- Table View
- List View
The Telegraph Book of the First World War: An Anthology of the Telegraph's Writing from the Great War (Telegraph Bks.)
by Gavin Fuller and Michael WrightAn WWI archive of Great Britain’s Daily Telegraph news coverage reveals how the press influenced public perception of the Great War.One hundred years on, the First World War has not lost its power to clutch at the heart. But how much do we really know about the war that would shape the twentieth century? And, all the more poignantly, how much did people know at the time?Today, someone fires a shot on the other side of the world and we read about it online a few seconds later. In 1914, with storm clouds gathering over Europe, wireless telephony was in its infancy. So newspapers such as the Daily Telegraph were, for the British public, their only access to official news about the progress of the war.These reports, many of them eye-witness dispatches, written by correspondents of the Daily Telegraph, bring the WWI to life in an intriguing new way. At times, the effect is terrifying, as accounts of the Somme, Flanders and Gallipoli depict brave and glorious victories, and the distinction between truth and propaganda becomes alarmingly blurred. Some exude a sense of dramatic irony that is almost excruciating, as one catches glimpses of how little the ordinary British people were told during the war of the havoc that was being wrought in their name.Poignant, passionate and shot-through with moments of bleak humour, The Telegraph Book of the First World War is a full account of the war by some of the country’s most brilliant and colourful correspondents, whose reportage shaped the way that the war would be understood for generations to come.
The Tempering of Russia
by Ilya Ehrenburg Prof. Alexander KaunA searing picture of the terrible ordeal Russia has undergone, and of the heroism that conquered the German invaders.“Soviet Russia’s most noted contemporary journalist has culled for American readers some of the more colorful passages in which he described the Nazi invasion of his homeland. His prose is fiery, his hate for the Germans is intense, and his love for Russia and her people is boundless.”—Foreign Affairs
The Templar Knight: Book Two Of The Crusades Trilogy (Crusades Trilogy #2)
by Jan GuillouAs a knight battles to protect the Holy Land, his beloved lies captive in a convent in the 2nd entry in this thrilling historical epic trilogy.Among the last bastion of God’s holy warriors determined to save Jerusalem from the Muslims, Arn Magnusson of the Nights Templar is renowned as a man of compassion, strength, and faith, even among the enemy Saracens—Saladin and his Muslim followers. Yet, neither time nor distance can lessen Arn’s pain of separation from his beloved Cecilia; confined to a cloister back home in western Götaland, his betrothed, the mother of their newborn son, is a pawn in a war between clans vying for control of the crown. And when an accident of fate brings together Arn and Saladin, an unlikely friendship is froged that will alter the course of the Templar knight’s life, and the history of Jerusalem itself.Praise for The Templar Knight“The political intrigue, military action, and exotic setting will appeal to both historical fiction readers and adventure buffs. Although part of a trilogy, this can be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone entry, but most readers who happen upon this title first will surely want to go back for the beginning and will eagerly await the final volume.” —Booklist
The Templar Papers: Ancient Mysteries, Secret Societies, and the Holy Grail
by Lynn Picknett Robert Lomas Stephen Dafoe Sandy Hamblett Yuri Leitch Vincent ZubrasDelve into the myth and mystery of the Knights Templar with essays by Lynn Picknett, Robert Lomas, Stephen Dafoe, Sandy Hamblett, and other experts.Much has been written about the group of fourteenth-century warrior monks known as the Knights Templar. Some authors, such as Dan Brown in The Da Vinci Code, portray them as folk heroes wrongly accused. Others disagree, saying the Templar story is ultimately one of greed, deception, and idolatry. Just who were the Knights Templar? And what is their legacy? In The Templar Papers, author and historian Oddvar Olsen has assembled a veritable Who’s Who of experts to unravel the mystery. Instead of rehashing previous scholarship, this book delves into new aspects of Templar lore, such as the origins of the order and its supposed survival after 1314.It attempts to answer the following:Were the Templars devil worshippers who venerated a mysterious head?Was the head that of John the Baptist?What exactly did they find in Solomon’s Temple?Did they keep, and later hide, the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant?You’ll also discover the Templar link to Mary Magdalene and the Freemasons, including answers to questions such as:Were Jesus and Mary lovers or, in fact, husband and wife?Did Mary give birth to a child after Jesus’ death?Did Freemasonry originate from the Templars?The Templar Papers offers the inquisitive reader several lifetimes of research and insight. This is a distinctive and truly unique compilation that will stimulate your mind and settle the controversy.
