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Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
Doris Kearns Goodwin
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ASIN: 0743270754 |
Amazon.com
The life and times of Abraham Lincoln have been analyzed and dissected in countless books. Do we need another Lincoln biography? In Team of Rivals, esteemed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin proves that we do. Though she can't help but cover some familiar territory, her perspective is focused enough to offer fresh insights into Lincoln's leadership style and his deep understanding of human behavior and motivation. Goodwin makes the case for Lincoln's political genius by examining his relationships with three men he selected for his cabinet, all of whom were opponents for the Republican nomination in 1860: William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, and Edward Bates. These men, all accomplished, nationally known, and presidential, originally disdained Lincoln for his backwoods upbringing and lack of experience, and were shocked and humiliated at losing to this relatively obscure Illinois lawyer. Yet Lincoln not only convinced them to join his administration--Seward as secretary of state, Chase as secretary of the treasury, and Bates as attorney general--he ultimately gained their admiration and respect as well. How he soothed egos, turned rivals into allies, and dealt with many challenges to his leadership, all for the sake of the greater good, is largely what Goodwin's fine book is about. Had he not possessed the wisdom and confidence to select and work with the best people, she argues, he could not have led the nation through one of its darkest periods.
Ten years in the making, this engaging work reveals why "Lincoln's road to success was longer, more tortuous, and far less likely" than the other men, and why, when opportunity beckoned, Lincoln was "the best prepared to answer the call." This multiple biography further provides valuable background and insights into the contributions and talents of Seward, Chase, and Bates. Lincoln may have been "the indispensable ingredient of the Civil War," but these three men were invaluable to Lincoln and they played key roles in keeping the nation intact. --Shawn Carkonen
The Team of Rivals
| Team of Rivals doesn't just tell the story of Abraham Lincoln. It is a multiple biography of the entire team of personal and political competitors that he put together to lead the country through its greatest crisis. Here, Doris Kearns Goodwin profiles five of the key players in her book, four of whom contended for the 1860 Republican presidential nomination and all of whom later worked together in Lincoln's cabinet. |
 |
1. Edwin M. Stanton
Stanton treated Lincoln with utter contempt at their initial acquaintance when the two men were involved in a celebrated law case in the summer of 1855. Unimaginable as it might seem after Stanton's demeaning behavior, Lincoln offered him "the most powerful civilian post within his gift"--the post of secretary of war--at their next encounter six years later. On his first day in office as Simon Cameron's replacement, the energetic, hardworking Stanton instituted "an entirely new regime" in the War Department. After nearly a year of disappointment with Cameron, Lincoln had found in Stanton the leader the War Department desperately needed. Lincoln's choice of Stanton revealed his singular ability to transcend personal vendetta, humiliation, or bitterness. As for Stanton, despite his initial contempt for the man he once described as a "long armed Ape," he not only accepted the offer but came to respect and love Lincoln more than any person outside of his immediate family. He was beside himself with grief for weeks after the president's death.
2. Salmon P. Chase
Chase, an Ohioan, had been both senator and governor, had played a central role in the formation of the national Republican Party, and had shown an unflagging commitment to the cause of the black man. No individual felt he deserved the presidency as a natural result of his past contributions more than Chase himself, but he refused to engage in the practical methods by which nominations are won. He had virtually no campaign and he failed to conciliate his many enemies in Ohio itself. As a result, he alone among the candidates came to the convention without the united support of his own state. Chase never ceased to underestimate Lincoln, nor to resent the fact that he had lost the presidency to a man he considered his inferior. His frustration with his position as secretary of the treasury was alleviated only by his his dogged hope that he, rather than Lincoln, would be the Republican nominee in 1864, and he steadfastly worked to that end. The president put up with Chase's machinations and haughty yet fundamentally insecure nature because he recognized his superlative accomplishments at treasury. Eventually, however, Chase threatened to split the Republican Party by continuing to fill key positions with partisans who supported his presidential hopes. When Lincoln stepped in, Chase tendered his resignation as he had three times before, but this time Lincoln stunned Chase by calling his bluff and accepting the offer.
3. Abraham Lincoln
When Lincoln won the Republican presidential nomination in 1860 he seemed to have come from nowhere--a backwoods lawyer who had served one undistinguished term in the House of Representatives and lost two consecutive contests for the U.S. Senate. Contemporaries attributed his surprising nomination to chance, to his moderate position on slavery, and to the fact that he hailed from the battleground state of Illinois. But Lincoln's triumph, particularly when viewed against the efforts of his rivals, owed much to a remarkable, unsuspected political acuity and an emotional strength forged in the crucible of hardship and defeat. That Lincoln, after winning the presidency, made the unprecedented decision to incorporate his eminent rivals into his political family, the cabinet, was evidence of an uncanny self-confidence and an indication of what would prove to others a most unexpected greatness.
4. William H. Seward
A celebrated senator from New York for more than a decade and governor of his state for two terms before going to Washington, Seward was certain he was going to receive his party's nomination for president in 1860. The weekend before the convention in Chicago opened he had already composed a first draft of the valedictory speech he expected to make to the Senate, assuming that he would resign his position as soon as the decision in Chicago was made. His mortification at not having received the nomination never fully abated, and when he was offered his cabinet post as secretary of state he intended to have a major role in choosing the remaining cabinet members, conferring upon himself a position in the new government more commanding than that of Lincoln himself. He quickly realized the futility of his plan to relegate the president to a figurehead role. Though the feisty New Yorker would continue to debate numerous issues with Lincoln in the years ahead, exactly as Lincoln had hoped and needed him to do, Seward would become his closest friend, advisor, and ally in the administration. More than any other cabinet member Seward appreciated Lincoln's peerless skill in balancing factions both within his administration and in the country at large.
