Triumph Reviews

"After Jesus" is beautifully presented and a joy to read. Unfortunately, having just read the extraordinary "The Autobiography of Jesus of Nazareth and the Missing Years" I have to admit that I viewed this book in a cautious light. The information, while fairly comprehensive, did not posit the fundamental questions put forward in "The Autobiography...". If the foundation stone of a house is not stable, should we continue building? "After Jesus" is a well written scholarly work, but didn't give me any more insight into the man so clearly depicted in "The Autobiography...". This is not a failing of the author's, so much as the basic premise of the book. However the title is "After" Jesus', so perhaps I am being too picky. For the history of the development of early Christianity, you won't find better than this.

I think this book presents the earliest periods of Church history, from Jesus Christ to 600 AD, in a very readable and entertaining manner. The book will suit everybody, but particularly the average reader, who might lack formal theological training. By the average person, I mean someone whose knowledge of Church history might only extend back to when his or her pastor was born, but who has a sense of history and wants to know about the origins of his or her faith.

The book has many charts, pictures, and anecdotal stories, thus making it suited for those who do not have the time, or the will, to read volumes on Church History (since many Church History books are densely written for the scholar). The charts are particularly useful, such as the ones detailing the four views of Christ during the 4th century Trinitarian controversies, and the canon chart, showing which early writers accepted which books as holy. There is a nice index, and a glossary of important terms for easy access. If there was ever a Church History coffee table book, this is it!

I am saddened that this is now out of print. Whenever a friend asks me why I study church history in graduate school, and what exactly it is, I usually let them borrow this book. It is scholarly (Jaroslav Pelikan, noted Church Historian, contributed to it), as well as readable. I hope someday it is back in print, so that non-scholars and scholars alike can benefit from it! When I teach a Church History class in the future I would like to use this book as kind of a primer, to get the students interested and prepared to dig deeper.

This is a no nonsense historical account of the five centuries after the cruxificion of Jesus Christ. If you are Catholic, it will unravel many of the symbolism the Church incorporates into the liturgy or mass. For example, the book has an excellent depiction of the evolution of the wording that went into the Apostle's Creed and how it changed several times into what we hear Catholics profess today. The book offers a perfect chronology of the Christian movement from its beginnings as a Jewish sect to the structuring of one of the most powerful religious institutions of our time. The illustrations and photographs, as well as the easy reading level, make this book enjoyable from beginning to end. It is the perfect primer on the history of Christianity before the Protestant Reformation and the beginnings of Islam. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in historical theology.

I used this book for a school project and found it very useful. I reccomend it

This visually stunning 11th century tapestry is not a tapestry (in the literal sense). It is embroidered color wool on a linen background, rather than a hanging carpet. The entire tapestry is presented in color in this book - broken into frames with descriptions of the scenes.

Art historians believe that it was commissioned by William the Conqueror's half brother, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. After being laid over a cartload of ammunition during the French Revolution, a young lawyer recovered it and stored it in his attic for 30 years. It was restored to Bishop of Bayeux (of the day) and hung in the palace. The Nazis took it to Paris to study it. Otherwise, it has remained in the palace.

The tapestry depicts the Norman Conquest on 1066. It is the Norman's point of view, so it is biased. For example, William is embroidered larger than Harold to illustrate his supremacy. The details are like nothing ever seen. The border is full of fantastic bestiary and the bloody scenes, costumes, construction of castles and ships give a sense of the time period.

Try '1066: The Year of the Conquest'. It's a short, concise account of the war that made a foreigner the king of England.

This book is really wonderful: very interesting and informative. The books format, about half explanatory text and interesting sidebars and half a reproduction of the tapestry itself is great. The writing is clear and fluid, drawing you into the mystery of this era and its decisive battle. An adult will love the essays, and a child will enjoy the pictures. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in timeless stories.

An interesting book that manages in 200 short pages to effectively challenge the tradition (or orthodoxy) of American Exceptionalism and "Americanization" through the lens of American military history.

The narration of the sometimes-horrifying and sometimes-comical
encounters between English, Indian, French and British military forces indicates not only that American settlers retained their Old-World way of war (rather than creating a unique American way of war), but also that the 'old ways' triumphed in the New World.

This book serves to further demonstrate that the Atlantic Ocean was not a barrier that culturally and politically separated the colonies from England. Instead, it was a bridge that, as Chet states, allowed the "transportation of English culture --- military culture --- to the frontier of European civilization." "When examined within the context
of imperial history, the story of warfare, like the story of politics and culture in colonial America, reads as a process by which the colonies were drawn toward England's cultural and administrative sphere of influence, rather than attempted to liberate themselves from it."

