Average customer rating:
- Only superlatives can do justice to this book.
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The Dawn of the Floating World
Timothy Clark ,
Anne Nishimura morse ,
Louise E. Virgin , and
Allen Hockley
Manufacturer: Royal Academy Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Kimono: Fashioning Culture
ASIN: 0810966441 |
Customer Reviews:
Only superlatives can do justice to this book........2002-04-18
Everything about "Dawn of the Floating World: Early Ukiyoe Treasures from the Museum of Fine Arts" is superb: the quality of the unglazed paper, the beautiful design and color reproductions, and the solid scholarship that accompanies the presentation of rare Japanese prints from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
If you are a collector or student of Edo-period Japanese prints, you undoubtedly have dozens if not hundreds of books in your art library, but few will match the quality of this volume or give you access to such a rich lode of information on the earliest of the Japanese printmakers (1650-1765). Nor will many other books stand up to the quality of the text provided by an all-star team drawn from the British Museum, Museum of Fine Arts/Boston, and Dartmouth College. The text entries present: poems in romanized Japanese as well as English translation, aesthetic assessments of the prints, biographical information on artists, interpretations of symbolic devices, and details--where relevant--of the kabuki plays, actors, locations, and activities depicted. Even the footnotes, printed at the inner margins of the pages devoted to text, are fascinating and will help intellectually curious readers to readily locate the best of source material.
Average customer rating:
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Dress and undress: A history of women's underwear
Elizabeth Ewing
Manufacturer: Drama Book Specialists
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: 0896760006 |
Book Description
In this very first story arc, we meet Officer Dragon, a brand new cop in a Chicago overrun with super freaks and crime lords. Creator Erik Larsen takes big risks with story-telling, characterization, and plot, infusing this series with violence, sex and humor in a way previously unseen in the genre. He takes liberties no other creator can, and will surprise you at every turn.
Customer Reviews:
Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03
This book has some of the first Savage Dragon work, including the limited series, and some bits of the Megaton Man story.
Dragon mysteriously appears in the city, and goes to work with the police force. He meets the co-workers that will become important parts of the story.
A family conflict ends up with Dragon's girlfriend being killed by a hitman sent to bump him off. This sends him diving into a bottle.
Great comic, inaccurate listing.......2007-05-21
This is an enormously entertaining intro story to a great character and great comic book series. There is a more recent, and improved-upon edition of this book, though, entitled "Savage Dragon Vol. 1: Baptism of Fire."
Also, please listen Amazon, author Erik Larson (that's "Larson" with an "o") had nothing to do with this book, or any other of Erik Larsen's ("Larsen" with an "e") comic books. They have had their listings combined on this site for years, which is just silly.
True Hero.......2002-08-20
Savage Dragon is a piece of comic art and an under appreciated gem that came out in the early 90's. Overshadowed by it's distinguished sibling Spawn from the same company, this diamond in the rubble had some of the finest uncomplicated action and adventure than any of it's superhero competition. Critics have passed up the Dragon as a Hulk knock off but leave it up to it's creator, writer, and penciller to prove them all otherwise. Savage Dragon, filled with humor and surprises, is one of the most original heros of that decade and sure to be highly entertaining to all superhero fans.
The best comic book on the market.......2002-08-16
While Marvel is shifting their focus to darker stories, Erik Larsen has done the exact opposite, filling his world with brightly colored, mature, yet all ages appropriate stories. This is where the series starts, and it's an excellent TPB to have in your collection.
One of the most brilliant comic book heroes of the 1990's........2000-06-26
Well, first of all, it should be noted that the only similarity that Dragon has with the Hulk is green skin. And it should also be noted that the Hulk's visual was initially ripped-off from Frankenstein's. So, Dragon is pretty much original. The powers, personality, and others stuff is totally original.
And this book is pretty darned good.
It features a lone warrior cop waking up an amnesiac and being the city of Chicago's only hope against a crime organization with total power over the city. He struggles against terrible odds and watches those he loves die around him. Featuring a very human character, Savage Dragon is a book not to be missed by true superhero fans.
Average customer rating:
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Savage Dragon vol 3: En espanol/ Savage Dragon vol 3: In Spanish/ Spanish Edition
Eric Larsen
Manufacturer: Public Square Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1594972346 |
Book Description
This long-running comic series opens with Savage Dragon awakening in a burning field, in a Chicago completely changed from how he knew it. When the disoriented hero falls under attack, his old friend Wildstar comes to his aid. But it seems that this is a future version of Wildstar, who has traveled back to the past to prevent Dragon from being killed. Wildstar explains the present situation of this reality, and how Dragon himself has helped to destroy the city. Consequently, Dragon becomes a reluctant superhero-endowed with super-strength and the ability to regenerate from any injury, he must tackle a city overrun by superfreaks and crimelords.