The Templars at War
by Zvonimir GrbasicThe Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon, better known as the Knights Templar or simply the Templars, are the most famous of the Crusading knightly orders. Formed in 1119 to protect Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land, this curious hybrid of military unit and monastic brotherhood were the staunchest defenders of the Crusader States of Outremer for nearly two centuries. Knights joining the Templars renounced their worldly possessions and vowed to follow a strict code, which included the command to fight the infidel enemy bravely regardless of the odds. They provided Christian armies with a lethal cutting edge in open battle, launching fanatical charges to break the enemy formations, as well as garrisoning a network of forts as a stubborn bulwark against reconquest. Zvonimir Grbasic outlines their history, narrating many of their greatest victories and defeats in detail (such as Montgisard and the Horns of Hattin), describes their organization and hierarchy, training and daily life. These elite warriors, both the knights and the lowlier ranks, are illustrated with the author's beautiful original paintings and drawings.
The Templars: The Dramatic History of the Knights Templar, the Most Powerful Military Order of the Crusades
by Piers Paul ReadThe internationally bestselling author of Alive explores the rise, the catastrophic fall, and the far-reaching legacy of Knights of the Temple of Solomon.“This is an engrossing and beautifully written work of popular history that unfolds like a well-structured crime novel.” —BooklistIn 1099, the city of Jerusalem, a possession of the Islamic Caliphate for over four-hundred years, fell to an army of European knights intent on restoring the Cross to the Holy Lands. From the ranks of these holy warriors emerged an order of monks trained in both scripture and the military arts, an order that would protect and administer Christendom’s prized conquest for almost a century: the Knights of the Temple of Solomon, or the Templars.In this articulate and engaging history, Piers Paul Read explores the rise, the catastrophic fall, and the far-reaching legacy of these knights who took, and briefly held, the most bitterly contested citadel in the monotheistic West. Drawing on the most recent scholarship, and writing with authority and candor, Read chronicles the history of the blood-splattered monks who still infiltrate modernity in literature, as the inspiration for secret societies, and in the backyard fantasies of any child with access to a stick and a garbage can lid.More than armed holy men, the Templars also represented the first uniformed standing army in the Western world. Sustaining their military order required vast sums of money, and, to that end, a powerful multinational corporation formed. The prosperity that European financiers enjoyed, from the efficient management of Levantine possessions and from pioneering developments in the field of international banking, would help jump-start Europe’s long-slumbering Dark Age economy.In 1307, the French king, Philip IV, expropriated Templar lands, unleashing a wave of repression that would crest five years later. After Templar leaders broke down and confessed, under torture, to blasphemy, heresy, and sodomy, Pope Clement V suppressed the Order in 1312. Was it guilty as charged? And what relevance has the story to our own times? In this remarkable history, Piers Paul Read explores the Crusades and the individual biographies of the many colorful characters that fought them.
