Subjects:  1. Ancient World History    2. Europe - Spain & Portugal    3. Government - State & Provincial    4. History    5. History: American    6. Politics / Current Events    7. History / Ancient / Rome    8. Portugal    9. Spain    10. World history: BCE to c 500 CE   

Reviews (2)

Disappointing
I am a PhD student in Portuguese history, and also the daughter of Azorean immigrants, and I have to say that I found this book lacking in any real historical work. The main thesis of the author is that the Mellungians have descended from Portuguese immigrants who inter-married with this tribe. His only evidence is to show pictures of Portuguese people and then compare them to pictures of Mellungians, hoping to show that similarities in facial features will prove his thesis. If you are looking for a book on Portuguese History, buy a History of Portugal by A.H. Oliveira Marques. It's much better. The author of this book is not even a historian.

A forgotten Country...
I'm not a writer and I'm not a scholar...all I am is the daughter of two Portuguese immigrants.I never knew the history of Portugal until I read this book and I found myself in tears many times when reading this beautiful book about my wonderfully courageous people.It hurts me to read this book and know that no one acknowledges the Portuguese and their impact on the world.I guess because we are a small insignificant country we are not allowed to be the first people to find the new world.Well, when I have kids they will learn the truth about "Columbus".My children will know that their ancestors were the real Columbus'.Read more

Subjects:  1. History - U.S.    2. History / United States / General    3. History: American    4. United States - General    5. Cherokee Indians    6. Genealogy    7. History    8. Lumbee Indians    9. Melungeons    10. Portugal    11. Portuguese Americans   

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Christianity - History - Catholic    5. Christianity - History - General    6. Europe - Spain & Portugal    7. Religious    8. Christian life & practice    9. Portugal    10. Spain   

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Barcelona    3. Barcelona (Spain)    4. City planning    5. Europe - Spain & Portugal    6. History - General    7. Public Policy - City Planning & Urban Dev.    8. Reference    9. Spain    10. Study & Teaching    11. Travel    12. Urban policy    13. Architecture / History    14. Portugal   

Subjects:  1. France - History - Revolution And Napoleonic Empire (1789-1815)    2. History    3. History - Military / War    4. Military    5. Military - General    6. Military - Other    7. Military History - Modern    8. Battles & campaigns    9. European history: c 1750 to c 1900    10. History / Military / General    11. Portugal    12. Spain    13. United Kingdom, Great Britain   

Subjects:  1. Europe - General    2. History - General History    3. World history   

Subjects:  1. 1469-1524    2. Adventurers & Explorers    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Explorers    8. Gama, Vasco da,    9. General    10. Portugal    11. Travel    12. World - General    13. Biography: general    14. Geographical discovery & exploration    15. History / General   

Reviews (1)

How can a book involving Philip IV *not* get five stars?
On March 31, 1621, Philip III, third Habsburg ruler of Spain, met a premature death, reportedly clutching in panic at the same crucifix his father and grandfather had held on their deathbeds generations before. Hisson and heir, the sixteen-year-old Philip IV, succeeded to what is nowknown collectively as the Spanish Empire - a vast conglomeration of landsand people whose progressive decline as a political entity has longremained a basic assumption amongst twentieth century historians and yetwhose cultural vitality has given its period the title of "The GoldenAge of Spanish Art."The accession of Philip IV seemed to inauguratea new era of reform after the previous regime's mindless inactivity andself-interested grandee domination. As the contemporary playwright Tirso deMolina remarked, "New architects acceded with the newking."Read more

Subjects:  1. 1605-1665    2. 17th Century Art    3. Architecture    4. Art and state    5. Art patronage    6. Casâon del Buen Retiro    7. History - General History    8. IV,    9. King of Spain,    10. Philip    11. Spain & Portugal    12. Spain And Portugal - History    13. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    14. Olivares, Gaspar de Guzmán    15. Portugal    16. Spain   

