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Customer Reviews (13)

My first Nigel Tranter
This was my first foray into a Nigel Tranter book and it was a rewarding experience. Overall, this book was entertaining, but for me to fully enjoy it, took some googling. I had to take breaks while I researched the Geography, and the various battles. (Falkirk, Stirling Bridge, Loudoun Hill, and others.) While this slowed down my reading, seeing actual pictures of the terrain and artist depictions of the battles, enhanced my enjoyment greatly. I am guessing that a huge portion of Tranter's readers live in Scotland and will readily know the geography, and have a passing familiarity with the history of the Wars of Scottish Independence. If, like me, this is all new to you, a little extra work might be required.

The depiction of the Battle of Stirling Bridge in particular was fascinating. I had not realized that the William Wallace of Mel Gibson's "Braveheart" had met the English in the "Battle of Stirling," leaving the Bridge for some future film maker to exploit. The Battle of Stirling Bridge was far more interesting than was the Battle of Stirling as portrayed in the film, but since the movie was filmed in Ireland and Stirling Bridge was located in Scotland, some improvisation was neccessarily required.

Like most heros', Wallace began with one agenda and this grew into another. His original motive, revenge for his father's death, led him to become the leading warrier in the land, and he never lost a battle until he forgot what his especial military skills consisted of. (Taking on superior numbers by enlisting the land, winning the battle, and moving on quickly without a thought to occupation.) His single failure took place at Falkirk, when he chose to engage King Edward of England in a pitched battle against far superior, better equiped, and better trained soldiers. Edward "Longshanks" came off as a ruthless, invincinable fighting machine. No matter what you threw at him, his 100,000+ man army kept lumbering toward you slowly, surely, feeling its way, avoiding every trap and trick. For the first time in his fighting career, nothing was working for Wallace, and Tranter leaves you with one of those hollow feelings in your stomach, as you start to see the inevitable.

All of the moving parts of Scotland's history were incorporated; the politics, the church, the tension between and among King Edward of England, France, the Lowlanders, the Highlander Clan Chiefs, the Lords, The Bruces, the Comyns, and the common everyday people.I have only made one trip to Scotland and in hindsight, was amazed at how much of Will Wallace country I had traversed. This story ranges from Carlisle to Ayr, from Carrick Castle to Lothian, from the Ettrick Forest to Loch Lomand, and of course from Stirling Castle to Perth and beyond.

At the end of the day, I felt that I finally understood the man, William Wallace, but more importantly, that my understanding of 13th Century Scottish history had grown immeasurably.

Other Books
This is historical fiction, but not really of the romantic sort.Tranter here has produced a fictionalised account of the life of William Wallace, and the political and military happenings and accomplishments of his time.

He is a remarkable character, pretty much forcing The Bruce into an alliance by strength of character, at least here.

Reasonably scathing of the usual layabout nobility, in general.

wallace
The best biography of Scotland's greatest hero thats cramed with all the details, characters and facts to satisfy any historian and yet it reads like a page-turning best selling thriller! Nigel Trantor is (was) Scotland's national treasure.I also recommend reading his work, "The Bruce".

Better than Braveheart
Mr. Tranter is an amazing author.I enjoyed Braveheart for its tale although I know that it is very historically inaccurate. Not to mention I did not like the portrayal of Robert the Bruce.The Wallace is Braveheart times 100.This book follows William Wallace's life from his humble beginnings, to rebel and champion of the commons.It peaks with his knighting by Bruce and appointment as Guardian of all of Scotland.Then is follows to his Ambassadorship to France and finally with his betrayal and tragic execution by the English.Reading this book, I felt I was on the battlefields with Wallace.I felt his frustration and his pain.I shared his joy in victory.This is a wonderful read.This book also compliments Nigel Tranter's Bruce Trilogy and gives us a view of the same Scotland at the same time from another point of view.Get it and read it.

A compelling ‚moving account, albeit in novel form.
If you were moved by 'Braveheart' - you'll enjoy this book.It is rumoured that some of Mel Gibson's scenes - on film, were elaborations of Tranter's imagery (Gibson probably culled ideas from a number of such sources).

The movie image of Wallace made him seem rather 'clean' - resorting to violence only insofar as it furthered the cause of independence, never as a wanton act of blood-lust. Some historians question that. Again, despite the bad image heaped upon the English (certainly deserving of it, in the historical context, especially Edward 'Longshanks'),there are those who argue that the Scottish nobility (basically Anglo-Scottish) oppressed the Scots, without anyone else's help. This ambivalence was evident in the movie, and it is still there in the book (viz. the 'wavering' Bruce).

As always, there are quibbles about historical details and facts. But when all is said and done, the basic story of William Wallace - or rather - 'The Wallace' as he is known in Scotland, is one of heroic struggle for independence. It is good to read Tranter's imaginative reconstruction of events, which evidently required historical research. Like the movie, reading this book made me feel something for 'The Wallace' - for the Scottish people, their suffering, their courage - and their pride. This story is moving, because it exemplies the polarity of human nature. On the one hand, the urge to subjugate and conquer, on the other, the equally strong urge to shake off the shackles of oppression. The latter represents the nobler side of human nature - and in the present world climate, the tale of William Wallace and his struggle remind us of what is at stake. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (33)

Truth is better than fiction
When reading a biography of a historical figure, the first thing I look for is exhaustive research.This book certainly passes that test.The items uncovered by MacKay were stunning to me.The writing style is only mildly interesting, but the subject matter is allowed to speak for itself.When dealing with a figure as revered as Wallace is, hyperbole tends to be the default position of the biographer.MacKay adroitly avoids this literary minefiled and keeps the prose mostly neutral.

The first few chapters of the book deal mostly with historical setup and birthdate and place controversies, so they are dry.Get through the first 65 pages or so and you will be rewarded with an amazing story that sheds light on just how incredible Wallace's life was.From stories of his first run-ins with the English army in his teens to his relationship with Robert The Bruce to his tactical brilliance, this book covers it all.

Whether you saw the movie or not, anyone who likes a good biography will enjoy this book.

A great Scottish hero--but there are better books about him
First, MacKay is a historian who has to know thatBraveheart was Robert the Bruce, NOT William Wallace. Mel Gibson stole the name because it sounded good but there is no excuse for continuing this theft. The only reason for using it, since the had to be MacKay was well aware of the inaccuracy, was to play on the popularity of the movie. Ok, maybe understandable but for anyone who's looking for any accuracy in a historical work it was a bad sign and I should have taken notice.

James MacKay places Wallace's birth in Ayrshire even though the Wallace family were vassals of the Stewarts who never had land there so Wallace couldn't possibly have been born there.

He misplaces a large number of locations, Corsbie for example, but numerous others as well.

MacKay walks a rather funny line, accepting some of Blind Harry's more improbably stories and yet dismissing or doubting Harry's stories at others. One top of all this it is not a particularly readable book. I don't know anyone (no matter how finicky about historical accuracy as I am) who wants to read about how difficult research of the period is. He's right. It is. But I didn't want to hear about it.

There are several excellent books about Wallace and I recommend one of them instead of this one. For a better and more readable look at Wallace I would suggest For Freedom: The Last Days of William Wallace and On the Trail of Willaim Wallace by David R. Ross for non-fiction or Nigel Tranter's The Wallace for fiction.

