Book Description
In this, his first major book, Mark Steyn--probably the most widely read, and wittiest, columnist in the English-speaking world--takes on the great poison of the twenty-first century: the anti-Americanism that fuels both Old Europe and radical Islam. America, Steyn argues, will have to stand alone. The world will be divided between America and the rest; and for our sake America had better win.
Customer Reviews:
America Alone is Excellent.......2007-10-04
This book gives a lot of attention to fertility rates in Europe, Scandanavia and the United States. Many other good observations and opinions are included as well. It will give you some insights into what may occur in various countries in the future vis-a-vis the Muslims and non Muslims.
What a sad worldview.......2007-10-01
I can't even begin to describe the serious flaws in this book...
But I gave it one star instead of zero because, if you want to study logic and how to detect subtly and not so subtly flawed arguments, buy this book.
What's sad is he's done actual research (but distorts everything to fit his way of thinking), and some muslims, like some christians, some jews, some whatever, really are dangerous and want to hurt America, but he makes his side of the controversy look like a bunch of, what's a nice word... 'baffoons'.
I think he seriously believes the things he writes in his book, which means he's stressing himselfand others out for nothing, and ultimately, pushing away the moderates that might listen to a more logical argument against religious extremism
Excellent.......2007-09-21
With the many positive reviews already posted, there isn't much more for me to say, so I will just say, "Read a few of the reviews, then, most definitely, read this book."
great wake up!!!!!!!.......2007-09-20
This a wake up to the world. Got to hang in through the beginning, but after that try to get all the details.
An interesting, powerful book.......2007-09-18
I found the book to be well written, even light enough in spots to be humorous. It presents a point of view for
Americans to consider
Book Description
Forty years in the making, a new cultural canon that celebrates truth over hypocrisy, literature over totalitarianism.
Echoing Edward Said's belief that "Western humanism is not enough, we need a universal humanism," the renowned critic Clive James presents here his life's work. Containing over one hundred original essays, organized by quotations from A to Z, Cultural Amnesia illuminates, rescues, or occasionally destroys the careers of many of the greatest thinkers, humanists, musicians, artists, and philosophers of the twentieth century. In discussing, among others, Louis Armstrong, Walter Benjamin, Sigmund Freud, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Franz Kafka, Marcel Proust, and Ludwig Wittgenstein, James writes, "If the humanism that makes civilization civilized is to be preserved into the new century, it will need advocates. These advocates will need a memory, and part of that memory will need to be of an age in which they were not yet alive." Soaring to Montaigne-like heights, Cultural Amnesia is precisely the book to burnish these memories of a Western civilization that James fears is nearly lost. 110 photographs.
Customer Reviews:
A difficult read,but worth the time.......2007-10-01
Although this book has an intersting premise,it is a difficult book to read.It is written in essay form,and the author's style is not flowing or easy to read.However the content is interesting and does make you think about how we got where we are to-day:by losing sight of,and forgetting the past and important peope in it.
You can read this book a chapter at a time, and leave it for a while since each chapter is an essay on one person.it is not a novel,but a collection of essay/biographies, and includes some very intersting people
Absolutely Must Reading.......2007-09-15
In fairness, I had never heard of Clive James until he appeared on Bill Moyers Journal on PBS. I was just blown away and ordered this book the next day. If you want to understand Western culture ... I mean truly understand the culture in which you live, you should read this book. What you learn here is that a whole lot of people you never heard of and a few you have made monumental contributions that you didn't know about. This is the kind of book every person should have in their library as a reference. You can read it at leisure and you should. You should savor it.
Read it at your own perill.......2007-09-11
If you never studied French, German, Italian or Spanish, you will be sorry you didn't. You will be made aware of all you are missing because you can not read the all those untranslated or untranslatable important writers that are fundamental to our civilization. If you know them you will see that for English speakers is very difficult not to be confused by Spanish and Italian. I have found misspelled Spanish words because the Italian spelling was used in the wrong place. Clive James is almost pushing me to start again with German, French and Italian.
convoluted writing.......2007-09-04
just found what I've read so far very digressive and convoluted. He is a much better speaker than writer. haven't given it a full read, but am daunted by the many digressions from the points I'm interested in. don't care about 10 other people whom I may or may not know who really don't have relevance to the person I'm reading about.
