Reviews (2)

Great look at the "White City"
A beautiful collection of images, showing the wonders of the 1893 fair. A great look back.

Fantasy City
One book leads to another. After reading The Devil in the White City, I wanted to see the Exposition described in the book. It definitely was an amazing sight to see and this book satisfied most of that curiosity. To go one better, I might look for a book that goes even further into that time in life. The city is every bit the accomplishment as described in the afore mentioned book. Where is the America of that artful integrity, that is, to do the best that can be accomplished? Gone to disposable products including much of architecture. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. (1893 :    2. Chicago, Ill.)    3. General    4. History - General History    5. History Of Architecture+    6. Modern - 19th Century    7. Photo Essays    8. Pictorial works    9. United States - General    10. World's Columbian Exposition    11. History / United States / General    12. Other public performances & spectacles    13. Photographs: collections   

Reviews (3)

Diplomacy and War like Chess
In this volume(and the 3 that will follow) Kagan sets out to write a military/diplomatic history of the Napoleonic period.The first 200 pages give an overview of how the war of the First Coalition came about. Then there are some 100 pages devoted to the french and allied war plans and the rest of the book covers the war itself.This is a work of explanation and interpretation and the focus is on the diplomats and generals who made the important decisions.There is no spotlight on the idiosyncracies of individuals perse ,but only if it is important to explain some decision taken by that person. Likewise the descriptions of battles are explanatory. There is no blood and guts. All in all it is a bit like a game of chess and the best explanatory book i have read about Napoleonic Europe. The author, in contrast to most other books about this time, devotes an equal amount of space to the French and the Allies and is evenhanded in the condemnation or praise he bestows on the belligerents.It is simply not true as an other reviewer has it that this is the old Napoleon as Ogre story all over again.Knowing the author's very rightleaning political views i indeed started reading this book with some trepidation, but was pleasantly suprised that Kagan did'nt let those views cloud his judgement.Repeatedly Kagan stresses that it was'nt Napoleon who wanted this war but Tsar Alexander. Of course you can take exception with the author's interpretation of motives and events but that applies to every thesis. At least Kagan does't parrot every other author and his analysis is based on thorough archival investigation. This is not a book for the novice but if you want to know the ins and outs of Napoleonic Europe, have an analytical bend and value clear and uncluttered prose this is the book for you. Highly recommended. Hats of for Frederick Kagan and counting down to the next volume.

The Myth of the Corsican Ogre...
This volume, while interesting in places, is neither brilliant nor monumental, except for its length.
An interesting thesis
According to Frederick Kagan it was the mistakes made by European nations and not Napoleon's brilliance that lead to France dominating Europe in the first decade of the nineteenth century. First according to Kagan distrust among Britain, Prussia, Austria, and Russia made them form an alliance too late, and in Prussia's case to opt out until the very last moment. Kagan is especially critical of Tsar Alexander I for alienating potential allies by his overly idealistic version of postwar Europe in which both Prussia and Austria would have diminished power in exchange for greater influence of the smaller states in Central Europe. Kagan is also critical of the Austrian leadership for putting too many soldiers in Italy instead of Germany and at General Mack for not retreating from his overextended forces from Ulm. Also Archduke Charles failed to move sufficient forces from Italy to help Mack in Germany. Kagan is especially harsh on Tsar Alexander I for overextending his forces in Italy, around Prussia, and the Balkans, while failing to concentrate them in southern Germany in order to cooperate better with the Austrians. Finally Tsar Alexander I ordered Kutuzov to on the offensive prematurely before the disasterous Austro-Russian defeat at Austerlitz. Although I strongly disagree with Frederick Kagan's personal politics, he does write excellent military history. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1769-1821    2. 1789-1815    3. 19th Century World History    4. Emperor of the French,    5. Europe - General    6. Europe - History    7. France    8. General    9. History    10. History - General History    11. History: World    12. Military - Napoleonic Wars    13. Napoleon    14. Napoleonic Wars, 1800-1815    15. Politics and government    16. Battles & campaigns    17. Biography: historical    18. European history: c 1750 to c 1900    19. c 1800 to c 1900   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (235)

Stunning Tale of Old Whaling Days
I just finished this last night...wow! The narration is lively and keeps the pace of the story while the author imparts a great deal of information that could have been dull but is not. The prose is so vivid that I could not eat while reading the passages about dismembering the whale; I could almost smell the burning oil and feel the slick decks. Amazing that men made a living this way! I can hardly wait to start Philbrick's MAYFLOWER.

