Reviews (10)

Good summary of the decipherment story
I really liked this book as an outline of the method used to decipher the Linear B script found at Crete and a few locations on mainland Greece.The author is very well qualified to comment on the decipherment given that he was a key collaborator with Michael Ventris.I found the level of detail to be just right to show the outstanding scholarship achieved by Ventris who was a professional architect, not a Greek Classics college professor; but not so much detail as to detract from the readability of the story.
AEurekamoment
Michael Ventris was an architect whose knack for languages, both oral training and excellent visual memory, provided the foundation for his avocation, decoding the Cretan script.Archaeology of the pre-hellinic age supplied the material.Among many scholars in Athens in the 1890's to see the Schliemann treasures was Arthur Evans.Based on evidence of the wealth of the civilization, Evans was led to search for prehistoric writing.In excavation at Knossos, Crete he found that the civilization was in his estimation incomparably older than that of Greece.
Good book
I enjoyed this book very much.I recommend this book as well as the other book on the decipherment of linear b.It's an amazing story. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient Languages - Classical Greek    2. Bible - Language Studies    3. Classical Archaeology    4. General    5. History    6. History: World    7. Inscriptions, Linear B    8. Paleography    9. Reference    10. Religion - Biblical Studies - Language    11. Ventris, Michael    12. Ancient (Classical) Greek    13. Ancient Greece    14. Classical Greek & Roman archaeology    15. Language & Linguistics    16. Language Arts & Disciplines / General   

Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Reference    6. History / General   

Reviews (3)

Wonderful and Efficiant
This book was exactly as described and so much more. It is well written, well organized, and does a great job keeping readers intrested. It is so wonderful and efficiant to count on products such as this.

Useful if limited; we need more like it
Used this in an undergraduate class at a good liberal arts school.Many students found the workbook exercises simplistic.I like it, though, because it illustrates practical history skills using real historical examples.I am aware of no other book that does this.I particularly like the emphasis on the research process (lots of emphasis on looping back between research and writing), and analytical skills (where making categories looms large).My recommendation is to use the chapters loosely, adapting them to your own needs.When I use it again, I will use the material provided as the basis for more substantive short writing assignments.

Adaptable to all student levels
I've used this book for years now for both undergraduates and graduates, with great success.The new 2000 edition is even better (except for a too-brief section on films as historical sources.) The updating with regard to libraries is especially good, and the section on statistics is appropriately demanding. The essay assignment based upon the Missouri Fur Trade readily uncovers problems and personal bias in students' work. Though written for undergrads, this guide is excellent for new grad students as a way of identifying weaknesses and building consistent skills. I require graduate students to probe more deeply in responding to the exercises, and they all agree it is a great workbook, even though it seems too basic to them at first glance! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Examinations, questions, etc    2. Historiography    3. History    4. History (General)    5. History - General History    6. History: American    7. Methodology    8. Study & Teaching    9. Teaching Methods & Materials - Arts & Humanities    10. History: theory & methods   

Subjects:  1. Collective memory    2. Historiography    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. Holocaust    6. Military    7. Military - World War II    8. Narration (Rhetoric)    9. World War, 1939-1945    10. Cognition & cognitive psychology    11. Europe    12. European history: Second World War    13. History / Military / World War II    14. History: theory & methods    15. Second World War, 1939-1945   

Reviews (1)

Helpful Reference Book About World History
I used this book not only for 6th graders who are studying world history but with 9th and 10 th graders too.It is easy to understand and a great resource for students who have trouble comprehending their textbooks.It is user friendly and fun to read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History - General History    2. Reference   

Reviews (5)

Invaluable reference in a compact format
This is one of the best histroical atlas available, given its compact size for quick desktop reference. Despite the small size, the maps and diagrams are carefully prepared to convey a lot of relevant information. Together with the text, this provides both an outline (in choronlogical order) as well as quite a lot of details on what has happened around the world. Very impressed, since I bought an earlier edition 17 years ago.
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.
Useful information in a compromised package
Note the small size of this atlas (7"x4.5"), and you'll understand the low cost.Therein lie many compromises.This atlas does continue a lot of useful information, but it often fails as a self-contained atlas.The biggest problem is the maps themselves, which are quite "pixilated"; not sure if that's because of the way they were drawn, or something to do with the printing process.But the final effect is one that makes many of the maps difficult to use; I kept having to pull out a larger map or atlas to understand where it was that I was looking at on the Penguin map.I found the complete loss of artistic quality more troublesome than the actual loss in content.I learned using this atlas, but did not enjoy the experience.
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Subjects:  1. Atlases    2. Atlases - General    3. Atlases - Historical    4. Historical Atlases    5. Reference    6. World - General    7. Historical geography    8. Reference / Atlases    9. World history   

