Reviews (8)

Truly Splendid
This book truly is the difinitive work on Dutch history. The sheer volume and description of detail makes the book very informative. The vivid writing style and the subdivision of the chapters gives the reader the ability to speed through the book in addition to breaking down and digesting each main idea clearly. The maps, charts, and graphs are clear and give the reader an illustration to the detail of the text. Also, the explanation of the Dutch Republican government, which is anything but simple, was clear and precise. I plan on using this book in my classes for reference. A truly great book.

For all of you Dutch I have only one word "READ !!!!!"
The best historybook I have ever read with no doubt. I think in a small 1300 pages I never learned so much about my own history than I learned in the 2 weeks I spend to read this book. By now I have read it 3 times and if only have time I would pick ip up and read it again and again till I can dream whats in there. The 17th & 18th century is with no doubt one of the most interesting parts in the history of the world. Strangely it was my own country that played the most important role in this very interesting time. Flawed but Interesting Book
This is a frustrating book to review. It is one of the worst-edited books I have read in a long time, yet it contains a wealth of intersting information. It is comprehensive and well-enough explained to interest a lay reader, but it is difficult to read beyond what is necessary given the dryness of the subject matter. First, the good: Israel presents almost a year-by-year discussion of Dutch politics, economics, and demographics. His presentation is highly detailed, generally offering his arguments first, then backing them up with substantial data. Israel has pulled together statistics of population growth, economic activity, and political positions in a wealth of tables. Finally, he defines his terms clearly, then uses them consistently. Now, the bad: This is one of the worst-edited books I can imagine. Israel's excessive use of commas in the most inappropriate places makes reading this work a chore. His meaning is obscured by the incorrect use of punctuation. In short, his editor should [have done a better editing job]. Second, the editing goes downhill toward the end of the book. Whereas the first 2/3 of the text clearly presents the major political events, then follows them with the appropriate economic, social, and demographic consequences, the latter part of the book reverses this presentation. This leaves the reader to infer major political events (like the French invasion of 1792-1794) from the discussion of demographics, economics, or social trends. A consequence of this decline in editing is that the explanation of why the Dutch republic declined is not presented clearly. If the reader pays close attention and has a good grounding in economics, he can understand what must have been going on behind the scenes. But the big story of the sudden decline of one of the major maritime powers in the world is not clearly told. Finally, Israel often uses text where a table would be more appropriate. He will take three pages to go through the voting record of each city in each province, rather than summarize the data in a table. The 1100 pages of the book could easily be reduced by several hundred without impacting the support of Israel's arguments and make the book much more readable in the process. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - General History    3. History: World    4. Western Europe - Benelux    5. Western Europe - General    6. Western Europe - History    7. Cultural studies    8. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    9. History / Europe / Western    10. History, World | European    11. Netherlands    12. Social history    13. c 1500 to c 1600    14. c 1600 to c 1700    15. c 1700 to c 1800    16. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (5)

Moynahan sells me on Tyndale
Few history books have influenced my thinking as has Brian Moynahan's"God's Bestseller:William Tyndale" (2002).I found this 422-page (hardback) difficult to put down.I was often cheering for and, in the end, crying over the life of William Tyndale.
Faith - Works - Betrayal - Death
The author, Brian Moynahan, notes that William Tyndale's translation of the Bible "....fathered what is probably the best known and certainly the most quoted work in the English language."A 1998 analysis of the King James Bible, found Tyndale's words account for 84 percent of the New Testament and for 75.8 percent of the Old Testament. The text observes that Tyndale believed English "corresponded with scripture better than ....Latin ...." The text narrates how Tyndale through faith and sheer determination translated the Bible into the English language.
A Page-Turner!
This is a gripping, immensely readable tale of intrigue and ironies, set in one of the most fascinating periods in Western history.As depicted by Moynahan's carefully unsensationalistic prose, Thomas More comes off as a foreshadower of Cromwell, worthy of the obsessed villains in Dumas and Hugo, while Tyndale and his underground reformers are endearingly quirky, courageous, and astonishing in their martyrdom.Catholics and Protestants alike indulge in virulent righteousness, while intrigues involving the influence of one of Henry VIII's wives further spices the sauce.Moynahan is equally expressive in his appreciation of Tyndale's textual contributions as well, enthusiastically exploring their semantic subtleties.As I read it, I fancied consulting the author about turning his book into a screenplay, but have settled simply for teaching the text to my adult college students this coming Spring. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1478-1535    2. Bible    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Christianity    8. England    9. Historical - General    10. Literary    11. More, Thomas,    12. Reformation    13. Religious    14. Sir, Saint,    15. Tyndale, William,    16. Western Europe - General    17. d. 1536   