5. Edward Bates
A widely respected elder statesman, a delegate to the convention that framed the Missouri Constitution, and a former Missouri congressman whose opinions on national matters were still widely sought, Bates's ambitions for political success were gradually displaced by love for his wife and large family, and he withdrew from public life in the late 1840s. For the next 20 years he was asked repeatedly to run or once again accept high government posts but he consistently declined. However in early 1860, with letters and newspaper editorials advocating his candidacy crowding in upon him, he decided to try for the highest office in the land. After losing to Lincoln he vowed, in his diary, to decline a cabinet position if one were to be offered, but with the country "in trouble and danger" he felt it was his duty to accept when Lincoln asked him to be attorney general. Though Bates initially viewed Lincoln as a well-meaning but incompetent administrator, he eventually concluded that the president was an unmatched leader, "very near being a 'perfect man.'" |
The Essential Doris Kearns Goodwin
Wait Till Next Year: A Memoir |
No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II |
Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream |
More New Reading on the Civil War
Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness by Joshua Wolf Shenk |
Grant and Sherman: The Friendship That Won the Civil War by Charles Bracelen Flood |
The March: A Novel by E.L. Doctorow |
Book Description
This brilliant multiple biography is centered on Lincoln's mastery of men and how it shaped the most significant presidency in the nation's history.
Customer Reviews:
Firsst Rate.......2007-09-25
Well written, captivating. Brings to life Lincoln's great intellect and personality. Facinating detailed character development of Lincoln's rivals and his attempts to heal and unify.
When Minor Characters Get Leading Roles.......2007-09-18
The Civil War is America's great epic story and Abraham Lincoln is our great national hero. It is a beautiful story almost perfect in its every detail. Consequently, it has been told many times in the one hundred and forty two years since its conclusion. Doris Kearns Goodwin needed to find a new angle in order to write her Lincoln biography. Her take was to write a group of biography of Lincoln and the men who formed his War Cabinet.
For her approach to work, relatively minor characters must be elevated to leading roles. The Civil War is such a compelling story with so many memorable characters. While reading this book, I had to wonder why Kearns Goodwin devoted so many pages to Edward Bates' early legal career or Kate Chase's social life. The pages she devotes to them, takes away from more important characters and events.
This is a very long book and it takes some measure of fortitude to finish it. Although, I had to wonder about Kearns Goodwin's focus on these relatively minor characters, I stuck with the book because she is such a strong writer. You would have to be a very hard person not to tear up while reading her description of Lincoln's last day. In the final analysis, Doris Kearns Goodwin is up to the task of re-telling our great national story. Recommended.
For the love of history.......2007-08-29
I loved this book. Doris Kearns Goodwin is an excellent writer, she did 10 years of research before writing this book. She makes you feel as if you are there. You find out what a brilliant man Lincoln was and how he surrounded himself with men who were not always his strongest supporters. I did not want it to end.
Doesn't live up to its title.......2007-08-24
The book is very well written and the writer is--of course--extremely reliable. My only complaint is that it's not what it claims to be. I was expecting an in-depth report on how Lincoln molded this group of men into a real team--sort of a "Lincoln on Leadership," for the 21st century. I was hoping for all kinds of insights and practical, homespun wisdom. But instead it was simply a history of his administration. So in spite of how well written and thoroughly researched it was, I was disappointed.
Lincoln comes ALIVE...........2007-08-22
I read practically everything I can get my hands on about Lincoln, and Kearns-Goodwin has contributed the best book on him yet. Today, when Abe appears on everything from our most cherished monuments to our money, the perception of him has reached mythical proportions. We might continue to view our 16th President as so much granite on Mr Rushmore if not for the rendering of him by Doris Kearns-Goodwin. As she did for the Roosevelt's earlier in No Ordinary Time, she does for Lincoln (and those around him)in Team of Rivals. She brings Lincoln and his world alive, chips away the granite to show us the flesh and bones Lincoln struggling to gain a consensus for his efforts to save the Union by placing all his rivals in his cabinet. The sentiment, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer" has never been put into play more skillfully than it was by Lincoln. William Seaward, Solomon P. Chase and the others made no secret of their desire for his job; yet, President Lincoln convinced them to lend their considerable skills toward winning the war. It was a goal that Lincoln never lost sight of. Together he, and his "rivals" took the Union to total victory in the war in which EVERY casualty was an American casualty. While they worked to achieve the victorious end, the cabinet bickered, connived, and tried to advance their own "just" cause: Themselves. All of this makes for great reading, but it is Lincoln, with his tormented determination to WIN at all costs which helps explain why he is considered the Greatest of our presidents; granted, he had help from an extraordinary team of rivals. Kearns-Goodwin relates it all in a way that lets us see the man and his men behind the myth. The reader, in fact, becomes part of the political, military, and human struggle in an unprecedented way. I loved this book.
Book Description
The failure of the marriage between Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes has always been considered from one of two conflicting viewpoints: hers or his. Missing for more than four decades has been a third perspective on the events that brought their marriage to its ill-fated end, the story of another—the other—woman: Hughes’ mistress Assia Wevill.
Like Plath before her, Assia shared her life with Hughes for seven years, until she took her own life and that of their daughter at the age of forty-two, in a manner that nearly replicated Plath’s suicide six years earlier. Drawing on previously unavailable documents and private papers, including Assia’s diaries and her intimate correspondence with Hughes, this book shows the vital influence Assia exerted on the poet and his work, and the uneasy life they shared under the long shadow of Plath.
A Lover of Unreason is the first-ever full-length biography of Assia Wevill. It casts a keen light, and explores the emergence of a singular twentieth-century woman. Three-times divorcée, career woman, mistress, and single mother, Assia Wevill openly defied the conventions of a censorious pre-feminist Britain and mesmerized men and women alike with her quick-mind and exotic beauty.
Customer Reviews:
It's about time.......2007-08-14
I find "A lover of unreason: The life and tragic death of Assia Wevill, Ted Hughes' doomed love" completely irresistible and very well researched and written. Those of us lucky enough to be at the Plath Symposium in 2002 at Indiana were teased with some of the information presented in the biography. Shock and awe spread throughout the auditorium when Koren and Negev spoke about the Plath/Hughes trip to Ireland, the deception, and the Hughes/Wevill trip to Spain. That was barely the tip of the iceberg in this very complicated situation.