Subjects:  1. Epistemology    2. History & Surveys - General    3. History - General History    4. Modern - 20th Century    5. Philosophy    6. Epistemology, theory of knowledge    7. History, Other | Intellectual History    8. History: theory & methods    9. Philosophy / History, Criticism, Surveys    10. Western philosophy, from c 1900 -   

Reviews (8)

Good for references but not really a manual!!
When I saw the cover of this book at Amazon.com I expected something like a step-by-step self-defense manual especially written for military personnel. Unfortunately the cover page is misleading.
A good contribution to the field of self defense
To give you a quick and concrete idea of what is contained in this book, here is an example.
Very good for the very basic.
This is a very good book for a beginner who wants to learn the basic concepts of effective unarmed combat. These basic concepts are taught to special forces of many of the world's militant forces, so it is an excellent starter book for someone wanting to train in REAL and EFFECTIVE self defense. By reading this book, a begginer will efficently expose him/herself to defense tactics which can be used in real life self defense, and it may also helpthe reader select a martial art that can be applied to real life. I'm not trying to say that many of the martial arts out there are ineffective in real life situations, but the concepts covered in this book are used by militant forces that must use these techniques in order to survive, so they MUST be effective.
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Subjects:  1. History - Military / War    2. Military    3. Military - Strategy    4. Military Science    5. Personal & Practical Guides    6. Reference    7. Reference / Personal & Practical Guides   

Editorial Review

Finally, someone who tells history like it was, without the old textbook gloss that's put so many students into premature naptime and misinformed the few who stayed awake. Davis corrects the myths and misconceptions from Columbus up through the Clinton administration, and shows that truth is more entertaining than propaganda. ... Read more

Reviews (129)

Misses many points
Yes, there is a disconnect between what is taught what is real sometimes, although I had a problem with this book being a bit too persuading. Personally, I think exposing students to the founding documents as early as possible is critical.A better choice for students might be "The Elementary Common Sense of Thomas Paine: the famous pamphlet, Common Sense, adapted and illustrated for all readers." Reading the founding documents first can be a good first step to avoiding misconceptions in American History later.

Great Marxist parody of US History
This was absolutely the funniest parody I have ever read. The eager repetition of "The Supremem Court interpreted the 14th Amendment to give civil rights to Corporations" as the SINGLE WORST argument to ever come forth from that body was one of the funniest lietmotif's in this hysterical parody of US History told from the standpoint of an over-the-top Marxist. Worse than cowboys were BUSINESSMEN!! Eugene Debs and WEB Dubois were the ONLY white americans who were not evil!
Too Politically Correct
I'm glad to see I'm not the only one to notice the anti-White preaching in this book. Not what I expected at all because this is how History is taught today and this is supposed to be an answer to that. I was expecting to learn a lot more - most of the things mentioned I already knew. I graduated from high school in '89 and then got a Bachelor's degree from a state college that wasn't in History. Perhaps this book would be useful to those who have less education. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - General History    3. History: American    4. Miscellanea    5. Questions and answers    6. Reference    7. United States    8. United States - General    9. World - General   

Reviews (2)

Why this book sucks....
This book is horribly written, poorly constructed, and really fails to argue a cohesive point.It bounces around from anecdote to story, and if anything, proves the use of history, and condemns heritage. Heritage and History-Friends or Foes?
Historian David Lowenthal, author of The Heritage Crusade and Spoils of History, has managed to provide both an engrossing account on the relationship between history and heritage and an entertaining piece ofliterary work. The book comprises of 10 chapters, each one dealing with theevolution that heritage has experienced aswell as the contribution it makesto our lives. After reading this book one comes away with a greaterunderstanding and appreciation for our own inherited events and objects.His use of very relevant and at the same time very interesting examples,ranging from Greek mythology to America's Disney World, allows readers tobring to life the whole concept of heritage and history. I have to admitthat prior to reading this book I had the naieve notion (though commonone)that heritageequated to history. However Lowenthal was able to dispelthis belief by providing vivid accounts on why these two elements are sodifferent yet inextricably intertwined. This he does by highlighting thedifferences in the approach of biasness by both heritage and history andalso the quest for truth and objectivity.Ultimately Lowenthal shows howboth history and heritage work in contemporary society and how theycompliment each other. His humour, knowledge on the subject and his styleof writing makes this book trully a must read for all historians andpotential historians too, infact anyone interested on the topic. EnjoyReading! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - General    2. Historiography    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Philosophy    7. Philosophy Of History    8. Reference    9. Europe    10. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    11. History / Europe / General    12. History--Philosophy    13. USA   

