Reviews (38)

Berlinski is a distinguished addition to those telling the truth aboutEurope
Bruce Bawer, Theodore Dalyrymple and Mark Steyn are among those who have attempted to inform Americans of the decline of European culture and the essentially unfettered rise of Islam in Europe.
Hard Truths - Harder Solutions
This book is a bone-chilling wake-up call. The author quite convincingly demonstrates the "Nazi Germany" analogy in regards to radical Muslims and the threat that widespread Islamic immigration poses to a Europe incapable of assimilating them. From Spain's spineless capitulation over train bombings to Italy's dangerously declining birthrate - Britain's Muslim ghettos to the Netherlands desperate appeasement - this is not an optomistic analysis.
Good they deserve all their problems.
They criticize our country and our ways now for once I am glad to see a book that paints Europe as bad as Europe paints America. We need more books like this to show Americans that Europe is not the utopia that they try to make it look like. I count my blessings every day when my family left Europe well over 100 years ago to come here and raise themselves from poverty that "Perfect Europe" put them into and become upper middle class. Truly only in America. Personally I think the Europeans are ignorant and know nothing about us except what their propaganda feeds them. Get out of your sub compact cars and see what we are really about. Thank You for this book and please show us more problems that the so called "Perfect Europe" has. Peace out. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 21st century    2. Civilization    3. Europe    4. Europe - General    5. European Community    6. History    7. International Relations (Specific Aspects)    8. International Relations - General    9. Modern - 21st Century    10. Political Science    11. Politics / Current Events    12. Politics/International Relations    13. Relations    14. United States    15. Current Events / International   

Features

• Student Edition

Subjects:  1. Central Europe - History    2. Europe - General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Ideology    7. Western Europe - History +    8. EUROPE_HISTORY_1789-1815    9. EUROPE_HISTORY_19TH CENTURY    10. EUROPE_HISTORY_20TH CENTURY    11. History / Europe / General   

Reviews (18)

A classic
A classic study in overcoming adversity and finding hope in hopeless situations. If it were a work of fiction, we would doubt the author's credebility - but this is not fiction, this is the real life of an ordinary individual made extraordinary by the light of his saviour. It is an inspirational book and adventure action novel all in one.Rarely do we find a hero so authentic and humble as Mr. Lusseyran - and only he could share the story because only he has access to that light so necessary for the complete telling.

A light not his own
I enjoyed Lusseyran's story as a blind person who came up with a way to cope without sight.I can't imagine his life if he had remained sighted as he used his blindness to such advantage.
light unto the darkness
"in 1935 in a lycee in Paris..our work was divided into two equal parts: the world of today and the world of yesterday, the dreams of the ancients and the dreams of the modern man. I can't believe that was a bad thing. At least we were not in danger of falling into absurdity, so common nowadays, of confusing the era of Sputniks and Polaris rockets with the era of Genesis".Read more

Subjects:  1. Education / Teaching    2. General    3. Military - World War II    4. Personal Memoirs    5. Religion    6. Biography: general    7. History / Military / World War II    8. Lusseyran, Jacques   

Reviews (2)

Fantastic Introduction
Professor Hollister managed, again, to convey the thematic importance of major questions in European history in a concise and entertaining fashion.This is one of, if not, the best introductions to medieval European history out there.The only drawback is the price, which is ridiculous.This book ought to be $15 or so.Oh well.

