Reviews (4)

Good to see an old friend updated!
I first read Lion's Share, when I was doing my Honours History at Stirling Unversity.I really enjoyed this book, it was a good read, as well as giving a good coverage of this very important period of history and its legacy.It helped to put the history of the British Empire in context, to see its both good and bad aspects, as part of the larger picture of European Imperialism.

Big subject is well compressed!
British imperialism is too big a subject for a 400 odd page book. But Bernard Porter compressed it into this small book, which looks successful to me. This book would be very helpful to those who would study modern history from now on. But it would be also helpful to those who already have some knowledge about modern history in that the author closely examined the relationship between British Imperialism and British Economy. Because my country Korea was once a victim of Japanese Imperialism, I never doubted before that imperialism is just a method of red-in-tooth-and-claw capitalism. Now I learned that things are not that simple. The author says late 19th-century British Imperialism was both capitalist and anti-capitalist at one and the same time, which broadened my scope of understanding. Though imperialism contributed to British economic decline, it also protected its citizens from red-in-tooth-and-claw capitalism.

An excellent survey and a great read.
I have read more than a few books about the British Empire, and this is one of the best.The genre's more readable books, like James Morris's Pax Britannica trilogy and Denis Judd's Empire, tend to be too episodic for agood academic survey. Bernard Porter's The Lion's Share, however, presentsa comprehensive, linear narrative that still manages to be consistentlyreadable. I return to this book frequently for both reference andleisure-reading. My only complaint is that the recent edition's cover lookstoo much like a textbook's, and will probably discourage bookstore browsersfrom discovering its pleasures. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. 20th century    3. Colonies    4. Foreign relations    5. General    6. Great Britain    7. History    8. History - General History    9. History: World    10. World - General    11. British & Irish history: c 1700 to c 1900    12. British & Irish history: from c 1900 -    13. History / General    14. History of specific subjects    15. Imperialism    16. United Kingdom, Great Britain    17. c 1800 to c 1900   

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Royalty    3. Biography & Autobiography / Royalty    4. Biography: royalty    5. British & Irish history: postwar, from c 1945 -   

Reviews (5)

Interesting but Not Compelling
THE JEWS OF LITHUANIA serves well as a general introduction to one of the most diverse, vibrant Jewish communities to have flourished anywhere at any time. This is a general History with a lot of errors.
This is a poorly written general History.The title of the book is misleading.The book concentrates on the modern era.There is alot of imformation on the old Kehilla era of Jewish History.This is a periodfrom 1400 - 1700 at least.This book gives only the minimal description ofthis era.The authors idea of Jewish History in that pre-modern era, whichin Lithuania extended until the mid 1800's was to tell about therelationship that the ruler of that area had with the Jews.The reasonthat I gave this book such a low rating is that it is full of Historicalerrors.For example she writes that the Decembrist revolution happened in1827, it really happened in 1825.While many of her Historical errors areminor, like saying that the infamous, 'Protocols of the Elders of Zion',was written in 1928.When it comes to the History of the Orthodox and theYeshivot, the book is full of gross errors and misunderstandings. As anexampe, her attempts to explain the reason why there was a rebellion inSlobodka against the 'Alter' and his form of Mussar is so wrong that it iscomical.The 'Alter' had no official position in his own Yeshiva.A partof his form of Musar was allowing each student to develop on his own. Tight control was not part of this system.Saul Liberman, who later becamethe head of JTS - the Conservitive Seminary in the USA, learnt in Slobodka. Even though it was already known at that time that he had some liberalideas.One of the Alter's most promenant students, R. Avrohom Elya Kaplen,later became head of the Rabbinical School in Berlin and was one theRabbinical leaders of the Mizrachi movement.Another one of the Alter'sstudents was R. Aharon Kotler who founded the most promenant 'Torah' onlyYeshiva in the USA in Lakewood NJ. This is not the only gross error in thebook.Another example is that she only gives the last un-official chiefRabbi of Vilna, Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinsky only one comment, and it isn'ta positive one.R. Chiam Ozer was once offered the official title, butturned it down.He was one of the leaders of Lithuanian Jewry for over 40years, and a fascinating and brilliant man.You would think that hedeserves more than one negitive comment.

