Customer Reviews (3)

Damned Indeed
I'm a long time MacDonald fan, but THE DAMNED is on the heavy side of prose. It may have been ahead of it's time or influenced by movies at the end of the noir period while MacDonald was still polishing his skills as a writer.
Dark, haunted characters caught in Mexico, a couple on their honeymoon attract attention by the incessant arguments. A woman of the night who stumbles across the narrator for meaningless contact above the sheets, it's too hot for anything else.
MacDonald rescues the participants with finite details that pull you into their lives against your will, fate gives them a second chance.
Nash Black, author whose books are also available in Kindle editions.

Fantastic!
Wow! My first MacDonald book, and I was hardly expecting it to be so good. His writing is a couple of notches above most anyone else. I just finished a William Campbell Gault book, for instance, and while he writes smoothly and entertainly, his characters are cardboard. MacDonald creates real people with serious depth and emotions going on inside. His only fault is in occasional overwriting when he tries to be poetic -- but most of the time he succeeds in that also. Exciting to think that there are so many of his books left to read. I have read that his early non-Travis McGee novels are the best, and perhaps this is an example of that. But as good as this one is, it is difficult to think of anything he writes being bad.

Script made for a movie
John D Macdonald wrote many classic novels in his life but this was not one of them. I would rank it as a good quick read (only about 175 pages) and while it is not that memorable, it contains some good insights into the human mind.

As a river crossing in Mexico, a string of people are delayed and have to wait for the crossing to be made available to them. The book looks at a number of these people and how they reached this point in their lives. I think Macdonald had a movie in mind when he wrote this book as I think the book (if it hadn't been already) could be a good movie.

Not his greatest, but a good time-filler. ... Read more

Product Description
Great book for Travis McGee fans. Contains, "A Tan and Sandy Silence","The Long Lavender Look" and "Bright Orange For the Shroud". All under one cover.This book is available only in Book Club edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

What's not to like?
I love John MacDonald books. I have devoured all that I have read and almost cannot put one down once I begin reading. I find that I become part of the story and can visualize everything in Trav's sights and feel every pleasure and pain he experiences. Hard for me to believe I can imagine being a man, but there you have it. John MacDonald's writing gets right into your soul, into the very core of whoever you are. Wow. Escapism at its best! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

No Barrier to Greed
BARRIER ISLAND was the last book written by John D. MacDonald and it makes you wish he was still writing today. Each character is so finely drawn you catch yourself looking around to see if there is someone you know standing in the room.
MacDonald's women characters were always weak as if he didn't dare make to acute observations of them that he did of the male characters.
This is a murder mystery without the usual resolution, but you will follow his trails over the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Nash Black, author of Indie finalists HAINTS and WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS.

A thoroughly believable tale featuring richly drawn characters.
Who would have guessed that the world of Mississippi real estate could be so dicey?Tuck Loomis is a compulsive womanizer who makes his living as a land developer.He has purchased one of the barrier islands off the Mississippi gulfcoast ostensibly to develope it as an exclusive enclave consisting of million dollar homes.But his real plan is to sell the island to the U.S. Parks Department at an overly inflated price, thereby making a killing without having to really do much of anything.

Wade Rowley is a realtor with a finely honed sense of right and wrong.When Wade figures out what Tuck Loomis is up to, he sets out to thwart the deal.Imagine Wade's reaction when he discovers that all the right people have been bribed, making Tuck's scheme unstoppable.

Barrier Island by John D. MacDonald is a very strongly written work of fiction featuring several interesting subplots and a diverse cast of characters all of whom are well fleshed out and completely believable.Moreover, the book's considerable appeal is enhanced by MacDonald's vividly evocative prose and his gently voiced message of environmental sanity.

This is a masterfully crafted work notable for great plotting, superbly drawn characters and wonderfully detailed descriptions.Highly recommended.

Native experience
I have a biased review of this book not only because I'm a John MacDonald fan but also because I am from and reside on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I visit our barrier islands frequently (you can only get there by boat)and really appreciate the detailed description of our islands by Mr MacDonald. To me, this book was not a difficult read and if you are truly a fan of Travis Magee and mysteries, you will not be dissapointed.

