Rob's bookshelf: all en-US Sat, 10 May 2025 22:03:58 -0700 60 Rob's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Dangerous Journey 6915571 190 László Hámori Rob 5 4.56 1959 Dangerous Journey
author: László Hámori
name: Rob
average rating: 4.56
book published: 1959
rating: 5
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date added: 2025/05/10
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]]> Trapped in Space 898094
Jeff sets off to rescue him, but soon his own crippled starship is caught in the same eerie web of a monstrous creature from outer space!]]> 144 Jack Williamson 0385089422 Rob 4 3.61 1968 Trapped in Space
author: Jack Williamson
name: Rob
average rating: 3.61
book published: 1968
rating: 4
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date added: 2025/05/10
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]]> Into the Teeth of the Tiger 93661
This edition of Lopez's acclaimed account features new photographs, most of which have never before been published. Relating how the 23rd Fighter Group continued to win battles even as the Japanese gained ground, Into the Teeth of the Tiger is the humorous and insightful memoir of an ace pilot caught in the paradox of victory in retreat.]]> 256 Donald S. Lopez 1560987529 Rob 5 4.36 1986 Into the Teeth of the Tiger
author: Donald S. Lopez
name: Rob
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1986
rating: 5
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date added: 2025/05/07
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]]> <![CDATA[The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England]]> 16158562 The author of The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England takes you through the world of Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth I

From the author of The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England, this popular history explores daily life in Queen Elizabeth’s England, taking us inside the homes and minds of ordinary citizens as well as luminaries of the period, including Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Sir Francis Drake.

Organized as a travel guide for the time-hopping tourist, Mortimer relates in delightful (and occasionally disturbing) detail everything from the sounds and smells of sixteenth-century England to the complex and contradictory Elizabethan attitudes toward violence, class, sex, and religion.

Original enough to interest those with previous knowledge of Elizabethan England and accessible enough to entertain those without, The Time Traveler’s Guide is a book for Elizabethan enthusiasts and history buffs alike.


]]> 393 Ian Mortimer 0670026077 Rob 0 currently-reading 4.01 2010 The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England
author: Ian Mortimer
name: Rob
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2010
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> Torpedo Run 6605721 255 Robb White Rob 5 4.12 1962 Torpedo Run
author: Robb White
name: Rob
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1962
rating: 5
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date added: 2025/03/16
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]]> Fagin the Thief 213870090 A thrilling reimagining of the world of Dickens, as seen through the eyes of the infamous Jacob Fagin, London’s most gifted pickpocket, liar, and rogue.

Long before Oliver Twist stumbled onto the scene, Jacob Fagin was scratching out a life for himself in the dark alleys of nineteenth-century London. Born in the Jewish enclave of Stepney shortly after his father was executed as a thief, Jacob and his open-minded mother, Leah, are each other’s whole world. But Jacob’s prospects are forever altered when a light-fingered pickpocket takes Jacob under his wing and teaches him a trade that pays far better than the neighborhood boys could possibly dream.

Striking out on his own, Jacob familiarizes himself with London’s highest value neighborhoods while forging his own path in the shadows. But everything changes when he adopts an aspiring teenage thief named Bill Sikes, whose mercurial temper poses a danger to himself and anyone foolish enough to cross him. Along the way, Jacob’s found family expands to include his closest friend, Nancy, and his greatest protege, the Artful Dodger. But as Bill’s ambition soars and a major robbery goes awry, Jacob is forced to decide what he really stands for—and what a life is worth.

Colorfully written and wickedly funny, Allison Epstein breathes fresh life into the teeming streets of Dickensian London–reclaiming one of Victorian literature’s most notorious villains in an unforgettable new adventure.]]> 336 Allison Epstein 0385550707 Rob 0 currently-reading 4.17 2025 Fagin the Thief
author: Allison Epstein
name: Rob
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> General Scott 63935970 292 Marcus Joseph Wright 1017502617 Rob 4 4.00 General Scott
author: Marcus Joseph Wright
name: Rob
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
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date added: 2025/02/07
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]]> Andersonville 77239 766 MacKinlay Kantor 0452269563 Rob 5 4.10 1955 Andersonville
author: MacKinlay Kantor
name: Rob
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1955
rating: 5
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date added: 2025/02/06
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]]> <![CDATA[Hard Tack and Coffee by John D. Billings (2009-07-01)]]> 133834123 0 John D. Billings Rob 5 5.00 Hard Tack and Coffee by John D. Billings (2009-07-01)
author: John D. Billings
name: Rob
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/02/02
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]]> <![CDATA[American Guerrilla: The Forgotten Heroics of Russell W. Volckmann—the Man Who Escaped from Bataan, Raised a Filipino Army against the Japanese, and Became the True "Father" of Army Special Forces]]> 29230902 A main selection of the Military Book Club and a selection of the History Book Club

With his parting words, “I shall return,� General Douglas MacArthur sealed the fate of the last American forces on Bataan. Yet one young Army Captain named Russell Volckmann refused to surrender. He disappeared into the jungles of north Luzon where he raised a Filipino army of more than 22,000 men. For the next three years he led a guerrilla war against the Japanese, killing more than 50,000 enemy soldiers. At the same time he established radio contact with MacArthur’s headquarters in Australia and directed Allied forces to key enemy positions. When General Yamashita finally surrendered, he made his initial overtures not to MacArthur, but to Volckmann.

This book establishes how Volckmann’s leadership was critical to the outcome of the war in the Philippines. His ability to synthesize the realities and potential of guerrilla warfare led to a campaign that rendered Yamashita’s forces incapable of repelling the Allied invasion. Had it not been for Volckmann, the Americans would have gone in “blind� during their counter-invasion, reducing their efforts to a trial-and-error campaign that would undoubtedly have cost more lives, materiel, and potentially stalled the pace of the entire Pacific War.

Second, this book establishes Volckmann as the progenitor of modern counterinsurgency doctrine and the true “Father� of Army Special Forces—a title that history has erroneously awarded to Colonel Aaron Bank of the European Theater of Operations. In 1950, Volckmann wrote two army field manuals: Operations Against Guerrilla Forces and Organization and Conduct of Guerrilla Warfare, though today few realize he was their author. Together, they became the US Army’s first handbooks outlining the precepts for both special warfare and counter-guerrilla operations. Taking his argument directly to the army chief of staff, Volckmann outlined the concept for Army Special Forces. At a time when US military doctrine was conventional in outlook, he marketed the ideas of guerrilla warfare as a critical force multiplier for any future conflict, ultimately securing the establishment of the Army’s first special operations unit—the 10th Special Forces Group.

Volckmann himself remains a shadowy figure in modern military history, his name absent from every major biography on MacArthur, and in much of the Army Special Forces literature. Yet as modest, even secretive, as Volckmann was during his career, it is difficult to imagine a man whose heroic initiative had more impact on World War II. This long overdue book not only chronicles the dramatic military exploits of Russell Volckmann, but analyzes how his leadership paved the way for modern special warfare doctrine.

