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It was Adam Smith (1723-90) who first established economics as a separate branch of knowledge, and many would say his work has never been surpassed. The Wealth of Nations, which appeared in 1776, is the definitive text for all who believe that economic decisions are best left to markets, not governments. At the heart of Smith's doctrine is an optimistic view of the effects of self-interest. This skilful abridgement presents his main ideas. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A Must Read for all Students of Economics
This is the definitive work on economics. Adam Smith is considered by many to be the father of Economics. I first read this as a student at the Wharton School of Business. The book traces the history and evolution of modern economics. Many of his lessons are still applicable today. I have re-read (and re-listeden to this particular version) many times throughout my lifetime.This should be required reading for all.

Ivy League Wealth Secrets: That the Master Planners don't want you to know!

To Abridge is to Remove the Meat
Out of necessity, whenever an original work is "abridged," the abridger must make a value judgment regarding what in the original work is worthwhile (and will be preserved), and what is not of relevance, and will thus be discarded and placed beyond your view.So "abridging" really means "editing," which means running the original work through the "value filters" of the editor/abridger.Unfortunately, much of the inspired and inspiring wisdom that Adam Smith toiled long to place in "The Wealth of Nations" has been edited out in this abridgment, to the point, at least in my opinion, where much of the real meat has been removed and much of what remains is merely milk, that is more appropriate for the simpler mind of a suckling child.

Opting for an audio book, rather than taking the time to read the real thing, in and of itself is a significant compromise that forgoes the greater value of being able to pause and contemplate what you have read, and to then do whatever rereading is necessary in order to really evaluate and grasp what is being said.

I realize that our lives are often so busy that we feel a legitimate need to make these kinds of compromises whenever we can.Although you can probably get away with a compromise like that with your recreational fiction, believe me, this is NOT the appropriate time or place to do that!If you are going to opt for the audio version out of necessity and convenience, then don't also opt for the cliff notes version that has already had much of the meat taken out of it by an editor/abridger that thinks he knows better what you need to learn from Adam Smith.If something is calling you to partake of the vast wisdom that is within "The Wealth of Nations," then do it with a commitment to really benefit from the journey.Take a pass on an abridgment!I think you will be glad you did! Dale Gwilliam-Phoenix, Arizona

Abridged ???
When they say "abridged" they are not kidding! It seems that they have abridged out about 90% of the original script.This version consists of only 6 discs.

This audio version is so shortened as to make it essentially useless.

Better to just buy the book or try to find an audio version unabridged.

Leo Wagner

Get a Complete Version Instead
I don't recommend you this abridged audio book. Please get the complete audio, and that's why.

This book is so widely cited and interpreted contrary to the author's original thought, that every economist should read it completely to avoid being misled by such incorrect interpretations.

First, let us take the "invisible hand" metaphor. When I have studied economy in the University, I was taught that almost the entire book is devoted to the "invisible hand" which means "self-corrective markets", "liberalism", "Laissez-faire" and "state non-intervention". After reading this book, I have found out that Adam Smith did use the term "invisible hand" only once in the entire book, in the discussion of domestic versus foreign trade.

To illustrate the point, let me quote the text where term "invisible hand" is used: "First, every individual endeavours to employ his capital as near home as he can, and consequently as much as he can in the support of domestic industry, provided always that he can thereby obtain the ordinary, or not a great deal less than the ordinary profits of stock. Thus, upon equal, or nearly equal profits, every wholesale merchant naturally prefers the home trade to the foreign trade of consumption, and the foreign trade of consumption to the carrying trade. In the home trade, his capital is never so long out of his sight as it frequently is in the foreign trade of consumption. [...]Secondly, every individual who employs his capital in the support of domestic industry, necessarily endeavours so to direct that industry, that its produce may be of the greatest possible value. [...]As every individual, therefore, endeavours as much as he can, both to employ his capital in the support of domestic industry, and so to direct that industry that its produce maybe of the greatest value; every individual necessarily labours to render the annual revenue of the society as great as he can. He generally, indeed, neither intends to promote the public interest, nor knows how much he is promoting it. By preferring the support of domestic to that of foreign industry, he intends only his own security; and by directing that industry in such a manner as its produce may be of the greatest value, he intends only his own gain; and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention. Nor is it always the worse for the society that it was no part of it."

