Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany

Book Description

Masters of the Air is the deeply personal story of the American bomber boys in World War II who brought the war to Hitler's doorstep. With the narrative power of fiction, Donald Miller takes readers on a harrowing ride through the fire-filled skies over Berlin, Hanover, and Dresden and describes the terrible cost of bombing for the German people.

Fighting at 25,000 feet in thin, freezing air that no warriors had ever encountered before, bomber crews battled new kinds of assaults on body and mind. Air combat was deadly but intermittent: periods of inactivity and anxiety were followed by short bursts of fire and fear. Unlike infantrymen, bomber boys slept on clean sheets, drank beer in local pubs, and danced to the swing music of Glenn Miller's Air Force band, which toured U.S. air bases in England. But they had a much greater chance of dying than ground soldiers. In 1943, an American bomber crewman stood only a one-in-five chance of surviving his tour of duty, twenty-five missions. The Eighth Air Force lost more men in the war than the U.S. Marine Corps.

The bomber crews were an elite group of warriors who were a microcosm of America -- white America, anyway. (African-Americans could not serve in the Eighth Air Force except in a support capacity.) The actor Jimmy Stewart was a bomber boy, and so was the "King of Hollywood," Clark Gable. And the air war was filmed by Oscar-winning director William Wyler and covered by reporters like Andy Rooney and Walter Cronkite, all of whom flew combat missions with the men.

The Anglo-American bombing campaign against Nazi Germany was the longest military campaign of World War II, a war within a war. Until Allied soldiers crossed into Germany in the final months of the war, it was the only battle fought inside the German homeland.

Strategic bombing did not win the war, but the war could not have been won without it. American

airpower destroyed the rail facilities and oil refineries that supplied the German war machine. The bombing campaign was a shared enterprise: the British flew under the cover of night while American bombers attacked by day, a technique that British commanders thought was suicidal.

Masters of the Air is a story, as well, of life in wartime England and in the German prison camps, where tens of thousands of airmen spent part of the war. It ends with a vivid description of the grisly hunger marches captured airmen were forced to make near the end of the war through the country their bombs destroyed.

Drawn from recent interviews, oral histories, and American, British, German, and other archives, Masters of the Air is an authoritative, deeply moving account of the world's first and only bomber war.

Customer Reviews:

A "must read" for all those interested in WW II........2007-10-10

This monumental work covers the bomber war in Europe in a more complete way than any other book I have read including anything the great Martin Caidin has written. Mr. Miller tells the story from the perspectives of the tail gunners, waist gunners, radiomen, bombadiers, navigators, co-pilots and pilots as well as the generals who devised the strategys. All aspects of the war are covered from the original construction of the air bases to airplane maintenance to training to missions to time-off at local village pubs. Unlike other books, this one covers the POWs and their horrendous plight especially as the war is winding down and the Nazis more them from location to location ahead of the advancing Allies. Miller also includes stories about Capt. Tibbets of Hiroshima fame and a fascinating story of Chuck Yeager's escape from occupied Europe through Spain and his subsequent return to combat, something almost never allowed because re-patriated flyers knew too much about the french underground that would jeapordize lives if they were shot down a second time. Also of interest was information about what happened to crewmen who elected to land in "neutral" Switzerland in wounded ships. I recommend this book highly.

Masters of the Air.......2007-09-11

A marvelous story about the WW II air war over Europe. Full of interesting details and descriptions. I have shared it with friends that did their 35 missions, and they concur.

The Story of the "Mighty Eighth".......2007-09-08

This well-written and exhaustively researched book chronicles the rise of the American Eighth Air Force from its early days in England to VE Day in 1945.

At the outset of the war, the British believed that night bombing was the best way to attack German cities and industry. However, once America entered the war, they chose a philosophy different from that of the British. The Americans believed that daylight precision strategic bombing was the only way to defeat the Germans. The British, on the other hand, still favored nighttime area bombing. This difference of opinion between the Americans and British was never really settled, but by combining the "round the clock" attacks of American planes during the day and British planes at night, the Germans faced an unending stream of planes and bombs.

When the Eighth flew their first mission in the fall of 1942, they could barely muster thirty planes, but at the end of the war, they were putting up well over one thousand, with several hundred fighter escorts as well. The German Luftwaffe could not match these incredible numbers of planes, and, despite such tactics as underground production and introducing the world's first jet fighter, there was little they could do to stop the Allied bombing.

