Expansion Books

Paul Doherty is the consummate professional when it comes to writing historical novels. I for one do not know how he can be so prolific with his offering of books and yet make sure that each of them is well researched. Whether they be 13th, 14th, or fifteenth century they are always true to the period. He also writes about Ancient Egypt and now he has taken to writing about Alexander the Great. Paul Doherty has the rare talent of making you feel as though you are there, be it medieval England, or battling with Alexander. The sounds and smells of the period seem to waft from the pages of his books.

It is still 334 BC, but the known world is beginning to realise that Alexander, is a special kind of man. Touched by the gods. Some even say born to a god. There is not an army in the ancient world that can stop him. There is not a King or an Emperor whose crown and land is safe.

Alexander has crossed into Asia and is now marching south, conquering all in his path. His enemies know that he is heading for the jewel in the crown, the city of Halicarnassus. The city is said to be impregnable from attack and is strategically important too. Alexander cannot afford to by-pass the city and leave the rear of his army vulnerable to being attacked.

But yet again as Alexander plans with his commanders how best to bring the city to its knees, yet another series of brutal killings begin. Alexander sees this as proof that the Persians have infiltrated not only his lines but have actually infiltrated his inner court. Once again Telamon, Alexander's trusted friend and physician is asked to apply his mind to solving the problem of the murders, but it is going to be no simple matter to find and destroy the traitors.

This is the first book by Doherty that I've read and I had no idea it was book three in a series. It's certainly good enough to make me want to go back and read the others, and the book doesn't require you to need to have read the first two if you know a little something about Alexander and his campaign. I thought the historical sense was excellent, though I think some inaccuracies were present, for example the first known corridor isn;t until Rome, and then not widely used until the 17th century, I thought, so the mention of them in the farmhouse is anachronistic. This is however, primarily a who dunnit through the point of view of the doctor, all while the build up to a city seige takes place. Though some of the everyday scenes are a bit clunky, the battle sequences are wonderful! My only disappointment was the ending, it was all a bit Scoobie Doo.

It is 334 B.C., and Memnon of Rhodes, a mercenary, has been appointed Governor of Lower Asia by King Darius of Persia. Memnon's mission is to prevent Alexander the Great of Macedon from taking the important Persian city of Halicarnassus as easily as he has taken other Persian cities in his southward march through Asia Minor. With vivid sense imagery and a keen eye for detail, Doherty brings color and drama to the maneuvering by both sides as they get ready for the siege of Halicarnassus, a city of strategic importance, which overlooks the Aegean and the Greek islands.

Using primary sources for much of his research, Doherty recreates the story of this ferocious and bloody battle. Ignoring the lofty, epic rhetoric of classic battles, he chooses instead a conversational tone, creating a sense of urgency and rapid movement in the narrative which matches the speed and drama of the action. His research, however serious it might be, is fully integrated into an exciting story, not imposed upon it, and gives a sense of harsh reality to events. His characters on both sides are memorable despite their large number, and his stunning descriptions of costume, customs, weaponry, and the frenzy of battle keep the reader almost breathless with anticipation.

While the battle rages, both sides try to decipher a mysterious manuscript by Pythias, the architect of the walls around Halicarnassus, in which he supposedly reveals a secret weakness in the walls and the location of a treasure. Scribes and cryptographers work non-stop, the breaking of the code providing an underlying motive for a series of murders which take place within the battle drama. The murder mystery adds intrigue and excitement to the historical setting, but it is the siege itself, and the details of the war, which really bring the narrative to life. Catapults turning men and horses into torches, and the euthanasia of wounded men and horses convey the brutality of warfare, while the formality of movements and the parades of warriors in battle dress show the choreography within this brutality. In this testament of one of Alexander's most ferocious battles, the reader sees that though he can be brutal and quixotic, "Alexander has a genius. He seems to have been touched by fortune." Mary Whipple

In this, the third of his series with Alexander the Great as his featured subject, PaulDoherty appears to have grasped the atmosphere, the spirit of the times, and the aura of royal intrigue of 334 BC.

Alexander has now marched to the outskirts of Halicarnassus, the most formidable fortress city on the Persian-held coast. Alexander has already met--and routed--the forces of King Darius in an earlier battle but he has not defeated the Persians, yet. This city appears to be the thorn in his side (after all, he'd already solved the Gordian Knot puzzle!). Enter Doherty to make this scene his own in "The Gates of Hell."

This is a historical mystery and the premise that you have to have a dead (or missing) body arises early and Alexander's personal sleuths Telamon the physician and his lovely and willing (but, so far, not in THAT way) assistant Cassandra must pit their skills and brains against yet another dangerous murderer. As readers of the previous two in the series know, Telamon is a companion of Alexander's from his childhood, as well as his personal and trusted physician.

Again (for Doherty), it's another "locked room" death and, once again, the author solves the unsolvable.At the base of all this intrigue is the Pythian Manuscript, believed to hold the secret
of capturing Halicarnassus (among other things). To decipher would be the triumph of the time, or so one is told. It is written in such a secret code that, so far, the top cryptologists have been unable to get anywhere.

Alas, the first body is that of young Pamenes, who's found dead in his locked room and Telamon begins his work. Of course, it is not long before other murders are committed, a plethora of "clues" is presented, and the solution seems impossible.

