Vampire : The Masquerade (Revised Edition)

Book Description

THE MIDNIGHT DANCE CONTINUES...

They stalk in the shadows, moving gracefully and unseen among their prey. They are the blood-drinking fiends of whispered legends -Kindred, Cainites, the Damned. Above all, they are vampires. Their eternal struggle, waged sicne the nights of Jericho and Babylon, plays itself out among the vampires' grand Masquerade is imperiled, and the night of Gehenna draws ever closer.

UNTIL THE END OF ALL THINGS
This new edition of Vampire: The Masquerade is an updated, revised version of the popular classic. In this mammoth volume can be found all 13 Clans, all major Disciplines, and a host of brand-new infomation on both the Kindred and the...things...that hunt them. This book compiles everything that a Vampire player or Storyteller needs to know about the Kindred and the World of Darkness for the new millenium. Plus, the new edition provides all-new information on the changes that affect the Clans, and on the beginning of the end of the Camarilla. Finally, the first of the Storyteller rulebooks is the best again!

Customer Reviews:

RPG.......2007-09-03

A novel approach to the role playing game, that was quite successful, with a different feel, style and mechanism. Vampires are a popular theme, and this had more crossover appeal to more of the population it seemed than something like Dungeons and Dragons, so a definite breakthrough at the time this was produced.

Amazing.......2007-01-20

This was the first version of Vampire that I played, and I absolutly love it. Yes, the dice is a little confusing, but as with all systems, it all comes down to how each individual player chooses to interact with the system. My favorite part of the system is the merit/flaw system that allows characters to have twice as much depth as some other systems.

dont take the whinig of Jonnhy truant. Buy this Book.......2004-12-05

I wasn't a vampire player at first in fact a freind and I were at each others throats for a while over the diferences between mage and vampire. but after taking a closer look at the two games I have come to realize that they coenside with each other quite well and are very easily mixed together.

And as for the stupid assumptions of this Jonnhy traunt character he probably hasn't even played the system under a descent game master. His arguments are pethetic as well and heres why.

1)you are of course going to run into a lot of gothic players. if he read the book then he would know that it says you are playing in the gothic punk world of darkness on page# 28 the paragraph labled in BIG BOLD LETERS stating "Gothic punk isperhaps the best way to describe the physical nature of the World of Darkness". So thus endeth that stupid assumption. I think I speek for all of Us Goths out there Christian Goth or not that this is definatly a Highly goth game and that this guy has just insulted the population of Goths.

2) Munchkins, Power gamers, Rules lawers, and Dicers are all varyiants that the Game master should have to syphon through. I know this because I am A GM for vampire, Mage, Werewolf, Shadowrun, and heros unlimited. It even states in the GMs guide that the GM has to take care of that problem and Either remove them or deal with it. Note that comprimises are acceptable.

3) This game is set for mature gamers not for beginners. This jonnhy guy really must of started with it and thought that its rules were to complex. Wrong the rule are simple. you just gotta be smart.

So last Dont take any of the whining gibering of Jonnhy truant. BUY THIS BOOK. Oh yeah and Jonnhy be smarter than the equipment you opperate, or, in this case learn to read the whole book before you try to give a stupid opinion that has no good reasoning. can we say hollow?....... Come on I know you can do it. never mind.

To the rest of you i leave this

Life is short, But death is eternal.

A GURPS Version of WOD.......2004-04-22

This is not a white wolf book, rather it is the conversion rules for people who are interested in playing vampire but not in learning a new system and who are already competent with the GURPS rules. If you are new to role playing and want to play a vampire then I suggest you find the world of darkness rules for this game as they are more expansive and complex.

However, if you already know GURPS and are interested in playing a vampire then I strongly suggest this book. The rules are clearly laid out for people to read and understand. Though it is not a stand alone product, it's not trying to be. And it allows people who like WOD but who don't want to learn a new system to use a system they already know to play it.

For those unfamiliar with vampire I'll do my best to give a rough over view. There are many different types of vampires known as Clans. Each clan has separate special powers which give them an edge up on one another. Some people find this system to be stereotype based, I have found, however, that the point is not to play a typical Brujah, Tremere, Venture, Lasombra or Toreador (just to name a few), but rather to create one who falls with in the lines of the clan but also is a unique individual. The Storyteller then guides the players though an advanture just like any other roleplaying game.

As for the format of the book it is a bit confusing for those who aren't used to the way White Wolf sets up books. Unlike most WOD books, however, the index is surprising useful and can be used to find just about everything that is needed in the book. I do suggest the use of sticky notes for some sections as quick reference or your can write in the margins if you don't mind writing in books.

One last thing for those with young children, Vampire is an intense rather dark game. It's not happy or light and fluffy. The plays are playing vampires who do kill people, and it is a horror based game. The book is dark and intense and probably not suitable for children under the age of 14.

Where did I put my Bauhaus?.......2003-11-06

Vampire: The Masquerade is a one of the better World of Darkness series out there. Although I reccomend Hunter: The Reckoning for ideal beginnings, V:TM is truely fun for player and storyteller alike.

I'd also like to point out that, in order to get the right enviroment for a lot of these games, you might want to pick up some (if not all!) of the CDs the reccomend. It's good music, too.

Book Description

Manufacturing Planning and Control Systems for Supply Chain Management is both the classic field handbook for manufacturing professionals in virtually any industry and the standard preparatory text for APICS certification courses. This essential reference has been totally revised and updated to give professionals the knowledge they need.

Customer Reviews:

Comprehensive coverage of MPC in theory and practice.......2007-06-09

It remains for others better qualified than I am to determine whether or not this book is "the definitive guide for professionals" but I do consider it to be one of the most informative and one of the most valuable I have read thus far. The comments which follow focus on the Fifth Edition (2005) in which the co-authors (Thomas E. Vollman, William L. Berry, D. Clay Whybark, and F. Robert Jacobs) update, supplement, or delete material from previous editions as well as add new concepts "in response to changing needs." They also explain that they revised the basic organization of their book "in response to changes in the environment in which manufacturing planning and control (MPC) systems operate."