Mike Guardia, currently an officer in the US 1st Armored Division is also author of Shadow Commander, about the career of Donald Blackburn, and an upcoming biography of Hal Moore.]]> 187 Mike Guardia Rob 4 4.10 2010 American Guerrilla: The Forgotten Heroics of Russell W. Volckmann—the Man Who Escaped from Bataan, Raised a Filipino Army against the Japanese, and Became the True "Father" of Army Special Forces
author: Mike Guardia
name: Rob
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/02/02
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]]> The Diary of a 49er 7914110 231 C.L. Canfield 0967256100 Rob 5 4.38 1999 The Diary of a 49er
author: C.L. Canfield
name: Rob
average rating: 4.38
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/21
date added: 2025/01/21
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]]> Hard Tack and Coffee 62883612 331 John D. Billings Rob 5 3.60 Hard Tack and Coffee
author: John D. Billings
name: Rob
average rating: 3.60
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/19
date added: 2025/01/19
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A fascinating, if at times badly proof-read account of almost every aspect of army life during the American civil war. Biilings thoroughly and clearly elucidates what he and his comrades went through, not battle-by-battle, but day by day. It compares favorably with other Civil War narratives, which it confirms, and which confirm it. One gets a real understanding of how the Union mustered, equipped and fed tens of thousands of volunteers, and then draftees, and hurled them against the Confederacy. Don't look for a narrative of the war, but your understanding of what was happening will be inestimably richer.
]]> <![CDATA[A Sailor's Log : Recollections of Forty Years of Naval Life]]> 207211097 Rear-Admiral Robley D. Evans Rob 4 horses-swans-terrorism-ghosts 4.00 A Sailor's Log : Recollections of Forty Years of Naval Life
author: Rear-Admiral Robley D. Evans
name: Rob
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/18
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves: horses-swans-terrorism-ghosts
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]]> He Walked Around the Horses 5954947 He Walked Around the Horses 0 H. Beam Piper Rob 4 3.67 1948 He Walked Around the Horses
author: H. Beam Piper
name: Rob
average rating: 3.67
book published: 1948
rating: 4
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date added: 2025/01/16
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]]> <![CDATA[Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage]]> 42343 For decades American submarines have roamed the depths in a dangerous battle for information and advantage in missions known only to a select few. Now, after six years of research, those missions are told in Blind Man's Bluff, a magnificent achievement in investigative reporting. It reads like a spy thriller -- except everything in it is true. This is an epic of adventure, ingenuity, courage, and disaster beneath the sea, a story filled with unforgettable characters who engineered daring missions to tap the enemy's underwater communications cables and to shadow Soviet submarines. It is a story of heroes and spies, of bravery and tragedy.

]]> 432 Sherry Sontag 006097771X Rob 5 4.21 1998 Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage
author: Sherry Sontag
name: Rob
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1998
rating: 5
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date added: 2025/01/16
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]]> <![CDATA[The Second Most Powerful Man in the World: The Life of Admiral William D. Leahy, Roosevelt's Chief of Staff]]> 42737163 The life of Franklin Roosevelt's most trusted and powerful advisor, Admiral William D. Leahy, Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief“Fascinating� greatly enriches our understanding of Washington wartime power.”—Madeleine AlbrightAside from FDR, no American did more to shape World War II than Admiral William D. Leahy--not Douglas MacArthur, not Dwight Eisenhower, and not even the legendary George Marshall. No man, including Harry Hopkins, was closer to Roosevelt, nor had earned his blind faith, like Leahy. Through the course of the war, constantly at the president's side and advising him on daily decisions, Leahy became the second most powerful man in the world.In a time of titanic personalities, Leahy regularly downplayed his influence, preferring the substance of power to the style. A stern-faced, salty sailor, his U.S. Navy career had begun as a cadet aboard a sailing ship. Four decades later, Admiral Leahy was a trusted friend and advisor to the president and his ambassador to Vichy France until the attack on Pearl Harbor. Needing one person who could help him grapple with the enormous strategic consequences of the war both at home and abroad, Roosevelt made Leahy the first presidential chief of staff--though Leahy's role embodied far more power than the position of today. Leahy's profound power was recognized by figures like Stalin and Churchill, yet historians have largely overlooked his role. In this important biography, historian Phillips Payson O'Brien illuminates the admiral's influence on the most crucial and transformative decisions of WWII and the early Cold War. From the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, and France, to the allocation of resources to fight Japan, O'Brien contends that America's war largely unfolded according to Leahy's vision. Among the author's surprising revelations is that while FDR's health failed, Leahy became almost a de facto president, making decisions while FDR was too ill to work, and that much of his influence carried over to Truman's White House.]]> 541 Phillips Payson O'Brien 0399584811 Rob 4 4.30 2019 The Second Most Powerful Man in the World: The Life of Admiral William D. Leahy, Roosevelt's Chief of Staff
author: Phillips Payson O'Brien
name: Rob
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/01/16
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]]> Two Roads to Sumter 352928 Using the early lives and careers of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis as theme and framework, two of America's finest historians outline each step in the tragic march to the Civil War. By showing how these two major figures--both Kentucky-born--developed divergent attitudes, the Cattons simultaneously reveal why the North and South became increasingly isolated from each other during the 1850s, and why war became inevitable. Also captured: the epic sweep of the era, with its great new railroads, land-hungry westward expansion, and developing industrial and agricultural empires.]]> 320 Bruce Catton 1842122908 Rob 0 to-read 4.07 1963 Two Roads to Sumter
author: Bruce Catton
name: Rob
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1963
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/05
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]]> <![CDATA[Winfield Scott; The Soldier And The Man]]> 3265239 837 Charles Winslow Elliott 1601050100 Rob 0 to-read 0.0 2006 Winfield Scott; The Soldier And The Man
author: Charles Winslow Elliott
name: Rob
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2006
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/30
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]]> The Adventures of Pinocchio 6059070 256 Carlo Collodi 8809018168 Rob 5 3.65 1883 The Adventures of Pinocchio
author: Carlo Collodi
name: Rob
average rating: 3.65
book published: 1883
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/12/08
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]]> <![CDATA[The Attack on Pearl Harbor: Strategy, Combat, Myths, Deceptions]]> 11353040 “Uses modern methods of operational analysis to determine exactly how the Japanese planned and executed the great raid... a worthy, useful analysis� (Naval History).The December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor has been portrayed by historians as a dazzling success. With most American historians concentrating on command errors and the story of participants� experiences, the Japanese attack has never been subjected to a comprehensive critical analysis of the military side of the operation. This book presents a detailed evaluation of the attack on the operational and tactical level. It examines such questions Was the strategy underlying the attack sound? Were there flaws in planning or execution? How did Japanese military culture influence the planning? How risky was the attack? What did the Japanese expect to achieve, compared to what they did achieve? Were there Japanese blunders? What were their consequences? What might have been the results if the attack had not benefited from the mistakes of the American commanders?The book also addresses the body of folklore about the attack, assessing contentious issues such as the skill level of the Japanese aircrew; whether mini submarines torpedoed Oklahoma and Arizona, as has been recently claimed; whether the Japanese ever really considered launching a third-wave attack—and the consequences for the Naval Shipyard and the fuel storage tanks if it had been executed. In addition, the analysis has detected for the first time deceptions that a prominent Japanese participant in the attack placed into the historical record, most likely to conceal his blunders and enhance his reputation. The centerpiece of the book is an analysis using modern Operations Research methods and computer simulations, as well as combat models developed between 1922 and 1946 at the US Naval War College. The analysis sheds new light on the strategy and tactics employed by Yamamoto to open the Pacific War, and offers a dramatically different appraisal of the effectiveness of the attack on Pearl Harbor.]]> 615 Alan Zimm Rob 4 4.07 2011 The Attack on Pearl Harbor: Strategy, Combat, Myths, Deceptions
author: Alan Zimm
name: Rob
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2011
rating: 4
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date added: 2024/12/03
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]]> <![CDATA[The Big Front Yard and Other Stories (The Complete Short Fiction of Clifford D. Simak #2)]]> 26548060 Tales of the unknown in which a fix-it man crosses into another dimension—and more

Hiram Taine is a handyman who can fix anything. When he isn’t fiddling with his tools, he is roaming through the woods with his dog, Towser, as he has done for as long as he can remember. He likes things that he can understand. But when a new ceiling appears in his basement—a ceiling that appears to have the ability to repair television sets so they’re better than before—he knows he has come up against a mystery that no man can solve.

Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novelette, “The Big Front Yard� is a powerful story about what happens when an ordinary man finds reality coming apart around him. Along with the other stories in this collection, it is some of the most lyrical science fiction ever published.

