Customer Reviews:
Rather nice, a bit above standard "making of" style books.......2005-10-04
I have always rather liked Katharine Hepburn, and this movie. This is a rather nice "making-of" book. It is mildly humourous, good-natured, and nicely illustrated. While I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it or keep, I did really enjoy flicking through it.
This is really Hepburn's diary/account of the making of the African Queen and all the attendent problems of filming a movie in an equatorial country, and specifically in this case, in the continent of Africa. The rain, the mud, the mosquitos, the director, the other actors.
Hepburn does come across as being slightly removed from it all, she has a slightly distant and almost superior tone to her writing - for instance she is always up first in the morning and likes eating alone, and then from her hut she watches everyone else going about their morning. It is like she is Jane Goodall analysing Chimpanzees at times.
However she does lavish praise where praise is due, and she is not above laughing at herself at times either and so I felt fine about forgiving her the occassional remoteness.
This was fun to flick through.
Delightful.......2005-07-19
Katherine Hepburn's lively account of her experiences on location in Africa is very short, but packed with amusing and exciting incidents. Her style of writing is very distinctive, short abrupt sentences which vividly describe the inconveniences, discomforts and sometimes dangers of life in the jungle. There are some alarming encounters with wildlife, whether it's being attacked by hornets, finding a snake in the bathroom, or watching a herd of elephants stampede by a mere twenty-five feet away. The eccentricites and charms of her human companions are clearly and amusingly described as well, as are all the difficulties encountered in the making of this wonderful film.
The book is illustrated with lots of fascinating photographs takne on location, including some beautiful ones of Miss Hepburn (I particularly like the ones of her 'luxurious jungle dressing room'), and should delight any fan of The African Queen or of Katherine Hepburn.
Not much there.......2003-07-17
OK, it was cheap and it was kinda fun but this book is very short and very light and fluffy. Don't pay much for it because you can read it in a half a day.
great survival tale.......2003-02-14
This is one those books that is really autobiographic - it seems no one has altered or interfered with anything. If you have seen many movies with Katharine Hepburn, you can actually hear her tell the tale of how she survived the African jungle and actually loved it.
She is the first one to say that she is a bit of a pain in the neck, bossy and interfering. And always worried about the details. And she freely admits that when there is no bathroom, she's gotta go.
She lively discribes how the cities look, how it feels to be in the jungle. Explaining that taking a shower there is like angels touching your body. And that there is nothing worse than having to go to the bathroom (in somewhat of a rush...) and finding a black mamba snake there. She was so shocked she had to throw up. And the throwing up keeps up until after they come back in England.
What struck me as most odd was that she doesn't hold back. She told off Huston often, refused to help Lauren Bacall with the food, carried the mirror around and often thought what the hell she was doing there. But it was fascinating. Reading about it is fascinating, you want to go there yourself and look what it is like in real-life (instead I watched The African Queen for the 164th time).
The photographs in the book are really worth looking at - they give you a feeling of actually being there. Seeing Kate washing her hair with her 'house-boy' standing by, the costumes close-up, the little comments next to the pictures, one of 'Bogie Allnut' - Bogie laughing out loud wearing his costume and of 'Rosie Hepburn' - Kate sitting on the railing, wearing slacks, holding Rosie's English umbrella...
It really shows that Katharine Hepburn had many talents - she is certainly able to write an extraordinary tale of adventure, making movies, making fast friends, overcoming problems (the sinking of The African Queen, giant antz, losing twenty pounds by drinking water, almost being killed by a wild boar) and loving it all.
Easy to like Story of the Making of a Classic Movie.......2000-06-13
The title leaves no question as to what this book is about. "The Making of the African Queen: Or How I Went to Africa With Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind"--that really sets the tone of this book, wherein Hepburn gives an account of the making of a Hollywood movie, and tells of her experience in Africa (where most of the movie was filmed). This, her first book, is a very relaxed, informal affair, more like a friendly conversation really, as if you had met Hepburn and told her you were interested in Africa, and she started, "Oh I was in Africa once..." It's Hollywood in Africa, 1951. Some of what she writes is now a kind of history: where else might you learn that airplanes once had sleeping-berths like Pullman railway cars. Of course, mostly there is movie-making: working with director John Huston, and co-stars Humphrey Bogart and Robert Morley; how the cast and crew managed their equipment and wardrobes on location; the boat itself and the Ruiki river; living conditions in the temporary camp (including some very practical advice concerning improvised toilet facilities), colonial-era hotels and travel, and so on. The hardcover edition is illustrated with dozens of photographs. An interesting and charming book for anyone with an interest in Africa, classic Hollywood movies, or Hepburn, Huston, or Bogart.