The short reveiw
Here is all you need to know so as not to spoil the story:
Excellent Account and Audio Read
This review refers to "In The Heart Of The Sea" by Nathaniel Philbrick, Unabridged Audio edition, read by Scott Brick
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Subjects:  1. Essex (Whaleship)    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: American    5. Maritime History    6. Pacific Ocean    7. Ships & Shipbuilding - Shipwrecks    8. Shipwrecks    9. United States - 19th Century    10. History / Modern / 19th Century   

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. History: American    4. Military - United States    5. Modern - 19th Century    6. Railroads - History    7. United States - Civil War    8. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    9. Civil war    10. USA   

Reviews (15)

povocative and meticulously researched!
The strengths: Very provocative, aiming straight at conventional wisdom, be it euro-centric or world-system ones. Solid research behind the comparative study of Europe, China, and to a lesser extend, Japan. Pomeranz gives out hard evidence in life-expectacy, birth rates, market condition, ecological stress etc., hightlighting striking similarites between these socities in the 18th century.
Europe Got Lucky
Pomeranz advances the thesis that Europe's rise to world power (instead of a potentially similar but not historically realized rise by China, Japan, or India) was not caused by any internal social advantage possessed by western Europe-at least not principally caused.Pomeranz uses extensive research to demonstrate that western Europe, China, and Japan were not fundamentally different societies at the beginning of the modern era.The author maintains that Europe had the good fortune of having the land and mineral resources of the New World available at the right time, along with the conveniently-located coal resources of England; and it is this collection of fortuitous advantages that enabled Europe to propel itself into industrial revolution and world power.
nonsense
In "The Great Divergence", Kenneth Pomeranz presents an exhaustive investigation of the minutest differences and similarities in development of China and Western Europe. His claim, and stated objective, is to show that Europe's emergence as a preeminent power was the result of privileged access to overseas colonies, exploitation of non-Europeans, and a fortunate `geographic accident' of the location of coal in England. However, considering China's significant, and much earlier, developments in science, technology, and shipping, not to mention their huge deposits of coal, and its use some 600 years before the Europeans to make iron, it's difficult to understand Pomeranz's rationalization of those claims and ultimately the whole point of his book.
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Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. History    3. History: World    4. International - Economics    5. Modern - 19th Century    6. Asian and Asian American Studies    7. China    8. Development economics    9. East Asia, Far East    10. Economic history    11. Economics    12. Europe    13. European History    14. History / Modern / 19th Century    15. Political Science and International Relations    16. Postcolonial Studies    17. World History/Comparative History   

Subjects:  1. 1846-1916    2. 19th century    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Historical - U.S.    7. History    8. Islam    9. Islam - History    10. Modern - 19th Century    11. People of Color    12. Religious    13. United States    14. Webb, Alexander Russell,    15. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    16. History of religion    17. Religion & Theology | Islam    18. Religion / Islam / History    19. The Americas   

Subjects:  1. (1852-1854)    2. 1794-1858    3. 1819-1857    4. Abe, Masahiro,    5. Asia - Japan    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: American    9. Japan    10. Modern - 19th Century    11. Naval History (General)    12. Perry, Matthew Calbraith,    13. Travel    14. U.S. History - Antebellum Period (1840-1860)    15. United States - 19th Century    16. United States Naval Expedition to Japan    17. History / Modern / 19th Century   

Reviews (4)

James Billington's classic from our time
This is one of the great history books of our time.
INSIDERS' VIEW!
This is another MUST read for ALL AMERICANS or any serious minded student of history,professional or not.Mr.Billington,who I believe is still head of the Library of Congress(though he MAY have recently retired)was appointted,to that position by Reagan, explores the role secret societies have played in revolutionary movements since the time of the AMERICAN/FRENCH revolution to the RUSSIAN revolution.It MAY change your view on "How the World Really Works.I stole that lasy phrase from the late Mr.Wanniski-a conservative.