Subjects:  1. Convents    2. Europe - Spain & Portugal    3. History    4. History: World    5. Institutions & Organizations    6. Modern - General    7. Monastic and religious life of    8. Monastic and religious life of women    9. Religion - Missions    10. Spain    11. Valladolid    12. Portugal   

Reviews (1)

A Good Basic History of a Culturally and Historically Comple
Anderson ofers the reader a well thought out and researched basic history of Portugal.If you want to get a quick feel and appreciation for the country ,this is a good book to pick up.There are a few errors in the spelling of Portuguese words and some historical innacuracies.These, however, are minimal.Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Spain & Portugal    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Portugal    6. Spain And Portugal - History    7. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    8. History / Europe / General    9. Spain   

Subjects:  1. Asia - General    2. Far East    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Renaissance    7. China    8. Economic history    9. History / Renaissance    10. International trade    11. Modern period, c 1500 onwards    12. Portugal    13. World history   

Reviews (5)

A spanish reader (Madrid,Spain)
This is a serious and balanced book based on multiple reliable sources in the different languages that people that fought and has written about that war used; not just english: language and people. Specially interesting is the use of french sources and the analysis of civil population suffering inflicted by the french with retribution and counter retribution by spanish, portuguese ,french and so on. No doubt it is a clasic already,along Gate`s Spanish Ulcer and Lovett`s Napoleonand the Birth of Modern Spain in english; for the social aspects of the conflict Artola`s Afrancesados is still unmatched but not translated into english.

Best overall view
Esdaile's book is simply the best overall description of thePeninsular War. He realizes that war and battles do not exist in a vacuum from politics as well as the reverse, that war involves fighting. He thus spends much time on the intricacies of Cadiz government to show the limitations of the Spanish forces. His theses on the regular army and the guerillas are expanded from his early works as is the realtion of Wellington to the Spaniards.The Duke is not mythologised, but he is shown to be the outstanding personality of the war.Although his descriptions of battles are limited in scope and scale (see D. Gates "The Spanish Ulcer" for a better strictly military history), Esdaile places the war within the structure of the other conflicts at the time. This book is the definitive description of the entire war.

Rather unbalanced
The author makes a worthy attempt to say something new about the war, but the start of the book is turgid to say the least. He tries to provide a full socio-economic context for the events in the Peninsula, but goes around and around in circles over spain. Undoubtedly it is good to use the underutilised Spanish sources, which are indeed interesting, but the fact is that the war begins in Portugal, yet is is scaracely given more than a few pages of background. The maps are useful, but there is little meat in a lot of what he says. As a beginner's book, this would leave a lot of confusion. As a definitive work, there is little new apart from the Spanish sources.Perhaps a more clear organization of the book, with appropriate chapter headings and a better index would help.By the time he gets to the Pyrenees, he, like so many other narrators, has long since run out of steam, yet it is in some senses the crux or end of the story, even if it did not take place in Spain.I wish authors dealing with this periodwould get over the annoying habit of mentioning what will happen later, and then giving only partial information, for example Zaragossa.Perhaps a detailed list of all the battles/main locations with key dates/events might, but as it is it makes everything seem very patchy and badly thought out.Read more

Subjects:  1. History: World    2. England    3. European history: c 1750 to c 1900    4. Land forces & warfare    5. Military life & institutions    6. Portugal    7. Spain    8. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (1)

Is There Really an Impregnable Defense?
Although the Peninsula War of 1809-1814 has attracted a great deal of attention from historians, the extensive fortifications built in Portugal and known as the Lines of Torres Vedras have received very little attention.As Peninsula War expert Ian Fletcher notes in Osprey's Fortress volume #7 on that subject, only two previous books have focused specifically on these defenses which were so critical to the Duke of Wellington's operational planning.Indeed, Fletcher refers to the lines as "one of the best kept secrets in military history" and he describes the role these defenses played in halting and reversing the French invasion of Portugal in 1810.Read more

