Reviews (7)

A top-notch bio
This biography is just as well-written and meticulously-researched as Mr. Paris's biography on Louise Brooks, which I had read prior to reading this one.He's a great celebrity biographer; he really does his homework, doesn't really get into the sleazy, sensational, and speculative trap that a lot of other celebrity biographers too often fall into, has a clear respect for his subject without fawning all over her, sugarcoating less than perfect aspects of her life, or holding her up as some sort of demigoddess, and clearly distinguishes between fact, outright fantasy and falsehood, and rumor and speculation that could go either way.This professional approach is keenly felt when he's writing about Garbo's relationships with men and women; there were some affairs of hers that were well-substatiated by outside evidence (most particularly her affair with Jack Gilbert), but other than that one can't really say how many relationships she may have had, or even that she were actively bisexual, though she clearly felt more comfortable emotionally with women.She wasn't entirely asexual either; though she did seem more comfortable alone, with no one invading her privacy and personal territory, she didn't go through life completely celibate either.And of course, Mr. Paris makes this topic one of only many covered in the book, since what she did or didn't do with anyone she may or may not have had a relationship with isn't really any of our business.
garbo in private
Very comprehensive, but some detail missing.
Garbo? Garbo who?
It is probably the case that more often than not the people who produce biographies of film stars hold themselves to a lower standard than other authors. After all, most of these are trite recitations of scandals both real and imagined in which they are paired in any number of combinations.
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Subjects:  1. 1905-    2. 1905-1990    3. Acting & Auditioning    4. Biography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Entertainment & Performing Arts - Actors & Actresses    7. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    8. Film & Video - History & Criticism    9. Garbo, Greta,    10. Individual Movie Actors And Actresses    11. Motion picture actors and actr    12. Motion picture actors and actresses    13. Performing Arts    14. Performing Arts/Dance    15. Sweden    16. Biography: film, television & music    17. Films, cinema    18. Garbo, Greta   

Subjects:  1. Beurling, Arne    2. Cryptography    3. Electronic intelligence    4. Europe - General    5. History    6. History - Military / War    7. Military    8. Military - World War II    9. Sweden    10. World War, 1939-1945    11. Coding theory & cryptology    12. European history: Second World War    13. Second World War, 1939-1945    14. World history: Second World War   

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. 20th century    3. Antiques & Collectibles    4. Antiques/Collectibles    5. Art & Art Instruction    6. Art nouveau    7. Ceramic Arts And Crafts    8. Decoration and ornament    9. History - Modern (Late 19th Century to 1945)    10. Porcelain & China    11. Porcelain, Swedish    12. Pottery & Ceramics    13. Rorstrands porslinsfabriker    14. Stockholm    15. Sweden    16. Antiques & collectables: ceramics & glass    17. Art collections    18. Art techniques & materials    19. Ceramics    20. Schreiber, Robert M   

Reviews (1)

A great guidebook
This is a book that should really be on your shelf if you are interested in finding your way around Swedenborg's voluminous works.
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Subjects:  1. 1688-1772    2. History    3. History & Surveys - General    4. Philosophy    5. Religion    6. Religious    7. Swedenborg, Emanuel,    8. Theosophy    9. Swedenborg, Emanuel   

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (1)

How economic growth works.
The author shows that there is no explanation for economic growth nowadays, and therefore no recipes do exist. The wealth of nations may be pushed forward by neoliberalism or by social market economy or by Santa Clause. According to the lay of land all three are in a same way competent...Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Capitalism    4. Economic History    5. Economics - General    6. International    7. Politics/International Relations    8. Business & Economics / Economics / General    9. Capitalist or free market economies    10. Germany    11. Japan    12. Political economy    13. Sweden    14. USA    15. United Kingdom, Great Britain   

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Decorative arts    3. General    4. History - General    5. Interior decoration    6. Sweden    7. Architecture / History   

Reviews (3)

Disappointingly Skewed
While Buckley has admirably and extensively researched and detailed her portrait of Europe in the 1600's, her characterizations of Christina of Sweden are irritatingly judgemental and peevish. If you are looking for a curmudgeonly psuedoanalysis of the extraordinary Queen, you will be happy. If you are looking for an impartial biography or an exciting story, you won't find it here. Buckley cobbles the flow of her own narrative by nitpicking Christina's motivations at every turn. YAWN!