Each story includes an introduction by David W. Wixon, literary executor of the Clifford D. Simak estate and editor of this ebook.]]> 332 Clifford D. Simak 1504012836 Rob 4 4.24 2015 The Big Front Yard and Other Stories (The Complete Short Fiction of Clifford D. Simak #2)
author: Clifford D. Simak
name: Rob
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2015
rating: 4
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date added: 2024/11/09
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]]> An Admiral's Log 150212955 0 Robley D. Evans Rob 4 4.00 An Admiral's Log
author: Robley D. Evans
name: Rob
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
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date added: 2024/11/09
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]]> <![CDATA[Defeat Into Victory: Battling Japan in Burma and India, 1942-1945]]> 433797
The first edition of Defeat Into Victory , published in 1956, was an immediate sensation selling 20,000 copies within a few days. This is an updated version with a new introduction by David W. Hogan Jr.]]> 616 William Slim 0815410220 Rob 0 to-read 4.38 1956 Defeat Into Victory: Battling Japan in Burma and India, 1942-1945
author: William Slim
name: Rob
average rating: 4.38
book published: 1956
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/13
shelves: to-read
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]]> Murder in the Gunroom 219936
There were a number of people who had wanted the collection. The question was: had anyone wanted it badly enough to kill Fleming? And if so, how had he done it? Here is a mystery, told against the fascinating background of old guns and gun-collecting, which is rapid-fire without being hysterical, exciting without losing its contact with reason, and which introduces a personable and intelligent new private detective. It is a story that will keep your nerves on a hair trigger even if you don't know the difference between a cased pair of Paterson .34's and a Texas .40 with a ramming-lever.]]> 168 H. Beam Piper 1598189298 Rob 5 3.44 1953 Murder in the Gunroom
author: H. Beam Piper
name: Rob
average rating: 3.44
book published: 1953
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/09/28
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]]> <![CDATA[The Volunteer: One Man, an Underground Army, and the Secret Mission to Destroy Auschwitz]]> 40864224
To uncover the fate of the thousands being interred at a mysterious Nazi camp on the border of the Reich, a young Polish resistance fighter named Witold Pilecki volunteered for an audacious mission: intentionally get captured and transported to the new camp to report back on what was going on there. But gathering information was not his only task: he was to execute an attack from inside—where the Germans would least expect it.

The name of the camp was Auschwitz.

Over the next two and half years, Pilecki forged an underground army within Auschwitz that sabotaged facilities, assassinated Nazi informants and officers, and smuggled out evidence of terrifying abuse and mass murder. But as the annihilation of innocents accelerated, Pilecki realized he would have to attempt another perilous mission: escape Auschwitz and somehow—with more than 900 miles of Nazi-occupied territory in the way—deliver his alert to London before all was lost. . .

Completely erased from the historical record by Poland’s Communist government, Pilecki remains almost unknown to the world. Now, with exclusive access to previously hidden diaries, family and camp survivor accounts and recently declassified files, Jack Fairweather reveals Witold’s exploits with vivid, cinematic bravura. He also uncovers the tragic outcome of Pilecki’s mission, in which the ultimate betrayal came not on the Continent, but England.

The Volunteerincludes 16-pages of black-and-white photographs and six maps.]]> 505 Jack Fairweather 0062561413 Rob 4 4.29 2019 The Volunteer: One Man, an Underground Army, and the Secret Mission to Destroy Auschwitz
author: Jack Fairweather
name: Rob
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2019
rating: 4
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date added: 2024/09/24
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]]> <![CDATA[Richard Halliburton's Complete Book of Marvels]]> 252454 640 Richard Halliburton 051736770X Rob 5 4.52 1937 Richard Halliburton's Complete Book of Marvels
author: Richard Halliburton
name: Rob
average rating: 4.52
book published: 1937
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/09/24
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]]> The Complete Stalky and Co. 45056 Stalky and Co. is a collection of school stories based on Kipling's own experiences at the United Services College. Kipling himself appears as the central character called Beetle and through him shows how school is a pattern-maker for the experiences of life. The Complete Stalky & Co., first published 30 years later, includes five stories not published in the original edition.]]> 368 Rudyard Kipling 0192838598 Rob 0 to-read 3.86 1897 The Complete Stalky and Co.
author: Rudyard Kipling
name: Rob
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1897
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/15
shelves: to-read
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]]> England Under the Tudors 1224068
Now in its third edition, England Under the Tudors charts a historical period that saw some monumental changes in religion, monarchy, government and the arts. Elton's classic and highly readable introduction to the Tudor period offers an essential source of information from the start of Henry VII's reign to the death of Elizabeth I.]]> 522 G.R. Elton 041506533X Rob 0 to-read 3.92 1955 England Under the Tudors
author: G.R. Elton
name: Rob
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1955
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/05
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[We Will Stand by You: Serving in the Pawnee, 1942-1945 (Bluejacket Books)]]> 2135934 312 Estate of Theodore C. Mason 1557505810 Rob 5 4.12 1990 We Will Stand by You: Serving in the Pawnee, 1942-1945 (Bluejacket Books)
author: Estate of Theodore C. Mason
name: Rob
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1990
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/09/02
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]]> <![CDATA[The Beasts of Tarzan (Tarzan, #3)]]> 330110 240 Edgar Rice Burroughs 0809599848 Rob 4 3.75 1914 The Beasts of Tarzan (Tarzan, #3)
author: Edgar Rice Burroughs
name: Rob
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1914
rating: 4
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date added: 2024/08/13
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]]> <![CDATA[Around the World in Eighty Days]]> 54479 252 Jules Verne 014044906X Rob 5 3.95 1872 Around the World in Eighty Days
author: Jules Verne
name: Rob
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1872
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/08/07
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]]> The Civil Wars 167816 480 Appian 0140445099 Rob 4 4.02 165 The Civil Wars
author: Appian
name: Rob
average rating: 4.02
book published: 165
rating: 4
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date added: 2024/08/07
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]]> <![CDATA[The Starlight Barking (The Hundred and One Dalmatians, #2)]]> 31964 160 Dodie Smith 1405204125 Rob 0 to-read 3.62 1967 The Starlight Barking (The Hundred and One Dalmatians, #2)
author: Dodie Smith
name: Rob
average rating: 3.62
book published: 1967
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/07/31
shelves: to-read
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]]> Consider Her Ways 1641776 304 Frederick Philip Grove 1895837227 Rob 4 3.70 1947 Consider Her Ways
author: Frederick Philip Grove
name: Rob
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1947
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/23
date added: 2024/07/23
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]]> The Histories 831106 336 Tacitus 0140441506 Rob 5 4.14 The Histories
author: Tacitus
name: Rob
average rating: 4.14
book published:
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/06/20
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]]> Homer Price 766917 The comic genius of Robert McCloskey and his wry look at small-town America has kept readers in stitches for generations!

]]> 149 Robert McCloskey 0140309276 Rob 5 4.09 1943 Homer Price
author: Robert McCloskey
name: Rob
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1943
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/06/15
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]]> <![CDATA[Grant Series: Grant Moves South/Grant Takes Command]]> 9503865 Grant Moves South (1960) shows the growth of Grant as a military commander, from victories at Forts Henry & Donelson, to Shiloh & Vicksburg.
Grant Takes Command (1969) follows Grant from the Battle of Chattanooga in 1863 through Virginia campaigns against Robert E. Lee & the end of the war.]]> 1120 Bruce Catton 0316158240 Rob 5 4.53 1969 Grant Series: Grant Moves South/Grant Takes Command
author: Bruce Catton
name: Rob
average rating: 4.53
book published: 1969
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/06/03
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]]> The Bedford Incident 30322797 This is a novel of the sea, and it is told with a skill that merits comparison with the best. It consists of three parts:

The War is the cold war of the 1960’s, but on a little-publicized and bleakly isolated front where opposing naval forces secretly maneuver against each other in the eternally empty reaches of the Arctic Ocean. Here they contest for strategic stakes as vital as those of Berlin or Viet Nam.

The Chase is by a modern American destroyer on the track of a Soviet submarine whose mission is to probe NATO defenses based on Greenland. The code-name of this brilliantly elusive submarine is Moby Dick. As the stalking action moves through the lonely vastness of a frozen desolation, some of the fatal obsession which cursed Captain Ahab and his Pequod seems mystically to afflict Captain Erik Finlander, USN, and his USS Bedford.

