Elizabeth, the Winter Queen

Customer Reviews:

brilliant.......1999-06-08

This is an intriguing book, well worth a read or ten. You don't need to be a historian, a critic, or an experienced reader, you have to be able to read.

The winter queen, being the unhappy history of Elizabeth Stuart, electress palatine, queen of Bohemia; a romance, by Marie Hay

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The winter queen, being the unhappy history of Elizabeth Stuart, electress palatine, queen of Bohemia; a romance, by Marie Hay
Hon. Marie Hay
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

The Winter Queen: The Life of Elizabeth of Bohemia 1596-1662

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The Winter Queen: The Life of Elizabeth of Bohemia 1596-1662
Rosalind K. Marshall
Manufacturer: National Galleries of Scotland
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0903598795

The Winter Queen: The story of Elizabeth Stuart

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The Winter Queen: The story of Elizabeth Stuart
Josephine Ross
Manufacturer: Dorset Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 0880290684

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The Stuart Queen Elizabeth
The story of "Europe's grandmother"

The Winter Queen: Elizabeth of Bohemia
Carol Oman
Manufacturer: Phoenix Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

With wonderful accounts of the Shakespearean England from her youth to Restoration England to which she returned, this is the rags-to-riches story of Elizabeth of Bohemia. "It is as easy to read and absorbing as a novel, and has the advantage of scholarly documentation."--Times Literary Supplement.

Customer Reviews:

The Stuart Queen Elizabeth.......2002-10-28

Recent English royal biographies, perhaps following the success of Fraser's "Mary Queen of Scots," remain fixated on the Tudor era, Elizabeth I in particular, with less frequent mention of Mary Tudor or Mary Stuart, and/or perhaps Henry's wives. The romance of the Stuart queens, however, didn't end with Mary Queen of Scots - it reached its apogee with her grandchild, Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia. Married to the hapless Frederick, Elector Palatine, in 1619 she and her young family were brought to Prague as the newly elected (and Protestant) King and Queen following the deposition (defenestration, to be exact) of the previous Catholic regime. In power for little more than a few weeks, they were chased back into Germany after the disastrous Battle of the White Mountain, following which Elizabeth languished in exile in Holland for the best part of the next 40 years. Oran's 1930s bio is the standard work on Elizabeth - she pays particular attention to the life of a woman in the 17th century European court: hobbies, clothes, sports and the ubiquitous letter-writing. Elizabeth turned the damsel-in-distress cliche on its head, being a furious rider and outdoorswoman as well as a supple European politician and skilled linguist. Despite competition with the other women in the Stuart family (e.g., Charles I's and II's respective wives), it was Elizabeth's genes that won out - under the Act of Succession, every English monarch since 1713 has been required to prove an ancestral link to the Winter Queen. Classic biography and a useful bridge between Antonia Fraser's four Stuart books (Mary/James I/Gunpowder Plot/Royal Charles) and C.V. Wedgwood's numerous 17th century histories (e.g. Thirty Years War, Montrose).

The story of "Europe's grandmother".......2002-03-27

Elizabeth, the daughter of King James VI of Scotland and I of England, was widely acclaimed as the most beautiful princess in Europe. Her hand was sought by many, but James selected the Protestant prince of a small German state, Frederick of the Palatine, to counterbalance the intended match of his eldest son with the Catholic royal daughter of either France or Spain. It would prove to be a true love match, as well as a political disaster.

This history follows the eventful life and tumultous times of Elizabeth of Bohemia, known as the Winter Queen for the brief duration of her husband's reign. The research is solid, the writing scholarly yet engagingly annecdotal. The narrative is particularly strong: settings are described with unusual care and color, and telling bits of cultural detail help evoke a sense of time and place.

The relationships between Elizabeth and her many family members are vividly drawn. Most poignant among these were her strong sibling attachment to her oldest brother Henry, her passionate but disappointing marriage to the moody Frederick, and the sense of betrayal she must have suffered when her father all but abandoned her. She survived war and endured exile -- not only from Bohemia and her husband's hereditary Palatine, but also from England. Neither James nor his successor Charles I acknowledged her as a queen, or permitted her to return to England.

Students of history might be interested in Elizabeth's descendents, which, in 1938, included the ruling sovereigns of Denmark, Great Britain, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Roumania, Sweden, Belgium, Bulgaria, and Italy. By any measure, this is an impressive family saga!