Peter Viertel, who worked with Huston on "The African Queen" also wrote a book about the experience titled "White Hunter, Black Heart" which Clint Eastwood made into a movie.
Book Description
*30 b/w photos
* 20 color photos
* 25 full-color maps
* 20 charts * 7 x 9
The first day of fighting at Gettysburg appeared to belong to the Confederates, as they hounded Union soldiers through the streets of the town. The new Order of Battle Series detail the organization, historical background, and performance of each army unit that converged at Gettysburg. Individual acts of courage are counterposed against the Confederate commanders'inability or unwillingness to capitalize on their first day's success. July 1 ended with the Army of Northern Virginia in the familiar position of having driven their foes in near route. However, at dusk, in the failing light, the Army of the Potomac could be seen gathering itself on the forbidding heights south of Gettysburg.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent addition to students of Gettysburg campaign........1999-08-03
This book is a superb addition to students of the Gettysburg Campaign as well as those of Lee's army. It details the Confederate order of battle on the first day of the great Pennsylvania battle. If one is seeking a more dramatic,enlarged account of the first day they might look elswhere. This book however is best suited for those of us that seek sterile details such as unit strengths, and individual company names of individual units(although not complete).The text is well written and informative. There are photos of the brigade commanders,color drawings of many of the unit flags and good maps. A minor mistake was in identifying a photo of Brig.General McGowan as that of Brig.General Iverson. This however is tiny flaw in a book filled with the minute detail many of us hunger for when it comes to that vaunted American Army..the Army of Northern Virginia.
Book Description
On 2 July General Lee planned to complete the destruction of the Army of the Potomac. He would send his most reliable lieutenant, James Longstreet to crush the Union left flank. Longstreet doubted the wisdom of Lee's plan, but slowly moved his forces into position. The ensuing combat occurred across some of the most hallowed ground in American history: the Wheat Field, the Peach Orchard, Devil's Den and Little Round Top. Following Longstreet's failure, II Corps assaulted the Federal right on Cemetery Hill. Two brigades reached the summit. Only the dead stayed there.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book!.......2000-07-04
Gettyburg July 2 Confederate is a worthy successor to Gettysburg July 1 Confederate. The book is an improvement over the July 1 volumes,in part because, the July 2 volumes provide a more detailed map of the battlefield. Jim Arnold and Rebecca Weiner have put together a book historians, reenactors, and military enthusiasts can enjoy. The book show the second day of Gettysburg from the Confederate perspective, and effectively demonstrates the limited intelligence Lee had of the Federal positions and units. The Book starts off with a look at the strategy of the battle from the army of Northern Virginia's perspective. Then each of the three corps and it divisions are studied operationally. Within the divisional studies, units are further broken down by brigade, regiment, and company. Many of the companies are named. Unfortunately, some detached units, such as the 13 Virginia Infantry Regiment and the 21 Virginia Infantry Regiment Company "F" are not even acknowleged.
The only other errors appear to be the result of mistakes on part of the layout editor and not the authors. These are trivial, and should not besmirch such a splendid work. This work is important for it encapsulates the grand strategy of the campaign, the strategy of the army and corps, the tactics used by the divisions, brigades and regiments in an attmpt to effectuate this strategy, and finally, the role of logistics in suppying the army. The authors deserve to be commended for this work and I look forward to the future volumes covering July 3.
Three cheers for Osprey!.......2000-05-12
This is another excellent entry in Osprey's "Order of Battle" series. This book covers the Confederate operations at Gettysburg on the 2nd day.It lists commanders,units,and companies of the Army of Northern Virginia engaged that day. While books by giants like Coddington and Pfanz are for serious students of the battle ,I found this thin volume a refreshing,enlightening,and fun read.The author's frank language at interperting the dozens(it seems) of Confederate mistakes are refreshing as well. In one case critisizing the 15th Alabama's Oates post war contention about making Big round-top a fortress against attack as ridiculous,because Hood's division was trying to destroy the Union left,not get attacked.I never thought of it that way before! I only wish the authors had more company names listed. They might had researched the Internet as many detailed unit histories are found there,thanks to grass-root efforts by CS enthusiasts. However,this book is more than worthwhile for all interested in Lee's unforgetable Army and the South's great struggle for independence.