The Battle is finally joined above the algaed hulk of a melancholy victim of one of the last traditional battleship engagements in the North Atlantic. While all the computer-controlled miracle weapons of modern anti-submarine warfare play their part, it is the far more terrifying obstinacy � and weakness � of inflamed human spirit which determines the ultimate outcome of this searing tale.
]]> 210 Mark Rascovich Rob 4 4.37 1964 The Bedford Incident
author: Mark Rascovich
name: Rob
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1964
rating: 4
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date added: 2024/06/02
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]]> Led by the Grey 21236662 478 Peter de Cosemo Rob 4 horses-swans-terrorism-ghosts 4.57 2011 Led by the Grey
author: Peter de Cosemo
name: Rob
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/04/26
shelves: horses-swans-terrorism-ghosts
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]]> <![CDATA[One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich]]> 17125 The only English translation authorized by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

First published in the Soviet journal Novy Mir in 1962, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich stands as a classic of contemporary literature. The story of labor-camp inmate Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, it graphically describes his struggle to maintain his dignity in the face of communist oppression. An unforgettable portrait of the entire world of Stalin's forced work camps, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is one of the most extraordinary literary documents to have emerged from the Soviet Union and confirms Solzhenitsyn's stature as "a literary genius whose talent matches that of Dosotevsky, Turgenev, Tolstoy"--Harrison Salisbury

This unexpurgated 1991 translation by H. T. Willetts is the only authorized edition available, and fully captures the power and beauty of the original Russian.]]> 182 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Rob 5 3.98 1962 One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
author: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
name: Rob
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1962
rating: 5
read at: 2016/12/12
date added: 2024/03/15
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]]> For Whom the Bell Tolls 46170 For Whom the Bell Tolls. The story of Robert Jordan, a young American in the International Brigades attached to an antifascist guerilla unit in the mountains of Spain, it tells of loyalty and courage, love and defeat, and the tragic death of an ideal. In his portrayal of Jordan's love for the beautiful Maria and his superb account of El Sordo's last stand, in his brilliant travesty of La Pasionaria and his unwillingness to believe in blind faith, Hemingway surpasses his achievement in The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms to create a work at once rare and beautiful, strong and brutal, compassionate, moving and wise. "If the function of a writer is to reveal reality," Maxwell Perkins wrote to Hemingway after reading the manuscript, "no one ever so completely performed it." Greater in power, broader in scope, and more intensely emotional than any of the author's previous works, it stands as one of the best war novels of all time.]]> 471 Ernest Hemingway Rob 4 3.98 1940 For Whom the Bell Tolls
author: Ernest Hemingway
name: Rob
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1940
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/12
date added: 2024/03/12
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]]> The Attack 204413500 “Could October 7 happen in America? Yes. And much worse. Forewarned is forearmed. Read Colonel K’s latest. Now!�

Dr. Sebastian Gorka, Radio Host and National Security Strategist

“America is one giant soft target. Kurt’s narrators tell tales of the nightmare scenario open borders can bring.�

Jim Hanson, Author and Special Forces Veteran

From the author of the bestselling Kelly Turnbull People’s Republic series of action novels comes his latest thriller, THE ATTACK. Set in the very near future and ripped from today’s headlines, THE ATTACK is a terrifying novel that describes in frightening detail exactly how America’s enemies could launch a massive terrorist assault here at home. From the White House to the Middle East, from the blood-stained streets of America’s suburbs to the cockpit of a B-2 bomber that will initiate the first blow in America’s merciless vengeance, THE ATTACK blends vivid realism with stirring action.
With input from key military and counterterrorism experts, THE ATTACK tells the story of a cunning, implacable, and brutal enemy taking advantage of a confused and weak president to launch an assault that dwarfs Hamas’s strike on Israel. With a wide-open border and American law enforcement focused on churchgoers and parents attending schoolboard meetings, the jihadist enemy can pick the time and place for its deadly attack. The only things standing in its way are the courage of America’s brave first responders and military, as well as regular citizens who are caught up in the bloodshed and are forced to fight back.]]> 353 Kurt Schlichter Rob 5 4.71 The Attack
author: Kurt Schlichter
name: Rob
average rating: 4.71
book published:
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/03/03
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]]> <![CDATA[The Ships of John Paul Jones by William Gilkerson (1993-03-17)]]> 146974720 Book by Gilkerson, William 0 William Gilkerson Rob 5 5.00 1993 The Ships of John Paul Jones by William Gilkerson (1993-03-17)
author: William Gilkerson
name: Rob
average rating: 5.00
book published: 1993
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/02/10
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]]> <![CDATA[Left of Bang: How the Marine Corps' Combat Hunter Program Can Save Your Life]]> 22663095
-- You are about to step onto an elevator with a stranger and something stops you.

-- You interview a potential new employee who has the resume to do the job, but something tells you not to offer a position.

These scenarios all represent LEFT OF BANG, the moments before something bad happens. But how many times have you talked yourself out of leaving the restaurant, getting off the elevator, or getting over your silly “gut� feeling about someone? Is there a way to not just listen to your inner protector more, but to actually increase your sensitivity to threats before they happen?

Legendary Marine General James Mattis asked the same question and issued a directive to operationalize the Marine Corps� Combat Hunter program. A comprehensive and no-nonsense approach to heightening each and every one of our gifts of fear, LEFT OF BANG is the result.]]> 228 Patrick Van Horne 1936891182 Rob 5 3.96 2014 Left of Bang: How the Marine Corps' Combat Hunter Program Can Save Your Life
author: Patrick Van Horne
name: Rob
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/14
date added: 2024/01/14
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]]> <![CDATA[Grace Hopper: Admiral of the Cyber Sea]]> 2418887 258 Kathleen Broome Williams 1557509522 Rob 5 3.80 2004 Grace Hopper: Admiral of the Cyber Sea
author: Kathleen Broome Williams
name: Rob
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/14
date added: 2024/01/14
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]]> The Return of Little Big Man 976050 -- Tremendously well reviewed, this sequel is a hit with critics and readers alike.
-- The perfect book for any lover of Westerns, Mark Twain, and Berger himself.
-- With a lovable hero, an action-packed story, a true Wild West setting, and scrupulous historical detail, The Return of Little BigMan has crossover appeal for readers of both history and fiction.]]> 432 Thomas Berger 0316091170 Rob 4 3.84 1999 The Return of Little Big Man
author: Thomas Berger
name: Rob
average rating: 3.84
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/17
date added: 2023/12/17
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]]> <![CDATA[Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754 - 1766]]> 17252
Beginning with a skirmish in the Pennsylvania backcountry involving an inexperienced George Washington, the Iroquois chief Tanaghrisson, and the ill-fated French emissary Jumonville, Anderson reveals a chain of events that would lead to world conflagration. Weaving together the military, economic, and political motives of the participants with unforgettable portraits of Washington, William Pitt, Montcalm, and many others, Anderson brings a fresh perspective to one of America’s most important wars, demonstrating how the forces unleashed there would irrevocably change the politics of empire in North America.]]> 912 Fred Anderson 0375706364 Rob 5 4.18 2000 Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754 - 1766
author: Fred Anderson
name: Rob
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/17
date added: 2023/12/17
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]]> <![CDATA[Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland]]> 647492
Ordinary Men is the true story of Reserve Police Battalion 101 of the German Order Police, which was responsible for mass shootings as well as round-ups of Jewish people for deportation to Nazi death camps in Poland in 1942. Browning argues that most of the men of RPB 101 were not fanaticalNazis but, rather, ordinary middle-aged, working-class men who committed these atrocities out of a mixture of motives, including the group dynamics of conformity, deference to authority, role adaptation, and the altering of moral norms to justify their actions. Very quickly three groups emerged within the battalion: a core of eager killers, a plurality who carried out their duties reliably but without initiative, and a small minority who evaded participation in the acts of killing without diminishing the murderous efficiency of the battalion whatsoever.

