Reviews (9)

A few nuggets
First things first. The book is mis-titled. This is not a book of the greatest eulogies of our time. Rather it is a book of eulogies about "great" people.
Sixty four choice examples of eloquent eulogies
I am not inclined to agree with the sub-title of "Farewell, Godspeed" that these are indeed "The Greatest Eulogies of Our Time," simply because I think there are so many eloquent farewells given to loved ones who have passed away that never see the light of day.But that hardly detracts from the point of Cyrus M. Copeland's collection, which serves as a potent reminder of a neglected art form by providing sixty four examples from the past century.
Bedtime Reading
You'll read this book slowly.If you want to savor each of the imaginative, evocative portraits of 20th century legends.As with a batch of homemade chocolate cookies, better to consume just a few each night with a warm glass of milk.And then fall asleep and dream of what you want to become.The inspiration is ineluctable. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Eulogies    2. General Biographical Works    3. History    4. Letters    5. Literature - Classics / Criticism    6. Reference    7. Speeches    8. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Reference    6. Collections & anthologies of various literary forms    7. History / General    8. World history   

Subjects:  1. Encyclopedias    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: American    5. Reference    6. United States    7. United States - General    8. American history    9. Reference / General    10. USA   

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - General History    3. History - U.S.    4. History: American    5. Reference    6. United States    7. United States - General    8. American history    9. History / General    10. USA   

Reviews (10)

A Wickedly Funny Debunking
So you think Catherine the Great was Russian, do you?Then you are a prime candidate for R. Shenkman's acid-tongued revelation of little known or seldom recognized historical fact.If there is a basic misapprehension, Shenkman is on it--much to the annoyance of those who thought they knew Cleopatra was Egyptian, the Gospels are consistent, and the Scots have always worn kilts.
A good compliment to the "Myth America" TV series.
As with most TV series you get statements with out support. So I tracked down the Richard Shenkiman book to get some background to the statements about American myths. I was not disappointed. It is as if he was reading this book on the TV with more graphic representations for the different media.
Terrible, terrible, terrible
As a professional historian I was appalled by this book. I have a pretty generous sense of humor, but Shenkman's weak attempts at debunking popular conceptions and his "breezy" wit were too much. He propogates just as much bad history as he purports to correct, oversimplifying such complex subjects as Alexander's conquests and the fall of Rome, and his section on Judaism could easily be called anti-Semitic. It should come as no surprise that he skips over relgions that it's not okay to ridicule--only Jews and Christians are the butt of jokes, here. As another reviewer said, Shenkman seems to like hearing himself talk--so true. His narrative style reminds of me those self-important people you hear dominating restaurant conversation so often.
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Subjects:  1. Errors, inventions, etc    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Humor    6. Miscellanea    7. Reference    8. World - General    9. History / General   

Reviews (8)

Unreadable
A few years ago, I was assigned to read this book for a course in my MA War Studies programme at King's College London.
A Powerful System for Using Historical Examples
For years, Richard Neustadt and Ernest May taught a course in Decision Making at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. It must have been one heck of a course.
An indispensable aid for decision makers.
As an avid reader of history, I've long struggled with putting my learning to use in day-to-day situations, whether that be in evaluating critical business decisions or in helping me better observe and understand the world around me.On the one hand, there is the familiar aphorism attributed to George Santayana that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.But, on the other hand, each situation is truly unique, and the use of historical analogies is clearly fraught with pitfalls."Thinking in Time" addresses this conundrum and provides a sound basis for using historical knowledge intelligently and responsibly.Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business/Economics    3. Case studies    4. Decision making    5. Decision-making    6. General    7. Historical models    8. History & Theory - General    9. History - General History    10. Public Affairs & Administration    11. Business & Economics / General    12. History: theory & methods   

Reviews (1)

THE definitive work on Roman military equipment
I have both the first and the current editions of this utterly invaluable book.It is undoubtedly the best and most detailed discussion of Roman military equipment available and it is a "must read" for anyone interested in the subject, be he or she an historian, re-enactor, artist or whatever.I would give this book six stars, but there are only five available. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Archaeology    2. Archaeology / Anthropology    3. History    4. History: World    5. Reference    6. Ancient Rome    7. Classical Greek & Roman archaeology    8. Weapons & equipment   

Reviews (4)

Hard Going
The thought in this book is profound and enlightening, the style and language are clear enough, but I found it unbearably hard going to get through it.