Editorial Review

Professor David S. Landes takes a historic approach to the analysis of the distribution of wealth in this landmark study of world economics. Landes argues that the key to today's disparity between the rich and poor nations of the world stems directly from the industrial revolution, in which some countries made the leap to industrialization and became fabulously rich, while other countries failed to adapt and remained poor. Why some countries were able to industrialize and others weren't has been the subject of much heated debate over the decades; climate, natural resources, and geography have all been put forward as explanations--and are all brushed aside by Landes in favor of his own controversial theory: that the ability to effect an industrial revolution is dependent on certain cultural traits, without which industrialization is impossible to sustain. Landes contrasts the characteristics of successfully industrialized nations--work, thrift, honesty, patience, and tenacity--with those of nonindustrial countries, arguing that until these values are internalized by all nations, the gulf between the rich and poor will continue to grow. ... Read more

Reviews (156)

Guns & Germs Meets Economics
If you have had the opportunity to read any of Jared Diamond's work, then I believe you will like and enjoy the similarities and explanations provided but on and from an economic point of view. The Wealth & Poverty of Nations is a straight talking expose as to many of the reasons to the economic rise of some Nations (and subsequent expansion) and why other Nations never did (or much later) though they had either resources or the political system to do so, but they just didn't overcome other obstacles.
A Bitter Pill
This is one of the most ill tempered and unfashionable books that I have read in a long time.Perhaps it could have only been written by a scholar in the waning days of his career (Landes has gone emeritus at Harvard).A young scholar could never get away with Landes's crankiness and his targeting of sacred cows.The book is so politically incorrect that it defies belief.Landes challenges nearly every tenet widely held among scholars about the principal motors of history in the past millenium.Moreover, this book is hopelessly Euro-Centric, a crime punishable by instant career termination among the untenured ranks of professors.
RACIST GARBAGE!!!!
This loser tries to hide his racism behind witty anecdotes, but it is so clear that he hates other races, nations and cultures and frankly feels that they get what they deserve. Prof. of History???? What a joke! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Development - Economic Development    5. Economic Conditions    6. Economic History    7. Economics - Theory    8. Europe    9. History    10. Poverty    11. Regional economic disparities    12. Wealth    13. Western Europe - General    14. International economics    15. Western Continental Europe   

Reviews (4)

A superb book of Revisionist History
The author has written a compelling, well researched and substantial account of the history of the Sicilian Mafia. The bibliography is very impressive as Mr. Dickie has read widely and deeply to produce this book with careful attention to details of persons and events.
Educational
My first mafia book. They way i see it, it provides the readers with a solid picture on what the Mafia is about.It is educational based on collective facts. Back to the basics i would call it. Sikelia as the mother land deserves much attention in the literature and this book is definitely going for that. The locus of attention is in situations from an old era but evidently their effect is manifest in various ways today. Good stuff

must-read for maffia buffs
I hold a healthy fascination on the maffia and its politics. This book gives an in-depth description of how the Sicilian maffia was entangled into Sicilian and Italian daily life. One can feel the frustration of the lone heroes who made an attempt to defy the Cosa Nostra and its contemptful modus operandi.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History: World    3. Italy    4. Mafia    5. Modern - 20th Century    6. Organized Crime    7. Sicily    8. True Crime / Espionage    9. United States    10. Western Europe - General    11. True Crime / Organized Crime   

Reviews (10)