While this book discusses a specific Reserve Unit during WWII, the general argument Browning makes is that most people succumb to the pressures of a group setting and commit actions they would never do of their own volition.

Ordinary Men is a powerful, chilling, and important work, with themes and arguments that continue to resonate today. ]]> 271 Christopher R. Browning 0060995068 Rob 4 4.10 1992 Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland
author: Christopher R. Browning
name: Rob
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1992
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/17
date added: 2023/12/17
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]]> The Return of Little Big Man 702504 432 Thomas Berger 0316098442 Rob 4 3.51 1999 The Return of Little Big Man
author: Thomas Berger
name: Rob
average rating: 3.51
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/26
date added: 2023/11/26
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]]> A Fish Dinner in Memison 274065 A Fish Dinner in Memison amuse themselves with the creation of a sadly flawed world � and in an instant spend a lifetime in it.]]> 318 E.R. Eddison 0345278534 Rob 2 3.69 1941 A Fish Dinner in Memison
author: E.R. Eddison
name: Rob
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1941
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2023/09/21
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]]> The Burden of Hitler's Legacy 912134 266 Alfons Heck 0939650800 Rob 4 4.12 1988 The Burden of Hitler's Legacy
author: Alfons Heck
name: Rob
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1988
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/09/18
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]]> <![CDATA[A Child of Hitler: Germany in the Days When God Wore a Swastika]]> 912133 228 Alfons Heck 0939650444 Rob 5 4.04 1985 A Child of Hitler: Germany in the Days When God Wore a Swastika
author: Alfons Heck
name: Rob
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1985
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/09/18
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]]> <![CDATA[Forty-four Years of the Life of a Hunter Being Reminiscences of Meshach Browning, a Maryland Hunter (1859)]]> 29992696
Meshach Browning was one of the pioneer hunters in Preston county. In 1859, the year of his death also, he published an "Autobiography," setting forth thrilling accounts of his life as a hunter. The reliability of Mr. Browning's work is vouched for by such authorities as Judge Thomas Perry of the Fourth Judicial District of Pennsylvania and others who knew the correctness of many things that appear strange, almost miraculous. His work is entitled, "Forty-Four Years in the Life of a Hunter."

During that time Mr. Browning killed nearly 2,000 deer, 500 bears, about 50 panthers, more than 1,000 rattlesnakes, and scores of wolves and other beasts. Many of them were in Preston county. He was not a very large man, but a powerful man physically and an athlete of great note. On two occasions he entered the bears' cave and fought with the bruins in their den.

Browning's memoir of his "hunting-fever" years (1795�1839) and other activities was originally penned with a turkey quill. Half backwoods history, half heroic adventure story, it recounts his hunting expeditions and life-threatening encounters while stalking game and records details of life in early frontier America, western Maryland folkways and early settlement life.

"Forty-four Years of the Life of a Maryland Hunter," related with all the good sense, sincerity, modesty, unconscious force and rustic humor of an unlettered man, who struggled with his grammar as he had struggled with bears, and steered his pen with as many and as honest misgivings as he would have handled the latest pattern of Winchester fowlingpiece in all its elaborate up-to-dateness; for this was the sort of hunter who aforetime confronted the catamount or the bear with a crippled flintlock, bandaged with a shoestring.

By the older denizens of all this region the memory of this man is kept reverently green, for he was the patriarch of the Glades. Browning was in his eightieth year in 1859, when his book was published, and was the nestor of the community of woodmen, hunters and anglers which had been growing up around him for half a century� a conspicuous personality among the stalwart mountaineers and the honored forbear of a progeny of brave men and handsome women, who revered him for his integrity, his strong, crude intellect, his dauntless courage, his generosity, his tenderness, his ingenuous modesty.

His book is no compilation of fish stories and hunters' yarns; almost every page is marked by his shrinking sensitiveness, lest his reader may regard him as a braggart or a liar. The lad Meshach grew to be the hero of every other man's talk in his little mountain republic, to be saluted for a preeminence of which he was unconscious. I have said that in his story he reminds me of the fine chivalry the generous pride of Jules Gerard � that brave and intrepid chevalier who went out to meet the Algerian lion alone in the moonlight. Meshach Browning says of the bear: "A bold, undaunted beast; not apt to quarrel with others, but if any trespass on his rights, then furious and vindictive. I admire and love the bear, because he would insult neither man nor beast, nor will he suffer either to insult him." But the panther "is a great sneak," and to be scorned�" cowardly, treacherous and cruel."

Stories of “flood and field� are always interesting, alike to old and to young; but this Volume is even more fascinating than works of its class usually are.]]> 330 Meshach Browning Rob 0 to-read 3.91 2015 Forty-four Years of the Life of a Hunter Being Reminiscences of Meshach Browning, a Maryland Hunter (1859)
author: Meshach Browning
name: Rob
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/09/15
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]]> <![CDATA[The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour]]> 5400
With these words, Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Copeland addressed the crew of the destroyer escort USS Samuel B. Roberts on the morning of October 25, 1944, off the Philippine Island of Samar. On the horizon loomed the mightiest ships of the Japanese navy, a massive fleet that represented the last hope of a staggering empire. All that stood between it and Douglas MacArthur� s vulnerable invasion force were the Roberts and the other small ships of a tiny American flotilla poised to charge into history.

In the tradition of the #1 New York Times bestseller Flags of Our Fathers, James D. Hornfischer paints an unprecedented portrait of the Battle of Samar, a naval engagement unlike any other in U.S. history—and captures with unforgettable intensity the men, the strategies, and the sacrifices that turned certain defeat into a legendary victory.

Praise for The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors

“One of the finest WWII naval action narratives in recent years, this book follows in the footsteps of Flags of Our Fathers . . . . Exalting American sailors and pilots as they richly deserve. . . . Reads like a very good action novel.� � Publishers Weekly

“Reads as fresh as tomorrow's headlines. . . . Hornfischer's captivating narrative uses previously classified documents to reconstruct the epic battle and eyewitness accounts to bring the officers and sailors to life.� � Texas Monthly

“Hornfischer is a powerful stylist whose explanations are clear as well as memorable. . . . A dire survival-at-sea saga.� � Denver Post

“In The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, James Hornfischer drops you right into the middle of this raging battle, with 5-inch guns blazing, torpedoes detonating and Navy fliers dive-bombing. . . . The overall story of the battle is one of American guts, glory and heroic sacrifice.� � Omaha World Herald]]> 499 James D. Hornfischer 0553381482 Rob 0 to-read 4.32 2003 The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour
author: James D. Hornfischer
name: Rob
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2003
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/09/12
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]]> Valor at Samar 13585460 Book by Cortesi, L. 0 Lawrence Cortesi 0821712268 Rob 4 samar-surigao-taffy-3 4.67 1983 Valor at Samar
author: Lawrence Cortesi
name: Rob
average rating: 4.67
book published: 1983
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/09/10
shelves: samar-surigao-taffy-3
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]]> The Story of Wake Island 42242548
Two more raid shortly followed, further reducing the defensive possibilities for the men who were left to defend this small area of American soil in the center of the Pacific Ocean.

Major James P. S. Devereux was the Commanding Officer of the 1st Marine Defense Battalion who faced Japanese onslaught.

The first Japanese landing attempt on the morning of 11th December was repelled by a ferocious defense put forward by Devereux and his men.

Yet although the Japanese had withdrawn without landing, they continued to bombard the island by air and sea, and there was little hope of resupply for the Americans.

For fifteen days the American troops suffered endless bombardments until the second major Japanese offensive was launched on 23rd December.

Against overwhelming forces the Marines and other troops that were stationed on the island fought valiantly, but after forty-nine men had lost their lives in the fight, the remaining American men and civilians were captured by the Japanese.

James P. S. Deveraux’s remarkable book The Story of Wake Island takes the reader to the heart of the action from the point of view of the commanding officer. It is a brilliant account of this tragic event that demonstrated the fighting spirit of the American soldier even in the face of unbeatable odds.

