Average customer rating:
- Great finish in an outstanding trilogy
- Very Affecting Novel on the last years of the Civil War in the East
- Moving finale of the Civil War trilogy
- A fine study of the last year ...
- Great book!
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The Last Full Measure
Jeff Shaara
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
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ASIN: 0345434811
Release Date: 2000-05-02 |
Amazon.com
Author Jeff Shaara rounds out the Civil War trilogy started by his late father Michael Shaara, whose book The Killer Angels describes the Battle of Gettysburg. Just as Jeff Shaara's Gods and Generals covers action prior to Gettysburg, The Last Full Measure picks up with Confederate General Robert E. Lee's retreat from Pennsylvania and continues through the end of the war. Shaara focuses on the characters of Lee and Union commander Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, both of whom play prominent roles in the earlier books. He also introduces a new one: Ulysses S. Grant, the Union general who would finally defeat the South--something no soldier before him could manage. The Last Full Measure is often exciting and poignant, and fans of The Killer Angels and Gods and Generals won't be disappointed. --John Miller
Book Description
In the Pulitzer prize-winning classic
The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara created the finest Civil War novel of our time, an enduring bestseller that has sold more than two million copies. In the bestselling
Gods and Generals, Shaara's son, Jeff, brilliantly sustained his father's vision, telling the epic story of the events culminating in the Battle of Gettysburg. Now, Jeff Shaara brings this legendary father-son trilogy to its stunning conclusion in a novel that brings to life the final two years of the Civil War.
As
The Last Full Measure opens, Gettysburg is past and the war advances to its third brutal year. On the Union side, the gulf between the politicians in Washington and the generals in the field yawns ever wider. Never has the cumbersome Union Army so desperately needed a decisive, hard-nosed leader. It is at this critical moment that Lincoln places Ulysses S. Grant in command--and turns the tide of war.
For Robert E. Lee, Gettysburg was an unspeakable disaster--compounded by the shattering loss of the fiery Stonewall Jackson two months before. Lee knows better than anyone that the South cannot survive a war of attrition. But with the total devotion of his generals--Longstreet, Hill, Stuart--and his unswerving faith in God, Lee is determined to fight to the bitter end.
Here too is Joshua Chamberlain, the college professor who emerged as the Union hero of Gettysburg--and who will rise to become one of the greatest figures of the Civil War.
Battle by staggering battle, Shaara dramatizes the escalating confrontation between Lee and Grant--complicated, heroic, deeply troubled men. From the costly Battle of the Wilderness to the agonizing siege of Petersburg to Lee's epoch-making surrender at Appomattox, Shaara portrays the riveting conclusion of the Civil War through the minds and hearts of the individuals who gave their last full measure.
Full of human passion and the spellbinding truth of history,
The Last Full Measure is the fitting capstone to a magnificent literary trilogy.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Great finish in an outstanding trilogy.......2007-04-04
I think this book, and the two preceding it should be required reading in school. I had no idea how horrific this war was, particularly more so as the brutalities committed on both sides were against our own. There were so many moments when I wanted to stop and cry for the loss of life, and especially at the end when the one man who was capable of healing the country and bringing us all back together as one nation, Abraham Lincoln, was assassinated.
The research was impeccable and telling the story from the viewpoints of the various generals absolutely fascinating. The honorable Robert E. Lee, Chamberlain (loved his gracious salute to the surrendering army), and the ever fascinating U.S. Grant.
One quote from so many in the book that just brought tears to my eyes: "Yes, it was horrible, horrible indeed. But he had to tell himself that, remind himself to see it that way. There was no sickening revulsion, no outrage, no indignation at the barbarism. It was just one more scene from this war, one more horror, one more mass of death, blending together with all the rest."
Highly highly recommended, and will definitely open your eyes to the horror of war.
Very Affecting Novel on the last years of the Civil War in the East.......2007-03-20
This is the novel that it seemed that Shaara came into his own. This part of the Civil War was incredibly brutal and Shaara depicts this well. The campaign that Grant and Lee waged was epic and Shaara brings out the humanity of these two men. This book seems just a notch below the "Killer Angels" and is superior in many respects to "Gods and Generals". It is populated by a very human Grant (this book made me want to read more about him) and a very ungodlike Robert E. Lee who propel the story. Chamberlain and his struggles are also depicted and are very relevant because his actions in the last year of the war were as heroic as his actions at Gettysburg. Appomattox is also depicted very movingly. Hopefully this novel will eventually be made into the definitive Civil War film.
Moving finale of the Civil War trilogy.......2007-01-24
I echo the positive sentiments previously expressed. Let me add that the chapters covering Lee's surrender and Chamberlain's salute are among the most moving I have ever read.
A fine study of the last year ..........2007-01-14
... of the American Civil War. I would say this is an excellent history for those who do not particularly have the patience or care to read a history book.
Set as a novel viewing the events of the war through the eyes of it's major players, the story begins with Lee's army at the swollen banks of the Potomac after his retreat from the disaster at Gettysburg. Although the novel does not include the recruitment process of Grant for command of all Union forces as Lt. General (a rank last held by George Washington), nor the strategy session between Grant and his favorite, Gen. W.T. Sherman; it does give a glimpse of why Lincoln chose this man to led the Army.