Differences also existed between the British and Americans regarding target selection. The British favored carpet bombing Germany's cities with little or no regard for civilian casualties. The Americans favored targeting German industry (synthetic oil production, ball bearings, and transportation hubs). The Americans believed that the systematic destruction of the German economy would bring about surrender quicker than the British belief of "terror attacks" designed to break the will of the German people.

An interesting point made by the author is whether or not strategic bombing was effective against the Germans. A preponderance of the evidence would suggest that the answer to this question is "yes", but there are some compelling counter-points made in the book.

This is a fine work of aviation history. The book is well-researched and is easy to read and understand. Every aspect of the Allied bomber offensive in Europe is covered in great detail. The author also includes many personal testimonials from the men who flew the B-17s and B-24s against the Germans. An interesting chapter is also devoted to the Swiss government and how they treated "captured" Allied fliers. The terrifying incendiary raid on Dresden as well as the horrific destruction of Berlin is also told in vivid detail.

I give this fine book my highest recommendation. If you're looking for information on the Eighth Air Force and the air war over Europe, this is the book to read.

Does anyone at Simon & Schuster proofread?.......2007-09-04

Mr. Miller's book includes not only substantial research into prior publications but very interesting research based on letters and interviews he's found on his own. It's a good book. But if you're a member of the word police you'll be annoyed by the many proofreading errors. Here's a sample: "In the heavily defended Ruhr, with its permanent cloud of industrial smoke, the number was only in ten." (p.54) Should have been "within ten miles." Some errors are so simple a spell checker would have caught them: (p.199) "spining" for spinning. And there are some factual errors as well. Miller attributes contrails to wingtips. They're created by engines. It's much easier to criticize than to write. Still, S&S should have, with the several editors listed in the acknowledgments, caught the errors. I have no idea whether they have been corrected in the paperback.

The Unsung Heroes of The Eighth Air Force.......2007-08-26

This is an overdue tribute to those young men who gave their lives, in great numbers, fighting the air war over Germany in WWII.To those who think WWII was fought without major tatical errors, this book will be a revelation. In tribute to the kids who lost their lives in this bloody effort, everyone should be required to read this story. If you thought that service in the Air Force was a cake walk read this book.

Web Services Platform Architecture: SOAP, WSDL, WS-Policy, WS-Addressing, WS-BPEL, WS-Reliable Messaging, and More

Average customer rating:

Very good conceptual and technical introduction to the Web Services like SOA components
Not a bad book - Good fundamentals less on development focus
Explains all you need to know about the Web Services Platform
Too high level
Very high level

Web Services Platform Architecture: SOAP, WSDL, WS-Policy, WS-Addressing, WS-BPEL, WS-Reliable Messaging, and More
Sanjiva Weerawarana , Francisco Curbera , Frank Leymann , Tony Storey , and Donald F. Ferguson
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall PTR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA): Concepts, Technology, and Design (The Prentice Hall Service-Oriented Computing Series from Thomas Erl)
Service-Oriented Architecture: A Field Guide to Integrating XML and Web Services (The Prentice Hall Service-Oriented Computing Series from Thomas Erl)
Business Process Execution Language for Web Services BPEL and BPEL4WS 2nd Edition
Enterprise Service Bus
Securing Web Services with WS-Security: Demystifying WS-Security, WS-Policy, SAML, XML Signature, and XML Encryption

ASIN: 0131488740

Customer Reviews:

Very good conceptual and technical introduction to the Web Services like SOA components.......2007-06-20

This book is specially interesting by its chapter of introduction to the BPEL, since it is a subject that does not treat in almost any book of technical form.

It is a very interesting book so that it introduces to the reader in all the concepts and technologies involved in the Web Services focusing it towards a services oriented architecture.

It does not get to be a complete book on SOA, tries it either, but it provides good bases.

What makes very interesting to the book is that each concept and architecture introduce it very correctly and later makes one more an approach more technical, with examples of code, or definitions.

Everything and not to be a complete guide if who provides a very ample vision and detailed enough, so that the reader concretely knows that he is being spoken at every moment and he knows by where must extend its knowledge.

He lays the way to the knowledge of the technologies implied in the Web Services.

A very special chapter is of the BPEL where aside from introducing conceptually it gives it a good technical introduction providing to the reader the technical foundations to know the BPEL and power to confront a following deeper learning of the matter of more comfortable form.

It provides the necessary keys and concepts, as well as a general vision, allowing a later learning of the matters that interest easily but.

It is a book that nowadays is updated with the technologies that treatment.

Recommended for a very good conceptual and technical introduction to the Web Services, of form independently and like tool of SOA.