“His special vantage point enriches his commentary not only on the ill-fated military operation but also on the state (and spirit) of the prewar preparations to defend the island.� John J. Sbrega, The War Against Japan, 1941-1945

James P. S. Devereaux was a United States Marine Corps general, Navy Cross recipient, and Republican congressman. After the ferocious fifteen-day battle of Wake Island Devereux was interned for nearly four years in Japanese prison camps. His book The Story of Wake Island was first published in 1947 and he passed away in 1988.]]> 164 James P.S. Devereux Rob 4 4.38 1947 The Story of Wake Island
author: James P.S. Devereux
name: Rob
average rating: 4.38
book published: 1947
rating: 4
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date added: 2023/09/03
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]]> The Captain from Connecticut 45704604 249 C.S. Forester 883410241X Rob 4 4.28 1941 The Captain from Connecticut
author: C.S. Forester
name: Rob
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1941
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/08/27
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]]> Black and Blue Magic 68765 196 Zilpha Keatley Snyder 0595321828 Rob 5 4.16 1966 Black and Blue Magic
author: Zilpha Keatley Snyder
name: Rob
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1966
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/27
date added: 2023/08/27
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]]> <![CDATA[The river and the gauntlet: Defeat of the Eighth Army by the Chinese Communist forces, November, 1950, in the Battle of the Chongchon River, Korea (Time reading program special edition)]]> 3389347 373 S.L.A. Marshall 0809438453 Rob 4 3.78 1953 The river and the gauntlet: Defeat of the Eighth Army by the Chinese Communist forces, November, 1950, in the Battle of the Chongchon River, Korea (Time reading program special edition)
author: S.L.A. Marshall
name: Rob
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1953
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/15
date added: 2023/08/15
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]]> Supercarrier 2680884 296 George C. Wilson 0425109267 Rob 4 3.59 1986 Supercarrier
author: George C. Wilson
name: Rob
average rating: 3.59
book published: 1986
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/08/02
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]]> Guadalcanal 1382156 Edwin P. Hoyt 0812885635 Rob 4 3.91 1983 Guadalcanal
author: Edwin P. Hoyt
name: Rob
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1983
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/07/26
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]]> <![CDATA[The Complete Compleat Enchanter]]> 420277
The Baen edition includes an introduction by David Drake.]]> 532 L. Sprague de Camp 0671698095 Rob 4 4.09 1989 The Complete Compleat Enchanter
author: L. Sprague de Camp
name: Rob
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1989
rating: 4
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date added: 2023/07/08
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]]> <![CDATA[The Savage Wars Of Peace: Small Wars And The Rise Of American Power]]> 18244 464 Max Boot 046500721X Rob 0 to-read 3.99 The Savage Wars Of Peace: Small Wars And The Rise Of American Power
author: Max Boot
name: Rob
average rating: 3.99
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/06/09
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Traits and Stories of the Welsh Peasantry]]> 123783004 334 Anne Beale Rob 0 to-read 0.0 Traits and Stories of the Welsh Peasantry
author: Anne Beale
name: Rob
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/05/06
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Assault from the Sea: Essays on the History of Amphibious Warfare]]> 2890575 453 Merrill L. Bartlett 0870210769 Rob 3 3.37 1983 Assault from the Sea: Essays on the History of Amphibious Warfare
author: Merrill L. Bartlett
name: Rob
average rating: 3.37
book published: 1983
rating: 3
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date added: 2023/05/02
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]]> <![CDATA[Sixty Minutes for St. George (Nicholas Everard Naval Thrillers #2)]]> 35599706
As dawn breaks on St George’s Day, 1918, the Royal Navy launch a desperate assault on the Belgian submarine base, scuttling multiple blockships to trap the U-boats in the harbour.

In sixty minutes of fire and fury, eight Victoria Crosses are won and hundreds of British sailors sink to their deaths. But will Nick be one of them?

An extraordinary portrait of violence and valour, perfect for fans of C.S. Forester and Douglas Reeman.

Praise for Sixty Minutes for St. George‘The research is unimpeachable and the scent of battle quite overpowering� The Sunday Times]]> 261 Alexander Fullerton Rob 0 to-read 4.11 1977 Sixty Minutes for St. George (Nicholas Everard Naval Thrillers #2)
author: Alexander Fullerton
name: Rob
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1977
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/05/02
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]]> <![CDATA[Quarterdeck & Bridge: Two Centuries of American Naval Leaders]]> 322557
Esek Hopkins;
John Paul Jones;
Stephen Decatur;
Oliver Hazard Perry;
Robert F. Stockton;
Matthew Calbraith Perry;
David Glasgow Farragut;
Raphael Semmes;
David Dixon Porter;
Stephen B. Luce;
Alfred Thayer Mahan;
George Dewey;
William Sowden Sims;
William A. Moffett;
Ernest J. King;
Chester W. Nimitz;
William F. Halsey;
Arleigh Burke;
Hyman G. Rickover;
Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr.]]> 480 James C. Bradford 1557500967 Rob 4 4.00 1996 Quarterdeck & Bridge: Two Centuries of American Naval Leaders
author: James C. Bradford
name: Rob
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/10
date added: 2023/04/24
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]]> Troubled Waters 535190 Used Book Daniel P. Mannix 0525223584 Rob 3 3.67 1969 Troubled Waters
author: Daniel P. Mannix
name: Rob
average rating: 3.67
book published: 1969
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/04/02
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]]> Traveller 12441 355 Richard Adams 0440204933 Rob 3 3.91 1988 Traveller
author: Richard Adams
name: Rob
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1988
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/04/02
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]]> Sounding 1551277 Far away, on a doomed Russian nuclear submarine, Lieutenant Peter Rostov, the sonar officer and a classical musician, is spending what he's sure are his last days listening to the beautiful "sounding" of the whale.

In the amazing climax to this unique novel, man and whale come together — and a magnificent destiny is fulfilled.

"Searls is remarkably eloquent. . . . you'll stand up and cheer." — The Washington Post Book World

]]> Hank Searls 1585863858 Rob 0 to-read 4.27 1982 Sounding
author: Hank Searls
name: Rob
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1982
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/02
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Fight for the Sky: The Story of the Spitfire and Hurricane]]> 22744483 Although Sir Douglas Bader died in 1982 and the Spitfire and the Hurricane are now treasured collectors' items, Fight For The Sky is a thrilling and vivid reminder of just how much we all owe to these superb aircraft and the gallant young men who flew them to victory.

]]> 320 Douglas Bader 147380440X Rob 0 to-read 4.07 1945 Fight for the Sky: The Story of the Spitfire and Hurricane
author: Douglas Bader
name: Rob
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1945
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/31
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[The Grand Fleet: Warship Design and Development 1906-1922]]> 53385818 "Indispensable for any naval historian . . . charts the evolution of warship design and development in the years 1906-1922 in the United Kingdom."--International Journal of Maritime HistoryThe launch of HMS Dreadnought in 1906 ushered in one of the most rapid periods of warship development in history; and only ten years after this all-big-gun, turbine-powered battleship was completed, two entire fleets of Dreadnoughts would meet at Jutland and put the work of the prewar designers to the ultimate test.The renowned warship author, D. K. Brown, examines the development of these vessels and looks at how wartime experience affected warship design. As well as battleships and battlecruisers, for the first time the developmental history of smaller vessels such as minesweepers, monitors and escort vessels, built in direct response to wartime needs, is described, as is that of the submarine and aircraft carrier. A detailed study is made of battle damage, including the role played by ammunition explosions in the loss of three British battlecruisers at Jutland. Also described are the postwar capital ship designs, killed off by the Washington Treaty, which are among the most fascinating "might-have-beens" of naval history.A classic work again available for historians and enthusiasts, detailing the development of all those ships that enabled the Royal Navy to rule the waves supreme and defend country and empire."The author has managed to make the technical detail accessible to the layman and consequently it is easy to read as well as being authoritative. Deserves to be on the bookshelf of any nautical enthusiast. Very highly recommended."--Marine News]]> 208 D K Brown 1783465948 Rob 0 to-read 0.0 The Grand Fleet: Warship Design and Development 1906-1922
author: D K Brown
name: Rob
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/31
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Rising Sun, Falling Skies: The Disastrous Java Sea Campaign of World War II (General Military)]]> 21864009 493 Jeffrey R. Cox Rob 4 4.17 2013 Rising Sun, Falling Skies: The Disastrous Java Sea Campaign of World War II (General Military)
author: Jeffrey R. Cox
name: Rob
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2013
rating: 4
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date added: 2023/03/31
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]]> <![CDATA[Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle]]> 30860298 This volume, ten years in the writing, recounts the full story of the critical campaign for Guadalcanal and is based on first-time translations of official Japanese Defense Agency accounts and recently declassified U.S. radio intelligence, Guadalcanal recreates the battle--on land, at sea, and in the air--as never before: it examines the feelings of both American and Japanese soldiers, the strategies and conflicts of their commanders, and the strengths and weaknesses of various fighting units.

