Editorial Review

"A spectre is haunting Europe," Karl Marx and Frederic Engels wrote in 1848, "the spectre of Communism." This new edition of Read more

Reviews (236)

Romanticism.
This book did not start it all, consider all the other communist publications of the time period. Also the artistic movement at the time, which was the romantic era. That has nothing to do with lovey duvey romance of today, and Karl Marx would have hated all the "dictators" that have enslaved so many people. If you cant see that obviously you havent read it, thats why it cannot work. Its too perfect of an overall view of people and the economy for equality. Romanticism.

PRESENT AT THE FOUNDATION OF MODERN COMMUNISM
If you are a revolutionary, a radical or merely a liberal activist you must come to terms with the theory outlined in the Communist Manifesto. Today's activists are obviously not the first political activists to face this challenge. Radicals, revolutionaries and liberals have had to come to terms with the Manifesto at least since 1848 when it was first published and that same necessity; perhaps surprisingly to some given the changes in the political landscape since then, is true today. Why surprisingly? On the face of it given the political situation today it would appear somewhat absurd to make such a claim about the necessity of coming to terms with the overriding need for the revolutionary overturn of the capitalist order outlined in the Manifesto. With the collapses of the Soviet Union and the Soviet-influenced Eastern European states about fifteen years ago, which were supposedly based on Marxist concepts, one would think that Marxism was a dead letter. But hear me out. Even the less far-sighted apologists for the international capitalist order are now worrying about the increasing gap between rich and poor, not only between the so-called first and third worlds but also within the imperialist metropolitican centers themselves. Nowhere is that more evident that in the United States where the gap has dramatically increased over the last thirty years. Thus, despite the carping of the `death of communism' theorists after the decisive capitulation of international Stalinism an objective criterion exists today to put the question of class struggle and of the validity of a materialist concept of history back on the front burner.
Hate Litterature
When I read this, I was not expecting to become a commie, but at least I was hoping for something more compelling than the pure hatred of people who have more than others and the racist concsipracy theories (especially re Jews) that the authors came up with.
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Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Misc. Nonfiction    2. Audio Adult: Other    3. Communism & Socialism    4. Economic Conditions    5. History & Theory - Radical Thought    6. Political Ideologies - Communism & Socialism    7. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction   

Reviews (24)

One Of The Better
Burke has a way of making history, science, and
The evolution of change.
This review is based on the first American edition, which was published as a companion to the PBS program, "The Day the Universe Changed".I am assuming that the book is identical with the original British edition.
Nothing Less Than The History Of How Rational Thinkers Advanced The Human Race
James Burke's book traces history backward and conceives of progress as a series of brillant achievements that create in their influence outstretching ripples that set off the strides humans have made throughout time. The witty Burke explores these watershed moments that took humanity forward, each setting others in motion, crafting a ladder upon which, rung leading to rung, our species has reached the places where it is today. Several key thinkers are focused upon and certain events, some overlooked by popular history, are highlighted. This book makes for an enlightening and mentally-provocative study of the achievements of the human past. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Misc. Nonfiction    2. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    3. History   

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Other    2. History    3. Middle East - Egypt   

Editorial Review

In Read more

Reviews (117)

Grand Events Swamped in Details
There can be little doubt that the Allied victory in north Africa was one of the pivotal events of World War II.It was not the sole pivotal event.One must also recognize the significance of Stalingrad, the Normandy invasion and, in the Pacific sphere of the war, the Battle of the Coral Sea and the heroism of the Kokoda track soldiers in New Guinea.
Great book
As a Military Officer and history reader I found this book fantastic. It is amazing to see history repeat itself after each major war in our history.The military is down sized and stagnants in their misery.This is a must read for all those who serve and military historians.The weaving of the commanders and their unit's history makes it truely worthwhile.I enjoyed the tales of Terrible Terry Allen and how his outside the clique mentality led to his firing but his outstanding performance required his leaders to give him yet another division.He is a great example of a forgotten hero of WWII

An Excellent Study of a Developing U.S. Army
Rick Atkinson does a great job interweaving the different descriptions of the environment, civilians, and key U.S. Army leaders in this early campaign in World War II. Atkinson gives plenty of examples of how unprepared the U.S. Army was compared to the battle hardened Germany's Afrika Corps in the early part of the North African Campaign. We see a developing U.S. Army struggling with tanks and anti-tank weapon systems that are inferior to the German weapon systems, but we see that weapon systems alone cannot win battles. Atkinson does a great job of describing the action and battles in a very fluid way. The author does not dwell on one issue or subject for long. He moves quickly to the scenes of action and the effects of war on the civilians and cities. It may be that the lessons learned in the North Africa Campaign allowed the U.S. Army to become the strong force that it is in the present day.
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Subjects:  1. History / Military / World War II   