Unsurpassed both for content and style.......2007-09-01
This is an amazing book. Clive James was only a dim sound in my limited background before the book was presented to me as a present. When I finished this book, I made the unusual promise to myself to read it again, an unusual decision since I am not thoroughly committed to modern writing and have found nothing that quite measures up to it, either traditional or modern. The essays, it is made clear, were not written at the same time, but were the accumulation of some years of reading and study. The casual reader will be introduced to a number of people hitherto unknown or barely known, mixed in with giants like Tacitus, Keats, Proust, Kafka, the three Manns,and Camus. I cannot ignore James's prose style, which astonishes minute by minute. A must-read for anybody interested in history and the arts.
Book Description
Gardeners throughout the region will be welcoming a thoroughly updated and fresh-looking 8th edition of the "bible of Western gardening." With a new, easy-to-read design, more plant photography, larger illustrations, and more than 8,000 plant listings--500 of them new--it's THE essential book for gardeners in the Western states. What plants to grow, how to nurture them, and where they do the very best--it's all here. You'll also find updated information on the Western climate zones, 30 Plant Selection Guides, plus a Practical Guide to Gardening with basic advice on plant care and essential gardening techniques. New plant lists reflect current trends, such as Mediterranean gardening and easy-care plants for beginners. For more than 70 years, Sunset has been the source for no-nonsense gardening advice, easy-to-follow diagrams, and encyclopedic knowledge of plant varieties. In this edition, we introduce an exciting new feature: gardening tips from well-known plant experts throughout the West. The Western Garden Book has never been better! Features:
8th Edition of this perennial bestseller
More than 8,000 plant listings, 500 new, keyed to climate zones
30 Plant Selection Guides to find the perfect plant for every situation
Special contributions from 40 eminent Western garden experts
Introduction by Sunset garden editor Kathleen N. Brenzel, with a photographic tour of gardens that are truly the `Best of the West' gardens
Customer Reviews:
In great condition!!.......2007-09-21
The book is in great condition and I received it very quickly. Thank you so much!
a must have!.......2007-09-20
Anyone, from the curious to the beginning gardener to the expert must have this volume on their shelf. It is full of well organized information.
Best garden book there is.......2007-09-16
Got a garden???? You NEED this book NOW! I'm a native Californian, and this is our garden Bible. I don't think anyone gardens without it. I'm in Massachusetts now, and I wanted this book to create my new garden. This book is well worth the investment.
It's easy to see why SUNSET WESTERN GARDEN BOOK has become the reference 'bible'.......2007-09-08
Over 8,000 plants are accompanied by tips from Western gardening pros in SUNSET WESTERN GARDEN BOOK, a classic completely updated and revised, and now in its 8th edition. From small color drawings of plants and seeds to descriptions which include hardiness zones, use, varieties and more, it's easy to see why SUNSET WESTERN GARDEN BOOK has become the reference 'bible' for any Western gardener and for any library catering to them.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Best for the West.......2007-09-07
The Sunset Western Garden Book is the gardener's bible. For beginners to experts, it's the definitive guide to everything related to gardening. It is to gardeners what the Joy of Cooking is to cooks.
Book Description
A library of Western literature in two volumes, this new edition offers more than 40 works in their entiretyfrom Homer's Odyssey to Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apartas well as dozens of excerpted works and over 200 lyric poems.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Textbook or Addition to Personal Library.......2007-04-09
I purchased this book for my Literature class. Unfortunately we did not get to read all of the works. I have fallen in love with this book and I hope to keep it for many many years. Some of the works can be boring but if you keep an open mind and concentrate on the ideas, language, and meaning you will understand even the most boring of works.
An absolutely delicious anthology..........2006-02-18
I purchased this book for a class, but was delighted to discover that I will definitely want to hang onto it afterwards. The translations chosen for the 'Ancient World' portion are, for the most part, delightfully vivid and capture the spirit of the original language. I also like the layout - the margin size is just perfect for taking notes.
