Uncrowned King: The Life of Prince Albert

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Just absolutely stunning!

Good covering of a neglected life.

A Prince Consort, who really should have been king.

well-written biography of Prince Albert.

Uncrowned King: The Life of Prince Albert
Stanley Weintraub
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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When the young, insignificant scion of an unremarkable German principality first came to England to serve as consort to the youthful Queen Victoria, no one could have guessed that he would grow to become one of Britain's great--if uncrowned--kings. Albert's life could not have been an easy one; a man of great intelligence, pride, and ambition, he was forced to move behind the scenes, playing major roles in running the Crimean War and working to keep Britain out of the Civil War being waged in the United States. He was interested in industry and technology, and worked to stage the Crystal Palace exhibition--the first World's Fair. Yet, while his wife adored him, his adopted people scorned him for his German accent, his foreign ways, and his covert activities as a surrogate ruler.

Biographer Stanley Weintraub has penned acclaimed biographies on such renowned figures as Benjamin Disraeli and Queen Victoria, and in Uncrowned King he turns his attention to Prince Albert. Tapping previously unexplored sources, Weintraub chronicles every aspect of Albert's life--from the political to the sexual--in lively, accessible prose, sure to please even the most avid follower of the royal family.

Customer Reviews:

Just absolutely stunning!.......2002-04-08

After seeing the A&E production of "Victoria and Albert," I was curious to know more about the lives of the said characters (I'm also a history major so that helps, too). I was browsing through my university's library to find this book on Prince Albert and I read it. I just finished reading it today and wow, this is a stellar book. It's so comprehensive that my mind almost exploded while reading it. There were some minor details that could've been left out, hence the four star rating. I plan to read more about Victoria and Albert in the future. So take my advice. Treat yourself to this wonderful book and put it in your personal library. I'll be sure to buy this book when I have the chance.

Good covering of a neglected life........2000-08-24

I questioned myself before i picked up this book in the library; brought up as a good Englishman, i already knew all i wanted or needed about the Prince Consort, and was unimpressed with it, nor did i care to learn any more. Now i see i was quite correct in my questioning, and i'm afraid i may have to change my long-held, and therefore cherished, beliefs about him. Darn intellectual honesty, anyway! Weintraub's Albert was a responsible, educated, thinking man, thrust into a situation both wonderful and intolerable (his marriage and lack of acceptance in England, respectively). Weintraub shows him as having enjoyed the one side and, through hard work and dedication, partially overcome the other. One is left to wonder, as Weintraub indeed does, what would the monarchy be today had Albert lived as long as Victoria. Surely there would be some differences. On the basis of this book, it is not fair to say (as a previous reviewer did) that Albert laid the foundation for the pax Britannica; he did, however, through his fecundity, insight into both politics and industry, and though a great deal of hard work, aid the shaping of Europe through the First World War. As i look back now, it is hard for me exactly to define just why i have disliked His Royal Highness; i suspect it has to do with his rather poor treatment of his eldest son, the Prince of Wales, which Weintraub does not gloss over, but implies was deserved; also the wreck Victoria made of her life after he died, which really can't be laid at his door; also, though i am probably of the last generation to instinctively feel nothng good can come from Germany, the man was a German (though not a Prussion, at least). Two hundred plus years of racial dislike are hard to overcome. I would not say that i have yet overcome them; Weintraub has helped me see with a clearer vision, though.

A Prince Consort, who really should have been king........1999-08-16

At a time when marriages of royals were political matches, and not romantic ones, this is a story of an insignificant German prince who is married to the very young, Queen of England. Victoria and Albert actually fall in love with each other. Unfortunately, physicians at the time did not know when human females ovulated, which resulted in the many children of Victoria and Albert. However, her numerous pregnancies allowed Albert to become a more integral part in the monarchy. He became King in all but name as Victoria retired to the "sidelines." His diligent, untiring work set the stage for the great Victorian Era and the Pax Britannia.

well-written biography of Prince Albert........1998-07-14

This book is a balanced account of Prince Albert's life - both in his public role as prince consort and as a husband and father. Albert often had to be content to work "behind the scenes" in order to accomplish his goals, and the author provides the details of both his success and his failures.