Book Description
The events of 9/11 and the war on terrorism and the daily crises in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—behind them lie some of the most shocking failures and misuse of military intelligence in history. In this updated edition of Colonel Hughes-Wilson’s controversial book, the long-serving professional military intelligence officer explores and exposes the often disastrous misunderstanding and mishandling of crucial intelligence by politicians and seasoned generals in recent times. Modern military history records major catastrophes in the air, at sea, and on the battlefield that originate in lapses of military judgment—from the crushing defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo to Stalin’s Operation Barbarossa to Yom Kippur. The reason frequently lies in the failure of the decision makers in power to understand and appreciate fully intelligence information. So it was that American bureaucratic bungling and interservice rivalries collaborated with the Japanese in their devastating attack on Pearl Harbor—despite the fact that the U.S. was monitoring Japan’s top-secret radio traffic. So, too, the Viet Cong’s Tet Offensive of 1968 took the world’s most technologically advanced army completely by surprise. This book discloses the lapses, errors, miscalculations, and underestimations of military intelligence that have shaped our wars and defined our times.
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating, and detailed.......2004-09-12
Apparently Colonel John Hughes-Wilson was in British Military Intelligence for a decade, and made a study of the profession and practice while he was there. When he left, he set out to write a book on the history of the art, using various historical examples to show why things work out the way they do, and why certain practices should be followed or avoided.
The book follows a simple format. The first chapter is an introduction to the subject, explaining the objective of Military Intelligence and the means of obtaining, evaluating, and disseminating the information involved. The rest of the chapters (save a short conclusion) discuss individual events from the past sixty years where an army or nation was surprised or somehow failed by intelligence. There's a brief discussion of the overall course of the battle and the parameters of what the author wishes to discuss, and then a critical analysis of the intelligence that was available, how it was handled, and what was made of it by the end-users. Usually, of course, the end-user ignored or misused the intelligence, and the result was a disaster.
The one minor quibble I had with the book was the selection of the various anecdotes involved. I felt that a couple were badly selected (notably the one on Malaya in 1942) mostly because the battles involved were British, and of course the author is a Brit. That having been noted, it doesn't detract much from the overall impact of the book, and there actually is some worthwhile information even in that chapter. I would have preferred, however, if he'd used something like the Japanese failure at the Battle of Midway, where their signal intelligence basically lost them the battle.
That all being said, this is a very worthwhile and intelligent book, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject.
A wealth of info in a small space..........2004-01-18
An excellent series of case studies by retired Colonel John Hughes-Wilson. He definitely did his homework, as he has a wealth of accurate information on each of his studies. There are a few of his conclusions that I would disagree with, but that is just differing opinions. In some instances, however, he does not clearly distinguish between intelligence blunders and errors of command decision, which are not the same. This may lead the uninformed reader astray. Nonetheless, this is a well-written, easy to read book that provides an excellent review of intelligence practices that have had historic impact in our world. This has become a permanent addition to my library for future reference. Well done.
Nine vignettes with a consistent message.......2003-09-21
This very engrossing book covers nine intelligence failures, from Stalin's misuse of his intelligence assets in 1941 to the failures that preceded the 1991 Gulf War. All nine carry a similar message: The raw intelligence was available to avert a blunder, but the analysis was in some way flawed; Stalin, for example, chose to be his own intelligence analyst, and he turned out to be a very poor one. Another message comes through, as well: In all nine examples, the defender's intelligence failed. The attacker, if he can maintain surprise, has the intelligence advantage.
Very detailed and interesting look at history.......2003-05-01
This book was a very detailed and interesting look into some of the most amazing military blunders in history. The author has obviously done his homework, and gives surprisingly intricate detail into each situation. He does tend to ramble on a little with his explanations, and injects a lot of theory based on the facts about why he thinks certain leaders didn't see things coming, but it's very substantiated. He also seems to hold a general dislike for the job that the United States and British intelligence services do. Maybe there's some hidden issues there.
Excellent Insights by an Insider.......2003-02-25
This is one the best books about military intelligence that I have read. Having spent many years working in the area, I find that most other books on the subject are written by outsiders who never quite fully understand what they are writing about, no matter how bright or well intentioned they may be. Few outsiders appreciate, for example, the details of the intelligence cycle, the multiple layers of intelligence collectors, the rivalries among collection agencies, the correct technical jargon, the practical effects on intelligence analysis of inter-agency battles for bigger budgets, etc.
Hughes-Wilson utilizes a case study approach. He analyzes nine different events or conflicts from World War II to the present. Having read about many of the conflicts before, I did not expect to learn much that was new. However, the author presented many new factual details about the events involving the Brits, in particular, that were fascinating. He was clearly a very informed observer and/or possible participant in many of the conflicts. His analysis of the American failure in Tet 1968 is one of the most incisive and dispassionate that I have read. He is no fan of official histories. He is blunt in his criticisms. His comments (actually a very minor part of his Pearl Harbor story)about the FBI's handling of Japanese and German espionage in WW II makes one seriously question the FBI's competence to work effectively as an intelligence organization at that time. But, then has anything really gotten better at the FBI?
