Reviews (1)

a poorly written rough draft of a book
This is an awful book from start to finish. It contains little historiography and is poorly written. Bentley spends a lot of space on the universities attended by historians and other useless details and not enough space explaining their ideas.
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Subjects:  1. Historiography    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. History / General   

Reviews (44)

A solid historic book
This is one of the rare historic books reflecting the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict from both sides. It is reach in historic and political facts, and also reflects the author's own eyewitness of the war.
A must read on Azerbaijan
Thomas Goltz's book on Azerbaijan is unique, for many reasons. First, he was among the few western journalists to be and actually live in the Caucasus when hellbroke loose in the conflicts of the region. Secondly, He speaks the language, bringing him across cultural barriers that even Russian-speakers encounter though they seldom know they do in the non-Russian partso the former USSR. Third, Goltz has a smell for the events of the country and understands the backdoor politics.
Great book on caucasus region
This a a great source of informaiton for those who are interested to learn more about Azzerbaijan and it's relations with the neighbouring countries. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Former Soviet Republics    2. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Political History    7. Azerbaijan    8. Biography: general    9. Civil war    10. Essays, journals, letters & other prose works    11. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    12. Revolutions & coups   

Reviews (121)

Chariots of The Gods
I remember seeing this movie as a boy and have been trying to track it down ever since. If you believe in something larger than this earth it's a must see. I give full marks to the movie, however the delivery time is ridiculous.I have been waiting over a month now. I have received a request to this review and I have STILL not received either the book or the movie. I remember the movie as I have seen it a number of times so the review is appropriate.

This book needs to go in the FICTION section.
I bought into this book hook, line and sinker (and the movie) as a child. THen I grew up and learned that everything you read isn't the truth.
Examining Unsolved Mysteries of the Past
+++++
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Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Ancient civilization    3. Archaeology    4. Body, Mind & Spirit    5. Civilization, Ancient    6. Extraterrestrial influences    7. General    8. Life on other planets    9. New Age    10. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    11. UFOs & Extraterrestrials    12. Crime & mystery    13. History / General   

Reviews (4)

Poor quality
I'm a college student majoring in East Asian Studies. This book is required for the intro course, and I hate it. Even ignoring the folly of trying to teach two of the world's oldest civilizations in one slim volume, I still can't recommend this title. It's poorly written (the number of typos and grammatical mistakes are atrocious, especially for a 3rd edition) and the tone is too "dumbed-down" for my taste. Worst of all, the writers did a terrible job in selecting what should be included in a one-volume history of China and Japan. They jump around from topic to topic in an attempt to cover as much material as possible, but they end up sounding indecisive. At the same time, too much of the book is focused on historical anecdotes and art of the period- which is interesting, but not appropriate to a one-volume history of two vast civilizations. The book might succeed if the prose could be polished and better material selected. As of now, I hate having to read something that reads like a long report slapped together by a couple high school kids. I can't wait to sell this back.

A very thorough survey of Chinese and Japanese history
This book was specifically recommened to me by a Professor at the University of Texas as a fantastic "starter" on Chinese history. A fantastic read, this college text introduces the reader to Asian civilization in a way that provides information on both the history of Japan and China, as well as a very in-depth look at the cultures which grew out of this history. As Dr. Shirokauer clearly states in his introduction, this book serves as a survey in order to give the reader a general idea on the key aspects (both historically and culturally) of both the Japenese and Chinese civilizations. Weighing in at around 650 pages, this book is a massive undertaking in historical scholarship and provides a fantastic opportunity for the reader to gain a full understanding of Asia, while still leaving the reader thirsty for more at the end. Luckily, a thorough explanations of sources and a very large additional reading section provide avenues for those interested in Asian history to pursue specific topics.
Art, Literature, Religion-- fully interdisciplinary
I am Prof. of Interdisciplinary Humanities at San Francisco State and this has been classroom book of choice. Perhaps book's title should have been "a CULTURAL history of Chinese and Japanese Civilizations." A good 1/3 to 1/2 of each chapter is art, architecture, religion. For instance, "Tokugawa Japan," after four history sections, includes sections on "The Japanese Print... The Popular Theater: Kabuki and Bunraku... Popular Prose Literature... Haiku... Art and Lit after Genroku... Intellectual currents...."Pages are studded with apt illustrations. Undergrads liked though thought it pricey, but it replaced history and art books both. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. China    2. Civilization    3. General    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Japan    8. History / General    9. Social history   