Average customer rating:
- Horrible
- Good
- Beautiful art
- Comprehensive
- Very interesting pictures
|
Gardner's Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective, Volume I (with ArtStudy CD-ROM 2.1, Western)
Fred S. Kleiner , and
Christin J. Mamiya
Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
| Criticism
| General
| Regional
| Themes
| Women in Art
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Arts & Photography
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
A Short Guide to Writing About Art (The Short Guide Series)
-
Gardner's Art Through the Ages, Volume I, Chapters 1-18 (with ArtStudy Student CD-ROM and InfoTrac )
-
Gardner's Art Through the Ages, Volume II (Chapters 19-34)
-
Study Guide, Volume I for Kleiner/Mamiya's Gardner's Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective, Volume I, 12th
-
Study Guide for Kleiner/Mamiya's Gardner's Art Through the Ages: Western Perspective, Volume II, 12th
Accessories:
-
ArtBasics: An Illustrated Glossary and Timeline
-
Study Guide, Volume I for Kleiner/Mamiya's Gardner's Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective, Volume I, 12th
ASIN: 0495004790 |
Book Description
As the market-leading text for the art history survey course, GARDNER'S ART THROUGH THE AGES has served as a comprehensive and thoughtfully crafted guide to the defining phases of the world's artistic tradition. The story of art unfolds in its full historical, social, religious, economic, and cultural context, deepening students' understanding of art, architecture, painting, and sculpture. This version explores the history of art in the Western world in a concise 23-chapter format (also available in a two-volume split). GARDNER'S ART THROUGH THE AGES: THE WESTERN PERSPECTIVE features such enhancements as more color photographs, a stunning new design, and the most current research and scholarship. Unique to survey texts with a Western Art focus, the authors include a chapter on Islam, providing students with insightful coverage of the Islamic tradition's impact on Western culture and art history. Additionally, every copy of the text contains a free copy of the ArtStudy 2.1 CD-ROM-an interactive electronic study aid that fully integrates with the text and includes hundreds of high-quality digital images, plus maps, quizzes, and more.
Customer Reviews:
Horrible.......2007-10-04
I am extremely disappointed in amazon and this book. You guys delivered it over a month late.I'm not paying for amazon prime so I can receive much needed books over a month late. I had to go to my College bookstore and pay $120. You wanna know the worst part? They don't accept devolutions. So I'm extremely disappointed.
Good.......2007-09-12
This book is very informative and it tries to explain so that there is not much confusion after looking it over.
Beautiful art.......2007-08-23
Loved this book for my Art class. I didn't think I would like the class, fell in love with art, and even kept the book afterwards instead of selling it.
Comprehensive.......2007-02-16
I would recommend this to anyone who wants to better themselves in the region of art history knowledge and the ability to evaluate art's content as well. It was well worth buying and compliments any classes orientated towards the subject...maybe would even overshadow the required text.
Very interesting pictures.......2006-12-07
I purchased this book for my Art History class. Very interesting pictures along with non-boring texts. I really like the accompanied CD as it has all pictures from this text as well as other version of Gardner's art history books. Pictures are crystal clear. Although I finished that class long ago in 2002 and sold the book for school's book store with attractive price, I still have a copy of that CD and often reviewed whenever I saw some interesting stories of art history (such as female goddess from Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code). All pictures are under flash cards section. Besides a good text book, it should be kept as a reference.
Book Description
One Thousand White Women is the story of May Dodd and a colorful assembly of pioneer women who, under the auspices of the U.S. government, travel to the western prairies in 1875 to intermarry among the Cheyenne Indians. The covert and controversial "Brides for Indians" program, launched by the administration of Ulysses S. Grant, is intended to help assimilate the Indians into the white man's world. Toward that end May and her friends embark upon the adventure of their lifetime. Jim Fergus has so vividly depicted the American West that it is as if these diaries are a capsule in time.
Customer Reviews:
Loved it.......2007-10-03
I loved this book and am so sad that it ended. I hope his other books are as good as this one because I really liked his writing style. I read all the time and this is the best book I have read in a long time. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. I would highly reccomend it!