The Templars: The Rise And Spectacular Fall Of God's Holy Warriors
by Dan JonesAn instant international bestseller, this major new history of the knights Templar by the bestselling author of The Plantagenets is “another triumphant tale from a historian who writes as addictively as any page-turning novelist.” –The GuardianJerusalem 1119. A small group of knights seeking a purpose in the violent aftermath of the First Crusade decides to set up a new order. These are the first Knights of Templar, a band of elite warriors prepared to give their lives to protect Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land. Over the next two hundred years, the Templars would become the most powerful religious order of the medieval world. Their legend has inspired fervent speculation ever since. But who were they really and what actually happened?In this groundbreaking narrative history, the bestselling author of The Plantagenets tells the true story of the Templars for the first time in a generation, drawing on extensive original sources to build a gripping account of these Christian holy warriors whose heroism and depravity have so often been shrouded in myth. The Templars were protected by the pope and sworn to strict vows of celibacy. They fought the forces of Islam in hand-to-hand combat on the sun-baked hills where Jesus lived and died, finding their nemesis in Saladin, who vowed to drive all Christians from the lands of Islam. They were experts at channeling money across borders. They established the medieval world’s first global bank and waged private wars against anyone who threatened their interests.Then in 1307 the Templars fell foul of a vindictive King of France, whose lawyers built a meticulous case against them. On Friday October 13, hundreds of brothers were arrested, imprisoned and tortured, and the order was disbanded amid lurid accusations of sexual misconduct and heresy. They were tried by the Pope in secret proceedings and publicly humiliated. But were they heretics or victims of a ruthlessly repressive state? Dan Jones goes back to the sources tobring their dramatic tale, so relevant to our own times, in a book that is at once authoritative and compulsively readable.
The Ten Thousand
by Michael Curtis FordIn a novel of high adventure and riveting historical drama, Michael Curtis Ford brings to life an amazing true story from Ancient Greece - Xenophon's march of The Ten Thousand. A tale of war and peace, of loyalties and betrayals, and of a soldier's love for a mysterious and dangerous woman, The Ten Thousand captures the eternal spirit of courage in the face of impossible odds.Winter, 401 BC. A thundering army of mercenaries, camp followers, dreamers, and glory seekers set off to help a rebellious foreign general named Cyrus. In the months that followed, ten thousand men - trained and hardened in three decades of war in Greece - would engage in pitched battles, witness untold horrors, and begin a desperate march across he desert, over raging rivers, and into the jaws of hell itself. By the time it was over, some would be alive, others dead, and one among them would emerge and the greatest hero of all . . .Perfect for fans of Simon Scarrow, Ben Kane, Conn Iggulden, Harry Sidebottom and S.J.A. Turney.
The Ten Thousand: A Novel of Ancient Greece
by Michael Curtis FordIn 401 B.C., a thundering army of mercenaries, camp followers, dreamers, and glory seekers set off to help a rebellious foreign general named Cyrus. In the months that followed, ten thousand men--trained and hardened in three decades of war in Greece--would engage in pitched battles, witness untold horrors, and begin a desperate march across the desert, over raging rivers, and into the jaws of hell itself. By the time it was over, some would be alive, others dead, and one among them would emerge and the greatest hero of all...In a novel of high adventure and riveting historical drama, Michael Curtis Ford brings to life an amazing true story from Greek antiquity--Xenophon's march of the ten Thousand. A tale of war and peace, of loyalties and betrayals, and of a soldier's love for a mysterious and dangerous woman, The Ten Thousand captures the eternal spirit of courage--in the face of impossible odds.
The Tender Soldier: A True Story of War and Sacrifice
by Vanessa M. GezariA “sharp-eyed look at the complexities of war” (Parade), that explores the inner workings of the Human Terrain System, a Pentagon program that sends civilian social scientists into war zones to help soldiers understand local culture.On the day Barack Obama was elected president in November 2008, a small group of American civilians took their optimism and experience to a village west of Kandahar, Afghanistan. They were part of the Pentagon’s controversial attempt to bring social science to the battlefield, driven by the notion that you can’t win a war if you don’t understand the enemy and his culture. The field team in Afghanistan that day included an intrepid Texas blonde, a former bodyguard for Afghan president Hamid Karzai, and an ex-military intelligence sergeant who had come to Afghanistan to make peace with his troubled past. But not all goes as planned. In this tale of moral suspense, journalist Vanessa Gezari follows these three idealists from the hope that brought them to Afghanistan through the events of the fateful day when one is gravely wounded, an Afghan is dead, and a proponent of cross-cultural engagement is charged with his murder. Through it all, these brave Americans ended up showing the world just how determined they were to get things right, how hard it was to really understand a place like Afghanistan where storytelling has been a major tool of survival, and why all future wars will involve this strange mix of fighting and listening. Vanessa Gezari is the only journalist to have gained access to the lives of people inside this troubled Army program, including the brilliant, ambitious figures who conceived it. This true story of war and sacrifice will upend your ideas about what really went wrong in Afghanistan.