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - General    2. Colonies    3. Ethnic Studies - General    4. Europe    5. Human Geography    6. Imperialism    7. Minority Studies - Race Relations    8. Race relations    9. Sex customs    10. Social Science    11. Sociology    12. World - Colonial Studies    13. Anthropology    14. Colonization & independence    15. Gender studies    16. History / General    17. Racism & racial discrimination    18. Social history   

Reviews (3)

Technology alone just doesn't cut it....
This book contains an awful lot of wisdom for such a slim volume (it clocks in at just under 200 pages). Concise overview of military revolutions
This book is the volume one should buy if he or she is searching for the best, consise overvue of the history and processes involved in the military innovations of the Western world.

The Heart of Asymmetric Advantage is NOT Technology
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Subjects:  1. Europe    2. History    3. History - Military / War    4. History: World    5. Military - General    6. Military Science    7. Military art and science    8. Modern - General    9. Renaissance    10. Revolutions    11. Strategy    12. History / Renaissance    13. Modern period, c 1500 onwards    14. Revolutions & coups    15. Strategy--History    16. Warfare & Defence    17. World history    18. c 1000 CE to c 1500   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. African Americans    3. Civil rights    4. Civil rights movements    5. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    6. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - Histor    7. Historiography    8. History    9. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    10. Social Science    11. Sociology    12. Sources    13. U.S. - Political And Civil Rights Of Blacks    14. United States    15. United States - 20th Century (1945 to 2000)    16. History / Americas (North, Central, South, West Indies)    17. History / United States / 19th Century    18. Human rights    19. Multicultural studies    20. Pressure groups & lobbying    21. Social history    22. Social issues    23. USA    24. c 1945 to c 1960    25. c 1960 to c 1970   

Reviews (15)

The very best on the subject
Runciman was a genius. A brilliant writer in English, whose grand ambitions never lead him astray from the most meticulous separationof fact from speculation, he was also an extraordinary polyglot. He read not only the Latin, Old French and Greek among the contemporary accounts of the Crusades, but the Arabic, Syriac, Persian, Hebrew, Gergian, Ethiopic, Slavonic, Norse and Mongolian as well, not to mention modern secondary works in many more languages still. (My man had a BIG BRAIN.) If he shows any favoritism at all among the warring factions of the Crusades, then it is towards the Byzantine Greeks, although what looks like favoritism to me may only be due to my own ignorance. Even if I'm right about his favoring the Greeks, Runciman is still by far the most impartial historian of the Crusades known to me. He's certainly the only one who took the trouble and had the talent to read all the sources in the original. (Most people who've read widely in more than one language can probably appreciate how much tends to be lost in translation, not to mention how much is never translated at all.) As if his reading weren't enough, he often walked through the cities and over the battlefields which he describes in his works, in order to discover things which no one had yet written. Very Excellent Point of Departure of a Misunderstood Time
Runciman's "A History of the Crusades" might very well seem daunting at first glance. Three volumes devoted to a well known but little understood series of events spanning several hundred years may seem like it will take a lot of note taking just to get through. Rest Assured this is certainly not the case.Keeping the narrative lively and and maintaing a fast pace these books read very quickly.Keeping in Mind that the period covered in these volumes stretches over about 500 years three volumes of medium size still is just a scratch on the surface of the Crusades.Following the copious footnotes the reader will easily understand that there is plenty of more material that could be explored if desired.
History at its finest
Steven Runciman's three-volume history of the Crusades (originally published in the early 1950s) is widely recognized as one of the greatest works of history written in the English language in the twentieth century.As such, it is indispensable reading for any serious student of the crusading period or the Middle Ages in general, as well as those with a broad interest in military history or the Middle East.
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Subjects:  1. Crusades    2. Europe - General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Medieval    7. Medieval World History (Circa 450 - Circa 1450)    8. Middle East - General    9. Reference    10. Europe    11. European history: c 500 to c 1500    12. History / Middle East    13. Middle East   