Even the best of authors has a dull thudder every once and a while
Mr. John D Macdonald has a slew of fine reads under his belt. I have passed many a long afternoon reading one of his paperbacks and have only rarely been let down. However, Barrier Island is by far the least enjoyable work of MacDonalds that I have yet come across. It reads more like a spread sheet than a riviting thriller.

Pass this book by. MacDonald is a good writer. Find another of his books. That is my advice. Or if you have read dozens of MacDonalds and are looking for something new. Try a Lawrence Block 'Matthew Scudder' mystery.

Splendid analysis
The look of the money always makes the deal.A man is willing to sell his office to maintain a relative in a nursing home.The subject at hand is the condemnation of Bernard Island.Tucker Loomis is a developer.Helen Yoder, Tuck's friend, works for a real estate agency headed by Wade Rowley and Bern Gibbs.Wade Rowley is beginning to think that the development of Bernard Island is dicey and he doesn't like his agency being involved.Loomis proves he is a man of substance by having a large and successful residential development, Parklands.Loomis is not immediately accepted because he is an outlander, a man from Ohio.

Wade Rowley's concern is that his firm has handled the deeds and some other work on Bernard Island.It is possible to acquire marginal land, propose developing it, sell some lots, and use the information in a condemnation hearing, in this instance an action brought by the National Park Service, to obtain a better valuation of the land.Wade encounters an old friend, a newpaperman, who has questions about the Bernard Island matter.He thinks, too, that Tucker Loomis is performing a charade about developing the island in order to bilk the government.

MacDonald had an MBA and he understood very well schemes of white collar crime.He also evidenced knowledge of the perils of overdevelopment in environmentally fragile areas.Wade explains to his wife how twenty years earlier there was a local power structure deriving from locally owned banks, newspapers, and the like.The change, or nationalization of institutions, say, has resulted in a situation where developers are some of the biggest frogs in the pond.Developers and construction firms don't have continuity.Local government is the biggest growth industry and it operates without restraint.Now there is a kind of anarchy.There is splendid analysis embedded in the fiction.

Rowley investigates ownership of the lots to see if the holders of the lots are legitimate owners.He discovers that at least four of the transactions are fraudulent.He meets with a Park Service official, where the ecology of the Mississippi Sound is discussed, to turn over the information he collected for use against Tucker Loomis in the law suit.Unfortunately, since Loomis has an inside man, he learns that someone from the real estate agency has provided the federal government with adverse information.

The story continues as interesting and violent events unfold.Even at the end, everything is not resolved, as is the case in real life.This is a very good example of the craftsmanship of John D. MacDonald. ... Read more

Product Description
The Lew Archer Novel "Sleeping Beauty". Written by Ross Macdonald..Knopf Publishers...a Borzoi Book...BCE...Gray linen looking book boards have gilded lettering on binding. Author's initials are backstamped in the front cover. Dust jacket in great condition....shows minor scuffs on the edges. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great 1950 Pulp Detective Story!
Cliff Bartells comes back from WWII (the Big War!) to find his little Florida gulf coast city has been taken over by the Mob. Of course, he won't play along and ends up on the outside, that is until a rich tourist ismurdered for her jewels and Cliff's company is left holding the bag for a$750,000 insurance claim. Ckiff has to play a dangerous game to recover thejewles, earn a huge bonus and win the woman of his dreams.