The success of A Lover of Unreason in my opinion comes from presenting a very full and human picture of Assia; a woman who has been alternately ignored and raked over coals and not given sufficient attention. Here is a woman who was far, far from perfect and revered only for her uncommon and undeniable beauty, presented in a way that reminded me much of how Plath was presented in Bitter Fame. I was not expecting a book of idolatry, but I also was not expecting to find that Wevill did have some redeemable qualities. This is truly an enlightening read and brings an important piece of the Plath/Hughes puzzle closer to completion.
Assia's journals, according to the text, are in private hands. They shed some very crucial information into not just her own mind and life, but also into Plath's and Hughes?. I would not mind being introduced to those private hands! I wonder if there are any plans to publish them or to deposit them with an archive?
Yes and No...but more No.......2007-07-08
Quite simply, "Lover of Unreason" is educational. The material is very provoking and rewarding--especially if you hold a deep and tenacious grudge against Ted Hughes. My issue with the book is strictly in its presentation. It's a dull and obvious take on a biography. Even the cover art is uninspired. I suggest waiting for someone else to write a more gripping account of this irrefutably fascinating woman's life.
Excellent service..........2007-05-20
This order arrived surprisingly quick & was in exactly the condition described. I will definetely use this method of ordering again!! Super easy with no hassle...perfect!
Great Read.......2007-05-19
I have read several biographies of Sylvia Plath, and one of Ted Hughes, but Assia seems to have been the forgotten point of the triangle. This book was very informative, giving lots of insight as to what made these people tick, and explains some of the mysteries of the lives of these three people. A very interesting book.
A great biography, with other implications..........2007-05-13
I've never written a review before, but I saw blurbs for this book in everything from my local paper to Vogue... So naturally, being a wannabe poet and Sylvia-lover, I wanted to read it. It is a very frank account of the life of a remarkably unique woman, her loves, her ultimate weaknesses and her final end. It forces an examination of self: here is a strong, beautiful woman, not unlike her predecessor, Sylvia Plath; who had an intense capacity for life and joy, but ultimately measures her value only by the love of a man. It is also an enlightening view of history: Assia's life spans the beginning of the nation of Israel, World War II, and the so-called "liberation" of women in the 1960's. Also interesting is that the very existence of Assia was hidden from the public for decades and her true identity revealed only recently. Recommended for anyone who ever read "The Bell Jar" and wondered why??
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- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
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- History as Science Fiction
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History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
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ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
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If you pick your books by their popularity--how many and which other people are reading them--then know this about The Search: it's probably on Bill Gates' reading list, and that of almost every venture capitalist and startup-hungry entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. In its sweeping survey of the history of Internet search technologies, its gossip about and analysis of Google, and its speculation on the larger cultural implications of a Web-connected world, it will likely receive attention from a variety of businesspeople, technology futurists, journalists, and interested observers of mid-2000s zeitgeist.
This ambitious book comes with a strong pedigree. Author John Battelle was a founder of The Industry Standard and then one of the original editors of Wired, two magazines which helped shape our early perceptions of the wild world of the Internet. Battelle clearly drew from his experience and contacts in writing The Search. In addition to the sure-handed historical perspective and easy familiarity with such dot-com stalwarts as AltaVista, Lycos, and Excite, he speckles his narrative with conversational asides from a cast of fascinating characters, such Google's founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin; Yahoo's, Jerry Yang and David Filo; key executives at Microsoft and different VC firms on the famed Sandhill road; and numerous other insiders, particularly at the company which currently sits atop the search world, Google.
The Search is not exactly the corporate history of Google. At the book's outset, Battelle specifically indicates his desire to understand what he calls the cultural anthropology of search, and to analyze search engines' current role as the "database of our intentions"--the repository of humanity's curiosity, exploration, and expressed desires. Interesting though that beginning is, though, Battelle's story really picks up speed when he starts dishing inside scoop on the darling business story of the decade, Google. To Battelle's credit, though, he doesn't stop just with historical retrospective: the final part of his book focuses on the potential future directions of Google and its products' development. In what Battelle himself acknowledges might just be a "digital fantasy train", he describes the possibility that Google will become the centralizing platform for our entire lives and quotes one early employee on the weightiness of Google's potential impact: "Sometimes I feel like I am on a bridge, twenty thousand feet up in the air. If I look down I'm afraid I'll fall. I don't feel like I can think about all the implications."
Some will shrug at such words; after all, similar hype has accompanied other technologies and other companies before. Many others, though, will search Battelle's story for meaning--and fast. --Peter Han
Book Description
How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture
• The Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek Bestseller
• Finalist for the Goldman Sachs/FT Business Book of the Year Award
What does the world want? According to John Battelle, a company that answers that question—in all its shades of meaning—can unlock the most intractable riddles of business and arguably of human culture itself. And for the past few years, that's exactly what Google has been doing.
But The Search offers much more than the inside story of Google's triumph. It's a big- picture book about the past, present, and future of search technology and the enormous impact it's starting to have on marketing, media, pop culture, dating, job hunting, international law, civil liberties, and just about every other sphere of human interest. BACKCOVER: “The Search is a superb story, well written and feverishly researched. Whether you are a student, techie, business executive, budding visionary or just enjoy pop culture, this is a book not to be missed.”
—USA Today
“John Battelle is Silicon Valley's Bob Woodward. One of the founders of Wired magazine, he has hung around Google for so long that he has come to be as close as any outsider can to actually being an insider….The result is a highly readable account of Google's astonishing rise.”
—The Economist
“It's a fascinating story, and Mr. Battelle… tells it well.”
—The Wall Street Journal
“A surprisingly gripping story…The Search yields impressive results, pairing a reportorial eye for detail with an evangelical zeal to help readers understand the import of the search revolution.”
—Wired News
“Battelle…manages to keep things compelling, adding his own trenchant analysis about what Google's rapid evolution and powerful technology might mean for the company and our society as whole.”
—The Associated Press
“A compelling glimpse of the search industry's early years.”
—BusinessWeek
“Deeply researched and nimbly reported.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Indispensable.”
—London Review of Books
“John Battelle has written a brilliant business book, but he's also done something more: he's used the amazing saga of Google to explore what it means to search. All searchers should read it.”
