Book Description

The Casbah Coffee Club, which opened in Liverpool on August 29, 1959, was the brainchild of Mona Best, the mother of Pete Best. It is well known that Pete Best was the drummer for The Beatles in their early days in Liverpool and Hamburg. But less well known is that The Beatles’ origins were in fact at Pete’s mother’s club-it was at the Casbah and with Mona Best’s blessing that the greatest popular music phenomenon of the twentieth century began.

And now, the basement club where The Quarrymen, The Silver Beatles, and finally The Beatles played over 90 times before they hit the Cavern has been reopened and revealed by this remarkable new book. The Casbah’s significance cannot be overestimated-it brought together some of the greatest names in rock music and became the catalyst for the Mersey Beat phenomenon that swept Liverpool in the early 1960s.

Seen here for the first time in forty years is the basement’s interior as it was at the very beginning, juxtaposed with the rooms as they are today, where the ceilings painted by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Pete Best still rest. A wealth of rare material from the club and the Bests’ own archives, together with newly-commissioned images by renowned photographer Sandro Sodano, documents the club’s and The Beatles’ intertwined stories.

The Beatles: The True Beginnings also features accounts from early fans hearing the Beatles for the first time. Stunning new color photography of the rooms and memorabilia of the Casbah Coffee Club. Gritty, never-before seen photos of the young Beatles playing for hundreds of of their very first fans. And comments from the Beatles and their closest friends from the period.

Accompanied by a fascinating personal memoir of this extraordinary time, written by Roag Best with his brothers Pete and Rory, this is both a moving family tribute and a unique insight into a remarkable period of Beatles history. The glory of the Casbah has hidden for almost half a century in the Best family’s basement rooms. This account of their earliest days promises to blow back its roof, and that of the Beatles’ unbelievable history, forever.
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Reviews (7)

A Dream Book
I love this book! Makes me want to fly to Liverpool now and visit. Pete Best, who was drummer for the Beatles before they kicked him out with no explanation, gives us a fabulous treat. His mother ran the Casbah Club in Liverpool in the family home's basement. After Pete was booted out, the club sort of died down and was closed. It remained sealed up for many, many years, until it was opened. Original murals done by the Beatles still on the walls, microphones, and other items were found, and the club reopened to people who wish to come and see the only remaining original club, with even the original walls! Let the Cavern try to claim that! Color photos, inside stories, more make this a sensational book. Beatle fans, Merseybeat fans, music historians, Scousers, etc...BUY IT!

Neil Aspinall's son with Mona Best
The story behind this book is one of the secrets in the Beatles tale. Neil Aspinall, who still works for the Beatles as director of Apple Corps, looking after their legacy and business interests, classmate of Paul McCartney's at the Liverpool Institute, was Pete Best's good friend. When the band needed someone to help them move their equipment from gig to gig, Neil was hired because he had a car. Throughout the band's story, Neil was the road manager.

Neil lived with Pete's family for a while in the early years. He had an affair with Pete and brother Rory's hip, relatively young, Indian mother, Mona. They had a child together, Roag.

When Pete was tossed out of the Beatles, he told Neil to choose between the job with the band and his living with the Best family. Neil chose the Beatles. He was not allowed to see his son grow up.

This is that son's book.

An Unfocused Book with Two Slender Ideas
Will any true Beatles fan ever admit that there is no need for any further information regarding the Fab Four? Absolutely not --- the strong popularity of THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY is evidence enough that a voracious audience still exists for Beatles lore in all shapes and sizes.

THE BEATLES: THE TRUE BEGINNINGS really encompasses two book ideas: the Merseybeat music scene in Liverpool from which the Beatles developed, and Pete Best's experiences as an early Beatle. Either of these ideas, developed fully, would make interesting reading. As they are, however, two slender ideas are crammed into one unfocused book with big pictures and sparse text. Even so, I get the impression that this book was a stretch --- does any fan, no matter how obsessive, really require a picture of the case in which Pete Best carried his drums? How about a shot of the spare guitar strings he found inside?

A prominent outpost of the Merseybeat scene was Mrs. Best's Casbah Coffee Club, owned and operated by Pete Best's mother, Mona Best. This book is in large part a tribute to the remarkable Mona Best from her sons --- Roag, Pete, and Rory. Mrs. Best pawned her jewelry, placed a bet on a horse, and won the money to buy Number Eight Haymans Green, a giant house whose cellars were transformed into the Casbah when the Best boys discovered rock-and-roll and needed a place to perform and listen to music. The Beatles first performed at the Casbah as the Quarrymen. They played to a crowd of 1,500 and received three pounds as payment.

You probably know how the story goes. The Beatles were a huge success and got a gig playing in Hamburg, Germany where they endured a horrible, grueling performance schedule and living conditions like something from a Dickens novel (assuming Dickens might ever have written about a German red-light district). In short, the Hamburg experience was destined to make or break the Beatles. It made the Beatles, but Pete Best was not invited to continue their success.

Is the Best family bitter? Maybe a little; it is their theory that Pete Best was simply so much better looking that he was a liability to the other band members. Also, the title THE TRUE BEGINNINGS seems to imply that they are setting the record straight, but there isn't very much new information here and it's unlikely to change anyone's mind about the Beatles as individuals or as a cultural phenomenon.

--- Reviewed by Colleen Quinn

Great book but...
This is an outstanding book. Until recently I was like many others educated on the Beatles "Post Ed Sullivan". It wasn't until recently that I began surfing Amazon.com for another book besides Anthology to learn something new about the FAB FOUR. I purchased two books: The Beatles True Beginnings and more recently THE BIRTH OF THE BEATLES, by Sam Leach. This book is well written and provides an insight into the group that few authors have. I have only given this book four stars because THE BIRTH OF THE BEATLES, by Sam Leach is so much better. Not only was Sam Leach the Beatles first major Promoter (before losing them to Brian Epstein) but he is much more objective in his observations and his book places you into the "Beat scene" of 1960-1962 Liverpool with such force that after reading a chapter it leaves you exhasuted and wanting more!

Great combo of art and history
The Beatles: True Beginnings is the latest installment in the ever-growing genre of Beatles histories and essential collectibles for diehard fans. Where some of these, though, seem like quick cash grabs, this book is truly an incedible document of the Beatles early years at the Casbah Coffee Club in Liverpool.

Filled with hundreds of beautiful archival photos of the lads and brand new, full-colour arts shots of memorabilia and the club's interior, The Beatles: True Beginnings is the authoritative work on the club that launched the Mersey Beat.

For the first time in forty years, Beatles fans can finally get an inside look at the club where the Beatles became the world's greatest rock band. Originally started in 1959 by Mona Best (mother of former Beatles drummer Pete Best), the Casbah Coffee Club was an underground rock club in the heart of Liverpool where everyone who was anyone went to see the city's greatest bands.

Written by the Best family, this new book is both the story of a remarkable woman and a celebration of forty years of Beatles history, from their earliest days as The Quarrymen up to their crowning as the kings of rock. Alternating between illustrated narrative and beautifully shot, full-colour art photographs, The Beatles: True Beginnings is an essential part of any Beatles fan's library. ... Read more

Book Description

John Lukacs has spent a lifetime considering the complex personality and statesmanship of Winston Churchill. In previous books Lukacs has told the story of Churchill's titanic struggle with Adolf Hitler in the early days of World War II. Now, in Churchill: Visionary. Statesman. Historian., he turns his attention to Churchill the man and visionary statesman.Each chapter of this book provides an essential portrait of Churchill. Lukacs treats Churchill's vital relationships with Stalin, Roosevelt, and Eisenhower, as well as his complex, farsighted political vision concerning the coming of World War II and the Cold War.Lukacs also assesses Churchill's abilities as a historian looking backward into the origins of the conflicts of which he was so much a part. In addition, the author examines the often contradictory ways Churchill has been perceived by critics and admirers alike.