A very good and throrough book
This book was very helpful when I was researching William Wallace for a book I was writing. I found it accurate and well written if not slightly exhaustive in parts. But over all, it is a very good book and I would suggest it to anyone who in interested in William Wallace or likes well written histories.

Ubermonkey says thumbs ....
THE GOOD:The book is interesting but largely because of the target and not so much due to the execution of relaying the story about said target.This was my first step into the life of William Wallace and will admit that I enjoyed it, somewhat.

THE BAD:I felt like the book could have been laid out a little better.Through much of first part, it seemed like there was a lot of back filling about things other than Wallace.I understand the author needs to create the world in which Wallace was born, but to do so at the expense of leaving the subject of your book out I think is a mistake.I wanted more Wallace in these early chapters and while he wasn't totally absent, I think he could have been more present.

THE UGLY:Not being an expert on WW, I wonder at the inaccuracies within this book regarding his life.I know the main source comes from Harry's story but there are parts in the book where the author even casts doubts on the validity of Harry's writing.There were also parts where it was explained, with surprising detail, how WW had combatted numerous English foes by himself in an almost superhuman like way.Maybe it's true, maybe it's not...I don't know.But I did find myself wondering what was accurate adn what was not.

Ubermonkey says that there are probably better books one can buy regarding the outstanding life of William Wallace.

best possible work with little availiable sources
I have read many reviews, and as a medieval history student people need to realize when writing about the middle ages many sources are not original. This is a great book, that argues from many points of where Wallace may have lived. They are guesses, but based on the best availiable sources. Also writersd need to take into consideration where the accounts came from, and how they were altered in such a way. Of course accounts from an english lord wont be in favor of wallace. What i did liek about the book, is how it is left out about the battle at york, which in the movie got peope excited. #1 sieges almost never worked for opposing armies, also if an opposing army did break through walls were lines with archers and it was rare that anyone would take the castle. #2 It was a small rebel army, nit a trained military, and at this point the whole english army would have been sent north for protection, so i highly doubt wallace would have sacked york, the movie is incorrect as usual. As for the book, the author does the best he can with what is given to him. ... Read more

Product Description
By no means prepared by birth, education or training for leadership, Wallace nevertheless rose to prominence during the Wars of Independence, leading forces which broke the sequence of English victories and re-energising and inspiring his countrymen in the process. While others, ostensibly his betters, yielded and collaborated, Wallace set an example of constancy and perseverance and became the Guardian of Scotland. Even his terrible death in London in 1305 can be seen as a victory as it provided inspiration for the continuance of the struggle against English domination. Despite Wallace's almost mythical status - boosted in no small part by the film Braveheart - present-day perceptions of him are no always based on the objective analysis of the historical facts. In this revised and expanded biography, Andrew Fisher investigates all the aspects of Wallace's life and character, treating him as a man of his time. The result is a more authentic picture of the greatest of Scotland's heroes than has been previously available. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

William Wallace
A fine collection of pretty much everything known about the historical Sir William Wallace, organized like a biography.I would recommend this book for someone who, like me, loves to read about and research the history of their Scottish ancestors, or who is seeking to read about the real man behind 'Braveheart'.

William Wallace (Andrew Fisher)
The one book (through Fisher) that sifts through the myths and facts about this Scottish hero.

As a student of Scottish history, I would reccomend this well written book to any serious follower of Scottish history.

William Wallace
This goes good with the other book that I have on him William Wallace: Guardiian of Scotland.
very helpful and interesting.

A Candid Look at a Legend of a Man
This book was a laborious read, as most works of history are. But the information didn't come as a bombardment, it came in morsels amidst a story that the reader wants to know. It is widely believed this is the definitive depiction of Wallace, and it is clear why, it is not solely about the man himself, but about the political climate and the players and the men in power around him.

One will come away with eyes opened, and will understand the enigma that is William Wallace a little better. It is a book without a life of it's own, but it does a great justice to Wallace's.

Over my head...
With someone with little background in medieval history this book was well over my head.It felt as if the author assumed the reader to have a basic background on the subject.I do not and was hoping to build one with this book.Obviously I was wrong. ... Read more

Product Description
William Wallace of Elderslie, younger son of a country knight, came to fame through his active opposition to the aggressive imperialism of England's King Edward I. From political and social obscurity he seized control of the reins of government and became the first leader of his people in a war of liberation against a far larger and richer enemy - England - that would last for more than sixty years. With little or no experience in the business of government or of war, William Wallace was able to achieve command, but proved unable to retain it in the face of battlefield defeat. Historians have seen Wallace as a man of the common people, a man who built an army from the patriotic masses when the Scottish nobility sided with the English. In fact, Wallace was a member of the nobility himself and his army little removed from the ordinary military conventions of the day. Chris Brown cuts through the myths still perpetuated today to produce the first biography of Wallace driven by contemporary medieval records rather than Victorian legends. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A pick for any interested in Scottish history and culture
WILLIAM WALLACE: THE TRUE STORY OF BRAVEHEART is a pick for any interested in Scottish history and culture, who should consider it of ongoing interest, offering a new biography based on new research of medieval records. Wallace came to fame through his active opposition to English imperialism: a fight he was willing to die for. He achieved command but was unable to retain it in battle: with little experience in government or war he nonetheless made a name for himself in both areas. Lesser known is the fact that he was a member of the nobility himself: researcher Brown offers new insights on William Wallace's experiences and dispels many myths.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch
... Read more

Product Description
Spanning seven centuries of Scottish history, On the Trail of William Wallace gives a refreshing insight into the life and heritage of the great Scots hero whose proud story is at the very heart of what it means to be Scottish. Not concentrating simply on the hard historical facts of Wallace’s life, the book also takes into account the real significance of Wallace and his effect on the ordinary Scot through the ages, manifested in the many sites where his memory is marked. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A very good book
David R. Ross is probably one of my favorite historical writers. He is clear and understandable and writes in an interesting and entertaining way that keeps you hooked. This is a good book for if you want to travel in Scotland and see the sights and also for anyone with an interest in William Wallace. I found it helpful for my research and would recommend it with high regards.

Great book
I think this ia a great book for those who want to learn a quick history of William wallace, as well as a guid to memorials in Scotland.For those who are planning a trip to Scotland, and also are intrested in the story of William Wallace I recomend this book.I also recomend trying to find it at a local bookstor instead because I bought mine for $14.99 brand new.

On the trail of william Wallace
I ordered this book from Amazon,the book started out a bit slow but I was soon to find myself not being able to put it down.I think anyone who reads it will find what a well put together book this is,a must read!

