"The Civil War produced many diaries, but few as appealing and readable as this one." — Publishers Weekly"An altogether exciting and unique, almost priceless documentary." — Library Journal"A tale of adventure, of suspense from beginning to end, of fierce hate and great love, of the incredible callousness of man and the incredible warmth of man — with the added knowledge that 'it really happened.'" — Bruce CattonJohn L. Ransom joined the Union Army in...

John Ransom was a young Union soldier when he was captured by Confederate forces and taken to Andersonville, the worst of the brutal Civil War prison camps. Insightful, adventurous, and powerful, his diary preserves a rare portrait of the harsh life of the Confederate prisons. Yet it also sings with the hope of a man who loves life and manages to keep his sense of humor and compassion even as he suffers.

John Ransom was a 20-year-old Union soldier when he became a prisoner of war in 1863. In his unforgettable diary, Ransom reveals the true story of his day-to-day struggle in the worst of Confederate prison camps--where hundreds of prisoners died daily. Ransom's story of survival is, according to Publishers Weekly, "a great adventure ... observant, eloquent, and moving."

This book is an extraordinary day-to-day documentary of the Civil War's most infamous Confederate prison, Camp Sumter, better known as Andersonville. Here thirteen thousand wretched Union prisoners died within barely fourteen months, from starvation, scurvy, and other diseases that spread through the camp. There was little shelter but makeshift tents; little in the way of blankets, warm clothing, or even shoes; and a scarcity of food and fresh water. Often they were forced to sleep on the ...

Charlie Nightengale wins an enormous Powerball jackpot and his life goes to hell. I know, this story is as old as "boy meets girl," but in "Ransom", Charlie's wife Betsy is kidnapped by a group that plays Robin Hood, buying her a new wardrobe, flying her in a Gulfstream corporate jet to a fancy dinner, replacing her blown-up Toyota Camry with a high end Lexus, and delivering her back to Charlie, but not before her ransom provides an endowment to take care of her for the rest of her life. T...

The international bestselling series with over 5 million copies sold in the U.S. alone!In the wake of Araluen's uneasy truce with the raiding Skandians comes word that the Skandian leader has been captured by a dangerous desert tribe. The Rangers - and Will - are sent to free him. But the desert is like nothing these warriors have seen before. Strangers in a strange land, they are brutalized by sandstorms, beaten by the unrelenting heat, tricked by one tribe that plays by ...

John McPhee's The Ransom of Russian Art is a suspenseful, chilling, and fascinating report on a covert operation like no other. It offers unprecedented insight into Soviet culture at the brink of the Union's collapse.In the 1960s and 1970s, an American professor of Soviet economics forayed on his own in the Soviet Union, bought the work of underground "unofficial" artists, and brought it out himself or arranged to have it illegally shipped to the United St...

For the first time in history, the navies of every superpower on the planet have united against a common enemy – a couple of thousand rag tag underfed men and boys. Crammed together in tiny open boats,they range up to a thousand miles from their home shores. Armed with ancient AK47s and rocket propelled grenades, they scour the western Indian Ocean. No-one knows how many simply die at sea. But occasionally these modern-day pirates hit the jackpot, seizing vessels and crews that will be ran...

Trying to make some fast cash, two small-time crooks devise a plan to hold for ransom the son of a wealthy family in a village. When the kidnapped boy pulls out his Hong Hou (“Red Monkey”) costume, the two burglars realize they may be in for more than they bargained. As their ransom notes remain unanswered and their scheme starts to drag on, the two crooks find out for themselves how a child's imagination can spell disaster for two inexperienced criminal minds.Mandarin Companion is...

Full-cast BBC adaptations of five of Sir Walter Scott’s ‘Waverley’ novels, plus a play adapted from his journal starring Alec Guinness, and a documentary about Scott and his legacyPoet, novelist, critic and campaigner Walter Scott invented the historical novel and shaped the world’s image of Scotland. His tales of heroism, romance and adventure were hugely successful, outselling Jane Austen and Lord Byron, and are still popular today. Included here...

*** Traditional Character Edition ***Trying to make some fast cash, two small-time crooks devise a plan to hold for ransom the son of a wealthy family in a village. When the kidnapped boy pulls out his Hong Hou (“Red Monkey”) costume, the two burglars realize they may be in for more than they bargained. As their ransom notes remain unanswered and their scheme starts to drag on, the two crooks find out for themselves how a child's imagination can spell disaster for two inexperienced...

Trying to make some fast cash, two small-time crooks devise a plan to kidnap the son of a wealthy family in a village and hold him for ransom. When the kidnapped boy pulls out his Hong Hou (“Red Monkey”) costume, the two burglars realize they may be in for more than they planned. As their ransom notes remain unanswered and their scheme starts to drag on, the two crooks find out for themselves how a child's imagination can spell disaster for two inexperienced criminal minds.Mandarin...