The last chapter is a powerful and deeply moving evocation of the three days Lukacs spent in London attending Churchill's funeral in 1965. In Churchill: Visionary. Statesman. Historian., Lukacs deftly sets forth the essence of this towering figure of twentieth-century history with the consummate mastery of a great historian. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The Ever-Lasting Appeal of Churchill
John Lukas clearly states at the beginning of his short book that his collection of essays is neither a biography nor a scholarly study of Winston Spencer Churchill (pg. xiii). Therefore, potential readers of Lukas' book who do not know anything about the key milestones in the life and career of Churchill should not start here. These readers can read books such as "Churchill a Life", "Churchill a Study in Greatness", "Clementine Churchill The Biography of a Marriage", "Winston and Clementine The Personal Letters of the Churchills" or "The Wit & Wisdom of Winston Churchill" to fill in the most glaring gaps in their knowledge of Churchill for that purpose.

Lukas writes to the attention of an audience who has an unquenchable thirst to know more and more about an individual who remains a source of inspiration to many men and women who stand in the way of barbarity and illiberalism around the world.

Although Lukas is generally sympathetic to Churchill, he is not blind to his major shortcomings: impetuosity, impatience, stubbornness and fancifulness (pg. 4, 154). Furthermore, Lukas reminds his audience in his essay "His Failures. His Critics" that Churchill had accumulated errors and mistakes that Churchill critics and detractors were attributing to his flawed character (pg. 129). For example, Churchill's futile fight against granting Dominion status to India from 1929 to 1935 was perhaps compatible with his imperialist credentials but certainly a clear blemish on his record. As a very experienced politician and knowledgeable historian at that time, Churchill should have known much better (pg. 14-15, 24, 135-136). Therefore, Lukas' collection of essays should not be construed as a shameful hagiography.

Furthermore, Lukas reminds his audience in "Churchill's historianship" and "Churchill the visionary" that Churchill was generally cognizant of the lessons that he could draw from past events to articulate his often-visionary policies while reflecting on and shaping history on his turn (pg. 1-18, 47). Churchill was not only a spectator, but also a key actor and play writer of human comedy (pg. 102).

Lukas also explores the ups and downs that Churchill had in his relationships with other history shapers such as Charles De Gaulle, Dwight Eisenhower, Adolf Hitler, Franklin Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin (pg. 19-20). Lukas convincingly explains that Churchill was facing an unpalatable choice between a Europe entirely ruled by Nazi Germany or half of Europe dominated by the Communists in case of allied victory (pg. 11, 27-28, 35). Churchill rightly first gave top priority to successfully fighting Hitler to death before trying in vain to stop Stalin in 1944-1945. Unlike some unimaginative people, Churchill understood right at the birth of the Soviet Union that the Bolsheviks should be stopped immediately before they grew into a gathering threat to the world. War-weary, the victors of WWI, unfortunately, gave only half-hearty support to the White Russians in their desperate fight against the Soviets (pg. 23). Once again, long-term pains were the reward for short-term gains.

Some (American) readers will not be very pleased while reading Lukas' unflattering portrait of Eisenhower and the men around him in "Churchill and Eisenhower." As mentioned above, Churchill was definitely right to try to thwart in 1944-1945 the apparently irresistible advance of the Soviets in Central and Eastern Europe. Churchill clearly understood that geography and territory mattered, not ideology (pg. 42). For that reason, the British army met the Russians east of the entry to the Danish peninsula at the request of Churchill in 1945 (pg. 45). Unfortunately, the American leadership did not want to hear anything about it at that time (pg. 35-40, 46). Some European regions such as former East Germany and the Czech Republic should have been eventually spared the murderous and inefficient rule of the former Soviet Union (pg. 43). The Greeks should continue to be very thankful to Churchill for saving them from a communist tyranny (pg. 41, 48).

In his famous, visionary Iron Curtain speech in 1946, Churchill expressed his concern with the murderous, inefficient embrace of Communism in the European regions under Stalin's control. American reception of this historic speech was at best lukewarm (pg. 47). Churchill knew better and was predicting at the end of 1952 that time was not on the side of Communism (pg. 48, 79).

After the death of Stalin in 1953, Churchill, Prime Minister again, could not convince his friend Eisenhower, who in the meantime became President of the U.S.A., of finding some kind of accommodation with the new Soviet leadership (pg. 70, 73-74). Subsequent events proved that Eisenhower was right when he saw no difference after Stalin was gone (pg. 71, 77). Contrary to what Lukas thinks, Eisenhower should not be described as a leader without any vision under the nefarious influence of men such as John Foster Dulles (pg. 79-80). Many western leaders shared Eisenhower's views on this subject (pg. 81-82). The former Soviet Union was not yet in sufficient decline in the early 1950s to negotiate in a position of force with it as world leaders such as President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher understood very well in the 1980s.

A throwaway
And a tolerably worthwhile throwaway, considering Lukacs's knowledge of his subject. If you have decent familiarity with the issues, this book won't weigh you down and it adds nuance to the accepted portrait of Churchill. But this is certainly not an introduction to Churchill and the author's biases, particularly against Eisenhower, mar the presentation. This chafed at me in particular, and I hold no particular brief for Ike. But Lukacs is an historian, yet he swipes at Eisenhower throughout the second half of the book, almost never building an argument but rather using innuendo. He largely assumes that the reader shares his biases, more in the way of punditry than scholarship. I don't regret reading the book, but I am sure I could have made more productive use of the time and money on another Churchill work.

Decent, but not compelling...
For the record, I admire John Lukacs as a historian... However, this thin volume (essentially a collection of mini-essays) doesn't really do much to add to the already abundant amount of Churchill scholarship... Lukacs clearly worships Churchill and therefore the book comes across as a simple hagiography. Lukacs' strength is his ability to spin a narrative while not getting bogged down with excessive facts. However, sometimes he can seem to wander off on rather obscure emotional tangents...

This book is fine as an introduction to Churchill, but for someone who wants a more in-depth look at the great man, I suggest turning to the rather more weighty biographies by Martin Gilbert and Roy Jenkins, or indeed his own earlier, and infinitely more interesting title, "Five Days in London."

Lukacs and Churchill-the love affair continues
John Lukacs is a Catholic anglophile and a conservative Christian Democrat who fled from Hungary at the beginning of the cold war. At the same time he has never forgiven the Republican party right for its refusal to help Britain (and the rest of Europe) at her darkest hour. Winston Churchill has always been his hero. About fifteen years ago Lukacs wrote a book on the 80 day "duel" between Churchill and Hitler in the summer of 1940. A few years ago he wrote a more popular book that looked at ten of those days. This third book concentrates on Churchill, and it is the most disappointing yet.

Lukacs looks at Churchill "the visionary," and his relationships with Stalin, FDR, and Eisenhower. He then discusses appeasement, Churchill's skill as a historian, his failures, and then concludes with his memories of Churchill's funeral. Basically this book is a shallow collection of essays which add nothing to our knowledge of the man. There are not even many telling details or pungent anecdotes. There is nothing wrong in arguing, as Lukacs does, that Churchill was right not to make a deal with Hitler, and that he is not to blame for the fact that postwar Poland was a Communist dictatorship. But most historians have never doubted these matters, and Lukacs has nothing new to add. Lukacs has never really cared for archival research, nor has he really paid much attention to what other scholars say. At one point he states that the Soviet Union was not really interested in defending Czechoslovakia in 1938, nor was it really interested in negotiating an alliance with France and Britain the following years. Perhaps, but it is important to point out that in recent years Hugh Ragsdale and Michael J. Carley have produced well documented arguments to the contrary, and that Lukacs not only does not refute them, he appears to be unaware of their existence. Likewise, the chapter on Eisenhower and Churchill concentrates on Churchill's proposals in 1953 to try to make a deal with the post-Stalin leadership, which Eisenhower peremptorily brushed aside. Was an opportunity to end, or shorten, the cold war carelessly thrown away? Perhaps, but other scholars, such as John W. Young and Jaclyn Stanke, have discussed the issue in far greater detail than Lukacs. Many scholars dislike Stephen Ambrose for his terminus into plagiarism and middlebrow eminence. Notwithstanding that, his argument that Eisenhower and his small armies could not have snatched the honor of taking Berlin from Zhukov's larger forces still stands, and Lukacs does nothing to refute it.