This wasJDM's first published novel (I think) and a good example of the hard boileddetective genre. It's a quick read and well worth finding in the used bookstore. JDM uses a lot of ideas here that get further development in hisTravis McGee novels. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I EVER READ!
John D. MacDonald was a brilliant, gifted and witty author.He created in the early 1960s a character named Travis McGee, a "salvage expert" who lived on a houseboat (won in a poker game and subsequently named the Busted Flush!) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Over nearly 30 years, MacDonald wrote 21 Travis McGee Mystery novels (typically a murder is involved).One Fearful Yellow Eye was published in 1966 and probably written in the same year, as MacDonald was very industrious in the 60s. The novel takes place in Chicago and its environs as Travis McGee helps out his friend Glory Doyle by investigating the death of her husband, Dr. Fortner Geis. I do not wish to spoil the story by giving any more details except that the ending will stun you! MacDonald was a very gifted observer of people, a commentator on society and a marvelous and captivating storyteller! The Travis McGee Mystery series holds up very well some 40 years later and does not suffer at the hands of time. All of his stories, particulary this novel, (my favorite of all 21 McGees!) is a riveting page turner, an immensely satisfying reading experience.I have read it numerous times and it never fails to awe, amaze, and engross me! MacDonald is skilled at getting into the minds of the characters and he views society and individuals through the eyes of Travis McGee with wisdom and wit that leaves me breathless for lack of a better way to describe it! I highly recommend this novel and all the other 20 McGee novels as well as MacDonald's other mysteries! Here are some links to other MacDonald works. Another favorite novel is Bright Orange for the Shroud.The first novel wasThe Deep Blue Good-by.The last novel wasLonely Silver Rain (Travis McGee Series) All the McGee novels contain a color in their title.MacDonald passed away in 1986. He was a huge influence on many writers such as Sue Grafton and Dean Koontz just to name two.

Flawed but displays a number of strengths.
One Fearful Yellow Eye is installment number eight in John D. MacDonald's highly successful Travis McGee series.It's interesting to note that the first eight entries were all published within a very narrow time frame, between 1964 and 1966.Though somewhat flawed, this book like its seven predecessors displays a number of strengths.

John D. MacDonald was a talented novelist and that talent is evident in One Fearful Yellow Eye.The brand of prose he uses is both original and highly evocative.The dialogue he writes for his characters is authentic sounding and the characters themselves often quite believable.
Readers familiar with Travis McGee know he is not shy when it comes to expressing his opinion on any number of topics.Many times these opinions are rather exasperating and become annoying when MacDonald insists on laying it on too thick.Consider this Travis McGee gem found near the end of chapter 4 in One Fearful Yellow Eye:

"......the creative work of the homosexuals tends to be so glossy and clever and glib that it has a curious shallowness about it, as though the inability to share the most common human experience of all makes it all surface and no guts..."

Did John D. MacDonald himself really believe such claptrap?I for one would be quite interested in finding out whether MacDonald held such patently false and offensive beliefs or whether he purposely incorporated that kind of flawed thinking into McGee's persona.

In any event, One Fearful Yellow Eye takes place mostly in and around Chicago, a city Travis McGee seems to hate with a passion.He allows that there's a pretty good pipe shop across from the old Palmer House.But other than that, Chicago is a complete blot on the North American continent.He has been summoned there by an old lover, Gloria Geis, who is now the grieving widow of a prominent neurosurgeon.It seems that when Dr. Geis died after an extended illness, $600,000 representing the bulk of his estate came up missing.As McGee attempts to find out where the money went, he uncovers a sordid and overly convoluted saga of blackmail and twisted familial relationships.The kind of story you might expect Ross Macdonald to write.

The novel ends on a rather bizarre, shocking note.Some may find the ending far fetched but there is a certain internal logic to it.With a little more attention to the finer points of plot development, One Fearful Yellow Eye could have been one of the most sensational detective novels ever written.

Travis backslides
I've been reading the Travis McGee series in order, and this book, 8th in the series, is nowhere near the quality of the preceding books. The plot is okay, not great, it feels like it was pieced together as MacDonald went along. There are many portentous remarks of the 'had I but known' variety, and the McGee/Heidi sexual psychiatric healing scenes are pure undiluted bilge water. Up to now I felt MacDonald painted a McGee who was fairly honest about his (McGee's) sex life, but in this book Travis comes off as a real Gary Stu character. Even his detective work was so so SO easy. Granted, one of the joys in reading these books is that Travis is just that bit more quixotic, more reflective, more sun-soaked than anyone in real life, but in this book Travis is so much more of everything, and it really got my gag reflex working. Now, having said this nasty stuff, this book is not bad enough to put me off McGee for life. I'll go right ahead with the next book and hope Travis regains his form. And if he never does, those first seven books were still worth the price of admission.