Not a bad book - Good fundamentals less on development focus.......2006-04-03

This book is all about Web services platform architecture and standards. It cooks well on most of the alphabet soup of web services standards. This book would guide you instead of browsing over the internet for what is what. The book falls short on guidelines for implementing them. The book also a bit old in its evolving specifications and endorsed standards coverage particularly less about WS-I and WS-Security* standards. That is disappointing.

Explains all you need to know about the Web Services Platform.......2005-10-18

What do you get when you put a number of Web Services gurus from IBM in a room for a while? You'll get the "Web Services Platform Architecture" book. In short, all the authors that assisted in writing this book are Web services experts from IBM who have either wrote the specs or assisted in writing the Web services specs in question. The nice thing about the book is that is it an easy read. It is not a dry, boring, "reading-these-specs is-putting-my-to-sleep," book. As you know, there are a number of specs that cover Web services, so the authors have a taken a short-and-sweet approach to each protocol. Each protocol is covered in detail, but the detail surrounds why you would want to care about this protocol, and not what paragraph 4, subparagraph 8 of chapter 2 of WS-Security says about naming conventions, for example. Each chapter ties the business needs to the technical aspects of the protocol, and talks about how the protocol can be used to solve a given business problem.

The following protocols are covered in this text:
Messaging-type protocols such as WS-Addressing
Description-type protocols such as WS-Policy, and WSDL
Protocols that are used for QoS specification such as WS-Security, WS-Reliable Messaging, WS-Atomic Transaction and WS-Business Activity
Security type protocols (WS-Security) and other related protocols such as WS-Trust, WS-Privacy, WS-Federation and WS-Authorization
Workflow and composition type protocols such as WS-BPEL.

As the authors move "up" the stack (the protocols are presented and classified very similar to what I described above - layers atop of the transport protocols such as TCP/HTTP), the business examples get more and more involved and complicated. You need to realize that there is not much code writing actually occurs in this book, but a high-level architectural methodology of how different pieces of the Wed services stack fit together, and compliment each other. The different examples given demonstrate another very crucial fact: an architect can pick and choose the protocol and standard s/he wants to get the job done. Web services protocols are by no means an all-or-nothing concept. This is why interoperability of various protocols very important, and the main reason why some of these protocols are stuck at the "final" stages of approval committee for such a long time.

Two case studies are presented at the end of the text that covers the end-to-end model of the protocols. Authors also discuss a number of competing protocols that have come out of various Web services standard committees, and why each one is needed. Future trends in Web services is the last topic discussed in the text with a brief talk of Web semantics.

All and all, this is a great book on Web service protocols - the topics are easy to read and follow - something that each and everyone one of us involved with Web services can use given the number of protocols and standards that are out there.

Too high level.......2005-07-25

There are several other books, that are over 2 years old that do the same job as this book. As an SOA enthusiast, you probably own or have read several of them already .. why bother with another one?

Very high level.......2005-05-12

As an architectural book this is a fine work. It's short, somewhat terse but not overly so. Graphics are consistently well used throughout. And the author has a genuine grasp of the subject.

If you are looking for an architectural level work, or a high level introduction to web services, then you may have found your book. But if you are looking for something that presents both the architecture and some examples of implementation you won't find what you are looking for here.

The Western Heritage: Combined Volume, TLC Edition (5th Edition)

Average customer rating:

The Western Heritage: Combined Volume, TLC Edition (5th Edition)
Donald Kagan , Steven Ozment , and Frank M. Turner
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Early Civilization | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Western | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Aspects of Western Civilization: Problems and Sources in History, Volume I (6th Edition)
Cultures in Conflict: Christians, Muslims, and Jews in the Age of Discovery
Three Treatises
Ethics: Theory and Practice (9th Edition)
Eight Modern Essayists

ASIN: 0132211076

Book Description

For introductory-level survey courses in Western Civilization and European History and Civilization; or a supplemental text in Art History or other basic cultural history survey courses.

This highly visual brief survey of Western civilization provides an exceptionally balanced survey of the political, social, and cultural development of Western civilization-its strengths and weaknesses, and the controversies surrounding it. The Teaching & Learning Classroom edition of the highly successful The Western Heritage, Ninth Edition provides your students with the most help available in reading, thinking, and applying the material they are learning in the text and in lecture. A series of pedagogical aids, in text and out of class study companions, as well as complete instructor presentational and assessment support makes this text the perfect choice for those looking to make history come alive for their students.