The Tenth (Irish) Division In Gallipoli
by Major Bryan Cooper"The story of the division from formation in Ireland in August 1914 to departure from Gallipoli for Macedonia in October 1915.This history covers the period from the raising of the division to its departure from Gallipoli for Macedonia in October 1915. It was the first divisional history to appear in print, and it is a matter for regret that its scope is so narrow a one. As a history its limitation is that it is based mainly on the author's memory (he served in the division with 5th Connaught Rangers), on other officers' accounts and on other books in print at the time (February 1917). A later publication would have benefitted from the availability of more official documentation and other material. Nevertheless, this book's informal style makes it an easy read and it is a tribute to the first Irish Division as such to take its place in the order of battle of the British Army, and the first to go into action. Appendices list Staff officer casualties and infantry officer casualties by battalions; all those mentioned in Hamilton's despatches of January and February 1916, and those who received honours and awards. The division was the second of Kitchener's First New Army and began to form in Ireland at the end of August 1914 with battalions from the North and South. It sailed for Gallipoli in July 1915, landed at Suvla on 6th/7th August and went straight into action at the capture of Chocolate hill and later in the fighting for Hill 60. In early October it embarked for Macedonia and by the end of the month it had landed at Salonika, minus its artillery left at Suvla. Casualties at Gallipoli amounted to some 2,100. "--N&M Press Reprint
The Tenth Muse
by Catherine Chung'A young woman's battle for acceptance in a male-dominated world; her misadventures in love; and her torturous journey to track down her real parents in Germany' Mail on Sunday Best New FictionFrom childhood, Katherine knows she is different, and that her parents are not who they seem to be. But as she grows up and becomes a mathematician, she faces the most human of problems - who is she? What is the cost of love, and what is the cost of ambition? On her quest to conquer the Riemann hypothesis, the greatest unsolved mathematical problem of her time, she turns to a theorem with a mysterious history that holds both the lock and key to her identity, and to secrets long buried during World War II. Forced to confront some of the biggest events of the twentieth century and rethink everything she knows of herself, Katherine strives to take her place in the world of higher mathematics, reclaiming the voices of the women who came before her whose love of the language of numbers connects them across generations.