Blunderer McGee
I'm a huge fan of the Travis McGee series, but I urge you to be careful with this one.For the first 250 pages, McGee makes solid choices and dodges all the bullets.However, he makes a fatal blunder at the end that any reader could see coming a mile away.I was powerless to stop it, solely at the mercy of MacDonald's writing.McGee's blunder gets the main girl hurt really bad.I suffered from borderline post-traumatic stress for the rest of the evening after finishing this book.Be careful, and know what you're getting into before investing time in this book.

Hated this one
I have liked the other McGee books, but this one was sickening.The novel suffers from the ponderous exposition, as other reviewers noted.And the ending--without spoilers, I can say that it was so over-the-top violent and deliberately disturbing that I wonder about the author's mental health.And the solution came on what was a clumbsily-written deus ex machina.Get another McGee book--any other McGee book--but not this one.This is one of the few books I've wished I could un-read. ... Read more

Product Description
James Wing told himself he was only trying to help his friend's widow when he warned Kat Hubble that the beautiful bay she and her neighbors had struggled to save was going to be sold to developers. He knew he shouldn't have told her anything. He was a reporter, trained to reveal nothing. But he was falling in love with her. Now the developers have set their sights on Kat Hubble, and they'll do anything, use anyone, to stop her from interfering in their plans . . . .
... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Nothing new under the sun
Florida has always been a sad, sad place for attracting all the wrong type, like a beautiful woman.Can she help it she's beautiful?Why does man enjoy destroying or just lassoing beauty, subduing and eventually making it as dull and ugly as he is?I am not sure but I think this is the message here from MacDonald.He doesn't know why either but he wanted to write about it to get it out of his system.

This story is as current as tonight's news and as depressing.It's heavy handed against all that MacDonald himself finds distasteful, there is never any good in the people he dislikes especially what he views as religion, he never makes any room for those who are not zealots or evil religious nut cases. There are people who believe in God and are as repulsed by that as he is.He never mentions them in any of the books I've read so far.In a way it makes him less credible as Elmo understood, if you are always against something or for something it makes you less believable and less of a thinking man.

I was disappointed that we didn't learn more about what happened to all the characters that he took so looonnng to develop.Did they just go on as before only with less innocence?Did Claire recover?Survive? what about all the others?he could have penned a little about them so we'd know.

It's a worthwhile read.Leaves you a little wondering.It was a definite page turner but the wind up could have been more complete.

Pre-McGee
John D. MacDonald has always had the incredible knack for putting character development before plot. A FLASH OF GREEN is the precursor to the Travis McGee books, but MacDonald's gift for characters was already shining. Newspaperman Jimmy Wing, on the trail of a story which may ruin a small Florida ecosystem for development (what else is new?) decides to stick around for the ride, to see who's doing what. Chief among the perpetrators is Elmo Bliss--what a great name! And what a great character! I had just as much fun watching him than I did the narrator. Strangely, I felt I knew more about what made him tick, as opposed to Jimmy. (Then again Jimmy is terribly stand-offish). As the plot unwound, I felt that the pacing did, too. But what held this together, as I said, is the characters, and that's a big plus in my book!

Color of Money
This is pre-Travis, early MacDonald.Jimmy Wing, a reporter for a small Florida daily has foreknowledge that beautiful Grassy Bay is about to be dredged by developers into a commercial/housing development.It just needs to be passed by the Board of Commissioners.This battle has been fought two years ago and defeated by the altruistic Save Our Bay organization.But this time, it isn't a wicked outside developers; it is a local consortium, and things look bleak for the S.O.B. contingent.

Jimmy spills the beans to young widow Kat Hubble who is all things demure and honorable.Just exactly why Jimmy does this or why he has a serious case of the lusts for this lady is unclear.Jimmy is sucked into spying for the local power structure headed by delightful old rascal, Elmo Bliss.I was so taken with Elmo; I was almost rooting for him in spite of his very non-correct environmental stance.Elmo was one of the few whose motives were pure; he wanted power and went after it.Maybe he went a mite overboard, but you always knew what he was about.The Save Our Bay people were persecuted, blackmailed and put to rout.Those left standing were sadder and wiser.

