Chancellorsville and Gettysburg by Abner Doubleday

Chancellorsville and Gettysburg by Abner Doubleday describes in a rather short book the two above-named campaigns.Doubleday who is perhaps best known as the suppose it creator of baseball [probably not as central as is usually claimed] does a ok job. The editor notes in the introduction that there are various errors and therefore the book is perhaps only useful as showing the arguments and recriminations in the Union command after the war.

If the editor had intcluded footnotes explaining the mistakes book would-be more useful.

Recommended only if you must have everything written on either of these battles.

Is available through Abebooks.

World War II bookshelf

Here are some of my World War II book reviews. I've stopped updating this page. To see the current list of reviews take a look at my WWII tag in the sidebar.

Bezymenski, Lev The Death of Adolf Hitler: Unknown Documents from Soviet Archives

Bidwell, Shelford The Chindit War: Stilwell, Wingate, and the Campaign in Burma, 1944

Blumenson, Martin The Battle of the Generals: The Untold Story of the Falaise Pocket-The Campaign That Should Have Won World War II

Bothwell Robert and Granatstein J.L. Editors The Gouzenko Transcripts: The Evidence Presented to the Kellock-Taschereau Royal Commission of 1946

Caine, Philip D. Aircraft Down!: Evading Capture in WWII Europe

Chapman, F. Spencer The Jungle is Neutral: A Soldier's Two-Year Escape from the Japanese Army

Clayton, Anthony Forearmed: History of the Intelligence Corps

Condon, Richard W. The Winter War: Russia Against Finland (The Pan/Ballantine Illustrated History of World War II)

Cornwell, John Hitler's Scientists: Science, War, and the Devil's Pact

Eich, Hermann The Germans

Engle, Eloise The Winter War: The Soviet Attack on Finland 1939-1940

Granatstein, J. L The Politics of Survival;: The Conservative Party of Canada, 1939-1945

Heaton, Colin D. German Anti-Partisan Warfare in Europe: 1939 1945

Heilbrunn, Otto Warfare in the Enemy's Rear

Infield, Glenn B. Eva and Adolf

Johnson, J.E. Wing Leader

Jones, James The Thin Red Line

Kipp, Charles D. Because We Are Canadians: A Battlefield Memoir

Koch, H. W. The Hitler Youth: Origins and development, 1922-45

Lang, Jochen Von The Secretary: Martin Bormann, the Man Who Manipulated Hitler

Liddell-Hart, B. H. Dynamic Defense
- History of the Second World War

Lukacs, John The Duel: The Eighty-Day Struggle Between Churchill and Hitler

Mackay, Robert Half the Battle: Civilian Morale in Britain during the Second World War

Mellenthin,F. W. von Panzer Battles: a Study of the Employment of Armor in the Second World War

Mithcell, Allan The Nazi Revolution: Hitler's Dictatorship and the German Nation

Moorhouse, Roger Killing Hitler: The Plots, The Assassins, and the Dictator Who Cheated Death

O'Neill, Richard Suicide Squads of World War II

Paine, Lauran German Military Intelligence in World War II: The Abwehr

Parker, Matthew Monte Cassino: The Hardest Fought Battle of World War II

Richards, Denis Hardest Victory: RAF Bomber Command in the Second World War

Smith, Woodruff D. The Ideological Origins of Nazi Imperialism

Steinberg, Lucien Jews Against Hitler (Not As A Lamb) - The Seminal Work on Jewish Resistance

Stenman, Kari Lentolaivue 24 (Osprey Aviation Elite 4)

Strawson, John Hitler As Military Commander

Thompson, Sir. Robert Make for the Hills: Memories of Far Eastern Wars

van der Vat, Dan The Pacific Campaign: World War II, the U.S.-Japanese naval war, 1941-1945

White, David Fairbank Bitter Ocean:the Battle of the Atlantic, 1939-1945

Whiting, Charles Paths of Death and Glory: The Last Days of the Third Reich, January - May 1945

Wragg, David Swordfish: The Story of the Taranto Raid

Mao Tse-Tung on Guerrilla Warfare translated by Samuel B. Griffith

Mao Tse-Tung on Guerrilla Warfare translated by Samuel B. Griffith is probably one of the two or three key texts on creating an insurgency and how to fight it from the perspective of guerrillas or partisans. Most of the famous quotations are here. The insurgents being fishes in in an ocean. The book was written during the Japanese invasion but it can be easily seen where the same tactics and strategy could be used against a terrestrial government. Unfortunately apparently some of the charts were missing from the untranslated original. The translator points this out. There is also an excellent introduction written by Griffith.

A must-have on any insurgency or counterinsurgency bookshelf.

For reviews take a look at My Insurgency/Counterinsurgency, Partisan and Guerrilla Warfare bookshelf.