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Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art Identification And Forgery    3. Attribution    4. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    5. Audiobooks    6. European    7. Expertising    8. History - Baroque & Rococo    9. History - Renaissance    10. Individual Painters - Renaissance    11. Painting    12. Painting, Italian    13. Subjects & Themes - Religious    14. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    15. Art / History / General   

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Reviews (7)

Engrossing, detailed .... but not totally satisfying
I found the book to be well written and engaging in that typical British anecdotal style that breathes life into historical characters. It offers a detailed account of the sometimes bizarre history of this magnificent city during more than two millennia, all in one book, up until the middle of the 20th century.
Just the Facts, Please
In Self-Reliance, Emerson says, "In history our imagination plays us false.Kingdom and lordship, power and estate are gaudier vocabulary than private John and Edward in a small house and common day's work; but the things of life are the same to both; the sum total of both is the same," (130).This is a good place to begin articulating my discomfort with Hibbert's Rome: The Biography of a City.Halfway through the book one still has not seen any of Emerson's view that history is more than a succession of popes and kings.On the contrary, Hibbert seems to think that history is only that.It is an older book, and so we spare it some of our modern politics, but thus far, I've read nothing of women, nothing even of artists or architects in a city renowned for these, only that this king fought with this pope etc. through the centuries. I thought historians somehow knew better.One possible explanation for Hibbert's lack of attention to the actual soul of Rome is that he casts a broad net, writing so many histories he can hardly have time to do anything like justice to a place.He's written about France, Britain, America, and India, about their revolutions and separate books about their major figures, lending the impression that he may approach theses "biographies" like assembly-line machinery.One last neglect which seems to me not only in bad taste, but odd:Hibbert's Rome has been pretty overt in its dismissal of the Catholic Church.Nothing has been said about its many acts of charity, nor of its social/art educational status in the community, nor about the individual faiths of the saints and pilgrims, whose devotion, in the face of such obvious abuses, I find heartening.

A bird's eye view of an incredible uninterrupted history
With a book that covers over 2,500 years of history, don't expect in-depth coverage here.That's not what this book is about.It provides a very good, bird's-eye view of the city and its history, however, and does a good job of impressing on the reader the incredible continuity of the city's history.I think there's a tendency to concentrate on ancient Rome and then to jump a thousand years to the Renaissance and the Baroque, without focusing on the incredible medieval history of the city.I found the chapters of the book devoted to the medieval period to be some of the more interesting. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Other    2. Europe - Italy    3. Unabridged Audio - History   

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Reviews (5)

Enough to prove the short-sightedness of human hope and human prudence
The War of 1812 is one of the American conflicts that is less well known to the general public.Beyond the White House being burned, the composition of "The Star Spangled Banner" as the British assaulted Fort McHenry at Baltimore, and some vague notions of the Battle of New Orleans (and that from the pop song from 1959 by Jimmy Driftwood and sung by Johnny Horton), it doesn't hold much of a place in our already too weak sense of our own history.
Excellent telling of the Battle and those that fought there
Mr Groom has done it again. An excellent telling of this importantbattle, the men involved and he details what the British endured before, during and after the battle. It shed plenty of light on the British side of the fight as well as the other key cast members: Jackson (he sure did hate the British with a passion, Jean Lafitte and company, the various militia groups and esteemed citizenry of New Orleans and elsewhere.
Wellington's FinestHumbled
Many people will recognize Winston Groom as the creator of "Forrest Gump."But Groom is also an accomplished chronicler of military history, and here he applies his considerable narrative talents to the climactic engagement of the War of 1812, the Battle of New Orleans.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. Military    3. Military - General    4. Military - Other    5. Military - United States    6. Unabridged Audio - History    7. United States - 19th Century    8. United States - Antebellum Era    9. Chronological Period/1800-1850    10. Geographic Orientation/Louisiana    11. History / Military / Other    12. History/Military - United States    13. History/United States - General    14. Locality/New Orleans, Louisiana    15. Unabridged Audio / History   

Editorial Review

Long before he entered politics, when he was just in his early 20s,South Dakotan George McGovern flew 35 bomber missions over Nazi-occupied Europe,earning a Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery under fire. Stephen Ambrose,the industrious historian, focuses on McGovern and the young crew of his B-24bomber, volunteers all, in this vivid study of the air war in Europe.Read more

