Reviews (1)

Adequate; mediocre. Ernest Newman does same thing better.
Osborne gives some background on the writing of each of the mature Wagner operas. Then a quick plot summary, with some of the key musical themes. Since a synopsis comes with every complete opera recording, I'm not sure how useful these synopses are. We get too much explanation of plot and not enough critical commentary, by my standards. And little in the commentary is new; Ernest Newman's book "Wagner Nights", though 50 or so years older, is still a better introduction, making the same points as Osborne, and more.

Not all the commentary is reliable; the chapter on "Parsifal" buys into some of the nonsense first talked by Robert Gutman about this opera (the Grail knights as homosexual SS order, and so on), which has been comprehensively and devastatingly demolished by Lucy Becket in her book "Parsifal".

I find Osborne's "even-handedness" a little irritating at times. "Tristan und Isolde", he says, is a masterpiece, though it's too long, of course. That reminds me of Mozart's reply to the Emperor who thought his "Il Seraglio" score had "too many notes": "Which notes do you think I should take out?" (I'm quoting the "Amadeus" movie there, and from memory, so that's not quite what was really said, but close enough.) Like Mozart, I find that a dumb comment, unless Osborne cares to tell us which parts of "Tristan" etc we should do away with to make it shorter. And I think the job of someone writing an introduction to any composer is to be critical, certainly, but also to communicate enthusiasm, not weariness.

So for new insights, Tanner, Magee, Millington are better, and for "sources, plot plot summary plus musical commentary" Newman is better. It's not actually bad, just mediocre. Also, unlike Newman Osborne covers the first three Wagner operas, "Die Feen", "Das Liebesverbot" and "Reinzi", so that's quite useful.

Laon ... Read more

Book Description

•Where did George go to college? (see page 20)

•Why didn't he sign the Declaration of Independence? (see page 60)

•Did everyone vote for him to be president of the United States? (see page 92)

Best-selling author Kenneth C. Davis lays aside popular myth to unveil the true character of an avid farmer -- and our nation's first president. He weaves a smooth, flowing narrative into the trademark question-and-answer format of his popular Don't Know Much About® series, peppering this outstanding biography with informational sidebars and compelling quotes. Washington's life illuminates a glorious era in American history. Maps, reproductions from the period, and clever black-and-white illustrations by Rob Shepperson help re-create the flavor of these exciting times.

Reviews (1)

An informative piece of art!
For those individuals who want an eas to read book about George Washington, I recomend this book. It goes through Washington's life from start to finish with commo asked questions and the answers. This is a cool book for grade levels 3-6. ... Read more

Book Description

A detailed study of the earliest opera to have gained a foothold in the modern repertoire, the book begins with a historical section in which all the known evidence about the creation and early performances of Orfeo is drawn together and evaluated. The second section of the book includes a detailed history of the rediscovery of the opera; an influential essay by Joseph Kerman is reprinted here, together with a review by Romain Rolland of the first modern performance of Orfeo. The final section includes essays by a conductor and a producer who have staged notable performances of the opera in recent years. They explain their approaches to the work, and offer solutions to some of the problems it poses in performance. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A great book about a great man!
I recently took this book with me to read on a trip to South Africa. The book is outstanding in every way. I will recommend this book to every reader that I know. Washington was one of the great men of U.S. and world history. The book does a great job of bringing George Washington to life for the reader.

Get to know the REAL man...
This book was well written.. and it is very easy to read... even for kids. George Washington was a man of character. He is a great example to follow. This book will help you understand why he did what he did... why he refused to be King George... why he got involved in the revolutionary war. And after reading this book, you will gain a tremendous love and respect for the founding father of our country. And you will understand why they called him "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen".

Well documented historical narrative.
The authors have gone to great effort to include and document quotations from original documents including personal communications. In a very readable style, they cover Washington's life, the historical events taking place during his life and his role in them. I found it to be enjoyable reading as well as an excellent research source. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Flawed Hero
I am not the type of person to pick up a book about a sports figure even if I am a fan. I love history books especially Civil War, Napoleonic history and biographies of great leaders. I surprised myself by taking the time to read this book. If you are interested in Ted Williams or baseball especially during the era in which he played 1939-1960, this book could not be rated higher. The author has an introduction of Teds early life and then the remainder of the book is broken down so that each chapter covers a year of his career. This puts Teds life in context of World events which the author neatly weaves within its pages. During his career Ted Williams displayed and developed his hitting skills with the desire of becoming the "greatest hitter who ever lived". Hitting the ball was his obsession. His great desire to excel however was balanced by a contentious personality which was easily set off by the goading of the Boston media. Looking at his stats and realizing that almost 5 years of his life during his prime was spent in the military, I have no doubt that he would have broken Ruth's home run record. Ted Wiliams was both an artist and a scientist at hitting. He studied pitchers, strike zones, handling the bat like no other player. When Mickey Mantle was asked about converstaions with Ted Williams on hitting he said "He makes me crazy." Mickey Mantle did not understand the science of hitting.
Ted Williams probably was the greatest hitter that ever lived, but his personality marred his relationships with the Boston media, sometimes his team mates, and his own family.

