Stonewall Jackson: The Man, the Soldier, the Legend

Amazon.com

A distinguished Civil War historian unravels the complex character of the Confederacy's greatest general. Drawing on previously untapped manuscript sources, the author refutes such long-standing myths as Stonewall Jackson's obsessive eating of lemons and gives a three-dimensional account of the profound religious faith frequently caricatured as grim Calvinism. Though the author capably covers the battles that made Jackson a legend--Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, etc.--he emphasizes "the life story of an extraordinary man." The result is a biography that will fascinate even those allergic to military history.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent insight into the way Thomas Jackson became "Stonewall".......2007-09-13

This is a great book that helps its readers understand how a poor orphan from Virginia became arguably the greatest general in American history.

History at its Finest........2007-07-29

It is clear that this book was a labor of love to its author. Robertson presents Jackson in a fair light that draws out all his eccentricities and quirks while also presenting his military genius and moral fortitude. The book is well written and thoroughly researched. Upon completion of reading this book you will feel that you knew the man.

Great, but needs better maps.......2007-07-08

If you want a thorough and highly readable book on Jackson, this is the one. The prose of its 700+ pages read like a good novel and keep you interested. My only comlaint is with the quality and quantity of maps. There are too few and those that exist lack details. Trying to follow Jackson's travels using the maps is well nigh impossible because most of the places mentioned in the text are not on the few maps present.

AN OUTSTANDING BIOGRAPHY OF LEE'S BEST LIEUTENANT!.......2007-07-08

He may have had humble beginnings in rural western Virginia, but Thomas Jonathan Jackson was destined for greatness. Caring, fearless and compassionate, but also hard, ruthless and cunning, Jackson became one of the greatest leaders in American and world history, and would forever be known as "the Mighty Stonewall."
Dr. James I. Robertson, Jr., one of the country's leading Civil War historians, give us a fascinating look at one of the greatest leaders in American military history. This fascinating account sifts through the legends and myths to present the real Jackson, a man full of paradoxes; a man who could be ruthless and cruel on the battlefield, but was also a devout Christian, and a loving husband and father. Robertson also presents exciting accounts of the battles that made him famous, while also putting us on an emotional level with the man, something that even the best of fiction fails to do sometimes.
Without a doubt, Robertson has written the definitive history of the life of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. Historians and non-historians will find much to appreciate. Don't let the epic length scare you away; it's a great read that all should enjoy!
Grade: A+

PRAYER WARRIOR.......2007-05-27

"Yell like Furies!" Stonewall commanded and the most raw and famous, yet to be recorded, most dreaded and terrible battle cry was born.

Robertson's monumental work on Stonewall Jackson will stand the test of time as the most accurate account of this strange, enigmatic, but charismatic VMI professor. His whole life is lovingly told, his character accurately analyzed. His "Bibliography" is 25 pages long, his "Notes" 135 pages. I cried the last two chapters. Do they make men like this anymore? Maybe at West Point where he went to college, but nowhere I've been looking. I cried and cried.

"Shh. The general is praying," one of his barefoot, beloved soldiers would exclaim. And everyone would be still and silent.

I'll always remember the silent, beautiful valley I beheld at Blacksburg, from my motel room early in the morning, before I moved up north to Massachusetts. Little did I know that 15 years later, these silent towns would be terrorized by a lone, crazed college killer at the very college where Professor Robertson teaches Civil War history at Virginia Tech. He is a well decorated Civil War scholar who's received numerous awards for his research. I've read elsewhere that he decided to become a civil war historian during his Air Force tour during the Korean War. "You may be what ever you will resolve to be", is an oft quoted Jackson phrase which can be found in Robertson's "Stonewall Jackson's Book of Maxims". And so Robertson followed this prescription.

Stonewall Jackson had the most christian command of anyone in the civil war. He hand picked his commanders, many of whom were either ministers themselves or were ministers' sons. "Rejoice in that day when they cast out your name as evil", Christ foretold. I don't think there was ever a more Christ-led soldier that has EVER lived on the face of this earth. Everything Jackson did was accepted by him as G-d's will. G-d's will was sought through daily prayer. Thomas Jonathan Jackson's life was a testimony to His great G-d. He was unassuming in character and dress. He never became arrogant, nor basked in any of his accomplishments, he was simply doing G-d's will. Anyone would have mistaken Jackson as a simple farmer by his bearing as Robertson reveals from soldiers' written descriptions of him. (What a hothead he was in combat though with all that artillery knowledge inside that Scots-Irish noggin). Who in their last hours would talk about the Amalekites in the bible and talk about how soldiers ought to observe the sabbath??!!