A good introduction into the history of the Jews in Lithuani
I found this book to be a very good introduction into the history of the Jews in Lithuania.I would recommend it to anybody who is interested in the subject.Read more

Subjects:  1. Eastern Europe - General    2. Ethnic relations    3. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History Of Jews    7. History: World    8. Jewish - General    9. Jews    10. Lithuania    11. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    12. History of specific racial & ethnic groups    13. Jewish studies    14. Modern period, c 1500 onwards    15. c 1000 CE to c 1500   

Reviews (68)

1066 and All That
"1066 and all that..." being the stock British phrase for the Norman Conquest, this book should have been titled "All That."You slog through so much extraneous, badly organized material (including Saxon and Scandinavian names)that it makes the stereotypical Russian novel look like a model of clarity.Up to about page 100 there's the occasional paragraph pointing out which way we're going and after that, golly, sometimes a whole page or two of clear storyline. There's actually some interesting stuff but 11th century history and politics were a mess and this book doesn't do much to clear things up.

This book is good reading!
I first became acquainted with the Bayeaux Tapestry in 1966 when the National Geographic printed the whole thing. I was fascinated!I have read a bit about the Norman Conquest since then, and Howarth's book is a really good one for anyone who has ever wondered about that event.I recommend this book wholeheartedly. In fact, this is my second copy.I lost the first one in a move and was lucky to find it again.

1066
The book is about the year 1066 and what happens through out the year in chronological order. He focuses on England and the fight for the crown. He gives you an authentic feel of what life resembled for people in every level of society. Although it's main focus is on England the book does offer a look into the lives of others during the year 1066.
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Subjects:  1. Europe - Great Britain - General    2. Great Britain    3. Hastings, Battle of, 1066    4. Hastings, Battle of, England,    5. Hastings, Battle of, England, 1066    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Medieval    10. Norman period, 1066-1154    11. British & Irish history: c 1000 to c 1500    12. England    13. History / Medieval   

Reviews (23)

Best book on Collins
I recommend this book to anyone who wants an intense indepth study of Collins and Ireland of his time.This is easy to read and full of interesting information about the man and those around him. Collins was a genius who shaped the fate ofmodern Ireland and did so with an acute sense of how far he wcould go to achieve what he wanted.
Michael Collins: The Man who made Irelaand
This is an extarodinary book about an extraordinary man. It is well wriiten, it is exciting and easy to read. It gives a wonderful insight into the life and times of Ireland during this remarkable time

Excellent Book
Although the pages and the sophisticated writing style might intimidate one, if you stick to it and read the book to the end, you will NOT regret it. It was my first book in Irish History and I have learned so much from reading it. This book is amazing beyond words. If you buy it, you won't reget it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1890-1922    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Collins, Michael,    7. Europe - Ireland    8. Historical - General    9. History    10. Ireland    11. Political    12. Revolutionaries    13. Revolutionary    14. War of Independence, 1919-1921    15. Collins, Michael   

Subjects:  1. Europe - Great Britain - General    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Medieval    6. Scotland - History    7. British & Irish history: c 1000 to c 1500    8. Scotland   

Subjects:  1. Diplomatic History    2. Foreign Relations    3. General    4. International Relations - General    5. Political Science    6. Politics - Current Events    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Politics/International Relations    9. Russia (Federation)    10. Soviet Union    11. Diplomacy    12. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    13. Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe)    14. Political Science / General    15. Russia   

Subjects:  1. Cookery, Irish    2. Europe - Ireland    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - General    5. General    6. Gifts    7. Historical - General    8. Fiction / General   

Subjects:  1. Description and travel    2. Florence (Italy)    3. History    4. History Of Individual Cities    5. History: World    6. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    7. Italy   

