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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Civilization    3. Europe - Great Britain - General    4. Great Britain    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Military - World War I    10. Modern - 20th Century    11. Reference    12. World War, 1914-1918    13. British & Irish history: from c 1900 -    14. GREAT BRITAIN_CIVILIZATION    15. GREAT BRITAIN_HISTORY_20TH CENTURY    16. History / Great Britain    17. United Kingdom, Great Britain    18. WORLD WAR, 1914-1918_GREAT BRITAIN   

Reviews (2)

Fascinating material, but flawed writing style.
This book is quite enlightening in the history of the African slave trade.Contrary to what one might expect from the title and reviews, the author does not solely rely on oral stories from African elders.The stories that the author quotes, though, are always interesting.Especially, the Africans involvement with the slavery.
A hard-hitting alternative history
There has long been silence on the issue of slavery and the Atlantic Slave trade: author Anne Bailey experienced this silence growing up in Jamaica, and as an adult became determined to break this silence, first researching the topic, than interviewing chiefs and elders in Ghana. African Voices Of The Atlantic Slave Trade: Beyond The Silence And The Shame focuses on the Anlo Ewe community in Ghana to examine the impact of slavery and slave traders, showing how the trade became unpredictable and moved from the control of Africans to the control of outsiders. Oral narratives reveal why Africans began selling others into transatlantic slavery, providing a hard-hitting alternative history.
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Subjects:  1. Africa - West    2. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Reference    7. Slavery    8. United States History (General)    9. History / General   

Reviews (13)

Entertaining and Stimulating
Covering the human story from one hundred thousand years ago to modern times is a daunting task.The author succeeds in providing an entertaining and stimulating tour of the major world events in a somewhat informalbut engaging style.While the work would have benefited from tighter editing and more rigorous proofreading it still is a very good read.

Wonderful Overview of History
I slept through the one world history class that I was required to take in high school so this book was perfect for me.It is written in an entertaining, light-hearted fashion which kept my interest from beginning to end.It would be impossible to describe, in depth, 4000+ years of history, but this book does a great job in giving an overview of the major historical events that shaped our world today in a mere 450 pages.I highly recommend this book to those that are history-illiterate and want to understand how we arrived where we are.

Great overview for associating major timelines
I really enjoyed this book for one major reason - it really helped me put major historical events in context with the global timeline.
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Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Reference    7. World - General    8. World History    9. History / Civilization   

Reviews (1)

Not Bad Stuff...Easy Reading
What was it like to be a typical ancient Roman? Well, author Matz tells you in this gem. Whether by amusement or tidbit, Matz takes a different approach in writing this reference book. No confusing prose, text, etc. No confusing paradigms or models.. No confusing concept... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - Rome    2. Civilization    3. Europe - General    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Reference    8. Rome    9. Social life and customs    10. Ancient Rome    11. Cultural studies    12. European history: BCE to c 500 CE    13. History / Europe / General    14. Social history   

Reviews (6)

If your library can only afford one definitive guide on New York State, make it THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NEW YORK STATE
If your library can only afford one definitive guide on New York State, make it THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NEW YORK STATE, packing in nearly 2,000 pages of over 4,000 entries capturing the entire history of the state and its peoples. Extensive listings cover all aspects of history and culture, including population charts, listings of the arts, colleges, bus lines, events, architecture - virtually anything having to do with the state appears here. Yes, it's a very weighty title - but as a specialty reference acquisition it promises long-lasting interest and nothing on the market compares to its size and scope.
The Encyclopedia of New York State by Eisenstadt
This is an extensive compendium of New York State history going back at least 400 or more years. The volume describes the early political subdivisions; such as, Heenstede or Hempstead and
Whew!
There can be little about New York State that is not covered in some way in this book. The state would prbably not even exist without NYC but as this book clearly points out, it is so much more than just that city. Yes, the immigrants arrived in NYC, but then they traveled up the Hudson River and on westward over the Mohawk River into the wilderness called the Louisiana Purchase that would become the heartland of America and on to the silver fields of Colorado and gold mines of California. The sweep of history that occurred across the vastness that is "upstate NY" helps to explain how the United States became what it is today. And here too is all you could ever want to know about "America's largest island": Long Island, with its millionaire sanctuaries, stunning beaches, and cookie-cutter bedroom communities. And, incongruously, until very recently one of the most vibrant fishing and farming areas east of the Mississippi. What an amazing tale this book tells! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Encyclopedias    2. History - General History    3. History - U.S.    4. New York (State)    5. Reference    6. United States - State & Local - General    7. United States - State & Local - Middle Atlantic    8. American history    9. American studies    10. New York    11. Reference works   