A small book that packs a punch. In his "Preface", Chet explains that he began writing this book in an effort to illustrate how Englishmen were militarily transformed into Americans; how they gradually gave up their European defensive tactics and instead adopted Indian offensive tactics. As with most myths, the deeper you dig, the less you find. The book Chet wound up writing demonstrates the exact opposite of what he originally thought he'd find. It shows how and why European tactics WORKED in North America, despite the terrain and the
Indians' guerilla tactics.

Although the book deals with the colonial period only and does not analyze the American Revolutionary War, Chet's argument fits in with what we know about George Washington's management of his army during the war.

The sections about Benjamin Church, Rogers' Rangers, and British light infantry tactics are particularly interesting.

The endnotes contain interesting and funny incidents that really

enhance the impact of the text.

We've become so accustomed to hearing about the "American Way of
War" that we rarely bother to reexamine it. In Conquering the American Wilderness, Chet challenges the assumption that English settlers learned from Native Americans how to fight as guerillas. He demonstrates that English fighting methods remained the same throughout the colonial period, and that the failure of colonial forces to do the job well led to greater and greater reliance on British Redcoats.

The key to the poor performance of provincials and to the overwhelming success of British regulars (culminating with the capture of Canada during the French and Indian War) was professionalism of officers, NCOs, and enlisted men.

What's interesting about this book is that it explains the wisdom and demonstrates the effectiveness of Europe's linear tactics (which are so often portrayed as senseless ritual). Chet then illustrates why large heavy formations, drawn in lines of battle, were so effective against French and Indian guerillas.

Conquering the American Wilderness also explains the origin of the myth of Americanization/Indianization of European warfare in the colonies, but because the book ends with the first battle of the American Revolution, it doesn't deal with the way the retelling of American victory magnified and enshrined the myth of the American guerilla tradition ("the American Way of War").

I remember dearly when Timmy won the gold for our great country. And his book on achievement delivers more of that olympic gold straight to you! Boy did I learn to achieve. However, what is not clear in the book (and I only learned when my lawsuit was dismissed), is that you can achieve in more than just gymnastics! I really messed up my leg something bad. They need to come out with a second edition that explains the message better, like in the front cover or something. Then, this book will be a "perfect 10".

I met Timmy when he was the celebrity judge at the Branson Chili Cook-Off. Although he said my chili "tasted like one of his severe injures [he] incurred during the Olympics," and that it was "really bad," he inspired me to buy his book, and his book inspired me to be the man I am today. I noticed that Timmy was walking with a pronounced limp, breathing heavy and sweating profusely. When I asked him about this, he told me that he had been an Olympic "star" and that he had suffered severe injuries while competing, but came back to be a celebrity judge and motivational speaker. Frankly, he certainly wasn't much to look at, in his stained overalls and whiskey breath. So I thought his story of Olympic glory was just a product of his extreme intoxication. Boy, was I wrong.

The book is a page-turner. Without trying to give too much away, it is the story of an above-average gymnast who suffers crippling injuries during the Olympics -- twice costing the Americans the gold medal -- and who (for religious reasons) refuses medical attention. His left leg now has only one-half the size and strength of his right leg, but the size of his heart more than makes up for it.

This is about gymnastics. This is about severe injuries. This is about your gymnast friends not talking to you anymore because you cost them gold medals. This is about refusing medical attention. This is about walking with a limp. This is about a hero.

I give this book my highest recommendation.

I FOUND THIS STORY TO BE VERY ENTERTAINING AND MOTIVATING. I WAS INSPIRED BY TIM DAGGET'S COURAGE AND DETERMINATION. THIS IS A WELL WRITTEN BOOK AND CONTAINS MANY INTRIGUING FACTS ABOUT TIM DAGGET AND GYMNASTICS

I am a teacher working with kids that have issues of abandonment, abuse, neglect, health problems, weight problems, relationship problems etc. This book does an excellent job of helping teens to realize they are not the only ones with these types of problems. The book uses current hot celebrities that teens can identify with. I would definitely recommend it to teens. I use it in my classroom.

This book is great. Some of the stories are touching, while others are just plain good. I definitely recommend this for your reading pleasure.

I thought this book was great!!! It had stories about my favorite stars and I know that if I have any problems, I can look at the book and read about how the stars deal and I know I'll make it through what ever the problem is. It shows that even the Stars have problems.