Reviews (4)

An Abridged Version of "Barcelona"
Which is not a bad thing, since the original 574-page version, written in 1992 just after the Barcelona Olympics, is too verbose. This version appears to have benefited from aggressive editing, deleting much of the generally irrelevant material on Barcelona's history and Catalan literature and art, which may generously be described as undistinguished.
A Barcelona Connoisseur
I read this delightful book on a plane to Barcelona. It whet my appetite for the cultural repast to come. Hughes gives a foretaste of the rich melange of language, history, art, and architecture that makes Barcelona and Catalonia so compelling. Though Hughes clearly loves this city, the writing is fresh and he mixes in sharp opinions so the book never cloys. Delectable.

A Quick Must Read
Hughes makes the buildings, history and pride of the Catalan people come alive. His use of Architecture tells a quick story of a strong and independant people, with Barcelona at it's center. His love of the city and people is evident in his story of his most recent wedding in Barcelona. The great thing about the book is that you want more, I'm happy he has a larger volume that covers the city and its eccletic history. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1938-    2. Architecture    3. Arts, Spanish    4. Barcelona    5. Barcelona (Spain)    6. Civilization    7. Description and travel    8. Essays & Travelogues    9. Europe - Spain & Portugal    10. History    11. History - General    12. History: World    13. Homes and haunts    14. Hughes, Robert,    15. Spain    16. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    17. History / Spain & Portugal    18. Travel writing   

Reviews (2)

We know these places
Anyone who has come to know and love central Paris--the 'theme park' areas that capture its historical essence--will find this book charmingly evocative. In the sense of being able to revisit those places, many of them typical tourist attractions, the book is satisfying. The problem of not duplicating the precise angle and POV of the original 'then' photographs, raised by another reviewer, is relatively trivial and technical. The 'now' shots capture their subjects well. No photographer will 'see' a scene, place or person the same way and from an aesthetic standpoint the 'now' photos are satisfying and professionally executed, and book production is first rate.
Playing all the angles

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Subjects:  1. Architectural & Industrial    2. Buildings, structures, etc    3. Buildings, structures, etc.    4. Europe - France    5. History    6. Paris (France)    7. Photo Essays    8. Photography    9. Pictorial works    10. Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings    11. Travel - Foreign    12. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    13. France    14. Places & peoples: general interest    15. Sale Books   

Reviews (1)

THE PLACE WHERE LEGENDS LIVE!
There really is something magical about Notre Dame Football.Eve growing up as a Michigan Football fan I realized this.Part of it came from growing up in a Catholic family.We'd often visit my grandparents on Saturday afternoons and my grandmother always had the Notre Dame football game on on her radio.The fact that Notre Dame is not in a conference has provided them with the kind of national appeal that other programs don't have.Game Day Notre Dame Football is one of Triumph Books' Game Day series featuring the greatest players, games, and moments in Notre Dame Football history.
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Subjects:  1. Football - College    2. Football - General    3. History    4. Sports    5. Sports & Recreation   

Reviews (14)

The birth and assimilation of a people
Book contents: foreword - 2pp, table of contents - 4 pp, text -344pp (including 5 maps), timeline of Scotland - 3pp, notes -16pp, bibliography - 19pp, and index - 5 pp.
Scottish people don't refer to themselves as "Scotch"
Scots, maybe, but usually just plain Scottish. Scotch is a common name for whisky.It amazes me how many people here tell me that they are "Scotch-Irish" - to me it makes them sound like an idiot.
"For They Desired a Better Country"-Hebrews 11:16
This is the first book I've read about the Scotch Irish and seems to be the accepted standard on the subject. Read more

Subjects:  1. Ethnic Studies - General    2. Europe - Great Britain - General    3. Great Britain - History    4. History - General History    5. Ireland    6. Scotland    7. Scots    8. Scots-Irish    9. Social conditions    10. Sociology    11. United States    12. United States - General    13. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    14. British & Irish history    15. History / United States / General    16. Immigration & emigration    17. Social history    18. USA    19. ethnicity; heritage; national identity; migration to America; regionalism; Scottish; Highland Scots; Lowland Scots; Scotch-Irish   