Need Your Home Interior Remodeled? Call an Historian!
How does an historian, whose job it is to interpret the past, come to terms with a cultural movement built upon the concept of modernity rejoicing in the death of history? This is exactly the question posed by Carl E. Schorske in his book Fin-De-Siecle Vienna Politics and Culture. In a series of essays, which the author admits are not meant to be interlaced, Schorske examines Vienna's cultural reaction to both the decline of Liberalism and the end of the Habsburg Empire. The task of merging politics and culture is not an easy undertaking and the faint-hearted reader should beware. "Just as a knowledge of the critical methods of modern science is necessary for interpreting that science historically," writes Schorske, "so a knowledge of the kinds of analysis practiced by modern humanists is necessary for coming to grips with the makers of twentieth-century non scientific knowledge" (p. xxi). Yet this brand of historical analysis is not that simple as Schorske goes on to explain. It appears, still more separates the historian from the humanist. According to Schorske, a dual approach is required when attempting to analyze cultural history. This binary-method is analogous, he argues, to a vertical and diagonal line. In the "diachronic" or vertical line, the historian more or less places the cultural in its historical context. In the "synchronic" or horizontal line, he or she looks at the relationship of the particular element of culture studied with what else is going on in the world of art, music, literature, and architecture. In a useful analogy, the author believes "The diachronic thread is the warp, the synchronic one is the woof in the fabric of cultural history. The historian is the weaver, but the quality of his cloth depends on the strength and color of the thread" (p. xxii). But what does this all mean? The essays that follow, though providing an enjoyable read, raise some doubts about Schorske's conclusions. The strength lies in the author's ability to place the culture of late nineteenth century Vienna in its historical context. In the opening "Politics and Psyche: Schnitz and Hofmannsthal," Schorske successfully ties the other essays together by introducing the two strands of Austrian fin-de-siecle culture:moralistic-scientific and the aesthetic. A conventional historian may feel more at home with the former, however, the aesthetic aspect is more difficult for many of us, to borrow a trite cliche, to carve in stone. Arguing functionality versus aesthetically appealing, or the placing of ancient Greek statuary on the steps of the Parliament building because Vienna had no past, therefore, it had no political heroes of its own to memorialize in sculpture, needless to say is unconvincing. Since Schorske cites no government documents, to back up his claims of Liberal motives and intentions in urban modernization, for example, his analysis of the connection between politics and culture borders on pure conjecture. The Freudian injection, resulting in the weakest essay of the book should have been omitted. Aside from the above-mentioned flaws, the book is interesting. Schorske's possesses a clear literary style, that helps the reader survive this graduate level sleeper. The addition of color plates, an anachronism in today's budgeted publishing industry was a welcome sight indeed. Yet, one wonders if such abstract concepts as modernity and aesthetics ought to be left to those more qualified outside the historical profession. Such studies, as art criticism itself, surely leave room for varying interpretations that open the doors for open debate.

Just like a time machine!
Reading Schorske is like riding a time machine to Vienna around the tumultuous late 1800s to 1900. He covers an electic array of topics. However, he has a central focus: to show the radical changes and interconnection between arts & politics at the turn of the century vienna (fin de siecle). But, be warned, Schorske is an intellectual historian, and though his exposition is easy to read, his themes are academic and copiously detailed.
i want to kill myself!
read this book to fall asleep, actaully no, read the chapter on Freud's interpretation of dreams and then fall asleep. in the morning interpret your dreams! a load of mind numbingly boring, non-sesical drivel! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1867-1918    2. 19th century    3. Addresses and essays    4. Austria    5. Europe - Austria & Hungary    6. History - General History    7. Intellectual life    8. Politics and government    9. Politics/International Relations    10. Vienna    11. Vienna (Austria)    12. Western Europe - General    13. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    14. Germany    15. History / Austria & Hungary   

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. Great Britain    3. History    4. History: World    5. Human Sexuality    6. Law and legislation    7. Prostitution    8. Sexually transmitted diseases    9. Social History    10. Sociology    11. Western Europe - General    12. Women's Studies - History    13. British & Irish history: c 1700 to c 1900    14. English law: criminal law    15. History / Europe / Western    16. United Kingdom, Great Britain    17. c 1700 to c 1800    18. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (15)

Tough sledding and not for amateurs
I cannot say if this book is good or not. I have waded through one hundred pages and know that reading ten books a week for twenty-five or thirty years has left me insufficiently prepared for the verbal density. It is up there on the shelf next to William Gass, and I plan to pull it down the next time I feel strong enough.

Mixing Mediums
Simon Schama's 1987 exploration of early modern Dutch culture, The Embarrassment of Riches: An Interpretation of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age, is a thumping good read.The work is a piece of sprawling brilliance combining analysis of art, architecture, religion, economics, and literature of both the high and low variety which seeks to explore the peculiarities of a culture of abundance amidst the extreme scarcity of early modern Europe-a synthesis of social and political history with few equals.Although the book redounds with wit and powerful insights about the nature of this truly exceptional society, its very scope and ambition-to integrate a massive synthesis of material into a comprehensive history book using both text and artwork-stretches the medium of history book writing nearly to the breaking point.The Embarrassment of Riches suffers from problems that seem to be inherent to the mixing of mediums.
a glutton's delight:too much, but oh so good
Massive and rambling, this is a history book without very finely drawn parameters.Schama, in my reading, wanted to cover the whole of a unique humanist culture - tolerant, intelligent, united by outside threats and not so much by Calvinism, and loosely structured in the era of absolutism.Focusing largely on paintings, prints, and writings, Schama offers a dazzling tour - the only trouble is, he seems to want to cover everything, and in the process the thread of narrative is lost from the very beginning in all the luscious details.While it is far better than Landscape and Memory in terms of unity of theme, there are long passages where it is near-impossilbe to tell where schama wants to go or what he really has to say.Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Western Europe - Benelux    6. Western Europe - General    7. History / Europe / Western   