Subjects:  1. Atlases - General    2. Atlases - Historical    3. Historical Atlases    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Medieval    8. Medieval World History (Circa 450 - Circa 1450)    9. Reference    10. History / Medieval    11. World history: c 500 to C 1500   

Reviews (1)

Scholarly But Not Stodgy
The title and format (small print, footnotes on every page) of this delightful little book have probably scared away the general reader.That is regretable, for although it is slightly dense (a few too many unfamiliar proper nouns for extreme ease of reading), the book is quite accessible.With a prologue, ten chapters, an epilogue, and an index in just over 300 pages, the individual chapters are relatively brief and crisp.The organizational scheme (focusing 8 of the chapters on particular Indian communities from Maine to Florida) creates a subtle and complex portrait of Native Americans during the Revolutionary Era.Both diversity (of these communities and of their responses to the Revolution) and commonality (of the challenges they faced during the late 18th century) are addressed.Economic factors such as trade & technology, political factors including international relations, and cultural factors including religion & social changes are examined along with tales of many interesting individuals.Not perhaps a book for everyone, but certainly a book for more than just academic readers.... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - U.S.    3. History: American    4. Native American    5. Reference    6. United States - Revolutionary War    7. American history    8. History / Native American    9. History of specific racial & ethnic groups    10. Indians of North America--History--Revolution, 1775-1783    11. USA   

Reviews (1)

Excellent contributon to relation of narrative to history
Clear, wide ranging,synthetic, erudite, but never pedantic. A great read. A lucid mind. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Phenomenology    3. Philosophy    4. History: theory & methods    5. Phenomenology & Existentialism   

Reviews (28)

great read
I wish Will Cuppy had written 100 books. His view on Humanity is hilarious. What he wrote years ago is still true today and he said it in fewer words!
the funniest history book ever written
I must have read this book twenty times at least, and I never get tired of it.Every time it seems just as funny, as Will Cuppy tells us about the lives of historical characters, from Cheops ( or khufu) through to Catherine the Great, taking in such diverse characters as Cleopatra, Attila the hun, Lady Godiva, henry the eight, John Smith, and miles Standish. His wonderful dry comments are hilarious, as on Charlemagne who was born in the dark ages when people were not very bright.They have been getting brighter and brighter ever since, until finally the are like they are now'Or on the American revolution , started because the colonists had to pay takes to which their consent had not been asked ' today we pay taxesbut our consent has been asked, and we have told the government to go ahead and tax us all they want to.We like it'This is a sublime book, the one I'd take with me to a desert island if i had to choose only one.

man, will cuppy...
is amazing.Read more

Subjects:  1. American Satire And Humor    2. Anecdotes, facetiae, satire, e    3. Anecdotes, facetiae, satire, etc    4. Form - Parodies    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: American    8. Humor    9. Reference    10. World history    11. English    12. Humour    13. USA   

Reviews (9)

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.
Not comprehensive, but a beautiful overview
DK makes gorgeous books, and this is no exception. Other books are more comprehensive, but there's a different reason for adding this one to your collection. It has an embarrassing wealth of visuals, the timelines let you see what was happening simultaneously in different parts of the world, and the concordance provides a quick look-up for any topic (person, place, thing, concept). In the concordance, China, for example, has a brief geographic & political overview, a chronology (all in one place rather than spaced throughout time as in the first section), and lists of rulers. Page references are given to lead the reader to additional information.
An outstanding and very highly recommended presentation
John Teeple's Timelines Of World History packs a cross-cultural journey through human history in a timeline format which excels in color photos and drawings. High school through adult readers will find Timelines Of World History to be a delightfully easy way to absorb world history, as the colorful timelines offer the opportunity to easily compare cultural developments around the world at different points in time. An outstanding and very highly recommended presentation. ... Read more

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

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Handbooks, manuals, etc    3. History    4. History: American    5. Reference    6. Sociology    7. United States    8. United States - General    9. Women    10. Women In The U.S.    11. Women's Studies - General    12. Bibliographies, catalogues, discographies    13. Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural    14. Social history    15. USA    16. Women's Studies   

Reviews (5)

Troiani's artwork puts you in the middle of the action
His stunning artwork has long been respected, but this work is an invaluable resource for reenactors and students of the period. Highly recommend!

This book is a terrific time-sink!
Because I'm a working historian with a strong interest in material culture and artifacts, combined with a tourist's interest in Civil War battlefields, I've long been a fan of Troiani's amazingly detailed, extremely accurate, almost photographic art. This gorgeous volume combines large-scale reproductions of 130 of his paintings with some 250 color photos of surviving uniforms and equipment from museums and collections around the country (including Troiani's own). After a couple hours of page-turning, I went back and spent much more time studying the depictions of units of special interest to me, such as the Washington Artillery of New Orleans and Terry's Texas Rangers. The variety in uniforms and insignia is staggering, especially compared to the "uniformity" of modern military uniforms. As usual, he includes extensive technical notes and specs, as well as an annotated guide to artifact collections. It's not a cheap book, but it's worth every penny.