Along the way, Doherty has treated us to a welcomed accounting of the men and the times, brutality and beauty alike. The author's penchant for historical detail is a plus. Doherty's mysteries generally run predictable but that does not take away from the satisfaction of reading him. He does seem more comfortable in his English mysteries, but "The Gates of Hell" shows great maturity and his many, many fans will add this
to their favorites. (Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

It is 334 B.C., and Memnon of Rhodes, a mercenary, has been appointed Governor of Lower Asia by King Darius of Persia. Memnon's mission is to prevent Alexander the Great of Macedon from taking the important Persian city of Halicarnassus as easily as he has taken other Persian cities in his southward march through Asia Minor. With vivid sense imagery and a keen eye for detail, Doherty brings color and drama to the maneuvering by both sides as they get ready for the siege of Halicarnassus, a city of strategic importance, which overlooks the Aegean and the Greek islands.

Using primary sources for much of his research, Doherty recreates the story of this ferocious and bloody battle. Ignoring the lofty, epic rhetoric of classic battles, he chooses instead a conversational tone, creating a sense of urgency and rapid movement in the narrative which matches the speed and drama of the action. His research, however serious it might be, is fully integrated into an exciting story, not imposed upon it, and gives a sense of harsh reality to events. His characters on both sides are memorable despite their large number, and his stunning descriptions of costume, customs, weaponry, and the frenzy of battle keep the reader almost breathless with anticipation.

While the battle rages, both sides try to decipher a mysterious manuscript by Pythias, the architect of the walls around Halicarnassus, in which he supposedly reveals a secret weakness in the walls and the location of a treasure. Scribes and cryptographers work non-stop, the breaking of the code providing an underlying motive for a series of murders which take place within the battle drama. The murder mystery adds intrigue and excitement to the historical setting, but it is the siege itself, and the details of the war, which really bring the narrative to life. Catapults turning men and horses into torches, and the euthanasia of wounded men and horses convey the brutality of warfare, while the formality of movements and the parades of warriors in battle dress show the choreography within this brutality. In this testament of one of Alexander's most ferocious battles, the reader sees that though he can be brutal and quixotic, "Alexander has a genius. He seems to have been touched by fortune." Mary Whipple

Shirley Christian's work on the legacy of the Chouteau family should be considered the definitive on this subject area. After reading numerous books on the fur trade, it was enlightening and a treat to learn so much of the importance of this intriguing ancestry.
From the days of establishing St. Louis in 1764 by Pierre Laclede Liguest (Chouteau) and his fourteen year old son Auguste Chouteau, up to circa 1850's, Christian leaves no stone unturned. How this extensive family was so instrumental in the politics, economy, real estate, Indian affairs, groundwork of western expansion, etc. is truly a saga of fascination.
It is fortunate that the author included the Chouteau family tree as the names can become quite confusing (many Pierre's, Auguste's, Chouteau's, inter-marriages with the Gratiot's, Papin's and Labbadie's).
Although not totally devoted to the era "before" Lewis and Clark, it is nevertheless an absorbing and accommodating read, extensively researched.

For anyone interested in the early history of the American West this book is an invaluable resource. The Chouteaus and other families in St Louis continuously intermarried and did business with each other. This book supplies what has been lacking in the literature of the fur trade, a solid and careful recounting of the story of their lives and business dealings, backed up with page by page notes, citing sources completely.
The title of the book is misleading, as it covers much more. The story of the fur trade is quite complicated and has long needed a comprehensive analysis of the families involved. Anyone who has read fur trade history and been baffled by all the people and their business and personal relationships will turn to it as a definitive resource.It is clearly written. It is not a "page turner," though the stuff of it has the been the source of many a good book.

When I originally read this book, I thought it was primarily dedicated to the exploration of the Louisiana territory before Lewis and Clark, but the book is really about the dynasty of the Chouteau family of French traders and town founders of St. Louis who not only came before Lewis and Clark by about 40 years but remained to develop the territory, town and engage in the fur business west of the Mississippi along with trading north up the Missouri. It as quite astonishing to read that when Lewis and Clark reached St. Louis to start their trek in 1803 that the accommodating Chouteaus, along with other French settlers and perhaps Spanish, had settled a town of 200 or more houses with the Chouteaus owning fairly upscale homes along with significant land grants that pre-dated the Americans. The Chouteaus were enterprising merchants that had significant contacts with local Indian tribes such as the Osages and other tribes in the surrounding areas North such as the Arikaras. Not only did the Chouteaus know the territory and trade as far west as Spanish held Santa Fe their family stayed in St. Louis and interacted with Governor Lewis of Louisiana until his death and had a lifelong friendship with Indian agent William Clark. The Chouteaus relationships with local tribes was key to having reasonaly good relations with whites and Indians. What is amazing about this book is the amount of documentation and letters that survived from over 200 years ago. The family has a long history after Lewis and Clark's adventure with sons graduating from West Point and their presence in local politics and involvement with St. Louis and the territory goes well into the 19th century. This book has a great amount of detail about a family that developed the interior of America.

This is the story of the Chouteaus, the primary founders of St. Louis and, to a very large degree, the people who laid the foundation which led to the State of Missouri. If you are interested in factual history you will find portions of this book illuminating. The author does a very credible job in certain sections of this work.

