An essential for any serious student of Jackson or the Army of Northern Virginia. Five stars plus, but not for the novice. Col. Allan was Jackson's ordnance officer, and after the war he devoted the better part of his remaining years to these two comprehensive works included under one cover. Allan intended to write a comprehensive history of the Army of Northern Virginia for the entirety of the war, but his premature death left this greater work unfinished. His work on Jackson, which primarily covers the Valley Campaign, I consider the better of the two works because of its greater completeness. Both, however, are superb, early intensely scholastic efforts on the war, fully deserving of the stature as primary source works on the Civil War. The footnotes are old-style, page by page. Read them that way; slow, but it adds flavor. Buy this one while it is available.

. . . and others . . .

When Charles Francis Hall went looking for the Franklin expedition he heard exciting but contradictory evidence from the Inuit natives he encountered. Years after Hall, David Woodman's careful analysis of Inuit narratives does much to separate lines of history from complex story-telling. This book describes the ways in which the Inuit testimony can be validated and what things it has to report to us about what may have happened to the Franklin expedition. As such it contains what may be the first real "new" information about the Franklin expedition that we are likely to obtain absent startling new finds in the region.

Though Scott Cookman's new study "Ice Blink" has genuine insights to offer on the possible reasons for the evident deterioration of the Franklin expedition after its first year in the ice, Woodman's "Strangers Among Us" ultimately provides more information on exactly what happened -- and invaluable information from Inuit hunting peoples about why it might have happened at that time and in that place.

If you are interested in the historical mysteries of the third Franklin expedition this book should not be missed.

Strict Rules takes us back to 1986 and on tour with Midnight Oil and the Warumpi Band as they bring their distinctive styles of rock through the Aboriginal settlements of the outback. But this is more than a rock'n'roll road trip, it's a sensitive insight into the tragic history and ongoing struggle of Australia's original inhabitants. Intensely interesting. A must read not only for Midnight Oil fans, but for anyone with an interest in indigenous culture.

Should be required reading for all Canadian youth. As someone who began teaching in the Peace River District many years ago, I can state that the descriptions are very accurate, not only of the country, but of the people and circumstances. The best book I have read this decade.

If you are interested in cruising northern Lake Michigan, it does not get any better.

Step by step the planned revolution unfolds. The Irish, preparing pikes, organizing, and plotting betrayal against themselves.

Treachery and battle. Summer soldiers is a sometines exausting account of the failed rebellion against the Ascendancy.

This really is a minute to minute account of what happened.

That is this books best quality. It's so detailed it's hard to really accept. But the footnotes are there, and they reveal not only a failed rebellion (that is still relevant to the IRA and the RUC) but the details of how mass planning under duress comes together....and falls apart.

Essential for any student of Irish HIstory. Essential for anyone who needs to understand the rebelious masses. Essential to anyone interested in contemporary Irish politics.

This was the event that created todays nightmare in Ireland.

"Sweeney Astray" is a masterpiece on many levels: for the complex weave of its themes to the lyrical quality of its prose--accentuated greatly, of course, by Seamus Heaney's virtuoso translation.

We follow mad Sweeney in his crazed wanderings through the forest and hills, torn within himself by his love of the wild and his incurable loneliness. The tale is presented as chunks of narrative interspersed with segments of poetry, their quiet, melancholy beauty evoking the sounds of windsong and rain.

There is an ethereal quality to this text that makes it difficult to describe. Although it would seem to have a storyline, in reality it is a song, and each "event" a new strain of music. Sweeney's longing for his lost life as a man and king, even as he is unable to stay away from his beloved wilds of Glen Bolcain, illustrate the conflict between the desire for peaceful conformity and for transcendence. This conflict is echoed in the struggle that was ensuing in Ireland even as this work was being written, the struggle between the Celtic religion and the new influx of Christianity.

In this way does "Sweeney Astray" illuminate a historic revolution, while at the same time presenting themes that span eternity.

The fourth edition of this book is a vast improvement on the initial release (3 editions ago). If you are looking for a complete trail guide to the Tahoe Basin, this is the one you want.

The creators of the Tarot of the Old Path (one of my personal favorites) have done it again with their latest creation, Tarot of the Northern Shadows. At the time of this writing, I was unable to obtain Rodway's book by the same title, the deck does not come bundled with the text, and that is the only reason I didn't give the deck as high a rating as the Sacred Circle Tarot discussed above. This deck, loosely based on the Mabinogian is already well used in my readings because I was so comfortable with it from the first moment I thumbed through the cards. My favorite images include the High Priestess, which shows a nude woman kneeling whose arms are great blue wings. Next to her are a shield, spear and valkyrie helmet, while behind her is a spirit image of a grey long haired cat and three birds soaring against clouds. This is no meek priestess, sitting passively while she is receptive to her psychic visions, she is also a woman of action and strength who can obviously take care of herself. The rest of the deck is equally captivating. I was so impressed by the images Gainsford uses that I felt as if she and my own grandmother who trained me, must have learned from the same teachers. The blend of Celtic and Nordic imagery is so natural and consistent, that one forgets that there are any differences. To someone of Scottish or Irish descent, where the two cultures have blended so completely, this deck will feel very familiar. As much as I liked Gainsford and Rodway's previous effort, this deck is far better in that the deck captures the two cultures so completely that it is easy to "tell a story" or to follow the Fool's journey through the images. I predict that I will have to buy a second copy of the deck soon, because it will be so well used. This is a must have for anyone who feels a kinship with the Celtic or Nordic cultures.

If you're interested in teachers' first-hand experiences with team teaching and loads of practical advice, this book is for you! It's a good read!