I haven't received it yet; I'm still waiting

I cannot review it because I am still waiting for it. If some-one would get their finger out I'd be a happy bunny

Wow

In the usual Beevor tradition this book is an excellent, well researched tome. A book to be kept for reference.

The Prince

Niccolo Machiavelli had been Secretary and Second Chancellor to the Florentine Republic from 1498 but, after Lorenzo de Medici regained control of Florence with help from Pope Julius II and an army of Spanish troops, he was dismissed from his post, tortured for his role in the creation of the Florentine Republic, and sent into exile. It was during his time in exile that Machiavelli began writing the treatise that would ensure his place in the development of political philosophy and conduct.<br /><br />By far the best known of Machiavelli's treatise is The Prince, a guide to the acquiring and keeping of power.<br /><br />Since Machiavelli lived during a time of immense political upheaval in Florence, he heavily emphasises the need for stability in a principality if the prince is to maintain power for any length of time. Effectively, The Prince was written primarily as a guide for the Prince to retain his personal power and only secondarily as a guide for preserving the principality itself.<br /><br />The Prince is a particularly controversial work of political philosophy since, according to Machiavelli, the greatest moral good is a stable state and so therefore any action to protect the stability of the country is justified, even if such an action would be cruel to the population of that country. Machiavelli does, however, strongly suggest that the prince should not be hated. He states that `a wise prince should establish himself on that which is his own control and not in that of others; he must endeavour to avoid hatred'. He then goes on to issue the famous advice that `it is best to be both feared and loved; however, if one cannot be both, it is better to be feared than loved'. Since Machiavelli did not intend his treatise to be a scholarly work of political theory, he wrote The Prince to prove his own proficiency in the art of the state and to offer practical, easily understandable advice to Lorenzo de Medici on how to keep power.<br /><br />The Prince is concerned with autocratic regimes rather than republics although Machiavelli does discuss his ideas on republics in other works, most notably The Discourses. Machiavelli therefore begins The Prince by discussing the various types of principalities and princes and, in doing so, constructs an outline for the rest of the book. He goes on to explain how a prince can maintain his power in a newly created or annexed principality where he is not familiar with the people and introduces the main concerns of The Prince - power politics, warcraft and popular goodwill - in summary form.<br /><br />At the heart of The Prince is Machiavelli offering practical advice on a variety of matters that will concern any prince, such as the various routes to power, how to acquire and hold new states, how to with internal insurrection, how to make alliances and how to maintain a strong military. In discussing these matters, Machiavelli's own views on free will, morality and human nature are touched upon.<br /><br />The Prince then moves on to a discussion of Machiavelli's view that lofty ideals translate into bad government. Machiavelli suggests that certain values can be admired for their own sake but that for a prince to act in accordance with virtue is often detrimental to the good of the state. Similarly, he feels that certain vices can be frowned upon but that vicious actions are sometimes indispensible for a prince to maintain his power. Effectively, the appearance of virtue is seen as more important that the actuality of virtue since that can sometimes be a liability.<br /><br />The final sections of The Prince link the topics and theories previously discussed within the historical context of Italy's disunity. Machiavelli discusses the failings of previous rulers and concludes by suggesting that it is Lorenzo de Medici who has the power and strength to restore Italy's pride.<br /><br />

A good read...

Even though"Into the Wild" is a bit depressing because of the tragic ending of the main character, yet it is a good read. The book has points that would make you think about what is foolish risk, true reflection, balancing between appreciating what life offers you and yet not lose the essence of your true self and other numerous life-revolving triggers. When you start reading it every time, prepare yourself for an after-read reflection period in order to get the max. benefit out of it.

in time in good condition

i receive this book really quickly and even if not new, this book was in excellent condition.