For example, the implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and the continuing decentralization of decision-making to the factory floor. The environment has also become more complicated by the proliferation of globalization initiatives. As a result, the authors note, "the interconnectedness of manufacturing firms has increased substantially. The implication of this is that companies are now often integrated as customers of their suppliers and integrated with customers whom they supply in complicated ways. This has created the need to manage some very complex supply chains or networks." Vollman, Berry, Whybark, and Jacobs produced this Fifth Edition in response to changes such as these.

Of special interest to me is the material provided in Chapter 4, "Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) - Integrated Systems." For various reasons that the authors cite, it is highly desirable, in fact imperative that decision-making be centralized if the given system is to take full advantage of economies of scale. Redundant transactions must be minimized, if not eliminated. With regard to knowledge management, information must be captured at the source, with any process of transactions fully documented. (Many senior-level executives express the same exasperation: "If only we knew what we know!") In fact, all processes must efficiently support the data needs of the ERP system. Hence the importance of communication, cooperation, and especially, collaboration at all levels and within all areas of the given supply chain. Moreover, a set of performance measures must be formulated in coordination with appropriate policies, procedures, and objectives. Economies of scale can also be achieved if fewer software and hardware platforms are needed during ERP implementation.

Credit the authors with their effective use of various reader-friendly devices as they present their material. For example, check out the Brief Contents and Contents pages that offer an uncommonly specific explanation of what is covered in each chapter. (The latter is the most detailed I have as yet encountered in a business book.) Also, the recurring sections (e.g. Company Examples, Concluding Principles, and References) at the conclusion of most chapters. Many readers will probably refer to the Contents more often than to the Index.

Although this volume will probably be most valuable to those enrolled in business courses and especially if preparing for certification by the Association for Operations Management, I think it will also be of interest and value to those about to embark upon or are now involved in process improvement initiatives. Some of the best opportunities to eliminate waste while increasing efficiency and productivity can be found within a supply chain.

Might be the best source for a manufacturing systems designer available........2006-09-06

Dense. Rich. Thorough. Comprehensive. Authoritative. This well-written book presents manufacturing planning & control systems in abstract enough terms to separate them from any particular implementation, yet concretely enough to base your more detailed designs on. In software development terms, it's at the level of Architecture, High-level design and requirements. But it's not limited to software systems -- it's about work functions and processes too.

You leave the book feeling that you get it in some way, at a conceptual level, how a manufacturing endeavor has to be structured and what the various processes are that have to be intertwined and coordinated for it all to work.

The authors take an in depth look at the evolution of "classical", "functional" manufacturing (as reflected incrementally in informal shop floor systems, to MRP & MRPII, to ERP) as well as newer intrafirm management systems like JIT and "lean manufacturing". The thrust of the text, though, is on the nascent developments leading to "lean organization", "lean enterprise" and "lean supply chain". The leading edge of this evolution is the appearance of interfirm supply chain systems that focus on improving the entire supply chain and sharing these improvements with all of the links in the chain.

Overall an excellent, if somewhat slow, read.

Great reference for the professional........2004-07-20

This is just what I was looking for. I am a programmer and need to know exactly how the latest procedures for inventory control actually work. The techniques are explained in great detail, giving me exactly what I need. Lots of current information about Supply Chain Management with actual company examples included in every chapter.

World Civilizations : Their History and Their Culture

Average customer rating:

Good Book

World Civilizations : Their History and Their Culture
Philip Lee Ralph , Robert E. Lerner , Standish Meacham , Alan T. Wood , Richard W. Hull , and Edward McNall Burns
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0393968812

Customer Reviews:

Good Book.......2000-03-30

I find this book fairly understandable, easy to follow and a bit of interesting with good pictures!

Average customer rating:

A Timeless Play As Meaningful Today As When It Was Written
Still Relevant
Do you believe GOD created the Earth?
Engaging work explores importance of the right to think. Some characters overly one dimensional
A great story still being played out today

Inherit the Wind
Jerome Lawrence , and Robert E. Lee
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0345501039
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Book Description

One of the most moving and meaningful plays in American theatre--based on the famed Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925, in which a Tennessee teacher was tried for teaching evolution--now on Broadway starring Tony Award® Winners Christopher Plummer and Brian Dennehy, and Directed by Tony Award® Winner Doug Hughes

The accused was a slight, frightened man who had deliberately broken the law. His trial was a Roman circus, the chief gladiators being the two great legal giants of the century. Locked in mortal combat, they bellowed and roared imprecations and abuse. The spectators sat uneasily in the sweltering heat with murder in their hearts, barely able to restrain themselves. At stake was the freedom of every American.

“Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee were classic Broadway scribes who knew how to crank out serious plays for thinking Americans. . . . Inherit the Wind is a perpetually prescient courtroom battle over the legality of teaching evolution. . . . We’re still arguing this case–all the way to the White House.”
–Chicago Tribune

“Powerful . . . a crackling good courtroom play . . . [that] provides two of the juiciest roles in American theater.”
–Copley News Service

“[This] historical drama . . . deserves respect.”
–The Columbus Dispatch

Customer Reviews:

A Timeless Play As Meaningful Today As When It Was Written.......2007-09-25

Note: I made some Mormon reader angry over my reviews of books written by Mormons out to prove the Book of Mormon, and that person has been slamming my reviews. My review of "Inherit the Wind" is concise and to the point. Oh, I get it. That person is a fanatic, and he or she doesn't like that state of mind exposed.

This explosive drama is a re-enactment of one of the twentieth century's greatest courtroom dramas--the 1925 Scopes Trail. The collision of William Jennings Bryan (a religious fundamentalist) and Clarence Darrow (an agnostic) is wonderfully enacted. Scopes, a high-school teacher, was put on trail for teaching evolution.