The Western Heritage, Combined, Eighth Edition

Average customer rating:

Absolutely outstanding...if you have the time for it
Poorly edited
Great for AP Euro!
Wonderful Overview of European History
Too complicated.

The Western Heritage, Combined, Eighth Edition
Donald M. Kagan , Steven Ozment , and Frank M. Turner
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Early Civilization | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Civilization & Culture | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

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Similar Items:

Western Civilizations: Renaissance to the Present
The Western Heritage: Since 1300, Eighth Edition
A World Lit Only by Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance: Portrait of an Age
Physics (3rd Edition) (MasteringPhysics Series)
In Search of Fatima: A Palestinian Story

ASIN: 0131828398

Book Description

This authoritative book presents an engaging and accessible narrative account of the central developments in Western history. Seamlessly integrating coverage of social, cultural and political history, this book is presented in a flexible chronological organization, helping readers grasp the most significant developments that occurred during a single historical period, laying a useful foundation for the chapters to follow. Attempts to reflect the unprecedented impact of globalization on this century by featuring extensive coverage of popular culture, the relationship between Islam and the West, and the contribution of women in the history of Western Civilization. Some featured essay topics include ancient athletics, religious festivals, medieval games, diets, attitudes towards bathing, and the politics of rock music in the late 20th Century. Particular attention paid to women artists such as Artemisia Gentileschi, Rachel Ruysch, Elizabeth Vigee-Lebrun, Lady Butler, and Elizabeth Whiteread—through Art and the West essays. Great coverage of the experience of women in Western civilization, particularly new scholarship on women in the ancient world and the Middle Ages, during the scientific and industrial revolutions and under authoritarian governments of the twentieth century. Major sections on Islam and the Ottoman Empire cover topics such as the rise and decline of the Ottoman Empire from the 17th through the 20th centuries; Islam and the Enlightenment; Islam and the Romantic movement; Islam and Modernity; the French colonization of Algeria, from 1830-1962; Islamic immigration in the 20th-century Europe, and Islamic terrorism before and after September 11, 2001. For use by history career professionals.

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely outstanding...if you have the time for it.......2007-07-27

This was by far the most interesting history book that I have ever read. It is a brilliant amalgamation of facts, interesting analysis, maps, and historical documents that constantly touches on recurring themes throughout European History. I read it for the AP Euro class I took last year and, truthfully, it is the only thing you need to succeed on the essays of the AP test. However, all of the chapters are at least 30 pages long, with much material to comprehend and note-taking is necessary to remember much relevant information. If you have the time to put in to it, though, you will not regret slaving over this textbook.

Poorly edited.......2004-07-29

This textbook is filled with misinformation, typos, and blatant grammatical errors. I hope professors stop requesting that students read this text. The only thing worse than the book is the compainion website. It has practice test questions that contradict the "real" test and quiz questions that they provide. If you take this course DL like I did, this really makes a big difference. I have spent the better half of the semester arguing for points from my professor (and winning) who apparently never bothered to read the tests or the text (I should get paid from him!!)
One example, on a practice test, when you type in the name Pompey, a correct answer, it tells you that you are wrong because it is Pomey (there is no such Roman General)
When you contact the publisher's website administrator, they tell you that you need to talk to your professor to get anything changed. That was two months ago, he nor they have done anything about it. I am not exagerating when I say that is one of at least 25 examples that I have noticed.

Also, there is a lot of inconsistency in the writing styles of chapters. There is an overemphasis of women. Now, I am a women and I agree that we have been left out of history for way too long. This book has a section per chapter just reminding you how bad we had it throughout history. Chapter after chapter in the ancient and middle ages sections at least, women's lots did not change a lot. I think they could have just updated us when major advancements were made.

Great for AP Euro!.......2003-11-08

I took AP Euro as a junior last year and actually really enjoyed this text. It was a lot better than the other book that had been used the previous year which was comprised almost completely of political history. The pictures are nice when you have a big chapter to read and the writing is simple to comprehend. The pitfalls of the book lie in the chapter on the French Revolution and it is obvioius that toward the end the deadline was coming up because numerous spelling errors and other typos were found throughout the final chapters. The formation of the E. U. and its development were almost not at all covered, but much of the material is excellent. In preparation for the AP test my class did not do very much in terms of information, but spent most of its time doing DBQ's and essays. I read the entire book cover to cover and did not even have to study for the AP test and recieved a five, so I highly reccomend this book but look somewhere else for the French Revolution or if you really want things structured in a strictly chronological formation.

