Magnificent Bastards

Author: Rich Hall
Publisher: Abacus
ISBN: 074811873X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 162

Book Description
Comic genius Rich Hall introduces a series of magnificent bastards and lost souls in this hilarious collection of tall tales. Meet the man who vacuums bewildered prairie dogs out of their burrows; a frustrated werewolf who roams the streets of Soho getting mistaken for Brian Blessed; a smug carbon-neutral eco-couple; a teenage girl who invites 45,000 MySpace friends to a house party; the author of a business book entitled Highly Successful Secrets to Standing on a Corner Holding Up a Golf Sale Sign and a man whose attempts to teach softball to a group of indolent British advertising executives sparks an international crisis.

The Magnificent Bastards

Author: Keith Nolan
Publisher: Presidio Press
ISBN: 0307538133
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 468

Book Description
On April 29, 1968, the North Vietnamese Army is spotted less than four miles from the U.S. Marines’ Dong Ha Combat Base. Intense fighting develops in nearby Dai Do as the 2d Battalion, 4th Marines, known as “the Magnificent Bastards,” struggles to eject NVA forces from this strategic position. Yet the BLT 2/4 Marines defy the brutal onslaught. Pressing forward, America’s finest warriors rout the NVA from their fortress-hamlets–often in deadly hand-to-hand combat. At the end of two weeks of desperate, grinding battles, the Marines and the infantry battalion supporting them are torn to shreds. But against all odds, they beat back their savage adversary. The Magnificent Bastards captures that gripping conflict in all its horror, hell, and heroism. “Superb . . . among the best writing on the Vietnam War . . . Nolan has skillfully woven operational records and oral history into a fascinating narrative that puts the reader in the thick of the action.” –Jon T. Hoffman, author of Chesty “Real and gripping . . . combat with all the warts on.” –Lieutenant General Victor H. Krulak, USMC (Ret.)

Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue

Author: John McWhorter
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1592404944
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Book Description
A survey of the quirks and quandaries of the English language, focusing on our strange and wonderful grammar Why do we say “I am reading a catalog” instead of “I read a catalog”? Why do we say “do” at all? Is the way we speak a reflection of our cultural values? Delving into these provocative topics and more, Our Magnificent Bastard Language distills hundreds of years of fascinating lore into one lively history. Covering such turning points as the little-known Celtic and Welsh influences on English, the impact of the Viking raids and the Norman Conquest, and the Germanic invasions that started it all during the fifth century ad, John McWhorter narrates this colorful evolution with vigor. Drawing on revolutionary genetic and linguistic research as well as a cache of remarkable trivia about the origins of English words and syntax patterns, Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue ultimately demonstrates the arbitrary, maddening nature of English— and its ironic simplicity due to its role as a streamlined lingua franca during the early formation of Britain. This is the book that language aficionados worldwide have been waiting for (and no, it’s not a sin to end a sentence with a preposition).

Trigger Men

Author: Hans Halberstadt
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1429971819
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 324

Book Description
Both a uniquely intimate look at what makes a sniper tick and a harrowing read filled with dramatic war tales, Trigger Men is a book about killing and what it takes to be the ultimate warrior. Hans Halberstadt takes readers deeper inside the elusive world of snipers than ever before, from recruitment and training to the brutality of the killing fields. Mixed into the thrilling narrative, for the first time ever in their own words, American combat snipers talk about what it is like to kill a man and what it takes to become one of the elite. Based on hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews, Halberstadt gets inside the sniper mind and shows how Shadow Team confidence led to success that led to even more aggressive operations. Readers will learn how snipers think and interact as a team, how missions are planned and executed, how the weapons work, and even what happens when a bullet strikes its target.

Hold High the Torch

Author: Kenneth W. Condit
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN: 1787209253
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 716

Book Description
Hold High the Torch, the first of a series of regimental and squadron histories by the Historical Branch, G-3 Division, Headquarters U.S. Marine Corps, is designed primarily to acquaint the members of the 4th Marines, past and present, with the history of their regiment. In addition, it is hoped this volume will enlarge public understanding of the Marine Corps’ worth both in limited war and as a force in readiness. During most of its existence the 4th Marines was not engaged in active military operations, but service of the regiment in China, the Dominican Republic, and off the west coast of Mexico, was typical of the Marine Corps’ support of national policy. In many of its combat operations, the 4th Marines was only one element of a much larger force. In other instances, as in the Dominican Republic and China, the regiment was a subordinate unit in situations which were essentially political and diplomatic. Only so much of these higher echelon activities as are essential to an understanding of the 4th Marines story have been told. This is a regimental history and the focus is therefore on the 4th Marines.