If you are interested in the social interactions of the Chouteau clan, again, this is a good book for you. But if you are interested only in the impact of the Chouteau clan on the historic development of St. Louis and the future State of Missouri then, while portions of this book will be useful to you, major portions of this work you will simply want to skim.

The author spends quite a bit of time delineating who married who, who begat whom, who married in, what properties they owned, what slaves were owned, freed and which were troublesome, how much they paid for each, who contested the sales...you get the idea. The author provides excruciatingly detailed accounts of bills of lading, packing slips, property details in wills and court settlements right down to who was to get what. Is this history? Sure it is, this really happened. She draws directly from the original documents. But more importantly, is it relevant...not really. The author spends all too much time communicating extraneous, unnecessary information which detracts from her primary thesis: Who were the Chouteaus and what was their amazing impact on the development of the Missouri frontier? As a result, the fascinating Chouteau story tends to get watered down in irrelevant minutia. The Chouteau story gets lost in page after page of useless information.

However, as stated above, there are portions of this book that contribute considerable scholarship to the emerging St. Louis / Missouri frontier as it developed from roughly 1760 through 1830. Those nuggets are quite good, very illuminating and make this book worth spending time with. Just be forewarned that this book reads like an unfinished work still seeking clarity.

OK-I'm going on the wild assumption that you're checking out this book because of your interest in Lewis and Clark. Be warned, the subject matter in Christian's book is somewhat tangentially related, although you will be given little entertaining factoids such as that one of the scientific specimens sent back to Jefferson from St Louis at the start of the Expedition was a large hairball from the stomach of a buffalo.

I live in St Louis, so I found the story of its founding (by the Chouteaus and their father/husband Laclede) interesting. Christian lives up to the subtitle by giving you a detailed picture of the life of this dynasty as it affected this area, which means you get a good idea of what it was like to be a trader on the Missouri (and some of the neighboring rivers), including interesting insights into relations with American Indians. Indeed, it was quite eye-opening to see how welcoming the Indians initially were of the French settlers/traders in and around St Louis. It was also informative to read of how the French and Indians interbred and lived quite comfortably with one another, although on unequal terms. The Chouteau dynasty began in the 1760's and continued for roughly another 80 years or so, so they had to accommodate and adapt to the change in governance that occurred with the Louisiana Purchase by the US (which although purchased from France, consisted of a territory immediately previously administered-with a very long rein-by Spain).

If you're looking more for some background into what was known about the area encompassed by the Louisiana Purchase at the time L + C started off on their expediation (and quite a bit was known; and in fact North America had already been traversed in Canada, so L + C weren't quite the 'firsts' they're made out to be), check out The Course of Empire by DeVoto.

To learn about the journey itself which, not withstanding the caveats above, is truly fascinating story, do yourself a favor and try to find something other than the popular Undaunted Courage, by Stephen Ambrose. The account provided by Ambrose is in my opinion is seriously flawed, fundamentally lacking in basic historical background necessary to appreciate the Expedition, e.g., any indication of who'd previously explored the regions into which they were heading and lacking a summary map illustrating the geographic (mis)information L + C used to plan their journey. Undaunted Courage also falls down whenever Ambrose attempts the most rudimentary analysis. To top it off, his writing style often made me cringe.

To provide socioeconomic and political background to the Purchase and the settlement that was to follow it, I recommend Mr Jefferson's Loast Cause: Land, Farmers, Slavery, and the Louisiana Purchase by Roger Kennedy.

I found this book to be extremely information about life in the 1860s as I am into Civil War Re-enacting. There were so many interesting facts of everyday life, etc. that it was as if I had been transported back nearly 150 years.

A great book for students studying the Civil War (like myself). Gives amazing insight to the lives of people during the Reconstrucion era after the war. Pages of great information about soldiers' lives, homes, churches, schools, rites of passage, working life, daily woes, and enjoying life in the late 19th century. However, the info somewhat dry, and gets a little tedious at times, but the amount of details and great facts evens it out a bit.

This broad-ranging text covers daily life, customs, and technology in a variety of American settings during the Civil War and post-war periods. Inevitably, it doesn't give a whole lot of detail on each topic, but this is a very good place for general readers to start. The descriptions of farm life are particularly detailed and helpful. One complaint I do have is that the author does not footnote his quotes from primary sources, making it impossible to follow a reference up. Like most histories of daily life, this volume is short on information about mentalities and beliefs. Also, probably deliberately, it contains little information on political events and almost none on events in the South during Reconstruction. The effects of the Civil War on daily life and thought get rather short shrift. Nevertheless, this book does cover a lot of information and does so in a clear, useful fashion.

I bought this book because I had read "The Reshaping of Everyday Life : 1790-1840" by Jack Larkin. Both books were originally published in the 'Everyday Life in America' series. I really enjoyed "Reshaping" and hoped that "Expansion" would be of similar caliber.

Given the page constraints (170 pages of text) this book does a good job. However, given the vast increase in the size of the USA between 1840 and 1876, the coverage is necessarily thinner. Everything from the frontier to the South, to New York tenements to established rural districts is covered, the only exception being the extremely rich (who are well covered in other books).

The main problem is that so much is covered that a reader might feel that he knows all about living in the US during this time period, and that would not be accurate. Some areas are left out almost entirely. For example, the West Coast is almost completely ignored except for Virginia City. Unfortunately, the only solution I see is either a much bigger book, or several books covering each of the subtopics.