]]> 800 Richard B. Frank Rob 4 4.80 1990 Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle
author: Richard B. Frank
name: Rob
average rating: 4.80
book published: 1990
rating: 4
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date added: 2023/03/14
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]]> The Battle for Guadalcanal 24929970 Samuel B. Griffith II Rob 4 3.67 1979 The Battle for Guadalcanal
author: Samuel B. Griffith II
name: Rob
average rating: 3.67
book published: 1979
rating: 4
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date added: 2023/03/14
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of the Empire (The Lewis Walpole Series in Eighteenth-Century Culture and History)]]> 16073301 A unique account of the American Revolution, told from the perspective of the leaders who conducted the British war effort

The loss of America was a stunning and unexpected defeat for the powerful British Empire. Common wisdom has held that incompetent military commanders and political leaders in Britain must have been to blame, but were they? This intriguing book makes a different argument. Weaving together the personal stories of ten prominent men who directed the British dimension of the war, historian Andrew O’Shaughnessy dispels the incompetence myth and uncovers the real reasons that rebellious colonials were able to achieve their surprising victory.

In interlinked biographical chapters, the author follows the course of the war from the perspectives of King George III, Prime Minister Lord North, military leaders including General Burgoyne, the Earl of Sandwich, and others who, for the most part, led ably and even brilliantly. Victories were frequent, and in fact the British conquered every American city at some stage of the Revolutionary War. Yet roiling political complexities at home, combined with the fervency of the fighting Americans, proved fatal to the British war effort. The book concludes with a penetrating assessment of the years after Yorktown, when the British achieved victories against the French and Spanish, thereby keeping intact what remained of the British Empire.]]> 480 Andrew O'Shaughnessy 0300191073 Rob 0 to-read 4.15 2013 The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of the Empire (The Lewis Walpole Series in Eighteenth-Century Culture and History)
author: Andrew O'Shaughnessy
name: Rob
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/14
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]]> Stoner 166997
John Williams’s luminous and deeply moving novel is a work of quiet perfection. William Stoner emerges from it not only as an archetypal American, but as an unlikely existential hero, standing, like a figure in a painting by Edward Hopper, in stark relief against an unforgiving world.]]> 292 John Williams 1590171993 Rob 0 to-read 4.36 1965 Stoner
author: John Williams
name: Rob
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1965
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/14
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Napoleon of Notting Hill 49673 184 G.K. Chesterton 1600965237 Rob 4 3.88 1904 The Napoleon of Notting Hill
author: G.K. Chesterton
name: Rob
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1904
rating: 4
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date added: 2023/02/19
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]]> H.M.S. Saracen 2079529 H.M.S Saracen Reeman, Douglas 320 Douglas Reeman 0099062607 Rob 5 3.81 1965 H.M.S. Saracen
author: Douglas Reeman
name: Rob
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1965
rating: 5
read at: 2023/02/10
date added: 2023/02/10
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The Boys of '67: Charlie Company's War in Vietnam (General Military)]]> 13331064
In his new book, The Boys of '67, Andy Wiest, the award-winning author of Vietnam's Forgotten Army and The Vietnam War 1956-1975, examines the experiences of a company from the only division in the Vietnam era to train and deploy together in similar fashion to WWII's famous 101st Airborne Division.

Wiest interviewed more than 50 officers and enlisted men who served with Charlie Company, including the surviving platoon leaders and both of the company's commanders. (One of the platoon leaders, Lt Jack Benedick, lost both of his legs, but went on to become a champion skier.) In addition, he interviewed 15 family members of Charlie Company veterans, including wives, children, parents, and siblings. Wiest also had access to personal papers, collections of letters, a diary, an abundance of newspaper clippings, training notebooks, field manuals, condolence letters, and photographs from before, during, and after the conflict.

As Wiest shows, the fighting that Charlie Company saw in 1967 was nearly as bloody as many of the better publicized battles, including the infamous 'Ia Drang' and 'Hamburger Hill.' As a result, many of the surviving members of Charlie Company came home with what the military now recognizes as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder-a diagnosis that was not recognized until the late 1970s and was not widely treated until the 1980s. Only recently, after more than 40 years, have many members of Charlie Company achieved any real and sustained relief from their suffering.]]> 376 Andrew Wiest 1780962029 Rob 4 4.23 2012 The Boys of '67: Charlie Company's War in Vietnam (General Military)
author: Andrew Wiest
name: Rob
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2023/02/05
date added: 2023/02/05
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]]> <![CDATA[Notes: Mint Green Watercolor Paperback Journal / Diary / Notebook with 100 Lined, Cream-colored Pages for Writing Notes and Hand-Painted Design ... Prime Floridian (Prime Floridian Notebooks)]]> 43164543 102 Taylor Thomas Smythe 1701130092 Rob 5 3.50 Notes: Mint Green Watercolor Paperback Journal / Diary / Notebook with 100 Lined, Cream-colored Pages for Writing Notes and Hand-Painted Design ... Prime Floridian (Prime Floridian Notebooks)
author: Taylor Thomas Smythe
name: Rob
average rating: 3.50
book published:
rating: 5
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date added: 2023/02/02
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]]> <![CDATA[The 14-Hour War: Valor on Koh Tang and the Recapture of the SS Mayaguez]]> 11871849 256 James E. Wise Jr. 1591149746 Rob 4 3.60 2011 The 14-Hour War: Valor on Koh Tang and the Recapture of the SS Mayaguez
author: James E. Wise Jr.
name: Rob
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2011
rating: 4
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date added: 2023/02/01
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]]> <![CDATA[The Wild Body: A Soldier of Humour and Other Stories]]> 1035963
The Wild Body showcases his most original, daring and entertaining short fiction, mainly written around the time of Blast. In amazing contrast with so much feeble British writing of the period, it shows the heady delight of modernism at full tilt.]]> Wyndham Lewis 083831225X Rob 2 2.50 1927 The Wild Body: A Soldier of Humour and Other Stories
author: Wyndham Lewis
name: Rob
average rating: 2.50
book published: 1927
rating: 2
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date added: 2023/01/22
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]]> Dearest 6474912 I'm convinced that I'm in direct-voice communication with the spirit of a young girl who was killed by Indians in this section about a hundred and seventy-five years ago.
First published in Weird Tales Vol. 43, No. 3
Free download from Gutenburg.org]]> H. Beam Piper Rob 5 3.20 1951 Dearest
author: H. Beam Piper
name: Rob
average rating: 3.20
book published: 1951
rating: 5
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date added: 2023/01/18
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]]> <![CDATA[The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling]]> 99329

