Editorial Review

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Reviews (95)

The Hebrew Bible as a Burdensome Source for Israel's History

Eye Opening
The book is aimed at looking for archaeological evidence to the stories told in the bible. The conclusions that the authors reach are sometimes controversial due to lack of archaeological evidence to support such stories. One can still claim that even though evidence is not found to support certain stories, there is no conclusive assuranec that those events never took place (even though the authors offer findings that contradict certain biblical claims). However, the authors' perspective is based on scientific findings that are certainly eye opening. Due to the challenge of finding conclusive evidence when researching antiquity, much of the authors' findings cannot be viewed as facts, rather, are open for interpretation by the reader. The authors also offer different opinions of other historians and archaeologists, which strengthens the notion that much of the distant past is quite unclear and open for interpretation.

A Must Read for All
This book should be in the libraries of all serious students of religion and the Bible.There were points made and supported by archeology that might make the believers of an inerrant Bible think.The authors did not intend to change a persons faith only to point out the Biblical stories may be more allegory than historical.E.g., they propose the early writings of the OT were written c. 700 BCE.They also suggest the early Israelites were probably Canaanites.The points are supported by archaeological studies that may be more academic than the casual reader comprehends but doesn't burden the reading for the casual reader.I suggest this book will be a standard along with Friedman's "Who Wrote the Bible." ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiquities & Archaeology    2. Archaeology    3. Bible - Study - General    4. Christianity - Theology - General    5. Jewish - Ancient    6. Middle East - Israel    7. Religion    8. Religion - Commentaries / Reference    9. Biblical archaeology    10. Israel    11. Religion / General   

Subjects:  1. Asia - China    2. China    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Medieval    7. Asian / Middle Eastern history: c 500 to c 1500    8. History / Medieval   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (109)

The hills are alive...
Oh wait -- that's another matter.
A so-so addition to the Hinges o' History
Cahill continues his series with the Greatest of all men.Does he hit his mark?Kind of.Cahill tries hard with this book, but comes off as a pseudo-scholar who tries to pass off a lot of his own bias and intuition as indubitable fact.That he respects Jesus greatly is clear; that he selects from a certain thread of scholarship only is also clear.He has pretty much made up his mind about the dates, authorship, etc of texts, which is fine, but he won't admit that there are competing, compelling views that differ from his.There is much to delight and disappoint a variety of viewpoints about Jesus, and Cahill refuses to be pigeonholed.This isn't necessarily always a good thing, as it seems to come from inconsistency and a desire to be original, rather than from a coherent portrait of who Jesus is/was.Surprisingly, in all of this, he bucks modern trends and gives us a fresh, positive view of Paul; he also takes the view that the first few generations of Christians really had it right, and the last 1900 years have been mostly unmitigated disaster, with but a handful of those who call themselves Christians being hypocrites, neanderthal fundamentalists, the usual ilk.In fact, he even says Christians have more conclusively rejected Jesus than Jews have.Buy this if you have a few bucks burning a hole in your pocket/Amazon gift card;otherwise, take a pass.

Rewriting History
This book is the 3rd in a series of "Hinges of History" by the author Thonmas Cahill. For a book about Jesus, the writing style is somewhat cavalier; not unfunny, mind you, but in the context of the discussions, out of place. If the style is somewhat disconcerting, the contents are downright disturbing. This is not a scholarly book. Indeed, it is full of errors and oversights, and on occasion, bad taste. For example...
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Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Biography    3. Christianity - History - General    4. Christianity - Theology - Christology    5. Civilization    6. History - General History    7. Jesus Christ    8. Religion    9. History / World   

Reviews (5)