I learned in my 7 grade history class that the South had the best commanders on the field. Poor guys. They learned to do much more with much less and manage to scrape by every time while they sent tens of thousands of yankees scrambling for home. I loved J.E.B. Stuart and the contrast so obvious between Stonewall Jackson and himself that Robertson reveals. The colorful cavalryman was the only person who could make Stonewall Jackson laugh when he was about his field command. Stonewall was usually very quiet, focussed, and stern at those times. In Robertson's "Acknowledgments", he mentions that he, Emory Thomas, a J.E.B. Stuart biographer, and several other Civil War historians, meet yearly on the banks of the New River in southwest Virginiia to share their research. Sounds like a grand time to me.

A Union soldier spoke of the problems of command within their ranks. Following their Port Republic fiasco, he wrote that they had 5 commanders all of whom were "equal in rank and envious of each other's reputation. Neither will do anything which would reflect credit on the other. Each one desires all the glory himself." As the union army retreated, Maj. Gen. Freemont cast his last parting shots on the make shift hospitals. Later when Maj. Gen. Shields asked that they be allowed to attend their wounded and bury their dead. Stonewall "tartly refused. The wounded were already receiving care... the dead buried." Jackson then considered it proper to follow with a strong reprimand. "Your wounded were permitted to lay on the field longer than they otherwise would have been had not General Freemont's artillery, hours after the termination of the engagement, not only so fired upon the ambulances and their parties as to drive them from the field. The hospital was also fired upon, notwithstanding it as well as the ambulances were marked by hospital flags.""

What was somewhat new to me was that noone, at least on the southern side, expected a war, if it developed, to last. Most people, like Jackson and Lee, did not like slavery, and what they really fought for was the preservation of their homes. They felt they were invaded and that their self-liberties were being infringed upon in violation of the constitution. Many people did not have slaves, most had a few. Thomas Jackson as a child, being orphaned at a young age, congregated with slave children and even taught one to read who escaped through the underground railroad. I think that of any lies that are propagated by my government the greatest lies revolve around what really happened during the civil war and immediately afterwards. Supposedly, on my father's side I am somehow related to Stonewall Jackson and related to Alexander Hamilton on my mother's side. What's interesting about Hamilton, is that not only did he have southern relatives, but that he predicted, he prophesied that there would probably be a civil war and he was killed in 1804. Jackson predicted a few years before Fort Sumpter that he feared there would be a war and that properties would be taken away. Sound familiar to any of you history buffs? So the civil war is very near and dear to me because these people who marched barefoot for years through snow and sleet and rain fighting a desperate, losing battle are my people.

I love this book. Unfortunately, it was borrowed from a family member's friend who I'm sure would like it back. However, this book would be the premier civil war book within my collection. I loved this book, wish I could keep it.

Colonel John Patton of the 21st Virginia within Jackson's sphere would have a grandson who would follow in Stonewallian marches liberating the beleagured Bastogne and quote the Frenchman Bosuet: "Hands lifted up smash more battalions than hands that strike...And if we go from bad to worse it is simply because we have not prayed".

THE TRUTH HAS BEEN TOLD!!!

Thank you so much Professor Robertson.

Stonewall Jackson: The Man, The Soldier, The Legend (Volume 1 of 3)

Average customer rating:

Stonewall Jackson: The Man, The Soldier, The Legend (Volume 1 of 3)
James I. Robertson Jr.
Manufacturer: Books On Tape, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Stonewall Jackson: The Man, The Soldier, The Legend (Volume 2 of 3)

Average customer rating:

Stonewall Jackson: The Man, The Soldier, The Legend (Volume 2 of 3)

Manufacturer: Books On Tape, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Stonewall Jackson: The Man, the Soldier, the Legend Part 3 of 3 (Part 3 of 3)

Average customer rating:

Stonewall Jackson: The Man, the Soldier, the Legend Part 3 of 3 (Part 3 of 3)

Manufacturer: Books On Tape
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 0736687424

Product Description

A distinguished Civil War historian unravels the complex character of the Confederacy's greatest general.