The story is a slow starter, and creaks here and there, but MacDonald puts in a lot of work on the characterizations, particularly Jimmy.I saw a few stirrings of a pre-Travis McGee in Jimmy particularly in the latter chapters.Motivation was seriously lacking.Much of the time, the characters were not acting in their own best interests, but we are never satisfactorily told why.MacDonald does shade the opposing groups well; they all have their share of vices as well as some virtues.My biggest problem was I could not work up enough enthusiasm to care very much about the outcome. Grade C.

All Fall Down
This is a strangely muted, yet exquisitely crafted , story from the creator of the Travis McGee detective novels. Local wheeler-dealers in a West Florida town devise a residential development that involves filling in a beautiful bay, to the dismay of the town's conservationists. Jimmy Wing, newspaperman, professes to help both camps, but is really in it only for the chance the view the "mechanism" of the conflict at close quarters. In the end, everyone emerges a loser; and Wing finds he has won a pyrrhic victory over his detachment from humanity. In this book, MacDonald probably brushes uncomfortably close to his real persona. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A novel of morals and manners.
That aptly descriptive phrase is taken from the introduction to the hardcover edition of Slam the Big Door.An introduction written by none other than the book's author, John D. MacDonald himself.

This well crafted novel contains a number of fully fleshed out characters, all of whom are quite believable.It would be wrong to classify Slam the Big Door as a mystery; all the important events that go to make up the plot take place right out in the open, in full view of the reader.Nor is it a crime story; DUI is just about the most serious violation of the legal system described in its pages.This is a book about relationships, complex human relationships that bind the characters together and, at times, wrench them apart.

Mike Rodenska having recently lost his beloved wife, travels to Florida's gulfcoast ostensibly for a relaxing visit with his friend Troy Jamison and Troy's wife Mary.Once there, it becomes abundantly apparent that Troy needs Mike's help a lot more than Mike needs Troy's hospitality.The Jamisons' marriage is very much on the rocks and Troy's latest business venture is about to go belly up.

With the use of very detailed and evocative descriptions, MacDonald succeeds in bringing to life the characters who together compose the circle of family, friends and acquaintances inhabiting the Jamisons' not so idyllic world.This is a thoughtfully written novel about friendship, love, self loathing, human fraility and the emptiness of affluence too easily obtained.Recommended to readers interested in exploring the psychological underpinnings of human behavior.

The Curse of Rodenska
The curse of Rodenska is that everyone confides in Mike.He has been the recipient of more tales of woe than he can number.Mike Rodenska is an anti-hero.He is visiting Mary and Troy Jamison.The flavor of that marriage isn't quite right.

Mike's wife Button died recently and he has received an inheritance from his father and his boys are in boarding school trying to adjust as new students.At an earlier time Troy Jamison had had both a wife and a girl friend.Later Mike rescued Troy, who was alcoholic and malnourished.

Now Troy Jamison has a different wife and a different field of work-- real estate development.His previous mishaps made it impossible for him to continue in the field of advertising and public relations.Troy is trying to make his project, Horseshoe Pass Estates, into a success.A group of good old boys is angling to take over the project at little expense by bribing Troy's employees and other machinations.

Someone tells Mike that the exclusive sandpits along the west coast of Florida are not in reality filled with Floridians.They have attracted people from other regions.They resemble cruise ships.There is frantic aimlessness.

Jamison and Rodinska, both journalists, met in the Marines in the Pacific during World War II.In Troy's pattern of building things up and tearing things down there is a cycle created to defeat his positive actions.

Human Characters and Catastrophes
Investigating the lives and the psyches of his characters, John D. MacDonald makes "Slam the Big Door" as engaging as one of his Travis McGee novels.Just like McGee, Mike Rodenska, our protagonist, steps right into someone else's mess.And like any reliable friend, Mike has to try fix things up.

Mike's war buddy and good friend, Troy Jamison, is a repeat offender; after trashing his life once, a decade before, Troy's got to try and destroy another marriage and a throw potentially successful business venture out the window. Mike Rodenska is already facing the loss of his wife to cancer, but just the same he's dealing with a damaged friend, mainly because his friend's wife is a good woman who deserves better.And the good wife is also saddled with a young newly divorced daughter as well.A daughter who is happily complicating matters just for `kicks.'