Product Description

A superflous son from a tiny German principality, Albert became one of the most accomplished of British royalty and a hero of Victoria's reign - an unexpected uncrowned king. Drawing on previously unexplored sources, the book dives into his political, fanilial, financial, medical and sexual life.

Uncrowned King The Life of Prince Albert

Average customer rating:

Uncrowned King The Life of Prince Albert
Stanley Weintraub
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N7G4ZK

Average customer rating:

The story I would rather read or hear about

Good book

A sweaty fairy tale you'll love

PGA Tour and Q school upclose

Breathtaking...

Tin Cup Dreams : A Long Shot Makes It on the PGA Tour
Michael D'Antonio
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Q School Confidential: Inside Golf's Cruelest Tournament

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ASIN: 0786864974

Book Description

At the grueling Q. school, a ragtag collection of thirty-something pros overcome every obstacle golf can throw in their way to win a spot on the PGA tour. But now their test is only beginning. To make it, they must succeed against the best players in the world. Tin Cup Dreams follows them for the season, focusing on a self-taught golfer named Esteban Toledo, an unlikely hero from a literally dirt-poor background. With uncommon grit and determination, Toledo triumphs where others fail, and along the way teaches us about mastering the mental side of the game, about ignoring the odds, and about when to lay up and when to go for it.

Customer Reviews:

The story I would rather read or hear about.......2005-01-17

We often get a quick blurb by anouncers whenever an unknown makes it into the top running during a tournament. Some kid who has done nothing put play golf since he could hold a club, or some underadvantaged caddie who figured out how to beat a few of the best. We don't tend to hear much more than that, though.

Esteban Toledo, like many of the figures on (and off and on...) tour that we admire rarely get such a closeup. Hogan's story brings inspiration, Bobby Jones brings awe. Neither tale, however, gives any of us much to relate to. Esteban's story does. He is far beyond a weekend hack, but like most of us who seem to spend more time on the range than at home he is a grinder, ever looking to improve and maintain himself. His motivations are different, but the goal is the same: attaining a dream.

Reading this story will stir something in any golfer, I imagine, making it a good addition to your library. I do hope if the book is reprinted, though, that the numerous typos will be fixed.

Good book.......2004-01-29

To simply put it, this was a very good book and an easy read too, however many typos and errors. But other than that i loved the book.

A sweaty fairy tale you'll love.......2003-03-12

Itýs hard to know what part of this sweaty fairy tale to like the best.
First there was Esteban Toledo the boy. He was the driven young Mexican kid whose family in Mexicali was so poor that having nothing would be a step up.

But the boy was also unique. He was a scrapper. He was a boy with nothing who taught himself to play a rich manýs game and he worked at it fulltime. So, just at the right time, some rich gringo from California offered the boy a miracle.

Then, there is Esteban the man. It took a while until he adjusted to the first miracle: Going from the streets to living in a mansion. But he goes on to a new struggle, the hugely difficult quest to play on the PGA tour and just when he seems doomed, he creates a second miracle.

Finally, we have the millionaire, a man who plowed fields behind a horse at age 8. Jon Minnis the self-made man doesnýt care about a charitable tax deduction. He prefers results to tax deductions. He and his wife, Rita, would rather pluck a poor kid out of the Mexicali slums, just because the kid deserves a shot. Then, of course, they will love him and suffer with him. Youýll thank God they didnýt just write a check.

Tin Cup Dreams by Michael DýAntonio is a true, painful, inspiring tale in which suffering leads to miracles. These miracles demand huge investments in sacrifice, and enormous, unlikely leaps of faith before the ball falls into that tin cup at just the right moment. But when that ball really does fall, you still know it is a miracle and you still wipe the sweat off your brow and rejoice.

If youýve never bet on a long shot, or even if you have, this is a great, fast read that pays off in inspiration and motivation. Meet PGA Tour pro golfer Esteban Toledo and the people who are there with him in his dream. Itýs worth it.