Stonewall Jackson : The Man, the Soldier, the Legend

Average customer rating:

Stonewall Jackson : The Man, the Soldier, the Legend
James Robertson
Manufacturer: MacMillan Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O92WT4

Book Description

The Civil War left no Vermonters untouched, and few families free from pain. More than 140 letters -- carefully selected from some 9000 in several archives -- convey in personal terms the combat experience of Vermonters throughout the war. Vermont raised seventeen infantry regiments, one cavalry regiment, three batteries of light artillery and three companies of sharpshooters -- nearly 35,000 soldiers in all. As a result of this impressive commitment, Vermont suffered one of the highest rates of military deaths of any Union state.

A War of the People covers the war chronologically, with editor Jeffrey D. Marshall providing running commentary on both the war overall, and Vermonters' experiences. Supplemented with maps and photographs, it includes many voices -- from privates to colonels, mothers, wives, and best friends, young and old -- writing about battle narratives, camp life, financial advice, family matters, and much more. An African-American soldier from Hinesburgh, a French-Canadian soldier who enlisted in Milton, and dozens of others record their experiences in unforgettable words. Marshall's battlefront/homefront choice of letters provides a deeper understanding of the social and political dimensions that, although secondary to military concerns, were an integral part of Vermont's war years.

Customer Reviews:

Gift for hubby.......2006-09-19

I purchased this book as a Christmas gift for hubby! I had no thought of reading it until it arrived at the house! Looks very interesting! After he is done with it I will place it within my reading material. There are pictures through out. Ok, so maybe I will read it BEFORE I give it to him for Christmas! :)

This Book Is Not Just For Civil War Buffs........2000-04-04

I don't think I can improve on the e-mail I sent to friends and family as soon as I finished the book..... 'I just finished a book called "A War of the People" by Jane's good friend Jeff Marshall. It is a collection of letters from (and to) Civil War soldiers from Vermont. I can't say enough about this book. I feel as if I've just read a great novel, and yet it's all true. Jeff has done a brilliant job of choosing the letters, and many of the letter-writers reappear, as you're taken through the course of the war. The most emotionally wrenching aspect is that Jeff includes a brief but pithy biography of each soldier at the back of the book, listed alphabetically, so that after reading a letter, you can look up the soldier to find that he lived until 1915 and was "wounded ... at Savage Station , June 29, 1862. ... Mustered out June 19, 1865. Returned to Concord and became a farmer. Married Eliza E. Hale (to whom some of his letters are addressed) in 1867." Or that he was "Killed in action at Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864." I found myself biting my nails reading the letters, barely able to keep from turning to the bios in mid-letter to see if the soldier survived the war. These soldiers, most of whom were farm boys, were eloquent nonetheless. I guess you can tell I really, really loved this book, and I highly recommend it. (Jane's family: you know Jeff and may have already read the book, so please forgive my literary euphoria. I just finished it and went right to the computer.) Tom'

Another great Vermont book on the Civil War.......1999-04-11

University Press of New England asked me to review Jeff Marshall's new book, "A War of the People: Vermont Civil War Letters." In the words of Private William Daniels, of Barton, one of the letters included in the book, "I will respond simply." WOW!

Over 140 letters to and from 78 soldiers, from practically every unit Vermont fielded during the course of the war! Letters from all theaters of the war, covering every period of time from the Spring of 1861 to the Spring of 1865! You'll find a governor (or at least his wife), a general or two and some Colonels. But for the most part you'll find common soldiers, their fathers and mothers, their brothers and sisters, their friends. Don't expect these letters to divulge some great heretofore unsolved mystery about the war. These letters aren't about the war; they are about life, about the people, and Jeff has done a great job collecting just the right letters to show the whole gamut of emotions and attitudes the soldiers and their families expressed, and the joy and concerns and pain they endured during the course of the war.

I usually have a hard time carefully reading the introduction and commentary in a book of letters (I want to get to the letters!), but Jeff does a great job of explaining the rationale behind the soldiers' reasons for writing, and has given accurate and relevant background for each season of the war. Its a great read! I hope this is the first of a number of books like it.

Average customer rating:

A poignant love story during some of the most dynamic times of the 20th century

Inter racial problems

A prized love story

Artificial and tiresome

A compelling international love story

Letter from Peking (Giant cardinal edition)
Pearl S Buck
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
Similar Items:

East Wind: West Wind (Buck, Pearl S. Oriental Novels of Pearl S. Buck, 8th,)

ASIN: B0007I60JU

Customer Reviews:

A poignant love story during some of the most dynamic times of the 20th century.......2005-10-03

This is a typical Pearl Buck story with polished writing, fascinating images and a haunting love story. The story takes place during the start of Communist China and concerns a Chinese man and an American woman, who are married. The couple originally live in China, where the husband is a professor at a great Chinese university. The man has historical roots in the beginning of Communist China. The woman is a bewildered American woman who is parted from her husband by the very same communism. The story is from the woman's perspective and details her lonely life back in her native New England, the growth and travails of her half-Chinese son and how all learn to live with new realities.

