ERA Reviews

The Mexican War Correspondence of Richard Smith Elliott, edited and annotated by Mark L. Gardner and Marc Simmons, University of Oklahoma Press, 1997, xi + 292 pgs. The book consists of what the title says it does, plus some useful material written later by Elliott but appropriately inserted by the editors. Elliott was an elected Lieutenant in the Laclede Rangers which was a unit from St. Louis and a part of the Missouri Volunteers, in turn a part of Kearny1s Army of the West during the Mexican War. Irregularly, from May 1846 to July of the next year, Elliott sent dispatches back to the St. Louis Daily Reveille, writing as John Brown. In brief, Lt. Elliott with his outfit went from his home to Santa Fe, where with few exceptions, he remained throughout his term of enlistment. Compared to many other soldiers of that time, he led an easy life. (After all, many of us pay to live in Santa Fe, although arguably the amenities may be somewhat better than they were 150 years ago.) However, Elliott's descriptions of the marches, Bent's Fort, Santa Fe and its inhabitants including the native ladies, are most interesting, as are his opinions of some of his associates and high-ranking commanders. The Introduction is helpful and the notes, we think, are the main achievement of the editors: erudite, expansive as need be, and interesting on their own ‹ as you might expect from those two well-known historians. Notes are what turns diaries or dispatches into histories; in this case a valuable piece of New Mexico history and an excellent view of a minuscule part of the Mexican War.

Wonderful Work! Pedro Santoni does a great job of making the reader understand the near political impossibility of keeping the power and keeping the peace in Mexico in 1846. Following Parades, his party, and his lust for power, Santoni allows the reader to see the complexities in Mexico during the Mexican War. He also does well in helping the reader to understand the Santa Ana Wild Card. Essential for any true study of the Mexican War.

The author shows that there is no explanation for economic growth nowadays, and therefore no recipes do exist. The wealth of nations may be pushed forward by neoliberalism or by social market economy or by Santa Clause. According to the lay of land all three are in a same way competent...

A brilliantly comparative analysis of the contradictions that beset all the various capitalist models amidst globalization today as well as of the mode of thinking that limits our perspective to choosing among them. A must read for everyone doing work in comparative and international political economy, and for all those concerned with finding a new way forward for labour movements and the left.

When I first read this book in the late seventies, it was to check out what this automotive journalist thought of some of my favorite cars, like the Avanti, the Austin-Healey and the Porsche Speedster. The reviews were so honest and funny that I shelled out thirty part-time-job dollars to buy it. I look back on it now as one of the most influential books I ever read, because it opened up a world of fabulous cars that I had only vaguely noticed previously. The book is divided into three main sections detailing the postwar/pre-Opec sports cars of the United States, Great Britain, and Europe. Each region produced cars that reflected a certain national character, and Mr. Taylor describes, in roughly chronolgical order, all the cars that best exemplify it. Using a conversational and salty style, he traces each chosen car's history in the context of the time it was made, its competion history where applicable, and the good and bad points of owning the car yourself. Most importantly, he tells the stories of the men who made the cars, men who put their own personality and blood and fortune into producing the kind of cars they wanted to drive. Although each car's history can be read as an entity unto itself, the book is so arranged to give you a continuous overview of the whole era. I was particularly impressed by his inclusion of lesser-known and sometimes maligned cars, finding reasons for loving and admiring the Crosley Hotshots and Meyers Manxes along with the Ferraris and Gullwings and Corvettes. He expresses opinions that may rub some humorless enthusiasts the wrong way, but he can usually back up his remarks, and he is so engaging a writer that the unflattering comment is almost always followed by some redeeming compliment. And it's hard to fault his choice of the ultimate manifestations of each region's most characteristic sports car (the 427 Cobra for the US, the Morgan for Britain, and the Mercedes 300SL Gullwing for Europe.) So if you like the kind of cars that seem to be made only by the Franklin Mint these days, I highly recommend Modern Classics. Every page is an engaging read, and may inspire you to pursue your own modern classic yourself, like I did.

Immanuel Wallerstein has given us an important book. This book explains how and why Great Britain emerged from the 18th century with economic hegemony. The best thing which the book does is to place free-market capitalism as a historical process, rather than as an extra-historical inevitability, which is usually taught in most public schools, and assumed in most public debates and private understandings of economics in the U.S.

Do not be scared away by the book's academic-sounding title. The book is accessible. Wallerstein writes in a lucid manner, but is treating a complex topic, and he seems to be writing mostly for academics. Basically, reading this book should be a challange for the average reader (like me), but a rewarding and seriously educating challange in the end. The reading is slow, but worthwhile.

I would lastly add that education of this sort, especially after one is through with school, is the duty of every citizen of a democracy. Knowledge is the foundation for power.

A Stimulating debate that gets to the heart of the dispute between modernists and postmodernists. Some clarity in an often foggy dispute.

A great book packed full of pictures and terrific information. A must read for people who enjoy the history of the Monterey peninsula or trolleys.

This is a superb book with black and white photographs of postcards from the Monterey area and vicinity. It shows postcards from Santa Cruz, Wastonville, Salinas, Monterey, Carmel, Pacific Grove, Etc. A fun book to peruse.

The Mossadegh Era: Roots Of The Iranian Revolution by Sepehr Zabih (Chairman of the Government Department, St. Mary's College, and a Research Scholar at the Institute of International Studies, University of California - Berkeley) is a informed and informed study of recent Iranian history, focusing on the revolutionary leader Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh, his coup over the Shah, and his downfall in during the years 1951-1952. A very sober and insightful political analysis of uprisings, draconian political measures, the employment deadly force, and still echoing repercussions in later revolutions in government and leadership, The Mossadegh Era is strongly recommended as a very serious and fact-oriented account, which is especially appropriate for International Studies and Iranian Political History academic reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

More than 50 years after its publication, Professor Bukofzer's book remains as an examplar of how to discuss musical style. His revelatory insights into the origins and details of Baroque style have set standards respected and imitated by generations of scholars. Another beauty of the book is the clarity and accessibility of his ideas. Performers, amateurs, and scholars will all find many interesting ideas in this book. Some details of chronology and attribution of music have since been corrected in more recent scholarly books, but the real value of this book is in the excellent discussions of the origin of style, and Bokofzer's gift is timeless. Anyone who reads music and has an interest in Baroque music will find this book to be well-written and of immense value.