George Washington's war : the saga of the American Revolution

An exciting trip back in time to the American Revolution, a reminder of what history can be when written by a master.— Publishers Weekly Booknews In this third volume of narratives of important events in American history (following Delivered from Evil: the Saga of World War II and None Died in Vain: the Saga of the Civil War), popular historian Leckie traces the course of events from the causes of the break between the American colonies and the British government to the surrender of Lord Cornwallis to George Washington at Yorktown. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

David Allen Sibley, the preeminent bird-guide author and illustrator, now applies his formidable skills of identification and illustration to the trees of North America.

Monumental in scope but small enough to take into the field, The Sibley Guide to Trees is an astonishingly elegant guide to a complex subject. It condenses a huge amount of information about tree identification—more than has ever been collected in a single book—into a logical, accessible, easy-to-use format.

With more than 4,100 meticulous, exquisitely detailed paintings, the Guide highlights the often subtle similarities and distinctions between more than 600 tree species—native trees as well as many introduced species. No other guide has ever made field identification so clear.

Features highlighted include:
• leaves (including multiple leaf shapes and fall leaf color)
• bark
• needles
• cones
• flowers
• fruit
• twigs
• silhouettes

More than 500 maps show the complete range, both natural and cultivated, for nearly all species.

Trees are arranged taxonomically, with all related species grouped together. By focusing on the fundamental characteristics of, for example, oaks or chestnuts or hickories, the Guide helps the user recognize these basic species groups the same way birders recognize thrushes, warblers, or sparrows.

In addition, there are essays on taxonomy, on the cultivation of trees, and on conservation issues, reflecting Sibley's deep concern with habitat preservation and environmental health.

An important new contribution to our understanding of the natural world, The Sibley Guide to Trees will be a necessity for every tree lover, traveler, and naturalist. It is sure to become the new benchmark in field guides to trees.

The New York Times - Dominique Browning

David Allen Sibley is the artist and author responsible for several excellent bird books (mine are well thumbed), and his tree guide holds its own against the Audubon series. His paintings manage the neat trick of being both evocative and accurate; the telling details are clearly articulated.

In this third volume of brilliant narratives of important events in American history, Robert Leckie brings alive the dramatic story of the American Revolution - just as he caught the drama and excitement of World War II in Delivered from Evil and the Civil War in None Died in Vain. With tremendous narrative pace, remarkable skill at portraying important and fascinating people, a sharp eye for colorful details, and an all-encompassing grasp of historical developments and military action, Leckie traces the course of events from the causes of the break between the American colonies and the British government to the surrender of Lord Cornwallis to George Washington at Yorktown. His descriptions of the many battles - the slaughter and confusion at Concord and Lexington, the Redcoats charging the Continental lines at Bunker Hill, the painful American setbacks at Brandywine and Germantown, and hard-won victories at Saratoga and by John Paul Jones over HMS Serapis at sea - are vivid and exciting. Leckie makes the disputes that caused the conflict - unfair taxes and tariffs, the lack of colonial representation in Parliament - come alive with his descriptions of the Boston Tea Party, the writings of Samuel Adams, and the oratory of Patrick Henry. And his in-depth profiles of the dozens of leading figures on both sides are sprightly and insightful: Washington struggling to keep his army intact despite meager support from the Continental Congress and betrayals by traitors Charles Lee and Benedict Arnold; the ponderous George III in London and his generals in America - Howe, Clinton, Cornwallis, Tarleton, "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne, and more; and American commanders like Hamilton, Gates, Greene, Ethan Allen, Morgan, and "Mad Anthony" Wayne. George Washington's War is solid history that reads like superior fiction. “Exciting accounts of the major campaigns [of the American Revolution]... a reminder of what history can be when written by a master.” —Publishers Weekly“Beginning with a recapitulation of the French and Indian War—which, though ending in British victory, represented the beginning of the end of the British empire in America—[Robert] Leckie briskly recounts the well-known events leading to America's break with Britain and the military development of the war. In anecdotal biographical sketches, he draws vivid portraits of the war's principals: George III, George Washington, Thomas Gage, Lord Cornwallis, and Benedict Arnold, among others. Leckie summarizes the principal battles of the war—Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, Washington's disastrous Long Island and Manhattan campaigns, his victories at Trenton, Princeton, Saratoga, and Yorktown—in lucid, workmanlike fashion. In superb depictions of the British leaders and of the British home front, he also adds details rarely found in popular American histories, and, unlike some historians, he doesn't neglect the southern war—the battles of Camden, Cowpens, and King's Mountain are covered as thoroughly as any.” —Kirkus Reviews“Entertaining and enlightening.” —Booklist "This book covers the identification of 668 native and commonly cultivated trees found in the temperate areas of North America north of Mexico. This includes most of the continental United States and Canada, an area corresponding to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant hardiness zones 1-8"--Introduction, p. ix. Featuring more than 4,100 detailed paintings and five hundred maps, highlights the similarities and distinctions between approximately six hundred North American tree species. An exciting trip back in time to the American Revolution, "a reminder of what history can be when written by a master."-- Publishers Weekly "During the early days of September 1759, General James Wolfe sank deeper and deeper into the dark night of despair."