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Europe - Ireland    5. Historical - British    6. Royalty    7. Women    8. Biography: royalty    9. British & Irish history    10. England   

Reviews (7)

Good Facts, Bad Premise
This book covers the history of "Ukraine" from time immemorial until the late 20th century, laying out all the important dates andleaders. It is without doubt the most extensive and lucid English-language account of the development of regions and peoples which constitute today's Ukraine.
For anyone who wants to learn about this fascinating land
First published in 1988, Orest Subtelny's Ukraine: A History has again been newly updated in a third edition. This 736 page volume spans from the earliest times to the modern day, covering everything from ancient Greek colonization to the recent Ukraine diaspora. Orest Subtelny (Professor of History and Political Science at York University) goes into extreme depth and detail with a text that is significantly enhanced with maps, tables, and the occasional black-and-white photograph. Highly recommended for its lucidity, meticulous attention to detail, and scholarly precision, Ukraine: A History is a "must" for anyone who wants to learn about this fascinating land and its people.

Best Source for Ukrainian History
Mr. Subtelny's "Ukraine: A History" rates a notch above Mr. Magosci's. Well-written and very readable. This is the volume one reaches for when facts on the Ukrainian history are required. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Eastern Europe - General    2. Europe - Former Soviet Republics    3. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Ukraine    8. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    9. Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe)    10. History / Europe / Eastern    11. World history   

Reviews (98)

Not just "An Original," but "THE Original"
This is the old father, the old artificer, of all 20th century short stories.Each story is a gem, and together they tell like a rosary."The Dead," is by itself a masterpiece which resonates long after you've finished it.Dubliners is Joyce's most accessible work, readable and enjoyable without losing any of its deeper nuances.

Well written but not entirely enjoyable
Most of the stories in this collection read well on their own, but when read as one collection, they can begin to seem redundant. The themes "Dublin is dirty," "The city is oppressive and creates paralysis," "The church is oppressive," "England is oppressive," etc. can get repetitive, especially in the middle of the book. It's better to pay attention to the characters than to the themes and plots once you've gotten Joyce's point.
Strong Stories from a Postmodern Master
Joyce intended Dubliners as a vicarious walk through the city that inspired it--the pubs, churches, stores, and denizens that populate them. Street names appear and reappear; the River Liffey emerges and reemerges; we learn of various neighborhoods, slums, and suburbs.
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Subjects:  1. City and town life    2. Classics    3. Dublin (Ireland)    4. Europe - Ireland    5. Fiction    6. Literature - Classics / Criticism    7. Literature: Classics    8. Social life and customs    9. History / Ireland   

Editorial Review

Reading these essays by an Irish folk musician, you are drawn in and transported, and it begins to seem that you can hear the fiddles and Read more

Reviews (4)

Best insight into the soul of the music available
A skilled and formidable poet and chronicler of his native Belfast, Carson here blends his power over words into an evocation of how Irish music makes the impact it does. Seemingly an impossible task to attain on the page, but his decades as a musician allow him to capture the spirit behind the music. As they say, it's not how you read the notes, but how you hear them.
The night before the morning after
Carson takes the reader on a journey deep into the very heart of Irish Music - the musician at his most timelessness.Don't pick this up expecting a scholarly approach to Irish music.This is an amazing insightinto the music and the soul of the music as performed by an Irish musician. Carson even shows the little quirks of daily living that help to givebirth to such a personable music. I love Irish music, but am a jazzpianist by musical trade.I highly recommend this to any and all musicianswho are searching for their soul in music, especially those in jazz.It isa very moving and thought provoking work.

