie was a silver-and-Sevres kind of girl, whereas Jack was a milkshake-and-hamburger kind of guy." (I am not cutting on Anne Garside's writing--because the book is actually quite good, I am just trying to point out that some of the information that she writes everyone knows in their sleep...as that is how famous Jack and Jackie have become.) Now don't take this sentence of Garside's alone--you have to read the whole book before you dare judge her writing, and in my estimation she has succeded in the overall scheme in making two well known sujects seem like new again. How does she do this?
   For example, there is information about the renting of Dent Place--where these photographs are taken as well the Kennedys first home--which is interesting because we get to see excerpts from Jackie's letters to the Childs (the people who the Kennedys were renting the house from.)
   Also information about Evelyn Lincoln's calender is given as to what the Kennedy's were doing the week the photos were taken, as well as little details spread out throughout the text that make the book an interesting read.

   I believe that this is a standout book published on the Kennedys. It is informative and orginal in text, and the pictures easily give Lowe, Avedon, and Shaw a run for their money. You can and will enjoy this book if you give it a chance--don't get stuck on the information about the JFKs that we all know or the pictures that we have all seen--read the entire book and appreciate the entire book!

No comments about Lincoln and the Speeds.

No comments about Jackie O.

2 comments about The Wartime Papers Of Robert E. Lee (Da Capo Paperback).

1. A great source for data reflecting the personal life and values of Lee. Interesting to see the differences in the way he addresses those close to him as opposed to a generally non supportive cast of characters above him.



2. What a thrill for students of the Confederacy! "Marse Robert's" own words come to life in his letters and dispatches of the war years! The editors do a masterful job of beginning each chapter/section with a framing sequence, followed by the respective text of key "papers" written by Genl Lee. From simplistic "love-letters" to his wife, to stratagems dispatched to Jackson, Johnston, Ewell, et. al., the reader is given first hand insights to the personality and thought-processes of the CSA's dominant figure.
   On a structural note, the book is set in somewhat small print. A handful of maps are offered. At 900-plus pages, I'd suggest this book for (obviously!) serious students of the war or Genl Lee. Perhaps one should first digest on of the many biographies of R. E. Lee before attacking this Bible-sized epic.

1 comments about Rickover: Father of the Nuclear Navy (Potomac's Military Profiles).

1. If you don't want to spend a lot of money and time to delve into Rickover's massive biographies, this small but excellent volume is the best you can find in order to have a complete picture of that important and much maligned personality of the 20th century. The authors cover every important detail of Rickover's life from his early years in Poland to the Annapolis Naval Academy, to World War II service and finally to the atomic branch of the legendary BuShips. Rickover's role in the development of the nuclear powered US Navy is fully precented, as well as his part in the civilian atomic industry and his machinations with the Congress. One of the most interesting chapters in my opinion was the one labelled "The Man" where Rickover's routine, habits and eccentricities make a really enoying read. The book contains some black and white photographs and also a reference to the more important dates of Rickover's life in chronological order.

No comments about The Personal Correspondence of Sam Houston: 1846-1848 (Personal Correspondence of Sam Houston).