Thud! a novel of Discworld by Terry Pratchett

Thud! a novel of Discworld by Terry Pratchett is yet another in the immense Discworld series. This time the dwarfs and trolls are preparing to "celebrate" the memory of the anniversary of the first battle between the two. Think Northern Ireland marching season only in chain mail. This leaves the city watch trapped in the middle. We also get deep down dwarfs a sort of fundamentalist dwarf. Pratchett's social commentary is usually quite apparent in his work but its particularly blunt in this book. Just change deep down dwarfs to fundamentalist mullahs. Funny in places and certainly better than his last few books.

Is available through Abebooks.



For more Science Fiction and Fantasy book reviews take a look at My Science Fiction and Fantasy bookshelf.

The Peculiar Institution: Slavery in the Ante-bellum South by Kenneth M. Stampp

The Peculiar Institution: Slavery in the Ante-bellum South by Kenneth M. Stampp was published originally in 1955 but is still relevant today. The author looks at the effects of slavery both on the slaves themselves as well as their owners and the wider societal implications. Quite a bit of the book is on the various means of social control placed on both slaves and those who were against the institution. In this respect the book is quite modern in its outlook. Mechanisms of control are a current preoccupation of historians not only of slavery but other social structures.

Excellent and highly recommended.

1984 anyone?

B.C. scientist booted over refusal to use 'new government'

Update: B.C. scientist reinstated by Ottawa after phrase flap

Naked Pictures of Famous People by Jon Stewart

Naked Pictures of Famous People by Jon Stewart is a book that is definitely not for the easily offended. He's of course the host of the Daily Show. The book is quite funny. Don't read this thing if you have a particular fondness for the Kennedys, Christianity, Judaism or President Ford. It's a collection of essays which cover various topics including a wonderfully satiric look at the Christmas letters of the Hanson family.

Very funny highly recommended. Keep out of reach of small children.

100th post

Another milestone of sorts this is my 100 post on my blog. So far I've made $7.

Mirrors of Destruction: War, Genocide and Modern Identity by Omer Bartov

Mirrors of Destruction: War, Genocide and Modern Identity by Omer Bartov describes the Holocaust is a central event in the 20th century. He tends to undermine his argument by claiming that the trauma suffered in World War I was responsible for it. Wouldn't this make World War I the central event in the century?

That being said the book has some excellent ideas on not only why the Holocaust occurred but its perception in Germany, France and Israel. Most interesting or perhaps disturbing is that in the 1950s and 1960s there was a large Israeli pornography industry which used the concentration camps as locations for the books.

There's a large dose of fiction as history but most of the analysis is quite good. Not an easy read quite a bit of technical jargon.

Recommended for those who want to really get involved in the topic.

For more Holocaust book reviews, take a look at My Holocaust bookshelf.

Hardest Victory: RAF Bomber Command in the Second World War by Denis Richards

Hardest Victory: RAF Bomber Command in the Second World War by Denis Richards is a decent history of bomber command in the second world war. Many of the controversies are discussed as well as the day-to-day actions of the crews and other personnel. Besides the usual description of raids on Germany and France there is also much material on attacks on German naval units and Italy. There is quite a bit on the non-British crews from Commonwealth countries including the Canadiens. The narrative is interspersed with actions that received the Victoria Cross and other awards for bravery.

An excellent antidote to the atrocious The Valour and the Horror "documentary" done by the McKennas several years ago.

Recommended.

Is available through Abebooks.



For more WWII book reviews Take a look at My World War II bookshelf.

Afghanistan, Highway of Conquest by Arnold Fletcher

Afghanistan, Highway of Conquest by Arnold Fletcher is a history of Afghanistan from the 18th century through the books publication date of 1963. Unlike most books that deal with Afghan history the book tries to describe a history of Afghanistan from the perspective of the Afghanis. The author was an American adviser to the Education Ministry.

One interesting point which I'll have to look into further is that in the first conflict between the British and Afghanis the British paid for the assassination of tribal leaders who did not agree with them. Apparently this is a no-no. Bribing individuals or groups for support or to stay neutral is all right but paying for assassination is not. This perhaps explains why no one has taken up the reward on bin Laden's head.

Interesting work recommended.

For more Afghanistan book reviews take a look at My Afghanistan bookshelf.

Jews Against Hitler (Not As A Lamb) - The Seminal Work on Jewish Resistance by Lucien Steinberg

Jews Against Hitler (Not As A Lamb) - The Seminal Work on Jewish Resistance by Lucien Steinberg describes the history of Jewish resistance against Hitler and the Nazis. The book is divided into geographical sections on different countries and the various activities that the Jews participated in everything from resistance fighting to handing out propaganda pamphlets. The author does an excellent job exploding the myth of Jewish passivity to the Holocaust.

One criticism often when Jews that collaborated with the Nazis are mentioned their names are not used. Suffice to say it seems problematic if there's enough material to identify then they're not going to have a case for libel.

An excellent book recommended.

Is available through Abebooks.



For more WWII book reviews take a look at My World War II bookshelf or My Holocaust bookshelf.

For reviews take a look at My Insurgency/Counterinsurgency, Partisan and Guerrilla Warfare bookshelf.