Customer Reviews:
Polishing A Mosaic. .......2006-09-16
"The Second Attack On Pearl Harbor". Subtitled: "Operation K And Other Japanese Attempts To Bomb American In World War II" by Steve Horn. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 2005.
Other Amazon reviewers are of the opinion that Steve Horn has "bitten off too much" in his presentation of the Japanese seaplane attack on Pearl Harbor in March 1942. In my opinion, Steve Horn has taken the mosaic of the Second World War and has chosen to polish or burnish a few tiny chips of stone in that mosaic: the Japanese attacks against Hawaii and the American mainland. This book is an excellent job of focusing attention on a little noted arena in the Pacific theatre. For example, the Naval Institute Press published book, "Attack From The Sea; The History Of U.S. Navy's Seaplane Striking Force" by William F. Trimble, (2005), relegates the Japanese attack, Operation K, to two small paragraphs.
Steve Horn`s book fills this gap by giving an in-depth presentation of not only Operation K, but many of the other attacks, planned and actual, by the Japanese on mainland America in the Second World War. He gives a detailed assessment of Operation K, while setting it within the historical background, i.e. the time period just before the Battle of the Coral Sea and then, the Battle of Midway. I believe this to be necessary, as to polish one or two stones in a mosaic you have to overlap and polish the surrounding stones. Steve Horn, however, gives just enough information to cover the setting and then refers the reader to other works. The author provides an excellent (and lengthy) bibliography, from pages 315 to 333. But, what I really appreciated was the Appendix entitled, "Glossary Of Aircraft", where Mr., Horn gives the common name for the aircraft, its numerical or alphabetical designator, and then a nice note to explain the aircraft's mission
Mr. Horn may have been a bit extravagant when he calls the Japanese balloon attack "one of America's first terrorist attacks". An Amazon reviewer picked up on that but then engaged in his own hyperbole when he claimed the use of Indians by France and England during the 18th Century or the abolitionist and pro-slavery terrorists of Kansas and Missouri prior to the Civil War, were early terrorism. The Indians were irregulars in the frontier wars, and, although their attacks were terrifying, they were not terrorism as we understand it today. If not, then the Allied bombing of Nazi Germany was truly "terror bombing". Further, the first true terrorism attacks in these United States were the anti-Catholic attacks by the Know Nothing Party and its predecessors. Otherwise, what do you call the burning of the Ursuline Convent, Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1834? Or the burning of the church of St. Michael in Philadelphia in 1844? Or the burning of the church of St. Augustine in Philadelphia in 1844? Etc.
This is three books, three books, three books in one!.......2006-03-22
Steve Horn attempts so much in this book. He covers the night time attack on Pearl Harbor during March 4, 1942. The book opens with the Battle of Midway, covers American code-breaking, the development of aircraft-carrying submarines and the aircraft carrier, and the strategic bomber programs that Japan wasn't able to get off the ground. There is a bit about the paper balloons used as a strategic bombing system, and the role that the Aleutian Islands played --other than as a diversion for the Midway attack in June, 1942. As during the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, radar detected and tracked the incoming bombers--but there wasn't anything that could intercept the two Emily flying boats at 1 AM on Oahu. There were a dozen or so Boeing P-26 fighter planes, painted black, assigned the night interception mission, but these ancient aircraft didn't have the speed to catch the raiders.
I think that Steve Horn tried too much in one book. No wonder--the simple story of the one raid would have made a fine magazine article. More material is expected from a book. I could quibble that the O2U and F4U were lumped together in an appendix as the same Corsair aircraft--the first was an observation airplane and the second was the famed fighter planed flown by the Black Sheep squadron--but the book has an index and a decent bibliography. There are footnotes, but no photos. Calling the firebomb bearing paper balloon campaign "one of America's first terrorist attacks" struck me as inaccurate--anybody remember the use of the Native American by France and England during the 18th Century or the abolitionist and pro-slavery terrorists of Kansas and Missouri prior to the Civil War? Like the second Pearl Harbor raid, the balloons barely made the newspapers.
On the other hand, this book does detail a little-known raid that preceeded the Doolittle Raid by six weeks. A major "character" in the story is the Kawanishi H8K "Emily" four-engined flying boat. It was fast, heavily armed, and (unusual for early-war Japanese aircraft) was armored. With long range and its ability to operate from the ocean, the two flying boats refueled from Japanese submarines to extend their range during the March 4, 1942 operation.