—Walter Isaacson, CEO of the Aspen Institute; former editor of Time; former CEO of CNN
“Nobody, and I mean nobody, has thought longer, harder, or smarter about Google and the search business than John Battelle. If you want to understand the rise of the search economy and culture, you need to read this book.”
—John Heilemann, author of Pride Before the Fall
Customer Reviews:
Larry and Sergey's Excellent Adventure.......2007-08-25
A very well-researched and well-written book. Most notable is author John Battelle's getting the essence of just how bad search was until the Google Guys came along and nailed the concept. Battelle recounts how major players in the IT industry assumed search was as good as it was going to get circa 1997 - 2000 (and it really s-cked in retrospect), so they went off trying to become traffic and portal sites. [Larry Page archly notes that Yahoo and Excite had 'really good horoscopes' on their home pages. Touché.]
Meanwhile, Battelle recounts how Page and Brin set out with their 'Backrub' project at Stanford to solve search and transform it into what it is today. While Google is taken as a given today, Battelle takes us all back to that moment when we all first used Google and had that "Oh. My. God." moment.
The insider-ish stuff about Page and Brin is fascinating. I could read 500 pages of that stuff alone. It's a thrilling ride from cramped offices at Stanford to the Googleplex. 400,000 percent (!) revenue growth over five years is difficult to fathom, but Battelle gets as close to anyone to the essence of how that happened.
It's nice to see the chapter here about Bill Gross of Idealab. The original incarnation of Google AdWords was a blatant copy of Idealab's Goto.com (later named Overture) incubation.
A non-technical, solid read for those interested in Google and how Search Works.......2007-07-20
Interested in learning how Google went from the smallest of startups to one of the largest IPO's in history? Do you wonder how Google and companies like it will impact our future? Are you interested in finding out just how Google returns the results when you type something in the search box? If so, then The Search is for you!
Written by John Brattle, an accomplished author (Wired) and well respected journalist and entrepreneur, The Search first walks the user through the rise of Google from a dorm room at Stanford to the corporate giant it is today.
The book is well researched and contains information from over 300 interviews documenting the rise of the biggest and most profitable media company in the world. The interviews are some of the most interesting reads in the book making you feel like you were in the room when Battelle was conducting them.
In the early chapters, the reader gets what seems to be an inside view of the rise of Google as a startup during the dot-com boom. As Google grows, Battelle starts to focus on how Yahoo and Google (and others) struggled to get the search algorithm "right" and become the leader in the "search" industry. Google was clearly the winner of this competition and went out to streamline their algorithm and business to be one of the most successful media businesses in the world.
Battelle uses the last chapters to discuss the future of Google and how the technology that Google is developing today could impact our culture. Considering Google has significantly changed out culture in the short eight years it has been around, one can only imagine what the future holds!
An excellent, non-technical read, The Search, is a great book for anyone interested in Google, how search engines work and/or portal developments are sure to find this book enjoyable, insightful and well worth the read!
[...]
Page-turner & night-burner.......2007-07-12
This book has delighted me, to me it was an enlightening read, and it almost wasn't slipping from my hands until I got to the end.
Great Business and Historic lessons.......2007-06-19
This is an excellent book.
First, from the business stand point it describes perfectly how google beat the internet bubble and came up with a very lucrative business model. It has a lot off lessons of how to be an entrepreneur.
Second, from the historic stand point i tells very easy haw the internet and the search technology have grow and evolve and hand by hand, because both are the reason why we have an intenet like we have now.
Third, the book is a lot of fun and very easy to read, it has a lot of inspiring little story like the story of Altavista or the great Bill Gross, what an enterpreneur.
Great book you won't be disapointed
Very Informative.......2007-05-04
Being a non techy, I was enthralled with the way search has developed and the possibilities for the future. The future of not only search, but business models as we know them.
Book Description
Paris, the food-lover's capital, is a city adept at satisfying the most discerning gourmand. Taking the reader on a gastronomic tour of the city, Parisian Food Shops offers a unique guide to the best addresses for savoring the flavors of Paris, where sampling reigns supreme. Beautiful shops and boutiques offer delectable pastry and tarts, chocolate and candy, wine, bread, and cheese, olive oil, tea, and soup: the finest products from France's many celebrated regions and across the globe.
The authors traversed the streets of the capital to bring together this mix of traditional and exoticflavors, organic and fusion trends that embody Parisian delicacies—both sweet and savory. Sarramon's photographs present a feast for both eyes and stomach: from the Cakes de Bertrand, served in a romantic old-world interior, to the Maison des 3 Thès, with its expensive teas and lavish décor. The shops, often created by a great chef or famous name in French gastronomy, may include a "take-out" counter of catered fare for a no-fuss feast at home.
From the most traditional establishments to the hottest new addresses, an indispensable address book completes the selection to provide the epicurean visitor with satisfaction in every quarter of the capital. Rich with ideas for eating well, Parisian Food Shops is the ultimate indulgence!
Customer Reviews:
A very moveable feast........2005-05-17
`Gourmet Shops of Paris', translated from the French written by Pierre Rival and Christian Sarramon is a high end oversize book which is almost as sweet and luscious as the comestibles on which it dotes. This is a foodie's travel guide to Paris, with photos which are just rich enough to make you want to get on to your favorite ticket vendor and book a flight to Paris. It especially makes you wish your passport were up to date, if it has been collecting dust for more than 10 years.
The $40 American list price may be just a little pricy, raising the risk of landing the book on the discount table at Borders and Barnes and Noble, but if you do find it well priced by Amazon and you like food, I strongly recommend you acquire a copy. This is especially true if you happen to do high end entertaining, but more on that later. As far as I can see, the translation is transparent, offering no impediment to appreciating the book.
The book is divided into four main categories.
The first is `Sweet Paris', which is further divided into sections on `Confectionery and Chocolates', `Cakes Large and Small', and `Tea and Coffee'. The first of these three parts claims that while Paris is coming to the game late, behind major players such as Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain, it is becoming one of the world leaders in creativity in chocolate, plus a dealer or two who goes so far as to actually manufacture their own chocolate in house from the beans rather than depending on chocolate processed by the big dealers such as Vahlrona or Callibut. I give strong credence to this Paris boosting, as it agrees with Mort Rosenblum's assessment of French chocolatiers in his recent book, `Chocolate'.