The Tenth Muse
by Catherine ChungThe first thing I remember being said of me with any consistency was that I was intelligent - and I recognized even then that it was a comment leveled at me with as much disapproval as admiration. Still, I never tried to hide or suppress my mind as some girls do, and thank god, because that would have been the beginning of the end.From childhood, Katherine knows she is different, and that her parents are not who they seem to be. But in becoming a mathematician, she faces the most human of problems - who is she? What is the cost of love, and what is the cost of ambition? On her quest to conquer the Riemann Hypothesis, the greatest unsolved mathematical problem of her time, she turns to a theorem with a mysterious history that holds both the lock and key to her identity, and to secrets long buried during World War II. Forced to confront some of the biggest events of the twentieth century and rethink everything she knows of herself, Katherine strives to take her place in the world of higher mathematics, reclaiming the voices of the women who came before her whose love of the language of numbers connects them across generations.The Tenth Muse is a brilliant, involving novel asking questions about who gets to tell the story of intellectual endeavour, and those who lost everything during World War II.Praise for The Tenth Muse'Arresting in scope and its treatment of time, its prose at turns crystalline and richly balletic, this story pulls puzzle from puzzle - human, historical and all too contemporary' Helen Oyeyemi
The Tenth Muse: A Novel
by Catherine ChungA RECOMMENDED BOOK FROM:Los Angeles Times * USA Today * O, the Oprah Magazine * Buzzfeed * The Rumpus * Entertainment Weekly * Elle * BBC * Christian Science Monitor * Electric Literature * The Millions * LitHub * Publishers Weekly * Kirkus * Refinery29 * Thrillist * BookBub * Nylon * Bustle * Goodreads An exhilarating, moving novel about a trailblazing mathematician whose research unearths her own extraordinary family story and its roots in World War IIFrom the days of her childhood in the 1950s Midwest, Katherine knows she is different, and that her parents are not who they seem. As she matures from a girl of rare intelligence into an exceptional mathematician, traveling to Europe to further her studies, she must face the most human of problems—who is she? What is the cost of love, and what is the cost of ambition? These questions grow ever more entangled as Katherine strives to take her place in the world of higher mathematics and becomes involved with a brilliant and charismatic professor.When she embarks on a quest to conquer the Riemann hypothesis, the greatest unsolved mathematical problem of her time, she turns to a theorem with a mysterious history that may hold both the lock and the key to her identity, and to secrets long buried during World War II. Forced to confront some of the most consequential events of the twentieth century and rethink everything she knows of herself, she finds kinship in the stories of the women who came before her, and discovers how seemingly distant stories, lives, and ideas are inextricably linked to her own.The Tenth Muse is a gorgeous, sweeping tale about legacy, identity, and the beautiful ways the mind can make us free.
The Tenth Planet
by Edmond HamiltonCaptain Future meets Captain Future...The two men stood facing each other.One man was tall and impressive. His red hair, his self-assured manner, the global ring he wore on his finger, left no question in the minds of viewers that he was the man he said he was - the man known the Solar System over as Captain Future.The other man was tall too, but fierce looking, with a wild black beard and a scarred face. They called him Blackbeard and believed he was a space pirate, although the main claimed he didn't remember who he was. Not even he suspected that he might be the real Captain Future...
The Terrans
by Jean JohnsonJean Johnson's first novel in an explosive new science fiction trilogy set in the world of the national bestselling Theirs Not to Reason Why series--set two-hundred years earlier, at the dawn of the First Salik War...Born into a political family and gifted with psychic abilities, Jacaranda MacKenzie has served as a border-watcher and even spent time as a representative on the United Planets Council. Now she just wants to spend her days in peace and quiet as a translator--but the universe has other plans...Humans have long known that they would encounter more alien species, and while those with precognitive abilities agree a terrible war is coming, they do not agree on who will save humanity--a psychic soldier or a politician.But Jackie is both.After she is pressured into rejoining the Space Force to forestall the impending calamity, Jackie makes an unsettling discovery. Their new enemy, the Salik, seem to be rather familiar with fighting Humans--as if their war against humanity had already begun...
The Terrible Hours
by Peter MaasOn the eve of World War II, the Squalus, America's newest submarine, plunged into the North Atlantic. Miraculously, thirty-three crew members still survived. While their loved ones waited in unbearable tension on shore, their ultimate fate would depend upon one man, U.S. Navy officer Charles "Swede" Momsen-an extraordinary combination of visionary, scientist, and man of action. In this thrilling true narrative, prize-winning author Peter Maas brings us in vivid detail a moment-by-moment account of the disaster and the man at its center. Could he actually pluck those men from a watery grave? Or had all his pioneering work been in vain?