A Great Travel Guide for Braveheart Fans
I picked this book up in a book store in Scotland.I am a big fan of Braveheart and the William Wallace Story.This part guide book part travel essay is a great way to read about and follow the history of Wallace.Fansof William Wallace should also check out a website this author isassociated with.Its something like "mcbraveheart.com"Again,if you are planning to visit scotland and love Braveheart, get this littleenjoyable book.You will be glad you did. ... Read more

Product Description
With an engaging text by renowned Michelangelo scholar William E. Wallace, Michelangelo: The Complete Sculpture, Painting, Architecture brings together in one exquisite volume the powerful sculptures, the awe-inspiring paintings, and the classical architectural works of one of the greatest artists of all time. Including everything from his sculptures Pietàs and David to his beautiful paintings of the Sistine Chapel and the Doni Tondo, the book provides an opportunity to view Michelangelo’s work as never before, and to more fully understand the artist who, through his work, spoke of his life and times. The frescoes are specially printed on onion skin paper to recreate the actual appearance of light reflecting off of the plaster walls. The stunning black-and-white photography of the sculptures is printed in four colors to bring out the rich details of the marble. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

fantastic
My husband really enjoyed this item for his birthday.The pictures are vibrant and clear in color as if you were standing in front it at the museum.

Worth every cent
If your a fan of the work of Michelango buy this. Your money will be very well spent.

WOW
WOW, this book is amazing, I just recieved it and let me say that again WOW!!!!!!!!Full color plates and details of all his work.There were other reviews saying that this book was impossible to find however rfw1926, an amazon authorized dealer sold this book to me.He shipped it immediatly as well as informed me of reciept of the order.

By Dumb Luck...
This is a magnificent book about Michelangelo Buonarotti. As one reviewer said Mr. Wallace's text is a bit sparse, but afterall: it is an art book! It's my opinion that a book about an art/artists should contain more pictures than text, unless it is SPECIFICALLY a biography or the history of a certain work, era, etc. But I digress...!
I especially like the photos of the restored Cistine Chapel ceiling. Cleared from the 'fog' of dirt, dust, etc., one can see Michelangelo's incredible skill as a painter. The sculpture section is wonderful too, of course! I don't know what else to say.
For those who can't find this book: Before this week, I didn't even know it existed. I found it in the bargain section of BORDERS (I don't think Amazon will mind, as they're 'teamed' with Borders!). Check them out, as I got it for 1/5th the published price. I decided to treat myself to an early Christmas present and am glad I did! If you see it, buy it -When I returned the next day all copies were gone. I am very happy with this book and recommend it highly!

Beautiful book, and I know where to buy it!
I was discouraged to read such amazing reviews of the book, but to also hear of the difficulties in getting it.I found it at the Metropolitan Museum Online Store for $35, and it is perhaps the most beautiful, well-done art book I've ever seen.The reproductions are gorgeous, and the commentary is excellent.You won't do better with anything else, especially if you want a single volume overview of all of his works. ... Read more

Product Description
The death of the last of the Scottish royal house of Canmore in 1290 triggered a succession crisis. Attempts to undermine Scottish independence by King Edward I of England sparked open rebellion culminating in an English defeat at the hands of William Wallace at Stirling Bridge in 1297. Edward gathered an army, marched north and at Falkirk on 22 July 1298 he brought Wallace’s army to battle. Amid accusations of treachery, Wallace’s spearmen were slaughtered by Edward’s longbowmen, then charged by the English cavalry and almost annihilated. In 1305 Wallace was captured and executed, but the flame of rebellion he had ignited could not be extinguished. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Excellent Osprey Book
This reader is a big Osprey Publishing fan.I've rarely ran into a bad Osprey title and they go out of their way to give a reader quite a bit of information for the size of the book.So, bottom line up front, this book is worth it.

This book is hardly 100 pages.In the book is a chronology of events from 1286 to 1307.What surprised me was the relative short time the English ruled Scotland over that time period.It was mostly Edward's campaign aided by a few corrupt Scottish lords.Then this book has a good index.So, one can use it for some basic research.What is surprising is the author has quite a few primary resources.Next, there are lots of maps of both Scottland and then a side drawing with reliefs of the battle areas.There are two of these maps of Sterling Bridge and only one of Falkirk.Honestly, you need two maps to see what is going on at Sterling.Basically, the English get stupid and divide their forces in front of the enemy.In 90% of all military operations that leads to disaster.To explain the rather strange behavior of the English Army two maps are needed.Falkirk is a straight forward battle which is merely a flanking movement.Only one map is needed for that.

I did enjoy the history of the book.O.K.Most of us have seen "Braveheart" and we want to learn the truth of William Wallace.The truth of the matter is William Wallaces wife is murdered by an English Official.Wallace murders the official in return.Wallace and a good ally, Murray organize a rebellion in the country.

The author shows the reader lots of pictures of present Sterling bridge, which is long since passed.The many pictures gives a reader a good feel for the countryside.Also, if one ever wants to do a trip to Scotland, you will sort of know the area.

Wallace wins the battle but Murray dies.At this time the English under Edwards leadership does decide to more against the Scotts in a much more organized fashion.The strange thing to note are the logistics problems of Edward.Had Wallace been a little more offensive minded he could have cut off the English supplies and starvation would have ruined Edward's army.As it happens, Wallace's position is betrayed by fellow Scotts.Edward has excellent tactics against the Scotts at Falkirk.Edward uses two things against the Scotts.The Heavy horse crushes the west (left facing the English) flank of the Scottish Schiltrons.Archers and stone throwers (not known if they are slingers) smash holes in the ranks of the Schiltrons.Then the English infantry and cavarly envelope the Schiltrons.The Scottish Schiltrons in operation sound quite a bit like a 300 AD era Greek Phalinx and work as well when flanked.

After Falkirk Wallace flees the battle area and becomes a fugitive in his own nation.The book describes Edwards conquest of the rest of Scotland.It is done with both a carrot and a stick.About half of the area is taken by force of little more than an armed bridade of 1000 men.The rest of the area agrees to terms and Edward is more than happy to give liberal surrender terms.

Eventually Wallace is betrayed by fellow Scotts, given over to the English captors, and his execution does somewhat follow what the movie shows.

But the book does a great job of illustrating how the soldiers looked in the lavish pictures that can be found in the book.Instead of looking like "neo-Roman-era" Pict warriors, the Scottish warriors wore uniforms that were yellow and colorful.

The map surprised me on the small size on the Scottish battle area.Now, during the American Civil War there was hundreds of miles between some of the battles.The battles of Falkirk and Sterlings are not even 15 miles apart.

I endorse this book.Now, why not a five star?Well, this book is a tad expensive and the feeling should be that one should get more for their money.Next, I do wish some scale had been given to the three "3-D" views of the battle areas.I suspect they were hardly 1.5 kilometers in size but the book does not say.Next, the author uses modern military symbols to show the army groups.Well, 6,000 foot soldier isn't an Army group.At best it's a Brigade or a Division (-).So, those two items cost it a star.

