Full of rare and exact information.... A distinguished work.―New York Review of Books The eleventh-century Muslim world was a great civilization while Europe lay slumbering in the Dark Ages. Slowly; inevitably; Europe and Islam came together; through trade and war; crusade and diplomacy. The ebb and flow between these two worlds for seven hundred years; illuminated here by a brilliant historian; is one of the great sagas of world history. 30 black and white illustrations
#301581 in Books Byron Farwell 1993-11-17 1993-11-17Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.30 x 1.10 x 6.10l; 1.74 #File Name: 0393310868576 pagesByron FarwellCivil WarBiography
Review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Good InformationBy J. A. PritchettOther reviewers have said just about all you need to know about this book; so I'll give my rating and a bullet list of my pros and consPros:Lots of well researched informationwell writtenAdequate number of mapsCons:Overly critical of the man in an attempt at objectivity0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. More on StonewallBy mikehWhile it is not what I would call an 'easy read'; the book is a good source of information nonetheless.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Fascinating biography of Gen. JacksonBy Stanley R. SchneiderJust read this biography of Jackson. First off; the author writes well and holds your interest. I found the presentation of Jackson's life fascinating and downright gripping once the Civil war begins. The story pulled me along to see what happens next; even though I was already familiar with the subject. The portrait Farwell paints of Jackson is of a religious zealot; mostly deaf; rude; unable to get along with subordinates; overly secretive; and frequently sleep deprived. The fact that Jackson was so stunningly successful in spite of (or maybe because) all this is what makes him unique. I was surprised to lean that Jackson; was a more worldly; well rounded person than I had assumed. I never knew that he was stationed for two years in Fort Hamilton New York; had spent spent three months traveling through Europe on a leave of absence from VMI to broaden himself; married in succession the daughters of the presidents of Washington and then Davidson colleges; and took both his wives to Niagara Falls; New York; on their honeymoons and had a sister who became a devoted unionist after the Civil War started.The book is very well researched and examines many of the myths surrounding Jackson in a very clinical even handed manner. No idol worship here; but the author backs up his viewpoints; by quoting and weighing; sometimes conflicting; original sources. One recurrent theme about Jackson that the author uses; is that a good part of Jackson's success was due to "luck". I believe that luck always favors the resolute; aggressive commander; which describes Jackson. The author believes that Jackson's reputation through the years has remained so high; because he was killed at the acme of his success and was not present for the inevitable decline and defeat of the Confederacy. He states that Jackson probably would not have made a very good Army Commander anyhow; and was best suited for Corps command. I'm not sure I agree with this; Jackson exercised independent command very well in the Valley; at Cedar Mountain; and at Harper's Ferry. William Tecumseh Sherman had many odd traits too; even came close to being cashiered for madness; but became an incomparable Army Commander. I think had Jackson lived; he might have duplicated Sherman's rise.I do have a couple of nits with the book. The maps leave out the troop alignments with the one on Antietam being almost blank; and the one on Harper's Ferry out of place by a couple of hundred pages (did the author or a subject matter expert look at the final galleys?). Also; the author may sometimes be confusing Division Commanders D.R. Jones and J.R. Jones; and it doesn't help when he sometimes uses just "Jones".Still; this is a book to sink your teeth into and it pleasantly takes you along on the life of an extraordinary individual. I highly recommend it.Stanley R. Schneider