I do have a few criticisms however. The book is called A Baseball Life, and that is the authors focus. Ted Williams was an intensely private man whether the author out of respect for Ted Williams or lack of investigation gives very little information on his private life. We learn some things about his family such as his mother was an ardent salvation army worker, yet we know nothing of how Ted Williams felt personally about spiritual matters. We also are denied any information on his relationships with his wife Doris or his daughter. The last chapter stops without little mention of his business interests or his managerial stint in the late 60's. Despite these ommissions, Ted Williams A Baseball Life is an exciting, informative look at perhaps the greatest hitter that ever lived yet at the same time considered by others a selfish egotist. When Joe Dimaggio was asked "what do you think of Ted Williams?" His reply was "greatest lefthanded hitter that ever lived?" " "What do you think of Ted Williams as a ballplayer?"
"greatest lefthanded hitter that ever lived".

so awsome
this is the best book i have ever read if i had the time i would read this book a hundred times. The reason i bought this book is because ted williams is the best hitter in baseballs long history. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Setting the World Ablaze is the story of the three men who, perhaps more than any others, helped bring the United States into being: George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. Weaving their three life stories into one narrative, John E. Ferling delivers a genuine and intimate illustration of them and, in doing so, gives us a new understanding of the passion and uncertainty of the struggle to form a new nation.

The three sections of Ferling's study chronologically examine major epochs in the lives of the three men: youth and early adulthood, the years surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and finally, defeat of the British in the Revolutionary War. Through the medium of comparative biography, Setting the World Ablaze attempts to link personal and impersonal elements in the contours of the American Revolution and the war that accompanied it. A professor of History at the State University of West Georgia and a leading scholar of the Revolutionary era, Ferling draws on a firm command of primary sources and his own expertise of the period to examine fundamental issues critical to our understanding of Washington, Adams, and Jefferson, as well as of the historical period. He abandons the standard iconography and focuses instead on what motivated and inspired these three men as human beings. For example, what forces shaped each of the three during his youth, what was each like as a mature young man before public affairs and fame changed everything, and what determined their behavior as activists? John Adams emerges from the narrative as the most underappreciated hero of the Revolution, while Jefferson is revealed as the most eloquent but also most overrated of the Founders. Personal anecdotes from all periods of their lives add to Ferling's already rich portrait and give the reader a unique sense of how Washington, Adams, and Jefferson negotiated the many challenges they encountered throughout their lives. --Bertina Loeffler Sedlack ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Incendiaries of Freedom
So many books have already been published about the American Revolution as well as about Washington, Adams, and Jefferson. Ferling brilliantly analyzes all three towering figures within a specific historical context, to be sure, but also in terms of each other. He creates and then explores a matrix of juxtapositions between and among them, comparing and contrasting all three in relation to each other but also in relation to the historical context on which each had such a profound impact. What Ferling has created is both a history book of panoramic scope and a trilogy of interrelated (and to some extent interdependent) biographies. It is so well-written that I often thought I was reading a novel.

Since childhood, I have viewed certain books as "magic carpets." I include Ferling's book among them. It transported me back more than 200 years and deposited me amidst the brave and brilliant men who were about to set the world "ablaze" with their incendiary passion for an independence soon to be declared and eventually to be achieved. Ferling guides his reader through this highly combustible process. Of special interest to me is Ferling's presentation of Adams (characterized as the "Bulwark" of the American Revolution), a founding father not always mentioned in the same breath with Washington and Jefferson. With all due respect to Jefferson's accomplishments, Ferling concludes the final chapter with this observation: "To the end, he was incapable of accepting the reality of his culpability in the perpetuation and expansion of African slavery and the danger it now posed to the achievements of the American Revolution." And then in the Epilogue, Ferling asserts that the Revolutionary generation "was indeed fortunate to have had Washington and Adams as its greatest stewards and shepherds."