First-rate history, readable and utterly gripping

This relentlessly gripping narrative is admirably even-handed (except on a couple of occassions when Philibrick lapses to tired leftist anti-Americanism - so minus one star), with the barbaric savagery of both sides in the Indian Wars are laid bare. Bleak, dark and utterly gripping, this is popular history of the highest order.

harrowing story

warts and all account - not for the fainthearted - graphic description of the desolation and death they must have faced.

very good book

there is a lot of information in this book , once you start the book your can't put the book down . I highly recommend this book for any people who are interested in the first king to the last queen.

Lest we forget

This is an unforgettable book and an incredible story of survival in the most extreme conditions. The Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759- 1796), who was passionate about freedom and respect for humankind, wrote,"Man's Inhumanity to Man, makes countless thousands mourn." <br />This sums up Alistair Urquhart's book and the treatment of our soldiers by the Japanese in a nutshell. It also sums up the countless horrors of war.<br />My wife and I went to Inverness to a book review and to listen to Alistair Urquart in person. We were both moved by the experience. His story needs to be told and we need to remember all the forgotton soldiers of the war, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. <br />I rate this book highly. It should be read by all...lest we forget!<br /><br />Jim MacBeath

A must buy

The very idea of a holocaust can often a very far away thought from our ordinary lives. I've never once found a book that has actually made you felt the true horror of genocide then Spiegelman's Maus. Its an honest and touching account into the persecution of those who were simply considered"different." The story covers almost every single aspect of how WW2 tore the entire country and world apart. Following the life of Polish Jew Vladek Spiegleman, the author's father, from pre-war Poland to the Death camps of Austwiz the entire story is gripping and beautifully drawn. The Jews are portrayed as mice and the Nazis as cats, most of all its easy to read, easy to understand and most importantly it leaves the clearest message of all. That what has been done must never be forgotten.

a fascinating tour of Londons sordid past!

I bought this book as someone opposed to the contemporary sex industry on the grounds that it is exploitative, misogynistic and often violent. I wanted to learn about the sex trades history in order to understand its presence in its 21st century form.<br /><br />This excellent work by Ms Arnold was everything I hoped it would be. The research was down to the finest detail and will intrigue even the lightest of readers. She has a clear ability to tell elaborate stories without becoming boring, offensive or inappropriate. She is witty and paints a strong picture without being too crude. She does well to expose the hypocrisy of the authorities and the cruelty of the pimps, without it descending into feminist diatribe.<br /><br />I personally couldn't put it down, although it may not hold the interest of someone with only a casual interest in the subject matter through the entire book.<br /><br />Arnold is both a talented writer and a top historian!

Thumping good read

The great joy of this book is it's just the right size. Should anyone try and convince you that NASA faked the moon landings, or that Diana was murdered, you can grasp it in one hand and thwap them across the head with it. As they reel from the blow, you can read the appropriate chapter and shut them up once and for all.

Could do better!

If you do not have access to Ken Burn's documentary this is an okay introduction to the American Civil War. But there are better, and there are certainly better books by John Keegan: This displays little of the novelty of Keegan's"Six Armies in Normandy" or the insight of"Mask of Command". Rather it seems to me to have been published to capitalise on Keegan's reputation and little else. <br /><br />It lacks editing with much repetition. Some of his judgements seem bizarre - the drawing of a lineal relationship between Sherman's practice of total war, brutal as that was, and Hitler's campaigns of the twentieth century is strange and certainly under-argued. But this is as nothing to his apparent endorsement (contradicting himself from a few pages earlier) of Bedford Forest's judgement of the inferiority of black troops: citing a probable war criminal and subsequent Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan on this issue is both dubious and offensive irrespective Bedford Forest's genius as a cavalry commander. <br /><br />Towards the end of the book brief discussions of Walt Whitman and the impact of the Civil War on development of American revolutionary socialism redeem the book somewhat. It is a pity that Keegan did not explore the war from perspectives such as these rather than the more conventional approach that he adopted. <br /><br />Overall a book to file under the"could do better" category for John Keegan. A reader looking for insights to the American Civil War could also certainly do better - time spent on Shelby Foote's 3000 page magisterial work on the war would never be wasted.<br />

The Midwife trilogy

The only fault I could find with this book was its weight! The content is superb and gives one a good insight into the East End of London before, during and after the war. Being a 'bloke' and old, the technical aspects of midwifery were somewhat of a mystery to me but it certainly did not spoil the book. I hope the tales were all true even though peoples' names were changed. What an interesting and satisfying life Jennifer Worth must have lived. I am certaily going to persuade my children and, maybe grandchildren to read it.

