Bob Son of Battle

by Alfred Ollivant

Book Overview

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the "public domain in the United States of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0893757802
• ISBN13: 9780893757809
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Troll Communications
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Easily one of my favorite books

I love any book about dogs and have read pretty much anything I could find. I grew up reading the Terhune "Lad" series, Lassie, etc. and later I got involved in the Project Gutenberg project and started looking for dog books that were in the public domain that could be included, including some early Terhune books, Beautiful Joe, Greyfriars Bobby, etc. That's how I cam across Bob, Son of Battle. I was put off at first by the English dialect that it is written in, but soon became engrossed in what I soon realized was not so much a dog story, as one about a man and the failed relationship with his son. It is one of the best books I've read that explores the complexity of personality and how there is good and bad in all of us, but how easily things can unbalance to the wrong side. How difficult it can be sometimes for parents and children to communicate well. There are scenes in this book that really stay with you for the emotional impact they have. Anyone that loves great literature will enjoy this book, it is a real treasure that stands up the test of time as well as anything else I've read.

more than a tale of man and dog

I've read all of the usual classic dog stories, ie, Lassie Come Home,Call of the Wild (a personal favorite), White Fang and most of the Albert Payson Terhune books (Lad, A Dog etc). As you may surmise, dogs have been a close part of my life (for over 60 years). I saw the movie (Thunder in the Valley) based on this book, Bob, Son of Battle in 1947 when it was first released. The movie struck home because of the theme which roughly paralled this book and I never forgot it. I had the book in my library as a young boy and tried to read it several times but could not wade thru or understand some of the dialect so I never finished it then. I recently obtained a copy of the book and can say that this is one of the very best novels I have read. It is more than a tale of two men and their shepherd dogs or good vs. evil. The character of Adam MacAdam is more than that of a mean (or even evil) man. The description of MacAdam as he says goodbye to his dying wife will show that. And later in life, his soliloquoy to his fellow shepherders about his loneliness, the alienation from his son, his isolation, the loss of the coveted Dalesman cup etc. gives some insight to his feelings. The very last sentence of the the last page of the book stopped me in my tracks.

Good Versus Evil

The best dog story ever written, bar none (I'm including Lassie Come Home and The Call of the Wild). What makes it so are two things: detail and duality. The book works on two levels, with one level being a very realistically drawn portrait of the lives of the shepherds of England's Yorkshire dales, and the other being a interlocking tale of two men, one good and the other evil, and their dogs, also good and evil, respectively.What really kicks this story up a notch from the usual dog story is the depth of the good-and-evil theme, with the point being that in even the best of men there are weaknesses, and that in even the worst of men there are strengths.A thinking man's dog story, and a parable of tolerance far ahead of its time.Note: The dialogue is written in the vernacular of the place and time (late nineteenth century England), and is not always easy to wade through. It's well worth doing so, however.

I liked this book

I liked Bob Son of Battle because I thought Bob was cute and nice. I didn't like when Bob was eating a lamb and blood was dripping.

How can a book this this informative be so controversial?

Reading over the reviews of this book, I was absolutely stunned! I've never seen this level of controversy over a book about audio/video systems of all things! I bought this book to learn about the latest in audio and video systems, and learn the tricks of setting up a home theater for my family. To that end, I can't for the life of me figure out what people are complaining about. The book is clear, well written, and very informative on a lot of subjects (A/V systems seem to have a lot of different technologies and areas of engineering in them). I was impressed that the book presents info divided into different depths, simple for when you aren't interested or don't have time to really go into it, but with sections that go into more depth on heavier issues. I learned a lot about the differences between vented and sealed speakers, how the "radiation pattern" chosen by a designer affects the way a speaker reacts with the room, and other things I knew nothign about. These sections that offer more technical depth were really interesting. I also liked the fact he gave an extensive reading list (bibliography) at the end so that you could study more about any topic if you get interested in it.I really can't understand the harsh, negative comments. It reminds me of the Mustang vs. Camero or Porshe vs. Ferrari arguments, where people have a lot of money and ego tied up in a car, to the point where it affects their self image, and any contrary opinion makes them feel threatened. Also, a lot of what people seem to complain about I sure didn't find in the book, it's like they read a different book or had some other interaction with the author, through internet newsgroups from the look of it. From the few times I've visited stores that specialize in expensive stereo gear I knew that there was a lot of snobbery related to very expensive audio gear, but these comments still really puzzle me.