Product Description
The Farm Book is the primary source for all studies about Thomas Jefferson and his slaves. It is a notebook kept and maintained by Thomas Jefferson from 1774 until just before his death in 1826. Unlike his letters and correspondence which Thomas Jefferson clearly intended to be kept for posterity, the Farm Book contains his private notes that he probably never imagined would be scrutinized and studied by future generations.The "Farm Book" derives its name from those two words that were written on the inside cover. The Farm Book starts with the genealogy of his favorite horse, Caractacus. It then moves on to the first inventory of the Slaves of Thomas Jefferson: "A Roll of the proper slaves of Thomas Jefferson, Jan. 14. 1774." There are 29 slaves listed here.After Thomas Jefferson had inherited slaves from his father, his mother, his father-and-law and his wife, after they all died, the number of his slaves grew to 187, the most famous of whom was Sally Hemings, his presumed mistress.The question of whether Thomas Jefferson really fathered children by Sally Hemings remains controversial. However, putting that aside, a little appreciated fact is that the majority of slaves of Thomas Jefferson were not at Monticello but were at Poplar Forest, in what is now Lynchburg, Virginia. After Thomas Jefferson died in 1826, the slaves at Monticello were sold at auction and were widely disbursed, with the exceptions only of Sally Hemings and her two remaining sons. This was because the land around Monticello was not suitable for cultivation. However, the slaves at Poplar Forest, where the best farmland was, stayed right where they were. Their descendants are still there today, where they attend Jefferson Forest High School.The Farm Book, which groups slaves by their slave families, with husband, wife and children grouped together, needs to be studied in detail by anybody interested in the genealogy of these slave families. ... Read more

Product Description
Drawing on four generations of family correspondence --reflecting the hopes, fears, desires, frustrations, and failures of an American family touched by personal scandal-- this book presents the saga of the Hammonds of Redcliffe from before the Civil War to after the New Deal.Set in Redcliffe, the plantation home of the Hammonds, this sweeping collection of letters, many of them by women, recaptures a way of life that is gone forever as it provides fascinating insights into the reactions of the participants to disaster on the battlefield and on the homefront and into the agony of an eminent plantation family that had to adjust as best it could to a new social order.More than just the story of one family, the book casts in high relief the whole fabric of society: how all people worked and wept, married and mourned, lived and died. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

real people, real emotions and some scandal
If you don't trust those who feel compelled to rewrite American history and apologize for it...then read this book. For those who think men incapable of expressing deep emotions, read this book. If you want to learn about a selfish, self-deluded family patriarch read this book. If you want to become so attached to some of the Hammond family members that you long to discover a trunk full of letters in a southern attic, read this book, for there is another book about this family which will satisfy you. Because you will want to know more and will feel almost lonely when you finish "the hammonds of redcliffe".And the home was preserved by the efforts of a descendant, and that will satisfy you as well.

Amidst the turbulent era (turbulent to us, not to those who were living it-- until the civil war, for we of course, know what was coming. and we, are still living with the aftermath),so...what were people Thinking, were they falling in love and writing sweet and yearning love letters?...yes, read some. Was there a son who longed for his fathers approval and never got it? Did this same father make excuses for "fooling around" with the very young daughters of a famous American General, and then blame his behavior on them? Read pages of his excuses. It is all fascinating, real and more a part of our country's history than a trip to Williamsburg, for it deals with what goes on in people's mind and hearts...and that is always what proceeds behavior, which invents history and makes it more memorable for those who want to understand history.

Fascinating family history
The true history of a Southern slaveholding family, pre- and post-Civil War, the heirs of the famous "Cotton is King" U.S.Senator, James Henry Hammond, which is told through their own letters, and the excellent interpretations of Carol Bleser.

The word, "slaveholding" may give you a shudder, but this family had its share of troubles and sorrows.On a different scale than their former slaves, of course, but troubles nonetheless.And then there are happy occasions-the births, marriages...it's life, good times and bad, through one of the most tumultuous times in American history.My only quibble is that I want to know even more, in depth, about all of these people - the letters and Ms. Bleser's essays were a great start, now I want even more!

Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
On the morning of the battle of Waterloo, the Emperor Napoleon declared that the Duke of Wellington was a bad general, the British were bad soldiers and that France could not fail to win an easy victory. Forever afterwards historians have accused him of gross overconfidence, and massively underestimating the calibre of the British commander opposed to him. Andrew Roberts presents an original, highly revisionist view of the relationship between the two greatest captains of their age. Napoleon, who was born in the same year as Wellington - 1769 - fought Wellington by proxy years earlier in the Peninsula War, praising his ruthlessness in private while publicly deriding him as a mere 'sepoy general'. In contrast, Wellington publicly lauded Napoleon, saying that his presence on a battlefield was worth forty thousand men, but privately wrote long memoranda lambasting Napoleon's campaigning techniques. Although Wellington saved Napoleon from execution after Waterloo, Napoleon left money in his will to the man who had tried to assassinate Wellington. Wellington in turn amassed a series of Napoleonic trophies of his great victory, even sleeping with two of the Emperor's mistresses.Amazon.com Review
Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, spent a lot of time worrying about whether Napoleon Bonaparte, the emperor of France, was a gentleman. Napoleon accused his English foe of being a coward. Yet, Andrew Roberts shows in this dual biography, each accorded the other an odd respect, and, like wrestlers in a ring, studied his foe's moves intently all the way to their fateful encounter at Waterloo.