I enjoyed this book and welcome it to my World War Two library, but I think that the author tried too much.
MISSED OPPORTUNITY.......2006-01-30
With a long-standing interest in military aviation and a rated seaplane pilot, I could not wait to start reading what I thought would be a valuable addition to my modest library. Simply stated: I was wrong. The author puts together several very slim chapters around the main subject -- the March 1942 attack on Hawaii by two IJN "Emily" flying boats. From the bibliography the volume appears well researched and documented, the fault, therefore, must be presumed to rest with the author's ability to tell us a story worthy of the subject. The inability to do more with material that, on its face, is inherently compelling and a dramatic war-time aerial adventure is, sadly, disappointing. Very few details about performance or specifications of the Emily are given. At almost every page, the reader wants and needs more, but it never arrives. Except for the jacket, the book is entirely without the photographs of aircraft, people and events that would have literally brought this story to life. A substantial part of this thin volume attempts to cover other missions by the Japanese to attack the West Coast of the United states. Attacks by a submarine launched light float plane, submarine shelling of areas near Los Angeles, the baloon attacks launched from Japan, and a few others are presented. Unfortunately, they are brought to us in such shallow detail and tepid prose that even the most avid reader will be left wanting. This is a facinating subject that deserved much better presentation. This book could have delivered much in the hands of another author, but falls very short of even modest expections.
The Second Attack on Pearl Harbor: Operation K And Other Japanese Attempts to Bomb America in World War II.......2006-01-15
I think that Steve Horn has expanded what should have been a monograph into a book. The information he provides on Operation K is very worthwhile. In my opinion, he does not do so well on the subject of Japanese Balloon Bombs. More information would have been worthwhile. His treatment of Japanese I-Boat attacks on the U.S. West Coast could have been expanded somewhat. His book begs for photographs and maps and there are none. He includes a very impressive appendix in which he includes all sorts of information that is not always relevant to his subject. The author uses extensive footnotes which will be helpful to the reader who wishes to expand his research and there is lots of technical information for aviation enthusiasts.
The book is worthwhile for the reader who is unfamiliar with Japanese attempts to bomb the U.S. during WWII and there is enough additional information to please one familiar with the subject. It's a good read, but it left me somewhat disappointed. Maps, and illustrations would be a significant improvement of an excellent book.
Well Done History of Japanese Missions to Pearl........2005-12-08
I'm writing this on Pearl Harbor day (2005), there's a documentary on the tube about Pearl and just finshed this book on the subsequent air attacks conducted by the Japanese on Pearl. I was surprised at how many such attacks there were.
This book begins with Fuchida's arguments to Admiral Nagumo that a third strike was needed. Well known from various books on Pearl and in the movie 'Tora, Tora, Tora' this attack would have finished off several Navy ships and perhaps most important bombed the millions of gallons of fuel that the Navy would later use to carry the war to Japan.
The next real attack was conducted on March 2, 1942. Two of Japan's big four engined flying boats flew from the Marshall islands, refueled by submarine and dropped bombs in Hawaii. They did no damage, but did drop bombs. Another such attack was planned as part of the recon before the battle of Midway, but when the subs got to the refulling point they found Americans and the planes could not be refueled.
There were other plans by the Japanese to work in conjunction with the Germans to use these big planes to bomb the US East Coast, the Panama Canal, the West Coast and more. These never came to pass.
This book is a well researched, well written story of these Japanese efforts, both planned and actual. It cover a little known part of the war in the Pacific.
Book Description
Why, Ann Laura Stoler asks, was the management of sexual arrangements and affective attachments so critical to the making of colonial categories and to what distinguished ruler from ruled? Contending that social classification is not a benign cultural act but a potent political one, Stoler shows that matters of the intimate were absolutely central to imperial politics. It was, after all, in the intimate sphere of home and servants that European children learned what they were required to learn of place and race. Gender-specific sexual sanctions, too, were squarely at the heart of imperial rule, and European supremacy was asserted in terms of national and racial virility.
Stoler looks discerningly at the way cultural competencies and sensibilities entered into the construction of race in the colonial context and proposes that "cultural racism" in fact predates its postmodern discovery. Her acute analysis of colonial Indonesian society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries yields insights that translate to a global, comparative perspective.