Excellent Survey
A succinct and well-balanced survey of the European Middle Ages, this book is an excellent choice for undergraduates and other scholars needing a good overview of the period.Each edition seems to stay true to the current research of the period.I highly recommend world historians keep this on their shelves for reference. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 476-1492    2. Civilization, Medieval    3. Europe    4. Europe - General    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Medieval    9. Middle Ages    10. British & Irish history: c 1000 to c 1500    11. British Isles    12. History / Medieval   

Reviews (72)

"A Big War and It Will Start In The East"
Probably, along with The Guns of August, one of the best books
Five Stars Are Not Enough!
Initially, I was skeptical about reading Robert Massie's "Dreadnought:Britain, Germany, and the Coming of the Great War".This 1992 paperback has 1008 pages!However, after considering its highly charged reviews at [...] I realized its reading to be inevitable.(I set aside a month and cracked it open.)
Positively brilliant...You can't put it down
This book is about FAR more than a ship.Among the many great historical works I've read, this one ranks close to the top because of its remarkable detail and storytelling.You can't put the book down; you just want to get to the next page.Massie fully delves into the beginnings of the British-German rivalry, but on more than just a naval level.This book involves politics, imperialism, and the other makings of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is a must-read for anyone interested in this period of history and specifically for those who want to further understand why the First World War occurred. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1859-1941    2. Causes    3. German Emperor,    4. History: World    5. II,    6. William    7. World War I    8. World War, 1914-1918    9. Edward    10. History / General   

Reviews (2)

Read this engrossing little book before Marie-mania breaks out.
Arriving on the eve ofSofia Coppola's film about Marie Antoinette is Ms. Haig's gorgeous book, packed with facts, sidebars, and many of the author's own collection of illustrations. Beginning with her introduction to the French court outside Versailles, Marie Antoinette's ascent to fame and fast fall is documented by Ms. Haig in a style that is both objective and yet with a clear affection for her subject matter.
A tour of Paris from the view of one of history's most iconic figures, the often adored, but often reviled, Marie Antoinette.
Although I am an enthusiastic fan of Diana Reid Haig's Walks Through Napoleon and Josephine's Paris, her new book is an even more engrossing blend of education and entertainment.
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Subjects:  1. Europe - France    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Biography: historical    6. European history: c 1750 to c 1900    7. France    8. Museum, historic sites, gallery & art guides    9. c 1700 to c 1800   

Reviews (1)

Deftly written, much to be enjoyed
It is difficult enough to write engagingly about someone who died over two hundred years ago; David Bodanis has written an excellent history not merely of one interesting person but of two:Emilie du Chatelet and her sometime lover Voltaire.In a narrative spanning (in detail) nearly two decades, in which Voltaire's fortunes rose, sank, rose, sank, and rose again and in which Emilie herself underwent tribulations both common (failed love affairs) and uncommon (struggling to create a place for herself amongst the first rank of European thinkers), Bodanis succeeds admirably in engaging our interest and sympathy.
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Subjects:  1. 18th century    2. Authors, French    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Europe - France    8. Europe - General    9. France    10. France - History    11. Historical - General    12. Literary    13. Mistresses    14. Scientists    15. Scientists - General    16. History / General   

Subjects:  1. Encyclopedias    2. Europe    3. Europe - General    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Medieval    8. Middle Ages, 500-1500    9. Reference    10. Women    11. Women's Studies - General    12. Women's Studies - History    13. Reference / Encyclopedias   

Reviews (7)

One of my favorites...
I became aware of Marthe's story when told I was going to interview her for an article.I found the writing smooth, and the book a quick and educating read.As other reviewers have written, it is filled with events that are intense, suspenseful, sad and hopeful.This is an amazing true story that I'm glad Marthe decided to share.

Behind Enemy Lines
Behind Enemy Lines is the story of the book's author Marthe Cohn.Written in novel-like fashion the story grips the reader from the first page and does not let get until the last.That Ms. Cohn, and the majority of her immediate family were able to survive the German occupation of France is miracle enough for any book.What she did after the liberation, joining the French Army, crossing the border by herself into Nazi Germany, spying on the Germans is truly a remarkable tale.Her life would make a great movie.We are very fortunate that Ms. Cohn took the time to write this book because this is the type of story that needs to be read and remembered by all.The only problem was one glaring historical typo that has Paris being liberated by the forces of Colonel Leclerc and his Second Armored Division.Leclerc was a general.I very highly recommend the book.

