In this marvelous anecdotal history; Justin Kaplan––Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer of Mark Twain––vividly brings to life a glittering; bygone age.Endowed with the largest private fortunes of their day; cousins John Jacob Astor IV and William Waldorf Astor vied for primacy in New York society; producing the grandest hotels ever seen in a marriage of ostentation and efficiency that transformed American social behavior.Kaplan exposes it all in exquisite detail; taking readers from the 1890s to the Roaring Twenties in a combination of biography; history; architectural appreciation; and pure reading pleasure
#799446 in Books Randall Hansen 2010-07-06 2010-07-06Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.02 x .80 x 6.01l; .90 #File Name: 0451230086384 pagesFire and Fury The Allied Bombing of Germany 1942 1945
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Just write about the facts and not your political opinions!By Michael SpeelNot a bad book but the title is somewhat misleading since it mostly covers the British bombing of Europe with the American effort getting only sporadic attention. To say that Harris was bloodthirsty is not an over exaggeration. The posturing for history by the British leaders as not in favor of terror bombing and unnecessary death and destruction is one for the ages. At least it appears that Harris was willing to take ownership for his actions which is somewhat refreshing even though I believe he was completely wrong and certainly took liberties with the facts to justify his actions. What I don't understand is why writers of history feel the need to bring personal political opinions to their writing as Mr. Hansen does at the end. Perhaps he can explain his second last sentence in the book: We cannot shy away from this conclusion out of fear of giving succor to "the far right" or of offending Royal Air Force or Royal Canadian Air Force aircrew. Who is this "far right" that Mr. Hansen is talking about and what does/did it (what ever it is) have to do with the bombing campaigns of World War Two? To those writing about history; please leave you political correctness at home; it has no place in the telling of history!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. This book is essentially boring. MrBy J. GunterThis book is essentially boring. Mr. Hansen formed his opinion of the RAF bombing objectives; identified them with Arthur Harris; and relentlessly proves them to be correct in this book. We are continually reminded of the devastation of German cities and the effect on their populations. This is not a technical war account. It is a moral treatise. Frankly; it could be summed up in a few pages. I got tired of it.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Ronald WardI would recommend to anyone interested in indiscriminate bombing of Germany; esp.of civilians and non-industrial targets; in WW2