Money, madness, adultery and the decay of friendship are almost more than Mike Rodenska can or wants to handle, but John D. MacDonald likes to punish his main characters.He wants them to be human so he makes them bleed a little.

Great jd, but there's better
I have read or own every jd macdonald novel and short story collection.
As with any author, some of his books are great, some merely good, and some are even not so good. "Slam the Big Door" is a fairly good one. But don't miss the greats: "The Empty Trap," "The Girl, the Gold Watch and Everything," every Travis McGee (possible exception of "Freefall in Crimson"), "April Evil," "The Good Old Stuff," "More Good Old Stuff," "Linda"-- found in a two-novella collection called "Border Town Girl." So many more very good ones, but might want to avoid "The Last One Left," and "Barrier Island." More personal favorites: "On the Run," "A Bullet for Cinderella," "Clemmie," "The Only Girl in the Game."

Profound, moving, timeless�also full of suspense. Classic!
John D. MacDonald scored again with this atmospheric, deeply moving novelabout a man both coming to terms with the death of his wife and the wilfulself-destruction of his best friend. As usual with John D., the sentimentsexpressed about life, people and the state of the world in the last half ofthe millenium are timeless. Why aren't these books more readily available?We are in desperate need of classics like this. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Wonderful characters!
I will admit I am not done reading this little book yet, but so far it is wonderful! The best mix of characters I have come across in a long time. There is not one in the whole group who I am not enjoying!
Each story gives a different and quite real, though funny portrayal of people as they are!
Since this is the first time I have read any of Macdonald's books I am happy there are so many more to choose from!

Not your usual McDonald
I've read this 20 years ago so my facts may be a bit off but the story involves a summer art school in Mexico which attracts a bunch of varied and interesting people. A few are still vivid in my mind. The main thing I remember about this novel is what a great pleasure it was to read. No crime, no killings, just an absorbing story that makes you cheer for the characters to make it. Please Write for Details refers to the magazine ads that describe the school.

It's 'la vida loca' for MacDonald's characters!
Known world-wide for his Travis McGee detective series, author John D. MacDonald has written many more books that don't feature this "knight in tarnished armor."

In "Please Write for Details," the MacDonaldwit comes to fore as he journeys south of the Border and sets his tale ofAmerican expatriates in a Mexican art colony known as the Cuernavaca SummerWorkshop.

Indeed, the author has collected about the weirdestassortment of odd balls and thrown in even more zany "adventures" as wefind him showing a terrific sense of humor.While, of course, this book isnot a comedy, it does have its moments. Instead of "ars longa," it's morelike "ars erotica" as these crazy Americans romp in and out of differenttypes of "positions."There really is no basic character, but the entireworkshop and a number of the locals feature heavily in this tale.

It's agreat read, as much as to see MacDonald in another mode as anything.Hisgreat writing style is still there and basically nothing has changed in theauthor's literary swirl.It's one of the very few books I have ever readmore than twice,and it's still a pleasurableread!

Billyjhobbs@tyler.net

One of the funniest novels you'll ever read, period.
This should be back in print.MacDonald's sly tale of the goings-on at a Summer art school in Mexico is utterly hysterical.I remember laughing until I cried the first time I read it, not once but several times.MacDonald showed he could write an extremely perceptive comic novel. Perfect timing throughout and quite different from his usual proceduralcrime thriller.This is what you might characterize as"middle-period" MacDonald, and as such there are the occasionalinfelicities of character development and dialog, but it's still amasterful outing.You'll love it.

To all film producers:this wouldmake a truly hilarious movie!

One of the funniest novels you'll ever read, period.
This should be back in print.MacDonald's sly tale of the goings-on at a Summer art school in Mexico is utterly hysterical.I remember laughing until I cried the first time I read it, not once but several times.MacDonald showed he could write an extremely perceptive comic novel. Perfect timing throughout and quite different from his usual proceduralcrime thriller.This is what you might characterize as"middle-period" MacDonald, and as such there are the occasionalinfelicities of character development and dialog, but it's still amasterful outing.You'll love it.

To all film producers:this wouldmake a truly hilarious movie! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good biography of an interesting woman
Enjoyed reading about Flora Macdonald.Wonderful period in history and this part of it well presented.Wish the author had more books on the subject.