If you have a keen interest in the War for Independence and, especially, in those who led the new nation through and beyond that war, there is this magic carpet I know about....

Awesome and such a pleasure - Am Hist made FUN
Ferling writes in a very enjoyable and easy style, and in a comparative way that captivates. He skips from each former President to the next during similar periods and experiences in each's life - a style that I found a pleasure to read...Surely a tenured history professor and professional scholar knows better than an "avid reader." At any rate, I really enjoyed this book and strongly recommend it. One comes away with plenty of knowledge on our first three Presidents, but after reading only one book. Most importantly, the book is an accurate and thrilling look into the lives of three people who shaped our nation during its conception and infancy.

An easy, relaxing read.
This brief (300 pages) history of the American Revolution, as seen through the actions of Adams, Jefferson, and Washington, is a thoroughly enjoyable, pool side type of read. Granted, it is a superficial history of the Revolution, but provides an interesting perspective of the motivations, interactions, and rather different personalities of the three founding fathers. Mr. Ferling's work does seem to be at times rather colored in favor of Washington and Adams, which might be expected, as he has written biographies of our first and second presidents. He makes some rather interesting comments about Jefferson's personality; comments which come close to a psychoanalysis of our third president. Overall, if you are searching for a history of the revolution, this work is not for you. If you are ready for a relaxing narrative of the revolution, and the actions of these three individuals, you will not be disappointed.

Poor Perspective for a History Professor
As an avid reader of the American Revolution, I had heard great things about this book. Unfortunately, it was terribly disappointing. Ferling spends too much time raising Adams to god-like status, in an apparent attempt to continue his sole rehabilitation of Adams' place in our history (see Ferling's other writings). In short, it's a shame that an author that is a history professor spends so much time in the present analyzing what Washington or Jefferson should have done instead of telling us what they did keeping in mind the time period and atmosphere of the late 18th century. If you are looking for a critical analysis of our Founding Fathers, this book is for you. However, if you are looking for, heaven forbid, a book about history, skip this one.

Incredible History
This is the finest book I have read about the Revolution. Ferling is the best at making pure history great. He doesn't engage in phsycho stuff unless he has to. He is very sophisticated and somewhat difficult in the sense his vocabulary is amazing.

He admires washington. He presents the great soilder with a few faults. He makes a god out of Adams and a Demon out of Jefferson.

Great book!!! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Original and Still the Best Biography of Hank Williams
I've read HANK WILLIAMS:THE BIOGRAPHY and SING A SAD SONG numerous times and I like this one the best. It's sentimental and loving in tone. The former is more sensationalized and antiseptic. Having visited Georgiana, Alabama, a town frozen in time, this book starts right there on the little railroad platform where Hank shined his shoes as a youngster. THE BIOGRAPHY aspires to more detail, but you can only get so many facts within a given number of pages, and so THE BIOGRAPHY isn't really more detailed.

Both books omit my favorite anecdote, which is related by Hank's steel guitar player, Don Helms: Playing at any outdoor venue, Hank and band had to retreat to a covered area when it came a downpour. Looking out at his drenched fans, who refused to leave, Hank had compassion on them. Hank returned to the outdoor stage and informed them that "If you can stand in the rain and listen to me, then I can stand in the rain and sing for you!"

There you go--someone with a god-like talent, a great deal of humility, and who loved his followers more than he loved himself. Is it any wonder that only Jesus Christ and fellow Southerner Robert E. Lee have had more influence on the Southern psyce than Hank Williams?

HANK WILLIAMS IS ALIVE IN THE HEARTS OF HIS FANS
Roger Williams, who of course is not related to the subject that he wrote about, has given us a rare, insightful look into the life,career, and death of a country music legend. Hank Williams was an ordinary man with extroardinary talent who made the most out of the gifts that he was blessed with. However, as he grew up, Hank came across two powerful forces that would eventually destroy his career, and ultimately, his life. Women and booze did not mix, and as the book says,Hank found this one out the hard way. The author goes into detail about how Hank's career took off with his induction into the Grand Ole Opry in June of 1949. From there it gives us a look into how the opry operated in the early 1950's.The alcoholism which Hank undoubtedly had went far back to the early days of his youth when he was just eleven years old. By the time he released Lovesick Blues in 1948, Hank was already having problems staying sober. Alcohol is mentioned many times throughout the book because, as most fans know, alcohol wrecked Hank's overall physical condition. The book reveals some rare photos of Hank when he was at the prime of his recording career, but some of these photos shows his body slowly wasting away.After all is said and done, Hank Williams died in the backseat of his Cadillac at the age of 29, in the early morning hours of January 1, 1953. The cause of death could problably have been attributed to a broken heart. The life that Hank lead spelled out his fate way before the reaper came to take him away forever, but the legend lives on in the hearts of country music fans everywhere. Hank Williams will never be forgotten, and this book gives all the reasons why. But there's only one thing left to say. Hank was a man like all the rest, but his memory is enshrined because of his care and compassion for others who were less fortunate than he was. ... Read more

