Reviews (1)

Not Comparable to Fodor's or Let's Go
This book completely fails as a guide to Paris. There is very little on shopping and even less on car racing. The cover is ugly and the print is very, very small. If you wanna party, then don't buy this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History & Theory - General    2. Political Science    3. Politics/International Relations   

Subjects:  1. Castile (Spain)    2. Charles I, 1516-1556    3. Ferdinand and Isabella, 1479-1    4. History    5. History - General History    6. Spain    7. Spain & Portugal    8. Spain And Portugal - History    9. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    10. Portugal   

Subjects:  1. Almanach perpetuum celestium m    2. Almanach perpetuum celestium motuum    3. Astronomy    4. History    5. Portugal    6. Science/Mathematics    7. To 1500    8. Zacuto, Abraham ben Samuel,    9. b. ca. 1450    10. b. ca. 1450.   

Subjects:  1. Europe - Spain & Portugal    2. Folklore & Mythology    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: American    6. Folklore    7. Myths & mythology    8. Portugal    9. Spain    10. USA   

Subjects:  1. Europe - Spain & Portugal    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Political Ideologies - Anarchism    6. Fascism & Nazism    7. History / Europe    8. History / Spain & Portugal    9. Portugal    10. Spain    11. Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle    12. anarchism; Franco; Spain; revolution   

Subjects:  1. Balkan Peninsula    2. History    3. History Of Jews    4. History: American    5. Jews    6. Judaism    7. Judaism - General    8. Portugal    9. Religion - Judaism    10. Sephardim    11. Ethnic studies   

Subjects:  1. Discoveries in geography    2. Discovery And Exploration (General)    3. General    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Portugal    8. Ship Design And Construction    9. Ships    10. Ships & Shipbuilding - Engineering    11. Spain    12. European archaeology    13. History of engineering & technology    14. Marine engineering    15. Underwater archaeology   

Subjects:  1. Demography    2. Emigration and immigration    3. General    4. History    5. History - General History    6. Human Population    7. Lanhezes (Portugal)    8. Migration (Social Aspects)    9. Population    10. Portugal    11. Penology & punishment    12. Population & demography   

Editorial Review

In early 16th century Rome, at the height of the Italian Renaissance,when artists such as Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo thrived in the HolyCity, the decadent court of Pope Leo X was a place where visitors could findpleasures and entertainment more exotic than anything they had previouslyimagined. Among the Pope's great joys was his menagerie of exotic animals, andthe prize of his collection was an Indian elephant named Hanno, presented to himby the King of Portugal. Read more

Reviews (3)

THIS is how historiography is done
If you've even a passing interest in historiography - supplementing the historical record with artifacts and peripherally supporting documentary evidence to glean a substantial picture of the world represented by written history - you will find this book a treasure. The Short, Strange Life of a Very Large Animal (Pope Leo X)
The Pope's Elephant by Silvio A. Bedini is a fun book although it does not quite deliver the promise of the subtitle on the cover.It is not really about the journey of an elephant from deep in India to the heart of Rome.It is really about the strange workings of Rome and the Papacy in the early 1500's and their dealings with other nations, such as Portugal from which the ill-fated elephant, Hanno, arrives.The author uses a great variety of sources for this journey, particulary interesting being the use made of contemporary artists to provide proof of events.This book could have used the Pope's elephant for a much wider glimpse of the world at this point in time, but the more narrow version presented here is fascinating and illuminating in its own right.An interesting footnote into history (and, truly, how many interesting footnotes does one run across).

The Pope's Elephant: Prize of the Vatican's Menagerie
"Rome produces its monkeys and wild goats And every type of wild beast, more even thanIndia and Africa.And now that Leo has become their king,All the animals, even the very elephant,Must hold him inhonour."Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Italy    2. History - General History    3. European history: c 1500 to c 1750    4. Italy    5. Leo    6. Manuel    7. Portugal    8. Spain    9. c 1500 to c 1600   

Subjects:  1. American history    2. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    3. Portugal    4. Spain    5. The Americas   

Subjects:  1. Europe - Spain & Portugal    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Medieval    6. World history: c 500 to C 1500   

Reviews (2)

Great book
Birmingham's book sums it all up quite well and very simply.Birmingham is well known for his Luso-world scholarship, and his books are foundational in the English-speaking world for studies of the Lusophone world.This one in particular is among the best in a category of books that one might call "revisionist" when it comes to Portuguese history.It was quite delightful and informative, and written to be deliberately readable and not academic.

DON'T buy it if you are looking for the history of Portugal
If you are interested in the history of Portugal, this is one book you should NOT buy.I have read numerous books about Portugal's history, and have studied it as well.I don't know where the author of this book gothis information from.It's totally inaccurate, with his opinions orobservations stated as fact.If I could give it less than one star, Iwould.It deserves nothing.Trust me on this one.Portugal has a long,rich history, and there are many other books that actually state the facts. This books is more like fiction or a book of opinions/observations fromthe author, and should not be used as an informational/cultural source. Simply horrible, inaccurate, useless... ... Read more

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

Subjects:  1. 16th century    2. Asia    3. Asia - General    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Portugal    8. Portuguese    9. Asian / Middle Eastern history: c 1500 to c 1900    10. Colonization & independence    11. Geographical discovery & exploration    12. International trade    13. c 1500 to c 1600    14. c 1600 to c 1700   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Corporate & Business History - General    5. Reference - General   

Subjects:  1. History    2. Portugal   

Subjects:  1. America    2. Colonies    3. History    4. Latin America    5. Politics and government    6. Portugal    7. Spain   

Subjects:  1. 1974-    2. 20th century    3. Contemporary Politics - Europe    4. Europe - Spain & Portugal    5. History    6. History - General History    7. Politics and government    8. Politics/International Relations    9. Portugal    10. Representative government and    11. Representative government and representation   

Subjects:  1. History    2. Portugal   

Subjects:  1. Essays & Travelogues    2. General    3. Spain And Portugal - History    4. Travel    5. Travel - General    6. Geographical discovery & exploration    7. Other prose: classical, early & medieval    8. Portugal    9. Spain   

Subjects:  1. Basques    2. History    3. Nationalism    4. Pais Vasco    5. Paâis Vasco    6. Sociology    7. Spain    8. Spain And Portugal - History    9. Portugal    10. Social & cultural anthropology    11. Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural