Book Description
Translated by Robert Graves and Revised with an Introduction by Michael Grant.
Customer Reviews:
Answers about the Roman Emperors.......2007-08-24
This is an engaging book, full of intersting facts which sometimes are hard to find. The book is written with an easy flow, that keeps your interest till the end.
For avid followers of history, in particular the good and bad of Roman emperors, this is a book for you.
THE TWELVE CAESARS - SUETONIUS.......2007-07-21
I FOUND THIS TITLE BY THE ROMAN AUTHOR SUETONIUS TO BE A FASCINATING AND IN-DEPTH [ IF ACCORDING TO SOME HISTORIANS A BIT BIASED ] OVER-VIEW OF THE FIRST TWELVE RULERS OF ROME WHO HELD OR ADOPTED THE NOMEN OF CAESAR. MY REASON FOR PURCHASING WAS THAT MY OLD PAPERBACK VERSION HAD SUFFERED FROM BEING OVER-READ AND REFERRED TO AND WAS DELAPIDATED.
GAIUS JULIUS WAS OF THE FAMILY - HIS GREAT NEPHEW OCTAVIANUS TOOK HIS NAMES AFTER ADOPTION INTO THE FAMILY AND THEREAFTER THE CAESAR TITLE CAME LESS TO BE A FAMILY TITLE THAN AN INDICATOR THAT THE EMPERORS LOOKED BACK TO THE ASSASSINATED ORIGINAL AS THEIR FOREBEAR IF NOT IN BLOODLINE THEN IN SIMPLE FACT.
IT IS A TITLE THAT SURVIVED DOWN TO THE RUSSIAN CZARS AND THE GERMAN KAISERS. KAI-SER, IN FACT, IS HOW THE NAME CAESAR WAS ORIGINALLY PRO-NOUNCED IN LATIN USEAGE.
WITH NERO THE IMMEDIATE LINE OF THE CAESARS EXTINGUISHED BUT THERE WERE MANY MORE INTERESTING, IF NOT AS DEEPLY INTERESTING, RULERS TO FOLLOW HIM. THE BOOK COVERS THE JULIO-CLAUDIANS, THE THREE INTERIM EMERORS IN 68 AND 69 [ GALBA, OTHO AND VITELLIUS ] AND THE FLAVIANS, VESPASIAN, TITUS AND DOMITIAN.
ALONGSIDE GRAVES' 'I CLAUDIUS', 'THE TWELVE CAESARS' IS A VERY GOOD INTRODUCTION FOR ANYONE SEEKING TO EXAMINE, FROM MANY CENTURIES DIVORCED , THE INTRIGUING AND LITERAL BACK STABBING THAT WENT ON IN IMPERIAL ROME'S EARLY YEARS.
ROGER DESHON - 22 QUEENSCOURT ROAD ALEXANDRA HILLS QLD 4161 AUSTRALIA
The Basis of Much Of What We know About These Guys .......2007-06-16
This is really a fascinating book on so many levels. First so much historical fiction, and drama that has been based on the lives of the Ceasars is indebted to Suetonius as the author who wrote these incredible character sketches. There's much to learn about the personal lives of the famous Roman emperors in this fine translation. This has served as source material for centuries of scholars and writers who found universal truths about human nature and political power in these lives.
Very accessible to the general reader and highly entertaining.
The Gold Standard of Ancient History.......2007-04-17
This translation of Suetonius's Twelve Ceasars translated by Robert Graves with a great introduction by Michael Grant is a history-lover's dream. This is definitely my favorite historial work in translation; it is expertly and lovingly brought to life. To me, anybody should be able to be transported in moments back to ancient Rome in the time of Augustus or Nero and have one hell of a read. Suetonius was a minor government functionary who was given the spectacular opportunity to see the early imperial archives, kind of like a blogger or National Enquirer reporter given the opportunity to look at Clinton-era video surveilance or Nixon's Watergate tapes. This work is one of the most accessible views of ancient history ever. It's filled with lurid sex, gossip, murder, palace coups, degeneracy, monumental building, war, poisonings, etc. If you're going to be a liberal arts major, it pays to know a few dirty stories about the Caesars; this is the book to read.
Rome's Tabloid Historian.......2007-03-26
Suetonius grew up in the years following Nero's reign and wrote these histories while he was the secretary of the emperor Hadrian in the early second century A.D. His book covers the successive reigns of Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian.
The stories focus on the emperors themselves more than the events which took place under their reigns and, although there's certainly some truth to those emperors, many of Suetonius' facts are anecdotal stories and rumors. Suetonius has therefore been called one of the first tabloid writers. Nevertheless, his biographies are rather concise and systematic; touching upon the physical attributes of the ruler, his background, the good deeds (if any) in his reign and then, of course, the bad deeds.
Robert Graves' translation is superb and probalby one of the best ones available. It is quite faithful to the generally jovial mood of Suetonius' work and presented with a good introduction by reputed historian Michael Grant. I can't help but be amused at some of the stories Suetonius recites on Nero and Caligula as they are definitely two of the most eccentric emperors (to put it lightly)that ever ruled the Principate. For example, when Nero first inaugurated his new gigantic Golden House with a mile-long corridor and a 130' statue of himself at the entrance, he was said to have exclaimed, "At last! I can live like a human being!"
Book Description
One of the most charismatic movie stars of all time, Cary Grant left an indelible mark on the film industry and on the culture at large. His sense of style--so integral to who he was both onscreen and off--has been admired, copied, emulated, and lauded, but never fully examined, until now. With rare and never-before-published photographs and exclusive interviews with film and fashion luminaries, this groundbreaking book reveals the style secrets that helped make Grant a fashion icon and a perennial inspiration to fans and fashion designers alike. On the 20th anniversary of Grant's death, fashion and style writer Richard Torregrossa makes a powerful case for why Cary Grant matters today more than ever.
Customer Reviews:
THIS WORLD NEEDS CARY GRANT NOW!!!!!!!!.......2007-09-27
THIS IS AN AMAZING LOOK AT MR. GRANT. THIS RANKS UP WITH RICHARD SCHICKLES BOOK CARY GRANT , A CELEBRATION.I LOVE GRANT AND HAVE ALL HIS MOVIES AND MOST BOOKS ON HIM EXCEPT THE SCHLOCK LIES.HIS ACTING AND COMEDIC TAKES ARE BEYOND EVEN CHAPLIN OR KEATON AND IN SITUATION COMEDY HE WAS PEERLESS.I WAS LUCKY TO BE IN THE AUDIENCE FOR "AN EVENING WITH CARY GRANT" IN STAMFORD ABOUT A YEAR BEFORE HE PASSED AWAY.HE WAS CHARMING, ERUDITE, SELF- DEPRECATINGLY FUNNY ABOUT HIMSELF AND HOLLYWOOD AND HIS FRIENDS LIKE CROSBY, SINATRA , FLYNN, COOPER,STEWART, ROGERS ETC.AN IT WAS ALL I HOPED FOR AND FAR MORE.THERE WAS NEVER AND WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER CARY GRANT.OUCH.THE ACADEMY AWARDS COMMITTEE SHOULD DIE IN SHAME THAT HE ONLY RECEIVED AN HONORARY OSCAR. I CAN NAME 3 FILMS HE SHOULD HAVE HE SHOULD HAVE WON FOR.GET THIS BOOK AND PUT IT OUT AS A STAR PIECE ON YOUR COFFEE TABLE.WHERE HAVE YOU GONE ARCHIE LEACH???