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Reviews (156)

A SOLID READ - IF NOT THE AUTHOR'S BEST
While I enjoyed this one, it certainly was not the author's best work.It did draw attention to a group of very brave men, the B-24 crew members in the European Theater, which was good as this group and this plane is often overlooked.It did seem to me though that the author, on one side was trying to write a biography of George McGovern, or if he was trying to cover the air war during the last part of WWII.I did enjoy his trade mark technique of telling the stories of different men who participated, but he would always go back to McGovern.Perhaps if he had stuck to one or the other the book would have had more of an impact.Parts of this work did drag and were rather repetative.On the other hand, the author did not try to over dramatize McGovern's part in the war.The work was well crafted and you certainy would not waste your time in reading it.I suppose it is not quite fare to compare this work with other works by this author.After all, no one bats a thousand all the time.Overall, recommend this one with reservations.It is about very brave young men and we do need to know as much about them as possible.

Almost to dramatic to be believed
The only other Ambrose book I've read was "Band of brothers" so I really can't compare it to his other works. But I had to comment after reading the negative reviews. They must have skipped around a lot. This book was so exciting and dramatic it was almost unbelievable. McGovern shows himself to be an exceptional pilot and a true hero. The book is full of unforgetable moments and breath-taking action. After reading it I immediatly started looking up more information on line. I consider it a must read.

Mr. Mc Govern's book.
I have read better books by Stephen Ambrose(or his team of writers...). This one is dull, tiringsome, centered in one person. Ok the guy was supposed to be charismatic in spite of not wining a presidential election long ago forgotten.
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Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - History    2. Abridged Audio - Misc. Nonfiction    3. Aerial operations, American    4. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    5. B-24 bomber    6. History    7. Military    8. Military - Aviation    9. Military - United States    10. Military - World War II    11. Regimental histories    12. United States    13. World War, 1939-1945    14. History / Russia (pre- & post-Soviet Union)   

Editorial Review

Some books are like revelations, they open the spirit to unimaginable possibilities. Read more

Reviews (53)

Other Options for the Human Race
It was wonderful and freeing to read this book.Even if there were some oversimplifications, how liberating to have other possible explanations of and options for human history!This book has inspired me to question and reexamine beliefs and attitudes that are so ubiquitous in our society that it's hard to even know that we hold them, let alone question them.I'll always be grateful to Ms. Eisler for helping me find greater freedom in all aspects of my life.

Our History Our Future
Rhiane Eisler's book The Chalice and The Blade is a counter measure to the increasing sociobiological and Darwinist essentalism currently being written.When it was first published it was considered very radical.I see this book is still perceived as radical and hence has been dismissed by some critics.I strongly recommend this book and ask that individuals read it for themselves and decide rather assuming some of the reviewers' negative criticisms are correct.

Riane's words needed more than ever in these dark times . .
I'd like respond to some recent reviews that suggestRiane Eisler's work is not based on fact and that it lacks plausibility. It is quite a sweeping dismissal of a scholarly and well researched ten year work, drawing from many disciplines,from a womanwhose life has been dedicated to helping us understand the mess we are in:how we got here, how violence is perpetuated, and how we can get out of it. Riane Eisler presents us with a roadmap to peace; whether we have the wisdom to understand it and respond to it is something else.Until violence against children and women has been abated there will be no peace.Violence begets violence.
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Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Misc. Nonfiction    2. Anthropology - General    3. Audio Adult: Other    4. Future Studies    5. Gender Studies    6. Social Science    7. Women's Studies - General    8. Women's studies   

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Subjects:  1. History    2. Military    3. Military - General    4. Military - Naval    5. Military - World War II    6. Unabridged Audio - History    7. Chronological Period/1940's    8. Cultural Region/Mediterranean    9. History / Military / World War II    10. History/Military - Naval    11. Unabridged Audio / History   

Reviews (15)

Only for beginners
On reading this book I was disappointed. The author has changed and omitted some fundamental parts of the Ramayana. For example, in the original text when Rama saves Sita from Ravana, Rama initially rejects her because he questions her fidelity, although this was all part of a divine scheme to ultimately show her greatness - but these important events are recounted rather differently in this book. Buck has not really understood Rama, in my opinion, and he certainly does not show him to be an incarnation of the Supreme Godhead, one of the main aims of the original text. He thus fails to convey the book's spiritual import and message.He also omits many other details which tends to make the narrative hard to follow.He seems to have gone more for poetic effect than clarity in many places.The language is simple and it reads more like a fairy tale than a great epic. Good for beginners, otherwise only average. Find another edition if you want the complete story presented in the mood of the original.

