Absolutely fascinating. The details can get a little muddy, but patience will be rewarded. There are a number of instructive line-drawings, and the boAbsolutely fascinating. The details can get a little muddy, but patience will be rewarded. There are a number of instructive line-drawings, and the book includes a number of illustrations of the HMS Leopard, drawn by John McKay.
The average reader may not find it very interesting, but it is indispensable to anyone interested in naval warfare in the Age of Sail. The history is a bit dull, but descriptions of particulars in the career of a Fourth Rate, such as living quarters, stores, and armament, really make the reality of these behemoths from a bygone age vivid. And if nothing else, one can appreciate the beauty of form and almost poetic dance of oak, canvas, cordage, and iron that make up a sailing man-of-war....more
Very good resource, which combines various sources and harmonizes various perspectives. I will certainly be reading this again, and I will also be usiVery good resource, which combines various sources and harmonizes various perspectives. I will certainly be reading this again, and I will also be using the references listed to deepen my understanding of this very interesting history. ...more
This was a fantastic book for modeling clipper ships. I was looking more for the practical aspects of ship rigging, which it provided in abundance. ThThis was a fantastic book for modeling clipper ships. I was looking more for the practical aspects of ship rigging, which it provided in abundance. The book- not just establishing and describing rigs, also studies rigging in a systematic way, and goes a long way to clarifying the tangle of lines and sheets that confront the average lubber. ...more
This is a short and useful guide book on rigging of sailboats. I think it's a bit incomplete because the author tends to use rigging terms that he is This is a short and useful guide book on rigging of sailboats. I think it's a bit incomplete because the author tends to use rigging terms that he is not quick to explain, but for me that's just an indicator that one should develop a good foundation before attempting the practice. If you want to get a bunch of useful tips, as well as a great list of tools for each task, then this is an excellent practical primer. I recommend a newcomer to rigging should read this through first (it only took me a couple days, really), highlight or write down the terms one doesn't understand, and then find an expert to explain or study those things in depth. ...more
This book started a little slow for me, introducing unexpected settings and characters that I was not familiar with. So far the stories had an accountThis book started a little slow for me, introducing unexpected settings and characters that I was not familiar with. So far the stories had an account of entry into Narnia, but in this one the lack of it was a bit jarring. But pretty soon the characters proved interesting, charming, and relatable. As always, C.S. Lewis writes on themes that ennoble, and with stories that engage. Highly recommended....more
This book was a very good collection of insights from as far back as the 1960s. Definitely worth reading if you are interested in understanding modernThis book was a very good collection of insights from as far back as the 1960s. Definitely worth reading if you are interested in understanding modern trends in commerce.
I had some expectations that I gathered from the title- to me, the 'Essentials' would encompass the most important things to know about business in general. I feel that those expectations were mostly filled- the authors gave essays on a wide range of subjects including management, leadership, trending changes in business, and the like. All in all, I liked them. I could find myself asking for more systematic organization, but I bought the boxed set, and the other books in the collection are organized to specific subjects. So I'm happy with the book by and large. ...more
**spoiler alert** Meh. This book was middle-of-the-road for me. I enjoyed the setting, the description, and most of the story. Kristin Hannah is a won**spoiler alert** Meh. This book was middle-of-the-road for me. I enjoyed the setting, the description, and most of the story. Kristin Hannah is a wonderful writer and puts her talents to great effect. Having said that, there were a number of issues that I couldn't get past.
First, Kristin Hannah has not yet mastered the ability to diversify her characters' voices. For a positive example, I give C.S. Lewis and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Both artists have a sweeping vocabulary and an uncanny ability to project themselves into not just their characters' perspectives but their lives. The subtle inflections and use of culture- and class-specific words are wonderful and give the impression of a whole world within the story. Not so Hannah- she has an unfortunate tendency of using the same words among characters, as if they all come from the same place and think in the same way. It's a relatively small issue, but nonetheless a frustrating one that ruins the immersiveness That KH so painstakingly illustrates- something akin to finding a Starbucks coffee cup on a medieval king's table.