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Mandated Landscape: British Imperial Rule in Palestine 1929-1948
Roza El-Eini
Manufacturer: Frank Cass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0714654264 |
Book Description
This work examines the construction of post-Soviet political space, geopolitical discourses and boundaries in Estonia. Making use of innovative methodological solutions such as Q-methodology, its analysis includes in-depth interviews in order to elucidate a variety of issues through human experience and subjective perception, such as Estonian-Russian border disputes of the 1990s, inter-ethnic issues and national integration and security.
As Estonia is one of the frontline EU accession countries and is queuing for membership of NATO, the book raises broad questions of post-Soviet geopolitics in the Baltic region and across Europe. Indeed, the book argues that small states such as Estonia should be understood as active participants in post-Soviet and European geopolitics, and not simply pawns in a superpower environment.
Customer Reviews:
A nice study.......2007-03-17
This is a compact and important study of all the aspects of landscape during the Palestine Mandate(1917-1948). It covers agriculture, Land laws, forestry, the land system, the partition plans and there is a special case study of the Shephalah, the Palestine Piedmont area on the Coastal plain. An important contribution to the field of study of Palestine in the 20th century, an excellent and interesting view of the Mandate, one that seperates politics from reality, a welcomed addition therefore to reading on Palestine and the land that became Israel.
Seth J. Frantzman
Book Description
Michel Gobat deftly interweaves political, economic, cultural, and diplomatic history to analyze the reactions of Nicaraguans to U.S. intervention in their country from the heyday of Manifest Destiny in the mid–nineteenth century through the U.S. occupation of 1912–33. Drawing on extensive research in Nicaraguan and U.S. archives, Gobat accounts for two seeming paradoxes that have long eluded historians of Latin America: that Nicaraguans so strongly embraced U.S. political, economic, and cultural forms to defend their own nationality against U.S. imposition and that the country’s wealthiest and most Americanized elites were transformed from leading supporters of U.S. imperial rule into some of its greatest opponents.
Gobat focuses primarily on the reactions of the elites to Americanization, because the power and identity of these Nicaraguans were the most significantly affected by U.S. imperial rule. He describes their adoption of aspects of “the American way of life” in the mid–nineteenth century as strategic rather than wholesale. Chronicling the U.S. occupation of 1912–33, he argues that the anti-American turn of Nicaragua’s most Americanized oligarchs stemmed largely from the efforts of U.S. bankers, marines, and missionaries to spread their own version of the American dream. In part, the oligarchs’ reversal reflected their anguish over the 1920s rise of Protestantism, the “modern woman,” and other “vices of modernity” emanating from the United States. But it also responded to the unintended ways that U.S. modernization efforts enabled peasants to weaken landlord power. Gobat demonstrates that the U.S. occupation so profoundly affected Nicaragua that it helped engender the Sandino Rebellion of 1927–33, the Somoza dictatorship of 1936–79, and the Sandinista Revolution of 1979–90.
Customer Reviews:
Exhaustive.......2007-05-10
If you REALLY want to know about the USA involvement in Nicaragua read this book. One comes away with a clear picture of the years 1912 through 1933 in Nicaragua. To be even better the book could have explored the position of the middle and worker class but information is scarce. All in all one of the best books written on this era in Central America
Book Description
Between 1751 and 1784, the Qianlong emperor embarked upon six southern tours, traveling from Beijing to Jiangnan and back. These tours were exercises in political theater that took the Manchu emperor through one of the Qing empire's most prosperous regions.
This study elucidates the tensions and the constant negotiations characterizing the relationship between the imperial center and Jiangnan, which straddled the two key provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Politically, economically, and culturally, Jiangnan was the undisputed center of the Han Chinese world; it also remained a bastion of Ming loyalism and anti-Manchu sentiment. How did the Qing court constitute its authority and legitimate its domination over this pivotal region? What were the precise terms and historical dynamics of Qing rule over China proper during the long eighteenth century?
In the course of addressing such questions, this study also explores the political culture within and through which High Qing rule was constituted and contested by a range of actors, all of whom operated within socially and historically structured contexts. The author argues that the southern tours occupied a central place in the historical formation of Qing rule during a period of momentous change affecting all strata of the eighteenth-century polity.
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Imperial Rule
Manufacturer: Central European University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 9639241989 |
Book Description
Renowned academics compare major features of imperial rule in the 19th century, reflecting a significant shift away from nationalism and toward empires in the studies of state building. The book responds to the current interest in multi-unit formations, such as the European Union and the expanded outreach of the United States.