Salutari Illuminati
Noone has mentioned the cousin to this book which is Carrol Quigly's "Tragedy and Hope".Dr Quigly went to Harvard and taught at Georgetown where he, according to Clinton in his inaugual address, became the mentor to future president Bill Clinton.Please read my review of Quigly's work where I reveal a third book that is just as essential as Billingtons and Quiglys...and that throws a curve even at the most well read and learned! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    3. General    4. History    5. History: World    6. Intellectual History    7. Modern - 19th Century    8. Revolutionaries    9. Revolutions    10. Violence in Society    11. Europe    12. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    13. History / General    14. Revolutions & coups   

Reviews (5)

From a Soldier's Practiced Eye
Col. Snook provides an in depth view of the battle at Isandlwana largely from a British/European perspective and does it masterfully. I am adding my review to others on Amazon and will not belabor the points well made by other reviewers. If you are interested in the Zulu wars from a tactical perspective (thus from a soldier's perspective), THIS IS THE BOOK TO BUY. I know Donald Morris and respect his work, THE WASHING OF THE SPEARS. Donald is not perfect and he made mistakes in his account of the battle and his drum has been beaten by others in their accounts. Col. Snook sets things straight. I attribute this to Col. Snook's soldier's eye for terrain and logical battlefield progressions. Col. Snook was a soldier and Donald Morris was a member of the American Intelligence Community. It's telling in their writings. ---oh, just buy the book!

WOW!
This is everything a military history book should be. This fantastic book, written by a serving British officer, Lt. Col. Mike Snook, tells the story of the battle of Islandlwana. Col. Snook calls on a plethora of sources, including his own training and experience, to tell the story of the opening battle in the Zulu war where the British lost 1200 men in an utter defeat.
Solid analysis from a military professional
Lt. Col. Mike Snook's account of Isandlwana stands as a solidly researched, solidly written reconstruction of one of the most famous battles of the Victorian British Army."The Secrets of Isaldlwana Revealed" subtitle is perhaps a publisher's effort to generate cover interest, as Snook's book really does not say much startlingly new about the battle.It might be called a Post-Revisionist history, rejecting those works of recent years that questioned the courage and competence of the British soldiers who fought and died at Isandlwana (Snook is particularly disdainful of those writers who challenge the appropriateness of the award of the Victoria Cross to Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill for their effort to save the battalion colors.)Although Snook certainly gives the Zulus credit for their bravery and skill, he assigns chief blame for the disaster to Lord Chelmsford (for setting up the whole situation) and to Lt. Col. Durnford (for tactical errors and poor leadership).It might be argued that Snook's service in the successor regiment to the 24th has led him to give a "free pass" to Col. Pulleine, as the author seems to find nothing remiss in that officer's handling of the battle, and in fact Snook vigorously defends Pulleine's actions.And Snook has nothing but praise for the men and officers of the 24th and the way they fought.
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Subjects:  1. Africa - South - South Africa    2. Europe - Great Britain - General    3. Great Britain - History - 19th Century    4. History    5. History - Military / War    6. History: World    7. Military - Other    8. Military History - Modern    9. Modern - 19th Century    10. African history: c 1500 to c 1900    11. History / General    12. Republic of South Africa    13. c 1800 to c 1900   

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Archaeology / Anthropology    3. Modern - 19th Century    4. Movements - Humanism    5. Philosophy    6. Social Science / Customs & Traditions   

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (4)

Never Purchase this Book!
I had to buy this book for a history seminar in college, and let me tell you, it is a major waste of paper.The Author tries to cover every single event that happened in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia over a span of 134 years.In order to do this, most things are given a one or two sentence description.For example, in high school we learned about the Dreyfuss Affair, but Bayly only mentions that it occured.He expects that we can remember all of this stuff from our previous history classes.I suppose that this would be a good book for people who really enjoy history, but all it does is put my entire class to sleep whenever we have a reading assignment in it.In conclusion, your money would be better spent if you just set fire to it.

