“Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution”, by Richard Beeman

544 pages, Random House, ISBN-13: 978-0812976847

Who knew that a book on political debates and controversies could also be entertaining as well as enlightening? But that’s just what Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution by Richard Beeman is: a day-by-day and issue-by-issue record about the writing of the American Constitution that actually is enjoyable as all heck. No, really: Beeman has done the impossible by making a lot of lawyers, politicians, philosophers and such seem human. As Beeman states, the original 13 Colonies was little more than a league of sovereign states, governed by the Articles of Confederation who, after the Revolutionary War had been won, had very little incentive to cooperate with one another. But many of the leading citizens of these would-be nations were concerned that these states’ contradictions and vulnerabilities would ultimately lead to conflict with the world or, worse, with one another. It was a real dilemma: how to create a more perfect union while respecting the sovereignty of the States and We the People.

Without question the main mover and shaker behind the creation of a Constitutional Convention to amend - read: replace - the Articles of Confederation was James Madison of Virginia, and his 15-point “Virginia Plan” was his blueprint to do so. From there, these 55 men formed a new government (yes; all white men, some even slaveholders, wrote our Constitution; would that it were not so, but there you are). Not only did they have the knowledge, learning and wherewithal to do so, they had the political cojones to realize that nobody would get everything they wanted, and so compromise was the order of the day. By doing so, they ensured that the proceedings wouldn’t collapse before they began. From the Connecticut Compromise - which created the bicameral Congress - to the 3/5ths Compromise - which counted three out of every five slaves as a free citizen for the purpose of representation in the House - the wheels kept rolling and the work got done. But these Compromises were not without cost: while enslavement of blacks by whites was not confined to America in the 18th Century, Beeman cannot help but fault the Founders for allowing over two-hundred thousand Africans to be imported as slaves over the next twenty years, as it led to the South gaining political and economic power in excess of their actual worth, factors that led directly to the American Civil War.

The notion of “Original Intent” must needs arise in any discussion about the creation of the Constitution; the Framer’s mindsets are important when it comes to any discussion as to what this clause or that amendment meant when it comes to deciphering what was desired by the wording (although I, for one, think that most of the words are clear as crystal). It is evident indeed that there were many intents that were fused in the making of the Constitution and which reflected the thinking of the times. It is equally clear that it was, in part, a flawed document, created by flawed (though brilliantly so) men. Certainly, its concessions to slavery put the nation on a course to Civil War, and several constitutional crises have resulted from its ambiguity in its stipulations for selecting presidents. Having said that, Beeman holds that the Constitution deserves veneration as an extraordinary document, but those feelings should not prevent us from properly addressing the tremendous changes in our society that place many of our principles concerning freedom and equality for every man in some jeopardy. Compromise made our country; imperfect, regrettable but necessary compromise in which some hard choices were faced then while other, even harder decisions were put off for later, when the country was more mature and able to make those hard choices (The Civil War interrupted this process).

Plain, Honest Men is Richard Beeman’s complete and riveting tale of the Summer of ’87 (that would by 1787) in Philadelphia when a group of plain, honest men met to create a new government for the fledgling United States of America. Beeman tells how the delegates met with divergent ideas on what needed to be done, from minor revisions to the Articles of Confederation to a totally new plan of governing; about the backgrounds and careers of the principal actors; about the details the bumpy path they traveled together to produce the final Constitution of the United States. Beeman tells his tale with skill and care to show that some fifty delegates, although disagreeing violently at times, were able to compromise and reason their way together.

“Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East”, by Michael B. Oren

 

496 pages, Presidio Press, ISBN-13: 978-0345461926

 

Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East by Michael B. Oren is an excellent account of the series of events from within the governments of Israel and the Arab states that surround it (but principally Egypt) that led to the disastrous (for the Arabs) Six Day War of 1967. Many histories become bogged down in the details, often putting up so many trees that the forest becomes non-existent, let alone unanswerable. But for Oren this is not the case: he has written a very easy to follow - and yet very detailed - account of conflict (even with the few, crappy maps within). The book also gives several mini-bios of the historical figures of the time, even if said bios do not match the perceived images of the men in question: Prime Minister Levi Eshkol of Israel comes across as an irrelevant figure whose decision making was taken out of his hands; General Moshe Dayan of Israel is shown as the military genius that he was with instincts dangerous to any democracy; President Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein of Egypt comes across much more favorably than most remember him; Hafez al-Assad changes the least and is shown as the despotic thug he was and which he so well passed to his son; and Hussein bin Talal, King of Jordan, is portrayed as an easily duped and manipulatable ruler yet with an uncanny ability to survive.

 

It can be easy to forget that Israel, by any rational measure, should have lost this war: surrounded, outnumbered and outgunned, the fact that this pack of bantam roosters not only drafted their many enemies, but did so convincingly, would be unbelievable if it hadn't actually happened. While many other works of scholarship have been published since Oren’s book first came out in 2003, his is the standard by which all of these other books are to be judged. The author has constructed a gripping account of war that illuminates the (perhaps unanswerable) question as to how politicians get dragged by the nose into conflicts they can neither see nor want. Oren displays the tortured politics of the Middle East, and it is obvious from the writing that it is this, the civilian side of the conflict, that interests him the most, although the military and, even, societal events that form the center of the conflict are not ignored (it must be noted, however, that in this telling the Six Years War was caused principally by Arab blundering and bravado, and fear and apprehension in the Israeli camp).
 

By drawing on archival sources and interviews from all sides - although he Arab side is thinner than the Israeli as fewer records are available - Six Days of War does its best to be dispassionate about a conflict that reverberates throughout the Middle East and, even, the world to this day.