I also find that KH had some incomplete characters that required explaining after the fact. For example, the protagonist is arrested by the town sheriff simply because he's a by-the-books kind of guy. In the 400+ pages she took in her narrative, Hannah felt no need to give a little life to the character to make such an extreme decision at least possible. Without it, the climax feels less like the height of the struggle and more like the most intense heat from Hannah's magnifying glass as she gleefully tortures her characters. There is nothing new under the sun, as it is said; having said that, I have never seen an instance of Satanas ex machina before.
Finally, I think that there is a disturbing trend in KH's work- the disturbing absence of any kind of heroes or heroines. All her characters are deeply flawed humans who are neither virtuous nor completely evil, and though they have countless opportunities to struggle against a very real evil, they never seem to employ any kind of moral strength to do so. Perhaps that is the state of the world today, but in the end it gives a very depressing outlook on life. For without genuine good, any kind of justice delivered in her stories is incomplete, and her characters' choices can be inexplicable. In the end, I had the impression that Kristin Hannah, the creater and god of her story, took her characters and tortured them so incessantly and cruelly to the point where the characters could ask nothing at all from their own reality- only to give them a pittance in compensation. But with no courage or nobility to support it and nothing more to aim for, I can't help but feel pity for the characters, and disgust for a story that submits its participants to endless torture with nothing to redeem or elevate their struggles....more
This book started off a bit slow- but by necessity. I believe because Captain Hornblower had both multiple objectives and had the freedom to choose thThis book started off a bit slow- but by necessity. I believe because Captain Hornblower had both multiple objectives and had the freedom to choose them, the narrative feels a bit disjointed. But the action gets exciting and everything comes together in the end....more
This was a fantastic book- an adventure book that blends historic elements. And far from the simple right-and-wrong narrative that movies lean toward,This was a fantastic book- an adventure book that blends historic elements. And far from the simple right-and-wrong narrative that movies lean toward, the plot in this book is nuanced and engaging on a deeper level than just the action. I had critiques about how Hornblower so often berated himself to the point that it felt a bit forced, but in the end that's a character trait- not a flaw in writing. And Forester's preference to combine physical and moral struggles in his writing was wonderful to read. Highly recommend....more
Interesting insights and well-organized essays that are easy to read. Time will tell how true the arguments presented will be, but for the most part tInteresting insights and well-organized essays that are easy to read. Time will tell how true the arguments presented will be, but for the most part the book is a good and informative read....more
The timeless beauty of sailboats are beautifully illustrated by the great naval architect Howard Chapelle. The author gives a no-nonsense understandinThe timeless beauty of sailboats are beautifully illustrated by the great naval architect Howard Chapelle. The author gives a no-nonsense understanding of how boats were designed in his time, and presents technical details in a way that is both comprehensive and simple enough for the layman to get a foothold without needing a lot of mathematical or practical experience.
I think that there are a lot of subjects covered in this book that are outdated or obsolete (such as using battens to loft boat lines, which has been displaced by 3D modeling), and the book will be of limited practical value in designing and building a large yacht. But even though Chapelle provides only a piece of the puzzle, the information provided is a critical part that remains relevant in boat building today. That to say that if you want to build your own boat, you will certainly will need more than just this book to design and build it, but I don't believe any boat designer should leave out this book as a design reference.
Finally, there is a great amount of pleasure that is derived from reading the book as a piece of history- seeing how these magnificent yachts were created in the time before space-age technology gives a beautiful window on the tradition of naval architecture that has been cherished for centuries. Certainly a good read for enthusiasts....more
Outstanding book. If you watch the movie you'll notice that the book has far less action, but I have to lean towards C.S. Forester's work as the betteOutstanding book. If you watch the movie you'll notice that the book has far less action, but I have to lean towards C.S. Forester's work as the better. In the end it's far more realistic than the movie, and because of that both the tension and the relief is deeper. This book has a lot of technical details that can get hairy from time to time, but if you stick with it the reward will be worth it....more
I absolutely loved this book! It read like a group of vignettes, each self-contained and free standing, with little need to understand the next or theI absolutely loved this book! It read like a group of vignettes, each self-contained and free standing, with little need to understand the next or the previous to appreciate. The stories were exciting, interesting, and presented morals that would contribute to Hornblower's development over the rest of the books. This is definitely how prequels should work.