Great read with unexpected story line.......2007-10-03
I asked some friends what was the best thing they'd read lately. When they mentioned the title of this book I could not imagine what it was about and visualized something like the Million Man March...in reverse? :-)
Even when they told me a bit of the plot line I wasn't sure about "One Thousand White Women". But they said they couldn't put it down so I gave it a try. I loved it - so much so that I bought it as a gift for someone else. The book intertwines a bit of a real story with 'what might have been'. I found myself so engrossed in the book that I forgot it was fiction...and wished it wasn't.
one of the best.......2007-10-02
One of the best books I've read in a long time! Right up there with Memoirs of a Geisha, from the point of view of a man writing as a woman and getting it so perfectly. Also because, like Geisha, the book transports you to another place and time and you feel like you have met a whole bunch of new friends. Read it!!!!
Good Reading.......2007-09-29
The subject matter of this book is really interesting. Even though the author says it is fiction, I really could see this happening. I felt it was a little slow in the begining but it picked up. I would recommend this book to others.
wonderful story.......2007-09-28
A delight to read,a true window into the past.
I have shared this book with friends and family,and all who have read this book are excited about, and pleased with the story.
Refreshing,and different in content,this book was a real page turner,and I was very disapointed when it ended.
Book Description
Best-selling text, WESTERN CIVILIZATION has helped over one million students learn about the present by exploring the past. Jack Spielvogel's engaging, chronological narrative weaves the political, economic, social, religious, intellectual, cultural, and military aspects of history into a gripping story that is as memorable as it is instructive. Each chapter offers a substantial introduction and conclusion, providing students a context for these disparate themes. The clear narrative of a single gifted author makes it easy for students to follow the story of Western civilization. Spielvogel gives the book depth by including over 150 maps and excerpts of over 200 primary sources--including official documents, poems, and songs--that enliven the past while introducing students to source material that forms the basis of historical scholarship. Available in many split options: WESTERN CIVILIZATION, Comprehensive, 6th Edition (Chapters 1-29), ISBN: 0534646026; WESTERN CIVILIZATION, Volume I, To 1715, 6th Edition (Chapters 1-16), ISBN:0534646034; WESTERN CIVILIZATION, Volume II, Since 1500, 6th Edition (Chapters 13-29), ISBN:0534646042; WESTERN CIVILIZATION, Volume A: To 1500, 6th Edition (Chapters 1-12), ISBN: 0534646050; WESTERN CIVILIZATION, Volume B: 1300-1815, 6th Edition (Chapters 11-19), ISBN:0534646069; WESTERN CIVILIZATION, Volume C: Since 1789, 6th Edition (Chapters 19-29), ISBN: 0534646077; WESTERN CIVILIZATION, Since 1300, 6th Edition (Chapters 11-29), ISBN:0534646085.
Customer Reviews:
Awesome Book.......2006-05-19
Very easy explanation in book.........dont try to read whole book otherwise you will get sleep
Great for CLEP resource.......2006-01-18
Got this book as well as Volume I and used them as my resources for taking the Western Civ I and II CLEPS. Perfect for the job, and helped me get a very good grade, highly recommend for anyone looking to use for that purpose.
Revionist History.......2005-07-05
After being required to read this text for a class, I bought two other history books to which I could compare this one. I thought that Spielvogel was leaving out chunks of history, and revising the ones that he included, and I wanted to double check my facts before making any accusations. Well, boy was I right. This book makes the Publisher's tag line, "Changing the Way the World Learns" seem a little too true..
If you DO get this book, here are some things to look out for:
1. He is wrong on just about everything that has to do with art or music. He cites obscure artists and names them as the most popular, most of them had Christian themed work.
2. He glorifies Hitler and the Nazis and makes the Holocaust seem like nothing but a minor glitch in history.
3. The author has a degree in Reformation History and seems to be unable to help himself from relating every single event in history to religion. So keep in mind that Voltaire had more to offer history than an anti-Christian revisionist account of the fall of the Roman Empire, as Spielvogel states.