With the selection of Grant the focus of the war is changed from the dubious capture of Richmond as a means to defeat the South to the defeat of Lee himself. Grant sums it up in a sentence to Gen. Meade (who he leaves in charge of the Army of the Potomac) saying, "Where Lee goes, you will go too." Grant knows that the fighting heart of the South is not in Richmond, but in its most popular leader, Gen. R.E. Lee. When Lee is beaten, the war will end ... and of course, history bears this out.
The tale takes us through the Union defeat in the burning thickets and forest of the Wilderness; Lee's (and Stuart's) brilliant disengagement and race to Spotsylvania and the mule shoe salient -- where the most vicious fighting of the war takes place -- the two armies positioned literally yards from each other, clubbing and stabbing one another to death over and through chinks in the log barricades. It follows Lee's move to the North Ana River where Grant's leaders make a terrible mistake in deployment, but are spared disaster because Lee remains in his tent, too ill to take advantage of the situation. The fight moves further south to Cold Harbor and the wholesale slaughter of Union troops in Grant's biggest mistake of the war. Over 7,000 men are killed in twenty minutes of battle. And finally to the siege of the strategic rail center at Petersburg.
Ultimately Lee will leave Petersburg and march his army west only to be dogged by the Union and finally give up the fight as hopeless at Appomattox.
Although slow moving at times, the average reader will come to know the last year of the Civil War in a way that standard history texts cannot tell it. This is the most critical period of time for each nation's survival. If Lee can hold out for a few more months and Lincoln is not reelected, the pacifist movement in the North will permit the Confederacy their independence and the Union will be broken. With the defeat of Lee in Virginia and the victories of Sherman in Georgia, the South will give up the fight and the Union preserved. We all know the eventual outcome of the struggle. This book gives us the personalized details of how desperate a fight it really was.
Some of the more avid history buffs might be a bit disappointed at the coverage of some events (such as the battle of Cold Harbor), but all in all, this is a fine book on the greatest event in American history. Well written and very readable.
*** Highly Recommended ***
~pjm~
Great book!.......2007-01-11
Jeff Shaara does it over and over again. I cant tell you how much I enjoyed this book. I have read all his books on the Revolutionary War and the Civil War and I feel like I was actually there! He is certainly a great writer and I would recommend his books to everyone.
Book Description
What would legendary Boston Celtics coach and 16-time NBA champion Red Auerbach say is the most critical quality for a person to be successful? Would his advice differ from 10-time NCAA championship coach John Wooden's? What would each say to a young person just starting out in pursuit of their dreams? What is the best advice they were ever given?
It took author Christian Klemash more than two years of research, persistence, and original interviews, but now he's ready to pass on the best advice you'll ever get. Only the rare individual has had the opportunity to pick the brain of just one legendary sports coach—let alone thirty-four of the best sports coaches of all time. Klemash gives sports fans a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn valuable life lessons from the most famous, intelligent, and victorious coaches ever. The legends span the sports world, from gold medal-winning gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi and three-time college football championship coach Tom Osborne to four-time World Series-winning baseball manager Joe Torre and hall-of-fame boxing trainer Angelo Dundee.
These coaches know how to teach top athletes about character and winning, how to manage pressure at crunch time, and how to bring out the best in their players when it matters most. How to Succeed in the Game of Life shares their insights into sports, life, and the most vital keys to sustain success.Featuring Exclusive Interviews with:
Red Auerbach, 16-time NBA World Champion
Bobby Bowden, College Football's All-Time Winningest Coach, 2-time National Champion
Scotty Bowman, 9-time Stanley Cup Champion
Bill Cowher, Super Bowl Champion
Tony Dungy, Super Bowl Champion
Dan Gable, 15-time NCCA Champion
April Heinrichs, Gold Medal Winning Coach of the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team
Bela Karolyi, The World’s Greatest Gymnastics Coach
Bill Parcells, 2-time Super Bowl Champion
Emanuel Steward, Boxing Trainer of 30 World Champions
Joe Torre, 4-time World Series Champion
Bill Walsh, 3-time Super Bowl Champion
Lenny Wilkens, NBA’s All-Time Winningest Coach, NBA Champion
John Wooden, 10-time NCAA Champion
And More!
Customer Reviews:
A Great Read.......2007-08-26
Wow!Could not put it down.An extraordinay self help book.Gave it to my kids they loved it.Don't miss this one
What a great read!.......2007-07-25
I took it on vacation with me and I couldn't put it down. A great book for aspiring athletes and coaches as well as your average Joe who works 9-5. The coaches discuss a variety of topics from their childhood to how they motivate their players. Any easy read for all ages.
Game of life.......2007-07-24
I've read through Game of Life and I enjoyed it very much. There are so many things to take from this book, not just into sports, but also some reflections on life. I would recommend this book to everybody.