National historical narratives have systematically marginalized imperial dimensions, yet empires play an important role. This book examines the methods discerned in the creation of the Habsburg Monarchy, the Ottoman Empire, the Hohenzollern rule and Imperial Russia. It inspects the respective imperial elites in these empires, and it details the role of nations, religions and ideologies in the legitimacy of empire building, bringing the Spanish Empire into the analysis. The final part of the book focuses on modern empires, such as the German "Reich." The essays suggest that empires were more adaptive and resilient to change than is commonly thought.
Customer Reviews:
(...).......2004-10-31
Edited by:
Alexei Miller (Professor of History at Central European University, formerly research fellow at the Russian Academy of the Sciences), and
Alfred J. Rieber (Professor of History at Central European University, Budapest).
Renowned academics compare major features of imperial rule in the 19th century, reflecting a significant shift away from nationalism and toward empires in the studies of state building. The book responds to the current interest in multi-unit formations, such as the European Union and the expanded outreach of the United States.
National historical narratives have systematically marginalized imperial dimensions, yet empires play an important role. This book examines the methods discerned in the creation of the Habsburg Monarchy, the Ottoman Empire, the Hohenzollern rule and Imperial Russia. It inspects the respective imperial elites in these empires, and it details the role of nations, religions and ideologies in the legitimacy of empire building, bringing the Spanish Empire into the analysis. The final part of the book focuses on modern empires, such as the German "Reich." The essays suggest that empires were more adaptive and resilient to change than is commonly thought.
Contents
Introduction
I. Nationalism and Imperial Rule The Empire and the Nation in the Imagination of Russian Nationalism, Alexei Miller. The Russians and the Turks: Imperialism and Nationalism in the Era of Empires. Norman Stone, Sergei Podbolotov, Murat Yasar. Imperial instead of National History: Positioning Modern German History on the Map of European Empires. Philipp Ther.
II. Legitimacy and Imperial Rule Justifying Political Power in 19th Century Europe: the Habsburg Monarchy and Beyond. Maciej Janowski. Schism Once Removed: Sects, State Authority, and Meanings of Religious Toleration in Imperial Russia. Paul W. Werth. Redefining Identities in the late Ottoman Empire: Policies of Conversion and Apostasy. Selim Deringil.
III. Core and Periphery Empire on Europe's Periphery: Russian and Western Comparisons. Dominic Leven. The Spanish Empire and its End: a Comparative View in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Europe. Sebastian Balfour. The Russian-American Company as a Colonial Contractor for the Russian Empire. Ilya Vinkovetsky. Comparative Ecology of Complex Frontiers. Alfred J. Rieber. Index
(...)
Average customer rating:
- This book should be read by every American
- detailed, perhaps overly so
- Why Is The Media Not Covering Some Of These Facts???
- 9/11-Empire Building-And what it means to Americans.
- EXCELLENT BOOK....A MUST READ!
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The Hydra of Carnage: Bush's Imperial War-making and the Rule of Law
Craig Hulet
Manufacturer: Artful Nuance
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0967788625 |
Book Description
The Hydra of Carnage: Bush's Imperial War-making and the Rule of Law describes the events of 9/11 in a different light, arguing America was hit because of the perception of people throughout the world that America leads a new kind of Empire. An American-led empire whose ideology is Corporatism; where of the 100 largest economies in the world, America being the largest, 55 are monopoly corporations. Congressman Jack Metcalf stated regarding Mr. Hulet's ongoing research and analysis the following: "Craig Hulet has been an invaluable advisor. Whether the issue is MAI, GATT, NAFTA, or the more general question of the growing power of transnational corporations over our institutions and everyday lives, Mr. Hulet provides a heavily researched, coldly logical analysis where others too often delve with emotion, biases, and disinformation. His work should be widely disseminated. His conclusions should be very carefully considered." Three (of the 20 plus chapters and appendices)chapters describe what Hulet sees as an evolution from classical terrorism into an International Urban Guerrilla Warfare; the targets were key to understanding this and why America will be hit again. Hulet is considered one of the better informed experts in his field, once described by Rita Rich (Producer for Jim Bohannon)as follows: "Fasten your seatbelts when you start reading Hulet's Human, All-Too-Human, Hulet. Craig is a man who I call for expert advice on surviving Y2K, international and domestic terrorism, and white supremacy, (to name a few topics.) Now I'll have to call on him to interpret the whim of the American public."