Deeply flawed
The Building of Christendom is the second of Dr. Carroll's projected six volume history of Christendom.The writing is beautiful and the documenation is extraordinary.Herein, Dr. Carroll covers the period from Constantine, the Great, to the end of the First Crusade in meticulous detail and with a proper sense of wonder.This volume focuses on the great heresies that impacted Christendom, the Viking peril, and the great and enduring heresy of Islam.A flaw emerges in this account, which I rather suspect will be magnified in later volumes.For here, Dr. Carroll properly deals with many of the doctrinal dichotomies between the Eastern and Western Churches and then, inexplicably in the context of his other writings, merely seems to hold that the West is right, even though at times not, and the East in rebellion from Orthodoxy.With all due respect to Dr. Carroll, this position seems to be more of a political than a scriptural conclusion.Only recently, we have come to understand Dr. Carroll's perspective better and would that others would understand it as well.On this and the cover of each of the volumes ofhis history, Dr. Carroll proudly displays the sigil of the hideous Knights Templar, those occult precursors of modern freemasonry.From this, we can well assume that Carroll is either in sympathy with or an active member of the various occult societies who have furthered the magical masonic philosophy of these knights errant.We only wonder, in this connection, why Dr. Carroll bothers to continue with the pretense of being a sincere Catholic.

"History as St Peter Would Write it"
What will be found in Carroll's second volume of his "History of Christendom" is a brilliant and industrious work with Christ's Church as the center and the Popes as the cementing glue of a new era in civilization. The scope of this work contains an elaborate sketch of ecclesiastical and political history from Constantine the Great to the end of the First Crusade. The battles against heresy, the Muslims, and other barbarians are tinged with stories of the great saints, monks, and war heroes who fought for the good of Christian Europe. This series is one of the most reputable in its field, and is certainly one of the most unique and valuable for its Christ-centered perspective.

Excellent introduction to this period of history
Warren H. Carroll's second volume of his "History of Christendom" is an excellent general treatment of the period from Constantine to the crusades. Although it based on secondary sources, it isvery accurate and detailed for an introductory work. It is nice to see ahistorian defend Christ's Church and the infallibility of the RomanPontiffs. Although in one or two places the author makes some theologicalmisstatements, the average lay Catholic will be pleased to find a historyof this period that does not repeat the old canards against the Church. Ialso highly recommend it to non-Catholics who wish to hear the "otherside" of the story. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. History    3. Religion    4. Religion - Commentaries / Reference    5. Religion / History   

Reviews (8)

Worsley Followers Pay Attention ...
Unschuld is a scholar, a genuine translator that doesn't leave much to the imagination.His understanding of the cultural contexts (as there are many) in which TCM grew are un-matched in terms of written text.Get his books, if not for the honest look he takes at TCM, but for the fact that his works are the bread and butter of TCM.The gross ignorance of the classics among so called "Doctors of TCM" in the western world is amazing.Don't guess about TCM, either learn to read Chinese or get good translations of the classics.Not pocket translations at a American grade five reading level.If we expect people to view us as Doctors, we should study like one.
Milestone
This book is a milestone for those of us who wish to understand Chinese medicine. As others have noted, this is not a translation of the Su Wen, but a thorough commentary. I consider it a necessary introduction before attempting to read the translation. Once Unschuld's translation is released, I will feel more prepared to grasp the meaning behind the text. Unschuld is an expert in this field and I'm not sure what a previous reviewer meant by self appointed. I think his experience, education, previous works, and position as director of his academic department speak for themselves! If you wish to go deeper into your understanding of the medicine, buy this book!

Lost in the Contradictions of Misunderstanding
Robert Feld is welcome to embrace Unschuld's highly scholarly, hard to read, disjointed text. My primary point is that this is NOT the Nei Jing, it is not the text, it is not readable as such, and it is not a guide for would-be doctors interested in practicing based on Nei Jing. That much should be more clear in the description of the book, but it is not. It should be called "Essays on Nei Jing."Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Medicine    2. Anthropology - General    3. Archaeology / Anthropology    4. Early works to 1800    5. History    6. Medical    7. Medicine, Chinese    8. Medicine, Chinese Traditional    9. Social Science    10. Su wen    11. Third World Development    12. Anthropology    13. Asian studies    14. China    15. History of medicine    16. Social Science / Anthropology / General    17. Traditional medicine & remedies   

Reviews (60)

What a writer
This book was non-stop for me, a great story and a speed read.It's as if an insider who knew all the players but had no cards in the game sat you down to tell you 'Here's how it really was, warts and all'.It's the best history I've read in years.He takes an intimate knowledge of the times and spins a yarn that would make Suetonius jealous.