Coaching advise from athletic coaches.......2007-06-27
A fun read, especially if yoiu're a sports fan. I read it in search of things that would help my own ability as a coach in my company. Much of it is light stuff but the easy read makes it fun nonetheless and there are few golden nuggets laced throughout the book.
Overcome Adversity.......2007-04-12
Anyone looking for inspiration, either for their own life or to share with others, will find a gold mine of quotes here. This book isn't just for sports fans.
Average customer rating:
- Don't start this book unless you have 2 free days
- Good read, but . . .
- good military thriller
- Loved this book!
- Great Military Fiction Read.
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Torpedo
Jeff Edwards
Manufacturer: iUniverse Star
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1583484655 |
Book Description
“Unfamiliar and exciting territory—a magnificent yarn!” Greg Bear, New York Times best-selling author of Darwin's Radio, Eon, and Blood Music
An accident at a German nuclear plant and a biological warfare attack on the British Embassy in Washington, DC, have put the United States government on full alert. The attack, together with an illegal arms deal between a trusted NATO ally and a rogue Middle Eastern state, has ignited an international crisis that threatens to draw Western Europe, the Middle East, and America into all-out war.
To defuse the escalating conflict, Commander Samuel (Jim) Bowie and the crew of USS Towers must join forces with a handful of U.S. Navy destroyers and frigates to hunt down and destroy a wolfpack of state-of-the-art submarines. Their enemy is a NATO ally trained in U.S. naval warfare tactics, skilled in deception, and thoroughly lethal. Out-gunned, out-maneuvered, and out-thought, the crews of the U.S. Navy ships must become as devious as their enemy. If they fail, the consequences are unthinkable.
“TORPEDO kicks ass! Smart and involving, with an action through-line that shoots ahead like its namesake—fast and lethal. I read it in one sitting.”—
PAUL L. SANDBERG, Producer of The Bourne Supremacy
"A timeless warrior epic. Jeff Edwards spins a stunning and irresistibly believable tale of savage modern naval combat."—
JOE BUFF, Best-selling Author of Seas of Crisis, Crush Depth, and Straits of Power
“Edwards wields politics and naval combat tactics with a skill equal to the acknowledged masters of military fiction.”—The Military Press
Download Description
An accident at a German nuclear plant, an illegal arms deal, and a biological warfare attack on the British Embassy in Washington, DC, combine to ignite an international crisis that threatens to draw Western Europe, the Middle East, and the United States into all-out war. To prevent it, a handful of U.S. Navy destroyers and frigates must track down and destroy a wolfpack of state-of-the-art submarines. The enemy is a NATO Ally: trained in U.S. naval warfare tactics, skilled in deception, and thoroughly lethal. Out-gunned, out-maneuvered, and out-thought, the crews of the U.S. Navy ships discover that the only way to survive is to change the rules.
Customer Reviews:
Don't start this book unless you have 2 free days.......2007-08-16
Mr. Edwards provides a great mix of history (factual, so far as history is able to provide), with a reasonable presentation of current day technology, and a fictional scenario that may be a little difficult to buy, but you will walk away stating to yourself that you know politicians and career military folk representative of those the author depicts.
Bottom line: A little predictable as far as the way it ends, but it is sure fun getting there.
Good read, but . . ........2007-08-05
If the reader can suspend reality for a few hundred pages, Torpedo is an excellent read. Jeff Edwards' style and understanding of naval technology places him right up there with Clancy, Buff, DiMercurio, Robinson, et al. The same can be said for the suspense arousal that Torpedo delivers with nerve-wracking punch and an empathic clarity that puts the reader right on the bridge while missiles fly and torpedoes utterly destroy the naval forces on both sides of this little war. But, the probability of this scenario ever happening is nil. Politicians aren't the bravest or the smartest people on the planet but they do have an uncanny sense of job preservation. No president would stake his future on the career ending battle described in this novel without putting plenty of sacrificial lambs in the way to take heat.
good military thriller.......2007-08-02
I really enjoyed this book.It is one of my favorite military books of all time.It took awhile for me to read cause I wanted to consume it thoroughly and i enjoyed it thoroughly too.
recommend it.
Loved this book!.......2007-05-24
I just finished reading TORPEDO, and absolutely loved the book. It's very fast-paced and informative. Even though I know very little about The Navy and warfare in general, I found this book to be a great read. Jeff Edwards has a superior ability to describe scenarios in great detail and precision, and I feel that I learned a lot by reading this book. The characters are believable, and the action is compelling. I would definitely recommend this book.
Great Military Fiction Read........2007-04-17
I'm a volunteer in our local library and pick up new authors as i shelve books. I just completed TORPEDO by Jeff Edwads. It is by far the best book I have read this year. The story is gripping and the characters appealing.