Wonderful Overview of European History.......2003-04-15

I am a junior in an AP European History class. My class uses two textbooks, one of which is Kagan's Western Heritage. The Kagan textbook is by far my favorite of the two textbooks to read. It is very interesting and thoroughly covers all the topics of European history, many of which are skipped in my other textbook. I am even considering buying the book so I can read the chapters my class skipped and keep it on hand as a reference. The order of the chapters is not at all difficult to follow as long as the reader has a basic knowledge of European History or looks at the timelines at the beginning of each section. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Europe.

Too complicated........2002-09-27

I am a freshman in high school, and this is my textbook in my AP European History class.

The events depicted are often out of order, making it harder to understand the timeline. The writing seems inconsistent, sometimes short and understandable but often is long-winded and unclear. The authors of this book assume you have some knowledge of both of the geography in Europe and at least some knowledge of Europe's history already. In most of my fellow students' case, they assume wrong. If you do not already have some experience in studying Europe, then I would recommend searching for a different book.

The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: Revised and Updated: The Fate of the World and What We Can Do Before It's Too Late
Average customer rating:

save our planet

If this is the answer, we are doomed.

If there is a more important and powerful book out there, I haven't found it.

Everyone should READ THIS

A wake up call

The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: Revised and Updated: The Fate of the World and What We Can Do Before It's Too Late
Thom Hartmann
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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Walsch, Neale Donald | ( W ) | Authors, A-Z | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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The Prophet's Way: A Guide to Living in the Now

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The Greatest Spiritual Secret of the Century

Unequal Protection: The Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Theft of Human Rights

ASIN: 1400051576
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Book Description

While everything appears to be collapsing around us -- ecodamage, genetic engineering, virulent diseases, the end of cheap oil, water shortages, global famine, wars -- we can still do something about it and create a world that will work for us and for our children’s children. The inspiration for Leonardo DiCaprio’s web movie Global Warning, The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight details what is happening to our planet, the reasons for our culture’s blind behavior, and how we can fix the problem. Thom Hartmann’s comprehensive book, originally published in 1998, has become one of the fundamental handbooks of the environmental activist movement. Now, with fresh, updated material and a focus on political activism and its effect on corporate behavior, The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight helps us understand--and heal--our relationship to the world, to each other, and to our natural resources.

Customer Reviews:

save our planet.......2007-10-18

Everyone should read this book, it will open your eyes. We should all know whats going on in our world. The media which is run by big business as well as our government,which is also run by big business, will not tell you. These big conglomirates don't want you to know what harm they are doing to our planet, our eco system and our bodies. If this doesn't stop we will all die and so will our world as we know it. Think about your children and grandchildren. Look what's happening to them now from antibiotics and hormones in their food and chemicals in their water. Al Gore understands whats happening with the Greenhouse effect on our planet, But that's just the tip of the iceberg. (thats begining to melt) N. Broad Danielson,CT.

If this is the answer, we are doomed. .......2007-09-23

As a biology teacher, I bought this book because I thought it would be a scholarly analysis of the current environmental crisis. Instead, it is largely a diatribe against all the "evils" of Western civilization, followed by plenty of New Age mumbo.

Here are a few gems of the author's "analysis":

--All human civilizations throughout history can be divided into just two groups: Old Cultures and Young Cultures. Old Cultures universally loved each other, lived in peace, respected the earth, helped old ladies cross the street and lived sustainably. Young Cultures (Europe, USA) rape and pillage, are resource-extracting, and practice despicable acts like ownership of property and buying and selling things in an economy, rather than communally sharing all the resources.

--To get back to Old Culture, you should leave your job, home and 401k and join with small bands of like-minded individuals to buy enough rural land to build basic shelters, grow crops, and grab your own solar energy. This will re-create the small, sustainable, "tribes" of the past.

--The author proposes walking outside with the book and attempting to talk to plants and animals, waiting until they talk back. At one point, he caresses a tree and apologizes to it.

--Just by thinking good thoughts you can effect planetary change. Since the entire planet is interconnected by a "morphic energy field" any good thoughts dumped into it will improve the whole "cosmic soup."

--If you get to the end of the book, the afterword tells you that you are an exceptional person (literally, a "Chosen One") and that you should run out and buy 10 more copies of the author's other books to distribute to friends.

If this is the "strategy" of the new environmental movement, we are doomed. The author is clearly passionate about the issue and is attempting to drive deep cultural change to solve the problem, but his prescriptions are hopelessly utopian. I don't see how aboriginal mysticism is going to scrub the carbon dioxide out of our air or invent a better fuel cell.