Riveting, but proceeed with caution, students.
Vast in scope, Tom Holland's Rubicon attempts to compact the story of one of histories most dramatic ages into a single volume.This review will summarize the principal events in the book, extrapolate the main themes of the text, and finally will offer a critical evaluation of the sources Holland used to formulate his main arguments as well as the overall value of this text to general readers, students, and scholars.
Past is Prologue for an aspiring Empire
I didn't expect to come by this book based on my interest in history.For me, the Roman Empire seemed more defined by its Emperors and mythology than the roots of its Republic.After seeing the mini-series "Rome" on HBO though, I became intrigued by the society I saw portrayed in the cable drama -- a society that seemed strangely familiar to a 20th Century American.
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Subjects:  1. Ancient - Rome    2. Civil War, 49-45 B.C    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Rome    7. History / Ancient / Rome   

Reviews (49)

WELL WRITEN WELL DONE.VERY INFORMATIVE
I enjoyed every page of this one.Not being an expert in this field, I certainly cannot vouch for each and every fact the author has given us, but the several facts I did take the time to further research proved the athor correct.The book is well written and in fact is quite a page turner.This is one of those I hated to stop reading and was rather sorry when I had finished it.It is important to understand this past era in order to understand where we are today.The consequences of the actions taken at that time are still being felt even to this day.Highly recommend this one.

Very Impressive
I am extremely impressed by the way Robinson conveyed the history of those tumultuous times in such a captivating manner.This work is rich in facts: both large and small, and all interesting.Aside from Templar history, I really appreciated Robinson's ability to clearly explain the major and minor players and the political machinery and machinations of all sides involved (Muslim factions, Hospitallers, Vanetians, the Popes, etc etc).Reading this work is a real learning experience, and Robinson's great writing is far from dry.After reading this book I will surely continue to read Robinson's other works.

Phenomenal - This is a must read
Where to start? This is a fantastic piece of work that takes you through the rise and fall of Templars. I would rate it better than Da-vinci code because this is no fiction. It is remarkable that a non-fiction work packs so much action and thrills. This is also the best account of Crusades that I have ever read. In addition, the author also touches upon the personal codes that governed the life of Templars (like the chastity belt, rules against bathing etc). All in all, I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested about Crusades or Templars ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Crusades    2. History - General History    3. History: World    4. Medieval    5. Medieval World History (Circa 450 - Circa 1450)    6. Templars    7. Asian / Middle Eastern history: c 500 to c 1500    8. Freemasonry & secret societies    9. History / General    10. Middle East    11. Warfare & Defence    12. c 1000 CE to c 1500   

Reviews (5)

Quite Obsolete
In the late 70ies Protestant and Jewish scholars started to reexamine the carnal world of the early Christians. Since then daring new views have come up showing that Catholic Christianity as it developed since the 2nd century is not the same as New Testament Christianity which was deeply rooted in Judaism and its attitudes towards the body. Scholars like Jane Schaberg (1987), Raymond J. Lawrence (1989) and more recently Philo Thelos (2003) have shown that early Christian women and men treated each other in a very revolutionary manner experimenting with freedom and, compared to their pagan background, were all but chaste. It was the Catholic church that later took over Roman and pagan attitudes about family, marriage, virginity and chastity. Peter Brown's treatment of Jew�sh attitudes towards the body emphasizes hellenistic Judaism and only slightly discusses much more body-oriented orthodox Judaism. His views on the apostle Paul are simply outdated and reflect traditional atheist views. Mr. Brown, however, correctly observes a trend towards asceticism among late antique Christians. This trend, however, did not originate in allegedly stern attitudes of the new Christian religion but in the failure of many early Christians to, the long run, embrace, keep up and enjoy the freedom offered to them. It was the young Martin Luther who reexplored the bodily freedom offered by the Gospel. The Calvinists and modern Bourgeois middle class Christians again lost that freedom. Interestingly enough, today it is Atheists who challenge Christians and their heritage of carnal freedom.