Subjects:  1. General    2. Historiography    3. History - General History    4. History and criticism    5. Holocaust    6. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    7. Literary Criticism    8. Personal narratives    9. Psychological aspects    10. Semiotics & Theory    11. Literary studies: general    12. Literary theory    13. Performing Arts / General   

Subjects:  1. Chronology    2. Eastern Europe - History    3. Europe - Austria & Hungary    4. Europe - General    5. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Hungary    10. Revolution, 1956    11. Revolutionary    12. History / Europe / General   

Reviews (31)

A sublime account of the demise of the "Greek emperor" and the fall of his city
Exceedingly well written and utterly fascinating, Sir James Stevenson Runciman's classic account of the siege and fall of Constantinople manages to be thoroughly academically sound and highly entertaining at the same time. Steven Runciman doesn't just deliver the dry facts, which would be alright, no, he tells the story, which is much better. And he does it without forefeiting historical accuracy, and, blessedly, without drawing any politically motivated parallels to "modern" conflicts, be they religious, or political, or both.
strongly recommended
I strongly suggest to buy and read this book to all people interested in history in general.
Probably very good
I have not yet received this book from Amazon, so it is a little difficult to say what it is like. But I am sure it will be at least very good.Runciman is an excellent author. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Byzantine Empire - History    2. Europe - Greece    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Istanbul (Turkey)    7. Middle East - Turkey    8. Reference    9. Siege, 1453    10. Byzantine Empire    11. Europe    12. European history: c 500 to c 1500    13. History / Middle East    14. Istanbul (Turkey)--History--Siege, 1453    15. c 1500 to c 1600   

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Reviews (1)

Good read and study of planning history!
My university is using this book as a text as part of our study of Planning History.It is a very good read and is unlike a textbook.Outlines planning history from 1880 to 1980. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Architecture    3. City planning    4. Design & Drafting    5. History    6. Planning    7. Public Policy - City Planning & Urban Dev.    8. Social Science    9. Sociology    10. Sociology - General    11. Sociology - Urban    12. CITY PLANNING_HISTORY    13. Political Science / City Planning & Urban Development    14. Social history    15. Urban & municipal planning    16. Urban communities   

Reviews (9)

Tour of Happiness
I took a year long course titled The Human Situation.The first semester consisted of antiquity and the second semester studied modernity.Darrin McMahon's book Happiness would have been the perfect capstone - or perhaps appetizer - for the course.He leads the reader on a wondering tour of the last two and a half centuries of happiness, stopping along the way to lucidly explain who the great minds were, what they believed, and how they moved the concept of what happiness is and how it is that one can achieve it.Starting with ancient Greeks, McMahon makes his way to the modern "prozac nation" with stops at many interesting times, places and people.Among the sojourn the reader will be introduced to the hedonists Marqee de Sade and La Mettrie, the founders of communism and the American Founding Fathers with their "pursuit of happiness," and some of the more inaccessible German philosophers.Happiness reaches a nice compromise between a truly academic paper, which bores all people including those who have to read PhD dissertations, and making the subject too simple, which by the nature of the subject matter it simply cannot be reduced to.McMahon does not have the answer to happiness, he has them all.He has laid them out on a table for you to inspect, peruse, ridicule, consider, and adopt.While John Stuart Mill will tell you as soon as you "ask yourself whether you are happy . . . you cease to be so," if you are going to ask, let McMahon guide you through the dialectic.