I read the book in a day, just couldn't put it down. Add Jeff Edwards to your list of great military writers, He is an up and comer for sure. Can't wait for his next book. George Beitzel
Customer Reviews:
A Really Enjoyable Introduction to Astronomy.......2007-09-19
It's been a long coming, but it's finally here! Astronomy instructors and authors have produced a wonderfully readable and thoroughly comprehensible introduction to the science of astronomy. Each topic in this book really is a mini-tutorial as proclaimed by the cover title. The book format is actually written in a laboratory worksheet fashion (the sheets can be detached from the book along their perforated edges) with each worksheet dedicated to a specific astronomy concept (e.g., position, motion, Keplar's Third Law, etc.). One pass through this ingeniously designed "book of tutorials" and the beginner to the wonderful world of the cosmo is truly ready to move on to more advanced astronomy books and/or astronomy courses. My congratulations (and gratitude) to the Pearson Addison-Wesley Publishing Company for making the concept of learning enjoyable once again.
If you are at all interested in astronomy, but recoiled away from the subject after opening a typical "introductory" college textbook, then you would do yourself a tremendous favor by purchasing this book. You won't be disappointed!
Excellent.......2007-08-04
This item was in excellent condition and came in a timely manner. It helped a lot with my class.
Excellent Hands-On Suppliment.......2006-06-27
Adam's "Lecture Tutorials" collection is an excellent suppliment to any astronomy textbook. While most text books include a couple of introductory chapters on naked-eye astronomy the material included is often surface deep at best and downright confusing at worst. Much of this is because the topics covered (i.e.-the celestial sphere, daily and yearly motions of the stars, sun and moon, etc) are highly abstract and require activities that force the student to move away from memorization towards an understand of the apparent motions and what causes them.
The Lecture Tutorials are a test ed set of just such activities based on a wealth of astronomy education research. They can be used in both large scale classes and smaller groups to get students to work through the difficult misconceptions and misunderstands that oftentimes beset the subjects being studied.
The activities range throughout the standard astronomy curriculum but, in my opinion, the best activites are those that focus on the apparent motions of the Sun, Moon and stars.
I recommend this to any student trying to better understand the subject and for any educator who wants help moving their students from "fun facts" to deeper understanding.
Average customer rating:
- Mistitled
- Typically effective Shaara novel of war
- Awesome
- on the folly of preemptive attacks
- Great Book
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Gone For Soldiers
Jeff Shaara
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
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ASIN: 0345427521
Release Date: 2003-11-04 |
Book Description
With his acclaimed New York Times bestsellers Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure, Jeff Shaara expanded upon his father's Pulitzer Prize-winning Civil War classic, The Killer Angels--ushering the reader through the poignant drama of this most bloody chapter in our history. Now, in Gone for Soldiers, Jeff Shaara carries us back fifteen years before that momentous conflict, when the Civil War's most familiar names are fighting for another cause, junior officers marching under the same flag in an unfamiliar land, experiencing combat for the first time in the Mexican-American War.
In March 1847, the U.S. Navy delivers eight thousand soldiers on the beaches of Vera Cruz. They are led by the army's commanding general, Winfield Scott, a heroic veteran of the War of 1812, short tempered, vain, and nostalgic for the glories of his youth. At his right hand is Robert E. Lee, a forty-year-old engineer, a dignified, serious man who has never seen combat.
Scott leads his troops against the imperious Mexican dictator, General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana. Obsessed with glory and his place in history, Santa Ana arrogantly underestimates the will and the heart of Scott and his army. As the Americans fight their way inland, both sides understand that the inevitable final conflict will come at the gates and fortified walls of the ancient capital, Mexico City.
Cut off from communication and their only supply line, the Americans learn about their enemy and themselves, as young men witness for the first time the horror of war. While Scott must weigh his own place in history, fighting what many consider a bully's war, Lee the engineer becomes Lee the hero, the one man in Scott's command whose extraordinary destiny as a soldier is clear.
In vivid, brilliant prose that illuminates the dark psychology of soldiers and their commanders trapped behind enemy lines, Jeff Shaara brings to life the haunted personalities and magnificent backdrop, the familiar characters, the stunning triumphs and soul-crushing defeats of this fascinating, long-forgotten war. Gone for Soldiers is an extraordinary achievement that will remain with you long after the final page is turned.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Mistitled.......2007-01-05
I can't say that this book was aptly named, as it was principly about two or three military officers; Winfield Scott, Robert E Lee, and Santa Anna. "Scott and Lee in the Mexican War" would have been a more descriptive title. "Gone for Soldiers" seems to have no connection to the contents. While it seems to contain mostly conjectural thoughts of the principals, the narrative about the progress of the war is a good, if sketchy description of that conflict, tho it takes 424 pages to do so. Two things it points out are that great leaders also can make great mistakes, and war is great excitement until you are killed or horribly maimed. But probably the best themes are how government partisan politics can readily screw things up, from the sensible to the absurd, even back before 1850, and the similarities between the politics of that day and the present, which are clearly evident.
Typically effective Shaara novel of war.......2006-12-27
In this work, Jeff Shaara explores the development of America's officer cadre in the Mexican War. Many Civil War generals got their first major wartime experience in this event. Indeed, Jefferson Davis, future President of the Confederate States of America, gained some renown for his use of a particular formation in battle.
The two major protagonists in this story are "Old Fuss and Feathers," General Winfield Scott, and a trusted engineering officer, the redoubtable Captain Robert E. Lee. Over and over, Lee's excellent scouting allowed Scott to befuddle the Mexican leader, General Santa Anna.