Publicly, Bonaparte and Wellington professed to despise each other. "Even in the boldest things he did there was always a measure of ... meanness," said Wellington of the French emperor, adding later, "Bonaparte's whole life, civil, political, and military, was a fraud." Napoleon said that Wellington "has no courage. He acted out of fear. He had one stroke of fortune, and he knows that such fortune never comes twice." Yet the two, writes Roberts, were very much alike: social outsiders who found their greatness in the army, scholars of a sort, who brought scientific rigor to the study of topography and logistics, and men capable of inspiring great heroism in their soldiers.

In the end, Roberts suggests, Wellington won his battle, but Napoleon won the war. This intriguing study shows how, and it affords much insight into the workings of these great rivals' minds. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Mixed Feelings
For a nonspecialist new to Napoleon, the information Andrews collects here is great to have all in one place, but I wish Andrews had omitted the personal judgments he offers. They show signs, especially given the fame of his subjects, of not having spent the time it takes to better understand personalities, human nature, political office, British manners, etc. Did Andrews use one of Philip Guedalla's better-known mots without giving him credit, or is "History repeats itself, historians repeat each other" so popular in British journalist/historians/ circles that it needs no attribution? I read the entire book veering between appreciation for the work Andrews did bringing his material together and annoyance at his comments.

Overall Great Book, Should Buy, Appropriate for Seventh-Grade Up
"The similarities between Napoleon and Wellington are, at first sight, extraordinary." Thus starts Andrew Roberts's great biography and comparison of two of the greatest generals of all time. Written by Roberts, a fresh, young historian, this book provides penetrating insight into the lives of Wellington and Napoleon and the events leading up to Waterloo. A great read for anyone interested about history and the Napoleonic wars.

This book is great in its layout. With a comparison timeline in the beginning, pictures in the middle of the book, and chapter titles with their relevant years, it is very easy to read. It also has quotes that show each man's character throughout the book.

The content was typically satisfying, though there were a few instances in which it was very disappointing with minimal information and too much redundancy. For example, the Wellington "is a sepoy general" and the Napoleon "is worth 40,000 men on a battlefield kept on appearing. Overall, though, it gave a stream of information and taught me a lot about the two men.

In my opinion, I personally disagreed with the book's end theme which told about the posthumous war of the reputations of the two men, which was "For, although Wellington won the battle, it is Napoleon's dream that is coming true."

A good addition to anyone's library.

Lots of dirt on two great commanders
Roberts succeeds in writing a readable and engaging comparison of the perceptions each leader possessed toward the other.The history is not a portrait of each commander separately, but rather shows the relationship between the two men in terms of conduct and word.

While the history gives more or less equal time to both commanders, what emerges, at least in my view, is a decidedly surprising and uncommonly jaundiced portrayal of Wellington.For example, Wellington pursued and seduced no less than two of Napoleon's mistresses.He filled his mansion with copious quantities of "Napoleona" -- statues, paintings, memorabilia. Indeed, for a man of Wellington's supposedly Victorian understatement, he talked of his victory over Napoleon incessantly.It is typically understood that Napoleon was an egomaniacal, self-obsessed dictator.What is less well known is that Wellington was much less the reserved, stoic gentleman his reputation would lead one to believe.

I would not consider this history to be essential reading except for buffs of the Napoleonic wars, and it gets a one-point deduction for itssomewhat sordid, "tabloid-ish" quality. Still, I won't doubt the veracity of its content nor is it dry, so pick this one up if the focus is your cup of tea.

Disappointed
From the title of the book I was excited by the prospect of really coming to understand the two great minds on that historic battlefield that has rang down through history with such force. But to be blunt...I was disappointed.

Let me preface my comments by saying that I have a Napoleonic interest, but am by no means an aficionado on the subject. Therefore, I found the reading a bit too cumbersome. Perhaps it was due to my lack of depth of knowledge on the subject, but I truly feel it was due to the writing style, which never really flowed to me. If I have a more academic grasp of the subject matter or was more used to scholarly writing, I may have enjoyed it more...but I doubt it.