That is the reason this book only gets three stars: the coverage is broad but shallow. It is a good introduction to the time period, but that is all.

I think this is, perhaps, the finest book I have ever read on social history. I'm not kidding. After reading this "encyclopedia" (for that is what it truly is) on every aspect of life as it was during and just after the Civil War era, I actually feel as if I went back in time and visited the past first hand. Forget about "Everyday Life During the Civil War" and the other writer's guide books out there. "Expansion of Everyday Life 1860 - 1876" leaves no stone unturned, covering topics extensively such as the role of religion in the daily lives of the people, courtship, death, birth, clothing, prescription drugs of the era, what was eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, bathing, and schooling. Life in the city, in a town, and on the farm is covered pretty equally where the differences occur. The lives of the (freed) blacks is also mentioned throughout the text. Other topics covered include such taboo subjects as sex and abortion, homosexuality, as well as women's rights. But it is done not in the typical 21st century liberal PC style so prominent in current history books. One gets the impression that author, Daniel Sutherland, has a true passion for truth in social history and is not out to promote a political agenda. He does get a bit tedious at times (which I absolutely love - every detail of life is here!) but never dry, as another reviewer wrote. If you are a student of history, which I am, then I am sure you will feel the same as I.
There is not another history book of this era that I would recommend higher than this.

Though the seller responded promptly, i would have liked to received a message that told me they no longer had the book that i was supposed to be buying, instead of me waiting three weeks for it to arrive.

This is an excellent little book. It's entertaining reading and highly informative. I'm not only glad I read the book but I find myself wanting to know much more about Sam Houston and his era. I think Texans and all Americans are much more indebted to men like him than we realize. Would to God we had some Sam Houstons today!

This particular portrayal was a mandatory reading in a History course in college, and by far, the depiction from Campbell is astounding, and amazing. He brings to the surface far more than just the fable you hear about in junior high Texas history. The man was tall, but this piece makes him larger than life.

Randolph B. Campbell writes about a man I never knew had that much impact on Texas and the United States in Sam Houston and the American Southwest. The writing is quick and simple to read, and flows from one topic to the next easily.

The book covers everything from Sam Houston's beginnings, to his forrays as a military man and finally to his exploits as a political leader. He impacted Texas more than any other person, and was a leading voice in both the War against Mexico and the Civil War. To characterize his impact on Texas, one would only have to look at the political atmosphere of Texas in their early Republic days. Texas was a two party state, those who were Houston supporters and those who were anti-Houston.

I loved learning about Sam Houston's command during Texas's fight for independence, his thoughts on the Civil War (always a Union man, something unusual for a southerner), and the love he had for his wife (his last words will emphasize this). He was the first President of the Republic of Texas, served as a senator after the state was annexed, and is the only man to serve as governor in two states (Texas and Tennessee). I would have never known three fourths of this information if it wasn't for Randolph B. Campbell's Sam Houston and the American Southwest. I highly recommend this read, for literature lovers and history buffs and all those in between. Everyone enjoy!

Texas's Savior Ever since Texas was a territory in the middle of no where, one man stood up to lead the way to statehood. That man who rose above the rest and conquered endless, unimaginable barriers was Sam Houston. Rudolph B. Campbell wrote a chronologically correct book about Houston entitled Sam Houston and the American Southwest. He became the most popular and most honorable man in Texas. The battle of San Jacinto, acquiring Presidency of the Republic of Texas, and obtaining a place in the United States Senate all proved that Sam Houston was a competent and trustworthy leader. First and foremost, the battle of San Jacinto was one Houston's greatest accomplishments, defeating Santa Anna and shamefully returning him to Mexico. This battle turned out to be the turning point in Texas's becoming a Republic and Sam Houston's popularity beginning to soar across Texas. Even though the revolution was a failure and Mexico still didn't recognize Texas as a republic, Houston still received the recognition that he deserved. It happened "...at three o'clock in the afternoon, Houston ordered his 'effectives' into battle formation that stretched across the prairie" (Campbell 68). After this strategic move, Sam Houston attacked and eighteen minutes later ended the battle. With this fight under his belt, Houston slowly arose to become a powerful and noteworthy man. This rise in power enabled Houston to become the first President of the Republic of Texas on September 18th, 1836. He was basically the only man for the job, supported by a landsliding "5,119 vote to Smith's 743 votes" (74). Houston saw himself as the candidate who could bring unity to Texas, despite its ambiguity and immense size. With Mirabeau B. Lamar at his side as vice president, Sam Houston would find as much

money for Texas as he could, balance the budget, and keep good relations with Mexico. In order to make and save money, Houston sold Texas's navy. Even the money gained from this sale didn't help the budget at all. By the time Houston's term of presidency was over, the debt had grown to roughly two million dollars. As far as keeping relations with Mexico, Houston must have apparently done a very good job because they did not attack again for a long period of time. Plus, he helped the Indians, especially the Cherokee, as much as he could, considering how he U.S. was driving them farther and farther away from their land. After Houston's three-year term was over, he resigned and moved to a higher position. In addition to already being President of the Republic of Texas more than once, Sam Houston became one of the first senators of Texas as well. Nothing is more suitable for a man with Houston's recognition and fame than to represent "his" state in the United States Senate. Even a more powerful and demanding job than president of a republic, Houston represented Texas better than any man possible. As a senator, and included in his inaugural address, Houston believed that "...finance, Indian policy, and relations with Mexico" were the most important things needed to be taken of in Texas and all over the United States (93). In the interest of finance, Sam Houston recommended that suspending all payments of interest and principal on the debt should be done. In addition, signing treaties, describing boundaries, with the Indians would depress war and bring on peace. Finally, the Texas senator thought it would be best to "...leave the Mexican nation alone," since "diplomatic relations had not been improved" (93). Overall, Sam