Delvings of the deep diddly diddly
Belfast writer, fluter, raconteur and unreliable witness takes us into thesubterranean world of craic agus chaos as he attempts to surf the web ofthe perfect session experience. Part nostalgic interrogtation of his ownrelationship with traditional music, part exploration of the Ulsterbreakfast: this book is a close as it gets to the cameraderie and catharsisof an all night music bash. A work of astute fiction that might never betrue but is always believable.Read more

Subjects:  1. Ethnomusicology    2. Folk Music    3. History and criticism    4. Ireland    5. Music   

Reviews (1)

Excellent Ground Breaking Book
The story of the Bletchley Park code breaking efforts towards the German Enigma machine are well known. (If you are not familar the best book on the Enigma is:The German Enigma Cipher Machine: Beginnings, Success, and Ultimate Failure - ISBN 1-58053-996-3) Down through the years there have been only casual references to the Colossus machine that was used on the more sophisticated German coding machines.
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Subjects:  1. Computers - General Information    2. Cryptography    3. Electronic intelligence    4. General    5. Great Britain    6. History    7. History - Military / War    8. History: American    9. Lorenz cipher system    10. Military    11. Military - Intelligence/Espionage    12. Military - World War II    13. World War, 1939-1945    14. British & Irish history: Second World War    15. British Isles    16. Coding theory & cryptology    17. Computer Science | History    18. Computers / History    19. History of science    20. Social & Legal Aspects of Computing   

Reviews (3)

AN AWESOME BOOK!!!!!!!
I found this book to be quite helpful to me while I was learning all about my ancestors. It tells you almost everything known about the Celts and if anyone is interested in Celtic Culture, history, or religon I recommend it to you. It is a great book to start out with and to get a clear view on who the Celts actually were, not misconceptions.

The must have...
I began an interest in the Celtic way of life, and of their decendants several years ago.I've found this to be the one book that is true to life. It tells it like it is, or was.The Celts were strong, oftenviolent...none of that seems to matter here.

This is a great book
This is a historical reference book, but also carries an air of open-mindedness about the actuallity of saint's miracles, druid magick, etc. It is a fantastically illustrated book and I highly reccomend it toanyone intereseted in the ancient Celts. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Celts    3. Civilization    4. Ethnohistory    5. Europe - Ireland    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. History / General   

Reviews (3)

A superbly presented, single volume history
The latest addition to the outstanding "Cambridge Illustrated History" series, Martin Kitchen's Germany presents a lavishly illustrated, integrated, chronological history of Germany from the era of Charlemagne down through the end of the twentieth century and German reunification. Here is a compendium of the culture, society, political organization, national tragedies and personal triumphs of the German people. Special illustrated boxes and panels enrich the informative, "reader friendly" text throughout and provides a superbly presented, single volume history that is a welcome addition to academic and community library world history collections.

Germany by a German
This text should not be demoted to decorating a living room's coffee table because of its "Cambridge" denomination and fancy pictures. Some of these "decoration" books do contain excellent write ups. Ignoring Mr. Kitchen's dissertation on the history of Germany would be at your own peril if you own the book already and, except for martini stains and dust, choose to ignore it. This history of Germany explains in a fascinatingly succint style key aspects of the German nation and German ethos: the Holy Roman Empire, the Hanseatic League, the Reformation, the Industrial Revolution and, inevitably, the Third Reich and the Holocaust. There are excellent art and culture sections describing anything from Goethe's Romantic world and the Grimm Brothers' fantastic tales to the Bauhaus. If you want to own a book to impress your friends, buy it, but buy it mostly to be impressed by it.

Good Book
I had to use this book for a class on German history.Although it was not required material for the class, the wealth of information helped me keep a handle of the flow of the nation's history.This book is rich in pictures and is one of the best books that I have ever seen on German history.Highly recomended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Germany    2. Germany    3. Germany - History    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. World - General    8. BCE to c 500 CE    9. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    10. History / World    11. Modern period, c 1500 onwards    12. c 1000 CE to c 1500    13. c 500 CE to c 1000 CE