The writing style is a bit stiff and the sailing terminology can be a bit confusing. But if one applies themselves to a bit of sailing knowledge, the same writing can be wonderfully immersive. If you are looking into stories about adventure on the high seas, then I recommend this book as a primer....more
Well. This book is finally complete. I keep a regular rotation of books going to help me muddle through those books I find important to read despite tWell. This book is finally complete. I keep a regular rotation of books going to help me muddle through those books I find important to read despite their difficulty in reading it. I own that I readily skipped over the book in my rotation simply because it was so difficult a read- despite reading 21 pages per session, the total pages per day was only 3. I bring this up because unless this book just happens to be your thing, it's going to be a tough trek.
On the whole, I felt that this book was a bad book, and should not be read by anyone but people who have an interest in cult behavior, popular delusions, or similar things. For that I did get a lot of useful information, but as a manual for mental health, I cannot stress enough that the book is a massive scam. That being said, I think that the author's personal history combined with the history of the church of Scientology is already enough to convince a rational mind that there is nothing worth reading, so I will say no more about it. For the rest of the review I aim to take a critical view on the subjects at hand and stray into critique of the organization or founder any more than is necessary to deal with the book.
Dianetics is written as a handbook reference for an uninitiated reader to learn more about a treatment philosophy that is advertised as a path to 'optimum' health (whatever that means). Hubbard lays out his ideas in the introduction of the book, where he describes 'tones' of existence for an individual, and foundational doctrines upon which he builds his therapy (such as pain is bad and lowers a person's capability to survive, while pleasure is good and increases a person's survivability). In this introduction, Hubbard introduces the concept of an 'engram'- a packet of charged emotional energy that can cling to a person's consciousness. Once that part is established, the author continues to his second part, which tries to lay out how engrams work, their causes and effects, and the way to 'release' engrams. The later part of his book is aimed more at 'auditors' who help their patients (called 'pre-clears') discharge their engrams.
In reflection, Hubbard must be given credit as a writer and logician- he produces sound arguments that can be convincing if one accepts the premises. Of course, if one challenges each of his assumptions at the beginning (such as pain is inherently bad- easily dismissed, since exercise involves the deliberate application of pain for growth) then Hubbard's whole book falls apart. And there are a shocking number of inaccuracies, misconceptions, and flat-out lies that any reader can use to refute the logic of the book.
The popularity of Dianetics seems to have been a case of 'right place, right time' in the state of society. My understanding of mental health in the era between the late 40s and late 70s is that it was a period of rapid discovery- meaning, among other things that treatments at the time were inaccurate and sometimes outright barbaric (Hubbard repeatedly railed against shock therapy in Dianetics). A critic would have found an easy time accusing psychiatric treatment of being a 'failed science', and a charlatan might just as easily have made his fortune pandering a snake-oil treatment for people in genuine pain and desperate for any relief to a little-known health emergency. Hubbard also benefited greatly from the advent of computers and science fiction, which he prominently integrated into his therapy with scientific terms such as the 'memory banks' of a human's mind. The marketing strategy is overt at times, such as the creation of a 'mind schematic' near the end of the book.
Dianetic therapy, at its core, is a matter of simply listening to a patient. Once you take away all the silliness of engrams and the like, that's all that the therapy is. And even still, listening is one of the best ways to help a person's mental health. I believe that this accounts for the effectiveness of Dianetics as a therapy. But one hardly needs to read five hundred pages to understand the basics of listening. Alas, the most terrible and intractable lies are the ones that are almost true. Could it be that the author was pointing toward ideas that, when rarified by scientific investigation, would make sense? After all, we do know now that a person's mental health operates in such a way that traumatic memories cling to a person's mind and sometimes aberrates the person's behavior- perhaps not unlike an engram. If one takes the model of mental health nowadays, could it be closer to Dianetics than it was to the old practice of therapy? Perhaps- and had Dianetics taken a higher turn, its legacy might have been that of an advance in mental health treatment, no matter how mistaken, instead of a high-level grift. But the author chose a different path.