Lukacs exaggerates Churchill's perceptiveness. Contra Lukacs, Churchill's fears of German revenge in 1924 were not boldly original, but a commonplace among the British. It did not take great insight after the 1930 German elections to realize, as Churchill did, that Hitler was an important politician. And Churchill was not alone in 1935 in fearing a possible war from Hitler. The chapter on Churchill's histories is indulgent and complacent, as Lukacs applauds Churchill for his style and memorable image. Unfortunately, this confuses history with journalism, and Lukacs is less informative on this than David Reynolds and J.H. Plumb. Lukacs mentions Churchill's faults, but his account of the Dardanelles fiasco, the catastrophic return to the Gold Standard and Churchill's opposition to Indian independence are brief and apologetic. Christopher Thorne is more accurate on Churchill's bigotry and the price of his imperialist illusions. David Cannadine is far more acute on his awful family who, with the exception of his wife and his daughter, Lady Soames, were incredibly selfish and irresponsible. Cannadine is also acute on Churchill's ignorance of modern day life, noting that Churchill took the underground only once, and he had to be rescued, because he didn't know how to get off.

"Churchill and Hitler were, at any rate, the two protagonists of the dramatic phase of the last war, even though Roosevelt and Stalin played the decisive role in its epic phase, at the end." As a distinction, this does not work very well. Was there nothing dramatic about the defense of Leningrad and the battle of Kursk? But for Lukacs it is important to view the conflict as one between Hitler and Churchill, even though he is well aware that Churchill could not have won without the USA and the USSR. For Churchill is an icon, a symbol of the liberal, aristocratic order. When Churchill saved Britain in 1940 he redeemed this order's honor. One can only contrast with the actual ruling class of interwar Hungary who led that country into a vicious, genocidal war. That contrast is more interesting than anything Lukacs has to say in this book.

Historian as politician and vice versa
About halfway through Lukacs' chapter on Churchill and Eisenhower, I wrote down the phrase I used to title this review. One of the author's missions is to explore how Churchill's study and writing of history shaped his politics, statesmanship, and "vision." And sure enough, just a few dozen pages later, Lukacs himself, modifying a phrase of J.H. Plumb, described Churchill as "a historian-statesman and a statesman-historian" (p. 102).

John Lukacs is himself a great writer and interpreter of history. And though I've read lots of things about Churchill over the years, few historians have impressed me as he has with their ability to synthesize and interpret. By all means, still read the longer biographies -- Gilbert, naturally, as well as Best and Jenkins more recently. But let Lukacs help you sort out what it all means. Among other things, you may well find yourself agreeing with him that Churchill "was not The Last Lion" (p. 17).

Lukacs' description of Churchill as a patriot but not a nationalist (as contrasted with Hitler, who was a nationalist but not a patriot) is also a revealing one -- especially in an era when the two are too easily confused.

Hundreds or thousands of volumes have been written on Churchill as statesman and war leader. But only one (Maurice Ashley's "Churchill as Historian," 1968), plus a few journal articles, have viewed him as a student and writer of history and tried to assess how that affected his other spheres of life. Lukacs views it as central, giving Churchill, as it did, a philosophy of history (p. 123) as well as a world view that allowed him to place events and ideas in their larger historical context (Lukacs sees this as the essential difference between Churchill and Eisenhower).

Given the resurgence of interest in Churchill -- which never entirely wanes, of course -- post-9/11, several of Lukacs' insights and conclusions may come as a surprise, or be considered "controversial": notably, that Churchill's famous "Iron Curtain" speech in Fulton was less about the dangers posed by communism *per se* than about those inherent in a divided Europe; that Churchill's glory was not that he won a great victory, but rather that he prevented a great defeat; and that in his dealings with Stalin during and after the war, he tried "to save what was possible" (p. 182). This last point Lukacs deploys (in an excellent chapter on Churchill's failures and his critics) against those who hold Churchill to blame for the "loss" of Eastern Europe to communism (through the Machiavellian "percentages deal," for example). Lukacs argues that Churchill recognized there were only two real options: All of Europe dominated by Hitler, or half of Europe dominated by Stalin. There was, Lukacs says, no third way.

Duff Cooper, a Churchillian, once wrote that one of the problems with democracies is that too few democratic leaders have read any history. Lukacs shows how Churchill's own reading and writing prepared him for the challenges of his century. Readers of this book, in turn, emerge with a clearer view, not only of those challenges, but also of The Man of the Century himself. Very highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

The life and adventures of Thomas Cochrane, a young man who rose from midshipman to admiral, are so extraordinary that, to paraphrase Patrick O'Brian, one has to suspend disbelief.In fact, O'Brian admitted to using Cochrane as the model for his character Jack Aubrey. Second only to Nelson among the heroes of the Royal Navy, Cochrane became a household name in Britain during the 1800s as the Admiralty called upon his extraordinary skill as a sailor, his mastery of gunnery, and his daring use of ruses, including flying under false colors, to overcome ships many times his size. His fearlessness became a byword and his life on land became as colorful as at sea.Here truly is a legendary hero.

"If you combined the collected adventures of Hornblower and Jack Aubrey, you'd still be hard pressed to find as many fictional achievements so bold, brilliant and thrilling as you do in the real-life history of Cochrane." (The Spectator) ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Highly entertaining hagiography
Fans of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin books will love Robert Harvey's biography of Thomas Cochrane. This book, in fact, reads like a novel and O'Brian's reliance on the facts of Cochrane's career in creating the fictional Jack Aubrey was amply justified.

For his part, Harvey relies heavily on contemporaneous accounts of Cochrane's exploits at sea (including Cochrane's own memoirs) and, even allowing for some measure of hyperbole by Harvey, it must be admitted that Cochrane's career was truly remarkable. An absolutely fearless combatant, usually outmanned and outgunned, Cochrane never shrank from attacking even the most formidable opponents. His exploits in the Mediterranean and later in South America and Greece are well-described by Harvey.

Yet, on dry land, Cochrane's footing was less sure and so is Harvey's. His descriptions of Cochrane's involvement in the impeachment trial of Lord Gambier (arising from claims that the admiral inadequately supported Cochrane's attack in the Aix Roads), and his white-washing of Cochrane's participation in an infamous stock-exchange scandal are not entirely convincing. Although clearly the most daring and intrepid naval commander of his era, excepting only Nelson himself, Cochrane manifested fatal flaws in character (arrogance, contempt for authority, self-righteousness) which prevented him from achieving prominence of historical dimension. While acknowledging Cochrane's character flaws, Harvey admires his hero a little too much in describing these events.

Still, this book can be recommended to anyone interested in naval history or historical fiction. Harvey writes in an easy, engaging style and it would be difficult for even the most inept biographer to write anything less than an entertaining book when the subject is Cochrane.

