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Subjects:  1. Essays & Travelogues    2. Europe - France    3. Europe - Italy    4. History - General History    5. Travel    6. History    7. Travel / Europe / France    8. Travel-Essays & Travelogues    9. Travel-Europe - Italy   

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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. General    5. History    6. Large type books    7. Royal visitors    8. Visits of state   

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Reviews (3)

The Rise of Harry Truman and the Fall of Tom Pendergast.
This is a good read for those interested in one of our Great Presidents.It also shows the machine politics which infected Missouri in the 1930-1940s.Tom Pendergast was the leader of the Kansas City, Missouri machine which put forward its candidates for local, state, and national politics.The real election was not in November, but during the primary when the Democrats made the choice of who their candidates would be.During the general election,the Pendergast machine rigged their wards well with only marginal votes for Republican candidates.
Title very misleading!
The title of Truman and Pendergast implys that there is some meaningful and new knowledge regarding the relationship between these two men.This is simply not the case.There is very little about that relationship but rather a rehash of frequently publish information in other bios.This book, while it may be well written, adds nothing to the pile of information already out there.Three-percent of this very short book explored the relationship and ninety-seven percent was about the difficulties experienced by Truman because of the stigma of the relationship.Nothing new.If you want to read some great bios on Truman read TRUMAN by McCullough or MAN OF THE PEOPLE by Hamby.

A fine read for any student of Truman
Robert H. Ferrell's "Truman and Pendergast" is a fine addition to the ever increasing pantheon of written history of our 33rd (32nd) president. Ferrell focuses on a period which, until now, has not been themain focus of any Truman biography. The author paints a vivid picture ofthe necessary evils one faces when choosing a life in public service whilemaintaining one's own countenance. Ferrell centralizes his work onseveral main points, beginning with the initial years of Truman's politicalcareer when it was necessary for the backing of Pendergast (especially inthe political machine controlled era of the earlier part of the century)and culminating with Truman's Senate re-election campaign of 1940. Thesemain points bookend a gradual separation of Truman and Pendergast, asTruman ascends in stature and Pendergast descends into a downward spiralculminating in his incarceration in a federal penitentiary. Throughout thecourse of the book Ferrell maintains an anecdotal style of storytelling,which allows the reader to gain deeper insight into a very different periodof political history then we find in today's day and age. "Truman andPendergast" is a must-have for any student of Truman, as well as anexcellent addition to the history of politics of the early 1900s. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1870-1945    2. 1884-1972    3. Criminology    4. Friends and associates    5. History    6. Large Print    7. Large print books    8. Large type books    9. Pendergast, Tom,    10. Political History    11. Politics / Current Events    12. Truman, Harry S.,    13. United States - 20th Century    14. United States - General   

Editorial Review

Garry Wills' Read more

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Reviews (18)

Not for novices
I was required to read this book for a graduate history class and came away enlightened.In response to those who say the book is not about Jefferson, it is.Pickering and Adams are used as lenses through which Wills examines Jefferson (I have read other books like this).This style of writing may be over-the-head of novice readers not accustomed to reading material that is geared towards professional historians.
Jefferson as he really was, Wills as he is.
This book strikes me as a fairly typical Wills effort. Take a gander at his oeuvre. Is there any public intellectual on the American scene at the moment that casts a wider net? Wills has written about Augustine, Chesterton, Reagan, John Wayne,Jefferson before (see his Inventing America- his study of Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence), Madison, Nixon (Nixon Agonistes contains one of the best explanation of American presidential politics that I have ever read), the role of religion in American politics, conservatism, and the American distrust of government to name just a few topics.. He writes like a prodigy- quickly, sometimes a little sloppily but based on a deep reading of Western culture. I have never read one of his books without copying down a passage or two into my commonplace book (a habit I took up long ago on reading Will's Inventing America). I have also not read any of his recent books without feeling that it was unfinished. He writes quickly and it shows. Some of his work is a little sloppy and needs development. Some of his arguments are brilliant and some are forced.
Very Informative but Scattered!
When one delves deeply into history, there is always a chance that what one finds does not measure up to - or even counters - one's initial perception of a subject. After reading "Negro President," my image of Thomas Jefferson has been tainted, perhaps irrevocably. I am not sure how I feel about this at the moment, although it seems to me that truth should be more important than perception. So, based on the credentials of the author, I am prepared to assume that truth has been recorded in these pages, and that Thomas Jefferson was not just the brilliant gentleman-philosopher that I had been brought up to believe. He was also a ruthless player of realpolitik, obsessed with maintaining his power to the extent of hypocrisy, if need be. Wills must have also felt a slight shudder when writing this book. He at least felt that he must explain himself in a prologue that becomes a disclaimer of intention: "I have admired Jefferson all my life, and still do - though some may question that statement after reading this book," he writes (Wills xii). He goes on to explain that this work's purpose is to contribute to the ongoing effort to discover the effects of slavery in early American history. Wills chose an interesting way to portray Jefferson in this work, one that is quite effective for his thesis. In displaying the imbalance in the Electoral College created by the Three-fifths Compromise, ("It gave the South a permanent head-start for all its political activities" [4].), Wills uses Federalist Timothy Pickering to do his dirty work for him, as if the job of indicting Jefferson is too distasteful for him. What we are left with, then, is a near-polemic against Jefferson, told from the point-of-view of his ideological enemy rather than by a historian with a grudge (or worse, by a historian strangled by blind devotion). This is brilliant on Wills' part, but it does leave the reader a little dazed. One expects to be treated to a healthy dose of Jefferson in the work. After all, the title and cover-art lead one to this expectation. But what one finds after reading the work is that the attempt to redeem the image of Pickering - who, according to Wills, "has been no favorite of American historians"(18) - is more memorable than the author's portrayal of Jefferson and the slave power.That being said, the work succeeds because it does both of these things well. The redemption of Pickering becomes a bonus, a perfect counter-symbol to Jefferson.
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Subjects:  1. 1743-1826    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History - U.S.    8. History: American    9. Jefferson, Thomas,    10. Large type books    11. Political History    12. Political aspects    13. Presidents    14. Presidents & Heads of State    15. Relations with African America    16. Slavery    17. United States    18. United States - Antebellum Era   