Like all Pearl Buck novels, the language is impeccable, the voice articulated and the reader wishes it were longer.

Inter racial problems.......2004-12-07

As a great fan of Pearl Bucks' stories, I was less pleased with this one. Elizabeth, a girl from Vermont, falls in love with Gerald, son of a Scottish college professor and his Chinese wife. Gerald never seems to be at all comfortable in his skin and seems to be constantly battling his two cultures. Elizabeth really forces marriage upon him, trying to overcome his initial reluctance with the strength of her love, and against the advice of her family, moves with him to Peking where they live happily and where their son Rennie is born.
When Communist forces begin the take over of China, Gerald sees no future for his wife and son under this regime and sends them back to America. It's really a sad book with Elizabeth never ceasing to miss Gerald and raising her son alone. M/s Bucks' prose is stilted in the extreme in this book and while this style reads well for conversation between Chinese people, I can't believe that any American woman would talk like this, even after spending 10 years in China.

A prized love story.......2004-04-12

This book is chraming and inspiring. I highly recommend that you get your hands on this book. Very good book.

Artificial and tiresome.......2004-01-28

Pearl Buck attempts to set across several themes - ties to country and to family, wisdom somehow being passed down from the ancestors, some sort of odd idea of the sisterhood of women, and the beauty of first love that endures. Unfortunately, the result is a muddle, and, by the end of the book's first third, one may find oneself yawning at the 'voice' of a middle aged woman droning on and on about how wonderful her sex life has been.

Elizabeth, our heroine and narrator, extols the beauty of nature constantly - whether it is to Vermont or Peking to which she is referring - and there is some naturalness in her vivid descriptions of sunrises and ewe lambs chewing the grass. Otherwise, she seems unreal - a vague woman who seems to think herself hugely wise.

The situations and dialogue are sadly artificial. Elizabeth's sermons to her son make her sound more like an ancient sage than a mother; then, when she fears that Rennie cannot love a girl whose heart can 'only hold one cup' (this, apparently, was confirmed when Elizabeth met and judged her equally one-cup mother), she suddenly shifts loyalties and, with the sisterhood of women coming first, breaks her son's romance lest the girl not be 'protected.' Quite dramatic - and totally out of order for two teenagers having a brief romance while the girl is in Vermont for the summer.

The influence of ancestors is always appearing - and shifting. Rennie, Elizabeth's son, first looks like Gerald, then his mother, then has a Scots rather than a Chinese profile - and his perpetually changing is accompanied by an apparently inherited wisdom. At 17, he is an impeccable son and student, but still has some roughness around the edges. By the advanced age of 19, he is a mature sage, the immaturity vanished, whether through ancestral wisdom's penetration or the magic of his having found the woman whose heart's measure is on a par with his.

Though Elizabeth traces and retraces Gerald's reasons for needing to stay in Peking, it remained a total puzzle to me. No single idea was developed enough for the whole to make sense.

A compelling international love story.......2002-07-08

"Letter from Peking," a novel by Pearl S. Buck, is narrated in the first-person by its main character, Elizabeth MacLeod. Her narration begins from her home in rural Vermont in 1950. Elizabeth has been separated from her husband, Gerald, due to the poltical upheaval in China; he has remained in China to attend to his duties at a university. Gerald is the son of a Scottish-American and a Chinese woman.

As the novel unfolds, Elizabeth reflects on her past life with the absent Gerald. She also tells the story of her ongoing relationships with her and Gerald's son, Rennie; with Gerald's elderly father; and with other people in her life.

"Letter" is a fascinating look at how international political forces can act like a "tidal wave," affecting families profoundly. The book is also an intimate look at a marriage from a woman's perspective, and a compelling study of a biracial young man (Rennie) who is struggling with his dual heritage while making the passage to manhood. There is also an element of political intrigue and danger, although the focus of this book is family relationships and emotions.

Although the dialogue is occasionally a bit stiff, overall I was very impressed by the subtle artistry of Buck's prose. She has an eye for details: an old man's dragon-headed cane, the birth of a calf, "arching maple trees blazing with autumn fire," etc. At its best she attains a delicate, economical poetic prose. This is a fine novel by a writer who, in my opinion, deserves more attention.