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. Campaigns    3. Fortification, British    4. History    5. History - Military / War    6. History, Military    7. History: World    8. Military - Napoleonic Wars    9. Military - Strategy    10. Modern - 19th Century    11. Peninsular War, 1807-1814    12. Portugal    13. Torres Vedras Region    14. Torres Vedras Region (Portugal)    15. European history: c 1750 to c 1900    16. History / Military / General    17. Theory of warfare & military science    18. c 1800 to c 1900   

Subjects:  1. History    2. History: American    3. Medieval World History (Circa 450 - Circa 1450)    4. Medieval, 500-1500    5. Military art and science    6. Militia    7. Portugal    8. Sociology, Military    9. Spain    10. Spain And Portugal - History    11. Defence strategy, planning & research   

Reviews (2)

Very informative intro to the Peninsular War
Normally I would give this a 3/4 star review, but as the book isn't likely to be reviewed frequently, I'll give it a 5 to balance the other review. It's not even funny how biased this is
The author is completely in love with Wellington.He refers to Napoleonas "the much overrated General Buonaparte."He doesn't have thecourtesy to call him by his prefered name.He describes Wellington'sdispatches as a joy to read, whereas they are actually very dull.As faras I can tell, he has his facts right, he just presents them in a very onesided and boring way.Overall, if you need something to start a fire with,this is the book for you. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History: World    2. Military History - Modern    3. Biography: general    4. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    5. History / General    6. Portugal    7. Spain    8. United Kingdom, Great Britain    9. War & defence operations    10. c 1800 to c 1900   

Subjects:  1. 16th century    2. Antwerp    3. Belgium    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Jewish merchants    8. Jews, Portuguese    9. Judaism - History    10. Modern - 16th Century    11. Politics and government    12. Portugal    13. Refugees, Jewish    14. Western Europe - Benelux   

Subjects:  1. History    2. Period of discoveries, 1385-15    3. Portugal   

Reviews (1)

The Only Philosophy Book You Will Ever Need
Having read numerous philosophical books on epistemology, I can confidently say that Carruthers' book is among the best. Written with startling clarity and minimal philosophical jargon, Professor Carruthers offers a compelling naturalistic approach to epistemology based on a foundation of evolutionary nativism. He shows how traditional empiricists such as Hume unnecessarily rejected innate structures shaping knowledge acquisition only because the theory of Darwinian evolution was not yet available. The book considers the nature and origins of knowledge, provides careful critiques of traditional rationalism and Mathematical Platonism, and a convincing naturalistic resolution to the problem of induction. He ends supporting an empiricist epistemology which incorporates innate structures guiding knowledge acquistion (specifically inference to the best explanation). Carruthers powerfully demonstrates how evolutionary ideas can provide resolution to deep philosophical issues that have engaged philosophers since antiquity. The book is a gem.
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Subjects:  1. Empiricism    2. Epistemology    3. Europe - Spain & Portugal    4. General    5. History    6. History: World    7. Innate ideas (Philosophy)    8. Knowledge, Theory of    9. Philosophy    10. Sociology    11. Epistemology, theory of knowledge    12. Portugal    13. Spain   

Reviews (2)

nothing wrong with the book
I don't know why the earlier reviewer had such a problem with this book. The blurb describes it accurately as reviewing estates and their gardens. There's nothing wrong with the photography and some of the architecture is quite noteworthy. The book didn't change my life or anything, but I'm giving it four stars to balance its rating a little.

Could be better
Poor quality photographs of inexpressive gardens and palaces. We expected to find the lovely small houses and gardens of the portuguese villages and countryside. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Gardens (descriptions, history etc)    2. Palaces, chateaux, country houses    3. Portugal   

Subjects:  1. 1763-1822    2. 19th century    3. Brazil    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Latin America - South America    8. Monarchy    9. Portugal    10. Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)    11. United Kingdom, 1815-1822    12. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    13. European history: c 1750 to c 1900    14. History / Europe / General