Behind Enemy Lines never left my hands
This enthralling book captivated my attention for hours on end. It gave an interesting insight, both witty and serious, into the world during Hitler. Not only did it focus on the Jews, but also on the Germans who were not Nazis. The depth of the story was incredible. I've had to reread it several times because of the effect it had on me. And my first word when I finished this book was "Wow". If I can, I'm going to encourage my city school system to add this book to the required reading for high school students. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1920-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Cohn, Marthe,    7. France    8. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    9. Jews    10. Metz    11. Personal narratives    12. Political    13. Biography & Autobiography / Political    14. Cohn, Marthe    15. Europe    16. European history: Second World War    17. The Holocaust   

Reviews (3)

One of the most important books of our time
Among the impossibly vast literature about how the Nazis took and held power, this book is one of a kind.It is an honest look into the minds of "typical" Germans, not as we see them, but as they saw themselves.The author admits his biases and overcomes them to let his subjects speak for themselves.We hear them, in their own words, make their excuses and justifications and evasions, but the same question will not stop coming up in our minds: "What would I have done?"This book is a journey of questions without final answers, and it deserves to be ranked as one of the essential books of our time.The fact that it is so little known, and particularly that it is not required reading in college courses, is a disgrace.

Chilling Look at Nazism from the German Perspective
Mayer gives us a chilling look at Nazi Germany through conversations and interviews with ten self described 'little men', who were all members of the party.The men tell of their beliefs and experiences during the years of the Third Reich.In some ways the scariest aspect of the book is how normal the men seem to be.Their Nazi beliefs are somehow more frightning as they do not come from high ranking officials like Himmler and Goebbles, but rather from ordinary civilians. Chilling parallels with today's society
Shortly after World War II, Milton Sanford Mayer traveled to Germany to find out the mind set of ordinary Germans who were "little men" in the Nazi Party.They did not know that he was an American Jew, althoughhe did not lie to them.To a man, they declared that their days underHitler were the best in their lives.I found the parallels with currentday America to be much to close for comfort, if you substitute white ruralculture for Jews in Germany.This book will open your eyes as to howtotalitarianism is welcomed by the mass of people if the media support it,and the economy is good. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1933-1945    2. Case studies    3. Europe - Germany    4. General    5. Germany    6. Jews    7. National characteristics, German    8. National socialism    9. Social Science    10. Social conditions    11. Sociology    12. European history: from c 1900 -    13. Social Science / General   

Reviews (1)

Foundational Work in Gender History
Joan Scott's "Gender and the Politics of History" is one of the landmark books in the field of gender history.What is gender history, you ask?To a large degree, that's a question this book is trying to answer.This book can be regarded as an explanation of *what* gender history is (as Scott defines it, at any rate), why it's important, and how it can be done.Read more

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. 20th century    3. Gender Studies    4. General    5. History    6. Sex Roles (Sociological Aspects)    7. Sex role    8. Social Science    9. Sociology    10. Sociology Of Women    11. Women    12. Women's Studies - General    13. Women's Studies - History    14. Cultural studies    15. Historiography    16. History / Europe / General    17. Women's studies   

Subjects:  1. Ancient - Rome    2. General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Republic, 510-30 B.C    7. Rome    8. Ancient Rome    9. European history: BCE to c 500 CE    10. European history: c 500 to c 1500    11. History / General    12. History of art: BCE to c 500 CE, ancient & classical world   

Reviews (20)

A 'big-picture' conceptual guide to the Standard Model
Fed up with useless metaphors which equate the Higgs particle with hangers-on at a party slowing a celebrity's passage? Exasperated at continual references to Lie algebras and gauge theories, which are never explained?
Best popular particle/quantum physics books I have read
Bottom line:Buy it.
Fascinating
With the large number of 'over-the-top' accounts of modern physics available on the bookshelves it is quite refreshing to see an author give an account of the concepts behind High Energy Physics without diverging from known facts and speculating about esoteric ideas such as parallel worlds and the like.
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Subjects:  1. Gauge fields (Physics)    2. Nuclear Physics    3. Particles (Nuclear physics)    4. Physics    5. Quantum field theory    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Symmetry (Physics)    9. History / Europe / General    10. Particle & high-energy physics   

Reviews (38)

Excellent Book
Well written first hand account of serving in the paratroopers during WWII. The author is quoted extensively in Stephen Ambrose's Band of Brothers so it is interesting to read his account of the war.