But the book is well worth it.I guess the most sad thing to find out is the somewhat acidic soil and wet weather has destroyed all physical evidence of the battles.

pamphlet style book with lots of artwork
My preconceived notions about this conflict I picked up from the movie,"Braveheart",have to be somewhat revised after reading this book.Mainly the equipment aspect,seeing that William Wallace would have probably worn a full suit of the latest European style armor imported from the "land of the Franks".The tartans he wears in Braveheart give Mel more the folksy hero look I'll admit,but in actual combat who's looking to be a "folkhero".Wallaces' army from my read of this pamphlet style book,was alot more organized and while there were some"Bezerkers" in his ranks alot more of them would have been equipped European style aping their French sympathies.Rather than a bunch of outraged natives defending their turf,Wallace's army appears organized and capable of pulling off a well executed trap and getting there"firstist with the mostest",beforwe the English could fully deploy their forces.Excellent maps and overhead views.Great artwork as always with Wallace in full armor rather than bluish and kilted.
King Edward the First was tied up in continental politics at the time of Stirling Bridge and so the English command at the battle was left to a subordinate,who bungled the affair.In the second part of this Osprey book,the Battle of Falkirk,Edward(Longshanks)the First was present and what a difference as the Scots were defeated.This makes the 4th book on the Scottish/English wars I've read in the Osprey series and there are even a few more I haven't yet read.I'd hoped to see and understand the origin of this conflict but I've concluded it's probably prehistoric when pre-Picts said they were tired of being bossed by ancestors of McRiley's,(something like that)!

Wallace's Great Battles
This Osprey title examines two of William Wallace's most climatic battles, both of which are portrayed (entertainingly but inaccurately) in the movie Braveheart.It does service to the most heroic battles in the history, and indeed the mythology, of Scotland.

Of the several campaign titles I have read, I found this one to be the most interesting and appealingly presented.In the usual format it begins by summarizing the events that led to Stirling Bridge-starting with the scandalous yet accidental demise of King Alexander III of Scotland in 1286, and the subsequent efforts by Edward I ('Longshanks') of England to subdue the Scots. It then gives a summarized chronology, and then goes on to profile the commanders on both sides, including the ruthless King Edward, the mediocre John de Warenne, the obese and oppressive Hugh Cressingham, and the infamous William Wallace and his compatriot Andrew de Moray (who is, like many of these people, completely left out in Braveheart).

The armies are next detailed.They were surprisingly similar in composition-and the Scots were mail clad halberdiers and pikemen, rather than painted warriors wearing kilts and not much else (the three plates by Angus McBride excellently illustrate the soldiery of both sides-and makes Wallace into the knight he was likely armed as).The events leading up to the battles, and the battles themselves are discussed in clear detail, and the history of Scotland 1298-1314 is summed up as a conclusion.

Altogether, it is an excellent source on these two great battles in Scottish history, and the brilliant (and indeed freedom-loving and arrogant) warlord who led them.

Solid history, attractively presented
The Osprey Campaign account of the two major battles of William Wallace's rebellion has a solid, authoritative feel to it.Pete Armstrong's text is not particularly elegant and would have benefited from stricter editing, but he more than makes up for this with a thorough knowledge of his subject and an infectious enthusiasm for it.

It makes sense to combine these two battles in one volume because, together with a description of the background and linking events, they constitute an account of Wallace's entire campaign.Little is known about the man himself, so justice can be done to him in a relatively short book like this.

The maps, 2D and 3D, are informative and attractive.The illustrations of battle scenes are excellent, giving a real sense of how things must have looked, minus the mud and blood and guts, of course.The various sketches of seals and coats of arms will be rather too much for most general readers, but those depicting arms and armor should be of interest to everyone.

The Wallace episode is an important and absorbing one in the ancient conflict between English and Scot, rivals as only neighbors can be.It has accreted plenty of mythic elements also, which books like this may help to dispel.

Read this book instead of watching "Braveheart"!
I know that many people like the Hollywood movie "Braveheart" with Mel Gibson, and have "learnt history" from that inacurrate, fantasy film. But if you want the real story about William Wallace's war against Edward II, take your time and read this superb, new volume from Osprey, written by the respected historian David Nicolle. Here we're introduced to Wallace the armoured knight, leading his disciplined mailclad scottish pikemen, not the longhaired and kilt-dressed savage in head of his pictish hordes as inacurratly portrayed by Hollywood. Perhaps equally important for the victory at Stirling bridge was also Andrew Murray. So enjoy this fascinating peice of history, and laugh next time you watch "Braveheart"! ... Read more

Product Description
The thrilling story of how Sir William Wallace, a Scottish patriot and national hero, leads his army against the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is the first to fully examine Wallace's life both the contemporary sources that are available and the way the many strands of the myth have been constructed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not a Classic, But a Positive Step Forward
First of all, Graeme Morton's book is NOT a biography. If you're seeking a biography, there are several on the market, although I wouldn't credit any of them particularly highly.

Instead of taking the usual biographical road "William Wallace: Man and Myth" chooses to bring a vital truth to light - a biography of the actual William Wallace, as he appears in chronicles and sources contemporary to his time, would fill all of three pages. Any book purporting to be a biography of the enigmatic Scot is actually a collection of "Wallaciana" - compendeum of 700 years of reconstruction and downright fictionalisation. The truth is very simple: Wallace has become a myth almost as potent (and controversial) as Arthur, and it is this Wallace, the man made out of myth, that Graeme Morton's book sets about deconstructing.

He provides a sequence of chapters comparing the Wallace myth with a)the actual sources b)subsequent literary and cinematic adaptations (like Blind Harry's 15th century epic "Wallace" and its glory-child of the 1990's "Braveheart") c)localised/national legends of Wallace. He follows up with an analysis of why and how an obscure medieval rebel leader has become a national (and international) symbol of identity and independence, including an interesting examination of the connection between Wallace and the ex-pat Scots communities of North America.

Overall, a tolerably written study, although it lacks some relevant scholarship and, like its recent counterparts, is born out of popular Wallace history rather than academic texts. Certainly worth it for those interested in the connection between the real Wallace and the Wallace we now know. ... Read more

Product Description
A biography of Sir William Wallace, one of the greatest heroes in the story of Scotland's battle for freedom from England, and remembered today as the architect of Scottish independence. This book is also an attempt to offer an insight into the mind of a modern day freedom fighter. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Poorly written, poorly researched.Don't waste your time or money.
This is almost certainly the worst-written history I have ever read, if it can even be called a history.D.J. Gray seems to have read a few well-regarded histories of Scotland and of Wallace, pared them down to 152 pages, and then paraphrased them.Poorly.It is rare that I come across at least one sentence per page that makes me cringe with its awkwardness, and it is rare that the thought persists so in my mind: I could write better than this guy.I know this may come across as hyperbole, but it is not.This book truly has the writing quality of a college essay.

Not only is the prose amateurish, but the flow of the story is atrocious.Frequently, the author inserts anecdotes with no context, failing to explain their relevance to the surrounding text.The author's analysis of the earliest historical sources on William Wallace is poorly explained, leaving the reader with little understanding of the contradictions that exist among those sources, or of the author's process of reconciling them.

Perhaps most glaringly, Gray fails to provide original insights or analysis of his own.Entire sections are merely paraphrased from other, more accomplished historians, as is immediately obvious from a glance at the "References" section.

As a work of prose, this book is appalling.As a work of history, it is a joke.Readers would be better served by purchasing one of the few books on which Gray relies almost exclusively for his knowledge, such as The Scottish War of Independence, by Evan Macleod Barron; William Wallace, Guardian of Scotland, by James Fergusson; or Sir William Wallace, by A.F. Murison.These are the giants on whose shoulders D.J. Gray stood to produce his book.