The second is `Savory Paris', divided into `Bread and Cheese' and `Fine Food Stores'. Bread and cheese are easily products for which France can claim world primacy. And, some of the very best bread bakers are certainly in Paris. The most famous is Poilane, who has been featured in more than one Food Network show. Their flagship product is a giant 4.2 pound boule with their initial emblazoned in the crust. If all this were not enough to run to the Internet for plane tickets, there is the section on fine food stores. I confess none of them looks quite as fully stocked as Zabar's in Manhattan or the Harrah's food court in the London department store, but the cachet is impeccable (If the lure of the pictures is stronger than your pocketbook, you can get a fix of continental food by visiting De Palo's in Manhattan's Little Italy).
The third section is `Paris in a Glass', covering some of the leading wine merchants in the city. While I suspect that New York City may have specialist wine merchants, I doubt that you will find as great a variety of specialties anywhere in the world to surpass the variety in Paris. What is even better, Paris offers vendors who offer tastings of great wines so you can get a sip of an expensive vintage without breaking your bank account.
The fourth section, `Small Snacks' starts off with the fact that the first major restaurant item in Paris starting around 1765 was the serving of soups. This trend became `bouillons' or shops specializing in soups. This trend seems to be the French speciality paralleling the tapas of Spain and the Mezes of Greece. This reinforces the notion that if you want to learn soup making, concentrate on learning French culinary methods. Unlike almost all the other establishments pictured in other sections, many of the soup and snack outlets in this section have a hypermodern design.
One is almost surprised that the book stops at this point. Where are the brassieres? Where are the bistros? Where are the Michelin rated restaurants? There is a sense in the title of the book that this is about `walk-in' establishments, but you almost wish they would have gone one step more, but then, that is probably more than enough material for another book.
Any disappointment felt at not seeing the inside of a name brasserie disappears when you get to the last section, `The Gourmet's Notebook'. Hock the ticket you just ordered and get onto the Internet, because this section gives the Internet addresses of all the shops covered in the book, with the means of ordering from these shops. Just imagine the impression you can make at a party when you serve bread, petit fours, olive oil, and preserves from shops in Paris! It makes you think that someone could really make a go of a store featuring these items locally at a reasonable discount.
I think this book is absolutely essential if you are a foodie who has any plans to visit Paris in the next five years. Even if you are a stay at home foodie, this gives you lots of ideas of what to look for if you happen to go to New York, Atlanta, Chicago, New Orleans, Las Vegas, or San Francisco.
Personally, I think Air France should give this book away, but look for it at a good price and you will be rewarded. It is an especially good source for anyone interested in getting into food retailing.
Book Description
In the providence of God, why are there other religions? Was the God of the Bible wise in allowing for them? Can they serve any purpose?
Gerald A. McDermott explores reflection on teaching from the Old and New Testaments and from a number of key teachers from the early church to suggest an answer to this perplexing but intriguing question. In the end McDermott provides considerable insight into the troubling clash of world religions and offers a helpful Christian response.
Market/Audience
- Pastors
- People investigating Christianity
- Students
- Thoughtful lay people
Features and Benefits
- Addresses a current issue of special concern since the events of September 11, the war in Iraq and the rise of global terrorism
- Biblically grounded
- Written by Gerald McDermott, noted scholar on the subject
- Follows up his IVP book Can Evangelicals Learn Fom Other Religions
Customer Reviews:
A fair stab at a difficult question..........2007-09-23
A few weeks ago my wife and I visited a Buddhist temple in Busan, South Korea. After witnessing about thirty Buddhists practice various meditation exercises, my wife asked me why God would allow false religion to exist. This is a very interesting theological question. I purchased this book to help her explore this issue and I ended up reading it too.
I am glad that IVP published a book on this topic. This is the first Christian book that I have seen that attempts to grapple with the issue of non-Christian religions in a lengthy manner. So I appreciate its uniqueness and originality. I also appreciate the author's emphasis upon supernatural influences in the world religions. Often times we Bible believers can succumb unknowingly to the influences of naturalism. McDermott's treatment of evil supernatural powers was in my opinion the most helpful and informative portion of the book.
However, I have a few minor criticisms of this work. First, it seems like McDermott could have explained and summarized his main points in about one hundred pages rather than 170 or so. He spent way too much time talking about Origen's wild speculative theology. His analysis of Origen's theology was an unnecessary diversion from the main goals of the book. Although this author claims to be an evangelical Christian, his writing style almost seems to put the authority of the early Church Fathers on par with Sacred Scripture. I am sure this is unintentional but I wish he would have been more careful in that regard.
A follow up to Can Evangelicals Learn from World Religions?.......2007-09-11
This book presents an evangelical-Christian take on why religions flourish in light of the evangelical view that the only completely true religion is the one of the Christian's. God's Rivals is a follow up of sorts to McDermott's Can Evangelicals Learn from World Religions, published seven years earlier. In God's Rivals, McDermott takes what was one chapter in Can Evangelicals Learn from World Religions and writes an entire book on the attitudes of the church fathers concerning the world's religions. He expounds on the "scandal of particularity"; the biblical tradition of God among the nations (Gentiles); the Israelite understanding of the gods of its neighbors; the NT (particularly Pauline) understanding of the powers of darkness that some say may have manifest themselves in other gods; and finally the heart of the book -- a chapter each on Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria and Origen, and their understanding of the other-than-Christian religions.
Good food for thought !! .......2007-05-11
Provides plausible thoughts on the subject from a biblical/christian perspective. While not meant to be a definitive treatment on the subject by any means, this work does a fine job of exploring it's subject matter and is a good read to help christians think in more widely aware ways in relation to biblical content and "non-christian religions". I personally have a few disagreements with some things in the book, but still, I think it's a great read to get one thinking. Also worth checking out is his other book, Can Evangelical Learn From World Religions.