The preacher's daughter is in love with Scopes, and the sparks fly over the conflict. The preacher's religious fanaticism threatens to destroy his own family. Thus, the line from Proverbs 11:29: "He that troubleth his own house Shall inherit the wind."

I would also highly recommend Eric Hoffer's classic little book, "The True Believer." A must for educated readers.

The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements (Perennial Classics)

Still Relevant.......2007-06-12

In a world that is still divided over the wide range dilemma of religion, Inherit the Wind is brilliant in the manner where it analyzes its complexity. The premise is relatively simple. Based on the infamous Scopes Monkey Trial of 1945, the plot charges forward when a young teacher, Cates, breaks a local rule banning the teaching of evolution in the classroom. He is arrested, and placed on trial within a not-so-welcoming town. Yet the real drama takes center stage when the trial moves beyond violating a local rule. Matthew Harrison, the national fundamentalist hero, views this trial as an opportunity to gain popularity across fundamentalist Christianity and decides to take on the case. His staunch orthodox is intensely rivaled by Henry Drummond, the avid atheist set on transforming the small town's approach to the bible and opposing view points. The novel's authors, Lawrence and Lee, take great care to expand the issue over the theory evolution to a broader context of the various forms of biblical interpretation. Lawrence and Lee bring up dilemmas such as whether or not the bible and religion itself have the capacity to correlate. The idea that the authors expanded the issue of evolution to a higher complexity focusing on biblical interpretation is in my opinion the greatest portion of the play, and deserves the reader's attention throughout.

Yet, while the variety of opinions were equally considered in the plot, they aren't the only portions that add to the novel's complexity and beauty. The famous political leaders themselves, Harrison and Drummond, are given traits that give justice to the men that they were based on. William Jennings Bryan, Harrison's character, was known to the public in the same form that Harrison was portrayed. Darrow, represented by Drummond, was a passionate atheist concerned for the law. The authors made it a point to stay true to the politicians' personas while at the same time steering the play away from a typical historical representation.

While in my opinion, the play had a liberal bias, it in no way went out to outright ridicule a conservative interpretation. What it did instead was demand that the general public remain open minded. It argues that people of all religious and political ideologies come together and discuss differences that in no way impede others from freely practicing what they believe. This in combination with the criticisms of our nation's justice system garner it the raves it deserves.

Do you believe GOD created the Earth?.......2006-11-22

In Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Bert Cates a school teacher of Hillsboro was put on trial for saying God didn't create the world. Because of this a very famous lawyer named Bradley was sent to represent hillsboro while Cates's represenative was a very unwelcomed man a man by the name of Henry Drummund. which of these two men will prevail and prove there opponent wrong? In the end "lost" and was fined. he then decided that he wouldn't be welcome in hillsboro anymore and left for a new life, but who do you think is the true winner?

Engaging work explores importance of the right to think. Some characters overly one dimensional.......2006-06-04

This is a well-written play based on real life events that explores important ideas fairly, and in an engaging manner. Basically, a teacher, Bertram Cates, is on trial for teaching evolution in the small town of Hillsboro "not long ago" (but likely in the 1950s). The prosecutor is Mathew Harrison Brady, a Christian who interprets the bible literally, and Cates' lawyer is Henry Drummond, an 'agnostic' who values the right to think.

A casual reader may think this play celebrates 'the triumph' of evolution over religion, but a deeper reading shows that what is celebrated is not evolution per se, but the right to think, the right to contemplate and learn about our world.

Likewise, religion is not denigrated per se, but rather, the authors criticize a dogmatic acceptance of religious tenants, particularly religious history. In fact, in the end, cynical, arrogant, cold hearted atheism is shown to be problematic as well: religion very much still has a place in teaching us in how to relate to our fellow human beings, which is with justice and generosity.

I do have one criticism- I would say that some characters, particularly the prosecutor Brady and the residents of the town of Hillsboro are painted one dimensionally as foolish, thoughtless buffoons. The authors make this very clear, stating in the stage directions that the town itself, not just the defendant Cates, is on trial.

On the other hand, equally flawed characters, like the cynical atheist journalist Hornbeck, are not presented in such a negative fashion (although I personally found his 'poetry' throughout the play as jarring and annoying.) And certainly the authors have nothing but praise for the lawyer Drummond.

A more fair portrayal of all characters concerned would have made this great work even stronger.

A great story still being played out today.......2006-03-20

This is a great play regarding creationism versus The theory of evolution. A must read if you are trying to understand what the intelligent design debate is all about.

Manufacturing Planning and Control for Supply Chain Management

Average customer rating:

Overpriced, Unsupportive, Mind-Numbing
I hate this Book
Amazing Reference
Too wordy and lengthy content to focus the points well
Instructor

Manufacturing Planning and Control for Supply Chain Management
Thomas E Vollmann , William Lee Berry , David Clay Whybark , F. Robert Jacobs , Thomas Vollmann , and William Berry
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0072299908

Book Description

Vollman, Berry, Whybark and Jacobs', Manufacturing Planning & Control Systems, 5/e provides comprehensive real world based coverage of the concepts, tools, and methods used to manage and control manufacturing systems. This major revision contains four entirely new chapters and four thoroughly upgraded to nearly original content. ERP system coverage and the impact of them in the field is covered now in a new introductory chapter (4) as well as being integrated heavily into many other chapters from Sales and Operations Planning (3) to Advanced Scheduling Systems (16). Manufacturing Planning & Control Systems, 5/e continues to be organized in a flexible format, with the basic coverage in chapters 1-12 followed by advanced chapters that could be covered along with the basics, or skipped. Each chapter provides a managerial issues overview, then the detailed technical presentation, then examples of company implementations, then concluding principles.