Houston improved Texas by taking its troubles all the way to Congress by using his intelligence and popularity to serve as a weapon for political listeners. Rudolph B. Campbell showed how Sam Houston became the most prominent, influential, and powerful man of his time. Houston basically devoted his entire life to serving other people's needs and wants. There wasn't a man during his time that was even close to becoming as great a hero as Sam Houston.

U.S. foreign policy is as bad as British foreign policy with Bush and Blair skipping around the world hand-in-hand kicking sand in everyone's faces, along with a few bombs, missiles and so forth. How did we come to this?

William Appleman Williams explained it well twenty-five years ago when he wrote this essay. Imperialism has always been our nation's "raison d'etre" despite all the high-sounding libertarian rhetoric to the contrary. In Williams's Marxist view of elite behavior, elites have always sought to enhance their pocketbooks at the expense of everyone around them.

The Revolutionary War was a war to secure their pocketbooks from the mercantilists in England.

The Constitution was a "coup d'etat" over the Articles of Confederation and the libertarian United States of America because the elites (Hamiltonians) who pulled it off wanted wars with North Africa and the Articles prevented the warmongers from starting them.

The War of 1812 was fought on behalf of Yankee elites and their pocketbooks.

The War Between the States was a war for empire. Abraham Lincoln made a "bargain with the 'Devil'"(p 92) to rape the Bill of Rights on behalf of Yankee elites and their pocketbooks.

The Spanish-American War was instigated by the U.S. on behalf of elites and their desire to acquire the Philippines. After the U.S. liberated the Philippines quite quickly, they spent the next three years killing Filipinos in the name of empire.

The British were so impressed with American empire, they sent a fifth column to win us over to join them in the trenches of France for the Great War. Woodrow Wilson obliged them by sending our boys over to the Western Front to "usher in a millenium of democratic progress" (p134).

After the Yanks said never again and their women had voted in Prohibition to curtail their European-acquired bad habits, FDR came along. WW II had broken out, the Brits sent their fifth column again to win the U.S. back, and the Brits appointed Winston Churchill as Prime Minister because he was half Yankee. After FDR allowed Pearl Harbor which made everyone become what would later be termed "9/11 crazy", he committed our troops to war in Europe. It was a war for American-powered British Empire.

Truman, Eisenhower, and even Kennedy continued FDR's imperialism. LBJ, Nixon, and Carter increasingly flexed their muscles so that when the CIA personnel in Tehran were taken hostage by the Iranian freedom fighters, Williams says they are "hostages to the American Empire" (p 207).

Williams's strong point is his assertion that all of the above conflicts happened as a result of deliberate planning by government puppets of our elites. With 300 of today's 500 billionaires residing here in the U.S., Williams's insight is a big help to understanding who is doing what.

The only caveat is Williams's confusion concerning capitalism and free enterprise, which he confuses with economic fascism or corporatism. He doesn't understand that government came first, then the corporations. Too often, he seems to suggest it happened the other way around.

This fast-paced book is too important to be overlooked. If you want to know why our kids are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan today along with British kids, read this book. We have been doing American-powered British Empire since World War II when the reins were handed to us by British elites who partnered with our elites.

If Williams was not misled by Marx's teachings, he would see that government is the problem and can never be the solution. As Robert Nozick explained in "Anarchy, State and Utopia", government is a cudgel that can be wielded against others by whoever seizes hold of it; therefore keep the cudgel small.

I bought this book because Gore Vidal cited William Appleman Williams as America's greatest Historian. This book is too general a read to judge Mr. Williams as an historian. But from what I have read in this book, I wouldn't use Mr. Williams as my final historical source. I realize that this work is not meant to be a history book but more of an essay by an historian. Consequently this work is filled with opinions. Many of these opinions do not line up with most of my readings of other substantial historians. I see why Gore Vidal loved this man. He is also a FDR hater and a Hoover supporter. That alone is pretty strange to me.
He makes the case that the U.S. has always sought power in the world but the manner in which he makes his case is so lopsided and gives no acknowledgement of the global situation and attitudes of the time of each event.
Howard Zinn wrote a very controversial history book with a radical point of view. He also injected a good deal of opinion. But none of the facts are distorted - the point of view may be considered unconventional - but all his conclusions are reasonable, based on his historical point of view. In this work by Mr. Williams the facts are slanted, and possibly contrived in some instances. I haven't got the time to verify all that I find doubtful in this work. I may read another book by Mr. Williams but I will choose one categorized as history and not essay. He has got to be better than this?