If I were you, I'd buy a different history book to read as well as this one, if this is required for a course. Preferably one that was published for the first time in the thirties or forties and has been updated since, so that its more clear it isn't revionist history. This one was first published in 2003.
Honestly, if I could give this book less than one star I would, but there's no such option on amazon.com...
yikes.......2005-04-22
This book was horrible for AP Euro, it was not in chronological order and often confused our class. Also, he skipped over some events that were important to know for the AP exam.
THIS BOOK SUCKS.......2004-12-30
Jackson J. Spielvogel has no sense of organization whatsoever. And as for those people who read this book for fun, SERIOUSLY need a life. I, however, am using this book as a text book for AP Euro and think it is absolutely ludicrous that we have to use it. It's confusing and needs to be written better. A LOT better. This book should get -1000000 stars.
Book Description
Civilization in the West
blends social and political history into a fascinating narrative that brings history to life.
The authors tell a compelling story of Western Civilization that is enhanced by an image-based approach. “The Visual Record” chapter openers draw students in by illustrating a dominant theme of the chapter and exploring the dramatic changing contours of the West through standard maps, Map Discovery features and Geographical Tours of Europe. Discovering Western Civilization Online end-of-chapter Web site URLs make this the first Western Civilization book to include these resources.
Average customer rating:
- A Fine WWI book
- Good read, but unfulfilling
- Simply Unforgettable
- Best book on WWI
- All Quiet
|
All Quiet on the Western Front
Erich Maria Remarque
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
History
| Subjects
| Books
| Africa
| Americas
| Ancient
| Arctic & Antarctica
| Asia
| Australia & Oceania
| Books on CD
| Books on Cassette
| Europe
| Gay & Lesbian
| Historical Study
| Large Print
| Middle East
| Military
| Military Science
| Russia
| United States
| World
Classics
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
War
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside History Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Fiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Classics
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
War
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
All Quiet on the Western Front (Cliffs Notes)
-
Things Fall Apart: A Novel
-
Animal Farm (Signet Classics)
-
Lord of the Flies (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century)
-
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich: A Novel
ASIN: 0449213943
Release Date: 1987-03-12 |
Book Description
Paul Baumer enlisted with his classmates in the German army of World War I. Youthful, enthusiastic, they become soldiers. But despite what they have learned, they break into pieces under the first bombardment in the trenches. And as horrible war plods on year after year, Paul holds fast to a single vow: to fight against the principles of hate that meaninglessly pits young men of the same generation but different uniforms against each other--if only he can come out of the war alive.
"The world has a great writer in Erich Maria Remarque. He is a craftsman of unquestionably first trank, a man who can bend language to his will. Whether he writes of men or of inanimate nature, his touch is sensitive, firm, and sure."
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
Customer Reviews:
A Fine WWI book.......2007-08-05
This view in the trenches of WW I was memorable for me, having little knowledge of WW I when I read this book. I was expecting more about what led to WW I, but was happy to read the account of the young German soldier who was not involved or terribly informed about the politics. After reading this, I read "Storm of Steel" by Ernst Junger. Remarque spends more time illustrating the ugliness and the horror, which I think is endemic in any war. His gift of description is strong, and is worth reading, but not if you want to know about the grand picture. This is about the nitty gritty daily experiences of war.
Good read, but unfulfilling.......2007-07-30
Somehow this summer became the summer of WWI books for me because I have read both All Quiet and A Farewell to Arms over the past several weeks. It was interesting to read both of these books back-to-back because of the different tones and writing styles of both authors. All Quiet left me feeling unfullfilled because it really doesn't have much of a plot and the characters are underdeveloped and many are forgotten at the end. Additionally, it was like the ending just happened, again without much development or resolution. Nonetheless, it painted a pretty effective picture of life in the trenches during WWI. A Farewell to Arms is much more romantic and a more fulfilling book however.
Simply Unforgettable.......2007-07-20
" We are at rest five miles behind the front". So begins one of the world's great literary treasures. What could I say that hasn't already been written ? I have read this novel since I was in grade school , and have revisited it every few years for the past five decades. As I grow older and think of comrades and friends now long gone , I can appeciate it's sublime beauty as the greatest anti-war novel ever written.