Bottom line: As one other reviewer has commented, Hughes-Wilson's real message is that political considerations - whether those of a totalitarian regime or a democracy - often lead to what are called "intelligence blunders." His call for truly objective and independent intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination should be heeded, but it will probably be ignored. We will see more such blunders again.
Book Description
This survey of more than fifty years of national security policy juxtaposes declassified U.S. national intelligence estimates with recently released Soviet documents disclosing the views of Soviet leaders and their Communist allies on the same events. Matthias shows that U.S. intelligence estimates were usually correct but that our political and military leaders generally ignored them—with sometimes disastrous results.
The book begins with a look back at the role of U.S. intelligence during World War II, from Pearl Harbor through the plot against Hitler and the D-Day invasion to the "unconditional surrender" of Japan, and reveals how better use of the intelligence available could have saved many lives and shortened the war. The following chapters dealing with the Cold War disclose what information and advice U.S. intelligence analysts passed on to policymakers, and also what sometimes bitter policy debates occurred within the Communist camp, concerning Vietnam, the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban missile crisis, the turmoil in Eastern Europe, the Six-Day and Yom Kippur wars in the Middle East, and the Soviet intervention in Afganistan. In many ways, this is a story of missed opportunities the U.S. government had to conduct a more responsible foreign policy that could have avoided large losses of life and massive expenditures on arms buildups.
While not exonerating the CIA for its own mistakes, Matthias casts new light on the contributions that objective intelligence analysis did make during the Cold War and speculates on what might have happened if that analysis and advice had been heeded.
Customer Reviews:
OUTSTANDING.......2006-06-10
THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST BOOK ON THE WAY INTELLIGECE IS IGNORED IN MAKING KEY POLICIES. MATTHIAS WAS HIGH IN THE CIA AND PRIVY TO MUCH INFORMATION. I KNOW OF NO BETTER ACCOUNT THAN THIS, AND I HAVE READ MANY.
Solid Thinking on Disconnects Between Policy & Intelligence.......2001-07-04
I like and recommend this book because it is an important personal account from a very talented senior intelligence estimates professional. It documents in great detail a number of extremely serious mistakes on the part of U.S. policy makers from World War II through to Reagan years, while also recounting the history of how the Pentagon helped destroy CIA's independent assessments capability.
Time and time again throughout this book one sees references to "state of mind" and "mindset", and this is important. The author has a very fine grasp of how debilitating ingrained mindsets can be--the military mindset that focuses on buying more and more high technology even though it is demonstrably irrelevant to our most urgent strategic needs; the policy mindset that emphasizes the need for a tangible "main enemy" even as we destroy the environment and ignore catastrophic diseases and failed states; and the intelligence mindset that values secrecy and blind loyalty over public disclosure and public service.
I am especially impressed by the author's past responsibility for preparing the "Estimate of the World Situation", and how compellingly he distinguishes between the great days when such estimates were both produced and consumed, and today's state of affairs, where only "hard targets" are the object of our obsession, and "rest of the world" is poorly addressed.
The integrity of intelligence is a theme than runs throughout the book, and for that reason alone I recommend it for every policy and intelligence professionals' library. There are also compelling insights and thoughtful quotes.
The author's itemization of seven structural anomalies and states of mind that were present in World War II and can be seen today is worth abstracting here: 1. Absolute commitment to unconditional surrender eliiminated possibilities for undermining Hitler from within; 2. Allied command structure was not unified in fact; 3. There were no functioning lines of communication between tactical military and tactical (field) intelligence units; 4. Military leaders had a tactical intelligence state of mind, not a strategic intelligence state of mind, and were overly dependent on signals intelligence; 5. Military leaders were absolutely committed to established plans and unwilling to deviate or consider alternatives even in the face of compelling intelligence; 6. Moral self-righteousness and political naivete blinded Allied political and military leaders to the efforts of moderating forces in Germany ready to start an internal war; 7. Concept of war shifted away from the Clausewitzian "trinity" toward a "total war" emphasizing societal destruction and victory at any cost.
As his book goes on to document, these problems have been with us through the entire Cold War period, and have resulted in great waste of the taxpayer dollar as well as extraordinary risk of nuclear war with the Soviets during the 1980's when we played a very confrontational game with very limited policy level appreciation of just how desperate the Soviets might be.
This is not a book that offers solutions or suggestions for improving the vitality of intelligence or the attention span of policy makers, but it is an excellent contribution to what one can only hope will eventually be a truly public debate about the need for restoring America's strategic intelligence analysis capabilities, and making both intelligence producers and intelligence consumers accountable for "informed policy."