Customer Reviews:

Overpriced, Unsupportive, Mind-Numbing.......2007-10-11

I required this book for a class i was taking. Overall this is one of the worst text books i have ever used. The book is filled with somewhat technical and complex information regarding MPC, yet fails to provide topical examples illustrating the principles and theories behind the information. The only reason to ever buy a book this overpriced and disobliging is for a class.

I hate this Book.......2006-11-06

This book is terrible and most of my classmates concur. For example chapter 5 alludes to certain statistical methods and in essence completely butchers them. As a student I had to use several other resources to pass my classes as this text is useless. If you are an instructor select something else.

Amazing Reference.......2005-01-30

This is a must have in any business library. The material is applicable in many useful areas throughout the supply chain. It's enjoyable to read b/c you keep thinking of how to apply the theories introduced in the book in your work. This is absolutely a treasure in your library.

Too wordy and lengthy content to focus the points well.......2004-07-12

Even if it is taken as the popular textbook for MPC, I'd rather read the another one: "Introduction to the materials management" by Arnold and Chapman. I can not easily catch the points and feel muddled after reading long sections and words in this book. However, the examples and case studies here are worthy to have a big picture for those who are new in this field.

Instructor.......2002-01-23

Great book for all Industrial engineers. It does not get completely complicated and relates directly to common day industry practices.

Average customer rating:

Thoreau and non-violent protest against the government
An Enjoyable Night with Genius
Greatness "transcends" beyond words
A mind beyond bars
Y'all,

The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail: A Play
Jerome Lawrence , and Robert E. Lee
Manufacturer: Hill and Wang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

United States | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0809012235

Book Description

A reissue of a now classic American drama.

If the law is of such a nature that it requires you to be an agent of injustice to another, then I say, break the law." So wrote the young Henry David Thoreau in 1849. Three years earlier, Thoreau had put his belief into action and refused to pay taxes because of the United States government's involvement in the Mexican War, which Thoreau firmly believed was unjust. For his daring and unprecedented act of protest, he was thrown in jail. The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail is a celebrated dramatic presentation of this famous act of civil disobedience and its consequences. Its poignant, lively, and accessible scenes offer a compelling exploration of Thoreau's philosophy and life.

Customer Reviews:

Thoreau and non-violent protest against the government.......2005-03-10

While Thoreau was living at Walden, then President James K. Polk declared war on Mexico without Congressional approval. To protest this and the government, Thoreau refused to pay his taxes and was sent to jail. This play fantasizes on what might have been going through Thoreau's mind as he spent the night in jail: reflecting on his childhood, the life and death of his brother, his idol Ralph Waldo Emerson, what lead him to his solitary life at Walden and the impetus for his refusal to pay the taxes. I enjoyed reading this very much as it gave some insight into the great thinker who influenced the likes of Gandhi with his non-violent form of protesting the government.

An Enjoyable Night with Genius.......2005-02-22

Henry David Thoreau may be experiencing a sort of revival as of late. His treatise on civil disobidience is a hallmark of progressive action today. Upset that his government declared an unjust war, Thoreau refuses to pay taxes to show his digust, which lands him one lauded night in jail. Thus is the basis for this extremely inventive, timely play "The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail".

Not just a night in jail, but a brave overview Thoreau's life ensues, showing snippets of his events, meetings, and philosophies that were so critical to the development of his transcendentalism. This isn't a dry biography, however. The authors weave a Thoreau that is a rich tapestry of thought and action. He is both endearing and complex, wise and unaware.

We enter the play with Henry in his cell, and begins to relive some important moments in his life. We meet Emerson and his wife, Henry's mother, and favorite brother John, as they inact with his memories and become alive themselves. The ebullience of John is obvious, which makes his passing much more severe. This play helps to maginify the brilliance of a brilliant man, while making him more human, more real.

The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail is a great read, and will springboard your interests to study this amazing thinker.

Greatness "transcends" beyond words.......2004-11-14

THE NIGHT THOREAU SPENT IN JAIL describes thinker Henry David Thoreau short experience in jail after not paying his taxes. Employing flashbacks within flashbacks, playwrights Lawrence and Lee take on the task of describing Thoreau's life so far. Filled with witty remarks and humorous dialogue, this book transcends what I can say about it.

After having been assigned to read this book for my AP 11 English class, I started out first assignment: Read to page 50. To my surprise, once I got to page 50, I couldn't put it down. My teacher had warned us about this scenario. She said the book was cleverly hilarious and enjoyable. Naturally--it being an ASSIGNED book--I doubted her words.

When I got into the play, within the first few words of dialogue, I was laughing out loud. The writers, whose research was obviously accurate and concise, tickled me when Ralph Waldo Emerson asked "who" his umbrella was, making a reference to his supposed contraction of Alzheimer's disease. Thoreau's teachings of God and fields and notetaking were pleasing and enriching.

Not only was I thrilled by his paradoxical dialogue,

[In a nutshell...
Thoreau to a student: Why are you taking notes?
Student: So I can remember what you say.
Thoreau: But then it's the notebook that does the remembering, not you.
(She puts away her notebook)
Thoreau: Why have you stopped taking notes?
Student: Because you said to.
Thoreau: Why would you do what I say?]

but I also took away something from it, which is a common moral you would see in books and movies today: Do things for yourself, and pay no attention to what others say or think. Though the moral is a bit overused, Lee and Lawrence refresh it and make the lesson new placing it in the midst of witticism and transcendentalist teachings.

Now, the only thing left for me to do is write a thank you card to my teacher for treating us with this wonderful book.

A mind beyond bars.......2004-11-11

This play examines Henry David Thoreau, his philosophies, and some of the events in his life. During the Mexican American War, Thoreau refused at one point to pay his taxes. He felt that the war was unjust, and he didn't want his money supporting a government that he believed was doing unjust things. (He also believed that the war was not the will of the people, as President Polk had declared war without the support of Congress.)