Editorial Review

It's hard to imagine a more romantic real-life story than the long, forbidden love affair of the 18th-century Venetian nobleman Andrea Memmo and a half-English beauty named Giustiniana Wynne.Andrea Di Robilant's Read more

Reviews (42)

Romantic Read
I brought this book with me to Venice last year, and read it there. A great book to bring with you on your next trip to La Serenissima. Fun, historical read. Interesting. Romantic.

Classic Romance!
This book immerses the reader into 18th Century Venice as well as Paris and London. The author is able to successfully capture the essense of that period. The love letters let the reader go into the two main characters' minds. We, the readers, feel their joys and sorrows. It's a fascinating look at 18th Century Europe. I highly recommend it!
A true love story
Andrea meets Giustiniana in 18th century Venice, falls in love, but because he's an aristocrat and she isn't, they cannot marry and must carry on a clandestine love affair.If it sounds like a bad Harlequin romance, that's unfortunate because this is a true story based on letters found by Di Robilant's father in Venice and Di Robilant herself at, of all places, Randolph Macon College in Virginia.
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Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Europe - Italy    5. Historical - General    6. Western Europe - History    7. Biography & Autobiography / Historical   

Reviews (6)

Despotism the default state of human governance.
Professor McNeill describes this 1982 book as a "footnote" to his famous 1963 "The Rise of the West", and as a companion to his even more famous 1976 "Plagues and Peoples".The subject of "The Pursuit of Power" is warfare rather than disease, as in "Plagues and People", but Prof. McNeill's conceptual approach is the same.In fact, in the introduction to this book he describes armed force as "microparasitism" of the human race.
Starts Strong But Quickly Devolves Into Minutia
...imho, mcneill's book starts strong, makes cogent points, but then quickly devolves into a morass of minutia...resulting in a tepid ending with no clearly stated thesis, and lukewarm impact all the way around... A series of wars punctuated by brief periods of peace
McNeill shows how military conflict and the advances in technology have stimulated mankind to better itself within the flux of a constantly changing balance of power."Of War and Men" by Robt O'Connell also addresses this time honored conflict with a focus on culture, weapons technology and warfare.Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History: American    4. Military Science    5. Military art and science    6. Military history, Medieval    7. Military history, Modern    8. Sociology    9. Western Europe - General    10. World politics    11. Technology / Military Science    12. USA    13. War & defence operations    14. World history   

Editorial Review

Out of seemingly small events are sometimes born great historical moments. The case of young Edgardo Mortara is one. In 1858 the 6-year-old Jewish boy was taken from his parents' home in Bologna, Italy, by agents of the Papal inquisition. The year before, seriously ill, Edgardo had been secretly baptized, by the Mortaras' Catholic servant (or so she claimed); it was against the law for baptized Christians to be raised by Jews, and so, in the eyes of the Church, the kidnapping was only just. Secular Italians did not agree, and thus was set in motion a series of reforms that ended the Church's temporal power in Italy and forged the creation of a liberal, near-democratic state. For his part, young Edgardo became a priest and lived in a Belgian abbey until 1940--just before the invading Germans began to deport and execute all those tainted with Jewish blood. David Kertzer has shaped a remarkable narrative from almost forgotten events. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

An Astounding Story and Well-Written
I can't help but think that millions who do not know that they are interested in the history of the Italian Risorgimento would suddenly find themselves incapable of putting this book down.David Kertzer kept my attention while helping to answer my questions regarding how a country that is predominately Roman Catholic can name streets, buildings, and piazzas after the heroes of the Risorgimento who took by force most of the lands ruled by the Pope while Pope Pius IX called upon all the faithful to oppose them.I am now closer to seeing how statues and monuments honoring Garibaldi, Mazzini, Cavour, and King Victor Emmanuel can share the beautiful Italian landscape with cathedrals and the Vatican.
Fascinating read!
This story is well-researched and beautifully written. While history isn't always fair in how it plays out, Edgardo's story kept me engrossed through the end. It's ironic to think that had he lived a little longer he would have probably died as a Jew with his brethren in a Nazi death camp.