Not what I was expecting.......2007-06-25
I bought this book believing it was about the Cary Grant style and tips on the varies aspects of dressing well. To my surprise it was really a very short biography on CG with lots and lots of photos. Now I gave it four stars and not lower because I actually enjoyed it. Even though I've read CG biographies I must say this book has photos that I've never seen before and so that tops the flaws I found in the style department.
Timeless Style.......2007-04-24
This biography is unique in that it reveals a connecting thread in all the stages of Cary Grant's life: his attentiveness to style.
Even in childhood Cary Grant was particular about the fabrics of his clothes. The book gives adequate treatment to his vaudeville and early Hollywood years and mentions some of his inspirations, such as Douglas Fairbanks Sr.
Cary Grant did not have a stylist like many celebrities do today. After failing his first screen test he worked at minimizing his flaws by making adjustments in his wardrobe. The book covers the highlights of his movie career and I appreciated the many behind-the-scenes glimpses and quotes from other actors. The book devotes the most space to the movie To Catch A Thief, considered by some as the most stylish movie ever. It also devotes many pages to his marriage to his fifth wife, Barbara, whom he married in his 70's.
Interspersed throughout are short features on topics such as pocket squares, jackets, dress shirts and bow ties. The book is loaded with photographs and is a pleasure to hold and to read. If you are a Cary Grant fan, or are simply interested in men's fashion, this book should not disappoint.
Lovely book.......2007-01-16
This book is very well done. After reading this book, I admired Mr. Grant even more. He was very deserving of admiration because he really worked hard at everything to achieve his status. The author did an excellent job.
My sister loves it!.......2007-01-11
This was a gift for my sister who loves all things Cary Grant. Include this book as yet another item she loves.
Book Description
Grant wrote his "Personal Memoirs" to secure his family's future. In doing so, the Civil War's greatest general won himself a unique place in American letters. His character, sense of purpose, and simple compassion are evident throughout this deeply moving account, as well as in the letters to his wife, Julia, included here.
Customer Reviews:
U.S. Grant in his own words..........2007-06-26
U.S. Grant is often said to have been a failure at everything in his life except his marriage, war, and his memoirs. The latter, written as he was dying of throat cancer in 1884-1885, provide a straightforward account of his years in uniform during the Civil War.
Grant passes quickly over his Ohio boyhood and time at the United States Military Academy. His service in the Mexican War and his financial misfortunes out of uniform between the wars get only slightly more coverage. His story really begins with his return to uniform in 1861 as a commander of Illinois volunteers. The narrative follows Grant's campaigns in Missouri, Tennessee, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, his elevation to supreme command of the Union Armies, and the final grinding agony of the war in Virgina. The account ends with the cessation of hostilies in 1865.
Grant's memoirs are remarkable reading for a number of reasons. First, they provide insight into the first-rate military mind of a consistantly successful general. Grant's ability to determine the essentials of a situation and remain focused on them are evident. Second, the memoirs are a classic example of clear, simple, English narrative. Third, they display the considerable modesty of a naturally reserved man, a departure from the egotism often found in the personal memoirs of famous men. Grant himself continues to be something of a mystery to historians; these memoirs do not really lift the veil of his sense of privacy.
The Union Army of the Civil War had more than its fair share of politicians in uniform and politically-minded generals. Grant was not immune to spinning history his way; careful-eyed scholars have found more than a few instances where Grant remembered only part of the story or settled a few scores with old opponents. Nevertheless, Grant's memoirs are a valuable resource for understanding the conduct of the Civil War, not least because Grant became such a key figure in the winning of it.
Grant's memoirs are highly recommended to students of the Civil War, and to scholars seeking to understand the art of war in the midst of rebellion.
Review of Memoirs of US Grant.......2006-07-10
General Grant's use of the English language is very interesting and informative. Absolutely a pleasure to read.
A Masterpiece.......2006-02-22
This book is a must-read for any Civil War or American history buff. Grant's writing is consistently clear, elegant, beautiful. He gives an engaging account of his wartime experiences that are accurate to the best of his ability, and he writes with introspection and humility. The personal letters at the end of the volume reveal much about this fascinating man, and are a welcome addition. Please read this one! Another wonderful book in this series is the volume containing Frederick Douglass's autobiographical works.
A History Buff's Wet Dream..........2006-01-17
This is certainly a great book, and in parts, it is a good book. Grant has a very terse, matter-of-fact style, which makes for easy reading. The bulk of the book is devoted to the Civil War, and there are dry patches, and multitudes of "We went to the ridge, and then to the river, and moved our artillery up to the picket" and such-like. But that is what happened, and so you can't fault Grant for his meticulous detailing of troop movements, correspondence with fellow officers, etc. As I said, the great majority of the book is devoted to the Civil War, and there is not a word about Grant's tenure in the White House. Personally, of all topics covered by Grant, I find him to be most fascinating on the subject of the Mexican-American War of 1847. This is not something commonly focused on in history classes, but Grant's account is riveting. Additionally, Grant's remembrances of Lincoln are very interesting, as is his almost awed reverence for the military abilities of Sherman. The book is long, but it doesn't seem long, and if you have a love of history, this is indispensable stuff.
essential.......2005-10-04
A unique chronicle of one who saved the Union. Lucid, entertaining, and expansive. A rare view of one of the most important lives in the 19C. Highly recommended
Amazon.com
In 1862, a prominent Republican visited President Lincoln and called General Ulysses S. Grant an incompetent drunk who created unnecessary political problems. Lincoln, frustrated with all his generals but this one, famously replied: "I can't spare this man; he fights." Indeed, Lincoln had gone through a series of unheroic generals before settling on Grant to lead the Union's Army of the Potomac. Grant's success at marshaling the industrial might of the North eventually pounded the South into submission. This memoir, finished as its author was dying of throat cancer in 1885, is widely admired for its clear and straightforward prose. The volume was an enormously popular hit upon publication (by Mark Twain, no less), and today Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant ranks among the finest pieces of military autobiography ever written.
Book Description
Grant was sick and broke when he began work on his Memoirs. Driven by financial worries and a desire to provide for his wife, he wrote diligently during a year of deteriorating health. He vowed he would finish the work before he died. One week after its completion, he lay dead at the age of 63.