The play, which takes place on a simple set that emphasizes the imagination of the audience (and the performers) for props/surroundings, also delves into Thoreau's love for nature and his views on sprituality. (The fact that the set is simple reflects another way that form follows content, as Thoreau encouraged people to turn away from materialism and simplify their lives.) The chief journey in the play is Thoreau's decision to return to the world, rather than remove himself from it.

Themes include individuality, the nature of spirituality, marching to one's own drummer (regardless of consequence), the belief that one person can make a difference, the idea of standing on principle/what's right, and the manifestation of the divine in nature and humanity (Transcendentalism).

It's a somewhat academic play, about ideas more than about plot (of which there is virtually none), but it reminds us that theatre can inform and instruct us as well as entertain us. Additionally, the subject matter of the play is very topical (public funds for stem cell research? or the war in Iraq?) and is sure to stimulate thought and discussion.

The authors of this play (two college professors) demanded that it not be produced on Broadway and, to my knowledge, it never has been. This, I may assume, was their own form of "disobedience," as they maintained that a few blocks in Manhattan shouldn't dictate what real theatre is to the rest of the nation. Despite their mandate, however, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail has been one of the most produced plays in America, enjoying wide circulation in regional theatres and especially on college campuses.

Y'all,.......2004-04-30

This book/play, umm, whatever... is totally AWESOME!!!! So go read it! Now!

Average customer rating:

The last 18 months
Great finish in an outstanding trilogy
Very Affecting Novel on the last years of the Civil War in the East
Moving finale of the Civil War trilogy
A fine study of the last year ...

The Last Full Measure
Jeff Shaara
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345434811
Release Date: 2000-05-02

Amazon.com

Author Jeff Shaara rounds out the Civil War trilogy started by his late father Michael Shaara, whose book The Killer Angels describes the Battle of Gettysburg. Just as Jeff Shaara's Gods and Generals covers action prior to Gettysburg, The Last Full Measure picks up with Confederate General Robert E. Lee's retreat from Pennsylvania and continues through the end of the war. Shaara focuses on the characters of Lee and Union commander Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, both of whom play prominent roles in the earlier books. He also introduces a new one: Ulysses S. Grant, the Union general who would finally defeat the South--something no soldier before him could manage. The Last Full Measure is often exciting and poignant, and fans of The Killer Angels and Gods and Generals won't be disappointed. --John Miller

Book Description

In the Pulitzer prize-winning classic The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara created the finest Civil War novel of our time, an enduring bestseller that has sold more than two million copies. In the bestselling Gods and Generals, Shaara's son, Jeff, brilliantly sustained his father's vision, telling the epic story of the events culminating in the Battle of Gettysburg. Now, Jeff Shaara brings this legendary father-son trilogy to its stunning conclusion in a novel that brings to life the final two years of the Civil War.

As The Last Full Measure opens, Gettysburg is past and the war advances to its third brutal year. On the Union side, the gulf between the politicians in Washington and the generals in the field yawns ever wider. Never has the cumbersome Union Army so desperately needed a decisive, hard-nosed leader. It is at this critical moment that Lincoln places Ulysses S. Grant in command--and turns the tide of war.

For Robert E. Lee, Gettysburg was an unspeakable disaster--compounded by the shattering loss of the fiery Stonewall Jackson two months before. Lee knows better than anyone that the South cannot survive a war of attrition. But with the total devotion of his generals--Longstreet, Hill, Stuart--and his unswerving faith in God, Lee is determined to fight to the bitter end.

Here too is Joshua Chamberlain, the college professor who emerged as the Union hero of Gettysburg--and who will rise to become one of the greatest figures of the Civil War.

Battle by staggering battle, Shaara dramatizes the escalating confrontation between Lee and Grant--complicated, heroic, deeply troubled men. From the costly Battle of the Wilderness to the agonizing siege of Petersburg to Lee's epoch-making surrender at Appomattox, Shaara portrays the riveting conclusion of the Civil War through the minds and hearts of the individuals who gave their last full measure.

Full of human passion and the spellbinding truth of history, The Last Full Measure is the fitting capstone to a magnificent literary trilogy.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

The last 18 months.......2007-10-12

"The Last Full Measure" picks up where "The Killer Angels" left off. General Lee is still licking his wounds after the Confederate disaster at Gettysburg. He and Longstreet are still on shaky ground personally, and most of Lee's best officers are gone now. Meanwhile President Abraham Lincoln has just appointed General Grant to the new position of Lieutenant General, commander of the Union Army. He pursues Lee for another 18 months whittling away at the southern army until Lee is finally forced to surrender.

It seems like the writing process of this trilogy was just as much an epic as the novels themselves. It starts with Jeffery Shaara's father, Michael, who wrote "The Killer Angels". Then son Jeff takes on the mantel and continues on, going backward before Gettysburg and forward afterward until the end of the war. This book, as you know, is the end of the Civil War trilogy and it ends with a bang, so to speak. This book is so thoroughly heartbreaking at the end, with General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia on the run from General Grants Union forces. What did it for me was when Lee was inspecting the troops and they are so pathetic looking and tell Lee they're hungry. And the truce at Appomattox was possibly the best writing I have ever read, with both enemy generals being civil to each other that was obviously a strained effort from both parties.

Saintly Colonel Joshua Chamberlain is still the main Union protagonist through out the novel, though in "Measure" he shares the spotlight with General Grant, who is a moody and somber man, more or less Lee's moral equivalent. Longstreet and Lee are still the main focus of the Confederate point of view, though after the battle at Gettysburg their relationship is strained at best. We see and hear a little of Sherman's March to the Sea, but the main focus is on the battle field in Virginia and in the north.

As before the realities of the fight are examined minutely, with the Bristoe Station, then Overland Campaign to the Siege of Petersburg. The introduction of African American soldiers is new to the Shaara series, but it also shows that the one's who had the most to lose were also willing to fight just as hard and ferociously as their white counterparts.