PGA Tour and Q school upclose.......2002-09-05

This book contains an excellent story and very well paced.It follows Esteban Toledo from his PGA tour qualification to the tour as he plays in a variety of tournaments, covering his practise habits, his earlier life, his caddy, the playing partners and family. The year seems to pass in front of the reader giving insights into variety of aspects of professional golf players.

A hard to put down book.

Breathtaking..........2000-12-15

This book was simply sensational! Anyone who has ever touched a golf club should read this book, because it makes anyone a believer that the "impossible" can happen. I could not put this heartwarming book down after reading page after page of Esteban's trials and turmoils on his path to greatness on the PGA Tour. What a great book for anyone who's been told that they cannot do something. Esteban Toledo silenced all his critics and proved that he could!

Book Description

Legendary screen comedian Jerry Lewis once said, "The premise of all comedy is a man in trouble." The films that endeared Lewis and others to us hinged on the physical assault of their hero, the pie in the face or slip on the banana peel that reduced the movie star to the level of the audience. Alan Dale presents a lively and accessible look at slapstick, a form of comedy with roots in the circus and vaudeville that has been refashioned by actors ranging from Buster Keaton to the Marx Brothers, from Katharine Hepburn to Jim Carrey.

Alan Dale worked at a Los Angeles talent agency before earning a Ph.D. in comparative literature from Princeton University. He is currently working toward a J.D. at Yale Law School.

Winner of the Theater Library Association's Special Jury Prize for Distinguished Achievement

Customer Reviews:

Bringing slapstick into the 21st Century.......2000-11-08

Dale's book is an entertaining and academic look not only at the medium of slapstick itself but also at our need to be entertained by it. The book's examination of silent slapstick includes not only the major players (Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd) but also covers women in silent comedy. What's also respectable is that Dale discusses Jerry Lewis's important contribution to slapstick in film without putting him on the pedestal other critics (and often Lewis himself) put him on, as well as Lewis's influence on contemporary visual humorists like Jim Carrey and the Farrelly Bros.

Book Description

Incorporating previously unpublished letters, journals, notebooks, songs, and other writings--a massive archive that Cohen himself has preserved--and hours of interviews with Cohen and his closest friends and colleagues, Ira Nadel gives readers an extraordinary rich and revealing life of one of the most fascinating and artists of our time. Photos.

Customer Reviews:

A Leonard Cohen-style biography of Leonard Cohen.......2000-03-11

This is a fascinating book. However, it is not a conventional biography, in that the author (Ira Nadel) does not fully succeed in weaving the events of Cohen's life into a flowing narrative. The story proceeds disjointedly, and the reader follows it with a feeling of uneven coverage and missing pieces. Ira Nadel is clearly in personal awe of Leonard Cohen (as any of us would be, I suppose), such that he shies away from offering much analysis (psychoanalysis?) of his work and conduct of his life, beyond what the work and facts of his life suggest readily. For example, Cohen's long, tortured relationship with his wife Suzanne is described by a series of vignettes, as cold as news reports, spiced only with relevant-seeming quotations from Cohen's work. Nadel doesn't do the interpretive work of suggesting was going on in Cohen's mind, and what was causing that, which is what biographers usually do for us (and we judge them on whether they do that well or badly). There are ocassional Freudian interpretations, as when Nadel compares Cohen's relationship with his lovers to that with his mother. But we don't get a feel for how the relationship developed and began to sour. In fact, we barely get any feel of "development" in Cohen's life at all, which makes it seem like disconnected reportage rather than a biographical narrative. This quality could be seen as a plus, as it gives the book a cryptic feel, rather like the work of Leonard Cohen itself. I learned a lot, and enjoyed the distant quality of Nadel's writing for what it was, but I was left wanting to know more. Perhaps Cohen, whose work often veers into playful impenetrability, perfers it that way.

no work of art.......1999-06-17

I much prefer autobiographies to other biographies. Biographies tend to be clumsily assembled or stitched or thrown together and filled out with plodding prose. And so this biography. Well, at least you get some kind of overview of Leonard Cohen's life and here and there some fragments of Leonard Cohen's incisive wit. Two samples:

Author: My publisher wants to know if this can be considered an authorized biography.