Theme not very carefully defined
The title of Mr. Brown's book is deceiving. He asserts to write about sexual renunciation in early Christianity. Instead he basicly writes about sexual renunciation in among the Gnostics. There is a good reason why devoted Christians of all denominations view Gnosticism as a heresy. Gnosticism is very much rooted in pagan, i.e. Indian and Persian religious esoteric beliefs. As scholars like A. Vööbus ("History of Asceticism in the Syrian Orient") have shown, sexual asceticism is not anything originally Jewish or Christian, but has been taken over by certain groups of Christians from Eastern religions. Of course, these groups have heavily influenced church Christianity and made Christians and non-Christians alike believe that celibacy is a truly christian virtue. However, church christianity has never been exactly the same kind of Christianity as the one depicted in the New Testament.

an excellent, scholarly study
Brown's book is the finest study available on sexuality and the body in the early Church. This book sheds great light on the classical, Jewish , and Christian conceptions of the body and how important those conceptionswere in early Christianity, especially for early Christian asceticism. Thisis a must read for anyone interested in gaining a serious appreciation ofthe early Church. Many histories focus primarily on the Development ofChristian Doctrine and Ecclesial structures. An understanding of earlyChristian spirituality and asceticism illuminates early Christian doctrineand church structure even more. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - Rome    2. Celibacy    3. Christianity    4. Christianity - General    5. Early church, ca. 30-600    6. History of doctrines    7. Religion    8. Religion - Church History    9. Religious aspects    10. Sex    11. Virginity    12. Women's Studies - General    13. Christian ministry & pastoral activity    14. Religion / Christianity   

Reviews (9)

Excellent edition
I'm not going to review the book itself, just point out that this is, if not the best, one of the best editions of Herodotus' Histories available in the English language. You can't go wrong with this one.
Highly readable!
If you like greek history, but you are not a scholar, then this is the book for you.Like all the other reviewers say, this book is like a time machine, it takes you back to ancient Greece, Phoenicia, Persia, Lydia etc.
The 'Father' of History.
( This is what we are used to call him. Of course Herodotus is not the Father because History existed already long before he was born. The Father of Written History would be more accurate).
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Subjects:  1. Ancient - Greece    2. Ancient history    3. Greece    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History, Ancient    7. History: World    8. Military - General    9. To 146 B.C    10. Ancient Greece    11. Classical Studies | Classical Literature in Translation    12. History / Ancient / Greece    13. Literary studies: classical, early & medieval    14. Other prose: classical, early & medieval    15. World history: BCE to c 500 CE   

Reviews (12)

Good resource, bizarre notes
This is a nice, cheap, one-volume resource.However, the notes and commentary are very unhelpful.For instance, Maier holds that Josephus was an Ebionite Christian, a thesis which is in the extreme scholarly minority.
Josephus by Flavius Josephus
Josephus was born to an aristocratic family in 37AD. The work
A Must Read for the Serious Historian
This book was a serendipitous purchase.I was reading "James the Brother of Jesus, and that author recommended having three other works available while studying.One was "Josephus."I have not, unfortunately, finished "James" yet, but am totally fascinated by Josephus.One sees him as a bit puffed up about himself at times, as the detailed historian, the passionate supporter of causes, but most of all as a realist of the time.So valuable because organized religion seldom provides the lay person seldom insight into the actual social and political pressures that moved events that we take for granted in an almost legendary way.Again, a fascinating work is Josephus. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History Of Jews    5. Jewish - General    6. Jews    7. Rebellion, 66-73    8. Religion    9. To 70 A.D    10. History / Ancient / General   

Reviews (17)

Not such a stretch if you Think!
Mr. Sitchin has nothing to gain by espousing pseudoscience or pseudohistory. He would only stand to lose. Ancient History as a discipline has been proclaimed true to a great extent by proclamation that the "ancients"told us all. This is all well and good as a baseline. I have no quarrel with Herodotus or Tacitus. Shame on Avon and Amazon.com
Do not buy the mass market edition. Shame on Avon Publishing!!!The type is so small that it is virtually unreadable, and any graphics, maps or diagrams cannot be distinguished.Pay the extra money to buy the edition published for Earthlings, not for Lilliputians. If only I could read it....
I might like this book, but I'll never know because it's in 4 point type--the size of footnotes. It's totally unreadable! Shame on Avon for cheaping out to cram this into 328 pages by making the type microscopic. Buy some more paper and print a readable book, people!!... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Body, Mind & Spirit    2. Civilization    3. Immortality    4. New Age    5. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    6. UFOs & Extraterrestrials    7. Unexplained Phenomena    8. Body, Mind & Spirit / General    9. Controversial Knowledge & Mysteries    10. Mind, body, spirit: mysticism & self-awareness   

Reviews (11)

The Gold Standard by which to measure all others
Tho' I was "just" wanting to be informed before my brief trip to Mexico, it was a joy to read the Michael Coe book, & immerse myself in this rich history of the Mayan people.It made my visits to the ruins so very much more rewarding than a tour book could ever begin to do!