Creative Platonist's Perspective on History and Civilization
There are four parts to this text:"Sociological," "Cosmological," "Philosophical," and "Civilization."The first part is a history of how ideas, especially moral ideas, have influenced the progress of civilization.Whitehead is by training mathematician and by nature a philosopher, not a historian.As a consequence, he covers a great deal of historical ground at a high level of generality which, in Whitehead's case, I consider a virtue.He has a beautiful, long-term perspective; his account of the transition from a world in which slavery was taken for granted to one in which it is no longer legitimate, and the role that the ideas of Platonism and Christianity played in that 2500 year transition, makes me quite optimistic about the long-term possibility of humane progress in the world. The Ideas Are Still Adventurous
Whitehead was the foremost twentieth-century advocate of Process Philosophy--he called it "The Philosophy of Organism"--the conviction that reality is composed of processes rather than of substances or matter.Read more

Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. Cosmology    3. General    4. History    5. History & Surveys - Modern    6. Philosophy    7. Sociology    8. History: theory & methods    9. Philosophy / General   

Reviews (13)

Inhuman History (In Spanish)
En Thousand Years of Non-Linear History, podemos diferenciar tres aspectos para tratar la historia:
A Thousand Re-Readings
Just re-read this for the third time straight through (I've dipped in and out many other times). This is indispensable work. The sections on the growth of cities, creoles and the history of language, and the Body Without Organs still dazzle me.

Gibberish
The author is trying to communicate with us, but Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Geology    3. Historiography    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History Of Science    7. Nonlinear theories    8. Philosophy    9. Philosophy & Social Aspects    10. Philosophy Of Science    11. Science    12. Science/Mathematics    13. World - General    14. History / General    15. History: theory & methods    16. Western philosophy    17. World history   

Reviews (1)

Gifted scientist, explorer, popularizer all in one
I have known and admired Bob Ballard since his early years at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution - and for good reason.Too many professional ocean scientists tut tut Ballard as ashowman (the same was done more cuttingly to Capt. Jacques Yves Cousteau by French scientists). But Ballard's scientific achievements alone put him among the scientific elite had he never taken a step as a popularizer. Thank God he left the ivory tower and used his incredible gifts to utilize and innovate with ocean technology. Without him finding the Titanic, Bismarck, and PT 109 would have been unlikely for reasons of both cost and extreme logistic difficulty. Read more

Subjects:  1. Chronology    2. Chronology, Historical    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Reference    7. World - General    8. History / General    9. Science / Oceanography    10. World history   

Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History - Military / War    5. History: World    6. Military - Iraq War    7. Military - United States    8. Reference    9. 21st century    10. ASIA    11. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    12. Warfare & Defence   

Editorial Review

Kenneth Davis, popular purveyor of stuff you should know but never learned, turns his research engine to the land of Job and Jesus. Ever wonder who wrote the Bible, what the difference is between a disciple and an apostle, or how the Dead Sea Scrolls measure up? Davis tackles the entire Bible, book by book, from Genesis to Revelation, offering succinct capsules of the action and backgrounders that are as entertaining as the tabloids--except that Davis's information is reliable. On every page, you can see the immense amount of research he has put into this work, drawing on the most up-to-date scholarship and presenting it in fresh, easy-to-swallow doses. Chronologies at various points put historical events into perspective. The high point of Read more

Reviews (124)