Reviews (2)

A Research Tour de Force
This new volume from G. W. Bernard is truly a masterful compendium, beautifully researched and documented. Its topic is one that all too often is overshadowed by religious polemics and partial analysis.Bernard, however, falls prey to neither of these limitations as he plumbs the documentary evidence and previous research of others to offer intimate details of the issues revolving around Henry VIII, his spouses, his realm, and his "remaking of the English church."Carefully and methodically, the author moves through the issues involved, while offering fresh insight and the evidence to support his contentions.From personal letters of the monarch and official papers of state, he delves deeply into every available source to give as complete a picture of the time as humanly possible.If the English Reformation fascinates you, as it does me, you will find in this fine volume a treasure trove of information.For those looking for something lighter, or for an introductory volume, this probably is not the place to start.But as a reference or as a detailed study, I can imagine no better place to turn.To Bernard, I say "bravo"!

A Magisterial Work
At well over seven hundred pages (including a hundred of fine printed notes), G.W.Bernard's history of Henry VIII's reformation of the English Church is likely to be the gold standard on the topic for years to come. The prose is lucid and the author's mastery of his subject matter is beyond doubt. The reader should be warned that this is not a work for someone approaching the topic cold. You don't need a post graduate degree in Tudor studies to enjoy this book, but it assumes the reader is already familiar with the general history of the period. Some limitations I should note. Bernard says little about England as part of a European community. What I call the "Planet England" school of historiography is unfortunately unavoidable in most English language histories, and this is no exception. Also Bernard avoids the vast topic of how people in Tudor England viewed the world. On this subject I recommend E.M.W.Tillyard's "The Elizabethan World Picture." Nearly fifty years old and small enough to put in your pocket, it is still the best summary of this important matter. Law was essential to how these people thought, and Bernard is too cursory here,which removes a whole dimension. We see what was done but without a full understanding of why. Also the language has changed appreciably over the last 400 years. When quotes are given from Henry VIII's contemporaries, even Bernard tends to view them as if coming off the BBC News. People used language VERY carefully back then, with a richness and precision that has been sadly lost. Some effort might have been made to regain it. Caveat lector. But with these limitations in mind, this book is still essential for anyone seriously interested in why we live in the modern world and not under the rule of the Popes. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity - Anglicanism    2. Christianity - History - Protestant    3. England    4. Europe - Great Britain - General    5. General    6. Great Britain    7. Henry VIII, 1509-1547    8. History    9. History - General History    10. History: World    11. Reference    12. Reformation    13. Religion - Church History    14. British & Irish history: c 1500 to c 1700    15. British Isles    16. History / General   

Reviews (1)

Honest attempt, weak result
* * * Do NOT buy hardcover version! * * *Read more

Subjects:  1. Atlases - General    2. Atlases - Historical    3. Maps & Road Atlases    4. Politics/International Relations    5. Reference    6. Travel    7. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    8. Historical geography    9. Maps, charts & atlases    10. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    11. Reference / Maps    12. Southeast Europe   

Reviews (1)

Simply Outstanding
Kwinter's analysis is extraordinary. His method is fairly eclectic, however, as some would issue this as a detraction, he compensates by having a wonderful writing style and a copious amount of mastery of the concepts that he addresses. I have read several treatises on architecture from 'philosophers'(i.e., Foucault, the Sitiuationists, et al.), but what is novel here is a designer explaining the epistemological frame of reference in the edifice, or engendering from it. Furthermore, it is completely amazing to think of the ostensibly disparate entities of Futurist architecture, quantum mechanics and relativity and Kafka as all burgeoning within the same epochal stuctures. I did find it odd that the author did not address Lefevbre's space/time tomes and rhythmanalysis. Kwinter is worth reading, and I think this book will be written about for years to come. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. General    3. Metaphysics    4. Philosophy    5. Architecture / General    6. Epistemology, theory of knowledge    7. History: theory & methods    8. Theory of art    9. Western philosophy   