After reading this book, I have found out that Adam Smith was influenced by French Physiocrats. The Physiocrats saw the true wealth of a nation as determined by the surplus of agricultural production over and above that needed to support agriculture (by feeding farm labourers and so forth). Other forms of economic activity, such as manufacturing, were viewed as taking this surplus agricultural production and transforming it into new products, by using the surplus agricultural production to feed the workers who produced the extra goods. While these manufacturers and other non agricultural workers may be useful, they were seen as 'sterile' in that their income derives ultimately not from their own work, but from the surplus production of the agricultural sector.

I have found out that this book is not about "invisible hand" or "Laissez-faire". It is quite a complete study that covers almost every basic aspect of the economy, and remains an effective introduction to economics to this day.

This book is so often mischaracterized and politicized that I suggest you to listen it completely by yourself. This is a must read for every economist. You can get the complete unabridged audio version of this book.
... Read more

Product Description
Adam Smith is the best known among economists for his book, The Wealth of Nations, often viewed as the keystone of modern economic thought. Others, often heterodox economists and social philosophers, on the contrary, focus on Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments, and explore his moral theory. This work treats these dimensions of Smith's work as elements in a seamless moral philosophical vision, demonstrating the integrated nature of these works and Smith's other writings. Although many practitioners today see the study of Smith as an antiquarian exercise, this book weaves Smith into a constructive critique of modern ecnomic analysis (engaging along the way the workof Nobel Laureates Gary Becker, Amarty Sen, Douglass North, and James Buchanan) and builds bridges between that discourse and the other social sciences. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

4.5 stars-the best long study of Smith.
Evensky(E) has done a great job in covering the major contributions of Adam Smith.He correctly integrates The Theory of Moral Sentiments(TMS,1759;1st edition) with The Wealth of Nations(WN;1776).He shows the importance of Smith's sixth and final edition of TMS in which Smith added a completely new part,Part VI,that dealt with the necessity of promoting morality as a social good that would generate positive externalities to the society as a whole.E correctly shows that Smith viewed government in a positive light and saw that it had to successfully carry out certain functions in order for that society to be prosperous.

My major criticism is that E does not place enough emphasis on the dark side of the Invisible Hand-the undepletable ,detrimental externalities that negatively impact the moral,political,social,martial,and intellectual(as well as limiting the extension of the Invisible Hand by destroying the capability of the work force to make a series of continuous improvements in the machinery that they use in the mass production process)capabilities of the work force as a whole,resulting in "...the almost entire corruption and degeneracy of the great body of the people"(Smith,p.734;Modern Library edition-Cannan) unless government intervenes to prevent or reduce the social damages .E refers to this problem in his footnote21 on p.13 of his book:"It should be noted that Smith is keenly aware of the potential for technical advancement in production to numb the minds of workers".He returns to the problem again in chapter 9 where he treats the role of government in Smith's system.However,he only spends 1 page discussing how the provision of education(he leaves out the importance of religious instruction and hence misses the reason explaining why Smith added a new Part VI to TMS in 1790. Part VIwas requiredin order to provide the theoretical foundation for his discussions of mass education on pp.716-768 of WN)is viewed .E needed to spend an entire chapter on Smith's careful discussion of all of the negative spillover effects that will result from the operation of the Invisible Hand on pp.734-741.The statement above that it "...numbs the minds..."is an understatement similar to the understatements made by Robert Heilbroner about the "...stultifying effect of mass production..." that would lead to " ...a decline in manly virtues..."(Heilbroner,p.68,The Worldly Philosophers).Smith's much more emphatic characterization and detailed treatment of the actual problem is correct.The problem is much more severe then a decline in manly virtues or numbing of the mind.Every future author on Smith needs to devote one chapter of his book to this actual,not just potential, problem.The failure to deal with it leads directly to Marx's analysis. ... Read more