Other figures whom we meet who will play a role in the Civil War: Ulysses Grant, James Longstreet. Thomas (later "Stonewall") Jackson, George Pickett, and so on). We also learn of superannuated warriors such as General Wool.
All in all, the format developed by his father, in "The Killer Angels," taking a handful of key characters and using them to serve as "informants" in the development of the plotline and events, works well.
All in all, another good read and worthy of its place in the Shaara stable of war novels.
Awesome.......2006-11-10
The legacy of the Shaara name never ceases to amaze me. This book was great. The first Shaara books I read were Rise to Rebellion and The Glorious Cause since the American Revolution is my favorite part of United States historyand after those i had to read more. I am always floored by these books. Its the best of both worlds...History and reading all rolled into one. Now onto The Rising Tide
on the folly of preemptive attacks.......2006-04-16
Prequel to the civil war trilogy, this book follows the Mexican War thru two major characters, Robert E Lee, a young captain of engineers, and the aging veteran of the War of 1812, Winfield Scott. While well worth reading on its own, it was enhanced by reading it in the week following Bush's attack on Iraq -- Shaara presciently describes an amazingly close historical precedent [the book was published in 2000] -- an American president seeks to avoid difficulties with domestic politics by making a preemptive attack on a vastly inferior nation. Whether 'Manifest Destiny' or a new world order and a war on terror, the result is an invasion of a sovereign country. The initial invasion goes well, but is soon bogged down when the mismatched enemy forces refuse to come out in open field battle. Political decisions have as much to do with strategy as military ones. While the president talks of supporting the troops, there is inadequate supports in both guns and manpower, and no preparation for the aftermath. Initial forecasts of enthusiastic welcome as liberators turns to guerilla war as the army moves inland and Scott is forced to deplete his already small forces with numerous garrisons to contain and control his supply lines. Scott must keep casualties to a minimum knowing that public support for this war is thin, and relies on a risky campaign of maneuver against a numerically superior but technologically inferior enemy.
Great Book.......2005-03-07
This one was fantastic to read. All of his books are, and the same with his father. Highly recommended.
Amazon.com
Having chronicled the Civil War in Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure, Jeff Shaara casts his eye on the earlier proving ground of the Mexican War in his third novel, Gone for Soldiers. Although it secured the Southwest for a nation emboldened by Manifest Destiny, this two-year conflict has nearly faded into oblivion, eclipsed by the subsequent domestic dispute a dozen years later. Shaara's hallmarks--the deliberations of leaders and the brutal facts of battle--illuminate his engaging diversion into an oft-overlooked struggle in which men who would come to oppose one another fought under a single flag.
The veteran major-general Winfield Scott and an upstart Robert E. Lee anchor Gone for Soldiers. Headstrong, brilliant, and generally distrustful of his less able subordinates, Scott leads the U.S. troops slowly and inevitably toward Mexico City, imparting martial lessons along the way. "The worst consequence of fighting a war is not if you lose, Mr. Lee," he sighs. "The worst thing you can do is win badly." Lee distinguishes himself throughout the campaign, his meticulous scouting and shrewd inferences winning both Scott's admiration and the jealousy of officers whose ambition surpasses their experience. Lee, too, frequently assesses his place in the hierarchy, but he--like Scott--remains more bemused than seduced by the glitter of fame.
This sympathy between the two men grows as Lee observes Scott embroiled in the distracting politics of war: officers salivating for promotion, enemies more preoccupied with saving face than lives, distant legislators issuing directives. If Gone for Soldiers occasionally bogs down during its many lengthy battle scenes, unexpected and delightful small touches arise nearly as often--the "capture" of Mexican leader Santa Anna's wooden leg or the chance encounter between Lee and a young Ulysses S. Grant. Duty-bound and humble, Lee cultivates a perpetual stoicism. "Now we're out here in some place God may not want us to be. It's hard to believe He is happy watching us fight a war," he muses, a sobering coda to the grim calculations of victory. --Ben Guterson
Book Description
In this stunning, unforgettable novel, Jeff Shaara carries us back thirteen years before the Civil War, when that momentous conflict's most familiar names are fighting for another cause, junior officers marching under the same flag in an unfamiliar land, experiencing combat for the first time in the Mexican-American War.
"BRILLIANT DOES NOT EVEN BEGIN TO DESCRIBE THE SHAARA GIFT."
--Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SHAARA RELIES "ON THE HISTORY BEHIND THE MEN AND THEIR CAMPAIGNS TO TELL THE TALE. . . . Most poignant of all is the appearance of so many characters who will fight under opposing flags 13 years later. Stonewall Jackson shows up as a humorless young lieutenant with a spiritual reverence for his artillery, and Ulysses S. Grant awkwardly meets [Robert E.] Lee. . . . The salvaging of such episodes from history is ultimately a patriotic task, deserving of gratitude."
--The Washington Post Book World
"COMPELLING . . . THRILLING . . . Shaara briskly drives the U.S. forces to Mexico City, building suspense at each battle, all towards the climactic storming of the gates of the capital. . . . [He] has humanized the mythos of Lee as no one ever has and, in doing, makes an enduring contribution to literature."