The Terrible Siren: Victoria Woodhull (1838-1927)
by Emanie SachsAs Publishers Weekly noted, “No heroine of any romance ever had a more adventurous career than this unvictorian Victoria.”In Victoria Woodhull’s prime during the mid to late 1800s, women were not allowed to vote, were not encouraged to run a business, and certainly did not speak of free love, much less get divorced. Women endured other ridiculous conventions, like not being seen outside a home after dark without an escort. Restaurants refused to serve single women after 6pm.Victoria Woodhull smashed all these conventions and many more. She married for the first time while only 15 years old. She was married at least 3 times, with 2 divorces.Victoria held seances for Cornelius Vanderbilt to give him tips. With his mentorship, she, along with Tennessee, her equally beautiful sister, opened their own stock brokerage firm and were the first female brokers on Wall Street. One reviewer said it was a time “when a woman in business was as great a novelty as an elephant in a balloon.”The sisters ran a weekly newspaper in New York that ardently advocated for free love. Anthony Comstock sent them to jail for the contents of that paper.Victoria was a skillful orator who pushed for women’s equality, especially suffrage. One reviewer stated, “Audiences came to denounce her and stayed to acclaim her.”She was the first woman to be nominated for President of the United States by a political party. She ran in 3 different elections.She was the first woman to receive an official hearing before a congressional committee, when she presented a memorial about woman suffrage.Victoria unapologetically sought the spotlight and practiced what she preached despite notoriety and persecution.
The Territorial Air Force: The RAF's Voluntary Squadrons, 1926–1957
by Frances Louise Wilkinson“What is almost certainly the definitive account of the Auxiliary Air Force, the Special Reserve and the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.” —Paul Nixon, Army Ancestry ResearchTo date, little has been written about the Territorial Air Force as a voluntary military organization and no sustained analysis of its recruitment and social composition undertaken. Made up of three different parts, the Auxiliary Air Force, the Special Reserve and the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, these three separate and different groups have not featured significantly in existing literature.Along with a history of the Territorial Air Force, this book includes an analysis of how the volunteers joined, and what kinds of men were accepted into the organizations as both pilots and officers. The influences class and social status had on recruitment in the run up to the Second World War are also discussed. There is an exploration of the key differences between the Auxiliary squadrons and the SR squadrons, as well as the main reasons for the idea of merging the SR squadrons into the AAF squadrons. Briefly discussed are the newly formed University Air Squadrons that were set up to promote “air mindedness” and to stimulate an interest and research on matters aeronautical. Military voluntarism continued to play a key role in the defense of twentieth-century Britain, and class ceased to be the key determining factor in the recruitment of officers as the organizations faced new challenges. Within both the AAF and the RAFVR the pre-war impression of a gentlemen’s flying club finally gave way to a more meritocratic culture in the post-war world.
The Territorial Management of Ethnic Conflict (Routledge Studies in Federalism and Decentralization #Vol. 9)
by John CoakleyThe object of this book is to look at the manner in which states attempt to cope with ethnic conflict through territorial approaches. This revised edition has new chapters covering Northern Ireland, South Africa and Yugoslavia.
The Territorials, 1908–1914: A Guide for Military and Family Historians
by Ray WestlakeThe Territorials 1908–1914 is a unique, comprehensive record of the part-time soldiers who made up the Territorial Force that supported the regular army in the years immediately before the outbreak of the First World War. Previously information on the history and organization of these dedicated amateur soldiers has been incomplete and scattered across many sources but now, in this invaluable work of reference, Ray Westlake provides an accessible introduction to the Territorial Force and a directory of the units raised in each county and each town. The origin, aims and organization of the Territorial Force are described as well as the terms of service, recruitment, equipment and training. But the bulk of the book consists of details of over 600 Territorial units plus a comprehensive account of every city, town or village associated with them. Essential information on the all the infantry formations is supplied, but also covered are the yeomanry, the artillery, the engineers, the Royal Army Medical Corps and the Army Service Corps. Ray Westlakes historical guide of the Territorial Force the forerunner of the present-day Territorial Army - will be of enduring value to military and family historians.