Publication of the Memoirs came at a time when the public was being treated to a spate of wartime reminiscences, many of them defensive in nature, seeking to refight battles or attack old enemies. Grant's penetrating and stately work reveals a nobility of spirit and an innate grasp of the important fact, which he rarely displayed in private life. He writes in his preface that he took up the task "with a sincere desire to avoid doing injustice to anyone, whether on the National or the Confederate side."
Download Description
Among the autobiographies of great military figures, Ulysses S. Grant's is certainly one of the finest, and it is arguably the most notable literary achievement of any American president: a lucid, compelling, and brutally honest chronicle of triumph and failure. From his frontier boyhood to his heroics in battle to the grinding poverty from which the Civil War ironically "rescued" him, these memoirs are a mesmerizing, deeply moving account of a brilliant man, told with great courage as he reflects on the fortunes that shaped his life and his character. Written under excruciating circumstances (as Grant was dying of throat cancer), encouraged and edited from its very inception by Mark Twain, it is a triumph of the art of autobiography.
Customer Reviews:
Grant on Grant: The Most Impartial View of U.S. Grant.......2007-05-22
It is surprising that the most balanced and impartial view of U.S. Grant should be written by Grant himself. His style of writing is clear and sparse, recounting fact as fact and without lengthy editorializing. A must read for any civil war buff or serious historian.
Grant.......2006-07-09
I think this is the only real account you can get of the civil war. It's...Great!
Better appreciation of a great American.......2006-06-05
This book really provides incredible insight into Grant and what made him a great general. In a plainspoken & straightforward manner he gives a recount of his role in the war and his military philosophy (attack). Unlike a modern autobiography we get nothing personal or confessional (not necessarily a bad thing). Any mention of drinking, or his dismal presidency are omitted and his family gets only a paragraph or two; which is fine because no one is interested in Grant's parenting or presidenting tips.
the greatness within a seemingly unremarkable man.......2006-05-17
Although Grant doesn't blow his own horn, a close reading of his campaign accounts supports the "revisionist" view that far from being a butcher of men and Lee's inferior, Grant's victories (other than Shiloh) were tactical in nature, not brute force charges. (OK, there was Cold Harbor, but that was one mistake in a year-long campaign to destroy the South before the North lost its will to fight. Time was not on Grant's side.) Furthermore, Lee, Jackson, Johnson, et. al. always had the easier side of the equation, playing defense and disrupting the North's long lines of supply and communication.
This is also an interesting study on how an apparently unremarkable person find greatness within himself when he is in his element, and how a great general can fail as a president because the leadership roles are quite different.
There is a dry wit in much of Grant's writing which makes it a fun read even if you don't care for the details of his capture of Vicksburg and his eventual destruction of the South's Eastern armies. Grant does not shy away from describing the slogging nature of the war or his mastery of maneuver warfare.
A Class Act.......2006-01-15
I concur with the really good reader reviews above. I will add that what makes Grant's prose so engaging is that it is simple, unadorned, not self flattering, not pompous. It isn't pedantic, dull or uncertain either. In a word, it is Grant. It's probably the best way that you will get to know him. It is the portrait most often attempted by his supporters and the exact opposite of the portrait painted by his detractors. So, Grant presents himself and he is authentic.
You cannot help admiring Grant for his strengths and endearing qualities, his military accomplishments and his everyman characteristics. If you take his version together with what may be valid criticisms from those less admiring, then you get a pretty well rounded view of Grant. You won't find anything in his autobiography that conflicts with that totality.
Grant only covers his Civil War in this memoir, not his Presidency. He was in the last stages of a fatal throat cancer and trying to provide for his family. He had that clarity of a man writing to tell the truth about himself. No need to lie or hide. But that's also the reason that we don't hear about some of his grievances, disputes, recollections and characterizations of his contemporaries. We could have learned a lot from that but Grant is very forgiving and like a gentleman - he just won't tell.
Book Description
The surfing iconoclast who became an icon, Miki Dora was the epitome of 60s beach culture. His dark good looks were the envy of Malibu. His talent earned him trophies (which he disdained) and the nickname "Da Cat." And in the end, when he didn't like the commercial direction of the sport he helped define, he turned his back on the beach, wandered the world, served time in jail, and, finally in 2002, suffering from pancreatic cancer returned to his father's house in Montecito, California to die at age 67. A Malibu graffiti that appeared during his years on the road sums up his role in the surfing imagination and still holds true: "Dora Lives." Years in the making and compiled with the cooperation of Dora while he was alive and his family after his death, Dora Lives is the definitive record of the legend. Transcribed interviews with Dora and texts by former Surfer magazine editor Drew Kampion and writer C.R. Stecyk are combined with nearly 100 photos and stills from photographers, filmmakers, and Dora's personal albums. The story starts out in Budapest, Hungary, where Miklos Dora was born in 1934, follows the child amigra to Hollywood High (except when the surf was up), and finds him at the center of the post-Gidget surf boom of the 60s. At that time, Dora stunt-doubled in a few films and competed when he felt like it, but mostly he embraced the hedonist milieu and burnished his antihero legend, culminating in a mid-wave mooning of the judges at the 1967 Malibu Invitational. Shortly after, he left for points (and point breaks) abroad in France, Indonesia, Australia, and Madagascar until 2001, when he returned to the West Coast to die.
Customer Reviews:
dora apocalypto.......2007-02-17
I didn't know Dora (too young, I came later) but I know many people who did. As with any good story teller, and he apparently was, there a figments of even "truth" that accompany the life exaggerations in this book. To a man, (at least, my acquaintences)described him as an invenerate lier, cheat, and con artist.....but entertaining, non-the-less. The consumate surf bum and original "me, me, me" before the in vouge "me" decade practitioner.
That is the problem with this (well-written, at least) book on Dora's life. Half, at least, is probably crap....but what crap it is!
I would rather listen/read-about Dora's lies, than have to wade through a lot of pontification by other surf media "journalists" (Rabbit, Hynd, etc.) any day.
In death even, exaggeration can become myth, can become legend, then even truth.
Dora Lives: The Authorized Story of Miki Dora.......2007-01-09
I bought the book for my son for christmas and had Amazon post it direct to him in Laos he received it the day promised and he is very happy he said the book is great and is spending time reading. Thank You Amazon
A BALANCED PORTRAIT.......2006-09-28
DORA LIVES is a posthumous biography on Miki Dora, a pioneering surfer from the 1950s and 1960s, and on page 23, it says this about artistic temperament:
"Perhaps the greatest creation of the artist is the persona of the artist himself. You can see the artist as 'a sensitive' ... or as a human being that has failed at being completely hypnotized like the rest of the population. The artist is painfully (and perhaps not unconsciously) aware of this - aware of his or her objective isolation, as opposed to the subjective isolation of the general, so-called 'normal' population, which the artist perceives as not unlike the walking dead. There's an ethic in surf culture that opposes the overly structured life. That refuses to comply with insistence. That resists temptation. Of a sort."