BUY IT NOW
Rarely have i read a book that moved me as much as this one. Kertzer's account of the kidnapping of a jewish child from his family by the church is told with an eloquence and sensitivity that is truly extraordinary.This is a sad story. What could be worse than having your child stolen from you and there being absolutely nothing you can do about it. I felt a real anger that only progressed as the book went on. Kertzer brings forth the pain of Edgardo's father as he tries in vain to save his son. There is no excuse for what happened to Edgardo, but his was not a solitary or isolated story. It is important for people to know that this happened, jews, catholics, everyone. I highly reccomend this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Bologna    6. Bologna (Italy)    7. Christian converts from Judaism    8. Christianity - History - Catholic    9. Conversion to Christianity    10. Europe - Italy    11. Historical - General    12. History    13. History - General History    14. Italy    15. Jewish - General    16. Jews    17. Mortara, Pio,    18. Western Europe - General    19. d. 1940    20. History / Europe / Western    21. Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church    22. Social history    23. Reading Group Guide   

Reviews (5)

One of the Major Military Conflicts of the Ancient World
Military history has been slighted in recent years, with the possible exception of John Keegan's insightful books. In part it is because focusing on the role of the military runs counter to the modern bias that social currents determine the nature of wars and not wars the direction of the times. We also embrace a moralistic tendency to believe that violence never really solves anything. But violence has solved many things even in modern times and until we stop resorting to war to resolve inter-state conflicts, the study of war is --or should be-- of importance to us.
A pleasure to read
When I first purchased this book, I was a bit hesitant as I thought that I have read so much on the subject already. Yet I am glad I did. The book is well written and explains the subject well.
Invigorating and modern
Definitely a great read. Despite the fallacious pitch on the back "The cast of endlessly fascinating characters includes the generals Hannibal and Scipio, as well as treacherous chieftains, beautiful princesses, scheming politicians, and tough professional warriors.", a great and entertaining read. Almost reads like a novel, while still solidly argumented and avoiding the easy melodrama.
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Subjects:  1. Ancient - Rome    2. History    3. History - Military / War    4. History: World    5. Military - General    6. Punic wars    7. Western Europe - General    8. Ancient Rome    9. European history: BCE to c 500 CE    10. History / Europe / Western    11. Prehistory    12. STUDY NOTES - SparkNotes    13. World history: BCE to c 500 CE   

Reviews (3)

On the review of Mr J. Adams
The book in question was written by Mr Paxton as a thesis for his PHD at Harvard in 1963 and was later published in 1966 by Princeton University.
A better understanding of the French
This book was first written in 1972 when the fifty-year seal on Vichy documents was still in effect, and has been updated since. But Paxton did a very good job of gathering good material from Nazi archives and others to deliver a book which required very little revision once more documents became available.

Subjects:  1. 1940-1945    2. Europe - France    3. France    4. German occupation, 1940-1945    5. History    6. History & Theory - General    7. History: World    8. Military - World War II    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Politics and government    11. Western Europe - General    12. European history: Second World War    13. History / Europe / General    14. Second World War, 1939-1945   

Reviews (10)

More than 5 stars!
This is a favorite of mine, all the info about the Fin du siecle, Rudolph, and why we went into World War 1, and why some young people don't make it somehow!
A wonderful book
A college professor recommended this to me so I read it in about a day.It is very interesting how Morton weaves history into some sort of a novel that's very easy to read.Inspired by the death of his uncle in World War I, Morton writes about the history and the climax leading up to the very moment when the Crown Prince Francis Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were assassinated by a Serbian terrorist youth. This book is great, glad I got it; however...
Something is missing.The book was a fantastic read.I would have given it 5 stars and a "Bravo!" - but some things are not mentioned that are needed.I read, elsewhere, about the "blank check" from the Germans that encouraged the Austrians to start a war with the Serbs.This would lead to something bigger for the Germans, against the French.Also, my previous readings indicated that Tisza and the Hungarians were not interested in war and urged the Austrians to offer, at least, an ultimatum.The Austrians, then came up with the "ultimatum/non-ultimatum".The author gives the appearance that Germany was passive in the whole situation and did not want to get involved.No mention is made of the "blank check".The only mention Tisza gets is that Franz Ferdinand did not like him and that the Hungarians abused the Serbs within their land.Nothing was mentioned, in particular, of the Tri-Monarchy that Franz Ferdinand had thought-up.I feel that the author left out some important things.