A worthy conclusion to a great series of books.

Great finish in an outstanding trilogy.......2007-04-04

I think this book, and the two preceding it should be required reading in school. I had no idea how horrific this war was, particularly more so as the brutalities committed on both sides were against our own. There were so many moments when I wanted to stop and cry for the loss of life, and especially at the end when the one man who was capable of healing the country and bringing us all back together as one nation, Abraham Lincoln, was assassinated.

The research was impeccable and telling the story from the viewpoints of the various generals absolutely fascinating. The honorable Robert E. Lee, Chamberlain (loved his gracious salute to the surrendering army), and the ever fascinating U.S. Grant.

One quote from so many in the book that just brought tears to my eyes: "Yes, it was horrible, horrible indeed. But he had to tell himself that, remind himself to see it that way. There was no sickening revulsion, no outrage, no indignation at the barbarism. It was just one more scene from this war, one more horror, one more mass of death, blending together with all the rest."

Highly highly recommended, and will definitely open your eyes to the horror of war.

Very Affecting Novel on the last years of the Civil War in the East.......2007-03-20

This is the novel that it seemed that Shaara came into his own. This part of the Civil War was incredibly brutal and Shaara depicts this well. The campaign that Grant and Lee waged was epic and Shaara brings out the humanity of these two men. This book seems just a notch below the "Killer Angels" and is superior in many respects to "Gods and Generals". It is populated by a very human Grant (this book made me want to read more about him) and a very ungodlike Robert E. Lee who propel the story. Chamberlain and his struggles are also depicted and are very relevant because his actions in the last year of the war were as heroic as his actions at Gettysburg. Appomattox is also depicted very movingly. Hopefully this novel will eventually be made into the definitive Civil War film.

Moving finale of the Civil War trilogy.......2007-01-24

I echo the positive sentiments previously expressed. Let me add that the chapters covering Lee's surrender and Chamberlain's salute are among the most moving I have ever read.

A fine study of the last year ..........2007-01-14

... of the American Civil War. I would say this is an excellent history for those who do not particularly have the patience or care to read a history book.

Set as a novel viewing the events of the war through the eyes of it's major players, the story begins with Lee's army at the swollen banks of the Potomac after his retreat from the disaster at Gettysburg. Although the novel does not include the recruitment process of Grant for command of all Union forces as Lt. General (a rank last held by George Washington), nor the strategy session between Grant and his favorite, Gen. W.T. Sherman; it does give a glimpse of why Lincoln chose this man to led the Army.

With the selection of Grant the focus of the war is changed from the dubious capture of Richmond as a means to defeat the South to the defeat of Lee himself. Grant sums it up in a sentence to Gen. Meade (who he leaves in charge of the Army of the Potomac) saying, "Where Lee goes, you will go too." Grant knows that the fighting heart of the South is not in Richmond, but in its most popular leader, Gen. R.E. Lee. When Lee is beaten, the war will end ... and of course, history bears this out.

The tale takes us through the Union defeat in the burning thickets and forest of the Wilderness; Lee's (and Stuart's) brilliant disengagement and race to Spotsylvania and the mule shoe salient -- where the most vicious fighting of the war takes place -- the two armies positioned literally yards from each other, clubbing and stabbing one another to death over and through chinks in the log barricades. It follows Lee's move to the North Ana River where Grant's leaders make a terrible mistake in deployment, but are spared disaster because Lee remains in his tent, too ill to take advantage of the situation. The fight moves further south to Cold Harbor and the wholesale slaughter of Union troops in Grant's biggest mistake of the war. Over 7,000 men are killed in twenty minutes of battle. And finally to the siege of the strategic rail center at Petersburg.

Ultimately Lee will leave Petersburg and march his army west only to be dogged by the Union and finally give up the fight as hopeless at Appomattox.

Although slow moving at times, the average reader will come to know the last year of the Civil War in a way that standard history texts cannot tell it. This is the most critical period of time for each nation's survival. If Lee can hold out for a few more months and Lincoln is not reelected, the pacifist movement in the North will permit the Confederacy their independence and the Union will be broken. With the defeat of Lee in Virginia and the victories of Sherman in Georgia, the South will give up the fight and the Union preserved. We all know the eventual outcome of the struggle. This book gives us the personalized details of how desperate a fight it really was.

Some of the more avid history buffs might be a bit disappointed at the coverage of some events (such as the battle of Cold Harbor), but all in all, this is a fine book on the greatest event in American history. Well written and very readable.

*** Highly Recommended ***

~pjm~

Average customer rating:

Thought provoking
Awesome & Exciting!!!!
gettysburg
THIRD GREAT BOOK
Excellent counterfactual, still fiction

Gettysburg: A Novel of the Civil War
Newt Gingrich , and William R. Forstchen
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0312987250
Release Date: 2005-04-05

Book Description

The Battle of Gettysburg has become the great "what if" of American history. Gettysburg unfolds an alternate path and creates for General Robert E. Lee the victory he might have won. Full of dramatic battle scenes, military strategy, and captivating period details, Gettysburg stands as a remarkable entry in the pantheon of Civil War literature and as a vivid novel of the realities of war.The year is 1863, and General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia are poised to attack the North and claim the victory that could end the brutal conflict. Launching his men into a vast sweeping operation, General Lee, acting as he did at Chancellorsville, Second Manassas, and Antietam, displays the audacity of old. He knows he has but one more good chance to gain ultimate victory. Now Lee's lieutenants and the men in the ranks, imbued with this renewed spirit of the offensive, embark on the Gettysburg Campaign that many dream "should have been"....

Customer Reviews:

Thought provoking.......2007-08-29

Outstanding novel, enough history to keep the Civil War buffs entertained and the "what if" makes it a wonderfull adventure into the imagination.