Instead of buying 10 copies of this book, try Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs and Steel" or "Collapse."

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

If there is a more important and powerful book out there, I haven't found it........2007-09-02

Better than anyone I've ever read or heard, Hartmann explains the cultural and environmental crises we have wrought, how we got there, and what we can do to overcome them. It is full of factual evidence and well-thought-out insights.
Hartmann is a brilliant and prolific writer as well as an Air America radio host. If everyone would read it, there would be a lot more hope for our future.

Everyone should READ THIS.......2007-08-01

A brilliant book, very well researched and taking us thru the times in a very easy to read style. It is not fiction but feels like a good thriller at times with a cannot put down flavour to it. It is educational and informative and moves thru the subjects systematically with a deep spiritual element towards the end and finalising with an action plan and on a positive note that all is not lost. I initially borrowed this from my library but decided I want to add this to my collection of books - it is so good ! Happy reading and please share what you have read with others so that there is a world movement to improve our environment for this earth belongs not only to humans but to all other living creatures and plants as well.

A wake up call.......2007-07-23

This is a great book that addresses a number of critical issues, and it provides a good springboard to look at our future and how we must change to survive. Disappointing to some is that he doesn't reach any conclusions, however the purpose of the book is not to be "A idiots guide to survival" rather to force the reader to draw his own conclusions.

I feel that he either missed some research or simply left it out. Two cases in point are tribalism and democracy. What he said about ancient tribes is mostly correct, however there are strong indications that some ancient tribes that pre-dated modern civilization were exceedingly warlike and did kill their neighbors, just because they were not of the same tribe. I admit that they were the exception, but they did exist and perhaps they are the root of the modern civilization of dominance.

The other issue that could have been explored is the difference in democracies between republics and confederations. Republics always consolidate power and historically have failed as he points out. However he doesn't take a look at confederations which by his definitions are more tribal in outlook. I lived in Switzerland for many years and they are the oldest surviving democracy in the world at more than 700 years. The government was influenced by the Allemanes (sic) a German tribe that had a very grass roots form of democracy. I have lived all over the world in many different countries and the only place I have lived that had a genuine democracy that represented the individual was Switzerland. Interesting to note is that they are also the "greenest" country that I have ever lived in, recycling and environmental consciousness is a part of the culture with few exceptions.

World Class Supply Management: The Key to Supply Chain Management with Student CD (Cases)

Average customer rating:

Good reference but outdated
Average, not great
Thankyou MR. DOBLER
The core Purchasing text that must be on your shelf.

World Class Supply Management: The Key to Supply Chain Management with Student CD (Cases)
David N. Burt , Donald W Dobler , and Stephen Starling
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Operations Research | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Purchasing & Buying | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

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Purchasing and Supply Chain (with InfoTrac )

ASIN: 0072831561

Book Description

The best-selling textbook in purchasing and supply management through several editions, this book presents a practical framework for students to apply how firms actually manage the enterprise-wide functions of purchasing and supply in today’s business environment. This edition represents a complete and thorough revision of the book, now explaining purchasing and supply management in the context of the supply chain, which. has begun to dominate the literature in the field. World Class Supply ManagementSM: The Key to Supply Chain Management, Seventh Edition, reflects that change in focus, right down to the title (formerly called, more traditionally, Purchasing and Supply Management; now with the subtitle that specifically references the book’s increased focus on supply-chain issues). New chapters have been added to the beginning and end of the text, to frame the new discussion of supply chain issues. The book has also been thoroughly updated to reflect the realities of purchasing and supply management in the digital age.

Customer Reviews:

Good reference but outdated.......2000-11-03

My instructor at college who is on the Board of NAPM made this the class text. The book is obsolete from its discussion of technology in purchasing but otherwise is good. It emphasizes qualitative methods and is very soft on quantitative analysis of practical business problems. There is a shortage of case studies but overall this is a good book.Being useful to take the NAPM exam, NAPM has expanded some definitions in the book that are not commonly held in other college courses. For example, my instructor docked me 10 points on a question asking for the 4 elements of a contract,which are different from what commercial law and the UCC dictate. NAPM has redefined some terms so be wary.

Average, not great.......2000-10-19

At over $100 this is an expensive book. It has some good information, being useful for Modules 1& 2 of the National Association of Purchasing Managers (NAPM) exams but is quite repetitive in its jargon. Much of what is discussed is generally known by anyone with any significant work experience. More calculations and hard data might be helpful. The book itself is of rugged construction and well made and of convenient size for portable reading.