A readable and entertaining account of modern British history

This is the most readable and entertaining account of modern British history. I massively enjoyed the author's account of the last 2000 years and this book follows on in the same irreverent tone. The book does not take itself seriously at all and is a joy to read.

A riveting account of a"brilliant band of dedicated war winners"

<br />His name was Glyndwr Michael. Although he probably never entertained even the remote possibility while alive, he made a major contribution to the Allies' eventual victory during World War Two after his death. More accurately, it was his corpse that was recruited for one of the most interesting"special ops" in modern military history. Much of the information about"Operation Mincemeat" remained classified for decades. As Ben Macintyre explains,"After the war, Ewen Montagu [who headed the operation] retained most of the official papers relating to Operation Mincemeat. After he died, they would put in wooden trunk, and almost forgotten. In 2007, the family gave me full access to the papers, including the official records, but also memos, letters, photographs, and a 200-page memoir written by Montagu himself." <br /><br />Briefly, this was the situation in 1943. In order to disguise the impending Allied invasion of Sicily, Montagu and his colleagues at the British Admiralty (MI5), notably Charles Cholmondeley, devised a bold plan: Obtain a corpse, conceal his true identity, have him dressed as an officer, and include among his possession information that suggests that Sicily was a decoy rather than the real target. The corpse would be delivered near the coast of Spain and, tides cooperating would be washed ashore and eventually delivered to German intelligence for verification. If the Germans could be convinced, countless Allied lives would be saved and success of the invasion would be almost assured. But there were (obviously) several problems to solve to avoid raising suspicion of German forensics experts if and when they examine the uniformed corpse. Fir example, <br /><br />How and where to obtain the right corpse? <br />How to prevent any decomposition? <br />How to establish a verifiable identity for the corpse? <br />Which documents to include among his possessions? <br />How to transport the corpse to the drop-point off the coast near? <br />How to track what happens after that? <br /><br />According to Macintyre,"The most extraordinary aspect of Operation Mincemeat, to my mind, is the way that the organizers approached this elaborate, many-layered deception operation as if they were writing a novel, imagining a version of reality and then luring the truth towards it. Indeed, the talents required for espionage and fiction-writing are not so very different." <br /><br />Macintyre's account really does have everything essential to a compelling drama: memorable characters, high stakes, complicated plot, unexpected developments, increasing tension, and climax. The details of this riveting narrative are best revealed in context, within the frame-of-reference that Macintyre creates for them. <br /><br />"I was particularly fascinated by Charles Cholmondeley," Macintyre confides,"the RAF officer seconded to MI5 who first dreamed up the plan to use a dead body to plant false information on the Germans. Cholmondeley had a long, waxed, air force mustache, a shy personality, and a very strange mind, but he was a genius at deception work, and the unsung hero of Operation Mincemeat." <br /><br />Although truth is not always stranger than fiction, there are situations such as those portrayed in Operation Mincemeat when the story told has greater appeal and more enduring impact precisely because it is essentially true, at least to the extent that facts can be verified. I was fascinated by the process that began with the top-secret"Trout Fisher" memo signed by Admiral John Godfrey and ended with the eventual reassignment of Montagu and his associates. They were indeed, in Godfrey's words, a"brilliant band of dedicated war winners."

Not bad

Surprising insight into one of the 'less well' reported battles of the Iraq war. Written as a loose diary the book delivers an all action 'macho' view of the action without delivering any true insight into what it was like. If you are impressed with body counts then this is the book for you, if you want a bit more depth then look elsewhere.

Essential

This guy is one of the clevest artists of this genre. The book covers very well his best work. It's a very funny book to watch and read, it's very hard not to like his art.