Best book on WWI.......2007-06-19
Every war has that one book since the Industrial Revolution has inspired at least one great anti-war piece of literature. This book is probably it for WWI. It focuses on Paul, a young German who goes to serve in the German army during WWI. The book begins with him in school being fed propaganda about the glory of war. The book ends with his death in the hated trenches. In between, he loses his innocence, nerve and eventually his sanity. He, and we the reader, witness incredible pain, suffering, tragedy, and in doing so, come to understand that war is always fought by the common people, but rarely for their good. This book is unique in that the protagonist is a German soldier, rare for an English language classic. But regardless of the nationality, the experiences here were common to all soldiers. I highly enjoyed this book, and consider it the best fiction work about WWI.
All Quiet.......2007-06-07
All Quiet on the Western Front provides a glimpse into World War I from the German's perspective. My favorite aspect of the book was that at no point did it glorify war, which is something I tend to find problematic in film adaptations of war. Brilliant piece though it's disheartening as one of the classes from the local high school are reading it for school - to say the least from my experience with them at work, I don't think they're as nearly excited about it as I am.
Book Description
Masters of the Air is the deeply personal story of the American bomber boys in World War II who brought the war to Hitler's doorstep. With the narrative power of fiction, Donald Miller takes readers on a harrowing ride through the fire-filled skies over Berlin, Hanover, and Dresden and describes the terrible cost of bombing for the German people.
Fighting at 25,000 feet in thin, freezing air that no warriors had ever encountered before, bomber crews battled new kinds of assaults on body and mind. Air combat was deadly but intermittent: periods of inactivity and anxiety were followed by short bursts of fire and fear. Unlike infantrymen, bomber boys slept on clean sheets, drank beer in local pubs, and danced to the swing music of Glenn Miller's Air Force band, which toured U.S. air bases in England. But they had a much greater chance of dying than ground soldiers. In 1943, an American bomber crewman stood only a one-in-five chance of surviving his tour of duty, twenty-five missions. The Eighth Air Force lost more men in the war than the U.S. Marine Corps.
The bomber crews were an elite group of warriors who were a microcosm of America -- white America, anyway. (African-Americans could not serve in the Eighth Air Force except in a support capacity.) The actor Jimmy Stewart was a bomber boy, and so was the "King of Hollywood," Clark Gable. And the air war was filmed by Oscar-winning director William Wyler and covered by reporters like Andy Rooney and Walter Cronkite, all of whom flew combat missions with the men.
The Anglo-American bombing campaign against Nazi Germany was the longest military campaign of World War II, a war within a war. Until Allied soldiers crossed into Germany in the final months of the war, it was the only battle fought inside the German homeland.
Strategic bombing did not win the war, but the war could not have been won without it. American
airpower destroyed the rail facilities and oil refineries that supplied the German war machine. The bombing campaign was a shared enterprise: the British flew under the cover of night while American bombers attacked by day, a technique that British commanders thought was suicidal.
Masters of the Air is a story, as well, of life in wartime England and in the German prison camps, where tens of thousands of airmen spent part of the war. It ends with a vivid description of the grisly hunger marches captured airmen were forced to make near the end of the war through the country their bombs destroyed.
Drawn from recent interviews, oral histories, and American, British, German, and other archives, Masters of the Air is an authoritative, deeply moving account of the world's first and only bomber war.
Customer Reviews:
Masters of the Air.......2007-09-11
A marvelous story about the WW II air war over Europe. Full of interesting details and descriptions. I have shared it with friends that did their 35 missions, and they concur.
The Story of the "Mighty Eighth".......2007-09-08
This well-written and exhaustively researched book chronicles the rise of the American Eighth Air Force from its early days in England to VE Day in 1945.
At the outset of the war, the British believed that night bombing was the best way to attack German cities and industry. However, once America entered the war, they chose a philosophy different from that of the British. The Americans believed that daylight precision strategic bombing was the only way to defeat the Germans. The British, on the other hand, still favored nighttime area bombing. This difference of opinion between the Americans and British was never really settled, but by combining the "round the clock" attacks of American planes during the day and British planes at night, the Germans faced an unending stream of planes and bombs.