--Civil War Book Review
"SHAARA, AS USUAL, IS AT HIS BEST IN ACTION AND CONFRONTATION AND IN EVOKING HOW IT FELT TO BE THERE."
--The Philadelphia Inquirer
Download Description
In "Gone for Soldiers", Jeff shaara carries us back thirteen years before the momentous conflict he has so brilliantly chronicled, to a time when the Civil War's most familiar names are fighting for another cause, junior officers marching under the same flag in an unfamiliar land, experiencing combat for the first time in the Mexican-American War.
In March 1847, eight thousand soldiers land on the beaches of Vera Cruz, led by the army's commanding general, Winfield Scott -- a heroic veteran of the War of 1812, short-tempered, vain and nostalgic for the glories of his youth. At his right hand is Robert E. Lee, a forty-year-old engineer, a dignified, serious man who has never seen combat.
Scott leads his troops agaainst the imperious Mexican dictator General Atonio Lopez de Santa Ana, who arroganatly underestimates Scott and his army. The Americans soon learn about their enemy and themselves, as young men witness for the first time the horror of war. And while Scott weighs his own place in history, Lee the engineer becomes Lee the hero, the one man in Scott's command whose extraordinary destiny as a soldier is clear.
In vivid prose that illuminates the dark psychology of soldiers trapped behind enemy lines, Jeff Shaara brings to life the legendary characters, the stunning triumphs and soul-crushing defeats of this fascinating, long-forgotten war.
Customer Reviews:
Before they were enemies.......2007-09-09
Gone for Soldiers is a historical novel of a war most Americans know little or nothing about. Thirteen years before America's tragic Civil War, men who would soon be enemies fought side by side as brothers in arms. Gone for Soldiers follows the exploits of General Winfield Scott and his right hand man and engineer, Robert E. Lee. As in all of his historical novels, weaves historically accurate information along with deeply personal characterizations to create a page turning novel. It never ceases to amaze me how Jeff Shaara picked up the mantle of his father.
Once upon a time.................2007-08-04
.....we were all on the same side. This fine book looks at the Mexican War thru the eyes of, primarily, Winfield Scott and Robert E. Lee. Of course, we meet the same characters, again, 15 years later. [By then, Scott was too old for much of an active part, though the strategy he developed was quite valuable to the Union]. In some chapters, we get glimpses of others who would be heard from later, and, of course, the character was already evident; the intellegence, decency, and fundamental goodness of Joe Johnston; the brilliance [and lack of reticence] of PGT Beauregard; the tenacity and courage of Grant and Longstreet; the single-minded devotion of Jackson. One does get the hint that Stonewall, for all his greatness as a fighting officer, may not have been playing with a full deck....Gideon Pillow was a political General, though he did better here than he was to in Kentucky...Pickett was Pickett, a better soldier than the public gives him credit for.
Parallels have been drawn to our current situation, and there are some. BUT, we have to be careful. The current war in Iraq is about our own national survival; giving aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists is equivalent to state sponsored terrorism, and state sponsored terrorism is an act of war. The Mexican War was fought for lebensraum, but that doesn't make it wrong. If you would understand why we won, and why Mexico is still a third world country, look at the choice of leaders....Winfield Scott had his faults; he was gruff, vain, difficult...he was also brilliant, brave, fundamentally decent, and absolutely devoted to his country. Santa Anna was intelligent and brave; he was also an egocentric madman, totally devoted to himself. Winfield Scott saw himself as a servant of his nation; Santa Anna saw himself AS his nation...one can not read of him without thinking of the late, unlamented, leader of Iraq.
Particularly disturbing is the episode of the San Patricios...these were Irish Catholic American soldiers who deserted, and fought for the other side. Eventually, they were caught; Scott had the ringleaders shot, without hestiation. The rest were mostly hung, though Scott did spare some who repented. Those allowed to live were branded on the face with a large "D", and sent home, to what fate we can imagine. The motive of the San Patricios remains unknown...Irish Catholics have been some of America's greatest soldiers. There were brave Irish regiments on both sides of the Civil War, fighting under nearly identical flags. Confederate Chaplain Emmeran Bliemel was the first Priest ever killed in an American war. Conversly, Muslims fought with great honor in WWII, Korea, and Viet Nam. But...The presence of Muslim Chaplains in our Armed Forces, especially at Gitmo, in an invitation to problems. Indeed, there have been some. [Madison and, to a lesser extent, Jefferson, felt that the presence of any commissioned Chaplain violated the Constitution...but, no, that's off the track...].
Robert E. Lee should need no introduction to anyone reading this...General Scott proclaimed him the greatest soldier he ever saw. The next generation was to find out how right Scott was. Of course, others have written massively of General Lee [especially Dr. Freeman], but the essential greatness of the man is evident right here. [Indeed, the later war was to provide material for at least one full biography of many of these characters].
One could wish we had gotten to meet other characters from the Mexican War who were were heard from again...Jefferson Davis, Edmund Kirby Smith, Braxton Bragg...but this is a novel, and you can't include everything. All in all, a superb book about a little known war.