Book Description
'Solid shot ploughs huge lanes in their close columns ... Their shattered lines do not waiver, but steadily closing up the gaps of death, come on in magnificent order. With banners waving, with steady step, they sweep on like an irresistible wave of fate.' Despite two days of vicious fighting Lee's Army had failed to break the Union line. He reasoned that to hold the flanks against the southern attacks Meade must have weakened the centre of his line along Cemetery Ridge - and so this is where Lee would attack. Not all were in accordance with the plan, with Longstreet in particular expressing his concerns. Just after 3.10pm on July 3rd General George Pickett rode to the front of his division and turning in the saddle he commanded, 'Charge the enemy and remember Old Virginia.' Facing the Union lines in a clear voice he called, 'Forward! Guide center! March!' At that moment thousands of Confederates began their march into history.
Customer Reviews:
Confederate movements at Gettysburg on the Third Day.......2001-12-25
The Osprey Order of Battle series presents the military enthusiast with a microanalysis of famous battles, in this case devoting six volumes to the pivotal three-day Civil War Battle of Gettysburg. This tenth volume in the series (the Gettysburg books do not appear sequentially) is devoted to the disposition of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia on July 3, 1863, while the seventh volume does the same for Meade's entrenched Army of the Potomac. This book provides comprehensive organization diagrams, an analysis of operational objectives, and most importantly where each unit was at what point during the final day of this pivotal battle, including both the "tooth" combat elements and the vital "tail" support troops. The operational analysis is quite excellent and surprisingly concise, albeit more so from the Confederate perspective than the Union. Included are dozens of detailed maps, charts and photographs, which provide new insights into this most analyzed Civil War battle.
While all this detailed information will be on great interest to those who want to study what happened in Gettysburg in minute detail, I really think the chief utility of this particular volume is for the war gamming enthusiast who wants to give Pickett's Charge a second chance at taking the Bloody Angle on Cemetery Ridge. I have used these books to create a brigade level version of the Battle of Gettysburg using Sierra's Civil War 2 computer game and I suspect it would be of even greater use to those who have the massive Gettysburg board game. I have found that not only can you give Lee a second chance to break the Union center, but you can also play out a counterattack by Meade that might destroy the Army of Northern Virginia effectively end the Civil War in time for the Fourth of July in 1863. The Order of Battle books meet their objective in providing the most detailed information ever published about the great battles of history. In addition to Gettysburg this series has also covered the French & Indian War Battle of Quebec in 1759 and the World War II German counter-offensive at the Battle of the Ardennes in 1944. It will be interesting to see what this series tackles next, although the Battle of Waterloo seems an obvious choice.
Average customer rating:
- Very useful reference work
- An Amazing Compilation
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The Confederate Order of Battle: The Army of Northern Virginia
F. Ray Sibley
Manufacturer: White Mane Publishing Company
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ASIN: 0942597737 |
Customer Reviews:
Very useful reference work.......2001-03-06
This is a very useful reference work which gives the command structure, so far as is known, for the ANV and its subsidiaries down to the regimental level. It will be invaluable for specialists. I found the footnote structure to be somewhat confusing: it might have been better to restate these scattered notes as brief paragraphs on the units and events mentioned.
An Amazing Compilation.......2000-01-25
F. Ray Sibley has indeed done a service for the Civil War historian. He has spent more than a dozen years to compile what researchers will ultimately proclaim as the conclusive reference on the organizational make-up of the Confederacy. The Confederate Order of Battle: The Army of Northern Virginia is a rare accomplishment that will greatly reduce the amount of time and effort spent on research for sometime to come. This 486 page volume is destined to be labeled as the standard reference for those studying the organizational framework of the Army of Northern Virginia. In his first volume of a planned three volume series, Sibley has carefully analyzed numerous resources and has subsequently compiled them into a single reference book that defines the structure of the eastern Confederate forces as they went into battle. In a massive undertaking, Sibley's The Confederate Order of Battle: The Army of Northern Virginia and his ensuing works will literally shrink the amount of time and effort researchers, genealogist, and history writers will take in conducting research and verifying their work. Sibley's work fundamentally allows students and researchers to identify a composite listing of a unit's history. In the same light, it enables one to ascertain the identity of a Confederate commander's combat career without the need to consult other resources. In The Confederate Order of Battle, Sibley has carefully defined even the most difficult to find unit identifications and commanding officer names and has listed them chronologically by battle. Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, Sibley has meticulously indexed the entire reference in two distinctive and functionally worthwhile manners. First, he has provided a Main Index that alphabetically lists the commander's name with a parenthetical notation of the unit he commanded. Secondly, and most impressively, he has defined in three subsequent sections the Confederate Infantry, Artillery, and Cavalry units. Under these sub-indices, Sibley has organized each operational type listing by the unit's state and hierarchical echelon within the Confederacy. In short, the indices are what makes this book unique and particularly user friendly. Collectively, the main body listings of the units by regiment, brigade, division, corps and, ultimately army, coupled with the notably functional indices are what makes Sibley's book a reference masterpiece in terms of practical value. However, what especially makes this book useful is its extensive endnotes and exceptionally complete bibliography. In tandem with the main body listing of each Confederate battle, unit designation, and commanding officer, the endnotes and bibliography offer the researcher a complete single source reference for the study of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. In follow-on works, Sibley has planned additional volumes describing the orders of battle for the Confederate western armies and armies of the trans-Mississippi and coastal defense forces. In the end, this three set volume will be an indispensable reference and a must for all Civil War libraries. All in all, The Confederate Order of Battle: The Army of Northern Virginia will undoubtedly become a common source for historians and researchers to use in the years to come.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Defense Horizons, published by Thomson Gale on August 1, 2006. The length of the article is 9393 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Lee's mistake: learning from the decision to order Pickett's Charge.