Books written by Richard Noble - The Hobo Philosopher:
"Hobo-ing America: A Workingman's Tour of the U.S.A.."
"A Summer with Charlie"
"A Little Something: Poetry and Prose"
"Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother"

The two brief reviews of Empire as a Way of Life need brief comment themselves. First, Williams was not a Marxist though he certainly admired the contributions of Karl Marx to our understanding of how the modern world came into being. He was also curious about how it came to pass that Marx fell into intellectual oblivion.
Second, Williams meant Empire as a Way of Life to be an essay to be read by the widest possible audience and certainly not one to be read after his much more detailed, complex works on diplomacy. And so it happened: Empire became a book widely read by lower division college students in history, political science, and sociology. We welcome the book in its new edition.

Though dead for sixteen years, it is remarkable how much of a visionary William Appleman Williams truly was. He opens this book with a description of how America's political system has transformed our original ideology into an empire that is ever thirsting for new markets and how we've become more or less a slave to our own creation. Since so few people participate in our political system, our system has devolved into empire, though it remains Williams' hope that somehow this will change. This book is his attempt to illustrate how empire has emerged through the machinations of members of each political party who choose to follow the path of empire. This path has led America to be at odds with much of the rest of the world as we attempt to satisfy our need for growth.

Readers should be forwarned that much of Williams' arguments in this book are rehashings of ideas he put forth with much more detail in Contours of American History, The Tragedy of American Diplomacy, and The Roots of the Modern American Empire. Empire as a Way of Life should not be a reader's first encounter with Williams. His earlier works illustrate how deep Williams'knowledge of US history truly is. What this book does is develop his earlier arguments into a concise indictment of our society and its need for empire to sustain our growth. Williams points out that this does not need to be the case, but disinterest amongst American voters and the corporate world's ability to manipulate the issues creats the reality in which empire thrives.

According to Williams, most, but not all, presidents give in to demands for empire and in reality do a disservice to the rest of the world and to our own ideology. Those presidents that do not share imperial thinking, such as Herbert Hoover, fall victim to some external force that limits or prevents them from realizing their full potential. But these are the people Williams speaks of most highly. Others, including FDR, JFK, and Henry Kissinger are not treated with kindness. NSC-68 is another source of our current dilemma for it has served as the blueprint for empire for nearly 40 years. Prior to this document, the Monroe Doctrine played a similar role.

This book does have its oddities, though. At the end of some chapters are accounts of US interventions around the world that seem somewhat out of place. They do not receive much attention in the actual chapter and do not really serve much purpose. However, also buried amongst the pages are Williams personal opinions that make this book such a treat to read.

It says much for a book that was written 21 years ago, predates the current neo-conservative movement, yet does so much to show how current events in Iraq are simply the story playing itself out beyond the pages of the actual book. In the introduction, Andrew Bacevich refers to Willaims as "Jeremiah" and given his ability to project the future, it is a moniker well deserved. We should take heed of what he says.

For someone so supportive of Jackson, his policies and actions (even when Buchanan himself deems them "going too far"), Buchanan fails to support his arguments. Clearly the author is enamored with the former President. Even during his military career when Jackson frequently disobeyed orders or followed his own code of conduct, Buchanan argues that he has sufficient reason for doing so and his actions were justified. But where is the evidence? By arguing that the Monroe administration was acting covertly to takeover the Floridas, he fails to cite from where he gets such information. There are no references to Monroe's history.
Buchanan has done his homework when discussing Jackson. He cites Jackson's papers and other credible biographies. He gives a well-rounded picture of the life and hardships Jackson endured and how electrifying his personality must have been. However, Buchanan goes a tad too far in arguing that Jackson, even when he broke the law, seized sovereign territory, killed two foreign residents, etc. was acting justly or on behalf of the administration where there is only evidence that he acted on his own accord. If those arguments are to be deemed credible in their own right, Buchanan needs to provide ample evidence that supports Jackson's seemingly arrogant decision-making process. He may have done his homework for Jackson, but the basis of his arguments seem based solely on his admiration for the man and not on historical facts or opinions of those present in that time. In other words, he acknowledges that there are those who call Jackson an Indian-hater or say he wanted to govern as a military dictator (ex. Napoleon), but fails to discredit those notions.

The reader gets two stories for the price of one in "Jackson's Way." The first 150 pages tell the story of America's expansion West to the Mississippi River with objective and rich detail about the conflict and trials of both settlers and Indians, but little about Andrew Jackson. The book is also a good balance between modern apologists and proponents of manifest destiny. The second story describes Andrew Jackson the soldier and general, mostly Andrew Jackson the consummate leader. I can list with the fingers on one hand the really good books about leadership, this book fits in that count. If you're tired of sniveling and self serving politicians and generals driven more by bureaucracy and pomp than fighting skill and tired of selfish chief executive officers raking in million dollar stock options while laying off thousands of workers without adequate severance compensation then meet Andrew Jackson as described by author John Buchanan. If you teach history and want to see students sitting on the edge of their seats instead of falling asleep then this book is for you too. The story describes in detail battles in the Mississippi River watershed during the war of 1812 culminating with the Battle for New Orleans (1814-15) when we whupped the British tail. Buchanan describes Jackson's leadership traits in a way that readers in virtually any profession can relate.