Well researched, but poorly written
This is in places an engaging read, as Gray's passion for his subject is evident everywhere.But what makes it engaging in some places makes it amateurish in others, because Gray's biases too often color his historical objectivity.He often openly ignores documented fact--or the lack thereof--in order to speculate on the emotions and thought processes not only of Wallace, but also of Robert the Bruce, Edward I, and many other figures key to the war for Scottish independence.He also relies heavily on folkloric sources like the Wallace-idolizing Harry the Blind, who Gray admits is biased but to whom Gray refers more than any other source.The book's organization leaves much to be desired, too; it reads more like a masters thesis than a carefully vetted work of professional scholarship.A good effort if Gray was indeed a grad student when he wrote this, but mostly, this book just makes me want to track down a more reliable source.Perhaps I made a mistake by reading this after Ronald McNair Scott's masterful treatment of Robert the Bruce.

An excellent work on William Wallace
Naturally with Braveheart ( and all its errors!! ) people with curiosity about one of Scotland's greatest Heroes have questions. This book goes a long way to presenting fact from fiction. Gray's work is easy to read, well balanced account of Scotland and Wallace.
Gray starts with the background and clime of Scotland before Wallace came into play. Gives you chapters on Edward Longshanks moving through Balliol being raised to King by Edward's Great Cause, and sets the stage for the rising of Wallace. He work is well thought out, just not another repeating of tales, balancing previous details put forward about Wallace with whether they were truth or not.

And excellent work for anyone wishing to learn more about Wallace.

Nicely told
a nicely written synopsis that can be read on vacation and enjoyed for hitting the high points and amusingly trailing off into interesting theories and ideas.

Brief in scope but informative enough to satisfy your curiosity about this fascinating subject.

A very nice read.

Wallace-an unbalanced view
An entertaining read but more opinion than fact based.Plenty of references but even more conjecture and supposition.Was Wallace so virtuous and Edward so evil? I don't think so.A book written to support the author's point of view with very little objectivity.The writing style is at times difficult to follow with events being related out of sequence or seemingly unrelated to the points being made...this is hardly a scholarly work.There must be betterbooks on this subject.... ... Read more

Product Description
Evolution has long shaped human behavior.Yet just recently have we learned that evolution based on natural selection is not the continuous process Darwin assumed. It is instead a two-part process of change and stability called punctuated equilibrium, with natural selection operating mainly on the frontiers of change.

Taking account of biology’s latest understanding of evolution, it becomes clear that culture evolves by a similar process. This is important because over the past 30,000 years most human evolution and the behavioral changes that go with it have occurred in our cultures–not in our genes. Knowing the process by which culture evolves clarifies the origin of many of our current problems, both within and between cultures. The author contends that new technology drives cultural evolution much as mutations change our DNA. The problem is that technology is now coming at us so fast that it is inducing "circuit overload" in cultures all over the world, leading to conflict. Techno-Cultural Evolution, which builds on the insights of such bestsellers as Jared Diamond’sGUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL and COLLAPSE, explains how this process works—and what it means for all of us. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Social analysis framework
From the preface onward, I was hooked. The author establishes a thoughtful framework (FROCA) for analyzing cultural evolution. I find it to be an indispensable tool for thinking about the "war on terror", its causes, and potential impacts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

All empiriological scientists should read this.
This book contains an excellent balance of history and philosophy of science. It and Dr. Wolfgang Smith's The QuantumEnigma make an excellent set of resources that every modern empiriological scientist should read in order to understand how to do science within a solid philosophical framework.

Excellent synthesis
Fr Wallace has an wonderful little gem here. Reflecting his experience both as a physicist and a philospher in the tradition of Aquinas and Aristotle, Wallace demonstrates how Aristotelian philosophy of nature, that of form, prime matter, powers, etc. coalesces nicely with the current understanding of modern physics, biology, and chemistry. One need not be a science or philosophy major to follow Wallace; he does a very good job of relating scientific and philosophical concepts in a manner that makes them interesting to the layperson. Highly recommended for anyone interested in how ancient and medieval philosophy coincides with the discoveries of science and modern physics.

The Expert Scientist
William Wallace presents himself and science, philosophy, physics, and astronomy very well in this book.I can only imagine how many years of research it took to find all the information.There are five main sections to the first part of the book.In part 1, the Philosophy of Nature, Wallace explains how power comes from different parts of nature.Those being vegetative, animal, human and physical.Nature itself is in the form but Wallace's main historian in chapter one is Aristoltle.The four causes of every sensible reality are matter, form, agent and end.Nature acts towards an end.In chapter 2, Modeling the inorganic, Wallacefirst tries to describe the difference between an atom and a molecule.We are elements and compounds just like every other thing is on the earth, wether inorganic or organic.All of the elements in the periodic table are composed of the same elementary particles.Cosmology tells us how th universe came to be, which started with a certain protomatter.In chapter 3, Plant and animal structures, Wallace goes on to speak of species:are actula natural kinds thgat result from processes at work in nature and are therefore manifestations of nature itself.All living organisms derive their energy from the sun, and then metabolize, and engage in the essential feature of all living things-homeostasis.Also, there are added powers when organic (living) things come into play.Reproductive power, developmental power, homeostatic power and metabolic control.Animal powers go on to include external senses, internal senses, behavioral response and motor power. Chapter 4, the Modeling of the Mind, tries to emphasize that the use of mental representations is essential to understanding cognitive processes in animals and humans.Knowing has both an objective and subjective character. Aristotle's four internal senses: the central (common sense), the imagination, estiminative sense and memory are all part of the higher human powers.Chapter 5, Human nature, describes the only two faculties that make humans different from animals.The Intelect and the will.Part two of the entire text really is the magnificent part-years of research, organizing and selection have seemingly gone into trhe generation of this text.Chapter 6, Defining the philosophy of science, names all the idea makers of science chronologically.Bacon, Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant, Whewell, J.S. Mill, Mach, Pierce, Poincare, Kuhn, Popper, Lakatos, Harvey, Newton etc.Chapters 8, 9, and 10 go deeper into proving the earth is round, how ellipses are formed, motion parallax and many other astonomical measures.Wallace truly proves that he is a philosopher of science-debating, cutting up, agreeing with the many different thinkers our time has allowed.How much longer canthe earth take all of this? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Readable Book of Excellent Research on Pennsylvania Native American History
This is a well researched and excellently presented book on Native American history within what today is Pennsylvania.The Lenni Lenape, which means Real/Original People, were the dominant Indian tribe in Pennsylvania. There were also known as the Delawares.They were found along the Delaware River and were kinship relations with the Monsee Minisink who resided around the Delaware Water Gap.

Readers learn Pennsylvania Indians grew corn 3,000 years ago.They made arrowheads from flint and grew tobacco.Tobacco was used for enjoyment and in ceremonies.

Tribes that existed in what is now the United States were much smaller than those that existed in what is now Mexico and Central America.The larger sized populations achieved greater development of tools and built homes, roads, and irrigation systems.They made cereals and had written communication.

Pennsylvania Indians were considered peaceful amongst themselves, but could be brutal in war with other tribes.

The Susquehannoncks, also known as the Minquas or Andaste, resided along the Susquehanna River.

The Monogehela resided in southwestern Pennsylvania yet were no longer there when white people arrived.

John Smith met with about sixty Susquehannocks in 1608.They wore bear and wolf skins.The Susquehannocks were more advanced in political and military aspects than theDelawares.