Awesome & Exciting!!!!.......2007-08-14

1. The prose brings the Civil War battlefield to life.
2. The premise is not all that off the mark. Newt and Forstchen create an entirely plausible sequence of events. I felt that even those that some scholars would argue with are adequately explained in the narrative.
3. The use of historical parallelism is fascinating, especially Chamberlain's leadership of the 20th Maine now in a different 2nd Day action but again the last unit on the flank, and "Pickett's charge in reverse", now [fittingly] on July 4th, rather than July 3.
4. The characters fulfill their commonly understood (if not in modern scholarship) personality strengths and flaws, and makes a downright fun read.

If you pass up this book because you might not like Newt's politics, you are making a HUGE mistake. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!

gettysburg.......2007-07-19

Like to find out all I can about Gettysburg from different people and how they saw the war.

THIRD GREAT BOOK.......2007-07-05

I will definitely buy Newt's other books, if they are as well written as this one

Excellent counterfactual, still fiction.......2007-05-16

I bought this book some time ago and I only recently found it again on my bookshelf. I am a fan of counterfactual (what if) history for their entertainment value and believed it to be an interesting and relaxing book. It was interesting, but the historical content and the historical arguments that can be made throughout the text are anything but relaxing.

While I do not agree with Newt on his political views, I had hoped that being a son of Georgia he would try to utilize the more recent scholarship defending James Longstreet, Lee's commander of I Corps. After the war, Longstreet was attacked by old Confederates and brother generals such as Jubal Early because he supported the Republican Party during reconstruction and maintained his good friendship with U. S. Grant. The historiography of Longstreet is extensive but the view for the past 70 years has been that of a slow, mean, slightly ignorant general that didnt like to fight. Furthermore, the cult of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson has been very successful in convincing historians and enthusiasts that Lee and Jackson were closer, friendlier, and more understanding of one another. The truth is that Longstreet was the ranking commander of the two, was visited much more by Lee before Jackson's death, made as many errors as Jackson, and was actually favored by Lee because of his party atmosphere around his headquarters (Lee, a Virginia gentleman, was more attracted to the social scene than to Jackson's somewhat odd religious views. In addition, Longstreet was more tactically and strategically minded than Jackson or Lee and was questioned by Lee many times. (Although not always agreeing with Longstreet which is the entire basis of the book.)

Knowing this, I was angry at Newt. Longstreet here is constantly being reminded by himself, Lee, and the authors that Jackson was the number one corps commander and Lee's choice when deciding who should be utilized first in the field. Longstreet is depicted very much that same way that Sharra does in his "The Killer Angels", having him be mindful of his own problems and quick to temper. I still felt that Newt could have pushed harder for Longstreet to be recognized more by Lee rather than have Lee pit Longstreet against the memory of the dead Jackson.

The novel centers on three main characters although it does shift its focus to other lesser characters for brief periods of time. Lee, Longstreet, and Federal Chief of Artillery General Henry Hunt are given the most page time. The main issues are Hunt's problems with the upper leels of the Federal Army such as Meade, the very likable Sickles, and his own duties as a artilleryman. Lee attends to the battle, his frustration with being seen as a "marble man", and the incompetence of his corps and divisional commanders. Longstreet also attends to the battle, his frustration with being compared to Jackson, and his own problems with commanders. Along the way we encounter Sickles, Meade, Hancock (who is always portrayed as a great commander and man) Chamberlain, and Lincoln.

It is an interesting counterfactual that takes the greatest issue from the battle, the problem of turning south to flank the Federal army after the first day of Gettysburg, and following it to the authors' conclusion. It is enjoyable for the detail and character development if not the historical issues. Overall, I still feel that Lee is being portrayed in the Lost Cause school of history where he fights for god, country, and honor and can do no wrong. Even after taking Longstreet's suggestion to move to the right, Lee is given credit. While both sides are portrayed as being both merciful and murderous equally, the Lost Cause issue remains with Lee and is a nagging detail that some students of history might find bothersome.

While not giving away the ending, it is interesting to see Lee change his personality three times. On the first day of battle he is the typical Lee we have always read about: determined to fight and attack, forgiving of commanders and overly cautious, after the turn south he resembles Prussian General Helmuth von Moltke, quick to find alternate solutions and hear out suggestions, quick to press the attack if a defensible position is established, and more open to moving alongside troops in battle, where as in the final chapters he is General William T. Sherman, unforgiving of incompetence, quick to lead an action if the sight of him will boost morale, and even uttering Sherman's oft repeated statement likening war to hell.

Read the book, enjoy the book, but afterwards, study the battle and characters to see if you agree with the authors.

Robert E. Lee on Leadership: Executive Lessons in Character, Courage, and Vision (On Leadership)

Average customer rating:

GREAT READ
Timeless
Move over Sun Tzu
Robert E. Lee on Leadership : Executive Lessons in Character, Courage, and Vision
Great Book

Robert E. Lee on Leadership: Executive Lessons in Character, Courage, and Vision (On Leadership)
H. W. Crocker III
Manufacturer: Prima Lifestyles
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0761516808
Release Date: 1999-04-28

Book Description

Robert E. Lee was a leader for the ages. The man heralded by Winston Churchill as "one of the noblest Americans who ever lived" inspired an out-manned, out-gunned army to achieve greatness on the battlefield. He was a brilliant strategist and a man of unyielding courage who, in the face of insurmountable odds, nearly changed forever the course of history.

"A masterpiece—the best work of its kind I have ever read. Crocker's Lee is a Lee for all leaders to study; and to work, quite deliberately, to emulate."
— Major General Josiah Bunting III, superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute

In this remarkable book, you'll learn the keys to Lee's greatness as a man and a leader. You'll find a general whose standards for personal excellence was second to none, whose leadership was founded on the highest moral principles, and whose character was made of steel. You'll see how he remade a rag-tag bunch of men into one of the most impressive fighting forces history has ever known. You'll also discover other sides of Lee—the businessman who inherited the debt-ridden Arlington plantation and streamlined its operations, the teacher who took a backwater college and made it into a prestigious university, and the motivator who inspired those he led to achieve more than they ever dreamed possible. Each chapter concludes with the extraordinary lessons learned, which can be applied not only to your professional life, but also to your private life as well.