History as it ought to be written...
...but too often isn't. This is a highly entertaining biography of a truly remarkable man, and Robert Harvey is to be applauded for keeping the human element in the story while still giving us a clear account of the historical context within which his hero moved. Yes, there IS some hero-worship, but frankly there SHOULD be! Cochrane's actual adventures make his fictionalized shadows (Aubrey and Hornblower) pale by comparison, and Harvey writes in an un-put-downable style that keeps us going to the end. My only real complaint IS the end, there is a bit of a feeling of "rush" in the final chapters -essentially from when Cochrane leaves Brazil on- and it would have been fun to have his final years given more detail, but the first two thirds of both the book and Cochrane's life are such a rush that anything would have been an anti-climax.

An interesting, but biased history
I bought this book because I wanted to learn more about cutter and brig anti-privateering and sea-land battle tactics. Cochrane was a true master at both of these things, and this book did provide some useful insights.

The author seems on a mission to put Cochrane on a pedestal. He spends too much time sniping at Cochrane's enemies, and whitewashing his misconduct. This makes an otherwise interesting story difficult to read at times.

A much more indepth treatment of how Cochrane achieved his many victories without the political commentary would have been more interesting to me.

The greatest sailor - EVER
What an excellent book, both the content and the delivery! This reads more like a novel than a biography, understandably, as it is the basis for almost all of the Aubrey/Maturin series.
The descriptions of the naval exploits almost defy belief, if they weren't so patently true - and the land-based politicking, double-dealing and chicanery are incredible, only to be corrected half a century later in the Great Reform Act.
The intuitive brilliance of Cochrane as a sea-commander is totally at odds with the gullible naivety of his political career; his devout moral ethics made it very difficult for him to ignore wrongs or slights against himself or any defenseless group (specifically Jack Tar), and he carried his attempts to redress the balance to extremes, putting himself in very real danger, both physically and financially.
His moral stance was such that he was abstemious, never had a man flogged, never lied, never used his position to personal advantage and never philandered (although counter claims have been made in that direction, but it is hard to believe that a man made of such high moral fibre would cuckold another man or his own wife).
This brilliance also extended to inventions, all (I believe) of which he failed to patent, leaving the kudos to others; the Admiralty failed him in ignoring his suggestions and it was only off his own bat that the advantages were seen (explosive ships, steam vessels etc).

Mr.Harvey covers all this in a very readable style, elaborating in detail on some of the more important episodes in Cochrane's life, but never boring us. He includes snippets from Cochrane's autobiography, where we see his droll, laconic prose used to great effect (particularly in antagonising the Admiralty against him).
In contrast to Nelson, whose claim to fame was by some very suspect naval maneuvres with huge losses of life and parading himself round Britain & Europe, Cochrane stands out head and shoulders higher, in terms of naval brilliance, invention, support for the underdog, attacking jobbery, and humility.
He deserves to be re-instated as the finest sailor EVER. *****

too much of some, not enough of the other
This biography makes too much of the "enemies" that Cochrane made in his career, and how they brought him down. But frankly, I was left thinking that like many heroes throughout the ages, he too had feet of clay - fabulous at sea, and an idiot on land, (and undoubtably a crook too).

As the title of the book is the "life and exploits of a fighting captain" I would have appreciated more of the exploits (and flavour) of his expeditions than were laid out.

However, it did introduce me to someone besides Nelson (and his Captains etc) who was lionized (then forgotten at home) and who may be more famous today in Chile and Brazil than England.

Worth the read, but don't expect too much depth. ... Read more

Book Description

In mid-1943, Snelling Robinson joined the crew of the Fletcher class destroyer USS Cotten as a newly commissioned ensign. The Cotten sailed to Pearl Harbor in time to join the Fifth Fleet. Under the command of Admiral Raymond Spruance, the Fifth Fleet participated in the invasions of Tarawa and Iwo Jima and several naval battles in the Philippine Sea and the Leyte Gulf. Robinson writes from the perspective of a young naval officer and integrates this with the background of the larger conflict, including the politics of command. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

"Can do" up close.
This book is unlike most first-person accounts of sea duty during WWII. It includes aspects of seamanship and detail that don't ordinarily make it to the page. It expresses the exuberance and wonder of a young naval officer, despite having been written from the vantage of maturity. Perhaps this is because it was written from the author's contemporaneous ships' logs, but may be intended to relate experiences together with original feelings and attitudes. This has charm. It's self-effacing rather than self-important. One listens more closely, as to a youngster. The book deals with the Allied occupation of Japan; this is unusual, too. Also, the author's preference for Spruance over Halsey, shared by many, but expressed by few. The author served on one ship throughout the war. His theme comes through clearly: Many more served than saw action. The greater threat was boredom, not terror. Well written, though its language is a bit stiff; interesting; useful for young officers, as a guide to getting along. Demonstrates "can do" attitude of those who served on destroyers, including reservists.

Eight Times Around the World in a Tin Can
C. Snelling Robinson, 200,000 Miles Aboard the USS Cotten (Kent State University Press, 2000) The Cotten was a Fletcher-class destroyer, built in 1943 for the express purpose of protecting America1s new fleet carriers from Japanese aircraft, submarines, and surface vessels during the final years of the greatest naval war in history. Indeed, it would be this hard-hitting combination of ships -- the fast carrier task forces commanded alternately by Admirals Marc Mitscher and "Slew" McCain with their supporting cast of battleships, cruisers and destroyers -- that would prove decisive in the Pacific War. The carriers captured the glory, but their success was greatly facilitated by the largely unsung "small boys," the hard-working, hard-riding destroyers. Snell Robinson1s superb account of his three years aboard one of the most ubiquitous of these destroyers is therefore a welcome new arrival among the body of literature of the savage fighting in the Central Pacific. Robinson came of age as a junior officer among the 300-member crew of USS Cotten (DD 669). He served principally as the ship's navigator, qualified as officer-of-the-deck underway, and stood his General Quarters post in "Sky One," the exposed gun director at the highest point in the ship. By fate, Robinson and his ship survived some of the greatest and bloodiest naval battles in history -- the forcible amphibious assault landings at Tarawa, Saipan, and Iwo Jima, and the enormous fleet engagements in the Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf. The vast scale of this sea war is reflected in the record of this one small destroyer, needle-thin with its maximum beam of 39 feet, steaming the equivalent of eight circumnavigations of the earth in its endless screening missions to protect the precious carriers. Robinson describes life aboard Cotten in its alternating monotony and terrifying action with a navigator1s attention to time and space and an honest appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of himself and his shipmates. Few authentic veterans have ever done a better job portraying life at sea on a small man-of-war. His narrative is crisp, informative, authoritative. Robinson describes the difficulty of his gunners trying to shoot down a night-raiding Japanese bomber by aiming at the exhaust flair -- "like shooting at the white tail of a running deer." He admits his awe at observing Task Force 58, now some 95 ships strong, sortie from Majuro Atoll in the Marshalls, heading west towards Saipan. He admits his fear -- everyone's fear -- at the report that the Japanese Mobile Fleet, including the two largest battleships in the world, had erupted into the Philippine Sea in search of Mitscher1s carriers. He describes how a destroyer at flank speed tends to squat by the stern; a sailor standing on the fantail would actually have to look up to see the surface of the ocean. And he informs us that the greater danger in the suicidal Japanese kamikaze attacks actually came from "friendly fire" as the entire fleet blazed away at the low-flying intruders. Nicely illustrated with maps by cartographer Mary C. Hoffman, this book is a hand-crafted jewel. I heartily recommend it to anyone interested in an unblinking account of the great sea war of the 1940s. ... Read more

Book Description

A literary tour de force that tells the story of Violet Trefusis, lover of Vita Sackville-West, and her mother, Alice Keppel, lover to Edward VII.