Customer Reviews:
This book should be read by every American.......2006-05-18
Time has and will continue to prove Craig right on virtually all of his claims. Unfortunately, that means we as citizens are in big trouble, yet totally to blame for our predicament. Whether he's talking about civil liberties, corporatism, empire, international relations, the military, etc, Craig hits the nail on the head. I've heard some of his radio interviews, and he definately writes the way he talks. He writes some very long sentences which could benefit from a comma or two. Nonetheless, his research is amazingly indepth and the information presented is crucial. He dismisses popular conspiracy theories and picks apart his topics with logic and razor-sharp critical thinking. This book is great also because he quotes from so many other authors/researchers, and footnotes like you wouldn't believe. So the book serves as an index of many other fascintating books. You owe it to your Country to absorb this book.
detailed, perhaps overly so.......2003-06-20
Hydra is certainly not a well-edited book but if its information you seek on who owns the White House, you will want this book. Corporatism as ideology is repeated throughout and the writer can perhaps be labeled a nihilist, however Craig is one of many who believe revolution is coming. He's not your typical militia pamphleteer, and he's thoroughly researched his facts and presents them grimly, and clearly.
"Beginning in the Reagan era, de-regulation has been the battle cry of Corporatism's corporate crusaders and raiders." The recent FCC ruling bears this out. His main complaint is with leaders of both parties who move from politics to corporate leadership positions and back with ease and with no questions about potential conflicts of interest.
"A theory making the rounds on the Internet, on the airwaves, and in the press claims that the bombing of the Taliban has nothing to do with a 'war on terrorism' but everything to do with the oil pipeline the West wants to build through Afghanistan." The Taliban were not removed from power in Afghanistan because they were tyrants. They were removed because they were weak tyrants. Craig points out there are 70 or so tyrannical governments existing in Africa and Asia, but they chose Afghanistan for the obvious reason. It had no national defense.
The book is solid and not to be missed. He complains about the downfall of society on the last several pages, but this can be taken with a grain of salt.
Why Is The Media Not Covering Some Of These Facts???.......2002-09-23
There is no question this book will make you wonder why the media has not raised some of the issues this book does. Does it speak too much of the truth about what is taking place in this country? The author has done a lot of research and it comes accross. The book was thought out and well written. A lot of the projections about the political agenda of the Bush administration are becoming fact. How did the author know these things would happen? I would reccomend this book to anybody who cares about the future of our country. This book should not be so hard to get!
9/11-Empire Building-And what it means to Americans........2002-09-21
Hopefully Americans can put down their flags and try to learn about what brought us to 9/11. Mr. Hulet has made a pristine and thought provoking argument of why 9/11 came about. He has made an articulate argument of how the US government has used the crisis of 9/11 to carry out politcal objectives that otherwise could not be achieved (like the Caspian region oil and gas pipelines). He goes into depth about how America is up against guerrilla warfare and not just plain terrorism. We as so-called patriotic Americans need to understand what this implies for us as Americans. We will pay for this Empire in "blood and coin". The author also explains how we also need to come to grips with what it means by "Oil and Sovereignty"! We are headed to a Corporate world and the WTO is not thinking in the best interest of America or Americans. The most important concept Mr. Hulet points out is not whether this agenda is successful or not, it is the fact that they are going to try!!!... Please buy this book, and inform yourself, do your own reseach, and maybe share with a friend or family member.
EXCELLENT BOOK....A MUST READ!.......2002-09-21
First, don't be put off by the title. It has a purpose to illustrate which you will understand once you finish this book. If you care to hear THE ONLY rational dissenting vioce about 9/11 and the events that took place leading up to it then you have to read this. It will dispell all the rumors and myths surrounding the attack as well as give you unique insight into what holds for the future and why. I recommend all of Mr. Hulets' books because in an age of homognized trash tv and magazines his is usually the only rational voice that speaks of a different perspective of what is going on in society. BUY THIS BOOK!
Product Description
BRITAIN AND GERMANY IN AFRICA(IMPERIAL RIVALRY AND COLNIAL RULE) BY PROSSER GIFFORD AND WM. ROGER LOUIS. XLIB.-1967 FIRST EDITION-HARDCOVER-W-DJ & MYLAR COVER-EXCELLENT SHAPE-PAGES ARE CLEAN AND CRISP-BINDING IS TIGHT-QUIK SHIP!
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- Whitehead's Radically Different Postmodern Philosophy: An Argument for Its Contemporary Relevance (S U N Y Series in Philosophy)
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