I don't entirely agree with this statement, but I agree with the sense of it. Yes, I agree that artists need a fair degree of leeway in order to function. And I do agree that there is a contentment in being unconscious about one's loneliness, and that artists tend to be restless souls who are painfully aware of their "objective isolation."
Such psychological language is almost too high-falutin' for a surfer bio, though, and I'm not sure I understand the unexplained difference between subjective and objective isolation -- just one of several unelaborated pronouncements in the above paragraph.
I think it's a bit arrogant to label the general populace as "not unlike the walking dead." I'm suspicious of any attempt to blame society, however covertly, for one's situation, since it does nothing to solve one's problems. We are all society, even (perhaps especially) artists. I think perhaps the writer is attempting to make some statement about the examined versus the unexamined life.
Yet each of us has some degree of self-awareness, yes? However fragmentary and inconsistent one's self-awareness may be, I don't think anyone thinks of himself as the "walking dead," except perhaps the hyper-sensitive artist. I've made statements, often artistic ones, about standing apart from the "herd," yet ultimately, does this really help the artist with her situation? Maybe it helps her come to terms with her alienation. I know that this is why I became an artist rather than an academic. I didn't see any comfort there.
I think it's almost the place of the artist to locate comfort within discomfort -- to become comfortable with being uncomfortable, and to use that tension as a creative springboard. I don't think that the structural and political demands of career academia would have set well with my temperament. There are some kinds of discomfort that one never succeeds in accommodating.
On page 32 is an excellent example:
"Tracey, suddenly without a paycheck and completely broke, figured he might as well just sleep on the beach, which he did. After awakening in the morning damp, he spent the next day harvesting palm fronds, driftwood, and assorted junk from the lagoon and built himself a shack to call home. It was the beginning of something.
[...] "As her father would describe in the novel GIDGET, the first-person recreation of his daughter's summer published in 1957, Malibu was one big party, orchestrated by Tracey, and it ran all summer long. And at the end of it, at Malibu's 1st Annual Luau, Tube [Tracey] torched his grass shack.
"The following summer it was the cops that tore down the shack. Apparently, the city fathers were concerned that the trend at Malibu wasn't entirely wholesome; after all, it was a public beach. Those summers of love - before the beats, before the hippies, and very likely anticipating both - were profoundly brief and retrospectively perfect, so the nostalgia for them became a powerful intoxicant to chroniclers of surfing history."
I suppose every artist has some sense memory like this, some epiphany or satori where the realization hits him that he, like some accidentally observed bit of outcast culture, is "different," and from that moment on, his life is changed.
One aspect of this book that evokes surfer culture is a total lack of chapter breaks, which imbues it with a surfer's sense of the eternal now. The copious full-page photos -- often in color, sometimes colorized to heightened dramatic effect, and often composed of fold-out plates -- add to this effect and give the reader a larger-than-life sense of involvement with the story. Like a wave, they pull the reader along.
The text seeks neither to glorify Dora nor rebuke him for his flaws and excesses, presenting a balanced portrait of a man living at the margins of a glamorous, hedonistic society -- namely, postwar through '60s Hollywood - playing it for all he can while flipping it the bird. In Miki Dora, unbridled opportunism clashed with a palpable moral outrage at Hollywood's hype, that relentless synthesis of media and glitz belying its trade in the exploitation of souls and resultant carnage. Like the lava meeting the surf, such a deep-seated conflict solidified within Dora as that most confounding and unlikely of heroes, the rebel with a cause. This cause emerged as an unquenchable quest for an unattainable purity -- a cause he could only deign to access by granting himself unlimited license to ride the wave of showmanship and the celebrity it brought to his feet. Cynics such as Dora need no external authority to grant them access past the gates of privilege, as they see it for the sham that it is. Thus, they remain "unhypnotized" -- at least, by privilege. But what about their own need to rebel?
--Bill Brent [edited 24 July 2007]
Amazon.com
Born in 60 A.D., Suetonius served for several years as secretary to the Roman emperor Hadrian. His years in the palaces and halls of imperial government served him well when he set out to write this oftentimes eye-popping, tell-all account of the doings of the first 12 emperors, from Julius to Domitian, who make the good fellas of Mafia renown seem tame by comparison. From Suetonius we learn that Augustus was afraid of lightning and thunder and carried a piece of seal skin as protection against them; that Caligula slept with his mother and his sister; and that Nero outlawed mimes in Rome--which may mean that he wasn't such a bad man after all. Suetonius doesn't hesitate to say when he's reporting gossip that he has not personally verified, but what gossip it is! This translation, by the noted classicist Robert Graves, serves the ancient chronicler very well indeed.
Book Description
Little is known about the life of Gaius Suetonius Tranquillis, but much is inferred. He was born in the first century A.D. when Roman power was at its zenith. Pliny the Younger tells us that Suetonius briefly practiced law, avoided political controversy and became chief secretary to the Emperor Hadrian.
Suetonius lived out his full span and died in 140 A.D. He was a prolific writer, for there are records of numerous books. But the only one extant is THE TWELVE CAESARS, the most fascinating and richest of all Latin histories.
Customer Reviews:
Indispensable guide to the early Roman Empire.......2007-03-08
This is a collection of essays about the first twelve rulers to bear the name Caesar. It is the definitive collection of eyewitness stories about the early emperors as they were seen by their contemporaries.
The rulers covered by this book include Julius Caesar, his adopted son Augustus and his descendents, the warlords who contended for power in the "Year of Four Caesars" after Nero was overthrown, and the Flavians.
In other words, the full list of twelve is:
Julius Caesar
Augustus
Tiberius
Gaius Caligula
Claudius
Nero
Galba
Otho
Vitellius
Vespasian
Titus
Domitian.
If you want to understand the early Roman Empire, you need to read this book. If you are a budding novelist and want to write about the early Empire, you need to read this book.
Robert Graves, author of "I Claudius" and "Claudius the God" translated this version: not surprisingly many of the snippets of gossip and fascinating little stories from Suetonius find their way into his novels. They also find their way into every good novel about first century Rome that I have ever read, absolutely without exception.
You should not take for granted that every word of Suetonius's account is accurate. For example, he supports the story that Nero set fire to the city of Rome, and then sang an aria as he watched the city burn. (This is story is often misquoted as Nero having fiddled while Rome burned - an impossibility since the violin had not been invented.)
Some modern historians have made a strong case that this was a clever libel spread by Nero's contemporary opponents, that Nero was actually away from the city when the fire broke out and hurried back to Rome to personally lead the fire-fighting efforts.