When the Eighth flew their first mission in the fall of 1942, they could barely muster thirty planes, but at the end of the war, they were putting up well over one thousand, with several hundred fighter escorts as well. The German Luftwaffe could not match these incredible numbers of planes, and, despite such tactics as underground production and introducing the world's first jet fighter, there was little they could do to stop the Allied bombing.
Differences also existed between the British and Americans regarding target selection. The British favored carpet bombing Germany's cities with little or no regard for civilian casualties. The Americans favored targeting German industry (synthetic oil production, ball bearings, and transportation hubs). The Americans believed that the systematic destruction of the German economy would bring about surrender quicker than the British belief of "terror attacks" designed to break the will of the German people.
An interesting point made by the author is whether or not strategic bombing was effective against the Germans. A preponderance of the evidence would suggest that the answer to this question is "yes", but there are some compelling counter-points made in the book.
This is a fine work of aviation history. The book is well-researched and is easy to read and understand. Every aspect of the Allied bomber offensive in Europe is covered in great detail. The author also includes many personal testimonials from the men who flew the B-17s and B-24s against the Germans. An interesting chapter is also devoted to the Swiss government and how they treated "captured" Allied fliers. The terrifying incendiary raid on Dresden as well as the horrific destruction of Berlin is also told in vivid detail.
I give this fine book my highest recommendation. If you're looking for information on the Eighth Air Force and the air war over Europe, this is the book to read.
Does anyone at Simon & Schuster proofread?.......2007-09-04
Mr. Miller's book includes not only substantial research into prior publications but very interesting research based on letters and interviews he's found on his own. It's a good book. But if you're a member of the word police you'll be annoyed by the many proofreading errors. Here's a sample: "In the heavily defended Ruhr, with its permanent cloud of industrial smoke, the number was only in ten." (p.54) Should have been "within ten miles." Some errors are so simple a spell checker would have caught them: (p.199) "spining" for spinning. And there are some factual errors as well. Miller attributes contrails to wingtips. They're created by engines. It's much easier to criticize than to write. Still, S&S should have, with the several editors listed in the acknowledgments, caught the errors. I have no idea whether they have been corrected in the paperback.
The Unsung Heroes of The Eighth Air Force.......2007-08-26
This is an overdue tribute to those young men who gave their lives, in great numbers, fighting the air war over Germany in WWII.To those who think WWII was fought without major tatical errors, this book will be a revelation. In tribute to the kids who lost their lives in this bloody effort, everyone should be required to read this story. If you thought that service in the Air Force was a cake walk read this book.
EXCELLENT !!!.......2007-08-23
TRULY AN AMAZINGLY DETAILED ACCOUNT OF THE AIR WAR IN EUROPE!! MANY FACTS NEVER HEARD BEFORE! THESE BOMBER BOYS WERE TRUE HEROES.
Books:
- America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies
- America's Songs: The Stories Behind the Songs of Broadway, Hollywood, and Tin Pan Alley
- America's Songs: The Stories Behind the Songs of Broadway, Hollywood, and Tin Pan Alley
- An Incomplete Education: 3,684 Things You Should Have Learned but Probably Didn't
- And the Walls Came Tumbling Down: An Autobiography
- Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle, Updated Edition: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation
- ART OF POCAHONTAS, THE
- Art of Technique, The: An Aesthetic Approach to Film and Video Production
- Batman Begins: The Official Movie Guide
- Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children: What If This Were Heaven, Wouldn't That Be Hell? (Beautiful stories for ugly children)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Cost Management: Accounting and Control
- The United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship: Basics for Beginners/D Level
- The Company of Ghosts
- The Leadership Experience
- The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Novels
- The Ultimate Math Refresher for the GRE, GMAT, and SAT
- Utopia's Garden - French Natural History from Old Regime to Revolution
- Career Preparation: Transition Guide for College Students
- The Corporation Game: How to Win the War with the Organization and Make Them Love It
- Form Your Own Corporation and Launch a Business in Any State