John Buchanan has written a most interesting book. Spanning the thirty year period 1780-1810 he covers a time of great uncertainty about just what to do with the existing and projected geographical definition of the fledgling United States. Aaron Burr was not the only person to think in terms of separation. Today, driving on Interstate Highways at 70 MPH through the Appalachian Mountains, it is difficult for us to understand just what an impenetrable barrier these mountains really were. No less a figure than Thomas Jefferson thought "whether we remain one confederacy or form into Atlantic and Mississippi confederacies I believe not very important to the happiness of either part."

No wonder then that the people of the west, as the west was then defined, drew so closely together and became such an interdependent, insular block. Surrounded by enemies (Great Britain on the North, Spain to the South and West and indifference from their own countrymen to the East), land locked with no natural outlet for their goods and agricultural products and at constant war with Native Americans, this, the fastest growing segment of the US population, was threatened with extinction. Thus, the setting was a tinder box with a truly separate people ready for that particular leader whose interests were not just aligned with but also coincident with their own.

Andrew Jackson was such a man. This is a story of survival, a story of great personal courage, of a very independent people who hacked their homes and way of life out of a true wilderness. It is a story of how the foundations of the Jacksonian Era were so firmly laid that the 34 year history of the Virginia Dynasty was so completely crushed in American politics that it never resurrected. An oft overlooked, misunderstood or just plain ignored segment of American history, these thirty years in the west were pivotal to the development of early America. Andrew Jackson was truly THE man, a most amazing force to be reckoned with, and an American to the very core of his soul.

Jack Buchanan is a great writer! I was enthralled by this book from the moment 15 year-old Andrew Jackson swept onto the page. Buchanan brings to life the saga of the Old Southwest and the American pioneers. The most interesting element of the book is the portrait you get of Andrew Jackson, who was so loved men voted for him fifty years after his death. Anyone interested in the Presidents or the history of the Old Southwest will want to read this book.

As this is written, I am reminded that Walt Whitman reviewed his book entitled "Leaves of Grass"; and while I did not write THE OLD IRON ROAD, I sure was along for the ride.
That being said, Mark Twain called his guides "Ferguson" in Immigrants Abroad, this because, Mr. Twain tells us, he was unable to pronounce the unfamiliar names that were furnished him by his guides. Hmmmm, David H. Bain often called me, and still does, Old Bud, perhaps out of respect for the beer of a similar name.
With that being out of the way, I can attest to the accuracy of this tome. David, his wife and kids met Chuck Sweet, Bob Chugg and I "cold" in Ogden Canyon, in a most brief dinner meeting on the eve of a three week trek across the West. Our goal, Chuck, Bob and I, was to give this Eastern writer a true taste of the West, dust, sagebrush, blue skies and heat. We succeeded in our mission.
As God is my judge, none of the three of us expected to be quoted in any manner; we just wanted Bain and family to experience what life was like in 1863-1869 in California, Nevada and Utah, as well as introduce Bain (we called him, out his ear-shot, "Exhaused Rooster" due to the long days, and from time to time, longer nights, that we provoked him into)to the REAL WEST.
99.9% of what he has written actually happened; the guys in the Goldfield, Nev. jail were playing Monopoly, and one of them did end up, 'in jail'; we all got darned dirty chasing the old CPRR grade across three states; everyone was richer for the experience. Neither Chugg, Sweet nor I can attest to the final .1% that is chronicalled between the covers of this book, as somethings are written that we were not privy to experiencing with Mr. Bain.
I would guess that if you enjoyed "Blue Hiways" by Wm. LeastHeat Moon, you will enjoy THE OLD IRON ROAD. Flat tires, ghost towns, boot hills and all.
Reading this book, a few years after the actual experience, makes me want to go out and experience the Real West, again.
Happy Reading!

As a reward for their unwavering patience in putting up with him while he wrote his excellent book on the building of the transcontinental railroad, David Haward Bain treated his wife, Mary, and their two children to a 7000 + mile trip out west, roughly retracing the routes of the original pioneers who settled the area. The Old Iron Road: An Epic of Rails, Roads, and the Urge to Go West is the literary result of this undertaking. Part family history, part US History, part true travelogue, the book is a wonderful and highly informative look at the often sad and tragic history of those who settled the west.

Although it's the history that is especially compelling in this mix, that history is delivered in the way it must have been during the trip itself. Bain is the master of the odd fact, such as the revelation that Malcom X, Marlon Brando and Fred Astair were all born in Omaha, Nebraska. The traditional figures, such a Buffalo Bill are included, but it is Bain's anecdotes about more marginally known characters-such as Phillip Sheridan and Brigham Young-that really hit home. Bain also goes to great lengths to cover the ways and results of the pioneer's relations and actions towards the various Native Americans disrupted by the Anglo western migration.

However, it is the pace itself that so obviously moves Bain. His treatment of the many isolated and wasted ghost towns they encounter and how the development of the west proved boon to some, disaster to others is both insightful and, often, quite moving.

In the end, the family interactions and this "history" of their travels prove to be moving as well, especially when one is cognizant, as I was when reading it, that not long after the trip Bain's wife died of heart disease. In the end, the book proves to not jst be informative, but heartwarming as well.

A truly unique book that is, all in all, one of the best anecdotal historical books I have read in a long, long time.