L.C.: It can be considered a tolerated biography, benignly tolerated.

Leonard Cohen is interviewing his famous actress girlfriend Rebecca De Mornay:

Rebecca: The great advantage to having you interview me is that I won't have to field questions about Leonard Cohen.

L.C.: Yes, let's talk about Leonard Cohen. What's he really like?

Recommended: PENTATONIC SCALES FOR THE JAZZ-ROCK KEYBOARDIST by Jeff Burns.

A detailed look at one of our greatest contemporary poets.......1998-12-06

While Leonard Cohen's music, writing, and intreaguing life are enough to satisfy any romantic, this book manages to give a clear and accurate depiction of Cohen's motivations, influences, and understanding of life. From his innovative novels to his influencial and engrossing music and poetry, Cohen's life is portrayed as a constant exploration into the soul and the true meaning of love, sacrifice, and isolation. However, it is impossible to convey the passion and emotion that Cohen transmits in albums such as "Death of a Lady's Man" and "Songs of Love and Hate." In only this aspect does "Various Positions: A Life of Leanord Cohen" fall short of possible expectations. But perhaps Cohen's emotion is something that prose writing simply cannot capture. Leonard Cohen's life is certainly something worth reading about.

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CONTEMPORARY CANADIAN COMPOSERS
Keith and John Beckwith (edited) MacMillan
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JWCC0U

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Contemporary Canadian composers

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Sir Ernest MacMillan: The Importance of Being Canadian

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Sir Ernest MacMillan: The Importance of Being Canadian
Ezra Schabas
Manufacturer: University of Toronto Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Canadian | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0802028497

Book Description

As a conductor, organist, pianist, composer, educator, writer, administrator, and musical statesman, Sir Ernest MacMillan stands as a towering figure in Canada's musical history. His role in the development of music in Canada from the beginning of this century to 1970 was pivotal. He conducted the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for twenty-five years, and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir for fifteen . He was principal of the Toronto (now Royal) Conservatory of Music and dean of the University of Toronto's Faculty of Music. He founded the Canadian Music Council, and the Canadian Music Centre, and was a founding member of the Canada Council. He was also the first president of the Composers, Authors, and Publishers Association of Canada (CAPAC).

Ezra Schabas provides not only the first detailed biography of MacMillan, but also a frank, richly detailed and handsomely illustrated account of the Canadian music scene. He tells of MacMillan's rise in Canada, from his early years as a church organist to his international successes as a guest conductor; from his internment in a German prison camp to the knighthood conferred on him by King George V. As Robertson Davies said of MacMillan, 'It is on the achievements of such men that the culture of a country rests. Their work is not education, but revelation, and there is always about it something of prophetic splendour.'

Soundprints; contemporary composers (Canadian portraits)

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Soundprints; contemporary composers (Canadian portraits)
Peter Such
Manufacturer: Clarke, Irwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0772005648

Customer Reviews:

Impecable.......2003-08-04

This book is a fantastic resource. It reads like a Very intersting history book. Ideal for a Spanish Conquistador style campaign, or as a savage native. Also don't overlook the crossover possibilities. Great for a "Lost World" campaign in whatever setting you play in. Also great for use in conjunction with Gurps Swashbucklers, early spanish main era.

Impecable.......2003-08-04

Interesting, but not essential.......2000-10-18

In my mind, there are two kinds of Gurps books. Those with new rules and new systems to handle new situations, and those that just provide background information for a certain genre. Aztecs is a book of the second kind.

I have to say that I am biased heavily towards the first kind of book. If you study up on Aztecs, you could run an Aztec campaign just fine without owning this book, and if you don't know a fair amount about Aztecs then it doesn't seem to likely that you are going to be trying to build a campaign around them.

Like most GURPS books, it is well written and well researched. If you like to read GURPS books for inspiration, and to learn things, you will probably like this book.

Book Description

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is rapidly changing the way businesses track inventory and assets. From Wal-Mart and Tesco to the U.S. Department of Defense, early efforts are already showing benefits, but software, integration, and data processing for RFID still present a challenge. If you are a developer or an architect charged with developing an RFID system, this book is for you. Drawing on extensive experience, Bill Glover and Himanshu Bhatt provide you with essential information on this emerging technology.