The Terror Authorization: The History and Politics of the 2001 AUMF
by Shoon MurrayThree days after September 11, 2001, Congress passed an unprecedented authorization of the use of military force (AUMF 2001) that remains in force today. As the theatre of operation against terrorism changes, the applicability and legality of the AUMF 2001 is under increasing scrutiny - giving way to academic discussion over its current status.
The Terror Raids of 1942: The Baedeker Blitz
by Jan GoreMeticulous research provides the fullest insight yet into the impact of this bombing campaign on Britain’s home front during the Second World War.“We shall go out and bomb every building in Britain marked with three stars in the Baedeker Guide,” the German Foreign Office announced in April 1942 as the Luftwaffe attacked Exeter, Bath, Norwich, York and Canterbury. Over a thousand people died. These raids were direct retaliation for RAF raids on equally historic German cities. Hitler had ordered that “Preference is to be given . . . where attacks are likely to have the greatest possible effect on civilian life,” and in this narrow aim—as Jan Gore shows in the first full history of the raids to be published for over twenty years—they certainly succeeded.She explains the Luftwaffe’s tactics, the types of bombs that were used—high explosive, parachute mines and incendiaries—and records the devastating damage they caused. Her main focus is on the effect of the bombing on the ground. In graphic detail she describes the air raid precautions, the role of the various civil defense organizations and the direct experience of the civilians. Their recollections—many of which have not been published before—as well as newspaper articles and official reports give us a vivid impression of the raids themselves and their immediate aftermath.“One can never understand what either side hoped to achieve by destroying historic cities and killing and maiming their citizens during a conflict such as the second world war. Jan Gore attempts to explain the thinking behind it, and the awful consequences . . . A terrific account.” —Books Monthly
The Terror Raids of 1942: The Baedeker Blitz
by Jan GoreMeticulous research provides the fullest insight yet into the impact of this bombing campaign on Britain’s home front during the Second World War.“We shall go out and bomb every building in Britain marked with three stars in the Baedeker Guide,” the German Foreign Office announced in April 1942 as the Luftwaffe attacked Exeter, Bath, Norwich, York and Canterbury. Over a thousand people died. These raids were direct retaliation for RAF raids on equally historic German cities. Hitler had ordered that “Preference is to be given . . . where attacks are likely to have the greatest possible effect on civilian life,” and in this narrow aim—as Jan Gore shows in the first full history of the raids to be published for over twenty years—they certainly succeeded.She explains the Luftwaffe’s tactics, the types of bombs that were used—high explosive, parachute mines and incendiaries—and records the devastating damage they caused. Her main focus is on the effect of the bombing on the ground. In graphic detail she describes the air raid precautions, the role of the various civil defense organizations and the direct experience of the civilians. Their recollections—many of which have not been published before—as well as newspaper articles and official reports give us a vivid impression of the raids themselves and their immediate aftermath.“One can never understand what either side hoped to achieve by destroying historic cities and killing and maiming their citizens during a conflict such as the second world war. Jan Gore attempts to explain the thinking behind it, and the awful consequences . . . A terrific account.” —Books Monthly
The Terrorist Watch: Inside the Desperate Race to Stop the Next Attack
by Ronald KesslerBased almost entirely on sources within the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency--prominently including FBI Director Mueller, CIA Director Hayden, and White House Counterterrorism Chief Townsend--this work by Kessler (chief Washington correspondent for NewsMax.com), aimed at a general audience, is an entirely one-sided and hagiographic account of US government counterterrorism operations in the wake of the September 11th attacks. Describing the activities of his heroic FBI and CIA agents, Kessler not infrequently descends outright into cynical apologia. To cite but one example, torture is mentioned exactly three times in the book, twice to claim that the CIA never engages in such practices, although it is admitted that they do employ sleep deprivation and stress positions, techniques considered by many reputable experts to be torture, and once to dismiss any concerns about the so-called "extraordinary rendition" program, which often hands American-held detainees over to countries that routinely employ torture for interrogation. "Why should the U.S. give them a safe haven from the laws and practices of their own countries?" asks Kessler. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)