Alice Keppel, the married lover of Queen Victoria's eldest son, and great-grandmother to Camilla Parker-Bowles, was a key figure in Edwardian society.Hers was the acceptable face of adultery.In contrast her daughter Violet Trefusis' love was author and aristocratic Vita Sackville-West.Her passion and recalcitrance pitted her against her mother and society.From memoirs, diaries, and letters, Diana Souhami portrays this fascinating and intense mother/daughter relationship, and how these women and their lovers highlight Edwardian--and contemporary--duplicity and double standards. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Tour of Two Worlds
Most of us are commoner, middle class and heterosexual. We don't give thought to other worlds until something strange happens--the murder of Versace or the death of Princess Diana. This book lifts up the rug on these two worlds and allows us to glimpse at something quite alien from our own. Beneath the upper crust of society there is a social dictum that allows the rich and the well-connected to be "doing it and excusing it" as long as it's done with discretion. Behind the facade of certain marriages are gay people in hiding--arranged marriages of convenience. It is a social hypocrisy that didn't start with the Edwardian era but it certainly continues through today. Billed as a double bio, this book is more the biography of Violet Trefusis, lesbian daughter of Alice Keppel, King Edward VII's mistress and the great-grandmother of Camilla Parker-Bowles. But to tell the story of Violet, one must understand Alice and the Edwardian social set. This story is a tour through strange worlds indeed, richly told with text from the letters and published works of the main characters. This is biography that gives you the pathos of real people. Diana Souhami tries to balance the scales by telling the story of the famous lesbian affair between Vita Sackville-West and Violet Trefusis from Violet's point of view. One feels sorry for Violet but also annoyed. How long does it take for Violet to accept that Vita isn't willing to commit to their relationship? Violet, the victim, is a self-deceiving at best, dense at worst. Violet hasn't inherited her mother's ability to make the best of whatever social situation she's in. That's the ultimate tragedy of it. The hypocrisy of society will be with us forever. Only the strong learn to use it to their advantage. It's a lesson we all learn, whatever our place in this world.

Thought provoking biography
After having read this book, I can't stop thinking about it and pondering what makes us happy in life. The people in this story, constrained by the morals of their time, sought happiness through influence, fame, wealth, and sexual relationships with varying success. Today, although our society is more open and free, achieving happiness is still a challenging business. As I read about Violet Trefusis' unhappy life, I wondered how different it would have been had Vita Sackville-West eloped with her. What if their times had been more accepting of openly homosexual relationships. What if Violet had been able to live within the lie of her marriage. If this story had played out today, could it have ended with happiness for Violet. Are things so different for us today.

Souhami's version of the affair between Violet and Vita leaves one feeling angry and annoyed at Vita. If Vita had been honest about their relationship, Violet may have learned to accept her life without the possiblity of a long term relationship with Vita. Violet may have healed emotionally and been able to get back on track in life. Instead, Souhamis portrays Violet as a victim and her life damaged by her unrequited passion for Vita. Vita held out false hopes to Violet by waffling and lying to Violet about their relationship, while actually having no intention of ever leaving her marriage. Vita was not very honest and if she had been a man, she would have been called a cad.

I plan on re-reading A Portrait of a Marriage to see if Vita can change my mind. But my first reading of that book several years ago left me unconvinced and Souhamis has written an interesting and convincing portrait of Violet as the victim.

I highly recommend this book. This is a story about human relationships - husband/wife, mother/daughter, lover/loved, not just the lesbian relationship between Violet and Vita. It is about how these people were able to resolve (or not) the many issues in their lives and the kind of happiness they achieved. ... Read more

Book Description

For a decade, beginning in 1660, an ambitious young London civil servant kept an astonishingly candid account of his life during one of the most defining periods in British history. In Samuel Pepys, Claire Tomalin offers us a fully realized and richly nuanced portrait of this man, whose inadvertent masterpiece would establish him as the greatest diarist in the English language.

Against the backdrop of plague, civil war, and regicide, with John Milton composing diplomatic correspondence for Oliver Cromwell, Christopher Wren drawing up plans to rebuild London, and Isaac Newton advancing the empirical study of the world around us, Tomalin weaves a breathtaking account of a figure who has passed on to us much of what we know about seventeenth-century London. We witness Pepys’s early life and education, see him advising King Charles II before running to watch the great fire consume London, learn about the great events of the day as well as the most intimate personal details that Pepys encrypted in the Diary, follow him through his later years as a powerful naval administrator, and come to appreciate how Pepys’s singular literary enterprise would in many ways prefigure our modern selves. With exquisite insight and compassion, Samuel Pepys captures the uniquely fascinating figure whose legacy lives on more than three hundred years after his death. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Presents Great Character with Great Clarity
2003 -- the 300th anniversary of Pepys death -- accidentally turned into the year of Pepys for me after I bought the audiobook version of his diaries read by Kenneth Branagh.

I fell in love with the diaries (read so well by Branagh), but was frustrated by my lack of knowledge about Restoration London. So, I did some reading in other history books, but eventually found this book. Tomalin has written a very clear biography that manages to give enough of the historical context without slowing down the personal narrative.

Better educated, I listened to the audiobook diary again and enjoyed them even more than the first-time around!

I highly recommend both the audiobook and this biography to anyone interested in becoming acquainted with a man who is fascinating and charming and frequently amoral, but remarkably honest! 1660 London doesn't seem so long ago or so foreign to me anymore!

An excellent, well-rounded bio
In "Samuel Pepys: An Unequaled Self," Claire Tomalin succeeds in giving the reader a very thorough, meticulously documented, and delightfully unbiased view of the life of the world's most famous diarist. Though I have not read the diaries myself, I didn't find it detrimental to my enjoyment of the book. In fact, I think this biography could make an excellent precursor to reading the diary, as Tomalin sheds a tremendous light on the life and times of the second half of the seventeenth century, and helps place the diary within a much wider historical context, (especially for those like myself who have not studied much about the Restoration previously.)

Unlike others who have reviewed this book, I found the sections about Pepys life after the diary equally fascinating. Tomalin, who empathizes with her subject frequently, but never falls into the trap of blind worship, does a wonderful job of placing the details about post-diary Pepys that can be gleaned from official documents and correspondence, and imbuing it with the kind of life and insight that can be discovered through the diary sections.

Not to mention, the section about the kidney stone operation will undoubtedly make even the most stoic of men cross their legs and cringe. Well worth a read!

Pepys Exposed
Samuel Pepys, the world's greatest diarist, was a lower-middle-class kid whose intelligence was spotted early by a family patron, was given an education, found a job in the world's biggest city, and shot to the top of his field. Pepys became the British Navy's ablest and most articulate civil servant, this over the time when the Navy fought its three epic wars against Holland. But there have been many civil servants; what made Pepys famous was his diary: as Tomason notes, few if any writers in history have had the ability to lay themselves (and their surroundings) bare with such brutal directness. In his diaries we discover his tempestuous marriage, his many infatuations, his petty jealousies and his closeted republican views. (Republican would actually be too strong a word; suffice it to say he was born a puritan Cromwellian sympathizer, and, through sheer fortuity, became one of the pillars of the Stuart Restoration.) Tomason has dissected other great English writers before, notably Jane Austen, but she and Pepys seem to be particularly sympatico.

A very enjoyable read
I read Pepys' Diary about 25 years ago - but this is almost better than the Diary. The Diary only ran from 1660 to 1669, but Pepys lived an eventful life for another 30 years, and this book is very good at putting his whole life, during and after the Diary, into historical context.

Very enjoyable reading whether on the beach, travelling or for bedtime.

A Wonderful Paean to a Talented Diarist and Administrator
Claire Tomalin is quite taken with Samuel Pepys, warts and all, comparing his Diary to the works of Milton, Bunyan, Chaucer, Dickens and Proust. She often calls him Sam in her biography, "Samuel Pepys: The Unequaled Self." Less formidable than H.W. Brands, "The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin," her biography is every bit its equal in verve and the sheer fun I had in its reading. It is more of a true biography than, say, Grazia's analysis of Machiavelli's political and social theories in, "Machiavelli in Hell" with details of his life included more for context than storytelling.