“Titanic: An Illustrated History”, text by Donald Lynch, paintings by Ken Marschall, introduction by Robert D. Ballard

 

224 pages, Hyperion, ISBN-13: 978-0786864010

 

Back in the day, before Cameron’s execrable Titanic was even thought about, I was a Titanic buff, so much so that my parents bought me book after book on the subject…like this one, Titanic: An Illustrated History, written by Donald Lynch, but more importantly illustrated by Ken Marschall, a man who must know better than the builders how Titanic was put together. While this volume came out after the film, it was in no way influenced by it, as the author goes to great lengths to dispel myths presented in Cameron’s work of propaganda – in particular, while people of different social classes were pitted against one another in the struggle for survival in the movie, the book was full of examples of people, of every social class, who willingly sacrificed their lives so that others could live. The information, the original pictures, the paintings, the illustrations are, in a word, priceless. We not only find details of the White Star Line and the famous ship's history – from her design as one of the three Olympic class sisters (Olympic, Titanic and Britannic) – but the few photographs taken on-board: charts, deck plans and numerous anecdotes.
 

But often, it is Marschall’s recreations in his wonderful artwork that will take your breath away, especially when read alongside Lynch’s narrative. To see paintings of her slowly sinking into the Atlantic; the details of her stern high in the air and the sight of tiny figures throwing themselves into the icy water; even his art based on Dr. Robert Ballard’s photographs of the wreck site…you would have to be heartless to not be affected by these. To also read the words of many of those few hundred who survived is particularly touching, especially as they watched Titanic go down, most with loved ones still onboard. This is a wonderful book for anyone who (like me) fell in love with her at some point in their lives, whether as a child or thanks that Cameron-thing. This book will make a great addition to your collection of the real life ship of dreams and all who were touched by her.

“The Visual Dictionary of Military Uniforms”, by DK Publishing

DK Visual Dictionaries, 64 pages, ISBN-13: 978-1564580108

The Visual Dictionary of Military Uniforms is exactly what it says it is: any question you may ever had about uniforms and why they look the way they do is answered within. While it is one of a series of reference books (designed for children aged 9-years-old and upwards), I can see this book being attractive for historical reenactors and modelers looking for that extra detail found in real artifacts, not just drawings; with its “exploded view” photographs and 3500 specific words presented in a labelled form (both of which are designed to help expand the anyone’s knowledge and vocabulary), this book, I think, has a place on any military historian’s shelf, not just a kid’s. Seeing as this is an American company, the bias here seems to be a focused coverage toward American forces – a little overkill on the American War of Independence, American Civil War and the Iraqi Conflict, which, I guess, shouldn’t be surprising, as this thing was published in 1992. Anyway, it is what it is.

“Gaunt’s Ghosts: The Founding”, by Dan Abnett

 

768 pages, The Black Library, ISBN-13: 978-1844163694

 

Gaunt’s Ghosts: The Founding is an omnibus edition from the Black Library that collects three novels together: First and Only, Ghostmaker and Necropolis. The peaceful, arboreal world of Tanith is commanded to raise a legion of troops to serve in the Imperial Guard (er, make that the Astra Militarum now), the billions-strong regular army of the Imperium of Man. On the day the Tanith 1st, 2nd and 3rd are commissioned and depart for deep space, their homeworld is annihilated from orbit; thus, they become the Tanith First-and-Only; or, rather, Gaunt’s Ghosts. Under the command of Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt, the Ghosts have become a respected unit, skilled in battle and reliable under fire. But Gaunt, a political officer filling a military role, has made some very dangerous enemies in the High Command of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade. The Ghosts are now part of the attempt to liberate the Sabbat Worlds from the forces of Chaos, but Gaunt discovers corruption and heresy may be taking root in the High Command, and he cannot trust anyone but his men in an effort to find a weapon of unimaginable power on the dark world of Menazoid Epsilon before his enemies do the same.
 

The Gaunt’s Ghosts series is one of the best Warhammer 40k novel series out there, and The Founding omnibus edition will take you through the first three installments of the Sabbat World Crusade that Gaunt and his Ghosts are campaigning in. Without getting into spoilers (promise!) you will find yourself reading through three very compelling stories about the Imperial Guard units that are fighting against the enemies of mankind to liberate the Sabbat Worlds. The books build the campaign up pretty smoothly and give you a solid introduction to major characters that you will come to know and root for. Much of the second book in the omnibus goes into character development, and there are great battle sequences in each of the books, as well. Abnett writes compelling war fiction and there is much to dig into here, for the way in which the books are written, the battle scenes and action compel you forward, eager to find the conclusion of the battles and encounters. I found myself reading far more than I planned several times while working my way through these books, the story itself being exciting enough that I didn't want to put it down for a little while longer.
 

Interestingly, the human element of the 40k universe comes out in Abnett’s writing, as well, as opposed to many of the books that feature the superhuman Space Marines. The Ghosts series of novels digs into the very human struggles of flawed but brave individuals fighting for the survival of mankind against determined horrible foes, and even goes into the very human politics that tend to surround military engagements and how they can affect things, in a word, the Ghosts are relatable. I think this is a big part of why these books are so compelling to many: they feature the human side of war and struggle in the far future that keeps this series as one of the best. All of the Gaunt’s Ghosts novels and omnibuses are being reissued by the Black Library, and The Founding is a great addition to your collection and will give you a good look into the non-Space Marine side of the Imperium of Man and how it prosecutes its wars. What’s best is that you don’t even have to be a wargamer to dive into the grim dark universe of the future (although some knowledge of the 40k universe will help you decipher what in the hell is going on).