The monumental biography of Mahler by Henri de la Grange has been available in French for some years, and the latest volume to appear in English is part of an ongoing project to make the work available to a wider audience. It is unique in the sheer mass of factual detail it presents, especially as regards contemporary critical reaction to Mahler's works and conducting. There is new material on William Ritter, an early admirer who left some colorful accounts of Herr Mahler in person; a

detailed physical description of Mahler by Alfred Roller, a Hofoper associate; and much other information that will be new and interesting even to long-standing Mahlerites who thought they knew it all.

However, de la Grange's almost exclusive focus on the externals of Mahler's life works to the detriment of the inner life, and this is the major shortcoming of his biography. There is little probing of the wellsprings of the mighty Mahlerian will that powered a colossal productivity, nor of the fierce vitality coexisting with neuroses. Nor, surprisingly, is much explanation offered as to why a tyrannical ascetic like Mahler would suddenly decide to marry someone half his age, a decision that took even his closest friends completely by surprise. Why didn't he stay single, or marry someone his own age, such as the devoted and musical Natalie Bauer-Lechner?

This question is important because it bears on the crucial one: Would Mahler have succeeded in solving the central problem of his last years -- keeping reality at bay in order to maintain the inhuman intensity needed to complete his unique artistic mission -- without the tension generated by this inappropriate (but for him richly symbolic) and largely sexless marriage, for which he, and to some extent also Alma's parents, were guilty? Did he feel this guilt and at a certain level feed on it? de la Grange draws a blank on these questions. Here Alma's book "Gustav Mahler, Memoirs and Letters" is a better source, though one has to read between the lines.

de la Grange clearly dislikes Alma and would minimize her role. He also worships Mahler and will not permit him the slightest fault. Two examples: He cannot conceive that the hero may have had a congenital heart defect, it must have been acquired from throat infections. He omits to mention that Mahler's idolized mother Marie was born lame and with a defective heart. According to Alma, who'd have no reason to make this up, all the children were handicapped by the mother's heart disease; there is also anecdotal evidence provided by Bruno Walter and others. Another example: de la Grange will not admit that the finale to the Seventh may be a miscalculation, however interesting. Thus he advances a tortured argument to turn black into white, and puts himself in the position of an "apologist nervous to the point of obduracy" (Adorno's words). In the process, he

completely ignores evidence that Mahler himself was uncomfortably aware of the problem (see the foreword by Redlich to the Eulenberg pocket score of the Seventh).

Mahler is a Freudian figure if ever there was one, and one can argue that the ideal of the eternal feminine, as symbolized by the composite Alma/Marie, became crucial to Mahler's sense of purpose, a major engine of his drive to create. Toward the end, he was psychologically completely dependent on her, even to the point of spouting nonsense regarding her abilities as a composer -- this, from the stern, inflexible director of the Hofoper! (The sad spectacle of Berlioz and his second wife Marie Recio comes to mind as another example of great-composer weakness.) That he had a mother fixation is attested by many, including Alma and Freud, and this would account for his lack of sexual interest; according to Alma, sex played only a very small part in his life. In any case, artistically the union was a brilliant success, even the marital crisis at the end serving to spur him on to new heights -- witness the Tenth Symphony with its impassioned marginalia addressed to Alma. With perfect timing, death then supervened to carry him off at the peak of his powers.

Although the music has lost none of its power and can speak for itself, there is still an unsatisfied need for a different kind of Mahler biography, one that is better balanced and probes the psychology of the man. For hagiography aside, Mahler's maladjustment was staggering even for his time, the hothouse atmosphere of fin-de-siecle Vienna just barely making his unique kind of greatness tenable. A great tortured artist on the scale of a Gustav Mahler is inconceivable today, our time doesn't allow it; we've been there, done that. He would be cured or killed at once, and in either case silenced. And for you computer game programmers out there, take heart -- in addition to a "Freudian" biography, there may be material here for an oeuvre of another sort perhaps more congenial to our age -- a soft-core computer game called "Let's cuckold Mahler". In any case, the music remains.

I had read the previous volume 2 of the life of Mahler several years ago and had anxiously awaited the issuance of this, the third in a four part series with high expectations.

I have not been disappointed. The extensive detail, expansive footnoting, and thorough research that went into this work is evident from the very first paragraph.

Highly recommended for any serious Mahler enthuasist.

Much as Mahler himself towers over Romantic era composer, so does La Grange tower over all other Mahler biographers. Not that Mitchell et. al. don't do a fine job, they do. But for comprehensive detail and deep probing and understanding of Mahler's life and music, La Grange is simply at the highest peaks. This latest installment of his massive series sustains his high standards of research, realiability and readability and for all you devoted Mahlerians out there is a must read. For those curious about Mahler, this is actually not a great place to start; the cost alone to read these three books, so far, on Mahler is a bad investment if you don't yet worship his music! There are many single books that give a good overview of his life as a companion to his music, if not a real guide. For those of you, try Cooke or Kennedy, for the rest, worship here!

