Stonewall Jackson's Book of Maxims

Rating:
Summary: oh those contradictions!
Review: "you may be whatever you resolve to be," said stonewall jackson. even a supporter-in-arms of an aristocratic slave-owning minority who leads millions into savagely selfish internecine warfare? i guess that's for the individual to decide, albeit long after the fact. but isn't that what makes the study of history so thought-provoking? doesn't the search for objective truth keep us looking back through the ages to figure out more about who we were then, who we are today, and what we can become once again if we're not careful? i have to believe that, given thomas jackson's strong faith in god, it wasn't long after stonewall crossed the river and sat down to rest beneath the tree that he realized he'd made a horrible horrible decision in fighting for white supremacy and the slavery of his brothers and sisters on earth. i'm sure i'll discover regrets concerning certain decisions i've made in my life. won't we all?! still, don't be fooled by romantic recreations of the past. don't be fooled.

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Summary: The author failed to give due credit to Ben Franklin
Review: I enjoyed reading this slender volume. The maxims are worth reading and following today just as they were when Jackson wrote them down. The author's short narratives after each maxim are helpful and contain much interesting information about Stonewall Jackson and his character. The one surprising thing that stood out for me was the author's failure to discover that the source for many of the maxims was Benjamin Franklin. Although Franklin is quoted in several of the narratives, nowhere does the author mention that thirteen of the maxims are directly from Benjamin Franklin, which evidently Stonewall Jackson copied down verbatim. Every word in the maxims on pages 72 through 85 of this book were written by Benjamin Franklin and appear in his autobiography, yet that is never mentioned in this book. The author names several sources for Jackson's maxims, including the Bible and Lord Chesterfield, but neglects to name the obvious source of many of them - Ben Franklin.

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Summary: What a nice tribute to General Jackson
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It is a great book for people that like StoneWall, or don't have a lot of time to read. ( This is a short read). StoneWalls maxims can be used today as well. This book, also gives us a better understanding of this great American Hero. ( How hard General Jackson tried to be a perfect man, shines through, with this book. One can only admire General Jackson all the more)

It is well worth the time spent reading it.

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Summary: Self Assessment Delineated by a choice of Maxims...
Review: If you're seeking military maxims with applications in business or personal life... along the line of Sun Tzu... you won't find them here.

Unlike Lord Chesterfield's "Letters to his Son", from which many of the maxims herein were extracted, and George Washington's hand-copied "Rules of Civility...", both of which represent selections offered up as a lesson plan for the edification of youth; Jackson's collection provides a portrait of the man himself, defined by those particular guidelines he selected as necessary to fill the gaps he perceived in his social upbringing.

Jackson's well known social awkwardness and reticence in public is clearly delineated by his choices. Anyone seeking to understand Jackson will benefit from this book. However, Dr. Roberston errs by delving deeper into Chesterfield's work, and others, in seeking to add supporting text to each maxim, rather than exploring why Jackson chose it. The treasure here is not the maxim, but Jackson's selection of it.

Rating:
Summary: sloppy hackwork
Review: James Robertson has eeked out a career selling rewarmed and often inaccurate anecdotes from the life and career of Stonewall Jsckson. This copy and paste job, sadly, is nothing new.

Rating:
Summary: sloppy hackwork
Review: Once again, Robertson slaps together a poorly sourced work championing the slaveholding South. True to form, he neglects to mention the source of many of Jackson's maxims, Benjamin Franklin, in whose autobiography many of them can be found -- as any competent American historian would know.

Rating:
Summary: sloppy piece of racist nonsense
Review: Once again, Robertson slaps together a poorly sourced work championing the slaveholding South. True to form, he neglects to mention the source of many of Jackson's maxims, Benjamin Franklin, in whose autobiography many of them can be found -- as any competent American historian would know.

Rating:
Summary: Inspiring
Review: Robertson's follow up to his definitive biography of Jackson is a true gem. This little book is filled with thoughts and axioms that will guide any man wanting to become something better than what current pop-culture defines as a "man" - that poor feminized, sexless creature who cowers in the shadows of life while history passes him by. Buy it, read it several times and pass it on to your sons and grandsons. ~ Rick Williams, author/editor of "The Maxims of Robert E. Lee for Young Gentlemen" (Now available at Amazon.com! Lee's Maxims makes a great companion title to this book!)

Rating:
Summary: "You may be what ever you will resolve to be."
Review: Stonewall Jackson's Book of Maxims is inspiring to say the least. Thomas Jackson grew up an orphan in the mountains of West Virginia, had less than a fourth-grade education when he entered West Point and ended up being a General in the Army. Thought to be obsessive, eccentric, and unable to chat at social events, Jackson hid from the world a man that he hoped to be someday. That other Jackson comes screaming out like his famous bloodcurdling rebel yell. "You may be what ever you will resolve to be" is etched over an archway at the Virginia Military Institute where he was also a professor.
Thankfully his works were saved, lost, and found again, just like General Stonewall Jackson will be by you and your children's children through this book.

Rating:
Summary: "You may be what ever you will resolve to be."
Review: Stonewall Jackson's Book of Maxims is inspiring to say the least. Thomas Jackson grew up an orphan in the mountains of West Virginia, had less than a fourth-grade education when he entered West Point and ended up being a General in the Army. Thought to be obsessive, eccentric, and unable to chat at social events, Jackson hid from the world a man that he hoped to be someday. That other Jackson comes screaming out like his famous bloodcurdling rebel yell. "You may be what ever you will resolve to be" is etched over an archway at the Virginia Military Institute where he was also a professor.
Thankfully his works were saved, lost, and found again, just like General Stonewall Jackson will be by you and your children's children through this book.