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The winter queen: Being the unhappy history of Elizabeth Stuart, electress palatine, queen of Bohemia
Marie Hay
Manufacturer: Constable
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B000860EI4

Book Description

As unflinching, candid, and tough as the man himself, The Final Season is Bill Parcell's swan song as head coach in the NFL. During 1999, a grueling, difficult season, Parcell's found his resolve and coaching ability tested at every turn.

It wasn't supposed to be like that, though.

The two-time champion coach who had guided two different teams to the Super Bowl was expected by fans and pundits to drive the New York jets all the way. After all, they had reached the AFC Championship the year before. But fate would not allow it. In the preseason, respected and longtime owner Leon Hess died, casting a season-long pall of uncertainty over the organization. During training camp, two players were arrested after a bar fight. In the final game of the preseason, Wayne Chrebet one of their top receivers, was injured. Then a huge blow-in the season opener Vinny Testaverde, the Pro Bowl quarterback, ruptured his Achilles tendon and was out for the year. Things grew progressively worse-at one point Parcells had lost nine starters. He also endured personal suffering when his dear friend and agent Robert Fraley died in the same plane crash that killed Payne Stewart.

Parcells struggled to keep his team on track, trying to maintain their confidence in the face of enormous odds. "When you're losing, you coach better. You're on top of every detail. You scrutinize yourself, your coaches, your players, and the system you're using." He became his own fiercest critic: "No matter how long you have coached, no matter how many games you have won, no matter how many playoff games, conference championships, Super Bowls you've won, it's all irrelevant. You are not winning now and that's what counts. You think you suck. You are a loser as a coach."

Things hit rock bottom when the team went 1-6. But
Parcells the coaches, and the players would not lie down. "If you don't play to win, then you shouldn't play at all." Parcells called up every strategic and motivational ploy he could dream up, and through sheer force of will and a great amount of pride, the jets won seven of their last nine games.

In The Final Season, readers will not only get an unsparing look inside one of football's greatest minds and a champion's philosophy but also Parcells frank take on good owners; his battles with "owner-operators"; the greatest "warriors" he's coached for and against; the players who are "dogs"; the game's most challenging coaches; and his seasons with the Giants and the Patriots. Parcells also provides the reasons for retiring from coaching as well as his perspective on Bill Belichick's controversial resignation and eventual departure for New England.

A rare, behind-the-scenes football memoir, The Final Season brims with insights and revelations, a testament to a great competitor and future Hall of Famer.

Amazon.com

Football genius Bill Parcells isn't one to mince words. "I'm 56 years old," he says at the beginning of The Final Season, "and I don't intend to be coaching when I'm 60." Unless something changes radically, he's already honored that intention with three years to spare.

The coach who led the Giants to two Super Bowl victories and turned the New England Patriots into AFC champions came back to New York in 1997 to tackle the rebuilding of the woeful 1-15 Jets. Within a year they were legitimate contenders, playing for the AFC Championship. When the 1999-2000 season kicked off, hopes were soaring at the Meadowlands. But there was new ownership to contend with. Keyshawn Johnson demanded a renegotiation. Injuries sidelined Wayne Chrebet, and quarterback Vinnie Testaverde went down in the season opener, lost for the year. Suddenly, the Jets were 1-6. Then came the turnaround. Sparked by the inspired--and unexpected--play of third-string QB Ray Lucas, the Jets wound up winning seven of their last nine, and then, equally unexpected, Parcells retired as head coach. In perhaps the season's most bizarre fiasco, his designated heir, Bill Belichick, resigned immediately.

The Final Season is Parcells's week-by-week account of the campaign. If you love football, the chronicle is good inside football. Parcells provides detailed analysis of every win and loss and uncensored assessments of his players, himself--"Our general manager (that would be me) didn't have a great year," he admits--and the flap-turned-farce that attended his exit. But it's more than that, too. Final Season is a story of ups and downs, of strong emotions, of coping with frustration and disappointment, and of unifying a team when the chips are down. Parcells is savvy, complex, never shy, and never boring. With The Final Season, he cannily marches readers down the field just as he did his teams. --Jeff Silverman

Customer Reviews:

Wanna be an NFL Coach?.......2003-02-23

For those of you who fantasized about what it would be like coaching an NFL team, Bill Parcells aided by Will McDonough offer the opportunity to find out what it is like.