Book Description

"A daring book . . . a terrific story and Lewis tells it with rare narrative skill . . . a superb writer, with a startling command of the historian's art and a powerful interest in the moral aspects that history has always claimed. He also has in the young George Washington a subject of unfailing centrality and importance. His flaws, like those of any human figure worth his salt and worth our time, constitute the ground of his enduring human achievements." —Los Angeles Times Book Review

"The story is compelling and Lewis tells it well." —Library Journal

"Gracefully and attractively written." —Chicago Tribune

For King and Country is a portrait of an ordinary young man enmeshed in extraordinary events: the young George Washington caught up, and striving to excel, amid the bitter rivalry between the French and British for control of the American colonial frontier in the mid-eighteenth century.

Drawing heavily on Washington's own diaries, letters, and dispatches, Thomas A. Lewis follows the future president's remarkable rise from a callow young man with no inheritance, no trade, and few prospects to the respected commander-in-chief of the military forces of British America's foremost colony. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Excellent Book On Washington
This book was excellent.It gives many details about GW's early years in the French & Indian War.Well written & researched.I did not know that at one time,GW had warrants out for his arrest.

Ignoble Attempt to Defame a Great Man
If you're looking for proof that revisionism is ruining our collective understanding of history, look no farther than this book. Using the French & Indian War as his backdrop, non-historian Thomas Lewis paints an horrifically inaccurate character portrait of a young George Washington, knowing that being controversial is the quickest way to make a name for yourself in the publishing industry. This disgrace of a book showcases Washington as a dunce of a commander, a filthy Indian-hater, and an egomaniac bent on fame no matter what the cost. This is all very easy to allege when you're in the comfort of your living room and looking at things 200 years after they've happened. Washington didn't have this convinience. In short, don't waste your time with this trash. Stick to reading books about Washington written by people with a grasp on reality such as Douglas Southall Freeman or James Thomas Flexner. Washington was a flawed man, yes; but his flaws only served to make him that much greater of a man. When he reached the end of his life, he could honestly say, "I've laid the foundation for a country." When Lewis dies, he'll be able to say, "Heh-heh, I made a few bucks by writing a crappy little book that had no impact." Therein lies the difference.

Very good French and Indian history also...
This is a very good biography of George Washington during the French and Indian War years. It is written well, enjoyable and easy to read.
One of the things I especially appreciated was the writer explaining just how George Washington became involved with the colonial goverment, so that he was ever asked to be involved in the political situation of the time. Not many books make this clear.
The book not only covers George Washington, but also hits upon the politics of the time and many other important people involved during this exciting historical period.
I am glad I read the book and I recommend it to others. This is an especially good book for those with little knowledge of George Washington's involvement with the British government and the politics of the French and Indian War.

Best Biography of Young George Washignton
This is by far the best biography of the early years of the life of George Washington I have ever read. Lewis gives us not only a brilliant introduction to young Colonel George Washington, but also a vivid analysis of the period of the French and Indian War, including the people, places, and circumstances of the conflict.

The book first gives a background on an adolecent Washington and his boyhood adventures as a surveyor in western Virginia. We learn how he grew up admiring the wealth and lifestyle of his aristocratic neighbors, the Fairfaxes, and how he began a long journey to emmulate them and to be a part of their privileged world. However, Washington's own ambitions pull him in other directions as he becomes deeply involved in the brewing storm of events that would culminate with the conflict with the French and Indians over posession of the Ohio Country and the Trans-Allegheny region. We follow Washington as he attempts to make a name for himself with the Governor of the Virginia colony by accepting a mission to deliver a message to the French army marching south from Lake Erie to the Forks of the Ohio River. This single event pushes Washington from the "shadows of an ordinary life" onto the stage of history. We see as Washington botches his attempt to protect the Forks from a French invasion at Fort Necessity and his anger at his own failure to not only obtain a royal commision in the British army, but to even obtain a victory in battle. Lewis details Washington's involvment in the war from Braddock's disasterous campaign against Fort Dusquene in 1755 to his ultimate anti-climactic success at the end of the long and muddy Forbes' Road in 1758, after which Washington retires from public service to return to the simple life of a farmer forever.