Images from the Otherland

Author: Kenneth P. Sympson
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 0595259693
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 274

Book Description
In August 1965 as a forward observer with the 3d Battalion, 7th Marines, the author saw his first combat in Operation Starlite, the first large-scale ground combat operation in Vietnam. In March 1966, as the artillery liaison officer for the renowned 'Magnicent Bastards' of the 2d Battalion, 4th Marines, he fought in Operation Texas, one of the bloodiest battles of the war. For two hours, Sympson directed over 2,500 rounds of artillery fire nearly on top of Echo Company to drive back the Viet Cong who had trapped the Marines at the edge of a heavily fortified village.

Viet Nam Vignettes

Author: Gerald R. Gems
Publisher: Saint Johann Press
ISBN: 9781878282392
Category : Vietnam War, 1961-1975
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description

The Republic of Thieves

Author: Scott Lynch
Publisher: Del Rey
ISBN: 0553905589
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 692

Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The third book of the suspense-filled, enduringly popular Gentleman Bastard Sequence about a roguish group of conmen, which George R. R. Martin has called “fresh, original, and engrossing . . . gorgeously realized.” “Fast paced, fun, and impossible to put down . . . Locke and company remain among the most engaging protagonists in fantasy.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) ONE OF PASTE’S BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF THE DECADE With the greatest heist of their career gone spectacularly sour, con artist extraordinaire Locke Lamora and his trusted partner, Jean, have barely escaped with their lives. Or at least Jean has. Locke is slowly succumbing to a lethal poison that no alchemist can cure. With the end nearing, Locke’s only hope is to accept a mysterious Bondsmage’s offer: act as a political pawn in the Magi elections, and in exchange be healed. But the lifesaving sorcery promises to rival even the most excruciating death, and Locke refuses. Until the Bondsmage invokes the name of Sabetha, the love of Locke’s life, his equal in skill and wit . . . and now his greatest rival. From his first glimpse of Sabetha as a fellow orphan and thief-in-training, Locke was smitten. But after a tumultuous courtship, she broke away. Now they will reunite in another clash of wills. Faced with his only equal in both love and trickery, Locke must choose whether to fight Sabetha—or woo her. It is a decision on which both of their lives may depend. Don’t miss any of Scott Lynch’s epic fantasy Gentleman Bastard Sequence: THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA • RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES • THE REPUBLIC OF THIEVES

The Lies of Locke Lamora

Author: Scott Lynch
Publisher: Del Rey
ISBN: 0593725425
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 641

Book Description
The first book of the epic fantasy caper Gentleman Bastard Sequence about a roguish group of conmen, which George R. R. Martin says “captured me right on the first page and never let me go.” “If you haven’t read [The Lies of Locke Lamora], you should. If you have read it, you should probably read it again.”—Patrick Rothfuss An orphan’s life is harsh—and often short—in the mysterious island city of Camorr. But young Locke Lamora dodges relentless danger, becoming a thief under the tutelage of a gifted con artist. As leader of the band of light-fingered brothers known as the Gentlemen Bastards, Locke is soon infamous, fooling even the underworld’s most feared ruler. But in the shadows lurks someone still more ambitious and deadly. Faced with a bloody coup that threatens to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the enemy at his own brutal game—or die trying. Don’t miss any of Scott Lynch’s epic fantasy Gentleman Bastard Sequence: THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA • RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES • THE REPUBLIC OF THIEVES

One Magnificent Bastard

Author: Mark Huffman
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781492769446
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 240

Book Description
Bill Weise didn't plan on a career in the United States Marine Corps. He planned to become a lawyer. But life has a funny way of taking you to places you never expect, serving up experiences that change your life and your outlook forever. From his early life in a working class neighborhood in South Philadelphia during the Great Depression to battlefields in Vietnam to the halls of the Pentagon, Bill Weise was guided by core values he gained from his parents, his faith, and his community. Those values he brought to the Marine Corps, as well as a creative mind and a sense of daring that made him a great leader in both war and peace. Throughout his life Bill Weise has been presented with challenges. Some were economic, some were military and some were deeply personal. How he met and overcame these challenges provides a true measure of him as a man. Everything in Bill's life seemed to prepare him for tests. He always pushed himself and demanded the same of others. The story of Bill Weise is an American story. It contains lessons for today's military leaders and inspiration for all.