Incredible
The author of this book does such a wonderful job.
You should buy it! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (7)

Predominately British Battles
Good overview of some well known(Austerlitz, Saratoga, Gettysburg), and lesser known (Colensa, Omduran) battles.Concentrates on 1700-present, and preference to battles involving the British.

Very good graphics, with unique battlefield illustrations.Touches upon weapons, leaders in multiple inserts.The text is relatively brief, strssing a few key issues.

Best suited to someone who already has a general knowledge of military history, looking for a broad overview of the battles covered. Not an "academic" history.

A Great Look at famous battlefields.
I first took this book out from the local library a few years ago, and still read it now, as it has found a position on my bookshelf.The illustrations in this book are truly amazing, from Cannae to Dien-Bien-Phu, they clearly show the terrain, and the troop deployments.The Author clearly defines what happens on the battlefield, and helpfull side columns and miscellaneous information pad out the package.This is a book I still love to read, and I assure you that any other military history buff will love it as well.

DIFFERENT WAY TO LOOK AT THE BATTLES IN THE PAST
THIS BOOK SHOWED ME SOME OF HISTORY MOST IMPORTANT BATTLES. I REALLY ENJOYED THE WAY THEY SHOWED THEM, THE GRAPHICS WAS WELL DONE. YOU COULD REALLY SEE HOW THE BATTLE WOULD GO AND WHY TERRAIN KNOWLEDGE IS SO IMPORTANT TO THE OUTCOME. IF YOU REALLY LIKE MILATARY BATTLES YOU WILL ENJOY THIS

greg's review
The book is excellent especially since it starts with Hannibal at Cannae.It must have been difficult to choose battles and the ones covered were great.However, some changes and updates are in order:

Sea battles and air campaigns were completely ignored.The battle of Brittain should have been included as well as some ancient sea battles, especially between the Greeks and Persians.

Other interesting points:

Where are the african battles before the 19th century?

The book was a little too Europe centered.

Why no battles of Midway, Coral Sea or Pearl Harbor.

Kohima could have been left out.

Too much was written about Arnhem.

Why was Stalingrad left out.

The diagrams were superb.

The Falklands should be included in a new edition.

Warfare in Asia was amost completely ignored except for Port Arthur, especially the Mongols in China.

All in all a SUPERB book.

GREAT, GREAT BOOK! 1
This book is the best!They go through about 25 different battles with great pictures of the whole battle. Using little troops and vechiles so you can see the battle from a sky perspective. Along with the pictures it givesyou a huge amount of imformation on every battle in there. Some famous onesit covers are:Waterloo, Iwo Jima, Gettysburg.... If you like this, checkout GREAT BATTLES OF WW2,GREAT BATTLEFEILDS OF THE CIVIL WAR ... Read more

Product Description
The first book to expose the turbulent personal life of this fascinating Father of Confederation.

Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald once remarked, “I had no boyhood,” an understatement if there ever was one. Indeed, John A.’s Dickensian childhood, filled with poverty, alcoholism, and the beating death of his five-year-old brother at the hands of a drunken babysitter (a friend of his father, Hugh’s), set the stage for a political power grab that has seen no equal in Canadian history.

In Private Demons, bestselling author Patricia Phenix explores through Macdonald’s family journals, diaries, and never-before-seen letters the troubled man behind Canada’s most successful politician. Phenix describes a man of myriad contradictions: patient, yet prone to settle fights with his fists; ethical, yet capable of pilfering corporate profits to pay private debts; shy, yet wildly flirtatious; sociable, yet so desirous of solitude he built escape hatches into the walls of his homes. She also examines reports that Macdonald’s depression became so deep that he once attempted suicide. Ultimately, in an obsessive need to escape his childhood demons, he sacrificed friends, family members, and financial security to achieve his single greatest ambition — to design and control the destiny of Canada.

Private Demons paints a vivid portrait of nineteenth-century society while exploring the amazingly tumultuous domestic life of our most famous prime minister.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Product Description
This title has fewer than 24 printed text pages. Blind Spot is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Bascom Jones is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Bascom Jones then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more