The Delawares did not domesticate animals.They got food form hunting, fishing, and growing cereal.Steam sweat lodges were used to cure diseases.Men chopped down trees, built houses, created dams to trap fish, made canoes and weapons, hunted and defended the community in war time.Women raised children and were held in high regard in deciding home affairs.When payments were made to an enemy prevent revenge raiding, women were worth twice more than men.

The Susquehannanocks easily drove the Delawares to the eastern side of the Delaware River in 1633.

Indian warfare generally consisted of a surprise attack, destroy what could be destroyed, take prisoners, and withdraw.Weapons were clubs and spears.Prisoners were often beaten with hatchets and clubs.The tribal women usually determined the life or death fate of prisoners.

The Delaware required that marriage occur outside their community.Each community sent members to a village council.Representatives from this council, known as Captains and sometimes as Kings, would meet with British representatives who referred to those representatives.The British realized these representatives had no authority to make a final agreement to a treaty.Tribal councils, presided by a sachem, were the meetings where decisions were made.

Delaware children were given names at around age six or seven.The name would describe the child's career path.

A boy was initiated into manhood by being left alone several days in the forest.A spiritual vision was to come to the boy.

Parents arranged Delaware marriages for men around age 17 or 18 and girls around age 13 or 14.The children were not obliged to accept their parent's choices.Divorce occurred upon expressing a wish to divorce.

Delaware believed spirits were the main reality and that all things have souls.The spirit remains for 11 days, they believed, after death and then on the 12th days goes to the Creator's home, which is a bright light where all are the same age.The number 12 was sacred, as turtles have 12 marginal back scales.They believe there were 12 levels of Heaven.

The Delaware villages were autonomous to each other.The Iroquois, or Kanosionnis as they referred to themselves, declared a confederation with a strong centralized unity.Women were part of Iroquois councils although only men had positions with titles.

It is believed that 500 to 600 trade ventures were made between New England Indians and white people before 1620.The brisk trade depleted some resources and no beaver were left between the Genesee and Hudson Rivers in 1640.The Iroquois had to find new areas to hunt.The Iroquois raided French traders.The Huron and Susquehannocks made an alliance in 1647.Mohawks failed to block a Huron trading fleet in 1648.The Mohawks and Senecas burned a Huron town in Ontario in 1649.The Iroquois set fire to a Huron village outside St. Louis.The Huron buried their own villages and fled.Some Hurons, known as Wyandot, settled around Detroit and Sandusky and established trade with the French. They established settlements in New Castle, Pa. as well as in Cashocton, Ohio.They would later cede land in between Beaver, Sandusky, and Muskingum Rivers to the Delaware.The Iroquois defeated the Petons in 1649, the Neutrals in 1650, and the Eries in 1654-6.The Susquehannocks drove the Mohawks from Lower Castle.The Mohawks defeated the Susquehannocks in battle in 1660 and a peace was achieved between them in 1673.

The Iroquois and French allied in 1701.The Iroquois declared a neutrality between French and British conflicts and trade with both Conrad Weiser and William Johnson who represented British interests in negotiating agreements with the Iroquois.

The Nanticokes who were skilled in using poison and fostered their witchcraft image, settled at the mouth of the Juniata River and, in 1744, asked for safe passage of more to join them.In 1748, they moved into the Nanticoke Flats in Wyoming, Pennsylvania valley in 1753.In 1753, they moved to become part of the Six Nations Confederacy.

The Tuscarora Iroquois discovered whites were stealing their children and selling them into slavery.A white, John Lawson, was captured by Tuscaroras and killed in 1711.War between the British and Tuscaroras lasted until a Tuscarora fort in North Carolina was destroyed in 1713.Tuscarora refugees were allowed to enter the Five Nations, who then became the Six Nations, to include the Tuscaroras.

The Tutelos were driven by other tribes into Pennsylvania around Shamokin.They became part of the Six Nations in 1753.

The Shawnees moved to along the Susquehanna River in 1697.Shawnee fleeing from Carolina arrived in 1707.There were three Shawnee villages that totaled 210 men along the Allegheny and Kiskiminetas Rivers in 1731.The Shawnee attempted to be peaceful towards the Iroquois, English, and French.Yet, after an Iroquois representative was killed when meeting the Shawnee.The Shawnee fled southward.Chartier led some Shawnee on an attack on some English.Kakowetchikyof the Shawnee sent regrets and blamed the British for starting the fight.In 1745, Chartier's Shawnees allied with the French and attacked some English traders.The Shawnees were driven out by the British.

Six Nation representatives, unfamiliar with European land laws, agreed to sell land to the British without fully understanding to what they were agreeing.It is argued the Indians were not entirely unaware as they had sold land to Minuit in 1638 and to WilliamPenn in 1683 where they realized the sale of land meant their presence on the land had ended.William Penn established land along Brandywine Creek in 1685 for those who sold him land.British settlers later began settling in the Brandywine land.There were also disputes as to whether payments been made.

The Iroquois land was entrusted to New York.William Penn in 1696 obtained a release to New York's claim to Susquehannock land along the Susquehanna River that the Iroquois had taken.

A 1737 purchase of land from the Delawares led to British claims to more land than the Delawares expected.Land marked for Indians was pushed further and further westward in 1763 and then in 1768.The Iroquois ceded more land to Pennsylvania in 1784 and 1785.Pennsylvania then purchased Seneca rights to land in the Erie Triangle when it purchased the land from the Federal government in 1792. Cornplanter, the Seneca chief, was given three tracts of land.

The Delawares fled their last Pennsylvania homes after attacks by U.S. militia in 1778.

The Munsees left Pennsylvania in 1791 to merge with the Senecas in New York.

The real truth in history
"Indians in Pennsylvania" provides a very concise overview of Native American cultures and covers the interaction of the European immigration. This is one of the best presentations of interaction of the "White Man" and the Native North Americans that I have read.

Indians in Pennsylvania
Over, I found the book to be interesting and informative.However, it did not provide much information regarding Indians in western Pennsylvania which was my main interest.

Thorough and accessible historical and cultural overview
I was really pleased with this book, all the more so since it was published in 1970, when attitudes towards Native Americans weren't as they are today in 2005.

The book is not too long, but thorough and well-documented.It's about right for someone who's really busy and just wants a good and thorough overview.

The book explains well the various tribes (including the Delaware, Iriquois, Eries, Susquehannocks, Shawnee, Conoy, Conestoga, Mohawk, Oneida, Tuscarora, and Wyandots), although it's focus is particularly on the Delaware and Iriquois, who were descendant and ascendant at the time.Wallace does a particularly good job explaining the impact of white settlers on the native tribes, particularly in terms of the impact on native economics, which drove local tribes to immediately abandon traditional weapons for guns, which they could only get from the settlers.In order to get guns, the only item the settlers wanted were furs, which were in demand in Europe, particularly beaver.Immediately the local animal populations were devastated, and in order to get more, the Native tribes had to go further and further west.All the tribes realized that their fates were precarious, as they dealt with the English in the East and the French to the North, and the Indian tribes weren't innocent, they worked politics and alliances as well as the English... although perhaps not as well as the French.The Iriquois in particular had a clear vision of what they had to do to survive, and jockeyed to become the middle-men between the other Indian tribes and the settlers.