Bottom Line: There Is No God.......2007-04-13
I've read the first part of this book using the SEARCH INSIDE feature. I'm sorry to say the author misses the obvious answer to the question "Why has god allowed different religions?" Like the magician who explains how the trick is done, the answer becomes obvious and its no longer a trick. Here's the secret; There is no god to defend himself against these other made up gods.
Why can't Mary Ogbus worship Jesus and the orishas? Well she can because there are no gods. Sarah, the soccer mom, who wondered why God would reveal himself to only certain populations, the so called Scandal of Specificity is again better answered there is no god and its all random made up stuff. Is Shang's wife going to hell because she's Buddhist or will she be saved in some other fashion? The answer is none of the above. There is no heaven or hell and no gods, triune or otherwise.
The tortured logic of the theologians presented becomes plain when you imagine there are no gods. As a matter of fact, the world appears exactly as it would if there is no god. It's too bad people spend so much time intellectualizing these things.
Now that you know the truth, stop wasting your time with these mental hoops and go do something productive like enjoying the day, kissing your spouse, or playing with your kids.
Deserves a wide reading........2007-04-12
This is an important work that deserves a wide reading for two reasons. First, it does a good job treating the key issues that surround the question of the Christian understanding of salvation and world religions. The author condenses a lot of material on this subject and offers it up in an easily readable fashion. Secondly, and I think more importantly, this book deserves a reading because it re-examines the worldviews of both the Old and New Testaments for their understanding of the existence of a "middle realm" of gods and powers and spirits. There is in the Bible "a whole class of intermediate beings between the high God and his human creatures" (p. 45). For the biblical authors at least, such entities play an important role in the lives of men, cultures, nations and world religions. Can this be true? If it is, it demands a substantial rethinking of the world religions and our modern, Christian worldview. [Disclosure: This reviewer is a personal friend of the author.]
Book Description
Lance Armstrong's War is the extraordinary story of greatness pushed to its limits, a vivid, behind-the-scenes portrait of Armstrong—perhaps the most accomplished athlete of our time—as he faces his biggest test: a historic sixth straight victory in the Tour de France, the toughest sporting event on the planet.
Made newly vulnerable by age, fate, fame, doping allegations, and an unprecedented army of challengers, Armstrong fights on all fronts to do what he does like no one else: exert his will to win. That will, which has famously lifted him beyond his humble Texas roots, beyond cancer, and to unparalleled heights of success, is revealed by acclaimed journalist Daniel Coyle in new and startling dimensions.
We see how Armstrong rebuilds after his near-loss in the 2003 Tour, discovering new strategies to cope with his aging body. How he fills the holes in his life after his painful divorce from his wife, Kristin, and the ensuing time apart from his three young children. How he manages the exceedingly difficult trick of being Lance Armstrong—a combination of world-class athlete, celebrity, regular guy, and, for many Americans, secular saint.
But a saint's life it's not. To function at his peak, Armstrong requires what his friends artfully call "stimulus"—and if it's lacking, he won't hesitate to create some. We see Armstrong operating at the turbulent center of a fast-orbiting cast of swaggering Belgian tough guys, controversial Italian sports doctors, piranha-toothed lawyers, and jittery corporations, not to mention a certain female rock star. We see the subtle mind games he plays with himself and with rivals Tyler Hamilton, Jan Ullrich, and Iban Mayo. We see him through the eyes of his teammates, competitors, and friends, and explore his powerful relationship with his mother, Linda. We see what happens three weeks before the Tour, when he's faced with a double challenge: a blowout defeat in an important race and the release of a controversial book seeking to link him to performance-enhancing drugs. And finally we see it all culminate in the Tour de France, where Armstrong will rise to new and unexpected levels of domination.
Along the way, Lance Armstrong's War journeys through the little-known landscape of professional bike racing, a Darwinian world of unsurpassed beauty and brutality, a world teeming with underdogs, gurus, groupies, and wholly original characters, where athletes do not so much choose the sport as the sport chooses them.
Over the season, Armstrong and these characters collide in raw and sometimes violent theater. From the first training camps to the triumphal ride into Paris, Lance Armstrong's War provides a hugely insightful look into the often-inspiring, always surprising core of this remarkable man and the world that shapes him.
Download Description
"
Lance Armstrong's War is the extraordinary story of greatness pushed to its limits, a vivid, behind-the-scenes portrait of Armstrong -- perhaps the most accomplished athlete of our time -- as he faces his biggest test: a historic sixth straight victory in the Tour de France, the toughest sporting event on the planet.
Made newly vulnerable by age, fate, fame, doping allegations, and an unprecedented army of challengers, Armstrong fights on all fronts to do what he does like no one else: exert his will to win. That will, which has famously lifted him beyond his humble Texas roots, beyond cancer, and to unparalleled heights of success, is revealed by acclaimed journalist
Daniel Coyle in new and startling dimensions.
We see how Armstrong rebuilds after his near-loss in the 2003 Tour, discovering new strategies to cope with his aging body. How he fills the holes in his life after his painful divorce from his wife, Kristin, and the ensuing time apart from his three young children. How he manages the exceedingly difficult trick of being Lance Armstrong -- a combination of world-class athlete, celebrity, regular guy, and, for many Americans, secular saint.
But a saint's life it's not. To function at his peak, Armstrong requires what his friends artfully call ""stimulus"" -- and if it's lacking, he won't hesitate to create some. We see Armstrong operating at the turbulent center of a fast-orbiting cast of swaggering Belgian tough guys, controversial Italian sports doctors, piranha-toothed lawyers, and jittery corporations, not to mention a certain female rock star. We see the subtle mind games he plays with himself and with rivals Tyler Hamilton, Jan Ullrich, and Iban Mayo. We see him through the eyes of his teammates, competitors, and friends, and explore his powerful relationship with his mother, Linda. We see what happens three weeks before the Tour, when he's faced with a double challenge: a blowout defeat in an important race and the release of a controversial book seeking to link him to performance-enhancing drugs. And finally we see it all culminate in the Tour de France, where Armstrong will rise to new and unexpected levels of domination.