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Subjects:  1. British    2. Florence    3. History    4. Italy    5. Travel   

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Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. History / General   

Editorial Review

Long before an Allied victory was assured during World War II, the Big Three--Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin--began discussing how to prevent Germany from ever again threatening the world. The fact that Germany today is a peaceful, democratic ally of the U.S. is "one of America's great twentieth-century international achievements," writes esteemed historian Michael Beschloss. How such a transformation was accomplished is the subject of Read more

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Reviews (92)

Lacking substance
I was quite disappointed in this book. The first 3/4 seem to be spent as Henry Morgentheau vs. Everybody in the Roosevelt Administration, and all it is how Roosevelt can't decide or won't commit on the Morgentheau plan while everybody else tries to persuade him otherwise.It picks up a little when Truman takes over, but not a great deal.It has enlightened me as to how all of this unfolded, but, in my opinion, could have been much better.I don't know if there's a better alternative.

A great read
Reading this book made me understand more about the complex war Roosevelt fought, against not only Germany, but also his own supporters and allies.Recommended.

The now told rise and fall of Jeff Madison
Jeff Madison (review below) copied his review right from the critics page of BarnesandNoble!Nearly all 75 of his reviews are copied.I have reported this to both Amazon and Barnes.Just making you all aware before you take anything he writes seriously.The critics review is pasted below, or you can just go to B & N and see for yourself.Jeff Madison, man of little class, and even less integrity.Hopefully they will be removing his reviews soon!
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Subjects:  1. (Franklin Delano),    2. 1882-1945    3. 1884-1972    4. Diplomatic history    5. Germany    6. History    7. History - Military / War    8. History: World    9. International Relations - Diplomacy    10. Military - World War II    11. Reconstruction (1939-1951)    12. Roosevelt, Franklin D    13. Truman, Harry S.,    14. United States - 20th Century/WWII    15. World War, 1939-1945    16. Morgenthau, Henry    17. Truman, Harry S   

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Subjects:  1. Biography/Autobiography    2. History    3. Langendorf, Patricia    4. Large type books    5. Logging    6. Lumber camps    7. Rocky Mountains Region    8. Langendorf family    9. Olson family   

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Reviews (1)

Tedious
Disappointing in that there needs to be more written about this early WWII history but this book falls considerably short.The reader should be aware that the book is nothing more than a compendium of diaries of various british participants of this amazing retreat and rescue operation.As such the stories (diaries)are not always well written.The book lacks dialogue and smooth flow like a historical novel and becomes tedious in the reading.I resorting to skipping pages in the back of the book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. History: World    4. Military - General    5. Military - World War II    6. Biography: historical    7. Europe    8. European history: Second World War    9. Second World War, 1939-1945   

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Subjects:  1. Europe - Great Britain - Scotland    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. World - General    6. British & Irish history    7. Lowland Scotland & Borders   

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Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. Philosophy    4. Medical / History    5. Philosophy-General   

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Reviews (14)

Could have been better...
There were a lot of things in this book that were interesting (Churchill's near-death by taxicab), unusual (Losing the Astronauts) and virtually unknown (The American Revolution Truce Plan) but the book failed to reach out and touch more profound and strange episodes in U.S. history. What about the Confederate Constitution? Aaron Burr's plans in the Northwest Territory? Reconstruction proposals that would have remade the South into entirely new states? The Olympic Plan for the invasion of Japan?
Readable, but not that fun
Almost History is based on a great premise, and I opened it expecting to smile a lot. A book like this should give its reader a sense of how spontaneous and alive history really is; I expected to realize that a bunch of seemingly inevitable events weren't really so ponderous, that the world of the past is fresh -- full of fallible people making the best choices they could. A mixed bag of "what-ifs"
One of the great games of history is the what-ifs: What if Lee had won at Gettysburg? What if Burgoyne had won at Saratoga? What if the New York City traffic accident that seriously injured Winston Churchill had killed him? Read more