The Mexican-American War.......2007-08-02
Jeff Sharra's "Gone for Soldiers" concerns the Mexican-American War, and could be seen as a prequel for the Civil War trilogy that he and his father wrote, as it deals with some of the Civil War generals earlier in their career (Generals Longstreet, Grant, Jackson, ect.). But this story belongs to Major-General Winfield Scott and his favorite subordinate, engineering captain Robert E. Lee. Scott takes Lee under his wing and teaches Lee all the positive points of inspiring and leading an army, all the lessons that Lee will take with him into the next conflict thirteen years in the future. But for now the Army is in Mexico, and it is expressing America's Manifest Destiny, a series of laws and policies that allowed the U.S. to expand west, often just outright conquering Mexican territories. Scott is dubious at the policy, but carries it out as best as he can, he is after all a great soldier. He is constantly fighting not only the charismatic tyrant Santa Ana (here portrayed as paranoid) but also with his power mad and politically ambitious senior officers. This is a good fictional account (thought I think as close as real as possible) of the little known incident in American history. "Gone For Soldiers" has many rousing action scenes like the Siege of Veracruz, the battle at Cerro Gordo, and the Battle of Chapultepec, and the conquiring of Mexico City. (Some of Zachary Taylor's skermishes are discussed, but this was Scott's show). A thrilling adventure story that should entertain anyone and provide insight to the future Civil War leaders not often seen.
excellent tale of the Mexican War .......2007-04-14
Jeff Shaara combines history and story telling to bring a remarkable tale of the 1847 Mexican War. Gen Winfield Scott leads an assault at Vera Cruz to crush Santa Anna's uprising and finally put an end to his power in Mexico. The battle scenes are vidily written and explode across the page. What is so fascinating are the combining of Civil War generals Lee, Johnston, Grant and Jackson into this pre-civil war epic. Gen WInfield Scott, of course, was the leader of the Union Army at the start of the Civil War. A mere shell of the great general in this book.
Shaara and the Mexican - American War.......2007-02-13
In this novel, Jeff Shaara takes us back a dozen or more years to the period when US forces invaded Mexico. Many of the main military leaders in the Civil War underwent their individual and collective baptism of fire in the Mexican-American war. Lee and Grant first show the promise that they would later legitimately claim, on a much more bloody battlefield, in this largely forgotten war. Shaara continues to tell a good story well and doesn't seem to have become "bored" (as happens with many writers) with the niche that he seems to have developed so nicely.
Book Description
This cutting-edge, practical guide brings you an independent, comprehensive introduction to DSP processor technology. A thorough tutorial and overview of DSP architectures, this book incorporates a broad range of today's product offerings in examples that illustrate DSP features and capabilities. This book is especially useful to electronic systems designers, processor architects, engineering managers, and product planners.
Customer Reviews:
The secrets of DSP processors revealed.......2004-02-09
BDTI, employer of this book's authors, is the world's foremost independent authority on the analysis of DSP processor designs. This book details many of the aspects of processor design that yield a processor that performs well on DSP applications. As a colleague of mine once remarked, "This book gives away all the secrets."
The writing style of this book is brief and to the point, but complete. It uses many commercial DSP processors as examples but does not focus on any particular one in complete detail.
This book will be most useful to hardware designers of DSP processors. It is not a reference for DSP algorithm or software developers.
Insight of DSP Processors.......2000-05-24
The Pipelined concepts are very good , with examples of different processors and its arcitechtures the material provided with examples is very good.
Book Description
The eighth edition of The Rough Guide to California explores the state in its entirety, from the urban hotspots of San Francisco and Los Angeles to the natural beauty of Yosemite National Park and the Lake Tahoe area. The guide includes practical details on camping and hiking in Sequoia, Death Valley, and the other great National Parks and also covers highlights to the east, including Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. Throughout there are critical reviews of hotels and restaurants in all price ranges, and the lowdown on the coolest clubs and bars. The detailed contexts section provides background on the state''s history, wildlife, and reviews of the best books and movies on California.
Customer Reviews:
Very Useful.......2007-08-09
I loved the story like approach of this book. Very informative and a very nice read. This was my first rough guide and I don't think I will buy any other kind of travel guide again.
Rough Guide worth while.......2006-08-18
This is the third Rough Guide I have bought to help me plan my trips. And as usual it offers very good guide to the best places to have fun while staying on budget. The chapter about San Diego is especially good and I urge you to follow the books guidance and go to the Cheese Shop. Great Sandwiches. All in all a good travelling companion and introduction to California
Perhaps the best travel guide for California I've seen.......2006-05-20
It may seem a bit strange, but I am a californian and I have flipped through a great number of travel guides on california. It's a long story, but basically, I was trying to see what series were the best and most trustworthy, and what better way to test this than to see how accurate it is about places I know very well? Without a doubt, this one was the best of all of them. Occasionally it's recommendations for restaurants, etc, were not the ones I would have recommended, but when it came to places to see, things to do, and etc, it never went wrong.
It was especially good when it came to the things that are often overlooked or not mentioned but are a thousand times better than the usual tourist traps.