If they are right it does not cast doubt on Suetonius's integrity as a reporter of what was said about the emperor, because there is no dispute that the story of Nero singing while Rome burned was widely believed at the time. As the saying goes, "Si non e vero, e ben trovato" - if it's not true, it's well invented. Aspects of the story certainly seem in character with many of Nero's other proclivities including his love of art, enormous vanity, and complete ruthlessness. However, it illustrates that Suetonius does seem to have a propensity to repeat every snippet of gossip he heard about the early emperors, with rather less selectivity and critical judgement than the other great ancient historians, Herodotus and Thucydides.
However, for this very reason, though perhaps he is a whisker behind Herodotus and Thucydides as a historian, Suetonius is far and away the most entertaining of the three.
The translation by Graves is very easy to read. This is one of the most important, fascinating, and informative works of ancient history which was ever written.
Suetonious or Tacitus?.......2006-03-07
That question can be solved by me by choosing the former simply because of what survives of his work and here it is: The Twelve Caesars. Tacitus is the other great Roman historian but what survives of his two masterpieces: The Annals and The Histories, is not as comprehensive as what is found in The Twelve Caesars.
The Twelve Caesars is definatley my favorite historical work of the Roman Empire. In it, Suetonious goes over the actions and character of not only the entire Julio-Claudian dynasty but the Flavian as well, making The Twelve Caesars cover roughly 138 years.
This is probably the best historical account of the emperors of the Roman Empire and is the best introduction to other works such as the great works of Tacitus.
A Great Introductory Book to Imperial Rome.......2005-03-02
Suetonius grew up in the years following Nero's reign and wrote these histories while he was the secretary of the emperor Hadrian in the early second century A.D. His book covers the successive reigns of Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian.
The stories focus on the emperors themselves more than the events which took place under their reigns and, although there's certainly some truth to those emperors, many of Suetonius' facts are anecdotal stories and rumors. Suetonius has therefore been called one of the first tabloid writers. Nevertheless, his biographies are rather concise and systematic; touching upon the physical attributes of the ruler, his background, the good deeds (if any) in his reign and then, of course, the bad deeds.
Robert Graves' translation is superb and carries the jovial mood of the writings quite well. I can't help but be amused at some of the stories Suetonius recites on Nero and Caligula as they are definitely two of the most eccentric emperors (to put it lightly)that ever ruled the Principate. For example, when Nero first inaugurated his new gigantic Golden House with a mile-long corridor and a 130' statue of himself at the entrance, he was said to have exclaimed, "At last! I can live like a human being!"
A fine collection of inbred pedophiles, sadists & basic.......2003-12-31
lunatics that ruled Rome in the first century, & told very well in the audio cassette format. As history it is not much but as biography it is informative & entertaining. Apparently the mores & standards of decency were much diiferent than they are today. Most of these 12 Caesars did not not rule very long but they impacted the Empire probably for a long time after. I'd like to read more about the individuals that followed Domitian & before Julius thus supplementing other well known works such as the Fall of the Roman Empire. This book however, is a good start.
By Jove, this is scandal!.......2003-07-16
The Twelve Caesars is the first classical book I ever read, and it fascinated me to no end. I'd recommend this is a starter book for anyone interested in the History of Political Power. Gore Vidal reviewed this book years ago, and he wrote an excellent piece about it--the nature of power, the perversions it causes, and the absurd humanity of it All. Hopefully there won't be another Tiberius as President of the USA (we only have our cheap Clintonius) but it's fun to wonder what may become of our American Empire. Please, please buy this book.
Customer Reviews:
Great read, over and over.......2005-05-18
Before I read this book (years ago - it was at a bookstore in the clearance section for $4.95!), Aleister Crowley seemed pure myth. He was but a cryptic, faceless personality surrounded by what I'd later find out to be gross misrepresentation and ignorance - which, incidentally, I fell for, hook, line and sinker.
But upon reading his 'autohagiography,' the man was finally fleshed out and rendered human. And what a colorful and fascinating character! Hardly the evil scumbag people considered (and occasionally STILL consider) him to be. I found that he harbored views and opinions similar to my own about mob psychology and the like, and he had a way of expressing his thoughts, feelings and views which was nothing short of amazing. This is one of the most quotable books in the world, I feel. Crowley doesn't mince words, and he has a wonderful command of the English language (among other languages).
His accounts of mountain climbing and world travels are fascinating. His magical experiences are equally so. He approaches these subjects with great wisdom - often tinged with a priceless sardonic humor (which is what I appreciate most about the book). Crowley was a great wit.
I find that I can open this book to any page at random and start reading - and every time I'm hooked.
I have breezed through this review, so it isn't as incisive as I originally planned it to be. But the above is how I feel in a nutshell. If you are at all interested in this man, this book is a must. I recommend it very highly.
Wicked Uncle Al Does It Again!.......2005-03-26
I found the Confessions to be inspiring, irritating, tragic, and hilariously funny. Love him or hate him; Crowley was a unique individual whose accomplishments are not to be underestimated.
I was not bothered by the lack of magickal writing: after all, the book was never intended to be a textbook on magick. Besides, I have no interest in practicing magick.
Apart from Crowley's racism and misogynism (he was, after all, a 19th century Britishman. He couldn't help it), he had a remarkably progressive and universal view. He did the best that he could.
I delighted in the lessons that his strengths, weaknesses, virtues, flaws, follies and triumphs. One thing that he was was honest. Despite the possibility that he may have embellished the truth at times, he did so leaving the reader with the oportunity to see through him. He held himself and others to very exacting standards.
At times I found myself laughing out loud at many of his anecdotes. They were my favorite parts of the book; especially when he was presenting himself as either the fool or "The Wickedest Man in the World": with his tounge planted firmly in his cheek.
A good read. One of my favorite books.
A Great Read About a Great Beast-- But Don't Stop Here.......2004-11-09
Crowley's autohagiography is fascinating from start to finish: he was the supreme egotist in all things and a master manipulator of weaker souls (of which there was a limitless supply). So, read and enjoy, but ask yourself: did he really turn Victor Neuberg into a camel? Could he become invisible as he claimed? Did he copy down a book dictated to him by an Egyptian god? You get to decide whether he's a reliable source....
After you read this, you'll want a more objective view of the life of this remarkable man, and for that I'd turn to either John Symond's "The Geat Beast" (fair but credulous) or the much more recent "Do What Thou Wilt" by Lawrence Sutin-- an excellent, open-minded, reasonably skeptical look at Crowley's life and works. No matter what you decide about Crowley (genius, prankster, or madman), these are all entertaining and worthwhile books.
But begin with this one, straight from the magus' mouth.
An "autohagiography" from an ignored but important person..........2004-07-23
Aleister Crowley is perhaps one of the most interesting characters in all of world history. He attempted to synthesize the techniques of Western occultism, Eastern mysticism, and modern scientific thought into a workable system he liked to call "Magick." All the time he was trying to do this, he was hounded by people who branded him a charlatan, a Satanist, and "the wickedest man in the world." Even the famed Russian mystic George Gurdjieff, who was controversial himself, cursed Crowley's name after they met. Crowley's flawed character is very interesting to look at, especially from his own perspective, and this is why "The Confessions of Aleister Crowley" is such a great book.
