Running the Batteries tells the story of the Union gunboats on the western rivers during the American Civil War. Named the Western Gunboat Flotilla; and later the Mississippi Squadron; this was a fleet of ironclad gunboats purposely built to seize control of the Mississippi River and to split the Confederacy in two. The story of the western gunboats is one of great technical advancement; coupled with old-fashioned courage and determination.
#1575600 in Books 2014-12-01 .0 x .0 x .0l; 1.37 #File Name: 0143422928760 pages
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. The Sanskrit Epic Completed in Translation with a Tenth VolumeBy Burt ThorpIf you wish to read the entire "Mahabharata" from start to finish in English translation; there are at present only two readily available choices: the ten-volume translation by Bibek Debroy being reviewed here and the late-nineteenth century translation known usually as the Ganguli-Roy version originally published in Calcutta. This older translation has been reprinted and can also be found online. I'm referring to complete translations; since there are quite a few abridgements; translations of selected passages; summaries; and retellings. (There was another old complete translation by Dutt; since reprinted; which I have sampled but found to be unreadable.) Then there is the in-progress translation published by the University of Chicago Press; begun by van Buitenen and being completed by various scholars who hold positions at universities. Debroy worked on his translation during "time stolen in the evenings and over the weekends" as he writes. Does it matter? Only in the sense that it explains the way Debroy presents his translation with minimal notes and brief introduction; while the Chicago translation presents extensive apparatus dealing with points of historical and scholarly interest. Debroy also does not use the scholarly transliteration of Sanskrit names; so no diacritical marks. I don't mean this as a criticism of Debroy; just pointing out the different audiences for the two works. A similarity between Debroy and Chicago: they both use the Sanskrit text established by V. Sukthankar and other editors and published at Poona by the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute; 1933-1966 (the first fascicle was actually published in 1927; I believe). This critical edition turns out to be somewhat shorter than older editions; since passages are relegated to the footnotes and appendices which do not have full manuscript support. Both Debroy and Chicago; of course; do not translate the additional passages; some of them may be found translated in Ganguli-Roy. What about Debroy's translation? It is certainly readable and in that sense better than older translations which suffer from problems of diction: the use of old fashioned words and phrases in an attempt to sound profound; I guess. One thing to understand about the Sanskrit of the epic: it is generally not too difficult; except for occasional passages that are obscure; probably because they were not well preserved in the manuscript tradition. The audience the epic was aimed at was more popular; it seems; than; for example; Kalidasa's poems. When one looks at the Sanskrit original and compares Debroy's rendition; it is usually clear how he arrived at his translation--his is no retelling or paraphrase. If the translators of the Chicago version look at Debroy; I imagine they may find places in which they disagree with him. Debroy is to be commended for completing such a huge task essentially on his own and in his spare time! This and the other volumes are nicely printed in large font.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Item as expectedBy Rebecca SchallItem as expected0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Excellent edition.By harold d waltersSuperb and indispensable translation. Excellent edition.
