ERA Reviews

After 186 years, it's about time for a comprehensive look at the Indians' participation in the War of 1812, on both sides of the conflict. While Carl Benn's focus is on the Iroquois of the Six Nations (or Grand River Tract) of Upper Canada, and the battles and skirmishes in the Niagara region, he also refers to their brethren of western New York, the Seven Nations of the lower St. Lawrence region, Tecumseh's western conflict, and other nations such as the Delaware, Ojibwa and Mississauga. His explanation of the Iroquois way of war does much to dispel the myth of the "savage" and leads to a better understanding of their reasons for fighting, temporary desertion, looting and the now-repugnant practice of scalping. He allows the reader a glimpse into Iroquois society and the divisions within it, similar to those of Euroamericans, with pro-British, neutral, and pro-American factions. His account of the personal agendas and internal strife among the Indian Department, the civil authorities and the military illustrates that, unfortunately, the status quo has changed little over the centuries.

This book is a scholarly treatise, with 609 footnotes, and although there is a factual tone to it, it is certainly not dry. Benn has made the best use of an extensive bibliography to create a well- balanced examination of the Iroquois alliances and conflicts, among themselves, and with their allies and enemies. His description of the Battle of Chippawa is downright exciting.

Benn tends to skim over actions that do not involve the Iroquois. This is understandable, due to the subject matter, but quick reference can sometimes result in slightly distorted facts. As an example, Benn states that "Brock ordered the commandant at St. Joseph's Island in Lake Huron to capture the American post of Fort Mackinac at the head of Lake Michigan." In fact, Brock was under direct orders from his commander-in-chief, Sir George Prevost, to restrain from aggression; he therefore ordered the captain at St. Joseph Island to act according to his best judgement; by capturing Fort Michilimackinac, the captain acted on his own initiative. However, this is a small point. For the most part, this is an excellent book about a part of history that deserves to be better known and appreciated.

While many people try to depict the lives of our past Presidents in four or five hundred pages, this abbreviated view of the life and associations of James K. Polk is a refreshing change. As a history major, this book provides all of the pertinent information required to gain an insightful depiction of this man. It is a must read for anyone interested in Jacksonian America and an entertaining read for thinkers from all walks of life.

This is an interesting book of essays on John Ford's Westerns. A number of topics are covered, such as Ford's use of music, the relationship between Ford and Frederick Remington's image of the West, the way Ford depicts different ethnic groups in his films.

By and large, the authors are sympathetic to John Ford (a good thing in my mind) and they clearly appreciate the movies. I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 since there is some repetition among the different authors. (For example, everyone is compelled to discuss the last scene of "Fort Apache.") Still, it is a pleasure to read a jargon-free academic book on Ford's Westerns.

Fithian, a divinity student from Princeton, NJ, came to the Northern Neck of Virginia to be a tutor to 14-some children at the plantation of the Carter family, Nomini Hall. During his year stay, he kept a diary. Much of that diary and many of his letters are published in this book.

It's a lovely, enlightening look at daily life of the era. He notes that it was the custom of Virginia women to cover their entire heads and faces when going out for a ride; he at first thought there was an epidemic of tooth aches! There are many such observations that simply wouldn't make the history books.

A biography on Khrushchev...and Bulgarian Tomatoes, how do they relate? This biography contains numerous details which one probably does not really care to know, but is loaded with information on the guy himself and how he rose to power. I would reccommend this for IB history classes, which helps to understand the cold war. The end section, which contains documents is rather interesting and simple to follow. There is one document on Khrushchev's views on Bulgarian tomatoes, which is rather interesting. However, the British spellings can be annoying for American readers, but should not hinder anyone's desire to purchase this. It is deffinently great material to be used in a seminar.

The Institute of Christian Studies is housed in a small, nondescript historical building in downtown Toronto. Small as its structure appears to be, it feeds and fosters great minds, minds which can develop deep and applicable Christian philosophy. This compendium tackles philosophy in the post-modern world, unashamedly proclaiming faith as the centre of philosophy.

Coming from a generally a Reformed, and particularly, a Dooyweerdian perspective, these essays delve into areas that traditional philosophy often hesitates to tread. In doing so, however, by grasping at the advantages of proclaiming truth within a community that postmoderity allows, Olthius has brought together great minds for a great read.

This is not an easy work, especially for those who are not at least somewhat familiar with philosophy. And those who do not subscribe to Christianity may find this attempt brazenly subjective. I think that this is the point. For once, THESE philosophers admit to subjectivity as such. There is no such thing as objectivity.