Thankyou MR. DOBLER.......2000-01-18

This book is very useful for our purchasing mamagers

The core Purchasing text that must be on your shelf........1999-02-06

This is the textbook that every Purchasing professional must have on the shelf. It is written by the gurus in the field that helped to define the profession and set standards by developing the professional certification requirements.

The book establishes common language to describe Purchasing core processes that are applicable across industry and organizational lines. Because of the common language it establishes it can be really helpfull for someone who has been in a single industry or organization for some time that wants to transition to another industry but only knows the terms from their previos field.

For example someone involved in government procurement wishing to transition to the private sector might find the book usefull. Furthermore, it is written in the same language as appears on the NAPM APP and CPM examinations.

I have used the book both in a Purchasing Masters Degree Program at St Marys College in California and also in a Purchasing Certificate Program offered by the University of Phoenix and the material and cases are always well received by the students. The cases in particular are good and provide a common ground for people who have used the book.

There are some other books out there and new gurus are emerging but for now this is still the best.

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic look into Chinese Medicine's early history.......2005-11-20

Professor Harper in this text takes a detailed look at the contents and historical significance of the Ma Wang Dui medical manuscripts. These manuscripts were unearthed in China in the early 1970's and represent an extant completely unedited group of medical writings from about 2,000 years ago.

This is particilarly significant since most of the classic texts of Chinese medicine we have today have been edited significantly even if they are ancient in origin. The Ma Wang Dui texts give historians a glimpse into what Chinese intelligensia was reading in terms of medical information. The Ma Wang Dui manuscripts are also conspicuously lacking in any information about acupuncture - even though other therapies such as herbal medicine and moxabustion are presented. This of course challenges the unfounded historical belief in the age of acupuncture as a therapy.

I use this text for a class I teach on Chinese medical classics and history. Not for acupuncturists looking for new techniques and not for the lay person, but an excellent text for historians and Oriental Medicine professionals who want a detailed look into the earliest periods of the science.

National Security for a New Era (2nd Edition)

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National Security for a New Era (2nd Edition)
Donald Snow
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Issues in American Foreign Policy
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ASIN: 0321383931

Book Description

National Security for a New Erais the first book to offer a comprehensive examination of American national security policy since the events of 9/11 galvanized change. It starts from the premise that there have been two fundamental “fault lines” in national security policy during the last two decades: the end of the Cold War and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Each transformed security policy: the end of the Cold War ushered in the era of globalization for the 1990s, and 9/11 initiated a shift to a more traditional geopolitical view of the world for the first decade of the new century. The text attempts to place these traumatic events into the context of the prior American experience of the Cold War, traditional concerns over American interests, politics, and military problems, and to extend that experience into the future. Asymmetrical warfare, the Iraq war precedent, the neo-conservative challenge, state building, and the future reconciliation of globalization and geopolitics are all examined.

The Western Heritage: Since 1300, Eighth Edition

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AP Euro Student
Bit convoluted, but still useful
To Kagan!
terrible!
Drink a lot of caffeine before reading this book

The Western Heritage: Since 1300, Eighth Edition
Donald M. Kagan , Steven Ozment , Frank M. Turner , and Donald Kagan
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Cracking the AP European History Exam, 2006-2007 Edition (College Test Prep)
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The Communist Manifesto and Other Revolutionary Writings: Marx, Marat, Paine, Mao Tse-Tung, Gandhi and Others (Dover Thrift Editions)

ASIN: 0131828835

Book Description

This authoritative book presents an engaging and accessible narrative account of the central developments in Western history from 1300-present. Seamlessly integrating coverage of social, cultural and political history, this book is presented in a flexible chronological organization, helping readers grasp the most significant developments that occurred during a single historical period, laying a useful foundation for the chapters to follow. This volume attempts to reflect the unprecedented impact of globalization on this century by featuring extensive coverage of popular culture, the relationship between Islam and the West, and the contribution of women in the history of Western Civilization. This volume contains a Special Introduction Chapter and Chs. 9-31 of the Combined Volume: The Late Middle Ages: Social and Political Breakdown; Renaissance and Discovery; The Age of Reformation; The Age of Religious Wars; Paths to Constitutionalism and Absolutism: England and France in the 17th Century; New Directions in Thought and Culture in the 16th and 17th Centuries; Successful and Unsuccessful Paths to Power; Society and Economy under the Old Regime in the 18th Century; The Transatlantic Economy, Trade Wars, and Colonial Rebellion; The Age of Enlightenment: 18th-Century Thought; The French Revolution; The Age of Napoleon and the Triumph of Romanticism; The Conservative Order and the Challenges of Reform; Economic Advance and Social Unrest; The Age of Nation-States; The Building of European Supremacy: Society and Politics to World War I; The Birth of Modern European Thought; Imperialism, Alliances, and War; Political Experiments of the 1920s; Europe and the Great Depression of the 1930s; World War II; Faces of the Twentieth-Century: European Social Experiences; and The Cold War Era and the Emergence of the New Europe. For use by history career professionals.