My psychology professor loaned me his copy of this book, after we got into a discussion about Crowley one day. The case of my professor demonstrates how much Crowley is ignored, as his copy of "The Confessions" had sat on his bookshelf for years unnoticed. It was only when I mentioned Crowley and my professor read over the book that he understood my fascination with Crowley. Unfortunately, I was unable to finish the book, due both to time constraints and the fact that the book is rather boring in the middle, when Crowley begins to talk about his mountaineering adventures. I can, however, tell you my general impressions of the book, and Crowley, after what I have read of the book and several other books on The Great Beast.
Crowley's style is very lucid and descriptive, but readers without a dictionary should be warned; Crowley's vocabulary is immense and multi-lingual. Crowley makes some rather astute observations about the course of his life and his actions in the book, and he is able to psychoanalyze many of the people who one way or another became involved with his life, but this book, and his whole life, in fact, show one fatal flaw: a lack of self-analysis. Crowley's egotism contributed greatly to some of the errors he made. For instance, in reference to his feud with several members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, he accuses many of them of having been jealous of him, going so far as to say that the great poet Yeats hated Crowley because Crowley was the superior poet. Any look at Crowley's poetry will prove this claim to be laughable, although Crowley did occasionally write wonderful poetry.
Crowley has long been ignored in Western society, although many of his ideas have influenced the course of the 20th century. Hopefully with the success of Wicca and occultism in general right now, Crowley will attain the position of great sage and artist in the larger world someday, as well as serving as a warning to all those who would tread his path. In closing, the reader of this book should bring with him an open-mind, intelligence, and a sense of humor (for Crowley's sense of humor is one of his often ignored qualities). With these qualities, he should be able to understand Crowley and learn from his ideas.
Best on the Market.......2004-06-20
This is by far the best Aleister Crowley biography on the mass market because the other books are biased and not very good. This one, however is straight from the author and he has nothing to hide, not even his sexuality as he admits he liked both sexes. His childhood was the most interesting part. The son of a brewer from a strict Christian sect that he rebelled against and inherited a small fortune is a key element in the book. He also details his many mountain climbing expeditions and was one of the best in the world. I also really liked the parts on his ascension to the head of the Golden Dawn, eventually having a falling out with Mathers and being expelled for moral depravity. If you were wondering if cats had 9 lives, Crowley details how he tortured a cat to see if it did. This part reminded me of Edgar Allen Poe's The Black Cat. Like I said, avoid the countless biased biographies from others. Those are the books his detractors like and are cheesey. An essential look at one of the biggest bad asses in world history.
Book Description
New editions of Elspeth Huxley's stirring account of her childhood in Kenya and her novel of the destructive forces of colonization.
In an open cart Elspeth Huxley set off with her parents to travel to Thika in Kenya. As pioneering settlers, they built a house of grass, ate off a damask cloth spread over packing cases, and discovered--the hard way--the world of the African. With an extraordinary gift for detail and a keen sense of humor, Huxley recalls her childhood on the small farm at a time when Europeans waged their fortunes on a land that was as harsh as it was beautiful. For a young girl, it was a time of adventure and freedom, and Huxley paints an unforgettable portrait of growing up among the Masai and Kikuyu people, discovering both the beauty and the terrors of the jungle, and enduring the rugged realities of the pioneer life.
Customer Reviews:
Nostalgia for Happy Valley.......2007-06-23
This is by now a revered classic of a young girl's childhood in the Kenyan countryside under British rule. One reads this and instantly identifies with the colonial family. It's a kind of Swiss Family Robinson story about that magical time in Kenya and thereabouts before World War I when the world seemed to be at the feet of the British King and all globes glowed pink under the Empire. Were people ever so free and happy as the colonialists in Africa who instantly had countless servants, nearly free land, and the British fleet for protection? This is Out of Africa for the middle class, as opposed to Isak Dinesen's aristocratic take on things. Still, the going was good, as Evelyn Waugh once said. Ms Huxley is a charming writer. Required reading for lovers of things African.
The Flame Trees of Thika: Memories of an African Childhood.......2007-02-02
The Flame Trees of Thika is a wonderfully written book giving the reader a glimpse of what it must have been like to grow up in Colonial Africa. It is an experience most of us will only have through reading and can only be compared to what it must have been to be one of the early settlers on the American Frontier.
Love this Author.......2007-01-10
I loved this book. It is beautifully written and is a gripping story on growing up in Africa.
Truly A Classic.......2006-02-16
In 1913, a little English girl named Elspeth relocated with her family from their native country to begin a coffee plantation in the wilds of Kenya. Similar in a way to Laura Ingall Wilder's adventurous and sentimental "take" on what was surely a very difficult experience for her family, Elspeth remembers Kenya as a wonderful place and tells us with lingering excitement of her experiences there in the short time before the First World War changed nearly everything. A delightful memoir that is a pleasure every time it's read.
When can I get a plane to Africa?!.......2004-10-18
If you are interested in other cultures and ways of life, this book is a treasure. Yes, there has to be a bit of willing suspension of disbelief that this would be the way a child would see and describe things, but if you can live with the fact that this is an adult looking back on her childhood, it's a small thing to get over. The descriptions I found perfect--very vivid, yet not so extensive that they became boring and slowed down the story. And just in what happens and isn't even excused (her parents leave her with neighbors, she accompanies the neighbor's worker to the city, where he leaves her with some more strangers--we'd be calling the police, and her parents are just slightly inconvenienced! And everyone else there has just left their small children at boarding school, not seeing them for years!), the book gives a lot of food for thought about the realities of life in that time and place.
Average customer rating:
- A true American Hero
- Man of character, man of faith whose story should be proclaimed!
- Well rounded biography
- Excellent Title of an Excellent Leader
- Well Researched Look at a Major Civil War Figure
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In the Hands of Providence: Joshua L. Chamberlain and the American Civil War
Alice Rains Trulock
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
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Joshua Chamberlain: A Hero's Life and Legacy
ASIN: 0807820202 |
Book Description
This remarkable biography traces the life and times of Joshua L. Chamberlain, the professor-turned-soldier who led the Twentieth Maine Regiment to glory at Gettysburg, earned a battlefield promotion to brigadier general from Ulysses S. Grant at Petersburg, and was wounded six times during the course of the Civil War. Chosen to accept the formal Confederate surrender at Appomattox, Chamberlain endeared himself to succeeding generations with his unforgettable salutation of Robert E. Lee's vanquished army. After the war, he went on to serve four terms as governor of his home state of Maine and later became president of Bowdoin College. He wrote prolifically about the war, including The Passing of the Armies, a classic account of the final campaign of the Army of the Potomac.