I also enjoyed Lewis' attention to the background of the struggle that served as the forge of experience for young G. W. Here we are exposed to the details and origins of the problems with not only the French, but particularly the Indians living in the Ohio Country and the singularly important role they played and the failure of Washington, or any other whitemen, to grasp that importance. This is evident in both Washington's and Braddock's terrible defeats in the early war years. Lewis gives us fascinating accounts of Washington's peers, his allies, enemies. These are men like Ohio Company scout Christopher Gist, The Seneca chief Tannacharison (Half-King), friend and neighbor George Fairfax, and others. In the end Washington would emerge older and experienced from a bloody conflict prepared to take on an even greater leadership role in another later fight in the not too distant future. A great book that I highly recommend. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This definitive biography of Ted Williams provides a balanced portrait of the man, the ballplayer, the war veteran, and the hitter. This last side of Williams--the man in the batter's box, the last player to hit .400, the Splendid Splinter--is the most widely and fondly remembered. But Linn also gets beneath the varnish on the bat, examining the Williams known by teammates and sportswriters as difficult and moody. Finally, this is an assessment of a ballplayer who was frequently ignored by the press, despite accomplishments the likes of which we may never see again on a professional diamond. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Teddy Ballgame gets his due
Ed Linn says that Williams was the greatest hitter of all-time, he should have won 5 MVP awards, and his 1941 season was more impressive than DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. That he gave up his potentially most productive years to fight in two wars says as much for his character as it does for his projected totals. The biggest hurdle to recognition was his rascally personality that alienated hometown Boston sportswriters.

In a media age, it is very hard for accomplishments to be recognized without supporting prose. But in Williams' case, his attitude not only cost him prose, but MVP votes from local sportswriters. Had the hometown scribes written glowingly about his .406 average in 1941 the way the New York papers lionized DiMaggio's hitting streak, he may have won his first MVP. Instead it took time for that accomplishment to be realized, and it continues to grow as the years pass without any .400 hitters. Add the two Triple Crowns he won without getting the award and you have to wonder what sportswriters were doing with their votes.

Linn doesn't comment much on Williams' years as the manager of the Washington Senators. It's just mentioned to say that Williams wasn't cut out to be a manager. He says a little about Williams' service record, but reminds us that he was John Glenn's wingman. And we get just enough about Williams home life to know that he wasn't the best husband. This book isn't about those things it's about Williams the great hitter.

Linn stresses that Williams proved his greatness by the way he played when his tools were diminishing in the 1950s. While the rest of his body was breaking down with injuries his bat could still light up a ballgame. That he won the 1958 batting title at age of 39 is a feat that Linn says is amazing. Linn makes a dramatic telling of his last at bat home run by explaining Williams before and after the contest.

This is an informative and thorough telling of Williams the ballplayer and a good choice if you want to know more about Williams and his era in the big leagues.

What a great book!
If you want to know everything you possibly can about Ted and his effect on the game you need to read this book.

The Authoritative History of Ted Williams
This is an absolutely FABULOUS book. It details not only the career, but also the life of the greatest hitter who ever lived. I am generally not a big book reader, but I could not put this one down, reading it in a little over a day. I guarantee that if you are a baseball fan, you will love this book!

Excellent Biography
Biographies often waste time describing things like the "childhood home". While this book gives an overview of Williams' early life, it focuses on his historical impact on baseball and his attitudes toward the game. Linn does an excellent job of measuring Williams statistically and creating the perspective of his career that, as a 34 year old, I did not get to experience first hand. An understanding of each season, his teammates and adversaries, creates for me an appreciation that did not exist before. Some great segments on Ted's mentality toward the game and hitting specifically, was great not only for me but also my 10 year old. Note: this is a biography NOT an instructional manual - see The Science of Hitting for the "other half of the story.