Many, including myself, are probably already familiar with Pepys in the context of his Diary. Indeed, I was first introduced to him in high school where I was required to read his accounts of the plague and the great fire in London. Robert Loius Stevenson compared the "fullness and...intimacy of detail..." found in Pepys' diary with another great self-examiner of a half-century before, Michel de Montaigne. Though Tomalin points out that the two were different in their approaches, and indeed Pepys probably was not even aware of Montaigne's work, she acknowledges that the writings of both contain a uniqueness not found in contemporary literature.

Her fascination with Pepys does lead Tomalin to forgive some of his more odious faults, painting them in soft-edges. But, in her defense she is also quick to point out his hypocrisy and does not shy away from the telling of his most shameful deeds. I think Barzun got it right in his book, "From Dawn to Decadence: 1500 To The Present": "It is a waste of breath to point out that every observer is in some way biased. It does not follow that bias cannot be guarded against, that all biases distort equally, or that controlled bias remains as bad as propaganda." I think Tomalin's bias is not one of omission but rather one of feeling, rather like a mother's bias toward her recalcitrant son. She goes well beyond the Diary in digging into a past that encompasses no mean achievements for a tailor's son. She tells the story of this extraordinary life against the backdrop of an England suffering from civil and international wars and plagues without ever letting Pepys leave center stage. The man who had been the simple diarist I was introduced to in high-school, Tomalin transforms into a critical, and at times caustic, man of great administrative and oratorical talents. But for all of that he might have slipped into obscurity had it not been for the system of patronage that many great men of the past owe their lasting memory to. Her narrative loses some of its stride during the years after the Diary closes. It is unfortunately a period lacking in the personal reflections of the man himself since he chose not return to the Diary and we only know him through letters, official papers, and a couple short spates at new journals. Nevertheless, this biography is a worthy tribute to Samuel Pepys and one well worth the reading. ... Read more

Book Description

James Hume -- who knew Churchill personally -- brilliantly captures the extraordinary life of this gifted, complex, and often troubled leader.

A groundbreaking series of illustrated biographies, A & E Biographies combines the smart, concise approach of the hugely popular A&E Biography television series with the illuminating visual approach of DK Publishing to present the lives of history's most colorful figures.

Television's longest running, single-topic documentary series Biography on A&E Network is not only one of the most successful shows -- it is one of the most popular. Biography has profiled more than 900 people in its fifteen years. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A BIOGRAPHY AS APPEALING AS ITS SUBJECT AND TV SHOW!
Like the TV series on which they are based, the series of
"Biography" books are accessible approaches to the men and
women on whom they focus. (They are also a great marketing idea.
Give that boy/girl a raise!) Each volume is written by a
well-known and/or respected author; "Winston Churchill" was penned by James Humes, whose past achievements include two other tomes on Sir Winston. The books are pithy and pleasing, highlighting and spotlighting (in concise detail) its subject, and not shrinking away from controversy or scandal. The photos are terrific; the layouts are done in that appealing, yet not over-the-top, DK style. Think of these books as printed soundbytes that are as interesting and insightful and welcome as their small-screen counterparts. ... Read more

Book Description

Peter Hathaway Capstick died in 1996. At the time of his death, the world-renowned adventure writer was putting the finishing touches on this, a stirring and vivid biography of Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen, a man with whom he felt he had much in common. Edited and prepared for publication by his widow, Fiona Capstick, this riveting book is Capstick's farewell to his fans and the final addition to the bestselling Peter Capstick Library.

Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen was one of those rare men whom fate always seems to cast in the dramas that shape history. As a young officer, he served in India and Africa during the glory days of the British Empire, defending the crown's dominions and exploring its darkest reaches. His exploits in the bloody colonial wars of turn-of-the-century East Africa earned him a reputation as one of the most fierce and ruthless soldiers in the Empire, yet it was during those years spent roaming the silent places of the Serengeti, hunting its game and learning its secrets, that Meinertzhagen developed a fascination with Africa that would last a lifetime.

But there were other adventures to come, and Capstick narrates them all with his trademark skill and wit: daring commando raids against German forces in Africa and the Mideast during World War I, covert missions to the USSR and Nazi Germany between the wars, work as an OSS agent during World War II, and Meinertzhagen's ceaseless support of Israeli nationhood are all woven together into an epic adventure, a powerful chronicle that follows the tracks of a twentieth-century legend.
... Read more

Reviews (8)

For Big Game Hunters, not Meinertzhagen enthusiasts
I stumbled upon this book over Thanksgiving, and thought I would give it a try. I have a great deal of interest in the Expeditionary Forces that left from India during WWI, so I thought this would be a welcome addition towards my understanding of operations in British East Africa. Well to sum it up, it wasnt really. This book is a very superficial biography of Meinertzhagen, using suprisingly very few sources. As noted by earlier reviewers, the book is consistently broken up by narratives of the author's own experiences, which may or may not have anything to do with the story at hand. If you are looking for a serious biography of Meinertzhagen, this is not for you. If you are looking for a light read with no particular substance, this is it.

A remarkable man's adventure's but poorly written
Capstick's writing style has a tendency to leap forward a lot and he tosses in personal comments about his wife and his own thoughts. I feel this would throw off a novice reader. However, the story of Richard Meinertzhagen is incredible, a true Victorian son, with a life that was filled with danger, travel, big game hunting, perilous adventures we can only dream of and meetings with some of the most influential men in the 20th century. I would have given the book another star, but the writing was haphazard. Meinertzhagen, a service British officers, fought in Africa against the only German general who wasn't defeated, Lettow-Vorbeck. He escaped death on countless occasions, brutally killing many times, with pistol, rifle, bayonet and knobkerrie war club. He served in the Arabian area under Allenby, using his intelligence gathering skills to great advantage for the allies. He survived a ship being torpedoed off the coast of Italy in 1917, over Palistine, his two man plane was shot to pieces by a German fighter, wounding the pilot. Meinertzhagen managed to land the plane and walk from it. He outwitted German intelligence officers on many occasions, once dropping opium laced cigarettes over Turkish lines, the trick worked and when a major British offense began, many Turks were unable to stand or talk. He was an avid Zionist and befreinded T E Lawrence as they struggled to help the Israeli state develope. He debated the Zionist movement with Churchill and lobbied at the Peace treaties in Paris. He was almost killed on the very last day of the war. In the 1930's, after much travel, he met with Ribbontrop and Hitler. On the third visit, Meinertzhagen pocketed a revolver and could have easily used it on Hitler, altering history to no end. When he first met Hitler in Berlin, Hitler greeted him with "Heil Hitler." Not hear of this infamous cry, Meinertzhagen replied "Heil Meinertzhagen". No one was amused in Hitler's chambers. An interesting book to read nonetheless, aside from the late author's flash forward dialogs and comments. A truly unique and interesting man.

Possibly the Worst Biography I've Ever Read
Unfortunately, this is one of the most poorly written and edited non-fiction books I have ever read. I say unfortunately, because the subject of this book is first rate biography fodder, having been deeply involved in British colonial wars of East Africa, leading commando actions against the Germans during WWI in East Africa and the Middle East, and working as an OSS agent in WWII--as well as being a hunter of epic proportions and something of an ornithologist.

Capstick chooses to concentrate on the "legend," eschewing any research, preferring to simply cite from Meinertzhagn's own diaries at length rather then take the time to provide any corroborating documentations. This is a shame since it is left to to the reader to decide what part of the tale is true and what is not--no small task given that Meinertzhagen destroyed a large portion of his diaries in 1942, which raises the possibility of revisionism on his part in the later years of his life. Not to mention the remarks in his diaries regarding T.E. Lawrence which have been ably refuted by historians, nor the recent news that at least one of his major ornithological "discoveries" was in fact a fraud on his part.