Amazing
I was enthralled with this story years ago and continue to be.This condensed translation I think is excellent because it allows those who don't want to read an exhaustively long original version to experience this masterpiece of mythology. As an influencial piece in Hindu culture, understanding this writing is crucial for understanding human nature.
Very enjoyable book
Although the book is sufficiently detailed it is very easy to read. Humorous at times and marvelously poetic it is expertly adapted for a Western reader.The old epic of Rama's life explores one's imagination with vivid pictures af far as the reader is ready to go. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Inspirational/Philosophy    2. Hinduism    3. History & Surveys - General    4. Inspirational - General    5. Philosophy   

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Reviews (1)

FOCUS ON HELPING PEOPLE DECIDE WHAT TO DO FOR BETTER RESULTS
Jack Welch was a late adopter of almost every major management trend in the last 25 years, yet he got better results from using these ideas than most other companies did. His secret is revealed in this good overview of the Welch years: He spent 90% of his time communicating with people about what they must do in order to take advantage of these ideas. Most people spend almost no time on this critical area. You should think of this book as a great primer then on corporate communications. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Autobiography/Biography    2. Biography    3. Business    4. Business & Economics    5. Business/Economics    6. Chief executive officers    7. Corporate & Business History - General    8. Industrial management    9. Leadership    10. Management - General    11. United States    12. Business & Economics / Management   

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Reviews (5)

Phenomenal Documentary of a Long Lost Era...
Fortunately, if you've forgotten all the Yiddish you grew up hearing, or never grew up hearing Yiddish at all, you'll still be able to enjoy this INCREDIBLE radio documentary about the (virtually) lost world of Jewish/Yiddish radio (in NYC) and vanishing Yiddish-American culture in general. Enlisting top name actors (such as Eli Wallach, Carl Reiner, Jerry Stiller, Christopher Lloyd and others) for the first time you can hear the famous MO AND JOE Barton Brother's parody fully translated in all its blue galore... you meet a whole case of long gone, recently gone and a few still living charactors from one men ad agencies and program directors, Yiddish Swing singers, a RABBI who was the first JUDGE WAPNER long before JUDGE WAPNER, hear a radio broadcast in which a holocaust survival is reunited with his father in a THIS IS YOUR LIFE type broadcast, a Yiddish soap opera type radio drama fully re-enacted in English, and commercials for products anyone who grew up in a Jewish household will be quite familiar with (and shocked at the sales tactics... wow whoever knew that Matzah had more powers than a York Peppermint Patty !) - - The story is brilliantly told, through actually recordings, re-enactments in English, and narratives by those who lived it.- - I don't this this INCREDIBLE documentary won any awards, but it shuold have...It tells lot's of stories and is a peak into a world nostalgic for some, long forgotten by others... and for those who grew up in the "post assimilation era" or who aren't even Jewish, the documentary is an amazing look into the challenges of one ethnic culture balancing between its own identity and the influences of assimilating and incorporating the influences of a then new World for most Jews called America.
Great even without nostalgia
I enjoyed this thoroughly even though I didn't have any memories of Yiddish radio growing up.

disappointing
Growing up in Brooklyn in the 1950's, my Father's radio was always tuned to WEVD (or WQXR). As such, I expected more of the lingua franca that the CD purports to contain. Enlish ditties sung by Jewish personalities is cute but not enthralling.I kept waiting to hear actual Yiddish and especially the voice of Zvi Scooler.I cannot imagine any collection of this sort not containing the voice of Zcooler.Maybe I expected too much. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    2. Audiobooks    3. History    4. Jewish - General    5. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    6. History / General   

Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - History    2. Audio Adult: Other    3. General   

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Reviews (13)