This book is a waste of money. It reads like "My Summer Vacation" and is written at an eighth grade level. How an eminent publisher like Penguin could print this is mindboggling. If one started with an interest in the history of the transcontinental railroad this tome effectively puts an end to it. Comparing this load of gibberish to authors like McPhee, Raban, Frazier, Chatwin, or Theroux is sacrilege. I suppose it just goes to show what lengths publishers will go to try to make a buck. Do not buy this book.

I normally do not write reviews but felt compelled to say a little something about this wonderful book and this man and his ability to peel away at layers of stuff to get down to the nitty-gritty of railroad and western history and do it with a flair that makes you want to read more. I have tried to read every book there is on the Transcontinental Railroad and after reading Empire Express, felt that I had finally read the best. Shortly after I read this I also read Steve Ambrose's fluff on the same subject and realized what a masterpiece Bain had written.

So of course when I saw Bain's new book come out about his travels with his family I had to read it (I'm a great fan of folks like William Least Heat Moon also and love this kind of travelogue). I really didn't think I would learn much more about the history of the railroad but he added more and more to material about places in my back yard that I have walked and driven to (including a long ago trip across Promontory Desert retracing the Old Central Pacific grade when I was 16 years old with my mother and sister in the 4 x 4 with me!).

Mr. Bain, you do a great job. My heart goes out to you and your children to the loss of your wife, Mary. She sounds like the partner we all wish we could have. I look forward to any and all of your books that I hope you will write in the future.

This book crystalizes the events of the Mexican war into an honest appraisal of American society at the time.

A Short, Offhand Killing Affair: Soldiers And Social Conflict During The Mexican-American War by Paul Foos (History Department, Georgia State University - Atlanta) draws directly upon diaries and letters of soldiers in the Mexican-American War (1846-48), to survey and examine a bitterly fought conflict which was to change the shape of the emerging American nation. Offering an unflinching and brutal look at the horrors of war as sufferingly experienced by rank-and-file soldiers (as well as the violent, sometimes murderous and ravaging behavior many such soldiers exacted upon the inhabitants of the territory they conquered), A Short, Offhand Killing Affair fully and dramatically reveals a ruthless and darker aspect of what came to be called America's "Manifest Destiny".

While I had initial high hopes for this book, unfortunately within 30 pages I found it to be quite unsatisfying. First, Foos' prose is so full of theory and jargon, he's fallen into the trap many (most?) academics do, which is to say, they have turned an interesting subject into an unreadable monstrosity. The books lacks lucidity, and is rather an academic study that bored this reader considerably. Why Foos can't just say what he has to say in clear, readable language is unclear.
Second, there's no conherent, overall narrative of the Mexican War here! Foos never tells the STORY of the war so as to provide context, but jumps right into the matter as if he has provided some kind of background. We never learn why the US is fighting the war, what were its major events, etc. The fact that the words "Alamo" and "Texas" do not appear in the index is telling. Foos's editor should also be held responsible for putting out such a jumbled mess as this as well.
In short--I do not recommend this book at all.

This lucidly written history of how American soldiers were lured into service for a supposedly noble cause and then discovered themselves in a confounding situation couldn't be more timely. Issues of racism and nationalism are shown to be as alive then as they are today.

Advanced Graphics on VGA and XGA Cards using C++ is the best 3D graphics reference I ever read! It shows how to program 3D objects using the (x,y,z) coordinates and the explanations are shorts, simple but require a strong knowlege of mathematics. If you understand everything in this book, you'll surely be able to program powerful software like Softimage, but the book don't start at beginning and I suggest you to learn beginner/intermediate C++ programming before investing in this book. Another advice : you'll need AT LEAST Mathematics 101 and 203 to understand the explanations. If you don't have any of these course, don't waste your time and money. It's an advanced book, it's hard, really hard, but if you want to know more about computer's graphics, you'll find your answers in that book for sure!

When I bought this book I thought it would teach the step from Intermediate C programming to Advanced. But it seems to just takeoff with unknown keywords, headers, and operators. This is a really bad book for Advanced C programming. I would recommend "Teach yourself Advanced C in 21 days". It's much better.

This is the most fascinating book I have read on 3D computer graphics. It's undoubtedly 5 star. Whoever said "it's really bad for intermediate C programmers" should realize that this book is meant to teach you fundamentals of graphics programming and not fundamentals of C++ programming. The title of the book says it all. The reader is assumed to be an intermediate-to-advanced C++ programmer. I have read this book in great detail. It gives the theory of 2D and 3D graphics as well as code examples. To all graphics programmers: if you don't have this book, you're missing something. It's an awesome book. I refer to it all the time. What surprises me is that this book has been written by folks at London School of Economics.

When I bought "The American Frontier", I was doing a History Fair project about the exploration and settling of the American West. When I found it here, I decided to buy it because it looked like it covered the time periods I needed. Although it did, it didnt go into the kind of info I really needed, but I did use it to help me because it had tons of graphics in it. If you love cowboys, though, you should think about getting this book.

This is a fabulous compilation! It tells the complete story of how the West was explored, survey, and settled... It's got it all, the miners, the Civil War, the cowboys, the outlaws, the indians, the women, the law, and pictorially and literally describes how the western side of the Country went from being uncharted to developed and civilized in less than a hundred years.

This has to be THE single best History book on the era of the Old West.

This text book gives the reader a visual account of the american west as well as insightful articles for the college level reader. I recommend this book for all those interested in the american frontier