Amazing Book
Excellent book i love it, is very compresive also include excelent information about the maya culture like the most great cities and the development of the great culture

Maya archeology
Over three quarters of this book is spent on describing cities and artifacts in a long list. This is probably what Maya specialists are interested in, but I would think that a book with this title should actually try to write the history of the Maya and not just present the archaeological evidence of it. The book finally changes to a more interesting way of presentation towards the end (long after the chapters which judging by their title should have dealt with the different time-periods in Maya history), but up to that point it's pretty tough going for someone who's interested only in a larger view of Maya history. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiquities    2. Archaeology    3. Archaeology / Anthropology    4. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies    5. Indians of Central America    6. Indians of Mexico    7. Latin America - Mexico    8. Mayas    9. Native American    10. Native American Archaeology    11. Social Science    12. Sociology    13. American history: pre-Columbian period, BCE to c 1500    14. Central America    15. Mexico    16. Travel & holiday guides   

Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. Civilization, Western    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Textbooks    7. Western Europe - General    8. World - General    9. History / General    10. Other Geographical Groupings, Oceans & Seas    11. World history   

Reviews (12)

Lost Star--Dark Star?
Walter Cruttenden,
Awesome
Can't say much more than the other reviewers have expounded on.In my opinion this book will spoon feed you as to why our sun is part of a multiple or binary star system (most likely sirius).It explains away the need for dark matter and why the precession of the equinoxes isn't affected by our moon as is commonly believed.Expands on the holy science and why the precession cycle affects our consciousness and consequently our enlightened and dark ages.Very well written and enjoyable to read ... had a hard time putting it down.Best astronomy based book I've ever read, the theories are more than just plausible they are probable.Buy it, read it, you'll love it!

Everyone should read this
I read a lot of books about a lot of subjects. But, this one really got my attention. It has opened up a whole new area to research. The yugas, the kali yuga, astronomical related ideas such as the Galactic Center, Galactic Equator, Precession of the Equinoxes, and more.
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Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Astronomy, Ancient    3. Controversial Knowledge    4. History    5. History: World    6. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit   

Reviews (18)

"Call No Man Happy Until He Is Dead" - Herodotus
Well, Herodotus didn't say it, but he's famous for relating Solon's words to Croesus in this book-- and many other words besides.Everyone should read this look at a world long dead, brought gloriously alive by the brilliant Herodotus.If you've never taken "the long view" before, you'll soon see that a lot went on before you were born (and a lot, no doubt, is yet to happen).Civilizations created and conquered, Gods worshipped and forgotten-- it reads like fiction or fantasy, but it is not: it's as close as Herodotus could get to telling the absolute truth as he saw it (and he saw a lot).
This read was an unexpected pleasure!
Although he wasn't there, you would never know it from his writings.He has anecdotes about all the major figures of the Persian War, and his descriptions of the people and places are convincing although he places a Greek bias to them.
Iran
This book has Greek bias toward ancient Iranian history. This book is lacking balance view toward ancient Iranian historical figures. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Classics    3. Fiction    4. Greece    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History, Ancient    8. Literary    9. Literature: Classics    10. To 146 B.C    11. Ancient (Classical) Greek    12. Ancient Greece    13. European history: BCE to c 500 CE    14. History / Ancient / General    15. Literary studies: classical, early & medieval    16. Other prose: classical, early & medieval   

Editorial Review

For the average American watching CNN, the conflict in the Middle Eastis a complicated affair, mired in an ancient past and an uncertain future. Italso seems like a distant story, one that only remotely touches upon the templesand churches beyond the Middle East. Not so, explains Gershom Gorenberg, asenior editor at the Read more

Reviews (24)

Fewer stars in the rating = problems with objective writing
Looking carefully at the preceding reviews suggests those who disliked or were disappointed in this book already had a bias, religious or political. Indeed, my friends who are adamantly fundamental Christians or Zionistic Jews (sorry, I don't have any fundamentalist Islamic friends) found fault with book. At times humorous; at other times frightening, the book gives an objective overview to how crazy people will act in the name of their religious zeal. The book offers few suggestions to solve the nearly impossible problem, another sign of an intelligent author.