Finest military artist ever.
Let me start off by saying that I am not a fan of the Civil War. I do not regulary buy books dealing with it.My primary interest is in the Napoleonic period and I have numerous books on this subject. My prime area of interest are Napoleonic uniforms. However, Don Troiani is such a fine and skillful artist that I have bought his books soley because the fine work he does in portraying the soldiers of the Civil War era.Regiments and Uniforms of the Civil War is a supurb work showing the detail and grit of the average soldier in that horrific conflict.There are dozens of paintings or maybe better described as portraits of individual soldierscovering the numerous regiments that took part in the conflict including infantry, cavalry and artillery. Also included in this book are a number of reproductions of his battle paintings which are also the best military paintings I have ever seen.Over the past 20 years I have bought hundreds of history books but only 5 on the Civil War and four of them I bought were simply for the Don Troiani reproductions.He is in my opinion the greatest military artist. Seeing his work makes me jealous for Civil War buffs and I wish that Troiani would paint uniforms of the Napoleonic era.No Napoleonic artist comes close to the detail, accuracy and skill that Mr. Troiani displays in his work.If you are into uniforms or military art of any period then buy this book.You do not have to be a Civil War buff to enjoy the great artwok of Don Troiani. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. Army    3. Civil War, 1861-1865    4. Confederate States of America    5. History    6. History - Military / War    7. History: American    8. Military - Uniforms    9. Pictorial works    10. Reference    11. Soldiers    12. Uniforms    13. United States    14. United States - Civil War    15. United States.    16. USA    17. Uniforms & insignia   

Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. Encyclopedias    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Reference    7. Social History    8. World - General    9. World history    10. Reference works   

Reviews (6)

The Everything Civil War Book
This is the greatest civil war paperback that I have ever read. It is printed in very readable type size and has some illustrations. The book is also nicely sized. It is an enormous treasure of civil war information. One can quickly read this book and it is so well chaptered, it can be referenced quickly for specific data. I highly recommend it.

Everything Series
The Everything series is a great way to explore a subject in a condensed version. The Civil War and World War 2 editions are a fantastic source of information and an interesting read.

great book of the basics
While I own many Civil War books, I found this to be a fun read.It covers all the basics and goes over the key events in such a way as to keep the readers attention.Get recap for Civil War buffs ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Civil War, 1861-1865    2. History    3. History - U.S.    4. History: American    5. Reference    6. United States    7. United States - Civil War    8. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    9. North America    10. USA    11. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (15)

Good Introduction to the Bank
Michael Goldman's Imperial Nature is a wonderful introduction to the methods, practices and history of the World Bank.It is well written and very easy to read and comprehend.It is arranged logically and most questions that a reader with little prior knowledge of the bank would have are answered early on.The book uses both general history and contemporary examples to explore the evolution of the bank's purpose and methodology.However Goldman tends to make generalizations without expounding on examples he casually mentions, or after providing only one detailed example.
Solid framework of World Bank
Michael Goldman's Imperial Nature provides a concrete basis for the understanding of the World Bank's infrastructure and policies.Not only does Goldman explain how the World Bank functions, but he gives specific examples of projects from around the world such as the Nam Theun 2 dam in Laos.Goldman attempts to explain how the bank achieves its powerful status and remains a dominant structure worldwide.A passage reads, "From this perspective, the World Bank functions by borrowing capital from a global bond market (that it helped to create), lending it to governments that are deemed in need, and then requiring these governments to spend a substantial percentage of these loans to procure goods and services from firms of the Big Five creditor countries" (Goldman 155).Previously unaware of the World Bank's actual workings, passages like these opened our eyes to a somewhat startling power relationship the World Bank attains with underdeveloped nations.Although the World Bank is portrayed as a dominant "bully" in a way, they are a money lending institution similar to other businesses around the globe.
A Different Angle
Imperial Nature by Michael Goldman provides a good source of information about the World Bank. This book doesn't require the reader to have prior knowledge about the World Bank and it is not overwhelming in terms of how much information is presented. It presents the history of the Bank and allows the reader to understand its structure and functions. Goldman's goal was to show the negative aspects of the World Bank's influence in the world. He is a valid candidate to write about this subject because he made observations from within the World Bank headquarters. Goldman gave both views of the development projects by presenting interviews with World Bank officials and the people in developing countries. He presented the reader objective information but it made us more skeptical of the institution and its motives.
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Subjects:  1. Banks & Banking    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Economic History    4. Globalization    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. International - Economics    9. Reference    10. World - General    11. History / General    12. International economics