•Includes a chronology, suggestions for further reading, notes, glossary, and an appendix of Fielding's revisions
•Introduction discusses narrative tecniques and themes, the context of eighteenth-century fiction and satire, and the historical and political background of the Jacobite revolution
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.]]> 975 Henry Fielding 0140436227 Rob 4 3.75 1749 The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling
author: Henry Fielding
name: Rob
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1749
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/09
date added: 2023/01/09
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]]> Vanity Fair 5797 867 William Makepeace Thackeray 0141439831 Rob 5 3.80 1847 Vanity Fair
author: William Makepeace Thackeray
name: Rob
average rating: 3.80
book published: 1847
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/02
date added: 2023/01/02
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]]> Slide Rule 107298
"That halcyon period started about 1910 and it was in full flower after WW I when I was a young man; it died with WW II when airplanes had grown too costly and too complicated for individuals to build or even to operate. I count myself lucky that that fleeting period coincided with my youth and my young manhood, and that I had a part in it."]]> 182 Nevil Shute 1842322915 Rob 0 to-read 3.91 1954 Slide Rule
author: Nevil Shute
name: Rob
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1954
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/12/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Under the North Pole: The Wilkins-Ellsworth Submarine Expedition (Classic Reprint)]]> 37408981
The one designer and builder of submarines who has greatly concerned himself with their use under ice is Simon Lake. Moreover, he built the craft we are using, the Nautilus. Logically, then, he writes for this volume a sketch of his own career as proponent of the under-ice submarine, and a description of the Nautilus and her predecessors.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.]]> 406 Hubert Wilkins 0331777738 Rob 0 to-read 0.0 Under the North Pole: The Wilkins-Ellsworth Submarine Expedition (Classic Reprint)
author: Hubert Wilkins
name: Rob
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/12/11
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]]> Holy Fire 359390
In an era when life expectancies stretch 100 years or more and adhering to healthy habits is the only way to earn better medical treatments, ancient "post humans" dominate society with their ubiquitous wealth and power. By embracing the safe and secure, 94-year-old Mia Ziemann has lived a long and quiet life. Too quiet, as she comes to realize, for Mia has lost the creative drive and ability to love--the holy fire--of the young. But when a radical new procedure makes Mia young again, she has the chance to break free of society's cloying grasp.]]> 368 Bruce Sterling 055357549X Rob 0 to-read 3.72 1996 Holy Fire
author: Bruce Sterling
name: Rob
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1996
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/12/10
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]]> <![CDATA[The Expedition of Humphry Clinker]]> 415836 414 Tobias Smollett 0140430210 Rob 3 3.49 1771 The Expedition of Humphry Clinker
author: Tobias Smollett
name: Rob
average rating: 3.49
book published: 1771
rating: 3
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date added: 2022/12/04
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]]> Ralph the Heir 16601760 586 Anthony Trollope 141146463X Rob 3 2.50 1871 Ralph the Heir
author: Anthony Trollope
name: Rob
average rating: 2.50
book published: 1871
rating: 3
read at: 2022/11/06
date added: 2022/11/06
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]]> <![CDATA[Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (Charlie Bucket, #2)]]> 773285 192 Roald Dahl 0141311436 Rob 4 3.29 1972 Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (Charlie Bucket, #2)
author: Roald Dahl
name: Rob
average rating: 3.29
book published: 1972
rating: 4
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date added: 2022/11/02
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]]> <![CDATA[Of Books and Beasts: A Cryptozoologist's Library (Hangar 1 Publishing's Cryptozoology Books)]]> 59751129
"Looking for a concise but reliable survey of the most noteworthy cryptozoological books past and present? Look no further - here it is!" - Dr. Karl P. N. Shuker, Zoologist]]> 328 Matt Bille 1955471045 Rob 0 to-read 4.50 Of Books and Beasts: A Cryptozoologist's Library (Hangar 1 Publishing's Cryptozoology Books)
author: Matt Bille
name: Rob
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/10/27
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]]> <![CDATA[Operation Ivy Bells: A Mac McDowell Mission (Mac McDowell Mission Series Book 1)]]> 52811629 ]]> 394 Robert G. Williscroft 1947867490 Rob 0 to-read 4.39 2014 Operation Ivy Bells: A Mac McDowell Mission (Mac McDowell Mission Series Book 1)
author: Robert G. Williscroft
name: Rob
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2014
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/10/27
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]]> <![CDATA[Stalin: New Biography of a Dictator]]> 25502268 per year. Millions more were victims of famine directly resulting from Stalin's policies. What drove him toward such ruthlessness? This essential biography, by the author most deeply familiar with the vast archives of the Soviet era, offers an unprecedented, fine-grained portrait of Stalin the man and dictator. Without mythologizing Stalin as either benevolent or an evil genius, Khlevniuk resolves numerous controversies about specific events in the dictator’s life while assembling many hundreds of previously unknown letters, memos, reports, and diaries into a comprehensive, compelling narrative of a life that altered the course of world history.

In brief, revealing prologues to each chapter, Khlevniuk takes his reader into Stalin’s favorite dacha, where the innermost circle of Soviet leadership gathered as their vozhd lay dying. Chronological chapters then illuminate major Stalin’s childhood, his involvement in the Revolution and the early Bolshevik government under Lenin, his assumption of undivided power and mandate for industrialization and collectivization, the Terror, World War II, and the postwar period. At the book’s conclusion, the author presents a cogent warning against nostalgia for the Stalinist era.]]> 500 Oleg V. Khlevniuk 030016694X Rob 4 4.15 2015 Stalin: New Biography of a Dictator
author: Oleg V. Khlevniuk
name: Rob
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2022/10/13
date added: 2022/10/13
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]]> <![CDATA[Defenders of the West: The Christian Heroes Who Stood Against Islam]]> 59796964
In Defenders of the West , the author of Sword and Scimitar follows up with vivid and dramatic profiles of eight extraordinary warriors—some saints, some sinners—who defended the Christian West against Islamic invasions. Discover the real Count Dracula , Spain's El Cid, England's Richard Lionheart, and many other historical figures, whose true and original claim to fame revolved around their defiant stance against jihadist aggression. With sixteen full color pages of photos and illustrations, Defenders of the West is an instructive and inspiring read. Whereas Sword and Scimitar revolved around decisive battles, this book revolves around decisive men.]]> 352 Raymond Ibrahim 1642938203 Rob 0 to-read 4.61 2022 Defenders of the West: The Christian Heroes Who Stood Against Islam
author: Raymond Ibrahim
name: Rob
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/09/29
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]]> The Free World War (Volume 1) 42789433 During this time virtual reality simulations of past events can be generated using unlimited computing power. One such project stems from the events surrounding a car accident in 1945 involving General George S. Patton. The simulation is used to see what an alternative world would look like without the General, who was killed in the accident.
The simulation shows the utopians our world, where humanity has continued along the same path of destruction it has taken for millennia and the Cold War dominates the latter half of the 20th century.

General Patton understood that communism preached world domination and the U.S.S.R. under Stalin would spread its tyranny throughout the post-war world. He wanted to defeat the Soviets while the time was right. Patton proposed a continuation of the war in Europe and said he could make it look like the Soviets had started it.
The simulation's revelations reveal that contrary to popular belief, it had taken the sacrifices of a war against tyranny for a perfect world to exist.]]> 216 Matthew William Frend 1789041686 Rob 0 to-read 4.33 2019 The Free World War (Volume 1)
author: Matthew William Frend
name: Rob
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/09/13
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]]> The Six Wives of Henry VIII 10104 643 Alison Weir 0802136834 Rob 4 4.11 1992 The Six Wives of Henry VIII
author: Alison Weir
name: Rob
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1992
rating: 4
read at: 2022/07/18
date added: 2022/07/18
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The Long Night: William L. Shirer And tThe Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich]]> 10054120 288 Steve Wick 0230623182 Rob 0 to-read 3.90 2011 The Long Night: William L. Shirer And tThe Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich
author: Steve Wick
name: Rob
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/07/14
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[The Reason Why: The Story of the Fatal Charge of the Light Brigade]]> 955102 288 Cecil Woodham-Smith 0140012788 Rob 0 to-read 4.19 1953 The Reason Why: The Story of the Fatal Charge of the Light Brigade
author: Cecil Woodham-Smith
name: Rob
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1953
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/07/14
shelves: to-read
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]]>