Capstick clearly was unable to organize information in any sensible manner, and his editor (if there actually was any), certainly didn't bother to help. For example, tacked onto the end of a lengthy paragraph about Meinertzhagen's dislike for other races is the only mention of his first marriage!

No, instead Capstick presents a rambling accounting the juiciest of events from the diaries, detracting from these by interjecting his own barely coherent diatribes against "greens" as well as numerous instances of the "I know just how Dick felt, I too..." variety. Clearly Capstick has an almost hero-worship of his subject, and thus totally waffles around Meinertzhagen's clearly racist views and blood lust. On page 220 he states as much: "This complex man's psychological makeup is not the point of this book. His glorious adventures and cunning bravery are." This is all well and fine except that his subject's "adventures" including loads of killing, including an Indian for mishandling his horse.

Meinertzhagen's life was certainly fascinating, but I'd suggest waiting to read about it in a competently researched and written biography, not in this homage.

Warrior : The Legend of Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen
When I ordered this book I looking forward to reading about this great man, However the author's constant interuption of the story with his (the author's)innane snippets of life in some of the same places in Africa, almost total spoilt this book for me, If I wanted a book about Mr Chapstick thats what I would have ordered, what I wanted though was a book about Richard Meinhertzhagen. Having vented my wrath, the book does cover his life in some detail, I only wish it had been written by a better author.

A sad effort
I've just finished reading "Warrior,'" and to say it was a struggle is an understatement. The dustjacket carries a quote from Field & Stream which places the late Peter Capstick beside Hemingway and Ruark in the pantheon of great African adventure writers. Whatever the merits of Capstick's earlier work, within the first few pages of "Warrior'" it becomes clear that the jacket of this badly edited, atrociously written book was the last place such a tribute should have appeared. Were Ernest Hemingway not already dead by his own hand, the implied favorable comparison of this book to his body of work might well have sent him screaming to the gun cabinet.

Whether germaine to the matter at hand or not, Capstick (or his posthumous editor) has scattered digressions, disconcerting nonsequitors and several shameless references to his earlier books throughout. The result? A messy, hard to read melange, filled with asides that lurch from past to present and back again. These asides serve no purpose beyond relating the author's opinions about virtually everything except what I bought the book for.

Somewhere beneath all this debris lies Col. Richard Meinertzhagen. Unfortunately, this treatment of his life was so offputting that I was left to wonder whether disinterring the little there was to find of the colonel was worth the effort -- let alone the price. In truth, "Warrior'" is a mere sketch of Meinertzhagen's life. In no way can its sparse, albeit at times gory, details be mistaken for a serious biography.

That Capstick vastly admired Meinertzhagen is clear. Perhaps the most charitable view of this sorry enterprise is that had its author lived to work on it further, this might have been a different and better book. The real shame is that "Warrior'" as it stands was the best that Capstick's publisher could manage on his behalf. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An Interesting Tale about An Interesting Fellow
This is an excellent biography of Benjamin D'Israeli. Pearson has nicely captured D'Israeli's life. He allows you to get to know D'Israeli during his many pursuits and love of travel. However, D'Israeli's written and political accomplishments are more so mentioned than that of his personal or private life. As a biography of a politician one may expect it to be very dry, but this is one biography that is not. If anyone is interested in D'Israeli and wants to be bombarded with dates and figures of his life than this is not the book to get, but if one is looking for a good read with a feeling of satisfaction at the end this is it.

Happy Reading ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Hero, not explainer or planner
Not as concise, powerful as Worsley's "Endurance". With all the verbiage, the question remains, why did he choose this route when he had failed the Amundsen route via the Ross shelf? Surely the Wedell sea approach was fraught with too many unknowns. And why didn't he try to land when he first approached the "harbor" in the shelf? More time exploring these issues would have been better than all the daily details of the drift through the icepack. Oh well, too late now, and his brave efforts to rescue his men were grand indeed. Clearly a greater hero than a planner.

Whatever happened to people like this?
We've had so few recently.

I Could Not Put This Book Down....
I took the book to work with me and found every possible moment to read it and totally absorb it's contents. Twenty-eight men survived the most horrendous situation imaginable by any human being...it makes the normal hardships that we live with seem trivial to say the least. In 1914, there were no cell phones, satelite systems for communication....these men were left with their resourcefulness...of which Sir Shackleton praised highly throughout the book. The leadership qualities of Sir Ernest Shackleton made it possible for them to survive, not months, but YEARS under these extremely trying circumstances. I couldn't help but wonder why a movie has not been made to depict this most amazing part of history.

Well written, as much a story of community as courage
What is even more interesting than the astonishing day to day labor of mere survival in hostile elements, is the way in which these men kept up their morale, how they faced those chanllenges. Fascinating reading, every page describes hardships you can't imagine not being fatal, and yet it's written in humble and straightforward narrative. At one point when clearly they were near death from starvation, thirst, cold and exhaustion, and floundering through unmarked wilderness a last bid to reach civilization or die, he remarks merely, "We were very tired". Interestingly, at one point when he and three others are crossing a mountain pass in jeopardy of their lives on a 3 day trek trying to find a camp, each of them had the lingering feeling that there was a fourth person with them, but they only realized this when they compared notes after they reached safety. Again Shackleton refuses to sentimentalize the moment, even though he clearly believes God was literally guiding them, saying only that thanks must be given to the appropriate parties. This is dry English manliness of the type you rarely see except in parody anymore. What speaks best of these explorers qualities is that immediately after returning to civilization, after months of being in literal despair for their lives in unimaginable hardship, they rushed to enlist in the war. You'd think they would feel themselves entitled never to rise from a featherbed again. You would at least expect that their struggle for life in the rawest elements would have given them an aloof distance from mere human conflicts, or made them reluctant to kill other men. This book definitely has what The Perfect Storm lacked in excellent, tight, compelling narrative.

Shackleton's own story of his famous expedition
Although there have been a number of new books and reprints recently focusing on the Endurance expedition, this is the one book everyone should read, Sir Ernest Shackleton's own story of the tragedy he turned into a triumph. Shackleton fully covers the expedition from its inception, through the loss of the Endurance, the stranding of the men on desolate Elephant Island, the majestic small-boat journey in search of rescue to South Georgia, the many attempts to evacuate the men from Elephant Island, and the little-known story of the Ross Sea Party of the expedition, who established a base on the opposite side of the Antarctic continent to lay depots for the planned Antarctic crossing and in spite of horrible deprivation caused when their ship was swept out to sea in a storm, managed to complete all their work laying the groundwork for a trip that never happened. After rescuing his men on Elephant Island, Shackleton had to rescue this party as well, something pretty much ignored in most modern books about the expedition. Very much worth reading; also read "Heart of the Antarctic," Shackleton's book about his earlier expedition. ... Read more

Book Description

Though a familiar name, little was known about the English mystic Margery Kempe (c. 1373-c. 1440) for hundreds of years except that she had an association with the great Julian of Norwich. This all changed in 1934 with the discovery of The Book of Margery Kempe in a library where it had lain hidden for four hundred years. Finding Margery's own story was important not just because of the light it shed on her life, but it also turned out to be the first known autobiography in the English language. Even more intriguing to the experts of the day, this unique document was written by a woman.

But if anyone had expected to find her anything like her cloistered contemporary, Julian, they were in for something of a surprise. Far from being a typical holy woman, Margery Kempe was married and mother of fourteen children. Moreover, she had been a woman of substance, even running a large brewery for a time. After turning to religion, she traveled thousands of miles around the known world on pilgrimages to distant lands.