Along the way,
Lance Armstrong's War journeys through the little-known landscape of professional bike racing, a Darwinian world of unsurpassed beauty and brutality, a world teeming with underdogs, gurus, groupies, and wholly original characters, where athletes do not so much choose the sport as the sport chooses them.
Over the season, Armstrong and these characters collide in raw and sometimes violent theater. From the first training camps to the triumphal ride into Paris,
Lance Armstrong's War provides a hugely insightful look into the often-inspiring, always surprising core of this remarkable man and the world that shapes him.
"
Customer Reviews:
After "BIKE" Read "WAR"! See Inside & Out!.......2007-09-25
I had just finished "It's Not About The Bike" when my wife -- a keen cyclist -- turned to me and said, "That's only half the story." She handed me "Lance Armstrong's War." "Here's the other half of the story."
You know a good book when you should be doing other things and... you can't put the book down. Bills don't get paid. E-mails don't get answered. You spend too long in the bathroom. "WAR" is one of those books.
Naturally you need to have some passing fascination with the world of professional cycling. For me it was watching the Tour de France and wanting to know more about how it all worked. Daniel Coyle will lead any interested reader into a fascinating world...
An opera needs to be written about the Tour. The melodrama. The characters. The morality plays. The blood. The guts. The insanity. The money. The doping. The journey. The jeering crowds. The test. The human spirit. Victory and loss. It's all there, a nice thick juicy slice of Life! And a huge bite or two of that slice is in WAR.
On the cover of my copy Sports Illustrated has described WAS as a "literary tour de force." A bit of a snob when it comes to writing I noted to myself, (a) What would Sports Illustrated know about literature? and (b) Daniel Coyle's a SPORTS writer for God's sake!
And... the writing is wonderful. Great character sketches. You'll get all the ins and outs of race strategy, sponsorships, training. You'll see France. You'll get a great glimpse of what Bob (Bobke) Rolls calls Eurotrash. You'll love the wry humor and jaundiced eye. Just wait until you meet the Lance hangers-on, "The Dudes" and "The Bros." Be prepared to LOL.
So if you're at all curious about this fascinating world -- but, like me, are either too old or too wise not to join it (!) -- WAR is Highly Recommended. You're in for a good read.
Dr. Kirtland C Peterson
A Different Side of the Story?.......2007-09-15
I was expecting this to be another story TOLD by Lance, but it was not. I found this to be a more refreshing view on Lance and the Doping Scandles that encircled his Tour De France days.
No matter what my opinion is on Lance and the doping, I found this to be a great read. I learned about some of the "players" in the Cycling media community that are attacking lance's position and character (justified or not), and how the Team operates around the Cycling legend.
Superb Sports writing!.......2007-08-17
This book is one of the finest examples of sports journalism that you're likely to encounter. In some important ways, Lance Armstrong and professional bike racing are almost irrelevant to the reaction this book provokes; the writing is so good that it is almost the "star" of the book.
This is because the author did two things that many-- probably most-- sportswriters don't do: First, he immersed himself in his subject, actually moving his family to the Spanish city where Armstrong and a number of other racers train. While he was there, he became part of the bike racing scene. The result is unprecedented insider access. He interviewed and came to really know dozens of people, not all of whom admire Armstrong. Second, he avoided the two worst afflictions of most modern sports writing, the urge to deify the athletes and the contrary urge to drag them into the gutter.
Bike racing as a sport and many of the bike racers themselves are indeed open to criticism; after all, the current flap over doping at the Tour de France is actually pretty minor compared to the rampant cheating in past races. (My favorite incident of cheating: The Tour's first winner was disqualified the following year for hopping a train to take a shortcut during a stage.) However, Coyle resists the temptation to paint the entire sport and all of the athletes with a black brush. They are humans who do human things, both good and bad, and that's how Coyle sees them.
Of course, some of the things they do seem superhuman. These skinny men consume the caloric equivalent of three complete Thanksgiving dinners every day of the Tour de France. They ride for miles and miles, churning out four or five times the power a typical person could produce. They train in horrible conditions, isolated from their families, for months. They suffer fractures, muscle tears, and horrible road burns, then get back on their bikes for more racing. And the vast majority of them do all of this in near-complete anonymity; stars like Armstrong are very rare.
The book contains a HUGE amount of information about bike racing equipment, strategies, and team organization and financing. It also offers deep insight into many of the sport's stars, particularly Armstrong. There's an "I didn't know that!" moment on nearly every page, and reading it is literally an education in an activity that is wildly popular in Europe, but mysterious to most Americans. However, all of that information is woven into a fast-paced, page-turner of a story.
If you are looking for an expose that demolishes Armstrong or bike racing, this isn't it. If you're looking for a book that promotes the "Saint Lance" legend, this isn't it either. This is careful sports journalism at its finest. And it is superb writing that will fascinate you as you are reading and give you a lot to think about after you are done.
Peek inside the world of our sport's greatest legend.......2007-07-10
What a great book this is. After devouring it as quickly as I could, I'm reading it again to savor each morsel. I feel as though I've actually developed a relationship with the great Lance Armstrong--as though I have been granted access to his greatness at a deeper level. What makes this guy tick? Why is he the greatest cyclist the world has ever known? Read this book and you'll be about as close as you can get to the answer. Unless you're lucky enough to actually know him, this may be the next best thing.
Review of Lance Armstrong's War.......2007-06-19
I gave this book five starts because I could think of no reason not to do so. The book is non-fiction. It was very well written and accomplished what is set out to do.
If you are not a Lance Armstrong fan or a fan of professional cycling then this book will probably bore you. If you are looking for a book about the life of Lance with intimate details of his personal life, his family, etc. then you may want to read his other book IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BIKE. This book is a behind the scenes look at the Tour de France and professional cycling in general. The book discusses the scientific methods of training, drug testing and many other interesting things that go on in the sport. The book also gives information about the lives of other notable professional cyclists such as Jan Ullrich, Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis just to name a few.
Some quick advice before you start reading the book: read the section in the back of the book entitled "notes on the sport" first. Especially if you are not a fan or not familiar with professional cycling. This section will give you a better understanding of the terminology used throughout the book.