HITTER is like a triple off the Green Monster...
Ed Linn's HITTER is a excellent biography on Ted Williams life and baseball career. It's a solid 400 pages about Williams, his youth, his personality quirks and flaws, his talent at hitting a baseball, and his glorious seasons at Fenway Park. What Ed Linn does best is to write about The Kid's best seasons and comparing them to other baseball greats using statistical analysis. Also the many stories about Williams' war with the Boston Press. Linn was very careful to write both the good and bad of Williams, and is not afraid to criticize his behavior. The only reasons why this book isnt a home run is because I feel that there could have been more details in certain situations,or maybe Linn suffers from the same problem as Ted Williams had in front of the Fenway Crowd, they both did such a good job that you just wanted a little more from them. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Masters of Enterprise examines the lives of 25 American entrepreneurs, from John D. Rockefeller and Henry Ford to Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey, to find the common ingredients of their success. "First, all had good health and abundant energy," writes H.W. Brands, a professor of history at Texas A&M University, "enough for half-a-dozen careers each." The other elements that Brands identifies: all were hungry for success; they were persuasive at getting others on their side; they intensely identified with their work; and each had a burning creative vision. Brands dedicates a chapter to each of the 25, starting chronologically with real estate magnate John Jacob Astor in the late 1700s, and ending with software giant Bill Gates in the late 1990s. He describes the entrepreneurs' background, vision, and major deals, and draws lessons for today's business mavens.

Modern-day speculators might find enlightening the story of Jay Gould's cornering of the gold market in the 1800s, for instance. Brands dramatically describes the maneuvers Gould took to hide his buying and selling--and his underhanded but failed attempts at keeping the U.S. government from flooding the market with gold and driving the price down. And women entrepreneurs of today might find inspiring the lives of cosmetics titan Mary Kay Ash, designer Liz Claiborne, and television and movie star Oprah Winfrey--all overcame obstacles, personal and professional, to become giants in their fields.

Others profiled: industrialist Andrew Carnegie, Ray Kroc of McDonald's, Sam Walton of Wal-Mart, Motown founder Berry Gordy, Walt Disney, cable-television pioneer Ted Turner, and Intel's Andrew Grove. Well written and filled with anecdotes, Masters of Enterprise should be an entertaining read for entrepreneurs and fans of business biography and history. --Dan Ring ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Pure inspiration
If you are chasing the, "American Dream," of becoming a successful entrepeneur, this book is definitely a must read! H. W. Brands has compiled a collection of highly enterprising and inspirational people in his book. I not only was encouraged by reading about such great American men, such as Cornelius Vanderbilt and Andrew Carnegie, I was even more impressed with the profiles of such determined business women as Oprah Winfrey and Mary Kay. Their lives and positive, business tactics shed a shining light, leading the way to establishing a successful enterprise.

Sketches of Great American Entrepreneurs
These brief portraits of great American businessmen and women are well written. Brands does a creditable job laying out the basics of each of their lives and presenting it in a highly readable fashion. His purpose is to show the historical development of how Americans have made money in a country where the making of wealth has became almost a divine calling.

Brands' selection of business giants could have been better. He seems to have picked his membership more for their diversity as people than for their masterful entrepreneurial skills. Why include Berry Gordy, but not Warren Buffett? Brands' choices obviously skew his presentation of U.S. business history, making it seem more diverse than it really has been.

Why did H.W. Brands write this book?
That is the question I invariably ask myself upon reading. Why would one choose to write a book about people one despises? The only answer I can come up with is that he doesn't consciously realize the underlying premises he holds (obviously neither do any of the reviewers of this book). Nary a good thing is said about any of the extraordinary individuals written about herein. The underlying tone of Brands' writing is that of cynicism and thinly veiled scorn for success. It is a tolerable book when he is merely recounting events without putting any of his own 'wit' into the writing. Don't take my word for it though, read it for yourself while bearing my comments in mind.

Masters of Enterprise
Here is a complete set of portraits of America's greatest generators of wealth. Only such a collective study allows us to appreciate what makes the great entrepreneurs really tick. As H.W. Brands shows, these men and women are driven, they are focused, they deeply identify with the businesses they create, and they possess the charisma necessary to persuade other talented people to join them. They do it partly for the money, but mostly for the thrill of creation.

Rome was not built in a day¿
Common beliefs shattered by uncommon men- Henry Kaiser would have taken on the challenge to build Rome in a day!

"Rags to riches" is another common adage; but the route to getting there is what distinguishes the daring from the rest. But the most important factor that has made these great achievers who changed and paved the course of business history is the strong desire to excel against all odds. What else can explain the rise of Andrew Carnegie from the drudgery of working in a dirty shop floor to being the master of one of America's greatest steel company.

Do not read this book in a hurry. Brands has an excellent command on the English language and his style of narration matches the true values that one can derive from the 25 great persons described in this book.

I have recommended this book as the first assignment to my daughter during her summer vacation.

Your search for human excellence ends here. ... Read more