Please... Anaheim?.......2004-09-04
I don't know anything about this book, but please... Anaheim?
I have lived in California for 20+ years, and in my opinion Anaheim is one of the worst cities in California and should be skipped completely. Barstow is head and shoulders above Anaheim...
If you really want to see the best city in California, however, visit Bishop...
guide book gives an unfair review of anaheim,CA.......2002-03-03
I think the book has some strange opinions. It actually likes Barstow,CA better than Anaheim,CA. Very strange. Purchase not recommended.
Product Description
A Catalogue from Gary Spinosa's 2007 exhibition, Philosopher's Stone, at the Bruce Gallery, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.
Customer Reviews:
A Perfect Book.......2007-03-14
This book is a 185-page, glossy masterpiece, and an object for the hand as well as the eye. The book-as-object is something book designers, publishers, bookbinders and craftspeople know well, but most of the rest of the world experience it only fleetingly upon the purchase or receipt of a particularly prized edition. The book as an object, a work of art itself, has seldom been so conspicuously made manifest as with this volume, and it is appropriate that Gary Spinosa: Philosopher's Stone is the Bruce Gallery Press's inaugural publication. Having as its subject the work of a tactile artist, the volume is in itself a kind of interactive, kinetic, meta-Spinosa sculpture that allows the reader to touch and linger over Spinosa's multifaceted shapes, intricate details, complex textures and colorations. And, clearly, the creators understood this would be the case from the beginning. Entire pages are given to textured close-ups so tight it becomes nearly impossible to tell which artwork they are details of. Sculptures are photographed repeatedly from different angles, approximating one's turning the object in the hand. Page after page of luminous images by photographers Jeff Willis and Dan Fox open to reveal the kind of deep meditation you'd give only if you had these works in your home and contemplated them over time, as the mood caught you, revealing new insights. Gary Spinosa: Philosopher's Stone is far too overwhelming to be appreciated in any one sitting, and the book fulfills the real definition of a book one needs to own: It will be repeatedly referred to over a lifetime, and give increasing joy.
The volume is divided into two sections. The first, printed on a heavy, matte, ivory stock, presents a lucid insightful introduction by John Bavaro and an astute, learned essay by professor of art history Charlotte H. Wellman. These pages are illustrated with a combination of images from Spinosa's sculpture, paintings and drawings, photographs from previous exhibits, sketches from his notebooks, and assorted photographs from his home and studio, along with various images that parallel, in a casual manner, the creative impulses of Spinosa's art: Cambodian temples, painted Indian elephants, ancient ruins, and aboriginal carvings. These images are not attributed nor annotated, and readers are left to make what connections we will. It's a daring move in a bold book.
The main section follows. Printed on heavy gloss stock, photographs of work from the exhibit are laid out in a perceptive aesthetic approach that allows Spinosa's work to radiate from the page so naturally that it is a work of hard imagination to realize that in lesser hands a different organizational strategy could easily have diminished the power of the artwork the book presents. Moving from full views to details to intense close-ups, often with an eye to nothing other than the sheer visual power of color and form, each page reinforces what comes before and sets us up for what comes next, and this can be proven by randomly skimming through in the pages. The eye can glide and land anywhere in the book and strike gold. None of this is cluttered with notation. All the attributions are left to concise endnotes. It's a brilliant performance.
Again, the power of Gary Spinosa: Philosopher's Stone is that it is more than a record of an exhibit. It is a work of art in its own right. It is Spinosa's artwork in fact, brought forth through the multiple lenses of Bavaro, Willis, Fox, Art Director Shelle Barron, and Designers Sara Bressler, Karthryn Budner, Jamie Schricker, and Jessica Shoemaker, each consciousness comprehending the vibrant energy of Spinosa's work, and finding a way to amplify it through their independent artistic vision. And as the book rests weightily in the hand, this may be as close as many of us will get to owning the un-ownable. To possess, and scrutinize, and meditate upon, and bask in a unique art form at our leisure, and as long as we please, and whenever we want.
Book Description
Little Corgi cars, trucks, and planes are big collectibles worldwide. Production of these wonderful toys began in England in 1934, and continues today. This unique book shows every model issued to date in full color. The history and 128 color photographs are supplemented by detailed descriptions of all the models and their known variations. Even the non-collector will become an enthusiast after reading this lighthearted yet informative source book. They will especially like the newly updated price guide.
Customer Reviews:
A Corgi collector and enthusiasts resource.Great value........2005-08-12
This book covers most of the Corgi toys that were available in my childhood.This book brings back memories.So many colour photos shows so many Corgi toys.
If you are a collector or just love looking back through your childhood memories then this book is inexpensive and will impress you.
Books:
- The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Frères & Co.
- The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Frères & Co.
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- The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club)
- The Sight (Warriors: Power of Three, Book 1)
- Tre metri sopra il cielo.
- Twentieth-Century Russian and East European Painting: The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection
- Under the Tuscan Sun
- Washington, D.C., Then and Now (Then & Now)
- YOU: The Owner's Manual: An Insider's Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger
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