A well-written and important book...
Gorenberg, senior editor at The Jerusalem Report, calls the Temple Mount - that site in Jerusalem where two Jewish Temples once stood and where two principal Islamic sanctities now stand (the Dome of the Mosque and Al-Aqsa Mosque) - "the most contested piece of real estate on earth." If that were not enough, he argues that this ancient man-made hill, thirty-five acres in size, has a potentially huge role for "We live in an era of millennial dreams," many of which center on the Temple Mount. His well-written and important book focuses on the Temple Mount's central role for some members of all three main monotheistic faiths in how they understand the future course of the world. While Muslims get their due, he portrays them basically as spectators to a drama whose main actors are Christians and Jews.
Excellent introduction to issues in the middle east
Gorenberg provides an excellent introduction to some of the complexities in the Middle East, particularly those surrounding the Temple Mount.This is not the most comprehensive book on this issue, but it provides some fascinating details especially in the unlikely alliance between American evangelical Christians and Jewish extremists. Gorenberg shows how fundamentalist Christians support the Jewish desire to rebuild their temple on this site as part of their "end of times" scenario.His coverage of these fundamentalists' fervent belief that we are living in the end times as predicted by the book of Revelations is eye-opening.Previously I thought that those who believed the book of Revelations was any more than 1st or 2nd century apocalyptic fiction was a head case....now, after reading this and seeing the whole "Left Behind" series phenomenon, I can see the true power of this evangelical movement.Gorenberg talks about this movement as well...certainly in light of 9/11, the War in Iraq, the Indian Ocean Tsunami and the NBC television series, the movement appears to be growing.The most troubling aspect of the fundamentalist evangelicals is that they are a powerful and influential group in American politics, not only affecting US elections, but our policy on Israel. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Christianity and other religions    3. General    4. Islam - General    5. Jerusalem    6. Judaism    7. Political aspects    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Relations    10. Religion    11. Religious fundamentalism    12. Temple Mount (Jerusalem)    13. Theology    14. Armed conflict    15. Christian theology    16. Comparative religion    17. Islam    18. Israel    19. Religion & Theology | Anthropology of Religion    20. Religion / Fundamentalism   

Reviews (2)

founder of modern Europeanism?
Derek Wilson's biography on Charlemagne proves to be well written and nicely researched book. Its pretty short but to the point. The life story of Charlemagne related to this book probably won't add much to those who got a good background on his life already. It basically geared toward novice readers on the subject. However, what make Wilson's book bit more interesting was how he related Charlemagne's concept of an European empire into today's context. The book spent much time discussing the elements of modern European Union concepts and how it traced back to Charlemagne's. The book also followed the mythology of Charlemagne as each secceding would-be European conquerors would used him as an example, guide or symbol to their own needs. In some ways, the author made this ruler of Dark Age Europe, important to the way we see the economic and political unity of Europe today.
They've been thinking about this for over 1000 years!
The nations of Europe have been homes to various wars for centuries, until a bunch of the countries got together after the Second World War to create a common economic market, and perhaps prevent any more of these conflicts. It created a form of European identity that has now become the European Union. But the *idea* of Europe, a unified area of diverse cultures that nevertheless falls under the rule of one authority, can be traced back to Charlemagne, the Frankish emperor of the late 8th and early 9th centuries. In his new book, Charlemagne, Derek Wilson examines the emperor's life, but he also examines the myth of Charlemagne through the ages. He looks at how subsequent rulers have used the Charlemagne for their own ends, and how his attempts to conquer and hold together as much of Europe as possible, to have one Europe, has been a precursor to what we have now. Many rulers have tried to duplicate his achievements, but none of them have done so as completely, or perhaps as fairly, as Charlemagne did, even if it was done through conquest.
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Subjects:  1. 742-814    2. Ancient - General    3. Ancient Rome - History    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Charlemagne,    9. Emperor,    10. Europe - History    11. France    12. Historical - General    13. Holy Roman Empire    14. Kings and rulers    15. Biography & Autobiography / Historical   

Reviews (2)

good book
this is a good introductory book for western civilization. if u r new tothe field of western civilization, then read this book before any moreadvanced or complicated books...