Editorial Review

In a collection of 30 articles, Read more

Reviews (8)

Provides great summaries of mysterious turning points in our past
Great, short book. Very fun reading. Aron provides both the traditionalist and revisionist viewpoints on mysteries discussed. It's refreshing because he's neither an in-your-face revisionist conspiracy theorist, nor a staunch traditionalist. At least, if he resides in one camp or the other, he provides unbiased essays on many unanswered questions throughout our history. The book really makes one want to dig into the evidence and explore the mysteries further. He discusses the Rosenberg trial, Kennedy's assasination, Lincoln's assasination, The conquest of the Aztecs, Norse Vinland, and many other interesting topics. Several references are provided at the end of each chapter, which help catapult further reading on particular topics of interest. Overall, this is a great, concise book.

Well-Balanced and Entertaining Analyses
In 30 chapters, the author poses 30 questions, one per chapter, pertaining to unsolved issues in American history. In each case, the available information is presented and analyzed. Radically different views are each given their due consideration. Then, the author finishes the chapter with his well-balanced conclusions about the most likely answer to the question initially posed. Each chapter is followed by a list of references, along with the author's comments on most of them. The book is well-written and in a very engaging style. All this, combined with the odd tongue-in-cheek choice of words in appropriate places, makes this book a most entertaining and informative read. I recommend it to anyone with a fascination for real-life mysteries.

Fact Or Fiction Is Hard to Prove in These Cases.
These are selected from the book as some of the mysteries which appealed to me the most:
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History - U.S.    3. History: American    4. Reference    5. United States - General    6. American history    7. History / United States / General    8. USA   

Reviews (4)

Remembering is a Form of Forgetting
In Censoring History: Citizenship and Memory in Japan, Germany, and the United States Laura Hein and Mark Selden provide a critical investigation of how Japan, Germany, and even the United States recognize, think about, and then articulate their role during times of war.Hein and Seldon place their work within a larger viewpoint and try to concentrate on two main issues: [1] the connection between citizens and the state, and [2] a nation's actions in wartime and its implications vis-�-vis other countries.Censoring History is "really" about what has been left out of the public space in the development or reification a national narrative.The focal point of Censoring History is the many manifestations of such censorship and how it seeps into particular national spaces of memory.Vis-�-vis the Japanese, Germany has made tremendous strides in terms of how it deals with its past.Reading Hein and Seldon one gets the impression that on a "self-reflexivity" scale of 1 to 10 Germany is perhaps an 8 while the Japanese gaze thorough a less critical lens situating themselves in about a 5 position and the United States perhaps at and about the 3 positions.Different angles of war and internal conflict not only create problems within a nation-state, but also increasingly affect the state of affairs between them.
Japanvisitor.com Review
The premise of this book is that "schools and textbooks are important vehicles through which contemporary societies transmit ideas of citizenship and both the idealized past and the promised future". The 10 chapters look at how World War II and the Vietnam War are represented in school history textbooks in the 3 countries. Almost 50 years after the end of the war, controversy over Japanese text books continues to rage, and this book is useful to put that into some sort of perspective. Of the 10 chapters, 6 deal with Japan, including a chapter with all the details of Saburo Ienaga's famous textbook lawsuits against the Japanese government, and a couple of chapters on joint history projects between Japan and Korea, and Japan and the U.S. The common conception is that Japan has not yet faced up to its wartime past, and while I agree, after reading this book my view has been somewhat softened. Compared with the U.S.A., Japan has done more to teach its young about the negative side of its wars. If you enjoyed reading Ian Buruma's Wages of Guilt, then you will enjoy this book.