There's much more than this, including primary source accounts from the 17th and 18th Century, well-balanced descriptions of culture, technology, religion, and ceremonies, maps and illustrations, and the final migration of the Indians out of Pennsylvania, based on a series of land purchases and the "extinguishment of Indian title."And of course much history about the wars and conflicts between tribes and the settlers.

History has been revised (as it has been before and will be before), and this book may have an older point of view that may not be what is conventional wisdom today regarding relations between the settlers and natives.But in some ways this point of view is new to me, and is worth considering.Rather than being entirely stolen, land in pennsylvania was purchased in fairly above-board manners that surprised me.When taken in context of how land had been won and lost between the tribes for centuries before, and how there was a vast uninhabited area in Western Pennsylvania due to the disappearnce of the Monongahelia tribe (due to plague or conquest is unknown), it puts things in a new perspective.That doesn't lessen by any means other tragic events (such as the forced relocation through the Trail of Tears, etc.) and what conventional wisdom says are hundreds of other broken treaties, but it is a different perspective.

I'd recommend this book for people with an interest in local history, and students in high school and perhaps junior high school.

An insightful look at the REAL history of Native Americans.
Paul A. W. Wallace offers us an unbiased account of the history of the Native American people of Pennsylvania.Each chapter made me want to learn more about the individual tribe that was represented in its pages and inspired me to continue reading. Mr. Wallace does not ever compare the European settlers with the Indians and say that one was more savage than the other. He merely points out that the Native American people were more intelligent than what the history books would have us believe. Paul Wallace introduces us to an innocent culture and guides us through the necessary metamorphosis of a land besieged by "conquerors." If you're interested in the plight of Native Americans, or in the history of Pennsylvania, this book should become the keystone of your library! ... Read more

Product Description
Adapted from William Wharton's novel of the same name, this play tells the story of a man who is incarcerated in a mental hospital and believes himself to be a bird. ... Read more

Product Description
William Wallace has been revered as a beloved Scottish hero for more than 700 years. In his fight for an independent Scotland, Wallace became an outlaw and a freedom fighter battling against English oppression. Whether on the battlefield or pleading for help from France and other nations, Wallace s passion for his country and for freedom were obvious and they would make him a legend. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Great Tribute to a Great Man
This was a great read for William Wallace History fans.The author is unapologetically biased and I liked it!

A good book for anyone interested in William Wallace
This was a very good and heart felt book by a fantastic writer. David R. Ross shows his love for Scotland in his writing. If you are interested in William Wallace and/or Scotland in particular, this is a very good read. I would also recommend this book to anyone traveling to Scotland, for it gives directions to some of the places of interest. Ross also puts in some interesting facts that you might not think of. All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I think other people would as well. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Exception Guide to Thomistic Philosophy
This book is quite possibly the best overview of Thomistic philosophy available today. In a relatively short space nearly all aspects of philosophy are covered in detail, including an outline of the discipline, philosophy of various related fields (ie, philosophy of science, etc), and a history of philosophy.

The book draws its authority from the New Catholic Encyclopaedia, as the book is a condensed version of the philosophy articles contained in the encyclopaedia. Wallace was editor of philosophy in the encyclopedia, and thus well placed to accomplish this task of synthesis.

The book is dense, and rightly so - the scope of the material is staggering. Wallace eases the burden on the reader by providing references to the appropriate articles in the encyclopaedia, where each portion of the book is treated at greater length.

It is difficult to over-state the importance of this book for any Thomist, Aristotelian, or Catholic working in philosophy or theology. It should occupy a prominent place on the shelves of anyone who values precision and depth of thought. ... Read more

Product Description
This biography deals with the history of William Wallace and his time. According to legend, born and brought up in Elderslie, Wallace's courage and heroism during Scotland's darkest days were instrumental in creating a sense of national identity. From the early killing of the Sheriff of Lanark, Sir William Haslerigg, through his crowning triumph at Stirling Bridge to his terrible end, Wallace was unswerving in his devotion to the cause of Scottish freedom. The second section of the book studies the impact of the man and the myth on later generations. The author concludes that Wallace's martyrdom was a greater legacy to the Scots than even the achievements of his lifetime. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Wallace and His Times
William Wallace must have been a stunningly charismatic and daring leader.That certainly comes across in this biography by Peter Reese.However, the book doesn't quite pull you along as such an incredible life should.Perhaps that is due to the very few facts we really know about Wallace.

Nevertheless, Reese gets the facts correct so far as I can tell and paints a good picture of the time in which Wallace lived.One does get a pretty good sense of Scotland itself, its people, culture, and society.England and its kings, particularly Edward I, are examined in detail as well.

The battles are explained in good detail and the reader can get a fairly good sense of how the main battles went.The maps, both of the battles and Scotland, are somewhat lacking, as others have noted.

The book, while correcting some facts about Wallace that the movie Braveheart missed, doesn't force one to reject the picture of Wallace in Braveheart.Certainly some events depicted in the movie were subject to creative license.The movie certainly doesn't show why Wallace won the battle of Stirling bridge, namely that the Scottish cut off and annihilated a large element of the English forces by taking and blocking the bridge.The book does verify his use of large wooden spears against the mounted knights, his poor relations with the Scottish nobility, and his rise from the common class.And the movie, of course, rightly portrays medieval warfare, perhaps too well!It would seem that Wallace certainly must've been the sort of passionate man envisioned in the movie.

All things considered, if you like Wallace, you'll probably enjoy the book.It's Wallace the man we would all like to know more about but perhaps the fine details are too sparse to enjoy a full picture.

An antidote for "Braveheart" that still honors the hero
Peter Reese was a soldier and rightfully concentrates on the military career of William Wallace. As a responsible scholar he also acknowledges the dearth of contemporary records of what actually happened during the Scottish wars of independence. Although some may find it annoying or confusing, the author is understandably forced to cite his sources so that he may present the material in the most objective form as possible. In a sense, the book is more scholarly than biographic, building upon the writings of previous Wallace biographers who also must have been challenged by the lack of records from the period. Despite this, he deduces from common sense and the trends of the era to portray what Wallace's life may have been like. His honesty is proof that history should be learned from sources other than Hollywood.

There are a few weaknesses, however. The maps were helpful but somewhat incomplete. Major towns and fiefdoms mentioned throughout the book cannot be found in the maps of Scotland. The diagrams of Stirling and Falkirk are great but lack some important details (they might've sacrificed detail for greater area). Nonetheless these are minor points compared to the one factor I found very problematic. The author makes sweeping assumptions several times throughout his work, mostly concerning the character and essence of a certain people or race. Though cultures have strong mores or habits, that does not apply to entire peoples who may undergo several cultural transformations. In his assumptions the author stands dangerously close to stereotyping, however harmless his conclusions.

Overall the book is a well-researched and honest account of Scotland's famed freedom fighter. The bibliography at the end is interesting in and of itself. It certainly moves one to explore further the mystery of William Wallace, a true nationalist.

Factual, Logical, but Dry
For a cut and paste biography, this book does an excellent job of conveying facts (or offering up what may be facts) and making it plain that certain things are under speculation. It offers different opinions fromdifferent sources, but lacks personal touch. It wasn't emotionally engagingin the least, unless you care more about dates than the man himself.