With the knowledge you gain in these pages, you will possess the information and understanding you need to start designing, building, or integrating with RFID systems.

In RFID Essentials you will find information on:

Tags and tag protocols, including the Electronic Product Code (EPC)
Readers and reader protocols
RFID middleware
Security and privacy
Managing RFID devices
RFID's impact on your architecture

Bill Glover has been writing software since 1981 and has worked as a programmer, lead developer, or architect on systems of all sizes, from small, automated systems controlling dams and feedmills up to a complete redesign and reimplementation of one of the world's busiest travel web sites. Bill first worked with RFID in 1995, tracking individual cattle using ear tags. He is currently a Senior Java Architect with Sun Microsystems, Inc., and works with Sun's RFID consulting practice and the RFID Test Center.

Himanshu Bhatt heads the U.S. RFID Practice and Software Technology Lab for Sun Microsystems, Inc. Prior to assuming this role, Himanshu was responsible for business development and consulting in emerging areas of technology. Himanshu has over 16 years of experience in the architecture and development of distributed, multitier systems using a host of technologies for Fortune 1000 companies. Himanshu has spoken at industry conferences such as JavaOne and the LoneStar Symposium and has published articles on Java/J2EE technologies.

"The Information Age is over. We're entering an era where network connectivity is almost ubiquitous - it's participate or perish." --Jonathan Schwartz, President and COO, Sun Microsystems, Inc.

"Unique competitive advantage erupts from enterprises that couple the RFID technologies laid out in RFID Essentials with modern business integration using service-oriented architectures. This is the book to read in order to understand this new landscape." --Mark Bauhaus, Senior Vice President, Sun Microsystems, Inc.

"This is a must read for RFID Software and Solution architects and is highly recommended for anyone needing to gain more insight into the myriad of components, standards and technologies that make up an RFID solutions environment." --Bryan Tracey, Chief Architect, GlobeRanger Corporation

"The authors have done a commendable job of covering a lot of ground in the RFID space, including the infrastructure needed to share the volumes of data RFID will likely generate." --Graham Gillen, Senior Product Manager, VeriSign

Customer Reviews:

Great book.......2007-06-07

This book is great it has everithing you want to know about rfid thanks

One of the Two Top Books on RFID.......2007-04-23

I found this book one of the top two books in the field of RFID; the othe rone being RFID+ by Dr. Paul Sanghera. This book offers a comprehensive coverage of the RFID topics. But if you are a beginner, you should read Dr. Sanghera's book befroe reading this one.
Excellent book; highly recommended.

Excellent overview.......2006-11-21

I've read several RFID books and this one is excellent. Good overview, plenty of detail, well organized and well written (i.e. readable).

Review of "RFID Essentials" purchase.......2006-11-12

The book was in excellent condition, and the service was prompt!

VERY VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!.......2006-09-15

Are you a developer or systems architect or project manager? If you are, then this book is for you! Authors Bill Glover and Himanshu Bhatt, have done an outstanding job of writing a book that shows you how to get that first RFID prototype out the door.

Glover and Bhatt, begin by defining RFID and introduce some of the fundamental concepts. Then, the authors describe the parts of an RFID system, their relationships to each other, and some of the functional and service-level requirements specific to RFID.
Next, the authors describe the tags that attach an identity to an item and communicate that identity to readers. The authors then examine how tags talk to readers. They continue by describing the readers that communicate with tags and connect RFID-tagged items to the network. Then, the authors cover how readers talk to middleware and applications. They then describe the middleware that manages RFID information and edge devices. Next, they examine the storage and use of RFID information. Then, they discuss some of the specific concerns related to managing RFID devices on the edge of the network. Next, the authors discuss real concerns regarding the impact of RFID on security and privacy, as well as dispelling some of the myths. Finally, they continue by providing a look at where RFID may take you in the next few years.

This most excellent book allows you to understand the major elements in an RFID system. More importantly, it shows you how to divide work, set goals, and understand vendor proposals.

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