Hubbard chose to take what little he understood, embellish it with science fiction, and take as much advantage as he could get from the people who reposed their faith in him. Moreover, there are clear passages where cult-like behavior is clearly established in bids for supremacy among other treatments, as well as the attempt to discredit critics out of hand (the book clearly states that any family member who does not believe in the therapy is either aberrated by engrams or trying to hide something- usually an attempted abortion). Speaking of, there is Hubbard's strange obsession with attempted abortions. I'll be analyzing this book in the future for better numbers, but it seems from a first reading that the author genuinely believes that every parent in the world has attempted to abort their child. Perhaps that's obsessive speech, but to me it demonstrates Hubbard's fascistic desire to be supreme- Dianetics cannot be merely good; every other philosophy must be bad.
Having said all that, I could forgive a lot of Hubbard's writing and dismiss it as well-meaning enthusiasm ...if it were not for Hubbard's ham-handed sexual dialogue. Seriously- it's the absolute worst, and if you want a good laugh for cheap, my copy of Dianetics only cost me $3. For that, Dianetics deserves only a place of infamy- on only a very few bookshelves....more
Ok, this book was really tough. It was highly technical and read like a math book. However, that shouldn't say that I wasn't at least glad to read it.Ok, this book was really tough. It was highly technical and read like a math book. However, that shouldn't say that I wasn't at least glad to read it. I hoped to find a primer for modern yacht design and construction. This book met that expectation perfectly.
Yes, it is a textbook and you're likely to struggle with it. But if this is your passion and you want to develop a deeper understanding of how sailing boats work, then it will be a worthy struggle. The book says that it isn't too technical for amateurs, and I *kinda* agree with that. I recommend picking up a few books or watching some YouTube videos on how to sail before picking up this book. A lot of sailing terms in the book aren't well defined- mostly the slang terms like describing a vessel's bow as bluff or sharp, or weighted terms like freeboard or sheer. I think the complete stranger to sailing is likely to get in the weeds very quickly and will have to read very carefully to get through it.
Having said all that, I certainly believe that this book is a wonderful source of information, and I look to read it again (and perhaps a third time) to really understand sailboat design....more
Okay, it's hard to set aside my favoritism toward C.S. Forester and consider the book in itself. It's even more difficult to move beyond my disappointOkay, it's hard to set aside my favoritism toward C.S. Forester and consider the book in itself. It's even more difficult to move beyond my disappointment at reading an unfinished book, with only a note in the end about how the story was to progress. All in all, I'd say the book was entertaining and a good read but not up to the high caliber of its siblings.
There was one part that I enjoyed more than any other: the taking and abandoning of a ship. I have read a few stories where the taking of a numerically-superior ship by complete surprise results in the meet surrender of the enemy. As interesting as that is, I sometimes felt a bit of doubt that this story was par for the course as far as boarding goes. It was refreshing to consider what may happen when a crew, taken by surprise, regroups below ships and resolves to take back the ship come hell or high water. Once again, C.S. Forester artfully makes naval warfare new and exiting.
On to the criticism- I'll try to be careful. What I like least about this story is the inflated stakes. It seems that as any adventure story progresses, the stakes have to be pushed higher and higher, to the point where the protagonist stands alone in the balance of fate. It somehow cheapens the other characters- historic and fictional- in the setting. And though I do enjoy stories where the actions of the protagonist matter, it must be handled carefully as the stakes increase. Admittedly, the story was unfinished and may have moderated a bit from its intended ending.
The other criticism that I have about the story is that it didn't seem to matter- with book 1 there were a number of powerful morals and experiences that were a mirror into Hornblower's character and development. Similar experiences are sadly absent here. Again, that might have changed if Forester had completed it, but we will never know. If anything, Horblower's experiences felt somewhat cheapened by the introduction of another story. His promotion had already been earned, and it seems to me that some shady character holding it hostage just cheapened the promotion. Similarly, Hornblower seeing his wife and child didn't add any new experience to the already rankling frustration with his domestic life.
All that to say that I would still recommend the Hornblower series- I would simply mark this book as an optional addition to the series.
The two short stories were interesting and fun. I don't feel like adding to that....more
Mr. Reader
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