Author: David C. Gompert
Publication:
Defense Horizons (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Issue: 54
Page: 1
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
In this startling and passionate book, Aristide demonstrates why those on the bottom will never lie down. A graphic revelation of what happens when "free" trade overruns local markets, eradicates local economies, and creates dependence on foreign charity.
Customer Reviews:
Short but sweet.......2002-12-09
This book is a short collection of articles or speeches by President Jean Bertrand Aristide. Reading it is a window into the world of a torn country: the poorest in the western hemisphere. But rather than being depressing, it leaves you with hope as you celebrate the triumphs of the Haitian people as they struggle for democracy and peace.
Please..........2002-11-18
Take a trip to Haiti. And you may still notice the mountains of garbage at every street corner, drug and crime lords on the loose, the prison system a mess, the economy...what economy? electricity...only when it's for the "Wold Cup", the absence of Police Officers...the condition of the roads! the airport! the beggers, the robbers and the fast and growing numbers of Haitians leaving either by plane or boat! now, instead of publishing a book and trying to convince those who's never lived in Haiti of the President's good heart, he should have taken that money and spent it on the country instead! Nothing has changed from when the Duvalieriste's were in power! Actually, the new President bares an eery resemblance to Papa Doc lately! oh! did I forget to mention the President's mansion in "Tabarre" and the perfect condition of the road in front of his house...we wouldn't want his Excellency to feel a bump now, would we?
not gullible.......2001-10-15
hmm. interesting point our President Jean-Bertrand Aristide has. but guess what,it's not enough. in essence,he represents the dream-like state that a lot of my people have:we dream of what we were,of what we could be,yet do nothing about it. he is an intellectual without action. i have lived too long in haiti to hear all of the 'ansanm,ansanm,nou se lavalas'speeches of our DEARLY BELOVED president while continually seeing the misery of my people. good book,"titid". but i don't expect to see anything realistic come of it. (:
Thinking Outside the Box.......2001-01-05
By all accounts, life for Haiti's desperately poor majority is difficult. By most accounts, that life is hopeless- newspaper reports see only squalor, development strategies see only economic enslavement as the lesser of evils, even supporters of Haiti cannot see the country escaping the rut of its history.
President Aristide, as he has always done, finds hope. He finds hope in his people's almost unfathomable strength in opposing repression over three centuries. He finds hope in economic activities discarded by the "builders". He finds hope, despite the horror inflicted on Haiti from the outside from slavery to the present, in us, the citizenry of the world's powerful countries.
This hope, and practical strategies based on it, has always been Aristide's gift to Haiti. That is why he, and candidates perceived to be loyal to him, have received overwhelming support in just about every electoral contest since 1990. That is why Aristide should receive the support of the international community, and anyone who cares about social and economic justice. That is why you should read this book.
Impressive.......2000-12-27
I never gave Aristide much credit, but after reading this book I'm beginning to think that there might be hope for Haiti after all. This is a compelling and well written book that goes at the core of Haiti's problem. In the era of globalization, a nation with a past such as Haiti should think twice before jumping the bandwagon of the free market economy and look for a third way. While the capitalist system generates wealth, it also broadens the economic and social gaps among class constellations. Yet, at the same time, we have Cuba as a model of social justice and equity, if judged by the criteria of universal acces to education and health care. I think that Haiti should aim at striking a balance between those opposing ideologies and Aristide made it clear in Eyes of the Heart that there is a third way. Rather he follows through with this idea during his second term as president it is yet to be seen. Overall it is an insightfull book.
Average customer rating:
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Birding Sites Around Perth
Ron Van Delft
Manufacturer: Intl Specialized Book Service Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0855642599 |
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