Customer Reviews:
A true American Hero.......2006-03-29
In the Hands of Providence is a very well researched look of the life of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. Alice Turlock presents a definitive biography of this modest professor from Bowden College, who met challenge after challenge to become one of the greatest leaders in Civil War history. Chamberlain had extraordinary observational and superb writing skills. His persistence at recording the historic events, which included his emotional reactions, gave Trulock's wonderful historic accounts for her book.
The book starts by giving us an in depth look at his obscure Christian upbringing in rural Maine, and follows his processes of becoming a great young man. He was an exceptional college student, receiving the praise of his instructors. He was also highly regarded by his neighbors and towns' folk alike. Many considered him to have the highest moral and ethical standard. He was so trusted and respected as a young man in his home town that an older business man of Maine, who was an acquaintance of Chamberlain's, entrusted him with the dealings of his estate.
While finishing his studies at Bowden, Chamberlain married his sweetheart Frances Caroline Adams. They had a very close and loving relationship. But during the war, the constant distance between them put a great deal of strain on their relationship. After graduation, he accepted a position as a professor at Bowden, and held that position for several years. Chamberlain maintained a very close relationship with his family, and he was especially close to his father in law George Adams.
When the war broke out in 1861, Chamberlain ask for a leave of absence from Bowden to enlist, but was turned down. Not to be left out of the war, he again applied for a sabbatical to study in Europe, and this time it was granted. He had no intentions on going to Europe, and instead immediately enlisted in the army as a lieutenant colonel, and never looked back. He played a huge role in the recruitment of the men for a regiment, which would later come to be known as the 20th Maine.
With no military experience, Chamberlain showed great promise in his leadership shills and military expertise. He became friends with his unit's commander, Colonial Ames, who became his tutor. According to Trulock, Chamberlain held a great deal of respect and admiration for Ames, and he gave Ames credit for his military success.
Trulock's description of Chamberlain's military life is extraordinary, and she supplies us with great details about the battles in which he was involved. At the battle of Antietam, Chamberlain was not directly involved in the fighting but was brought up in reserve the next day. Trulock gives a very vivid description of horror that Chamberlain witnessed upon arriving at the battlefield that day where 22,000 lay dead or wounded on the field. It was the bloodiest, one day battle in the Civil War.
Next, she transports us to the Fredericksburg, and the final assault by the North on Marye's Heights - the charge that involved the 20th of Maine. All the other divisions that day were either driven back, laid dead or wounded on the field. She describes tremendous courage that Chamberlain and his men showed as they made their charge on the now famous wall at Marye's Heights, the wall that was heavily guarded by Confederates. The division suffered great loses that late afternoon. They remained among the dead or wounded for 2 days and nights before the order was given to retreat.
The episode in history that Chamberlain is most remember for is the courage and heroism he displayed at the battle of Gettysburg. He was ordered to the top of a hill known as The Little Round Top where he was placed at the far left flank. There, Chamberlain was instructed to hold that position at all cost. The 20th Maine repelled assault after assault by the Confederates that day. When ammunition ran out, Chamberlain ordered a bayonet charge, an event that many historians say was the turning point of the Civil War.
Trulock also gives a very detailed account of the battle of Petersburg, where Chamberlain was horribly wounded. After hearing of his heroic actions during the battle, General Grant immediately promoted Chamberlain on the battlefield to Brigadier General. This was the only battlefield promotion ever issued by Grant. Somehow, Chamberlain survived his wound, due to the skilled surgery that was preformed on him that night and next day. Chamberlain's two close friends, Dr. Shaw and Dr. Townsend worked for hours repairing the damage inflicted by the mini ball. The wound he received that day would trouble him all of his life and required numerous surgery's to repair the damage.
His persistent heroism and outstanding leadership were the deciding factor when Grant chose Chamberlain to receive the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. He showed great respect for his fellow countrymen that day when he gave the order to his men to give a solders salute to the surrendering confederate men. His honorary actions that day were later critized by many people.
This book contains a lot of historic photos of Chamberlain's family, friends, fellow soldiers and numerous battle maps. The book also gives a great account of Chamberlain's life as Governor of Maine and President of Bowden College, but these accounts do not compare to the bravery and patriotic devotion that Chamberlain displayed during the Civil War. His actions made him a hero to his men, and the country he served.
Trulock has given us a great biography, not only one of the Civil War's greatest commanders, but one of the United States most distinguished citizens. The book flows very smoothly while covering details of battles that would interest even the most die hard Civil War enthusiast.
Finally, a book that does justice to an astonishing person. I highly recommend this book.
Man of character, man of faith whose story should be proclaimed!.......2006-01-25
Chamerlain's heroism is similar to Teddy Roosevelt, Alvin York, and Audie Murphy who came behind him, but have been better publicized.
The difference is that his act of confidence, courage and decisiveness may have been the one that changed the outcome of the Civil War, the 1864 election and the future of America.
In The Hands of Providence is the story of Chamberlain's exemplary character before, during and after that momentum changing moment. All Americans should read and learn this story.
- Richard V. Battle - Author of The Four Letter Word That Builds Character
Well rounded biography.......2005-05-10
I found Alice Trulock's biography on Joshua L. Chamberlain to be quite readable, well researched and well grounded. Considering the length of the book, Trulock's book read quite well for most readers of any level. Well, it may not be good as the one written by John Pullen but it definitely is superior to the one written by Edward Longacre. I put that in just for comparison purpose.
I think this biography may served as a good introduction to Chamberlain who's name have definitely reached near mythological level nowadays among Civil War readers thanks to Jeff Daniels and his role in that movie "Gettysburg". Of course, most readers would probably be disappointed that Jeff Daniel's portaryal of Chamberlain will not jive with Joshua Chamberlain of Trulock's book.
The biography covers all aspects of Chamberlain's life. The book does a good job covering Chamberlain's military career which proves to be the most important period of his life from which Chamberlain's life will be centered around until his death. I do wish to make a point here. He died at the age of 86, a very ripe old age and I doubt if his wounds he got from Petersburg really hasten his death, it may have cause him a lot of pain but even in modern days, most people don't live that long!
Overall, an very good biography on one of Union's more natural soldiers. A non-professional who performed better then most professional soldiers.
Excellent Title of an Excellent Leader.......2005-03-13
The Duke of Wellington supposedly stated that it is impossible for a Christian to serve in the military. Too bad he wasn't around during the American Civil War! Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson from the South and Joshua Chamberlain and Otis Howard from the North are notable exceptions to Wellington's thesis.
Trulock has written what is the best account of the hero of Little Round Top and who personally oversaw the surrender of Confederate troops at Appamattox.