Too mechanical - happiness is about people

Happiness, The History of
This book is an interesting depiction of the different eras of the worlds history as it relates to happiness. The authour says we have for ages believed that Happiness was and is a retrevable item that it is available for all who sought her. And indeed it is. It is as we make it to be as far back as the Romans and Tutankumun.
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Subjects:  1. Customs & Traditions    2. Happiness    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Social History    7. Social aspects   

Subjects:  1. Asia - India    2. Asia - India & South Asia    3. Encyclopedias    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. India    8. Reference    9. Asian / Middle Eastern history    10. Encyclopaedias & Reference Works    11. General encyclopaedias    12. Geography    13. World history   

Reviews (6)

Dull Dull Dull This Book needs to be reworked.
I am a university student majoring in history. I was forced to endure the reading of this book for a course in historical methods. I found the book to be very dull in its presentation and arguments about the historical house. This is not just my opinion but that of my fellow students as well. In a class of thirty people only two or three found the book excellent to use the rest of us found it a disaster. There are numerous other sources out there that present this material in a more colorful and interesting fashion. I am no fan of this book. The book does present the very broad subdivisions of historical research. I disagree with anyone who is in the study of history that allows one book, one professor, or one course to mold their like or dislike for this discipline. I suffered through this book because it was mandated for the course. I did learn something about the topic. So in that way the book did have useful information in it. I just would like to suggest to those who want to learn about the historical houses of history that there is an abundant amount of material available both on the web and published that is much better in presentation then this book. For the dullness and lackluster presentation of the material I gave this book only 3 stars.

Great intro text - which Jay obviously couldn't handle
Great book. Before I read it, I had been confused by the various historiographical 'houses.' Now I know what's what. Anyone who's doing a historiography course at university should read this book because it (a) explains most things well and (b) makes it clear that there is a lot of conscious consideration behind how historians approach the past, which I think anyone who plans to study the past for a living needs to know. Jay's negative review shows he isn't willing to engage in a sophisticated analysis of the historian's influence on history.

Don't listen to Jay!
This is a response to the first review written by Jay, who claims that this book made him hate history, and further, change majors because of it.If this is the case, then that it great.The study of history doesn't need people like Jay!The value of this text is that it presents a brief synopsis of the main schools of historical thought, and an according sample with each.Jay is obviously of the dominant school (empiricist) that thinks history chould be treated like a science, without concern for philosophical questions.Despite what you may think about postmodernism, it has unearthed the deception of the empiricist school.By professing their method as THE path to THE truth, empiricists cut off unthought ideas by setting up a power discourse.They rule the universities, and anyone who wants to become a 'professional' historian must take his/her PHD pill from them.HOUSES OF HISTORY is a great text for the beginner in that it provides a brief summary of the schools of history, which is invaluable in undertaking a historiography course.Historiography is NOT boring and useless, and any historian who thinks it is is simply trying to prevent new ideas from emerging, ideas that might (oh no!) compromise his/her position.Don't listen to Jay. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Historians    3. Historiography    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Modern - 20th Century    8. Philosophy    9. HISTORY, MODERN_20TH CENTURY    10. History / Modern / 20th Century    11. History: theory & methods   

Reviews (2)

A lot of good stuff but ...
It is impossible to write a fully satisfactory intellectual history of a period, though there a number of ways to try.One can be encyclopedic.Lay it all out.Who were the major thinkers of the time period?What were they influential for?Why do we remember them today?What were the major ideas and schools?How did they change?
Crisis of Narrative
This book is a part of the Yale Intellectual History of the West series, edited by J. W. Burrow, William Bouwsma, and Frank M. Turner. I bought this book in search of a contemporary synthesis for the period in question: 1848-1914. I wanted to learn more about the influence of such individuals as Darwin, Freud, Nietzsche, and Marx.
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Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. 20th century    3. Civilization    4. Europe    5. Europe - General    6. History    7. History & Surveys - Modern    8. History - General History    9. History: World    10. Intellectual History    11. Intellectual life    12. Philosophy, Modern    13. Western Europe - General    14. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    15. History / Europe / General    16. History of ideas, intellectual history    17. c 1800 to c 1900    18. c 1900 - c 1914   

Reviews (6)