Book Description

Area 51, Dreamland, Groom Lake, Paradise Ranch, Watertown Strip, the Box: all refer to the top-secret research installation, located a hundred miles north of Las Vegas, which, for many, has come to stand for all that is shadowy and nefarious about the military-industrial-intelligence complex. Built under the direction of the CIA in the 1950s, the base served as the original test site for the U-2 spy plane and F-117 stealth fighter jet. In more recent years, Area 51 has spurred public interest from its role in the government's $30 billion "Black Budget," from legal claims of worker illness due to toxic burning, and from sensational charges about captured alien spacecraft. It has also given birth to a feisty guerrilla subculture bent on exploding the secrecy surrounding this mysterious spot. David Darlington unfolds the history, legs, and characters involved with Area 51, weaving a weird tale of intrigue and outrage that speaks volumes about popular culture and American democracy at the of the twentieth century.

Customer Reviews:

A Story of Discovery.......2007-04-08

This book is primarily about the individuals that hunted down information about the secret Air Force base known as Dreamland, The Ranch, or Area 51. It focuses on the 1990's, when the base became part of popular culture. You will find a lot of information about the personalities of the people associated with the efforts to uncover the base. You won't find a lot of unsubstantiated "facts" about UFOs or secret projects that have been associated with the base. If nothing else, the book is worthwhile for putting in print the story of "Mo". Who is Mo? Read the book.

Very little about Area 51, mostly about individuals.......2004-12-14

This book is obviously written to fill pages between a cover that says "Area 51". The writing isn't very good, the information isn't very good, most of it is downright annoyingly off topic such as a chapter on the Luxor hotel's buffet and rides. There is no information about Area 51 you cannot get for free on the internet. The book is extremely vague about the Area 51 base and instead concentrates of various crackpots that consider themselves Area 51 experts. That might be useful if the subjects were revealed in an Area 51 context but they are not. Instead we are treated to tales of how they like to get drunk and eat tuna with their fingers. There is an abundance of pages on various planes and the people who follow such things but again it's about planes and not nessesarily what they might have at Area 51. Much of the book is so pointless and senseless that I can only draw the conclusion that the mandate was to fill pages with words so the publisher could have an "Area 51" book on the shelves. Content wasn't a priority. Don't waste your time or money.

Good Read; Weird Subject.......2004-09-27

Area 51, the highly classified military installation at Groom Lake in the Nevada desert about 90 miles north of Las Vegas, may be more a state of mind than a physical place. Certainly that is the way it is treated in this engagingly written, witty, and sometimes insightful report on the desert base as it is understood in the mid-1990s and the strange cast of characters seeking to learn its mysteries. This is never more true than in the general public's perception of the installation as depicted in such television programs as the "X-Files" and films like "Independence Day."

Area 51 begins with a discussion of the first trip the author, an investigative journalist and author of three earlier books, made in 1993 to the ramshackle town of Rachel, Nevada, on the north side of the Groom Lake facility and haven of Area 51 watchers. There he met the most rational of the lot, Glenn Campbell (not the country singer), who was on a one-man crusade to find out what the government was up to at this super-secret base. It ends in 1997 with the revelation that Campbell was leaving this crusade.

Between these two Campbellite bookends the author weaves a set of weird stories tied to the base. In the early 1950s Lockheed Skunkworks director Kelly Johnson needed a secure place to test the U-2 reconnaissance airplane. The Air Force's test facility at Muroc dry lake, site of the now famous Chuck Yeager X-1 flights of 1947, was too well known and had too many people watching it. Groom Lake's dry bed provided just as good a runway in much more desolate surroundings and thus Area 51 was born. It has been the site of numerous other equally secret Air Force test programs over the years; those acknowledged now include the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft and the F-117 stealth fighter. Other secret high-technology research projects, both real and imagined by the residents of Rachel, periodically make their way into this book.

But the really enticing thread running through the story of Area 51 is the belief held almost universally by the Rachel residents that the U.S. government is using the base to hide, reverse-engineer, and test alien technology that crashed on Earth. Thus, Area 51 has gained Mecca-like status for UFO hunters the world over. One would have to look for a long time to find as colorful a collection of characters to grace a non-fiction work. If those involved in America's space program look like stuffy establishment types who have taken the adventure out of spaceflight, this crew provides an extreme on the other end.