Customer Reviews:

AP Euro Student.......2005-09-18

I took AP Euro as a Sophmore. This book was a major factor in me getting a 5 on the test. Its dull a times but with the right teacher this book will do you woneders on the AP test in May. Im takin AP Us now and my book is anecdotal and written in a narrative style. thus its almost impossible to take notes in. This book separated into chapters, some of which pertain to social themes of that particular time, otheres to political and economic. In short if you are looking to get 3 or above on the AP Euro test, this is the book for you.

Bit convoluted, but still useful.......2005-08-18

Although the text tends to skip around in regards to dates (one paragraph is on the 1300s, then the next section is back to the 1200s) it is overall a good tool for the European history scholar.

To Kagan!.......2005-03-07

Within my AP Euro class we affectionately referred to this book as Kagan (the first listed author, as compared to McKay our other textbook). I must say the opposite of another review talking comparing this textbook to Bailey's The American Pageant. The concensus I have found now that my grade is studying American is a nostalgia for Kagan as we find Baily to be pretensiously written. Kagan was filledwith memorable yet not onoxious writing. The sort of high quality writing that when you answered a question in class your answer would automatically use the same used as in the textbook without your notice.

terrible!.......2005-02-28

This textbook is boring, pretentiously written, and does not present the information in a concise, understandable way. I am currently using it for an AP European History class, and after a year of using Bailey's "The American Pageant" for AP US, the difference is so blatant. The American Pageant breaks down time periods concisely into clear paragraphs and you don't fall asleep reading it. Often with this text, I find myself having to read the same page 10 times to actually comprehend it, it's that dull. I passed the AP US exam, but I'm not so sure about the AP Euro (due in part to the teacher, and in part to this inferior text.)

Drink a lot of caffeine before reading this book.......2003-09-29

Up until now, I have been completely infatuated in anything European and anything to do with history. I then naturally enrolled myself in the A.P. Euro. Hist. course at my school. I must say that I have never read a textbook more boring and less comprehensive than this, and I most definitely feel that it is wearing away at my deep-founded love for history. It explores concepts at an extremely vague level, almost to the point where it makes the reader (or at least me) want to take it out and burn it. I have asked my teacher if I may use an older textbook called "The History of the Modern World", which, despite its advanced age and total lack of pictures (I love my pictures), I find so much more interesting and far, far, far more comprehensive than "The Western Heritage" could ever be. Compare reading this book to spending and hour and a half each night watching and studying "Mr. Roger's Neighbourhood", and you'd understand what I mean by "boring". My best advice would be to drink large amounts of caffeine before attempting to read this book.

Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience

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Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience
Donald W. Mitchell
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Buddhism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0195139526

Book Description

Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience focuses on the depth of Buddhist experience as expressed in the teachings and practices of a wide array of its religious and philosophical traditions. Taking a broad and inclusive approach, this unique work spans over 2,500 years, featuring chapters on Buddhism's origins in India; Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism; and Buddhism in Southeast Asia, Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan. It also includes an extensive discussion of modern, socially engaged Buddhism and a concluding chapter on the spread of Buddhism to the West. Mitchell provides substantial selections of primary text material throughout that illustrate a great variety of moral, psychological, meditative, and spiritual Buddhist experiences. Buddhism features twenty-two boxed personal narratives provided by respected Buddhist leaders and scholars from around the world, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Dharma Master Sheng Yen, Dharma Master Cheng Yen, Jeffrey Hopkins, Sulak Sivaraksa, Rita M. Gross, Chatsumarn Kabilsingh, and Robert Aitken. These concise and intriguing essays give students a glimpse into what the topics discussed in the book actually mean in terms of human experience today. Ideal for courses in Buddhism, Asian religions, and Asian philosophy, Buddhism also incorporates helpful maps, numerous illustrations, a glossary, and suggestions for further reading.

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