I was expecting more really. Not much has been written on the 1929 Athletics dynasty but lots of good information is out there on this team. I figured the author would collect all this info and give us the best of it in his book. We get a few good tales about Connie Mack's boys but nothing new or spectacular and this book is not cheap. I love Foxx, Grove, Simmons, Cochrane, and so I bought it, but it was very average. In fact, kind of dull sometimes. Buy it because it's the only book out there on this team (29-31 A's) but don't expect too much. Buy the biographies on Foxx, Cochrane and Grove and you will learn just about as much, if not more. The Sports Illustrated article on this team with Simmons on the cover got me interested in this team-it was awesome-but don't expect the same from this book. Give me a good Biography on Al Simmons to go with the others mentioned above and we got the complete story on this greatest team of all-time-even better than the 27 Yankees.

THIS IS A BOOK I DID NOT WANT TO END. AN EXCELLENT JOB OF WRITING ABOUT ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING OWNERS AND ONE OF THE LAST DINOSAURS OF BASEBALL. (CONNIE MACK) THIS BOOK'S TELLING OF THE A'S DYNASTY OF THE LATE 20'S AND EARLY 30'S IS EXTENSIVE AND MASTERFULLY WRITTEN. THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ FOR ALL BASEBALL FANS. ONE OF THE BEST I HAVE EVER READ.

Fascinating account, even for one raised on horseback and skis. I have never understood the intricacies of The Great American Past Time, however, Mr. Kashatus' story telling is illuminating.

I read this book for the CLEP test but I also supplemented it with a college textbook. I wouldn't recommend someone take the CLEP after reading just this book, it is just too basic. Read this book and supplement it with a textbook for key areas and you'll easily pass the test.

A good text for an introductory course in American government. The authors pack a surprising amount of information into each of their chapters. While this text needs to be supplemented for use at the college level, it provides a very good framework and is quite well-organized. For the price, it is a very good value

This was an excellent study guide for the CLEP subject exam. It covered all subjects on the exam in a concise manner, easy to understand, not too wordy, yet complete. Also, a great value. Gives a good basic understanding of American Government.

This book was great I had fun reading it

This was a really good book, considering it had hardly anything to do with who Gloria is as a person, but of other information that is ALL new to me. Is this book authorized, because I'm just really interested to know if that information is accurate. Good Book.

I read half of this book, since this book is half the English version, and the other half is the Spanish version. Being a fan of hers, I found it very interesting. It isn't all flattering to Gloria, for it tells of some of her legal disputes, financial disputes, and arguements with band associates and relatives. It gives some insight as to how she got to be such a famous rock star, and some of the reasons people admire her so much.

Most books on airships are written by specialists, experts, or those who had a part in the development of the great dirigibles. John Toland is a interesting exception, an extreamly accomplished author who turned his attention to the subject. This book is a re-titled (and only very slightly re-edited) version of his book 'Ships in the Sky' from the fifties. Due to the original publication date, he was able to interview many of the principle figures in the stories, most of which took place in the twenties and early thirties. Most everyone is familiar with the Hindenburg disaster of 1937, but this book will introduce them to many other facinating accounts. He covers the R101 disaster, which was the British avaiation equivalent to the Titanic. Also included is a excellent account of the Italian 'Italia' drama at the North Pole (get Wilber Cross's 'Disaster at the Pole' if who want a book entirely dedicated to that event). Also covered is the United States Shennendoah, Akron and Macon crashes. Perhaps the highlight is a minute by minute (more like second by second) account of the Hindenburg crash.

Toland is one of America's great narrative historians. His book The Great Dirigibles, Their Triumphs and Disasters (formerly titled ships in the sky, The story of the Great Dirigibles)is sure to please even the most knowledgeable airship reader. Toland investigates the origins of airships and includes many of the pre-Zeppelin era narratives. The book is full of first hand accounts and includes an excellent index and an acknowledgement section (which will be of interest to serious readers). The strength of the book lies in the fact that it is not another re-telling of the Hindenburg disaster. The Norge, the Italia, the Shenandoah and other airships get equal treatment. There are also over two dozen pictures with captions. This is an easy to read book that will thrill the novice and please the serious studentsof airship history.

This is the first book I have ever come across that painstakingly details the demise of airships. Toland has recreated conversations and personal details from countless sources and testimony. Each accident and triumph is covered in detail. I loved this book. It is a must-read for any airship enthusiast.