Product Description
Claiming he'd been sent by God to confess, truck driver Wayne Adam Ford walked into the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office and admitted to them that he was a serial killer. After police found a gruesome piece of evidence in Ford's pocket, he told them that he had to be stopped before he killed again, before he murdered his ex-wife, and made his beloved 3-year-old son an orphan. Authorities arrested the long-haul trucker and listened in horror to his startling confession...Ford was a long-distance trucker who had traveled 14 Western states. Prowling the highways in his big rig tractor-trailer, he picked up young, vulnerable women and then raped, killed, and dismembered them. He scattered some of their bodies in waterways along the road. He kept parts of others for over a year in the freezer of his trailer home. Learn the shocking truth in this chilling account of madness, depravity, and murder...AUTHORBIO: CARLTON SMITH was an award-winning journalist for The Los Angeles Times and The Seattle Times in the 1970s and 1980s. A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in investigative reporting in 1988, he now works full-time as a true crime author. He lives in San Francisco. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Waste of $6.99!
As with most of the other reviewers, I cannot believe that I paid for this book.The entire book blames the police, prosecutorsand anyone else for the crimes of this man.He is not a criminal...he is mentally ill, as is anyone else in the book who does drugs, shoplifts, etc.It is a diatrabe against the death penalty also.When reading a true crime book, I do NOT want to be subject to the views of the author...just the facts, thank you.Rest assured I will never waste any money on another book by Carlton Smith.

Huh?
This was one of the worse true crime books I have read. Normally I do not feel the need to review books but in this case I am compelled because the book is based on nothingness. It repeatedly tells the reader that everything is under a gag order or deleted so there really is no story here.... just pages and pages of disclaimers and citations to motions that have had all the "meat" deleted.Kinda makes you go, huh?

Well written but the writing was apparently done before the case was over...
This book seems to depart from the usual "true crime" format.Rather than being written after the case was done it seems to have been written as the case was occurring.The legal system was suppressing the expected fine details about the criminal and the investigation which causes the book to be tantalizing but not satifying.I found the lack of finer details surrounding the actual mode of commission of each crime to be the most disappoiting aspect of the book.This, after all, is the "signature" of each criminal encountered in this type of book.Lacking some of the suspected to be interesting but not available evidence and investigative techniques used to detect and/or solve the crime is also disappointing.I think the book would be much better if it had been written after the case was ended so that it would have been more detailed and the story didn't leave the reader "hanging" for lack of a definitive ending.This is the only book I've read by this author so I don't know if this is his style of investigative writing or if this particular book is an exception to the rule.Reading reviews carefully and examining book discriptions should allow a reader to discern if this type of book is what they want or not.In summary, well written but lacked specific details and left me hanging.

Terribly disappointing true crime novel!
I am an absolute fan of the true crime genre, but this book takes the cake as the worst true crime book that I have read. The bulk of this book is spent criticizing (implicity and explicitly) the police and government - NOT for failing to stop a serial murderer, but for failing to give the author documents that he felt he was entitled to. Moreover, the sympathetic justifications for Wayne Ford's atrocities was a bit too much to bear.
A true journalist would not let his own views taint the story that he is trying to tell. I don't think that I would rush to read another book by Carlton Smith anytime soon.

Smith has written better books....
I echo previous reviewers' sentiments re: Mr. Smith's recounting of Wayne Adam Ford's crimes.This was not the author's best book.It did appear very unusual to read the author's views against capital punishment and his opinions re: the link between brain damage and criminal behavior on pp. 3-20.At first, I wondered if the author would ever get to the story of Ford's cimes!I usually don't care much for a true crime writer's opinions about crime and punishment; rather, I enjoy reading this genre for the historical information.I'm interested in the "what" rather than the "why".I look for facts....what types of cunning, stalking behavior are exhibited by criminals; what types of careless, naive behavior might be exhibited by victims; and what lessons should my family and I learn from these tragedies?It's important for us to realize the true nature of random acts of violence in modern America and what steps we should take to try to lower our own risks of becoming victims.To Mr. Smith's credit, however, I do think that he has written better true crime pieces: HUNTING EVIL was a remarkable work in which he demonstrated genuine writing talents, and I commend that book to all of you.All in all, if you read a lot of this genre, this certainly isn't the worst one that you'll read! ... Read more

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`The most noted figure in the history of economic thought is, of course, Adam Smith. Captured in recent times by free-market ideologues who have never read his work, he is also the most misunderstood. This is a fine treatment of this wise, wonderful, literate and intensely pragmatic scholar.'
- John Kenneth Galbraith, Harvard University, US

`Adam Smith is frequently hailed as an early advocate of free enterprise, an enemy of government and a spokesman of the industrial bourgeoisie. In this fascinating book however, Spencer Pack argues that Smith's position on the role of the state in a capitalist society was not so different from that of a modern 20th century liberal (in the American sense of that term). Here is a surprising thesis that will make readers think again not just about Adam Smith but also about capitalism and government intervention under capitalism. This is a book that will appeal to an intelligent layman just as much as to professional economists.'
- Mark Blaug, University of London and University of Buckingham, UK

This powerful and thoroughly documented book overturns many long-held beliefs about Adam Smith. Spencer Pack demonstrates that contrary to popular myth, Adam Smith was not a dogmatic defender of laissez-faire capitalism and neither was he in favor of regressive taxation. The book stresses for the first time the many qualms and problems - indeed the profound ambiguity - which Adam Smith felt toward the capitalist system. ... Read more

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Originally published in 1907.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

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Do you have time to read THE WEALTH OF NATIONS? Now it is possible to benefit from Adam Smith's wisdom without imposing a heavy burden on your schedule.