Beyond the circumstances of her life, what's most compelling about the text is the inner Margery that emerges. Her account of spiritual awakening, far from being a blissful episode is instead full of conflict and recrimination. What good was this new way of life if it caused her such trouble? Was this really the only way to lead a holy life? Margery remained unsure of the answers. But her patience in her struggle is a wonder to behold, and an example for us today. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A medieval woman's spiritual journey through life
Margery Kempe lived from about 1373~1440s, and she really LIVED. In this book, accorded by many to be the first autobiography in English, a scribe records the tale of her life, but most specifically the aspects of it that relate to her spirituality. She was outspoken, controversial, courageous, annoying, devout, and eccentric and all of these aspects shine through into the book, even through the cloudy filter of a male religious scribe who may have 'polished' her words to make her sound more orthodox.

Margery began life as the daughter of the mayor of Lynn in England, and made a well-suited marriage. After the birth of her first child, she went mad due to some pent-up guilt and an unsympathetic confessor, and during this madness was spoken to by Jesus. This moment changed her life, and snapped her out of the madness. She continued with her worldly ways with failed attempts at entrepenurism and her delight in the physical side of marital relations... but after aobut 20 years she felt the pull of God and decided she needed to devote herself entirely to him.

Margery went about a long process of procuring chastity from her husband and set off on pilgrimages world wide. She was known for her loud, uncontrollable weeping fits that occured at random and caused many to claim she was a heretic. However, she stood trial before the Archbishops of England, on multiple occasions, and was never once convicted of heresy, and in fact often impressed the higher church officials with her knowledge of doctrine and the Bible. She went through many struggles in her life, but her deity was always there communicating with her or helping her through the cruelty of others, assuring her that all her pain on earth would only increase her joy in heaven.

Some reader bewares: Margery was hated for a *reason*, you can see this in so many of the encounters that she has, it is so easy to imagine how nagging and annoying having a prim, preaching, all-knowing person along with you on a long voyage all day long would be; or how alarming it would be to have some woman in hysterical fits day after day in the middle of your church when you were trying to pray. Margery comes across as arrogant in some ways - but if you had the unshakable knowledge that your deity loved you and you were going straight to heaven, wouldn't you be a tad uppity too? She was humble though, for example she spent weeks living in a hovel serving a beggar woman while in Rome, and she returned home to nurse her dying husband when he had a fall.

If you are interested in medieval studies, in women's history or feminism, in mysticism or religious history, this is a must-read for both its historical significance and its entertainment value. Its being taught at college campuses across the country now, so its gaining in recognition. Don't skip the introduction because its extremly informative, but the chapters can be read out of order because they are only loosely chronological and very short. In her time people either loved or hated Margery Kempe, and the same holds true today, so pick up the book and see which side you're on!

Deserves more exposure
As the earliest piece of English writing (in the sense of first-hand account of life rather than fiction) this book is irreplaceable.
I was quite surprised at the readable quality of the book, compared to other medieval writings. True, the book was dictated to an amanuensis by Margery, but that makes it all the more surprising - dictation generally does not have the flow that one's own writing has.
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There are some drawbacks ... the book is written with hindsight, and the facts are necessarily clouded by time and memory, but what does come across is that Margery was a sick woman, mentally, physically and spiritually.
She makes it very clear that she abhors the carnal side of marriage, yet dwells upon it at great length, as if 'the lady doth protest too much'.
Her frequents outbursts of wailing and self-abasement come across as an extreme form of PMS or hysteria brought on by self-denial.
Her excessive praying strikes one as an excuse for anything that she doesn't want to deal with normally.

As others have pointed out, she was well-to-do, had a thriving business, was not molested by her husband (apart from his alleged sexual demands, which do not seem excessive) yet spends an inordinate amount of time bemoaning her fate and her husband's demands on her.

Putting that to one side, there is a lot in this book to make one re-think our views of medieval life and the specifically the role of women.
For a woman to have a good business-head; have her own means of support; dictate conditions of marriage to her husband; travel as and when the mood took her; this doesn't sound like your archetypal medieval goode-wyfe...

Maybe this book should be more widely read ???

The First Autobiography in English
My Medieval class is keeping me very busy reading about women in the 14th century. First, I read about Julian of Norwich and her book, "Revelations of Divine Love", which I found to be very wordy and dense. "The Book of Margery Kempe" was easier, in that the theological development is embryonic, and therefore easier to understand, and the reader gets more information about Margery and her personal life.

Margery Kempe lived in England in the 14th century. The daughter of a well-to-do who served as mayor of his town, Margery seems to have had high expectations for her life that weren't realized. She married a man who had money problems, had fourteen children, and ran a brewery business that failed. After the birth of one of her children, Margery had a vision of Christ, and her life was forever changed. The bulk of the book details her various pilgrimages and adventures, as well as detailed accounts of her discussions with Christ.

While this is quite a colorful book, in an emotional sense, Margery doesn't come across as a very sincere person, which is what one would expect from a bride of Christ. One small incident that comes to mind is when Margery is praying for one of her religious instructors to get well. She doesn't pray that he will get healthy for his own sake, but so that she will be able to talk to him again. This theme of self-centered behavior runs throughout the book. Problems are seen not as tests of her faith or spirit, but as personal attacks on Margery, and they are something to be confronted instead of endured, although Margery pays lip service to the concepts of patience and humility.

What got Margery into so much trouble in the first place was the expressions of her intimate dialogues with Christ. Margery would weep, cry, roar and scream whenever God willed her to do this. Of course, this often happened in church and at meals. This often infuriated people, who were convinced that Margery was faking her behavior. Some of the fits do seem to be descriptions of temper tantrums more befitting a child. Margery also had some fits in which she turned blue and twisted from side to side. The classic child tantrum! Another annoying habit was her constant talking about God, Christ and all the spiritual things that those two figures entail. It's not hard to imagine that this would have gotten old fast.

The book reads quick and the endnotes are very helpful in providing dates and places, as well as biographical information on some of the important people that Margery encounters in her travels. The timeline at the front of the book helps keep events in order, as Margery dictated her story to a priest, and her memory doesn't always place events in the right chronological order.

I read the Penguin edition and found it to be most enjoyable. Anyone interested in Medieval history or Christian mysticism should certainly give this one a spin.

Correcting Previous Mistakes
Just wanted to point out: Margery Kempe was actually extremely wealthy, not "lower class." There is evidence that John Kempe married her for her money. She was the operator of a brewery, which also provided a great deal of income. Lower class medieval women usually didn't have the means to travel around evangelizing.

Humans learn best from their mistakes.
Margery Kempe, along with Richard Rolle, were somewhat heretical, and this is helpful to point out what mistakes they made that we Christians (and non-Christians) continue to make. Richard Rolle is also interesting because he, not Chaucer, was the first great writer in English (rather than Latin). I would recommend his Fire of Love as helpful for the things not to do. Dr. Henry P. Roberson, Enid, Oklahoma ... Read more

Book Description

For more than a century Buckingham Palace suppressed the facts about the illicit marriage between the twice-widowed Catholic Maria Fitzherbert and the Prince of Wales, the future George IV. Rumor and scandal began immediately when she met the accomplished if already slightly dissolute Prince of Wales, and even in her obituary, the Times of London pronounced the marriage "either a cruel imposition to silence the scruples of a virtuous though weakminded woman, or an hypocritical pretext adopted by the lady herself to cover her shame." The Maria that emerges in the pages of biographer James Munson’s pages is neither the unprincipled temptress of her critics nor the romantic heroine of her advocates but rather a complex woman of strong principles, remarkable practicality, iron will, and genuine virtue. For as resolutely as the prince pursued her, Maria steadfastly refused to become his mistress. However much he might want her or she him, she wanted marriage more. Thus was Maria thrust into the political intrigues that underlay the Regency crisis and reign of George IV as well as into one of the most bizarre chapters in