Should be required for High School/College Hist teachers
This is the best collection of essays on the "uses" of history and construction of national "memories" that I have read. This should be required reading in every high school social studies/history teacher certification program, and should be read by all who want to enter the debate on standardized testing and prescriptive curriculum content. I have used selections of it in my college level Japanese history course, my college level world history courses, and recommend it to my colleagues and also to the many high school teachers with whom I work. It shares valuable lessons on the manipulation of history for nationalistic and/or militaristic purposes.It should also be read by educational, defense, and foreign policy-makers as well as journalists who often seem too quick to pass on widely held myths as truths. Alas, I am afraid that many in these positions are more comfortable with the myths. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Historiography    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History, Modern    6. History: World    7. Military - General    8. Modern - 20th Century    9. Study and teaching    10. Censorship    11. Germany    12. History: theory & methods    13. Japan    14. Nationalism    15. Political control & influence    16. USA   

Subjects:  1. Archaeology    2. Archaeology / Anthropology    3. Cities and towns, Ancient    4. Civilization, Ancient    5. Extinct cities    6. History    7. History: World    8. Reference    9. World   

Reviews (5)

"Western Experience" a good experience
This book covers everything I needed for my high school sophomore AP European History class. Though it is at a college freshman level, and I found the reading tedious sometimes because of the information, it is, all in all, no more and no less than the history scholar would need. The authors did a superb job of tying everything together and explaining not only the "when", but the "why" and the "how" of the events covered. No irrelevant information is presented; it is all important to the study of European History. Plus, there is a bibliography in the back of each chapter for further reading and information sources. There is a list of maps, an introduction, and an epilogue, all of which are helpful.
Western Experience truly brilliant
For any serious student of History, this book is a must have. It gives you the information in such a way, that it is both understandable, and easy to use. Not a book for beginners
I had to purchase this book for my guide to AP European History.Read more

Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. Civilization, Western    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Reference    7. World - General    8. Europe    9. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    10. History / Europe / General   

Reviews (1)

Alive in History
This ia a lightwieght book about a sometimes heavy wieght subject.It takes a novice at history and helps put it in a light that makes it relevant for study.This book would be very good for those who hate to study history.For those who already love history, it is a great example of looking at it in a different way.Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity    2. General    3. Historiography    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: American    7. Religious aspects    8. History: theory & methods    9. USA   

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - U.S.    3. History: World    4. Reference    5. Study & Teaching    6. United States - General    7. World history   

Reviews (6)

Presidents (even the worse ones) are Human Too
This book, written by Kenneth Walsh, author of Air Force One is every bit as interesting.It brings out the human side of the various holders of the office of the President of the United States.Unlike his previous book, this one goes all the way back to George Washington (who never flew on Air Force One).
A Camp David "veteran" reports
Having served at Camp David from 1975 to 1977 as the Commanding Officer of the Marine Security Company, I was extremely interested in what Mr. Walsh had to write about the official "Presidential Retreat"....I was reminded of the day when a much younger Richard Cheney (then Chief of Staff to President Ford) and his wife Lynn got stuck in heavy snow as they were driving to the camp in a VW Beetle...the Sgt. of the Guard and I went to their aid in a jeep and got then safely to Camp David!...President Carter loved playing softball and would occasionally form some of his Secret Service agents and pilots into a team and play the Marines...if I recall correctly, the Leathernecks usually managed to come out on top!...anyway, Mr. Walsh's research certainly paid off as he is right on target in describing the Naval Support Facility, Thurmont, Maryland....for someone interested in a combination of American history and presidential politics. this book is a must.

Interesting inside information
Everyone needs a place to "get away from it all." While presidents are never free from the responsibilities of their office, especially with modern technology, each president has a place to get away as much as possible, and this book tells us about them.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Dwellings    4. Historical - General    5. History    6. History - U.S.    7. History, Local    8. History: World    9. Homes and haunts    10. Miscellanea    11. Political History    12. Political Process - Leadership    13. Presidents    14. Reference    15. U.S. President    16. United States    17. United States - General    18. United States History (Specific Aspects)    19. History / United States / General   

Subjects:  1. African Americans    2. Blacks In The U.S.    3. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    4. Quotations    5. Reference    6. Social Science    7. Sociology   

Subjects:  1. General    2. Historiography    3. History    4. History & Surveys - General    5. History: World    6. Periodization    7. Philosophy    8. Terminology    9. History / General    10. History: theory & methods    11. Topics in philosophy   

Subjects:  1. Ancient - Greece    2. Ancient - Rome    3. General    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Reference    8. Research    9. History / General    10. Reference works    11. World history: BCE to c 500 CE   

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries    2. General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Kings and rulers    7. Monarchy    8. Reference    9. World history