In this book, Professor Ryan has placed Smith's masterpiece, THE WEALTH OF NATIONS, in its historical context and has selected numerous quotations illustrating Smith's wisdom as well as his superb literary style. ... Read more

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Recognized in its own day as an important and compassionate examination of economics, it was praised by Thomas Jefferson as being an innovative work in that field. Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations for several reasons, among them being that he was disgusted with the business methods practiced by merchants and manufacturers, and was concerned with improving the welfare of society. In 1934, echoing his own humanitarian views on commerce, industrialism, and labor, Eli Ginzberg published The House of Adam Smith, which was based on his doctoral dissertation for Columbia University. The book is divided into two parts, the first being a reconstruction and interpretation of The Wealth of Nations, while the second examines Smith as the patron saint/prophet of nineteenth-century capitalism. ... Read more

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For most of the two hundred years or so that have passed since the publication of the Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith's writings on political and economic questions have been viewed within a liberal capitalist perspective of nineteenth- and twentieth- century provenance. This essay in interpretation seeks to provide a more historical reading of certain political themes which recur in Smith's writings by bringing eighteenth-century perspectives to bear on the problem. Contrary to the view that sees Smith's work as marking the point at which 'politics' was being eclipsed by 'economics', it claims that Smith has a 'politics' which goes beyond certain political attitudes connected with the role of the state in economic affairs. It argues that he employs a consistent mode of political analysis which cannot be encompassed within the standard liberal capitalist categories, but can be understood by reference to the language and qualities of contemporary political debate, and of the eighteenth-century science of politics cultivated by Montesquieu and, above all, Hume, particularly as revealed by recent scholarship. A concluding chapter draws the various strands of the interpretation together to form a portrait of what Smith might legitimately be said to have been doing when he wrote on these matters. ... Read more

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Adam Smith is popularly regarded as the ideological forefather of laissez-faire capitalism, while Rousseau is seen as the passionate advocate of the life of virtue in small, harmonious communities and as a sharp critic of the ills of commercial society. But, in fact, Smith had many of the same worries about commercial society that Rousseau did and was strongly influenced by his critique.
In this first book-length comparative study of these leading eighteenth-century thinkers, Dennis Rasmussen highlights Smith's sympathy with Rousseau's concerns and analyzes in depth the ways in which Smith crafted his arguments to defend commercial society against these charges. These arguments, Rasmussen emphasizes, were pragmatic in nature, not ideological: it was Smith's view that, all things considered, commercial society offered more benefits than the alternatives.
Just because of this pragmatic orientation, Smith's approach can be useful to us in assessing the pros and cons of commercial society today and thus contributes to a debate that is too much dominated by both dogmatic critics and doctrinaire champions of our modern commercial society. ... Read more

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In Five Volumes. This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature. ... Read more

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The second edition of Andrew Skinner's essays has been updated to take account of his latest thinking on Adam Smith's system of social and moral science and his experience of teaching Smith to a student audience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great, down-to-earth, visionary
I first saw this book in 1982, and even after 20 years of being a "fan" of how the mind works, this one stands out as unique. Interestingly, he looks at all the different mind mysteries (from Yaqui sorcerers to est (now Landmark) to Aldous Huxley to floating in a sensory deprivation tank) as being different applications of the same "secret ingredients", and seeks the commonalities as clues to what's really going on under the surface.

I learned a lot, and his analysis has stood the test of time.