Western Civilization: A Brief History
I used Spielvogel's _Western Civilization: A Brief History_ when teaching a Humanities I course._A Brief History_ is a shorter, paperback adaptation of Spielvogel's longer _Western Civilization_. Of the WesternCiv texts I've used before (including the longer version of Spielvogel, Ithought _A Brief History_ was the most successful.Spielvogel did a goodjob of choosing the most important historical events and culturaldevelopments to include in his shorter version, at least those most likelyto be included in a Western Civ course.Important information is clearboth from subheadings and from the text itself, and short samples ofprimary texts that give students a taste of the past are included. Students also seemed to enjoy reading the _Brief History_ more otherWestern Civ texts I've taught.Women's history is well-represented.Onlycaveat:Because the text is a shorter version, not much of Asian, African,or Indian history is included. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. Civilization, Western    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Textbooks    7. World - General    8. History / Civilization    9. World history   

Reviews (38)

Badly run war, with no exit stategy....sound familiar/topical?
Like many nations that had merchant vessels sailing in the Mediterranean, the fledgling United States, had some of it's ships seized by the Barbary Pirates.In actuality, they were three (Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli) arab fiefdoms on the north african coast who had been enslaving europeans and raising havoc for hundreds of years.When the USS Philadelphia was run aground off the coast of Tripoli, the 302 sailors were taken as prisoners and used as slaves.The Bashaw (Pasha) Yussef, demanded $1,500,000 for their return, which was more than the US Navy budget for the year.
Couldn't put it down
A fantastic tale of adventure and intrigue which has the added bonus of being true.It's often hard to know whether the charm of the events themselves or the writer's style carries a history book.In this case, neither is lacking.The book is a page-turner due to Zacks' deft handling of all of the intricacies of the details of the plot.It's historic value in understanding the beginnings of US involvement in the Muslim world make it an ideal read.My only quibble with the book is that for a book that has Thomas Jefferson's name in the title, he is barely covered in the text.

A Relevant Tale Well Told
One formula for a fine novel is (a) a flawed hero, (b) an heroic quest, (c) an unambiguous villain, (d) an appearance by the famous, (e) a successful outcome and (f) a tragic end. To find these elements in a book of history is all-too-rare.Mr. Zacks is to be commended for his impressive narration of William Eaton and his 1805 mission to Tripoli.
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Subjects:  1. 1743-1826    2. 19th century    3. Africa, North    4. Civilization    5. History    6. History - Military / War    7. History: World    8. Jefferson, Thomas,    9. Military - Naval    10. Military - United States    11. Naval History - Modern    12. Pirates    13. Tripolitan War, 1801-1805    14. U.S. History - Revolution And Confederation (1775-1789)    15. United States    16. United States - Antebellum Era    17. World - General    18. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    19. History / United States / 19th Century    20. USA    21. c 1700 to c 1800    22. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (2)

breathing life into history
This book is not meant to provide a detailed history of ancient Egypt.Rather, it is meant to breathe life into that history.The book show snips of life (musical entertainment, feasts, marriage and courtship, crafts, etc)that most history books gloss over.It is richly illustrated in vivid color photography so that there are examples of almost everything discussed.It also provides a wonderful timeline that you can reference while reading.It's certainly not the only book you'll want to read in learning about ancient Egypt, but it is definitely to be included.Something like this went out of print?Grab one before they're all gone.

One of the most creative....
...ways I've seen to talk of ancient egypt. This is a great book, for beginer and expert alike. The stories of common everyday people will show what life really was like back then.... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 332 B.C.-638 A.D    2. Ancient - Egypt    3. Ancient Egypt - History    4. Antiquities    5. Archaeology / Anthropology    6. Civilization    7. Egypt    8. History    9. History: World    10. To 332 B.C    11. African history: BCE to c 500 CE    12. BCE to c 500 CE    13. Modern period, c 1500 onwards    14. c 1000 CE to c 1500    15. c 500 CE to c 1000 CE