Parcells takes readers through his entire final season with the New York Jets in 1999, when he ultimately concluded that this would be his final coaching responsibility. Jerry Jones has since hastened Parcells out of retirement at a hefty salary to jumpstart the formerly mighty Dallas Cowboys as he had earlier altered the fortunes of the New York Giants, New England Patriots and Jets respectively.

You cannot help coming away with an admiration for Parcells due to his rock-ribbed honesty. Here is a man who will criticize his players if he believes they are giving less than 100% or playing less than intelligent football. He blames himself for losing a game in the closing stages by "getting cute" and calling for a pass which was intercepted and ultimately cost his team the game when it would have been wiser retrospectively to keep the ball on the ground. When assistant coach Dan Henning tells him that his insistence on keeping Rick Mirer in the lineup as starting quarterback in the face of less than awesome performances stemmed from a stubbornness to face the facts since Parcells made the trade in his general manager's capacity, the coach, rather than blowing up over having his ego assaulted in the manner that a smaller man would, ends up agreeing with Henning. Accepting genuinely felt constructive criticism in a positive manner is the hallmark of a mature and honest man.

In addition to telling us plenty about strategy, how games were won and lost, and providing his opinions on players he reveres, such as his own sterling running back Curtis Martin and respected opposing quarterback Dan Marino of the Dolphins, Parcells tells about the deeply rooted pressures in NFL coaching. He reveals about his bypass operation and expresses dismay over his inability to sleep and nervous eating anxieties when the season is in full swing, leading to weight gain. He also weighs in on his view of the poor performance of certain NFL officials, especially in key situations, a problem which has magnified since this book appeared. Parcells expresses his concern as well over the rise of fan hooliganism, fearing that perhaps America may follow the example ultimately of the European soccer rioters.

If you love pro football, this is a can't miss read. The coach is an intelligent man of candor with plenty of interesting things to say.

Final season?.......2002-02-05

i doubt Parcells is DONE with football as a coach.. I'm sure there will be PART 2 because this guy will coach somewhere sOON.

As for the story it was easy ready and it was pretty cheesy. Nothing really BIG or personal described in the book. For a man as criticial as he is, I expected more DEEP thoughts in this book, but it never happen.

The Football Czar spekas.......2001-12-07

A perfect illustartion of the greatest football coach ever !! Yes, even better than Me Lombardi himself. First of all, it was a wonder Bill continued to write this book when his team was 1-8. Almost every story has a happy ending right ?? Well not exactly. Being a Parcells fan (followed him fron NY, to NE and back to NY) I followed this season closely. For a team to go 1-8 and win ther next 7 in a row with nothing to play for, is amazing. Parcells is the greatest motivator ever. The book talks about his relatrionship with the players. Yes, he actually got along with his players, well some of them. But the one relationship he'll never forget will be the one with The Boy Wonder. You'll have to read the book to understand.

A half-hearted effort.......2001-07-13

I looked forward to this book with great anticipation. Bill Parcells and his legacy here in New England and how he left the team were front page news here. His personality is larger than life. His press conferences were must-see TV.

That said, this book was disappointing. It started out well, the first portion of this book is riveting, and gives you real insight into his thoughts, and how he puts a team together. Where it goes downhill is after the Jets very first game of the '99 season where they lose multiple starters for the season, including the starting QB. Going into the season the Jets were considered by many people a favorite for the SuperBowl. If it were to follow the team through a season like that, it would've been a great read throughout. Instead, after those injuries, Parcells basically mails it in for the rest of the book, in my opinion. What could've been a great book instead becomes a mediocre effort.

Egomaniac, phony, and nasty person.......2001-02-13

As to be expected of Bill Parcells, this book is carelessly written. It provides no insights, nothing new, and is basically just a place for him to pound his chest. Parcells is an egomanica and a very nasty person. How may franchises has he left hanging. He will coach again, his ego will not let him not. Do not waste your money on this "egogrophy", its not worth the paper its printed on. I'g give it zero starts if i could.

Book Description

One of the most prolific composers of the 20th century, Heitor Villa-Lobos' influence on the music of Latin America was enormous. This bio-bibliography, published to coincide with the centennial celebration of the composer's birth, contains comprehensive information about his life and work heretofore unavailable in a single source in any language. The book is divided into four principal sections: Biography, Works and Performances, Discography, and Bibliography. Designed as a basic research tool for scholars interested in Latin American music and culture, performing musicians, and music students, the volume also includes helpful appendixes containing alphabetical and classified lists of compositions.