I never really got the sense that Roberts was telling me (the novice) a story but was rather dealing with quips and quotes and piecing them together in an attempt to form the narrative. The best thing of having read this book was that it spurred me to purchase a few other books on Napoleon himself which allowed me to develop an deep interst in the man.

Surprisingly Compelling
This book was a surprise for me. I picked it up at the library, intending to just read a couple of pages. The next thing I knew, I was 82 pages into the book. It's written well and avoids some of the dryness of other books about these 2 men. Rather than recounting the battles fought by these notorious commanders, the book focuses on the relationship between the two men that led up to the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. It does assume that you have some historical background and that you know the basics of what happened at Waterloo and the subsequent exile of Napoleon. The angle of this book is different and refreshingly alive. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (9)

Huge Disappointment
This book, which could have been so beautiful, is a huge disappointment. It reads almost like a list rather than anything engrossing and lacks any feel for or sense of the real people behind the names. The description of Grand Duke Serge Alexandrovich, for example, is a huge generalization based on rumour and hearsay. This book is nothing like Charlotte Zeepvat's wonderful "Romanov Autumn" which goes deeply into the characters and personalities of the people she describes. Reading this I felt as though Mr. Van der Kiste was merely churning out a book about people for whom he had no respect or with whom he had no empathy at all.

Most Beautiful Princess

For those interested in learning about lesser known Romanovs
This novel focuses mainly on Tsar Alexander II, his children, and grandchildren. It also follows the lives of the children from Alexander II's second family with Catherine Dolgoruky. The novel reveals just how many colorful characters the were in the Romanov family besides Nicholas and Alexandra. In my opinion the book really doesn't go into as much depth when it comes to the section on Nicholas II than the ones on his father or grandfather and the last 2 chapters that are supposed to be for Nicholas seem to deal more with his uncle Paul Alexandrovich than with the emperor himself. That aspect of the book is actually kind of refreshing considering the deluge of information on Nicholas II, and by writing less about him may have the author's aim. The section on Alexander III, Nicholas' father, was very revealing seeing as how not much is written about him. The information on Alexander II's youngest child Catherine, by his second wife, was also equally revealing especially her life after the revolution. The book also throws in political information with the personal to create the prevailing moods of the different time periods.

Good study of a (deservedly) doomed family
Van der Kiste is a prolific author on the subject of modern British and Continental royalty, and this is one of his better efforts. While the Romanovs had ruled imperial Russia since 1613, the male line died out in the mid-18th century. The succeeding Holstein-Gottorp dynasty (a branch of the Oldenburgs), in the person of Peter III, took the Romanov name and produced five more tsars before the Russian monarchy came to an end in 1918. Tsar Paul was idealistic and generous but also vindictive and paranoid, and ultimately was assassinated. Alexander I, a complex and contradictory figure with mystical leanings, was also the most powerful ruler on the Continent after the fall of Napoleon. Nicholas I was a repressive autocrat of limited intellectual ability and was succeeded by Alexander II, a despotic but soft-hearted reactionary, nevertheless emancipated Russia's serfs. He, too, was assassinated, which led his son, Alexander III, to tighten his control of the Russian state. And his son, Nicholas II, was totally incapable of meeting the demands of the job in an age of world war mixed with long-simmering revolution. Moreover, all the tsars in this period married German princesses, which did nothing to endear the ruling family to the Russian people during the Great War. The author does a good job of tracing the psychological threads and social and political environments that formed this disastrous family.

Interesting history of the Romanov family
Mr. Van Der Kiste has once again given the reader a history of a royal family that presents the members as real people and not just historical personages.He also mentions collateral members of the family, not just the czars.Many photos enhance the text.A very enjoyable read.

Good, but also read ...
This book on the Romanovs is a good description of the Romanov dynasty in its last century, concentrating primarily on the lives of Tsar Alexander II and his descendants.It does a good job covering the political and military events of the time, but is quite sketchy on the personal lives and characters of the last three Tsars and their relatives.This is a good book to have along with Charlotte Zeepvat's"Romanov Autumn", which covers the same time period but with a more personal slant. ... Read more

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Since the Civil War more than 39 million men and women have answered the call to serve. Of those, 3,440 served with such uncommon valor and and extraordinary courage that they were presented with the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award. Each of their heroic actionsis as unique as the person who performed it, and here more than one hundred of of America's living Medal of Honor recipients are honored and their bravery recounted by best-selling author Peter Collier and presented in duotone portraits by award-winning photographer Nick Del Calzo. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (45)

Real life heroes
This was the only place I could find this out-of-print book.Not just a recreation of CMH citations, but an insider's look at the personal history of these great Americans.

Daddy, What is the Medal of Honor?
This was purchased for my Husband for his birthday.My 8 year old son asked, what is the Medal of Honor?And so the dialogue continues, with the most magnificent companion book that you could ask for.I recommend this book to all parents, but perhaps I am going out on a limb here, I recommend this to all Dad's who want to teach their kids about the meaning of bravery and honor.You won't regret it and they will never forget.Lest we forget.