One of the best Wallace biographies
Peter Reese's book is highly recommended because:

a) It is divided into logical sections.

b) It covers both the life of Wallace and the aftermath right up to the date of publication (1996).

c) It is very strong on themilitary aspects of Wallace's life and campaigns.

d) It sets Wallace'slife into the context of Scotland at that time.

e) It is very wellwritten, avoids going into unnecessary detail, and makes the importantpoints.

The epilogue is slightly out of date now as a lot has happened inScotland since 1996 i.e. the devolution referendum in 1997 and theestablishment of the new Scottish Parliament in 1999.

In summary, one ofthe best Wallace biographies - we recommend it very strongly.[MacBraveHeart May, 1999]

Sister recommended
We sat on a train out of Edinburg Scotland and took up a conversation with a charming lady across the table.We mentioned William Wallace and the Stirling Bridge Battle.She recommended we read her brother's book"William Wallace" by Peter Reese.We just ordered it throughAmazon.com Salute to Haggis! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Fascinating and Heartbreaking

I'm doing research on child prodigies for my newest book. The whole area of intellegence has always intrigued me, so this is painless research. More than that, this book, and the man it's about, William Sidis, is fascinating. And heartbreaking.

According to this book, William Sidis' IQ was estimated at 300. He was simply brilliant, going through gradeschool in three months and high school in 6 weeks. He took the entrance exam to Harvard at age nine and passed, but wasn't allowed entrance until age 11. And because of his gift he was hounded & ridiculed by the media from a young age until he basically went underground as an adult, hiding his genuis. It's very sad and will make you ashamed of what we sometimes do to one another. In this case, a great intellect and all his possible achievements were lost.

A fascinating, fascinating book.

Gigantic Genius Gone Goofy
You will become ga ga admiring the staggeringly stupendous intellect of super-precocious child prodigy William James Sidis in this excellent biography. He was an academic mega-genius whose social ineptitude in society is profoundly disturbing.
Sidis was named in honor of the famous Harvard University philosopher/psychologist William James. The last name of William James Sidis was a palindrome: it could be spelled the same forward as well as backwards. Similarly and ironically his mind was palindromic: in the realm of cerebralization and intellectual thought there may have been no greater a prodigious potential in the history of the world ( rivaling Aristotle, Leonardo da Vinci, Einstein, Plato, Socrates, etc. ). Tragically, the mind-boggling potential of Sidis was predominantly unfulfilled. Palindromic Sidis was a radical of socially aberrant behavior. He was a prodigy in reverse who revolted from the extravagant expectations thrust upon him. Consequently Sidis went from "great expectations" to "great expectorations". He was socially spit upon, chastised and shunned as an adult for his eccentrically bizarre behabior. He was the Ultima Thule of lost talent performing such menial jobs as being a janitor. He was a contradiction ofintellectual and behavioral dyslexia. He was analogous to computer overload: akin to HAL in the classic sci-fi film "2001: A Space Odyssey": super spaced out and gone awry. When one is an extreme case of extreme cases they may very well beome a social basket case.
I can deeply empathize with William James Sidisbecause I have resided in the socially isolated stratosphere of extreme intellectual genius my entire life. I have been descibed as being "too brilliant for my own good". Intense social introversion and extreme hypersensitivity do not mutually commingle with the ultra-psychological stress imposed upon a genius when other individuals are too demanding, too scornful, too mocking and too unsympathetically impersonal.

A book that makes you think...
This is definitely a good read.

Although I have just barely finished reading half of the book, I felt compelled to say something about it.

Sometimes it just pains my heart to see how the society, in a sense, failed the genius. It comes natural for "normal" people (people with such genes tend to have an edge in survival perspective in terms of natural selection) to deride and hurt (sometimes on purpose, sometimes unwittingly) a person who is superior in non-social matters but lacks adequate development in social matters. William James Sidis clearly fell victim in this category.

Also, this biography tells us that intelligence needs to be accompanied by wisdom to fulfill its due expectations.

Clearly W J Sidis is very intelligent (intelligent in some specific areas like maths and languages); but he does not seem to be very wise in a broader, higher sense; that is, his intelligence helps him see "trees" in a much clearer way than his fellow beings, but lack of wisdom fails him in seeing the "forest/wood", i.e. the BIG PICTURE. His own version of a constitution in a fictitious "perfect" (in his eyes) society (Hesperia), notwithstanding sophisticated in logical rules and bearing some other merits in terms of form, is naive and myopic in content.

In a way, he is very stubborn to have such notions as "The word art means very little to me" and "why will people waste so much energy on statuary, painting, drawing, etching and the like" (p. 109 of the book). Frankly, I fail to note similar traits in other accomplished prodigies like Stuart Mill, Wiener, Russell and Einstein. -- Lack of appreciation (and even contempt) for other forms of achievements in humanity will sooner or later limit a prodigy's success in one way or another because it denotes an unbalanced development among numerous dimensions of human nature.

As of the root of the Sidis "tragedy" (saying tragedy might be overstated), clearly the way his parents raised him contributed largely to the outcome. And the inappropriate amount of attention had been directed to him since his very early childhood, a fatal error in comparison to the shrewd way John Stuart Mill was brought up by his father...

I might have more to say when I finish the book.

The only perfect life is one lived in seclusion.
This is the second time that I've been drawn to this unique book. Having just enough in common with Billy Sidis (membership in two high IQ societies and extreme introversion) I can recognise the "ring of truth" to this account. I know from first hand experience how this society, especially the public schools, go out of their way to haze and torture the gifted and the "different"- no matter how hard one tries to keep a low profile. Indeed, Sidis's motto, "The only perfect life is one lived in seclusion" is also my own, learned from hard experience.

As for William James Sidis himself, here was a person who lectured on 4th dimensional mathematics at Harvard at the age of 11. It was said that he probably spoke every language of mankind- and actually invented entirely new languages of his own. He wrote the first book on cosmology that ever theorised the existence of black holes. He was the first to see the correlation of the 11 year sunspot cycle on both climate and human behavior. He wrote some of the first "alternative histories" of the United States (rejecting official proganda.) He had absolute contempt for capitalism and corporations (he seems to have been incapable of telling lies or exploiting other people.) He recognised the fundamental contribution of Native Americans to mainstream American culture long before anyone else. He was absolutely convinced not only that extraterestrial intelligence existed, but that it had to exist. He wrote seriously of Atlantis while "serious" scholars scoffed at the idea. He totally rejected formal theology and religion- while having no doubt that a higher power existed...

One of the chapters of this book is entitled "Sidis an Avatar?" While William Sidis himself would have automatically and violently rejected such a claim, I personally wonder if it might have not been close to the truth....

Interesting read, here is where to find more...
I've read this book once and I always enjoy leafing through it.However, I am always saddened that so much that Mr. Sidis did was lost (for example his science fiction story).A group of us individuals have startedcompiling information on him and are in the process of getting his"The Animate and th Inanimate" online for all to peruse.One andall are invited to email to get more information.Good day.[Thanks alsoto the reviewer below for the recommendation for the book "AccidentalGenius"] ... Read more