Heitor Villa-Lobos: A Bio-Bibliography (Bio-Bibliographies in Music)

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Heitor Villa-Lobos: A Bio-Bibliography (Bio-Bibliographies in Music)
David P. Appleby
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTP7NC

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Kasparov's Chess Challenge

Cool

Garry Kasparov's Chess Challenge
Garry Kasparov
Manufacturer: Everyman Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Chess | Board Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:

Garry Kasparov's Chess Puzzle Book

Winning Chess Endings (Winning Chess - Everyman Chess)

Winning Chess Tactics, revised (Winning Chess - Everyman Chess)

The Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book

Garry Kasparov's Greatest Chess Games, Vol. 2

ASIN: 1857441974

Customer Reviews:

Kasparov's Chess Challenge.......2000-06-19

Another great book by the world's best attacking player! To me this is like part 2 of Kasparov's Chess puzzle book.You'll be in 4 more spectacular combinations.Suitable for novice & master alike.It has many annotated games!Most of them from the middle game.If you want to get serious in chess or simply crush your opponents with an unexpected mating attack , this book will surely help you!

Cool.......2000-03-01

This is an excellent book written by the best player in Galaxy. What else do you need to hear?

Customer Reviews:

Strong Opening, good middle position, but weak endgame.......1997-03-13

Garry Kasparaov has the advantage of being the best chess player the world has ever seen, thus one might be tempted to think he would also have written the best chess biography ever seen. One can but hope this is false, as only lovers of Garry could appreciate much beyond the middle of the book. At times one gets the impression that s/he is reading an extended polemic against Karpov. The excruciating detail of the first world match between these giants easily puts the reader at a snooze. Be not deceived, however, occasionally Garry gives us an insight into what it takes to be the best at the game, but he is too much of a realist to inject any of the mysticism one hopes to encounter from the master of that most cognitive sport

Man v Machine, The ACM Chess Challenge, Garry Kasparov v IBM's Deep Blue

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Man v Machine, The ACM Chess Challenge, Garry Kasparov v IBM's Deep Blue
R. and Byron Jacobs Keene
Manufacturer: B.B. Enterprises
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OLRME2

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Man V Machine: The ACM Chess Challenge Garry Kasparov v IBM's Deep Blue

Manufacturer: B. B. Enterprises
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HX3H7S

Book Description

America's healthcare system is at a crossroads, faced with rising costs, quality concerns, and a lack of patient control. Some blame market forces. Yet many troubles can be traced directly to pervasive government influence: entitlements, tax laws, and costly regulations. Consumer choice and competition deliver higher quality and lower prices in other areas of the economy. The authors conclude that removing restrictions can do the same for health care.

Customer Reviews:

Persuasive (but "wonkish").......2007-07-16

This book is logic, well-reasoned, and has lots of footnotes pointing to research studies and reliable sources of data. Even if you disagree with their prescription for how to fix the problem, you will get a lot from this book by following along with their diagnosis of the problems facing our health care system.

The book's greatest strengths may also be it's greatest weakness. This book is "wonkish" -- filled with hard data and logic. If you're looking for entertaining anecdotes or emotional arguments, this is not the book for you.

Only problem is he uses the word 'free'.......2007-07-13

...but only in the title. A well written book both describing (in surprisingly concise writing) the problem, as well as laying out a path towards fixing it. I can't say I fully agree with his proposals, but I am much better informed, and my views have been altered as a result of this book. In my mind, that is a terrific outcome for any book of substance.

Extremely important book for an extremely important topic.......2007-03-05

"Healthy Competition" by Michael F. Cannon and Michael D. Tanner of the Cato Institute is a critically important book for both those interested in health care policy as well as for every American as we all eventually consume health care services.

Cannon and Tanner's book starts with a foreword by the Hon. George P. Shultz: "We begin with a riddle. What country's health care system offers the best health services in the world, is consistently criticized for not being accessible enough, and yet is so accessible that overutilization is leading to runaway costs?" The answer is, of course, America.

The following 147 pages offers a detailed analysis of what's wrong with American health care (government and insurance industry policies that lead to overuse of medical services) and what's right (the strong remnants of a free market system that encourages innovation, high quality, at an often lower cost). Both detailed and heavily footnoted, but also very readable at the same time, "Healthy Competition" strikes the right balance between a dense academic paper and a clarion call for action.