A word of caution if you are a parent and trying to decide if you child should read this book or not: This book contains a moderate about of profanity. So keep this in consideration.
Average customer rating:
- Star wars the dark rival.
- AWESOME!!!! S.B.
- *exciting, and suspenful*
- Jude Watson kicks in, and the book rocks!
- Another brilliant and thrilling STAR WARS story
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The Dark Rival (Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice, Book 2)
Jude Watson
Manufacturer: Scholastic Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Action & Adventure
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| Ages 9-12
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Jedi Apprentice
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Star Wars
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| Series
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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| Books
Episode 1
| Star Wars
| Media
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Children's Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
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The Rising Force (Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice, Book 1)
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The Hidden Past (Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice, Book 3)
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The Mark of the Crown (Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice, Book 4)
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The Defenders of the Dead (Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice, Book 5)
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The Uncertain Path (Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice, Book 6)
ASIN: 0590519255
Release Date: 1999-05-03 |
Amazon.com
The exciting tale begun in Jedi Apprentice: The Rising Force continues in Jedi Apprentice: The Dark Rival. While thankful for Obi-Wan's life-saving help on the trip to Bandomeer, Qui-Gon must put aside his mixed feelings over the young apprentice and take care of his peace mission. But he soon finds out that he's been tricked--not only did the planet's government not call for him, but the request may have come from his former-apprentice-gone-to-the-dark-side, the sinister Xanatos. Qui-Gon stays on Bandomeer to help rival mining companies there negotiate and to find out more about his fallen Padawan. Obi-Wan, of course, pitches in again, and the bond between the two grows. A few explosions, a couple of lightsaber fights, and a prison break later, the two ... well, you'll have to find out for yourself. (Ages 9 to 12) --Paul Hughes
Customer Reviews:
Star wars the dark rival........2005-10-11
I think this book is a good star wars book for 13 though 8.Qiun Gon Jim is having a stuind that wants to kill hem.But Obe One Kenobe is a stuind that Xanitos wants hem to be on the darkside. Later in the book there will be a light saber batlie that is asome.They will drive vicles be capture and met people they nafer seen before.Soon they will find a person and talk to Yoda.I hope you like this book.
AWESOME!!!! S.B........2005-07-10
I just loved this book! I don't know how anyone could NOT like this book! I can't wait to read the next book in the series: "The hidden past"!!! You just HAVE to read this book!!!
*exciting, and suspenful*.......2005-05-09
This was one of the first Jedi Apprentice books i read and i loved it! In this book Qui-Gon actually starts to realize that he's kept Obi-Wan in the dark and that he should have explained more about his old apprentice Xanatos. Also there's this part where Qui-Gon is going to rescue Obi-Wan and starts to notice how much Obi-Wan deserves to be a jedi. this book is very emotional and gratifying, i wish Jude Watson would write more!
Jude Watson kicks in, and the book rocks!.......2004-12-05
The Rising Force was written by Dave Wolverton. Now it's Watson time.
The story begins unhappily. After an unexpected adventure with Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, who twelve-year-old Jedi student Obi-Wan Kenobi desperately wants to be his Master, Obi-Wan is sent to the planet Bandomeer, where he is to no longer be a Jedi student, and instead be a farmer. But the thing is, Qui-Gon is headed to Bandomeer, too, to meet his former Padawan apprentice, Xanatos. Suddenly, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon are caught in Xanatos's evil grasp, which leads them to yet another adventure together. Obi-Wan also meets a new enemy named Guerra.... To paraphrase Guerra... not so! Guerra becomes Obi-Wan's good friend. He's my personal favorite character, Guerra. Plus, Obi-Wan is still trying to impress Qui-Gon so he'll take him as a Padawan learner.
After the Rising Force, I read this one excitedly, and it was no disappointment! I gotta say, the JA series may just be the best series I've ever read! Although all the aliens and sci-fi creatures are obviously fake, Watson makes it all believable. Why? Because this story has a whole lot of heart, and, I assume, an invisible magnet on the cover. I could not put it down! A great read, even if you're not a Star Wars fan.
Another brilliant and thrilling STAR WARS story.......2004-10-07
Scot- Challengers
The Dark Rival is a thrilling story about young Obi-wan and master Qui-gon Jinn! Sent to the Jedi Academy for training in the Jedi arts. Now Obi-wan's training is completed and he must become Qui-gon's padawan learner before his birthday. Despite his actions on his way to Bandomeer Qui-gon still refuses to open up to him. Young Obi-wan's life changes when he meets Qui-gon's ex-apprentice Xanatos. Through out the story you find out about Qui-gon's past.
Even though it is a short book it's filled with action and adventure. In comparison to other star wars books this one really takes the cake.
Book Description
Paris claims to have invented the restaurant with the opening of Beauvilliers in 1784, and here are over 100 dining places that keep the city at the crossroads of culinary tradition and innovation. Rival indulges the reader with a discerning selection of splendid historic restaurants, notorious brasseries, down-to-earth bistros, and contemporary hot spots. Each is described in delectable detail. From the glittering decadence of Michelin 3-star chef Guy Martin's Le Grand Véfour, to Jacques Garcia's trendy Hôtel Costes, and from Philippe Starck's Bacarrat wonderland to the student haven at Polidor, the restaurants presented here are tried and true; they define the delights of dining à la française.An indispensable black book provides the reader with contact information for the featured restaurants as well as other exceptional eateries in the food capital of the world. Rival covers all the notable addresses in a volume that serves as both a practical reference as well as an exquisite visual feast for the armchair traveler.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful Book..........2006-07-23
If you have dined at any of the restaurants listed in this book, you'll want it (Le Grand Véfour, Jules Verne, Taillevant...) The photography is stunning, and it is an historical view of the greatest restaurants in the world. There is something magical about looking at the pages and saying "Wow! I sat right there... and enjoyed one of the most memorable meals of my life!"
If you have never dined at any of these restaurants, you may wish to buy it- just so you can plan a trip there......
Customer Reviews:
Yum Yum.......2007-06-13
Have created several of these great recipes. Nutritous and tasty. With our family being on the go and working 12 ho