Influential
This book changed my life. It gave me a new perspective on the human ability to function in harmony with, as opposed to at odds with, his environment.This new outlook has allowed me to approach each day with renewed optomism and expectation for success instead of disappointment. If there was a way for me to personally express my gratitude to this author I would certainly do so. ... Read more

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The Glasgow Edition of the Works and Correspondence of Adam Smith represents the first comprehensive Smith index ever published. For over fifteen years, Liberty Fund has made paperback editions of these classics accessible to a wider audience than ever before. Now, with the publication of a new comprehensive Index to the Works of Adam Smith, students and researchers in all fields have a single, unified source for locating Adam Smith's many contributions to such diverse fields as economics, morality, philosophy, and law. This easy-to-use index helps students, readers, and researchers to trace their topics of interest through all of Adam Smith's work. ... Read more

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Adam Smith's masterpiece, first published in 1776, is the foundation of modern economic thought and remains the single most important account of the rise of, and the principles behind, modern capitalism. Written in clear and incisive prose, The Wealth of Nations articulates the concepts indispensable to an understanding of contemporary society; and Robert Reich's new Introduction for this edition both clarifies Smith's analyses and illuminates his overall relevance to the world in which we live. As Reich writes, "Smith's mind ranged over issues as fresh and topical today as they were in the late eighteenth century--jobs, wages, politics, government, trade, education, business, and ethics." ... Read more

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This brief text assists students in understanding Adam Smith's philosophy and thinking so they can more fully engage in useful, intelligent class dialogue and improve their understanding of course content. Part of the Wadsworth Notes Series, (which will eventually consist of approximately 100 titles, each focusing on a single "thinker" from ancient times to the present), ON ADAM SMITH is written by a philosopher deeply versed in the philosophy of this key thinker. Like other books in the series, this concise book offers sufficient insight into the thinking of a notable philosopher, better enabling students to engage in reading and to discuss the material in class and on paper. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Demonstrates that there was no Adam Smith Problem
This is a very good "Short Notes " type introduction to Smith which succeeds in demonstrating that there never was any Adam Smith problem( a supposed conflict between the Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations )because Smith's concept of self interest(if Smith had used the term " enlightened self interest " the " Adam Smith Problem " would never have occurred.It is very similar to the economists' incredible misinterpretation of Keynes's term " nonnumerical" probabilities,by which Keynes meantinterval estimates using 2 numerals and not one) has absolutely nothing to do with greed,selfishness,avarice,or exploitation.Second,the author shows the close connection Smith saw between economics and ethics(morals).Economic decision making involves ethical considerations.It is the Benthamite Utilitarian(the modern version of Benthamite Utilitarianism is the subjective Bayesian approach to probability) approach that essentially succeeded in its attempt to completely separate economics from ethics.The close connection between economics and ethics in Smith's approach is displayed in Smith's nearly 55 page discussion of the importance of providing universal education and religious instruction to the entire population,free if necessary.
Finally ,the author demonstrates that Smith was not a libertarian or free market ideologue.Smith had a deep understanding of market failure and externalities.Smith recognized that government would have to deal with the undepletable negative externality problem created by the division of labor that impacted the totality of society.I recommend this book.I have deducted one star only because the book is too short. ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Few Civil War figures have received as much attention and achieved such lofty status in the last decade as the Maine college professor turned war hero, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. His story inspired Ken Burns to create his epic series for PBS The Civil War, and his primary role in Gettysburg, the movie adaptation of Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Killer Angels, has made him an American cult hero. Lost among the glow of his recent fame is some understanding of the relationship with his wife, the former Miss Frances Caroline Adams, known to family and friends as "Fanny."While numerous biographies of the legendary hero explain that Fanny had a profound, sometimes confounding effect on her husband, none have examined the relationship in enough depth to gain a better understanding of it, nor to learn more about Fanny the woman, not just the wife. After many years of intense research and analysis, Fanny and Joshua remedies these problems. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Excellent first half, then falters
What appears at first to be a biography of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain mainly in terms of his relationship with his wife Frances "Fanny" Caroline Adams changes direction about halfway through, with Fanny almost falling by the wayside. Using family letters as her primary source, Diane Smith is very good at tracing the courtship and early marriage of Joshua and Fanny, but falters after the Civil War years when Chamberlain was elected governor of Maine. What might conceivably be the most interesting aspect of their relationship - Fanny's deep unhappiness with Joshua and their even contemplating divorce - is barely touched on by Smith. She quotes from a long letter Joshua wrote to his wife advising against her seeking a divorce and suggests that Chamberlain might have been an abusive husband. But what does that mean? Smith never says and seems very reluctant to wade in those waters. Apparently the couple spent a great deal of time apart, and most of this time Smith spends tracking Chamberlain's life, his political affairs in Maine, business ventures in Florida, Presidency of Bowdoin College, and Civil War reminiscences, and pays very little attention to Fanny. In the preface Smith claims that Fanny became Chamberlain's "love, helpmate, and confidante," but she doesn't illustrate much of this in the book. She also acknowledges that Fanny has been at the receiving end of much negativity in other biographies - something she implies might not be fair, but does little to dissuade her own readers from concluding as well. There is a great deal of information here on Chamberlain (though most of it is related in year-by-year list form), but if the purpose of the book was to be a dual perspective of husband and wife, Smith only met that purpose in the first half.