In concluding the book, Cannon and Tanner write:

"Despite its marvels, America's health care sector continues to present troubling symptoms: excessive costs, uneven quality, a lack of useful information for patients and providers, extraordinary waste, and enormous burdens for future taxpayers. An accurate diagnosis points to too much government influence and too little choice and competition. Proposals to increase the role of government would aggravate these symptoms. More subsidies or controls would drain from the medical marketplace even more of the dynamics that drive other sectors of the economy toward lower prices and higher quality. The only sure remedy is to restore those dynamics to the health care sector.

"Although there are dark clouds on the horizon, we are heartened by the creation and steady growth of health savings accounts. HSAs have already begun to change private-sector health care from within, and will enable a reexamination of the role of government in health care."

The last citation in "Healthy Competition" comes from a June 1, 2004 Harvard Business Review article by Michael Porter and Elizabeth Teisberg. It deals with the oft-heard argument that we somehow should not apply free market principles to the health care sector:

"It is often argued that health care is different because it is complex; because consumers have limited information; and because services are highly customized. Health care undoubtedly has these characteristics, but so do other industries where competition works well. For example, the business of providing customized software and technical services to corporations is highly complex, yet, when adjusted for quality, the cost of enterprise computing has fallen dramatically over the past decade."

Cannon and Tanner accept this argument while also embracing the argument of many of the proponents of government control of health care because it is special and distinct from other parts of the economy - they just come to the opposite conclusion, concluding in their last paragraph, "...Unlike software, wireless communications, or banking, health care involves very emotional decisions, which often entail matters of human dignity, life, and death. However, we do not see the gravity of these matters as a reason to divert power away from individuals and toward government. Rather, we see the special nature of health care as all the more reason to increase each consumer's sphere of autonomy. The special nature of health care makes it all the more important that we use the competitive process to make health care available to more consumers - and makes it all the more important to get started now."

Two side notes of a personal nature: on February 1, 2007, I introduced AB 245, a bill that would allow the tax deductibility of contributions to HSAs (California is one of only four states that do not treat HSAs as tax deductible); and author Michael Cannon is someone I have grown to respect from our first meeting in 2004 as Lincoln Fellows of the Claremont Institute. I suspect we will be hearing quite a bit from Mr. Cannon over the next few decades - and, if policymakers are smart, they will listen carefully to what he has to say.

Free Markets are Healthy.......2007-01-11

Intellect with humility is hard to come by. Cannon and Tanner define a clear path for all Americans to have health insurance and they have the humility to believe in Americans as wise consumers. Different than politicians who 'know what's best for you,' they trust you to make prudent decisions for yourself. Free markets are healthy and they provide an excellent outline for cost savings and a healthier 'you' by putting you in charge of your own well being. I want to thank Cannon and Tanner for being Americans and loving freedom, especially in the face of fear mongering socialists. God Bless America!

CJF.......2006-03-21

I enjoyed the book and found it presented a well organized argument for why it is so critical to allow the markets and consumers to experiment with new methods of controlling health care costs and improving access. I also appreciated the author's acknowledgement that health care is a special service that is critically important in our lives. That is what makes reforming the system so challenging.

The book makes clear that market based proposals to reform health care are designed to lower the cost of care and increase coverage. These are proposals that are critical to all Americans.

Healthy Competition Revised Edition: What's Holding Back Health Care and How to Free It,

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Healthy Competition Revised Edition: What's Holding Back Health Care and How to Free It,
Michael F. Cannon
Manufacturer: Cato Institute
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Who Killed HealthCare?: America's $2 Trillion Medical Problem - and the Consumer-Driven Cure

ASIN: 1933995106

Book Description

Government control has driven health care costs sky-high at the same time that it has reduced the quality of care. As America's health care system cries out for reform, should policymakers embrace even more government planning, or should they fight for more individual freedom? In this updated edition of their 2005 book, the authors tackle proposals that would let government manage even more of America's health care sector. The continuing problem of ever-rising health care costs makes this book as timely as ever.

Healthy Competition: What's Holding Back Health Care and How to Free It.(Brief article)(Book review): An article from: Independent Review

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Healthy Competition: What's Holding Back Health Care and How to Free It.(Brief article)(Book review): An article from: Independent Review
Robert L. Ohsfeldt
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Independent Review, published by Thomson Gale on June 22, 2006. The length of the article is 1541 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Healthy Competition: What's Holding Back Health Care and How to Free It.(Brief article)(Book review)
Author: Robert L. Ohsfeldt
Publication: Independent Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 11 Issue: 1 Page: 144(4)

Article Type: Book review, Brief article

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