Today's business world requires leaders of uncommon excellence who can overcome the cold brutality of constant change. Robert E. Lee was such a leader. He triumphed over challenges people in business face every day. Guided by his magnificent example, so can you.

Customer Reviews:

GREAT READ.......2007-10-05

GREAT READ ON MULTIPLE LEVELS. EMPHASIS ON LEADERSHIP TRAITS AND PERSONAL STRENGTHS. GREAT ALSO FOR TEENAGERS TO STRESS MANY ATTRIBUTES TO BEING A LEADER.

Timeless.......2007-07-30

If business leaders and managers would implement a portion of what Lee stood for, we would all have a more desirable work environment!! Book has absolutely timeless principles. Must read for person who really wants to make a difference.

Move over Sun Tzu.......2007-06-16

Move over Sun Tzu.

Harry Crocker has brought new meaning to the "how-to" book genre of business success. Robert E. Lee on Leadership is Crocker's latest book and specifically addresses the business professional. Using General Lee as the paragon of character and leadership, Crocker deftly compares Lee to the modern businessman and draws the appropriate parallels.

Sun Tzu's The Art of War has become somewhat of a cult classic among business "leaders" with its emphasis on destruction of the enemy and preparedness before battle. It was written over two thousand years ago and has served as a blueprint for success on the battlefield as well as the business field.

Crocker's Robert E. Lee on Leadership, however, is unique. Crocker describes the life of a great figure from the 1800s, takes a detailed look at his leadership style, and concludes that modern business leaders could succeed by emulating the revered Confederate general.

Far from being a book solely for the businessman, Crocker's Robert E. Lee on Leadership is a mini-biography of one of the greatest military generals of all time. Despite his military prowess, however, Robert E. Lee was a humble man, as Crocker points out repeatedly. Lee believed firmly that "obedience to lawful authority is the foundation of manly character." Obedience to God was of primary importance for Lee, and he expected those under his command to adhere to the principles of the Bible. A devout Episcopalian, Lee felt that the good leader teaches responsibility by giving it to others. Delegating authority to those under his command was one means by which Lee could accomplish both his military goals and direct Washington College (now Washington and Lee) of which he was president following the Civil War.

The reader takes away from Robert E. Lee on Leadership a lesson not only in business but also in life. Humility served as Lee's code of conduct. His only rule for his students at Washington College was that everyone "would conduct himself as a gentleman." On one occasion a young mother asked for General Lee's blessing on her son. Lee told her, " Teach him he must deny himself." One must control oneself before being able to control others; the business lesson is clear. Crocker uses instances such as these to draw a direct parallel to the life of Christ. By doing so, he gives the reader reason to hope that one can be both a model Christian and a successful man of business.

In battle, Lee was brilliant; he went up against enormous odds and succeeded, but was insistent his soldiers were not to harm any civilians. Never one to blame others, Lee accepted blame in the loss at Gettysburg when clearly his subordinates failed to successfully carry out his plans. But, when he was forced to surrender at Appomattox, he stated "we must submit ourselves in adversity to the will of a merciful God as cheerfully as in prosperity."

Harry Crocker's Robert E. Lee on Leadership belongs in the hands of anyone who has authority over others, whether in business or not. Its lessons are timeless.

Robert E. Lee on Leadership : Executive Lessons in Character, Courage, and Vision.......2007-05-12

Very well written with lessons for today!

Great Book.......2007-01-10

I did not actually read this book, but I bought it for my father who is/has been the top CEO or consultant for a number of very large corporations. He said the book was terrific.

The Recollections and Letters of General Robert E. Lee (Civil War Library)

Average customer rating:

A Measure of the Marble Man

The Recollections and Letters of General Robert E. Lee (Civil War Library)
Robert E. Lee
Manufacturer: Konecky & Konecky
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0914427660

Book Description

Recollections and Letters shows all the varying facets of Lee's character. His letters reveal his personal warmth, bravery and concern for the South during and after the war. No other collection of source materials gives such a whole and rewarding picture of one of the South's greatest sons and heroes.

Customer Reviews:

A Measure of the Marble Man.......2004-12-23

Robert E. Lee never had the chance to pen his own autobiography as U.S. Grant did. He meant to, but kept holding it off until heart disease claimed his life five years after the surrender of Appomattox.

Many of those who served under him during the Civil War wrote biographies of the great Confederate General, claiming to know how he felt, and what he thought. But only two of them really came close. The ponderous but solidly written "Memoirs of Robert E. Lee" by his Aide, Colonel Long, and this volume, comprised of letters actually written by Lee, and the remembrances of those who knew him well, and none more so than the author of the book, his own son, Captain Robert E.Lee, Jr.

Captain Lee describes his childhood in the Lee household, of General Lee's love of animals, especially horses. He describes a man who smiled, was warm, as compared to the austere, solemn descriptions and illustrations of him once the Civil War commenced. He writes how Lee agonized within his own family of the decision to leave the U.S. Army, and then join the Confederacy, even though wishing for a quiet, neutral life, and of Lee's personal losses during the war - a daughter who passed on, a son wounded and captured, the son's frail wife also passing on, and the known loss of their dearly beloved home in Arlington, which was turned into the national cemetery of the same name.

Captain Lee studiously avoids the controversial sides of Lee, his stand on slavery or the rights of the South, concentrating mainly on the personality of man and how he dealt with others.
This is a volume that belongs on the shelf of any Civil War buff, especially those interested in the life of Robert E. Lee.
I recommend this book, and Burke Davis' "Gray Fox" be purchased together.

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