An inspiring call to action
In order to fully understand and appreciate James Martin's book, The Meaning of the 21st Century, the reader needs to understand the author. James Martin made his mark as a writer and entrepreneur by understanding and shaping significant trends long before others saw them or acted on them. His book, The Wired Society, published in 1977 anticipated new directions and uses of electronic communications that others could not envision. The world off electronic communications has now reshaped our world in the ways that James Martin anticipated three decades ago.
thoughtful and informative
This book is important because it summarizes in a clear, concise manner the looming problems we face. The facts are well-chosen to elucidate the points. Anyone who reads this book will grasp the key messages with ease. I am quite shattered by the implications of some of his arguments, especially regarding environment and terrorism. Where many writers refer to a vague future time, Martin spells it out. We have perhaps two to three decades to change our environmental behavior, and maybe 50 years before the problems are ruinous. The tone, however, is calm and practical. I read widely, and constantly. Martin builds the most compelling case for change I have seen to date. I also like the fact that Martin has put his personal fortune behind his beliefs, endowing Oxford with a new education center to study these vital issues.
Everyone should read this Book
The book is fast paced and (despite the weight of the topic) a very enjoyable read.James Martin is a genius, technology guru and optimistic futurist.His most recent book lets us see the world's great problems - and solutions - through his eyes.If the "best and brightest" pick up this book we may have a chance in the 21st Century.It should be every parent's responsibility to read it and then give it to their children. If you are going to have the time to read only one book this year about the influences that are shaping and defining your future and the world your kids are going to inherit, this is it.This book is a crash course on the thinking, geopolitics, technology and global economics needed to survive the 21st Century.
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Subjects:  1. Future Studies    2. History - General History    3. History - U.S.    4. Philosophy & Social Aspects    5. Social Forecasting    6. Social History    7. Social Science    8. Social aspects    9. Sociology    10. Technological Forecasting    11. Technology    12. Technology and civilization    13. United States - 21st Century    14. Social Science / Future Studies   

Reviews (8)

Unequivically biased
Unfortunately I bought this book hoping that it would uncover more historical data and the actual works of Veronica Franco translated by a scholar in the field.
A difficult tome
After seeing "Dangerous Beauty" I became curious about the distinctive life style of Renaissance Venice, and hoped to learn a lot more.This book was just a bit too dry and scholarly for casual reading.A great deal of space is used for both the Italian and English translations, which must be interesting to some readers.Although Veronica comes across as intelligent, determined and brave, I would have wished to know more about her and her society in terms of food, clothing, houses, daily activities, etc.Perhaps not enough is known about Veronica herself, but I would hope that a gifted author somewhere could make her story into a novel and breathe some warmth and life into her legend.

5 star history; 2 star read
This book is a must read if you're interested in 16th century Venice, Veronica Franco, or the world of the famous Venetian courtesans. It's also an EXTREMELY dry read. The book is quite obviously a doctoral dissertation, and could have used an edit to made it more accessible (something more along the lines of Stephen Ozment's books). I'm glad I read it. I tracked it down because I wanted to see just how accurate the movie Dangerous Beauty--which is LOOSELY based on this book--was. The answer is: Not very. Oh well. For those of a scholarly bent, this is a great resource book, for those looking for a light, romantic read (a la the movie) look elsewhere. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1546-1591    2. 16th century    3. Authors, Italian    4. Biography    5. Courtesans    6. Franco, Veronica,    7. General    8. History - General History    9. History: World    10. Intellectual life    11. Italy    12. Social Science    13. Sociology    14. Venice (Italy)    15. Women's Studies - General    16. Women's Studies - History    17. Biography: historical    18. Biography: political    19. European history: c 1500 to c 1750    20. Social Science / Women's Studies    21. Social history    22. Women's studies   

Reviews (7)

A new classic
Thousands of books are published every year. For some subjects like the American Civil War, it's been speculated that there's a new book every minute.Few, however, are ever accorded the status of classic.Classic are those timeless literary works that are as relevant today as the day it was written.They continue to be read long after the original author is gone.Classics set the watermark by which newer works are judged.For the American Revolution, students and scholars alike have long acknowledged that Mark Boatner's Encyclopedia of the American Revolution is one of those classics.