Soul Mates
Many biographers of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain have treated Fanny Adams as an after-thought. Some have even treated her as a subject of disdain. Ms. Smith effectively refutes those authors, using Adam's and Chamberlain's letters to one another as her primary source materials.

What emerges is the vision of a strong, educated, ambitious, self-directed, courageous, emotionally-stable and patient woman, who endured every hardship brought to her home by her husband's long career of service to his country.

What also emerges is a more complete picture of our nation's greatest hero. The same man who quietly endured the terrors of war, who courageously accepted an horrific wound, and who was so gracious with a defeated enemy, could become quaintly insecure when dealing with the woman he loved. The stellar academic, warrior and politician was as much of a quivering paramour as any other husband in love.

For Chamberlain fans, this book offers a more human image of the titan. For everyone else, this book offers a touching tribute to the power of love.

The Rest of the Story....
A wonderful book that "fleshes" out the outlines of JLC and Fanny.For years, their lives were painted with a "light brushstroke" yet one felt that had to be more behind these very complex people and their relationship.

The author has painted a verycomplex picture of these two with all the dark and light hues of thepalette. Fanny was not merely JLC's wife, or the Reverend's adopteddaughter, but a much more complex individual who could be considered anearly feminist.

JLC's inner feelings about service to country and greatergood are reflected and help to answer that question of why a collegeprofessor in Maine would take it upon himself to defend the country heloved to the extent he did. It is easy to understand why nothing ever againmeasured up to his experience of leading those men at Gettysburg.

Wonderful, insightful, & hard to put down!
I developed an interest in Chamberlain after reading "The Killer Angels", and had been looking for a good biography of him.Last summer I visited the Chamberlain Museum in Brunswick, Me. and bought thisbook based on the recommendation of our tour guide.I can't begin to sayhow wonderful I think this book is.Smith has excellent insight intoVictorian character and mores, and transmits that insight to her reader. I've always thought that JLC was about 50 years ahead of his time.Afterreading this book, I've come to realize that part of his forward thinkingmight have been a product of his relationship with his remarkable wife. Fannys self sufficient persona was NOT typical of the 19th century; through Smith, the reader comes to realize Fanny was in fact 20th centuryin much of her thinking.The marriage of such an independent soul with thesoul of a such a fair minded, yet fierce, warrior makes for a fascinatingread.I read this book into the wee hours of the morning until I finishedit, in about 3 days.I never thought I'd read a history book that I justcouldn't put down.I'd highly recommend it to anyone.

Well written, well-researched, an intimate portrait.
Diane Smith offers a more intimate portrait of the relationship between Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and Fannie Adams than previous writers have done. Using "love letters" and other family correspondence, Smithreveals not only the couple's penchant for teasing each other duringcourtship but also Lawrence's early bouts with depression and jealousy. Additionally she explores what might have been a budding romance betweenLawrence and his cousin Hannah "Annie" Chamberlain.Smithinterprets Fannie's sometimes independent behavior with kinder motives andgentler judgment than previous critics have offered.She insists thatFannie agreed with Lawrence's decision to join the Army and offered him hermoral support during his years of service.Readers of previousChamberlain biographies will enjoy seeing more of the Chamberlain'sfamilylife, smiling at the nicknames the couple chose for each other, sensing theheartbreak of the untimely deaths of their children and other familymembers, accompanying Lawrence on his several campaigns both during andafter the War.Supplemented with photos (e.g., a rare snapshot of anaging Chamberlain sailing aboardhis beloved Pinafore), setting thecorrespondence apart in italics, replete with insights and incidentspreviously unpublished, Smith's "Fanny & Joshua" is a perfectsupplement to Alice Trulock's great work and is surely destined to be atreasured account for all who want to know more about "the hero ofLittle Round Top" and the exemplary life and service that make him apopular and worthy hero today. ... Read more