Davis does not tell the whole story
The following is a review of Kenneth G. Davis' book Don't Know Much about the Bible.Davis is not a theologian, but a researcher and popular author.His work, therefore, proposes nothing original, but rather encapsulates the essence of contemporary liberal theology.
Amen!
This is a great book.I always wondered how so many people can preach to the world that the bible is the ABSOLUTE word of God.And that every word is true.There are so many obvious contradictions in the bible that any logical mind can see that there is no possible way you can look on it as "fact."The simple point that Jesus' lineage is different depending on which book you're reading, or the order in which god created man and animals, also varies in the two creations, would be enough for any newspaper editor to suggest that his reporter "get his facts straight" and submit a re-write.
Reconcile religion, science and history, with this book
This is a great book.I have never been a bible scholar and I consider myself a moderate Christian.I bought this book because I was uncomfortable with the emphasis on what I term radical Christianity.Don't Know Much . . . can be read cover to cover as a great, plain-spoken history book.It can also be used as a reference for Bible research.I have done both. It is a completely enjoyable read and I am grateful to have more facts, which have helped me reconcile my personal beliefs about Christianity and also science and history. The writer's style is so completely comfortable that I plan to purchase another Don't Know Much . . . book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible    2. Bible - General    3. Bible - Reference - General    4. Introductions    5. Reference    6. Religion    7. Religion - Commentaries / Reference    8. Study and teaching    9. Biblical studies, criticism & exegesis    10. Religion / Bible / General   

Reviews (133)

War without end...
Mrs. Tuchman's best known work is a wonderful study that reads like a novel. Her skills as a communicator and depth of knowledge and analysis on her subject are always keystones to her work. There are other fine books on the first world war but if you want the best and most thorough overview, you will want this one.Not only does Mrs. Tuchman cover aspects of how it began and progressed but also the general malaise that followed and continued to this very day.Nothing explains the modern world without the context of the first great war that forever changed it at the turn of the 20th century. In the end, you realize that the war solved nothing and the problems on which it was based were only irritated and not eliminated - leading to more war ever since.This is the book that I first came to appreciate Mrs. Tuchman's work and will remain one of my favorites.

Pure Propaganda
This book is little more than recycled propaganda from about 1915.But it is viciously anti-German and that is enough to make it a "classic".Truly one of the great hate books of all time.Germanophobia sells,always has and probably always will.Something for you aspiring historians to keep in mind.
DON'T READ!!! HORRIBLE BOOK!!!!!!!
The people on this review are crazy. This book is one of the worst books I have ever read. It was ridiculously stupid, and I hated it. It was assigned to me by my AP European History teacher for summer work, but I despised it. I tend to like books teachers require you to read, like the other book she required--All Quiet on the Western Front. I absolutely loved it.
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Subjects:  1. Campaigns    2. History    3. History - Military / War    4. Military    5. Military - World War I    6. Modern - 20th Century    7. Reference    8. Western Front    9. World War, 1914-1918    10. History / Military / World War I   

Reviews (12)

this is no "idiot's" guide
.... in fact, it's scholarship worthy of the college syllabus, while at the same time a real page turner!You learn about a lot more than pirates here.The "guide" is more of a lens into world history.You won't be able to put it down.

"Idiots Delight"
From Angus Konstam to Richard Zacks, I've read a lot of books on this subject, but Ms. Selinger's concise yet comprehensive overview of the history of Piracy consistently enriched and enlarged My store of knowledge.I would highly recommend this book to all readers, and especially as an introduction to the
Set sail for a fun, and informative read.
This book is fabulous. It's very interesting as well as wonderfully enjoyable. Ms.Selinger tells us a wealth of fasinating information about these seafaring rogues.At the same time, the book gives us an understanding about Pirates in world history, and popular culture.I highly recommend it. So come aboard, me hearty's!You'll love this voyage. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. History - General History    3. Naval Operations    4. Ships & Shipbuilding - General    5. Transportation    6. Water Transportation    7. History / Reference   

Reviews (3)

Wonderful Reference Book
National Geographic Almanac of World History is a wonderful resource. The Chronological Chapters, Maps, Time-lines and Introductory Threads are easy to use. A very nice addition to add to your library.

I Rate and Compare World History Atlas Books
As a reader I like to have quick reference books at my finger tips including a new version of the Oxford English Dictionary about 3500 pages long - that I use almost daily. So I decided to add a "history atlas". In the process of doing my research I read the other amazon.com reviewers and then made three trips to two large book stores to actually look at the books and get a better feel for which was the best. I ended up buying the Oxford Atlas of World History. Here are my picks and rankings.
world history
Ex