Ho-hum, History is complex.
Why would you like this book? If you already knew a ton about history and were looking for new comparative methods of evaluating the modern world. There's certainly an interesting argument set forth by Bayly, but I remain unconvinced that his methods of documentation (reliance on secondary sources and a self-avowed lack of references) and his choice of material (severe neglect of certain portions of the world) should permit this book to be the academic blockbuster it has been claimed.
Superb
This is the best book I have read on the history of globalization. It is superb. It is well written. It is sweeping in its vision. And the scholarship that undergirds the book is remarkable. Bayly has read widely in disparate fields like African, Chinese, Mughal, and British history, nationalism, economic development, the state, military history, and globalization.
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Subjects:  1. 18th century    2. 19th century    3. 20th century    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History, Modern    7. History: World    8. Modern - 18th Century    9. Modern - 19th Century    10. Revolutions    11. World - General    12. GLOBALIZATION    13. HISTORY, MODERN_19TH CENTURY    14. HISTORY, MODERN_20TH CENTURY    15. History / Modern / 19th Century    16. World history: First World War    17. World history: c 1750 to c 1900    18. c 1700 to c 1800    19. c 1800 to c 1900    20. c 1900 - c 1914   

Reviews (38)

Badly run war, with no exit stategy....sound familiar/topical?
Like many nations that had merchant vessels sailing in the Mediterranean, the fledgling United States, had some of it's ships seized by the Barbary Pirates.In actuality, they were three (Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli) arab fiefdoms on the north african coast who had been enslaving europeans and raising havoc for hundreds of years.When the USS Philadelphia was run aground off the coast of Tripoli, the 302 sailors were taken as prisoners and used as slaves.The Bashaw (Pasha) Yussef, demanded $1,500,000 for their return, which was more than the US Navy budget for the year.
Couldn't put it down
A fantastic tale of adventure and intrigue which has the added bonus of being true.It's often hard to know whether the charm of the events themselves or the writer's style carries a history book.In this case, neither is lacking.The book is a page-turner due to Zacks' deft handling of all of the intricacies of the details of the plot.It's historic value in understanding the beginnings of US involvement in the Muslim world make it an ideal read.My only quibble with the book is that for a book that has Thomas Jefferson's name in the title, he is barely covered in the text.

A Relevant Tale Well Told
One formula for a fine novel is (a) a flawed hero, (b) an heroic quest, (c) an unambiguous villain, (d) an appearance by the famous, (e) a successful outcome and (f) a tragic end. To find these elements in a book of history is all-too-rare.Mr. Zacks is to be commended for his impressive narration of William Eaton and his 1805 mission to Tripoli.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. History: World    4. Military - Naval    5. Military - Other    6. Military - United States    7. Military History - Modern    8. Modern - 19th Century    9. United States - Antebellum Era    10. United States History (Specific Aspects)    11. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    12. History / General    13. Naval forces & warfare    14. USA   

Reviews (1)

What We Know is What He Taught Us
It's odd that (as of this writing) David Brion Davis'"Problem of Slavery in the Age of Revoution" has no Amazon reviews.Granted that it is not young: my copy bears a puublication date of 1975, which is positively Jurassic in terms of current academic writing (there is a later edition). But that is, perhaps, the point it is Davis (in company with his sometimes Yale colleague, Vann Woodward) who taught us what we know about slavery-and if we know more than they did, it is because of what they taught us.Davis is what our professors read when they went to school-perhaps even more, our professors' professors.The giveaway is in the Amazon listing of books that cite this book.At this writing, there are 145: skim the list and you see a virtually comprehensive library of modern academic writing on the subject.
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Subjects:  1. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    2. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - Histor    3. History    4. History: World    5. Modern - 18th Century    6. Modern - 19th Century    7. Slavery    8. Sociology    9. United States - 19th Century    10. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    11. History / Modern / 18th Century    12. History, American | African American    13. Slavery & emancipation    14. Social history    15. USA    16. c 1700 to c 1800    17. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (6)

Simply great.
I just finished reading this book. Knowing little more than what the average person knows about the nineteenth century, I closed the book feeling enlightened and intrigued. Hobsbawm writes well, and he manages to bring together very complex concepts and mechanisms into simple sentences. It is a daunting experience trying to compress forty years of world history into four hundred pages, but Hobsbawm manages to pull it off in most places.
The end and an era.
Eric Hobsbawm concludes his series on the nineteenth century with The Age of Empire.This sequel to The Age of Capital and The Age of Revolution covers the period from the mid 1870s until the outbreak of the First World War.
Excellent analysis
This is an excellent multifaceted analysis of the long 19th century that is so significant not only to European but to world history. Flowing freely between critical political, economic, and cultural analysis, Hobsbawm clearly connects the complex developments of the period and enlightens the reader on their significance. A must read for anyone studying European and world history. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1800-1899 (19th century)    2. 19th century    3. History - General History    4. History, Modern    5. History: World    6. Modern - 19th Century    7. History / Modern / 19th Century   