Subjects:  1. Anecdotes    2. Crises    3. Disasters    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: American    7. Large type books    8. United States    9. United States - 20th Century    10. United States - General   

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Reviews (4)

Good book, but way too much nonessential info.
Interesting story.
Well-researched;A true adventure/discovery story
This is a story about mutiny, a lost journal, and whaling.It begins by telling the reader of the lost journal and how it fell into the hands of the author, who is a used book seller.He is a very knowledgeable bookseller.The reader is the beneficiary of his careful research.We are informed of early U.S. diplomatic relations, political intrigue (often found in the end-notes), and possible literary connections with a famous author.In particular, I found the information about how ships and crews hunted and harvested whales to be rich and insightful.This knowledge alone is worth buying the book.
Pick up this book and grab your highlighter!!
Grab this book! You're in for a wild ride!
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Subjects:  1. Globe (Whaling ship)    2. Globe Mutiny, 1824    3. History    4. History: American    5. Large print books    6. Large type books    7. Modern - 19th Century    8. Sailing - Narratives    9. Sports & Recreation   

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Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Europe - Great Britain - General    3. General    4. History    5. History: World    6. English    7. Europe    8. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    9. Novels, other prose & writers    10. United Kingdom, Great Britain    11. World history   

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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. American - General    3. Books and reading    4. Children's Literature - General    5. Criticism and interpretation    6. General    7. History    8. History and criticism    9. Literary Criticism    10. Literature - Classics / Criticism    11. Mazer, Harry    12. United States    13. Young adult fiction, American    14. Youth   

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Subjects:  1. Anecdotes    2. Biography    3. Couples    4. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - Histor    5. Fugitive slaves    6. History    7. History: American    8. Slavery    9. Sociology    10. Underground railroad    11. United States    12. United States - 19th Century    13. United States - Civil War   

Editorial Review

"I felt like I was riding a horse in a steeplechase. I could hardly catch my breath after finishing a conversation with J. Paul Getty, and then started a new one with Truman Capote," writes Art Buchwald in Read more

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Reviews (6)

Hilarious and nostalgic
Art Buchwald deserves a place alongside Mark Twain, Will Rogers, Robert Benchley and Erma Bombeck as the creme de la creme of American humorists.
Light and fun to read!
I picked up this book at the used bookstore not knowing anything about Art Buchwald;I was more interested in reading about a person living in Paris than I was about Mr. Buchwald himself. Witty tribute
Heard the taped version of I'LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS: ARead more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Americans    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. France    6. General    7. History    8. Humorists, American    9. Journalists    10. Large Print    11. Literary    12. Paris   

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Subjects:  1. California    2. History    3. Interviews    4. Large Print    5. Los Angeles    6. Motion picture actors and actresses    7. Motion picture industry    8. Motion pictures    9. United States   

Editorial Review

Once upon a time there lived a man who discovered the secrets of theearth. He traveled far and wide, learning about the world below the surface.After years of toil, he created a great map of the underworld and expected to live happily ever after. But did he? Simon Winchester (Read more

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Reviews (91)

A truly wonderful book: Biography, history, adventure, geology
I have the audio version of this book, read by the author.Winchester exhaustively researched William Smith and brought him, and England at the end of the 18th century to vivid life in this book.I will never look at the physical earth the same, but the book was also an adventure and a biography of a great man.
Good Geology, Great Human Story
Simon Winchester, trained as a geologist, is a bit fascinated with catastrophes.He has written about the eruption of Krakatoa (Krakatoa) and the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 (A Crack In the Edge of the World) along with many other books on diverse subjects (The Professor and the Madman, for instance, which describes one of the more intriguing contributors to the Oxford English Dictionary).But The Map That Changed the World must, for him, have been a special endeavor as William Smith the creator of the map is especially revered by the English and resides, along with Hutton and Lyell in their geological pantheon, which is obviously crowded.The map, the first truly geological map, covers most of the British Isles and looks remarkably similar to current U.S. geological maps, especially in the use of myriad colors to indicate different formations. (The word "geology" was first used in its modern sense in 1735.)Today, the eight foot by six map hangs behind blue curtains in Burlington House on the north side of Piccadilly.
You really have to care
I really enjoyed the descriptions of England at the cusp of Industrialisation, the canal building, the railways, the growth of the coal industry etc. But I don't care enough about Geology to really enjoy this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1769-1839    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Earth Sciences - Geology    6. Geologists    7. Geology, Stratigraphic    8. Great Britain    9. History    10. Large type books    11. Science    12. Scientists - General    13. Smith, William,   

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Subjects:  1. 1926-    2. 20th century    3. Elizabeth    4. Family    5. General    6. Great Britain    7. History    8. History - General History    9. History: World    10. II,    11. Large type books    12. Monarchy    13. Queen of Great Britain,    14. British & Irish history: postwar, from c 1945 -    15. British Isles