An excellent examination of a life.
Buckley has done a wonderful job with her first book and I am hoping that others will follow. This is a well-researched and well-documented biography of Christina. The queen is placed within her time period and Buckley wisely refrains from enforcing a modern view on the queen's lifestyle and decisions. Instead the author leaves the reader to make up their own mind.
I love a good eccentric!
Unfortunately, there was a lot of Swedish history to slog through at first.When I finally got to Christina's misadventures, things picked up.But this was not a really compelling biography--I kept counting how many pages I had left til the end.If you want a biography you can't put down, go read "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1626-1689    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Christina,    7. Europe - Scandinavia    8. Kings and rulers    9. Modern - 17th Century    10. Monarchy And Aristocracy    11. Queen of Sweden,    12. Royalty    13. Scandinavia - History    14. Sweden    15. Biography & Autobiography / Royalty   

Reviews (2)

businessmen for socialism
In the early 20th century, the attitude of the capitalist class in Sweden was almost the exact opposite of conventional wisdom.Not only did business organizations welcome the growth of unions, they actually aided in the process.For the most part, they offered at best half-hearted opposition to the expansion of the welfare state and sometimes eagerly backed it.
Praise for Capitalists Against Markets
"Capitalists Against Markets highlights the important role played by employers in the creation of the American and Swedish welfare states. In a brilliant and original analysis, Swenson shows how employer strategies--solidarism in Sweden and segmentalism in the U.S.--were rooted in each country's economic development and gave rise to distinctive public programs. The book takes on both rational choice and social democratic arguments: employers acted rationally, Swenson shows, but their choices were historically constrained and far from being reflexively anti-labor or anti-government, right down to the 1990s. Adroitly blending theory, history, and politics, Swenson has created a masterpiece of comparative scholarship. "Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Economic History    4. Free Enterprise    5. History    6. Labor    7. Labor market    8. Labor policy    9. Political Science    10. Politics/International Relations    11. Public Policy - Social Services & Welfare    12. Sweden    13. United States    14. Labour economics    15. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    16. Political Science / Social Services & Welfare    17. Politics | Comparative Politics    18. USA    19. Welfare & benefit systems    20. Work & labour   

Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - Geography    2. Economic History    3. Europe - Scandinavia    4. Historical Geography    5. History - General History    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Peasantry - Sweden - Ostergotlands lan - History - 19th century    9. Science / Geography    10. Social groups & communities    11. Switzerland    12. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (1)

The Only Resource You'll Need
From the Ice Age to the assasination of Olof Palme, Scott digs into every nook and cranny of Sweden's history. The account is blissfully more than political, though that is the backbone of the book. Besides hitting the military conquests, the great kings, etc. The farming life, the culture, the art, literature, and science of Sweden are also major points in this book, perhaps more aptly a history of the Swedish people, rather than just the nation's history.Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Scandinavia    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: American    5. Sweden    6. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)   

Reviews (1)

Excellent concise overview of neglected topic
This is one of the better Ospreys that I have read, and the author should be congratulated for presenting a concise and entertaining narrative on a neglected topic (30 Years War). The modern photographs and contemporary line drawings are excellent, and they blend in well with the text.Read more

Subjects:  1. History - Military / War    2. History: World    3. Infantry    4. Military - General    5. Military History - Modern    6. Military Science    7. History / Military / General    8. Land forces & warfare    9. Sweden    10. World history: c 1500 to c 1750   

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography / Historical    2. Europe,Robert Nisbet Bain,Charles XII and the Collapse of the Swedish Empire,Charles XII,Swedish Empire,1682-1719   

Reviews (5)

I really liked it!!!
My dad bought me the book because I love ABBA. I have about 15 of their CDs! Anyway, I loved the book because it had lots of pictures of ABBA, and information about the certain time period of ABBA that they give you. One tiny little thing was that the information of ABBA started at year 1979-1982 because that was the time they were most popular and most active. They didn't give information about when they started and so on. But that didn't really bother me. Also, they told about each ABBA member after ABBA. So if you are looking for a good ABBA book, I reccommend this book!

To the best ... ABBA
Thank you by your work. One Plain Word EXCELLENT
At last an ultimate book, tastefully put together with great text and lucious pictures. Every ABBA fans dream. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. ABBA (Musical group)    2. Genres & Styles - Pop Vocal    3. History & Criticism - General    4. Music    5. Music/Songbooks    6. Popular    7. Rock Music    8. Rock musicians    9. Sweden    10. Entertainment    11. Biography    12. Composers & Musicians   

Reviews (2)

Changing Culture of the Sami
This is a well written account of a thoughtful outsider's experiences and observations of the Sami reindeer herders. Dr Beach participates in the culture and gains insights into Sami ways and the problems they encounter. A great story of the realities and hardships of a culture under great pressure to change their way of life. The author did his research in the field and it resulted in excellent data unobtainable through other methods. Very enjoyable reading, I recommend it highly to those interested in culture in the far north.

A good ecological observation of the Saami
As the author mentioned, this book is not intended as anything other than a recounting of his trip to Lapland.As an Anthropologist he was aware of how to give clear antidotal information. Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Beach, Hugh    3. General    4. History - General History    5. Jokkmokk    6. Rural Anthropology    7. Sami (European people)    8. Sociology    9. Sweden    10. Travel writing   

Subjects:  1. 17th century    2. Europe - General    3. Europe - Scandinavia    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Sweden    8. European history: c 1500 to c 1750    9. History / Scandinavia    10. c 1600 to c 1700   

Reviews (6)