Bob Lazar serves as a centerpiece for Darlington's account. He says of him, "within the world of ufology, meeting Bob Lazar is tantamount to meeting Bob Dylan. Lazar is similarly a reclusive superstar and a legend in his own time; if not exactly the voice of a generation" (p. 61). Lazar claims to have worked at Area 51, tested alien spacecraft, and actually to have seen extraterrestrials involved in the reverse-engineering process. As such, if one accepts his story without verification, he provided much-needed confirmation and coherence to a range of diffuse anecdotes circulating about Area 51. Darlington does not accept Lazar's story at face-value. Neither did Glenn Campbell and a few others interested in Area 51. They found that many of the verifiable facts of Lazar's life did not pan out and that his wide-ranging statements about the base had serious inconsistencies. All these raised serious questions about his credibility.

But that does not much matter to many of the UFO hunters centered on Rachel. Most accepted his story, and some even added to it. Bill Uhouse, for instance, spun his own story of working as an engineer inside secret government facilities side by side with extraterrestrials who were doling out technological knowledge with an eyedropper to eager government officials. Then there was Ambassador Merlyn Merlin II of Alpha Draconis, who claimed to be an alien in human form sent to Earth to usher in a new order of contact with alien species. Joe and Pat Travis, proprietors of the Little A-Le-Inn in Rachel, have provided the safe haven for many of the UFO hunters in town, even sponsoring 1993's "Ultimate UFO Seminar" in which Lazar and others described their experiences. Finally, Agent X, as he likes to be called, stalks Area 51 to learn about the secret programs conducted there and claims to be a pacifistic hawk and purveyor of privileged national security information.

One over-arching observation springs from Darlington's narrative. There seems to be an unusual linkage between the more strident ufologists and the radical right wing of politics and anti-government militia groups. At numerous points in the book, anti-government rhetoric is voiced about attempts, intergalactic or not, to overthrow the U.S. Constitution and replace it with a "New World Order" in which Americans would become defacto slaves. Ambassador Merlyn Merlin II put an unusual spin on this. "I'm not a government conspiracy wacko," he told Darlington. "These people are radical right-wing conservative Christian fundamentalist militia supporters." Then he said: "I'm for the New World Order. When the United Federation of Planets is connected to the United Nations, that will be the New World Order--a permanent golden age" (p. 203). Slavery or salvation, Area 51 seems to serve as a beacon for each possibility in the minds of those who watch it.

None of this bears much relationship to the activities taking place at Area 51. And Darlington does not provide much serious investigation of them. That would have required research in tons of government records, probably using the "Freedom-of-Information Act" to gain access, and probing among those who live in Washington rather that in Rachel. What he does offer, however, is a fascinating account of what a fringe element of American society believe about what is taking place at Area 51. As such, it is a study of modern popular culture rather than a serious attempt to write history.

Easily, the best book I've ever read.......2003-08-28

I am an Area 51 and US Military and Government Researcher, and I was looking for a book that would inform me not only on speculation as to what is going on in the world's most secretive base, but also honest and truthful facts. After reading David Darlington's best selling biography of the base, I can easily state on Amazon that the book did much more than that. The book is a five star documentary of Area 51, and will inspire the people who work there in to wondering what they are doing in that remote installation in Nevada. The book features how Area 51 came into existence: there was, supposedly, a crash landing of some craft in Roswell, NM, USA in the blistering hot summer of 1947. Who knows where those craft are? The only real piece of evidence to show that the craft are being back engineered to make such historic and monumental aircraft today is Area 51: its sheer size and isolation from the rest of the world is, actually, beyond imagination. The cold war comes and what do you see, but, twenty years after the crash landing and mass speculatory existence of the people of New Mexico, you see craft like the SR71, Have Blue and U-2A and also, later on, the B series. Darlington not only looks at evidence to prove that Area 51 exists, but actually, as a journalist, and a very talented grad. of Yale university, (though not from Skull and Bones!), he looks in a very perspective way at how people live in nevada and cope with what is easily a contradiction of most US regulations on environment and defense. David Darlington spends an increasing amount of time in Rachel, the closest concentration of American citizens to Area 51, otherwise known as Dreamland (hence the title of the book The Dreamland Chronicles), and spends time with just about every famous and widely heard of person in the village. He also spends time with Interceptors, he becomes one himself, looking for planes and travelling with officials to find out, constantly, new things relating to the base. He also uses his intelligence and common sense to seek out red herrings and disinformation, and he does that very well ina humourous and personal way. Area 51, a fantastic matter in modern philosophy, is intriguing, secretive, and always makes you think 'what if?'. But I have never read a book like the one Mr. Darlington wrote. It's good for skeptics, enthusiasts, and interceptors alike, and what I like is that he never gives up hope. Mr. Darlington, you've made me want to read more of the books, and as that phrase is coming from an Area 51 researcher and writer himself, I think I will. I'll award it five 'plus' stars. The book deserves them, don't you worry.

Calling All Crackpots.......2002-06-05

As an open-minded skeptic I'm game to all kinds of weirdness, if the evidence presents itself. In turn I was somewhat familiar with the folklore surrounding Area 51 in Nevada. On a recent cross-country vacation I drove through some of the areas described in this book (though not nearly so extensively), traversing a portion of Nevada 375, and making a personal contribution to the unauthorized bumper sticker tradition. I got this here book later in the trip in Roswell, New Mexico, another center of weirdness that has a much better sense of humor. Here Darlington is not focused on the top-secret military operations at the base known popularly as Area 51 (which would be mostly impossible), but with the folklore practiced by conspiracy buffs and UFO enthusiasts who frequent the area. Centered in the nowheresville of Rachel, this book is populated with all kinds of colorful characters with bizarre theories and backgrounds, with names like Agent X and Ambassador Merlyn Merlin II of Alpha Draconis. Darlington keeps a detached stance, merely reporting each figure's theories and trying not to pass judgment. While most of these folks claim to be activists trying to unveil military and government secrecy, just about all of them come across, through their own words, as the highest class of crackpots, publicity seekers, and connect-the-dots conspiracy theorists that could be debunked by a pre-schooler. Unfortunately, Darlington's detached method leads to a book that can be quite dry and tedious at times, as he tends to use extremely long interviews and speeches verbatim, which sometimes last for several pages in a row. Darlington doesn't bother to propose any universal conclusion about this whole phenomenon, which would be interesting from a cultural standpoint at least. This book is outdated also, with several predictions from the interviewees of momentous events at the turn of the millennium. These sure didn't happen, and I bet it's because the year 2000 is a number based on a human calendar, so why would aliens care? Duh. In the end, this book accomplishes little more than rehashing the weirdness you can get for free from any number of internet news groups.

Area 51: Secrets of Dreamland (UFO Home Central Video, UFO Chronicles)

Average customer rating:

Area 51: Secrets of Dreamland (UFO Home Central Video, UFO Chronicles)

Manufacturer: Goodtimes Home Video
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000EUHAG8

Product Description

Area 51 Video: UFO's

DREAMLAND CHRONICLES: THE STRANGE AND CONTINUING SAGA OF AREA 51

Average customer rating:

DREAMLAND CHRONICLES: THE STRANGE AND CONTINUING SAGA OF AREA 51
DAVID DARLINGTON
Manufacturer: LITTLE, BROWN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

UFOs | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

Area 51: The Dreamland Chronicles. (book reviews): An article from: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Average customer rating:

Area 51: The Dreamland Chronicles. (book reviews): An article from: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Linda Rothstein
Manufacturer: Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Science & Technology | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, published by Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science, Inc. on May 1, 1998. The length of the article is 1431 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: Area 51: The Dreamland Chronicles. (book reviews)
Author: Linda Rothstein
Publication: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (Refereed)
Date: May 1, 1998
Publisher: Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science, Inc.
Volume: v54 Issue: n3 Page: p64(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Area 51 The Dreamland Chronicles: The Legend of America's Most Secret Military Base

Average customer rating:

Area 51 The Dreamland Chronicles: The Legend of America's Most Secret Military Base
David Darlington
Manufacturer: Henry Holt and Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LA1UIA

Book Description

Since 1995, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released Canadian gray wolves into Yellowstone National Park as part of its wolf recovery program, reintroduction has been widely challenged in public forums and sensationalized in the media. This conflict has pitted western ranchers and property rights activists against environmental groups, highlighting starkly contrasting political perspectives. In this informed account, Martin A. Nie examines not only the future of wolf recovery but also the issues that will define debates around the politics of wildlife management, animal rights issues, and other flash points. The result is a revelatory look at the way the democratic process works when the subject is an environmental hot-button issue.

Examining the wolf recovery program from a policy-making perspective, Nie looks at programs in Alaska, the Lake Superior region, the Northern Rockies, the Southwest, and New England and upstate New York. He analyzes the social, political, and cultural backdrop in the areas in which wolves have been reintroduced and explores such contentious issues as the role of science in public policy; the struggle between wilderness protection, resource management, and private property; and the use of stakeholders in environmental conflicts.