A "grunt's" view of Band of Brothers
This book is an interesting addition to the story of Easy Company as chronicled in Band of Brothers.It is the story of one highly literate enlisted man's view of the war.It lacks the overview of the war in Ambrose's book and is much more cynical.Before reading it, I would recommend first reading Ambrose's Band of Brothers and Winters' Biggest Brother.

For hardcore "Band of Brothers" fans...
If you want to know the mind of Webster (the Harvard educated enlisted man from the well-known movie series "band of brothers"), this is it.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Campaigns    3. France    4. General    5. History    6. History - Military / War    7. History: World    8. Military - World War II    9. Normandy    10. Personal narratives, American    11. Soldiers    12. United States    13. Webster, David Kenyon,    14. World War, 1939-1945    15. d. 1961    16. History / Military / World War II    17. Webster, David Kenyon   

Reviews (44)

A solid historic book
This is one of the rare historic books reflecting the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict from both sides. It is reach in historic and political facts, and also reflects the author's own eyewitness of the war.
A must read on Azerbaijan
Thomas Goltz's book on Azerbaijan is unique, for many reasons. First, he was among the few western journalists to be and actually live in the Caucasus when hellbroke loose in the conflicts of the region. Secondly, He speaks the language, bringing him across cultural barriers that even Russian-speakers encounter though they seldom know they do in the non-Russian partso the former USSR. Third, Goltz has a smell for the events of the country and understands the backdoor politics.
Great book on caucasus region
This a a great source of informaiton for those who are interested to learn more about Azzerbaijan and it's relations with the neighbouring countries. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Former Soviet Republics    2. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Political History    7. Azerbaijan    8. Biography: general    9. Civil war    10. Essays, journals, letters & other prose works    11. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    12. Revolutions & coups   

Reviews (21)

must read book
A fantastic book showing God's faithfulness to us.Very, very interesting and I think everyone should read.It is also a must for any church library.

Faith Tested to the Utmost Survives
Darlene's story could be included in the New Testament book of Hebrews, where the heroes of faith and their deeds are listed. It impacted me as much as reading "The Hiding Place" and "God's Smuggler". What kept her sane in captivity and isolation was the Scripture and hymns which articulated her faith. God showed her that He was there.

Brought tears to my eyes
Darlene suffered terribly in the prisoner of war camp, but her faith remained strong throughout. God answered her prayers in wonderful ways. Fed only rice or gruel while in solitary confinement, one day she prayed for a banana, a single banana. She considered all the ways God could answer her prayer and deliver that banana. Through the guard? No... The night watchman? No... As she began to doubt that God could grant her that request, she was delivered an armload of bananas - 92 of them! - from the most unlikely source.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Celebes    4. Christianity - Christian Life - General    5. Indonesia    6. Military    7. Personal narratives, American    8. Prisoners and prisons, Japanes    9. Prisoners and prisons, Japanese    10. Prisoners of war    11. Religion    12. Religious    13. Rose, Darlene Deibler    14. World War, 1939-1945    15. Biography: general    16. Papua New Guinea    17. Religion / Christian Life    18. Second World War, 1939-1945    19. True stories: Second World War    20. War crimes   

Reviews (8)

Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire
An excellent book. Very readable. A great way to compress six centuries of the great Ottoman Empire in a relatively short space. Finally the truth about Ottomans are emerging from the pens of eminent scholars, instead of garbage spewn by Armenians, Greeks, and some European powers that vied for Ottoman territories and resources for their own colonial purposes. I hate to see armenian-Americans to unfairly degrade a book that is truthful or complimentary to the great Ottoman Empire. Hope these folks grow up soon. I will not stoop to their level and demean the authors that put out lies about the "poor" armenians. Great job Caroline.