Average customer rating:
- Excellent work.
- Excellent work.
- there are facts and there are facts
- Big on facts, low on narrative
- Official Indian propaganda?
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KARGIL BLUNDER: Pakistan's Plight, India's Victory
Major General Y Bahl
Manufacturer: Manas Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 8170491207 |
Customer Reviews:
Excellent work........2001-07-01
The world knows how the failed state of pakistan's rogue army was torn to pieces during the Kargil war.The Pakistani media continues to delude it's own people into thinking they has a success in Kargil.Oh,they forgot what that was!Their cheap exuses including "It was'nt our army but kashmiri freedom fighters" etc are laughable.The pakistani spammers here obviously have'nt read this book for the fear of being brought into reality.Post kargil,pakistan was almost declared a terrorist state officially.This book superbly covers Pakistan's failed operation and their lack of fighting ability that was cleary demonstrated in 3 previous wars.Pakistan's former prime minister declared in public that "Pakistan's casualties in Kargil were higher than in the 1965 war,entire packets of the NLI were wiped out" - that clearly means over 5000 pakistanis killed during kargil.
The world continues to condemn and at the same time laugh at Pakistan's pathetic attempts at war victory. The very fact that Pakistan refused to accept the bodies of their own soldiers shows what a 3rd rate nation they are.Recently Benazir Bhutto made a referance to General Musharaff saying "Here is the man who sent more than 3000 pakistanis to their martyrdom in the icy heights of Kargil."My guess is that the deluded Pakistanis would disagree with this too.Those claiming this book as propoganda should first consider unfortunate the families of those thousands of paki soldiers who were wiped out during Kargil.
This book is an excellent coverage of the entire war with FACTs and Real life bravery of those Indian soldiers who had to climb up peaks at 17000 feet to destroy a heavily entrenched enemy.This is clearly not like the sort of rubbish Pakistan publishes to delude it's own people.The author has been there where the action was unlike those poor deluded pakis who were there where their Televison sets were.
Excellent work........2001-07-01
The world knows how the failed state of pakistan's rogue army was torn to pieces during the Kargil war.The Pakistani media continues to delude it's own people into thinking they has a success in Kargil.Oh,they forgot what that was!Their cheap exuses including "It was'nt our army but kashmiri freedom fighters" etc are laughable.The pakistani spammers here obviously have'nt read this book for the fear of being brought into reality.Post kargil,pakistan was almost declared a terrorist state officially.This book superbly covers Pakistan's failed operation and their lack of fighting ability that was cleary demonstrated in 3 previous wars.Pakistan's former prime minister declared in public that "Pakistan's casualties in Kargil were higher than in the 1965 war,entire packets of the NLI were wiped out" - that clearly means over 5000 pakistanis killed during kargil.
The world continues to condemn and at the same time laugh at Pakistan's pathetic attempts at war victory. The very fact that Pakistan refused to accept the bodies of their own soldiers shows what a 3rd rate nation they are.Recently Benazir Bhutto made a referance to General Musharaff saying "Here is the man who sent more than 3000 pakistanis to their martyrdom in the icy heights of Kargil."My guess is that the deluded Pakistanis would disagree with this too.Those claiming this book as propoganda should first consider unfortunate the families of those thousands of paki soldiers who were wiped out during Kargil.
This book is an excellent coverage of the entire war with FACTs and Real life bravery of those Indian soldiers who had to climb up peaks at 17000 feet to destroy a heavily entrenched enemy.This is clearly not like the sort of rubbish Pakistan publishes to delude it's own people.The author has been there where the action was unlike those poor deluded pakis who were there where their Televison sets were.
there are facts and there are facts.......2000-07-07
I would disagree with the previous poster, the facts presented in the book are not very verifiable, indian sources created many of these facts ,and the fact that nawaz sharif is using the same facts in his own defense is not a proof, he is making these alligations to save his own skin. The indian military used a propagande cell to create many of these facts, so i belive nil in them ---
Big on facts, low on narrative.......2000-06-28
I disagree with the two previous reviewers in that the book is full of verifiable facts (especially since the deposed Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif came out with his revelations). The thing lacking is flow in the narrative. At times the author does sound like blowing the Indian Army bugle but that is understandable in light of his background.
A useful book for followers of the Indian subcontinent's defence issues.
Official Indian propaganda?.......2000-06-15
Hi, I am very disappointed with this one sided, highly distorted and false propaganda work by Maj Gen Bahl. It wouldnt hurt to put some truth in his claims. Indian army and India was saved by timely intervention of USA and not by "heroic" and amazing feats of coward Indian soilders.
Average customer rating:
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Military INtelligence Blunders
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf Publishers, INc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0739406892 |
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