Features

• Audiobook
• Unabridged

Reviews (11)

Exceptional
I have read many books on the French Revolution and Marie Antoinette and this is one of the first fictions I have decided to read about the subject. I like the way the reader is drawn into Marie's mind and follows her thoughts, almost as if we are her rather than the reader. Although not many critical aspects leading up to the revolution are portrayed in the novel, we are in Marie's world, and viewing the coming troubles through her sheltered life in Versailles.

Abounds in gracefulness
I'm finding this an historical novel that I sample in small delicious bites. I take away history and a true sense of everyone's human strengths and flaws no matter their "station in life."I'm loving this book!Can't wait to see the Sophia Coppola film and also get to hear the author read from ABUNDANCE.It's far more beautiful and soulful than I'd hoped it would be. Brava to Sean Jeter Naslund.

HISTORICAL FICTION AT ITS FINEST

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Subjects:  1. 1755-1793    2. Abridged Audio - Fiction/General    3. American Historical Fiction    4. Audiobooks    5. Europe - France    6. Fiction    7. Historical - General    8. Marie Antoinette,    9. Modern - 19th Century    10. Queen, consort of Louis XVI, King of France,    11. Unabridged Audio - Fiction/General    12. Fiction / Historical   

Reviews (4)

An admirable account of the Civil Servants of the Raj
"The Ruling Caste" by David Gilmour gives an excellent and evocative account of how British civilian officials lived their lives in the Raj (ie not the military, business people or missionaries).He covers how they were trained, their working routines, how they found wives, entertainment, sports and much else.
interesting, well-researched, but tedious
David Gilmour has written an extremely well-researched history of the Indian Civil Service, that is of British civil servants who administered India, the crown jewel of the British Empire, which then encompassed India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanamar.Anyone who has any doubts that it was not, on the whole, extremely capable and incorruptible, and, all in all, a huge force for the good will not harbor them at the end of the book.
"Caste" of Thousands
My book club chose to read Gilmour's "The Ruling Caste" and we all struggled to get through it.It's a fact-filled and interesting--but not entirely readable--work that has the unmistakable stamp of thorough scholarship which must be appreciated. Because he carefully tends to the minutiae of workaday life for a Victorian-era man in the Indian Civil Service, the book gives up both gravitas and sweep.
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Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. Administration    3. Asia    4. Asia - History    5. Asia - India & South Asia    6. Colonies    7. Europe - Great Britain - General    8. Great Britain    9. Great Britain - History - 19th Century    10. History    11. History - General History    12. History: World    13. India    14. Modern - 19th Century    15. Politics and government    16. World - Colonial Studies    17. History / India   

Reviews (1)

a beautiful book
The Sea Captain's Wife is moving, engaging and informative. Not only does it piece together the story of a 19th Century woman's fascinating life, but it illuminates the process of the historian's work. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to read a good story and also learn something about what life was like for an ordinary American woman in the 19th Century -- a woman who, in the face of continual hardship -- made some courageous and unusual choices. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Historical - General    5. History    6. History: World    7. Modern - 19th Century    8. Sources    9. United States    10. Women    11. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    12. Biography: historical    13. History / Modern / 19th Century    14. Northeastern & North Atlantic states   

Reviews (13)

History that reads (almost) like a novel
Paul Johnson has written a 1,000-page book about various and sundry aspects of the years 1815-1830, years in which he rightly claims to find the origins of many aspects of the world as we know it today.Johnson's chosen foci are certainly broad: he ranges from events in politics and law to music, science, and even opium use.While almost every page is loaded with fascinating morsels of information that will certainly come in handy when you want to impress people at your next social function, Johnson's roving eye and pen can be disconcerting: he tends to shift topics very quickly and without warning.Also, while the book claims to be about "world society," Johnson spends the largest part of his time talking about British society -- but he's found plenty of ways to range geographically from the "western" United States (like Kentucky) to China and Singapore.Throughout, his prose is generally crisp and pleasant to read.