Among the important events in Chamberlain's life covered include:
1. Birth and Christian upbringing in rural Maine.
2. His days as a student and adminstrator at Bowdoin College.
3. His early Civil War service including the formation of the famous 20th Maine Regiment.
4. Fascinating accounts of his involvement in major Civil War battles: Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Petersburg, and other engagements.
5. The horrible wound suffered at Petersburg that eventually killed him some 50 years later.
6. His loving yet strained marriage to Frances Caroline Adams.
7. Postwar public service as President of Bowdoin College and Governor of Maine.
Reading the book was a joy - the narrative flowed smoothly while covering several details of a fascinating character. The author managed to keep the story from becoming too bogged down in dry detail without insulting the reader's intelligence. Oh, how I wish more biographies were written like this!
The book also contains excellent battle maps and numerous photographs of the main characters: Chamberlain, his wife, parents, sister and brothers, many Civil War officers, and other important people in Joshua Chamberlain's life.
All in all, an excellent and highly recommended read. Read and enjoy!
Well Researched Look at a Major Civil War Figure.......2004-10-02
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was the epitome of the American citizen-soldier. Since the birth of the republic, American soldiers have left home and hearth to serve the nation and many of them have come home physically shattered and haunted by what they have seen while still others have not come home at all. Thrown into the breech, some of the citizen solders found they did not have the fortitude for what was asked of them while many others have excelled, performing better than graduates of West Point or Annapolis, America's most prestigious military academies. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a citizen soldier who became a great hero of the Civil War, a man who met challenge after challenge and became a great leader of men and afterward, the course of his life was forever altered. An academically inclined young man, Chamberlain left Bowdin College and his studies and teaching in theology to accept a lieutenant colonel's commission in the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The modest young professor took part in most of the important battles of the North's Army of the Potomac. He was a participant in the Battle of Antietam, still the bloodiest single day in American history. Today, we can walk the battlefield off Sharpsburg Pike, in rural Maryland and see "Burnside's Bridge and the cornfields where so many men fell and get some small measure of what men like Chamberlain went through. We can also visit the battlefield at Fredericksburg and see the heights that he and his 20th Maine and the Union Army tried to take in bloody frontal assaults into the teeth of Confederate guns and under the pounding of their artillery on the hills. Today Chamberlain's comrades - as well as the fallen Confederate troops - are buried on the commanding heights they failed to take, one of the Civil War's bitter ironies. Colonel Chamberlain then immortalized himself at Gettysburg's Little Round Top where he anchored the Union left, repelling assault after assault and winning the day by leading a charge down the slope that broke the Rebel troops. He was given a general's star by General Grant at Petersburg and was honored to receive the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. His heroism and leadership qualities helped him win the Governorship of Maine no less than four times, after which he retired to the Presidency of Bowdin College, his alma mater. Alice Trulock who wrote this book, was not a professional writer and after her retirement from civic affairs, this book took her ten years of careful research, writing and rewriting to complete. She based her work on a great deal of new research and handles the account of infantry combat beautifully. Unfortunately, Trulock died before the book was released and so she wasn't able to accept the accolades that were due to her for such a well-written and moving biography of an emblematic Civil War figure.
Customer Reviews:
A Must-Read for the U.S. History Student!.......2006-03-09
What a wonderful book! Teddy Roosevelt was brilliantly ressurected for us by George Grant in this comprehensive, yet easy-to-read work (because of the chapter lengths). Section 1 is a biography of his life; Section 2 contains short chapters on his character, and many sides to his life; Section 3 deals with his legacy.
This book gives the reader a good look a life in the U.S. during the last half of the 19th century, as well as one of the period's most beloved of heroes.
Biased -- Better Stuff Available.......2005-06-08
I just wanted a simple biography on Theodore Roosevelt, but this was pretty openly and obviously a book with an agenda. True, the basics about Theodore Roosevelt are here, but the emphasis is on spiritual faith and values. Since I read this book, I read Roosevlet's autobiography and came to realize that he is much more complex than this book suggests.
Carry A Big Stick.......2003-08-29
This is an incredible book, that truly gives you the insight of one of the greatest men that ever lived. Filled with many incredible principles to live by, you WILL enjoy this book and the excitement it brings to your life!
Errors galore in this Conservative Christian propaganda!.......2003-04-22
I've read 40+ plus books by or about TR and this is the worst, one-sided view of this complex, multi-facted man. This is as bad as the radical-left "Howard Zinn-ism" revisionist history of TR's foreign policies.
There are too many "blatant" errors to list in this mini-review, but just for starters:
1). TR did not, as the author claims, visit his mother's Georgia plantation "10 or more times". It is well documented that TR only visited Bulloch Hall twice -once as president and once post-White House. He did not have a very high opinion of most Southerners, despite the author's claims to the contrary. His wife abhorred most Southerners.
2). TR did not force his children, particulary Alice, to attend church every Sunday. Edith was the religious task master of the family and in her quiet manner usually rounded up all kids, except for Alice. Alice was a well-known, open atheist from her teen years until she died. TR and Edith had accepted the teenager's refusal to be confirmed in the Episcopal church or any other church. Their son Archie also grew up to be an agnostic.
3). TR most certainly did NOT shower Edith with flowers and jewels. He never even remembered her birthday (though he never forgot the date of their engagement and wedding anniversay). Edith hated receiving extravagent gifts from anyone, especially her husband. They did have a very happy marriage and home life but he also known for taking off on 3-month hunting trips soon after Edith would deliver another baby.
4). TR most certainly did like to attend parties and was a professional social butterfly because he knew he would probably end up as the main attraction - just what his ego needed. The author paints TR as a man who shunned social gatherings to be with his family 24/7. Definitely not true. He LOVED being around people of all and any type, though his wife certainly like to stoke the home fires more than making the social rounds.
5). TR never made any speeches about abortion. Abortion was not on the radar screen in his time. The author uses quotes that TR said about women not wanting to get married and raise families to make it seem as though TR were speaking direcly on the subject of abortion.
6). TR believed in and preached on the separation of Church and State. He wanted to remove "In God We Trust" from the US coinnage and even pushed one of the leading artists of that time, Grant LaFarge, to create a new design. The "religious right" of his time went ballistic over this decision and he later backed down. He made many speeches proclaiming that the Church stay out of the affairs of the State. Indeed, he was a strong, "old school" Christian who did preach to the citizens the value of religion, a happy home life, and following the morals one teaches to his/her children. However, he also thought a country would head down the dangerous path if a certain religion or belief were forced upon its citizens.
I would not recommend this book on TR to ANYONE.
My, wasn't that just bully!.......2003-04-20
George Grant has written a delightful book about a delightful man.
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The Annals of Imperial Rome (Penguin Classics)
The Fall of the Roman Republic: Six Lives (Penguin Classics)
Makers of Rome: Nine Lives (Penguin Classics)
I, Claudius : From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Born 10 B.C., Murdered and Deified A.D. 54 (Vintage International)