Highly Readable Account of an Obscure but Important Battle
Firstly it must be said that this narrative is told from a distinctly Swedish perspective. The Russian forces are largely faceless and there nowhere near the same degree of detail about the Russian forces of Peter the Great as there is those of Charles the XII.
Good book; limited to Swedish perspective
Englund has written a detailed history of a key battle fought between Sweden and Russia in 1709.Although an interesting book it often becomes bogged down in its detail, both in terms of statistics and in terms of its description of the battle.The book is also limited in that it's told exclusively from the Swedish standpoint.There is little, if any, information from the Russian perspective that may have given more insight into how and why the battle evolved as it did.
Excellent!
One word: excellent. Wish more books of that level of quality were written and published. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1682-1718    2. Charles    3. Europe - General    4. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. King of Sweden,    9. Military - Other    10. Modern - 18th Century    11. Poltava, Battle of, Poltava, U    12. Poltava, Battle of, Poltava, Ukraine, 1709    13. XII,    14. Battles & campaigns    15. European history: c 1500 to c 1750    16. History / Russia (pre- & post-Soviet Union)    17. Russia    18. Sweden    19. c 1700 to c 1800   

Subjects:  1. 1523-1718    2. Baltic States    3. Europe - Scandinavia    4. Europe, Northern    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Sweden   

Reviews (14)

Impartial Scholar or Useful Idiot?
This book is also published by a government press in Cuba, to which the author donated the rights. The book launch was attended by all members of the Communist Party of Cuba's Political Bureau. Any of you "Useful Idiots" who think Gleijeses is an impartial scholar should put your money where your mouth is and apply for a teaching post in Havana. I'm sure the academic freedom you will enjoy will greatly exceed anything you've experienced in the decadent United States.

An important contribution to Cold War History
CONFLICTING MISSIONS is a brilliant, impressive, and important book.It not only teaches us about the dramatic differences between US and Cuban policies in Africa during the Cold War (until 1976), but it also stretches our minds to see the Cold War "from below."Virtually all Cold War history has been written from the US (or Western)perspective, based on US archives.Gleijeses is the only scholar to have gained access to the Cuban archives; the result is that CONFLICTING MISSIONS contains not only new information but also a new perspective.Gleijeses challenges the reader to reconsider established truths.In his narrative -- which is voluminously supported by research not only in Cuba but also in US, Belgian, West German, East German, and British archives, as well as almost 200 interviews -- Fidel Castro, not the Americans, is shown to be the leader pursuing an idealistic foreign policy.
You gotta read this book:
From page 271,
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Subjects:  1. Africa - General    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. International Relations - General    6. Latin America - General    7. Africa    8. American history: from c 1900 -    9. Argentina; Bolivia; Canada; Chile; Cuba; Dominican Republic; Latin America; Mexico; United States; Venezuela; Azores; Belgium; Czechoslovakia; England; Federal Republic of Germany; France; Gern Democratic Republic; Portugal; Spain; Soviet Union; Sweden; Y    10. Central government policies    11. Cuba    12. History / Latin America    13. International relations    14. USA   

Reviews (3)

A thorough, wide-ranging, scholarly work
This is a thorough, wide-ranging, scholarly work - a useful and insightful review that stretches over a millenium in time. Although the book charts the course in history of this geographically and culturally linked collection of peoples, it still emphasises the individuality of each.I hadn't realised just how complex a relationship of inter-dependence and rivalry existed between these nations for so long. Among the more fascinating discussions in the book, I would list: church-state relations especially in the period following the reformation, the impact of the industrial revolution and the development of the welfare state, the period leading up to the second world war and the relationship between the various countries and the major powers during the war (i.e. Finland with Russia, Denmark with Germany, etc.) and the historical contribution of each nation to the arts and sciences. One small criticism: I would have liked to have seen some maps in the book - my knowledge of Scandinavia is not so extensive that I could picture the geographical relationship of the many places mentioned.I especially found the early part of the book very heavy going, and difficult to follow the many movements of people that were detailed.

Excellent coverage of the war years
The author does an excellent job of covering Scandinavia during the war years. His use of information from Eisenhowers private papers brings a whole new dimension to understanding what was going on in each country.Iwas not aware that near the end of the war Ike had a serious plan toliberate the Norwegian Allies from the NAZIS, by first liberating Denmark,then proceeding overland across Sweden. (I wonder if he would have giventhe job to Patton?)

A concise and complete history of all of Scandinavia
In reading this book it becomes very apparent at how much the state-church relation influenced much of Scandinavia, and also it's people.It was also incredibly interesting to read about how the countries of Denmark, Swedenand Norway kept separating, and uniting.For anyone who is interested inScandinavian history, that delves way beneath the surface, look no further,TK Derry writes a book that can't be ignored. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    2. Northern Europe, Scandinavia   

Subjects:  1. 1902-1986    2. 20th century    3. Demography    4. Family policy    5. Family size    6. History    7. Myrdal, Alva Reimer,    8. Politics/International Relations    9. Public Policy - General    10. Social Policy    11. Sociology    12. Sweden    13. Central government policies    14. Myrdal, Alva Reimer    15. Myrdal, Gunnar    16. Political Science / Public Policy    17. Social issues    18. Social welfare & social services