Great book that Honor's some of our Nation's Heros
Great Book!Wonderful insight into the lives of some of our bravest fighting men

SNAKE
EVERY PRIOR SERVICE VETERAN SHOULD GET THIS BOOK AND READ ABOUT THESE TRUE HEROES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BOOK ARRIVED BEFORE DUE DATES

inspirational
A great book to have.Each heroic story summorized with photos on two pages each.You can read for hours or for minutes at a time either way you are impressed with the courage these brave men had. ... Read more

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"Captain, this thing must be stopped. I say it must be stopped, even if we have to resort to summary measures. We must find out who the ringleaders are, and make an example of them." ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

The rise and fall of a family of Viennese Jews and the Hapsburg legacy
The author George Clare was born Georg Klaar -- his name was Anglicized after he joined the British Army in 1943, having fled Vienna as a teenager in 1938.LAST WALTZ IN VIENNA is both a personal memoir of growing up in and then fleeing Vienna and an account of his Jewish family's settlement, assimilation, and rise to social semi-respectability in Vienna over the course of several generations, before the abrupt volte-face of the Thirties. By the end of WWII, there were no Klaars left to waltz in Vienna.

Clare's writing at times is too cliched, even florid, and on a few occasions he gives us too much detail about family members who are of only marginal interest to the overall story.But those are the only flaws to this highly worthwhile book.LAST WALTZ IN VIENNA is a superb account of the life of bourgeois, assimilated Jews in Vienna and Austria during the half-century before WWII, and then the gradual but persistent slide of the Viennese/Austrians to the Anschluss and Nazi fiefdom.It also adds considerable background and context to the decision of so many Jews to stay until it was too late, rather than get out while that was possible.

LAST WALTZ IN VIENNA is particularly instructive on the fond frame of mind which almost all Jews from within the bounds of the Hapsburg empire bore towards the Hapsburgs in the century between 1850 and 1950.The author's great-grandfather, Herrmann Klaar, was born in 1816 in the Bukovina -- now part of Russia but then the Hapsburg empire's easternmost province -- but he managed to go to Vienna for education as a doctor.The author's maternal grandfather was born in Galicia, into a family of Ashkenazy Jews that wore the caftan and were very orthodox, but he became a very successful merchant and also found his way to Vienna.Thus, as Clare writes, his family was "typical of Central European Jewry * * * who, within a short space of time, moved from the narrowness of the East-European ghettos into that wide and glamorous world of West-European culture, absorbed it, became an essential part of it, [and] climbed to new heights during the enlightened nineteenth century."While they experienced some anti-Semitic discrimination, "Austria was also the Austria in which a young Jew could free himself from the shackles which had kept Jewry in bondage for centuries."Even unassimilated orthodox eastern Jews from Galicia and elsewhere within the Hapsburg realm were able to live and follow their religion in a far different atmosphere than those "of the shtetl regions of eastern Poland and Tsarist Russia": "the Jews in the eastern regions of the Austrian empire led a life free from fear of the pogroms unleashed every so often on their unfortunate brethren within the Tsar's power."Clare writes that his own father, who served in the Austrian army in WWI, while "certainly no monarchist," "had the usual nostalgic respect for old Franz-Josef."

Reading LAST WALTZ IN VIENNA reminded me of a recent colloquy in connection with a review of Joseph Roth's "The Radetzky March".To me, LAST WALTZ IN VIENNA is further evidence that for most Jews within the protective and tolerant multicultural ambit of the Hapsburgs, it was almost impossible to regard the Hapsburgs -- even after their political collapse from decadence and decay -- with anything other than fondness and affection, even nostalgia.

A century of a Jewish family until the shoah
This well-written, incisive, and even-handed telling of the author's Klaar family in Austria, 1842-1942, is a fine way to find out about how many Jews entered into the middle classes out of the shetl and worked their way up into the military and civilian ranks. The end of the narrative, when the author becomes a protagonist as he does in the opening pages, really captured my interest much more.

I wish Clare had taken more time with his own gripping story rather than so much focus on his predecessors, but this undoubtably is out of humility and respect for his forebears. I cannot tell if the book was written in German and then translated by the same author or if Clare only wrote the German original and the original publisher (Macmillan in London) anonymously translated it into fluid, forceful, and thoughtful English. Perhaps a minor point given the impact of the climax of the tale he tells of his kindred, but I commend him for the effort he put into his work, in the telling and the style both.

Also recommended: Charles Fenyvesi's account of how he excavated the roots and found the branches still flourishing of his Hungarian Jewish ancestors over the past 300 years, "When the World Was Whole." ... Read more