Read, think and Enjoy!

I bought this for my wife, and she found it quite good. The story line is compelling though somewhat predictable at the end.

Like Carl Sagan, Eric Chaisson has dedicated his professional life as an astrophysicist to educating the interested lay-public in the arcaneries of his field. Beyond Sagan, he has also attempted to formulate a philosophy of cosmic evolution based on the natural evolutionary processes of nature itself. The author starts with the basic theories of thermodynamics, chaos, and self-organizing criticality. With these basic tenets he follows the process from the origin of the universe to the evolution of intelligent life. As he writes, "In the words of biology's Nobel laureate George Wald, 'Matter has reached the point of beginning to know itself.' We are, he continues, 'a star's way of knowing about stars.' This, for me, is life's purpose and meaning, its raison d'etre--to act as an animated conduit for the Universe's self-reflection. In short, we sentient humans are now among the purveyors of cosmic consciousness. Above all else, this is what grants us, not individually but as a species, a magnanimous worth and dignity among all creatures on planet Earth, indeed, among all known structures in the Universe (p. 229)."

The book has a final chapter on the ethics of world and universal order, taking the issue of evolution of intelligent life from simply technologically competent life to ethically competent life. While he sees the former as capable of global dominance, he only sees the latter as capable of surviving its own self-destructive tendencies.

In general I felt that the author's narrative style was very approachable and informative. He discusses everything from the early Greek philosopher's cogitations on the nature of things to the scientific advances of the '60s, giving a very good appraisal of each. Among the great minds discussed are Anaximander, Plato, Aristotle, Heraclitus,Empedocles, Francis Bacon, Decartes, Darwin, and Shapley.

I found Chaisson's ability to put scientific concepts into word pictures very impressive. One of my favorites was the concept of the universe as a giant chandelier with the individual lights being instances of planetary life that rose to a level of use of radioastronomy. His description of the various patterns of light that might arise were helpful. It clarified the oft stated criticism of the search for extra terestrial life, "where are they?" He showed that the chandelier might be full of life/light, empty of life/light, or turning on one bulb at a time so that while life was common overall, no two instances existed at the same time. I would say that any one from junior high up would be fully able to understand the content.

I'm not certain I agree with the author's optimistic observations on the future of life in the universe. His vision of an interconnected cosmos wide civilization seems a little far fetched. So much has happened socially and politically in recent years, that one finds it difficult to believe that intelligent life can manage to outlive its tendency toward individual struggle at the expense of other living things and even of the planet itself. As the author notes, however, the push of intelligent life beyond the solar system and into the rest of the universe need not start here!

An interesting book; as interesting for its philosophy as for its science.

I was excited when I saw the advanced advertisements for this book and looked forward to its publication. I was not let down. The authors know their stuff and have put together a fine reference work on the 20th Century passenger service of "The Old Reliable".

This is not a novel or in-depth review of the subject so don't appoach it looking for any insight into the inner workings of a railroad. The extensive biliography gives plenty of sources to find that material. It is, however, a detailed overview of all aspects of L&N passenger service, from train equipment to dining car staffing. The writing is crisp and well paced with only a few dry spots. Many personal tales and anecdotes abound adding dimension to the topics.

My only complaints about the book are that the authors should have focused on each train such as the Hummingbird and Cresent in seperate, detailed sections rather then covering them in a chronological manner (which can be confusing and tedious for those not familiar with the railroads many routes). Also, more color photos would have been appreciated, especially for those of us who model L&N equipment in their model railroad layouts.

Again, a fine reference work put together by authors who definately love their subject.

A. Brooke Caruso does a wonderful job of accurately stating the impact intelligence played in the annexation of Texas, as well as in the war with Mexico. This book is for everyone who wants to know "the rest of the story," as it pertains the the Mexican-American War. For the reader who wants to learn everything there is to know about the Mexican Spy Company, this is not the book. This book covers much more. It shows the drive President Polk had in the annexation of Texas and his persuit of the Mexican Northern Territory. From his brilliant use of executive agents in the field to his not so brilliant deal with General Santa Anna, this book accurately depicts the extreme means Polk would use to accomplish his goals. The book seems to be a compilation of several different research projects, and that is how it is presented. The author did not tie all the pieces together so that the reader could get a big picture of everything that was going on. The reader is left with the task of putting everything together on his own. Nevertheless, this book is a must read for any military intelligence, military historian, or Texas historian who wants to know more than what the textbooks teach.