Survey of the year 1763
Perhaps the long shadow of Francis Parkman has discouraged historians from writing about the French and Indian War (Seven Year's War).Whatever the reason it's good to see from the publication of several books that Americans are taking a renewed interest in the pre-revolutionary period when the British were triumphant and the Indians still counted as a political force.
Great Primer, Great Research
Meticulously documented, supported by great quotes from the players, Calloway's book may be a tad dry, but it is long on data, insight and perspective.Great, short read and I would say a highly recommended read for anyone interested in Colonial America and our history in general.
Brief, but a fine introduction for those not in the know
My comments will fall in line with the majoritiy of previous reviews. This is a very good survey of of the seismic shifts that occurred in North America in 1763 following the Peace of Paris. Calloway's eye ranges across the societies affected, as well as the interaction of different elements within each society. There is much anecdotal testimony, tilting this work somewhat toward the more recent trend of "eyewitness" history that turns over the experience of "ordinary" people rather than only recounting the actions of those in power. This method can sometimes result in an author beating the same point to death with repetitious quotations, a fault that Calloway is not guilty of, largely due to the shortness of his text. That brevity has been commented on by others, and to say the book has only 171 pages should be considered an observation rather than a criticism. Simply put, this is an introductory survey for the interested non-expert. Taken in that sense, it's a fine addition to anyone's reading list in history. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History: American    3. Native American    4. Unabridged Audio - History    5. United States - Colonial Period    6. United States - General    7. Chronological Period/18th Century    8. History / United States / Colonial Period (1600-1775)    9. Unabridged Audio / History   

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Reviews (2)

ends up really turning you on to the books in this anthology
I'll echo the first reviewer's sentiments about the general quality of the selections: mostly excellent, some even masterful (especially Hynes'"Flights of Passage"). I would like to read the full-lengthversions of at least five of the 12 or so selections Willis excerpted. Ifyou especially like oral history, or first-person accounts, this is a goodsampling to whet your appetite for other, complete works.

just saying its great
This book is stunning! almost all my friend s have read it and they think it was great! STUNNING! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    2. History    3. Military - World War II    4. Unabridged Audio - History    5. United States - 20th Century/WWII    6. Biography: general    7. Europe    8. European history: Second World War    9. World history: Second World War   

Editorial Review

In this first of five volumes of autobiography, poet Maya Angelou recounts a youth filled with disappointment, frustration, tragedy, and finally hard-won independence. Sent at a young age to live with her grandmother in Arkansas, Angelou learned a great deal from this exceptional woman and the tightly knit black community there. These very lessons carried her throughout the hardships she endured later in life, including a tragic occurrence while visiting her mother in St. Louis and her formative years spent in California--where an unwanted pregnancy changed her life forever. Marvelously told, with Angelou's "gift for language and observation," this "remarkable autobiography by an equally remarkable black woman from Arkansas captures, indelibly, a world of which most Americans are shamefully ignorant." ... Read more

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Reviews (285)

Intersectionality as described by Maya Angelou
In her autobiographical novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou recounts her life story as a young, keenly intelligent but insecure black girl in the South during the 1930s and California during the 1940s. The book conveys the difficulties associated with the mixture of racial and gender discrimination endured by a southern black girl, though, and this is perhaps the most fundamental theme explored in her autobiography. The intersectionality of race and gender is a pivotal thread of Angelou's theme, where more than one type of subjugation results in a multiple burden for the victim. Overall, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings is a powerful, stirring account of the intersectionality of race and gender regarding black women. Though segregation had been officially declared null and void, many of the Southern states were steeped in racist tendencies that further multiplied the gender inequality that exposed black women to a multi-faceted oppression. Peiss, Hine, Terborg-Penn, Bederman, et. al. all examine threads of this intersectionality, and in discussing these threads, one can draw a distinct comparison between anti-black, anti-black women sentiment and Angelou's personal experiences. As a girl, Angelou believed her gender to be a limiting factor. She considered herself to be unheroic, and incapable of achieving spectacular feats like the boys in her comic books. In the narrative, being female for Angelou is just as trying as being black, and she struggled with the double burden, rather than embracing it. However, as more and more black women slowly overcame their troubles as a result of the overwhelming intersectionality of the time, so did Angelou. The novel ended with hope because she bucks the stereotype to become the first black female streetcar conductor. Angelou's spike in confidence and belief in her ability reflects the gradual evolution of black women's race and gender after decades of imprisonment, and foreshadows a future of activism, struggle for respect and eventual victory in those regards.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
The Essence of Dreams...The Creativeness of Silence...The Fortitude of Love...
If only this scale had negatives...
Never before has such a poorly written book received such acclaim. Maya Angelou wrote this story not with candor and grace but with a bias rarely allowed to sit on shelves let alone the top of a best-seller list. She was not humorous but had a heinousness of character and action that places her beyond the limits of human pity. This "inspiring author" did not demonstrate poignancy and depth but the crude rudiments of writing skill below that found in the essays of a primary school student.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Abridged Audio - Autobiography/Biography    3. Afro-American authors    4. Audio - Autobiography / Biography    5. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    6. Audiobooks    7. Authors, American    8. Biography    9. Biography & Autobiography    10. Discrimination & Racism    11. Literary    12. People of Color    13. Women    14. Poetry / General