Shallow political history
I was quite disappointed by this book - its like a 19th century history with a shallow retelling of the names of Sultans, dates and major battles. I would have expected a greater analysis of the socio-cultural milieu in which the Ottoman empire arose and the institutions it spawned. I kept reading on hoping that this would follow but its really just a chronological listing of sultans, the major battles fought - if you want a political history of the empire, this may work for you. But when, why not just read the Wikipedia entry if you have no interest in the socio-political institutions.
Solid
This is a decent survey of Ottoman history.In many ways, this is traditional history from above, mainly a political history concentrating on the ups and downs of the reigns of the Ottoman Sultans.Finkel does well in constructing the basic narrative, covering centuries of Ottoman history in solid prose.The complicated dynastic politics of several periods are covered well.Finkel makes a less successful attempt to integrate social and economic history.She describes different phases of social and demographic history in the Empire as related to the political history but rarely provides enough detail to be satisfactory.For example, she mentions the declining Muslim population of the 19th century empire but never describes the size of the population or whether this was an absolute or relative decline.In many sections, she devotes more text to architectural history than relevant economic or social history.This book is largely descriptive and useful on that basis. As a basic political history, it will probably be useful for many, but its analytic shortcomings make its utility limited. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - General    2. Asia - History    3. Europe - General    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Middle East - General    8. World History    9. ASIA    10. Asian / Middle Eastern history: c 500 to c 1500    11. Ottoman Empire    12. c 1000 CE to c 1500   

Reviews (15)

The very best on the subject
Runciman was a genius. A brilliant writer in English, whose grand ambitions never lead him astray from the most meticulous separationof fact from speculation, he was also an extraordinary polyglot. He read not only the Latin, Old French and Greek among the contemporary accounts of the Crusades, but the Arabic, Syriac, Persian, Hebrew, Gergian, Ethiopic, Slavonic, Norse and Mongolian as well, not to mention modern secondary works in many more languages still. (My man had a BIG BRAIN.) If he shows any favoritism at all among the warring factions of the Crusades, then it is towards the Byzantine Greeks, although what looks like favoritism to me may only be due to my own ignorance. Even if I'm right about his favoring the Greeks, Runciman is still by far the most impartial historian of the Crusades known to me. He's certainly the only one who took the trouble and had the talent to read all the sources in the original. (Most people who've read widely in more than one language can probably appreciate how much tends to be lost in translation, not to mention how much is never translated at all.) As if his reading weren't enough, he often walked through the cities and over the battlefields which he describes in his works, in order to discover things which no one had yet written. Very Excellent Point of Departure of a Misunderstood Time
Runciman's "A History of the Crusades" might very well seem daunting at first glance. Three volumes devoted to a well known but little understood series of events spanning several hundred years may seem like it will take a lot of note taking just to get through. Rest Assured this is certainly not the case.Keeping the narrative lively and and maintaing a fast pace these books read very quickly.Keeping in Mind that the period covered in these volumes stretches over about 500 years three volumes of medium size still is just a scratch on the surface of the Crusades.Following the copious footnotes the reader will easily understand that there is plenty of more material that could be explored if desired.
History at its finest
Steven Runciman's three-volume history of the Crusades (originally published in the early 1950s) is widely recognized as one of the greatest works of history written in the English language in the twentieth century.As such, it is indispensable reading for any serious student of the crusading period or the Middle Ages in general, as well as those with a broad interest in military history or the Middle East.
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Subjects:  1. Crusades    2.