For Nie, the debate over wolf recovery is above all a value-based political conflict that should take place in a more inclusive, participatory, and representative democratic arena. Wolves, Nie writes, are an important indicator species both biologically and politically, and in Beyond Wolves, he tells an important story of wolves and people, place and politics, that resonates far beyond the fate of America's most misunderstood inhabitants.

Martin A. Nie is assistant professor of natural resource policy in the School of Forestry at the University of Montana.

Customer Reviews:

Essential political perspective on wolves, if incomplete.......2005-08-11

This is an essential discussion of the politics of wolves and wolf recovery. Nie discusses the management of wild populations in Alaska and the upper Midwest as well as wolf reintroduction programs in Idaho and Yellowstone. He is primarily interested in wolf management policy. Though he is a professor, Nie avoids scholarly theory and jargon. He writes well and the book reads easily.

Nie has a background in both resource management and political science, so he's well positioned to talk about the human side of wolves. As a result of being more attuned to the social sciences, he provides a more insightful account of the human side of the wolf-human relationship than your typical biologist - or even your atypical biologist. This is really the best book available on the political social side of wolf management. However, it's not quite as reader-friendly as Steinhardt's book.

Nie considers a series of relevant issues: the symbolic issues of wolves and ranchers, the political economy of wolf regions, the politics of wildlife management organizations, and the successes and failures of stakeholder-based management such as the Fortymile caribou herd in Alaska and the Yukon. He emphasizes the conflicts in values between wolf supporters and opponents, and is sympathetic to solutions that bring interested parties into dialogue with one another.

The result is a very measured and moderate book. I can imagine fanatic anti-wolf people hating this book, but if you are a wolf lover who can't accept the idea of shooting wolves under any circumstances, you'll probably dislike his approach as well.

I would have liked to see him broaden his subject a bit. The book concentrates on the US, though Canada (and to a much lesser extent) Mexico are also discussed. It would be interesting to learn more about wolf management issues in Europe and Asia. For that, the best source is Mech and Boitani.

Only people can save wolves.......2003-07-16

If you are reading this review chances are you are a "Wolf Lover" and like myself have an great and overwhelming interest in the wolf and its place on this planet. Sadly though, loving wolves and enjoying photographs, films and books of them will not save them from the persecution they endure by this planets most cruel predator-mankind. Author Martin A Nie points out that the Wolf stands as a symbol for Wilderness, and in the 19th Century that was a symbol of all things that mankind hated about the wild, a fear of the unknown, yet now in the 21st Century the Wolf stands for everything that we love about the wild, Freedom. So what has changed in the Wolf? That's right, nothing, the wolf is still the same animal, it is only our attitude that is different. BEYOND WOLVES looks at the Socio-politics of this change in human ideals and thoughts. Every single person who claims to support the Wolf should read this book to understand that it is a political problem that is retarding Wolf Recovery efforts throughout the world, and that these problems must be understood and acknowledged by everyone, Land holders, Farmers, Urban dwellers and Environmentalists. A personal observation about the continuing conflict between farmers (who use dogs for protection and herding) and wolf-lovers (who love dogs as well) is illustrated by wolf photographer Jim Brandenburg in his excellent book BROTHER WOLF when he writes, "Thousands of years ago we brought a powerfull intelligent predator into our caves, and today it sleeps at our feet.While we were learning to love the wolf that became the dog, we somehow learned to hate the wolf that stayed the Wolf"(J Brandenburg-Brother Wolf pg150)This is our dilema, and as an intelligent species we must attempt to make peace with the rest of the planet and its other inhabitants, because a war against nature, is ultimatly a war against ourselves. BEYOND WOLVES is divided into Four parts (one) Wolf Recovery and Managment as Value-Based Political Conflict (two) The wolf as Symbol,Surragate and Policy problem. (three) Wolves and the Politics of Place. (four) The Use of Stakeholders and Public Participation in Wolf Policymaking and Management. These parts and their sub-chapters may seem like a difficult thing to read but Author Martin A Nie is the Assistant Professor of Natural Policy in the School of Forestry at the University of Montana, and his fine fact based text is totally interesting (and backed up with copious notes) so that anyone with any interest in wolves will find it a facinating, and most of all a very important book if our friend, Canis Lupus, is to survive with us on this planet.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books