Reviews (87)

A fascinating story
I bought this book from a spontaneously decision while engaged with THE KITE RUNNER. It is an amazing story of the life of an Afghan family that is keenly observed and portrayed by the author who lived with them for several months and observed their lives listened to their stories and finally came to relate to them. Though from quite a wealthy educated background, the family's story is still a struggle for self-esteem in a domineering culture of hierarchy that favors males and the elders, a culture of denial that often looks for scapegoats. Polygamy, oriental way of engaging in business, the status of women in the tribal and religious arrangement of southern Asia and the backdrop of the Afghan war all contributed to make this story enticing and gave a view of Afghanistan that many foreigners are not aware of.Union Moujik, Swallows of kabul,Usurper and Others, Bricklane are other titles which helps us foreigners understand what the news do not present.

Cultural anthropology for dummies
This book is a must for anyone who is trying to understand a culture so uniquely different from ours that it defies belief. It is beautifully written which makes it an easy read and because it reports on "daily" life in a Kabul home, it makes its comparisons by story telling. You get wrapped up in their way of life as reported by an outsider, and you understand their perspectives from a non-biased view. The author is Norwegian and does a fantastic job of describing their lives without bias or value judgements. The conclusions you draw about life styles, like the role of women, male oriented societies and the Taliban, are yours not hers. I think this should be required reading for high school students and anyone who knows nothing about the Islamic way of life. It certainly defines the dilemnas that we in the U.S. are facing today.

Excellent, very easy read.
I was very impressed with this book.It was an easy read but showed so much of Afghan culture.While at times I felt angry it also gave me a hunger to learn more about this intriguing country.I felt the author gave an excellent recounting of what she had seen and heard.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Afghanistan    2. Asia - Central Asia    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Book Sellers, Dealers, Distributors    6. Booksellers and bookselling    7. Contemporary Politics - Asia    8. Ethnic Cultures - General    9. General    10. Islamic Studies    11. Kabul    12. Kabul (Afghanistan)    13. Khan family    14. Political Science    15. Politics/International Relations    16. Current Events / International   

Editorial Review

British parliamentarian and soldier Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) conceived of his plan forRead more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (50)

A challenge to read.
I'm probably 1/3 of the way through the book and slowing.I don't think this book is for everyone and that is why I'm giving it 3 stars.I've found the book difficult to read for the following reasons.
Description is misleading
The Amazon description says Vol. 1-3, boxed set, hardcover.That is all true.What they don't tell you is that there are actually six volumes.The box in which it comes is clearly marked, "Volumes 1-3 (of six)."That would have been a much better description for Amazon to have used.If you have volumes 4-6 and you are looking to complete the set, this book is for you.If you are looking for the complete set, look elsewhere.

A Comprehensive Historical Work
Gibbon's "Decline and Fall" is without a doubt one of the most well-written and truly comprehensive historical works concerning the Roman Empire.From the military maneuvers of the northern legions to the intrigues of the Imperial Court, Gibbon showcases the history of Rome as it unfolded--often relying on the eyewitness testimony of contemporary writers to give readers a sense of the passions and policies of the time.There are a few minute problems--or rather gaps--in Gibbon's work, but given that he originally published in the late 1700's we can excuse his lack of complete information.Overall, an excellent read and a great history of such an important subject. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - Rome    2. Ancient Rome - History    3. Byzantine Empire    4. Empire, 30 B.C.-476 A.D    5. Gibbon, Edward, 1737-1794    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Rome    10. To 527    11. History / Ancient / Rome   

Reviews (7)

Good Solid Book
This book is a great guide to the history of warfare.I have looked at and read a lot of books on this subject, and I find this book to be pretty good.What makes it better than most are the pictures, special boxes highlighting neat events, maps, and graphics.

The Cambridge Illustrated History of Warfare
A nice straightforward history compilation.The book is a collection of summaries that read easily and are well written.

Excellent Summary On The Evolution of Western Warfare
As with its political and economic systems, Western Europe came to develop very unique military institutions that had evolved from Greco-Roman military doctrines applying war as a science and as a precise instrument towards defined political ends: emphasizing on uniform training and equipment as well as strict discipline.This book studies the evolution of Western military institutions from antiquity to modern times and demonstrates how these progressive changes contributed to the modern doctrines of Western warfare that are used today by every nation-state.
Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. History: World    4. Military - General    5. World - General    6. BCE to c 500 CE    7. History / World    8. Military art and science - History    9. Modern period, c 1500 onwards    10. Warfare & Defence    11. World history    12. c 1000 CE to c 1500    13. c 500 CE to c 1000 CE   

Reviews (6)

Blends humor with adventure
SEAWORTHY: ADRIFT WITH WILLIAM WILLIS IN THE GOLDEN AGE OF RAFTING tells of a sixty-year-old who set out across the pacific Ocean on a homemade balsa raft with only a parrot and cat for company - in the heart of typhoon season. He survived on very little and spent four months at sea before arriving safely in British Samoa, besting Thor Heyerdahl by two thousand miles. Ten years later he did it again, crossing from Peru to Australia - and four years later he was on the Atlantic in a boat. SEAWORTHY blends humor with adventure in recounting his journeys and any boater will thrill to his many experiences.
Kon-Tiki solo
It's hard to image now, but when Thor Heyerdahl's set out "Kon-Tiki" in 1948, most people said he was crazy and was sure to die - so when he lived to tell about it, becoming a world-wide celebrity, it set off a raft of imitators in the 1950s and 60s, which Pearson calls the "Golden Age" of rafting.
An Absorbing Ship-Shape Tale!!
A gripping tale of a Sisyphus-like quest to cross the oceans on primitive rafts.William Willis survives (for a while, at least) despite his own bumbling ineptitude and lack of planning, at least until the sea has its way with him.Was it courage or a huge act of selfishness?
Read more

Subjects:  1. Adventure and adventurers    2. Adventurers & Explorers    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography And Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. General    9. History - General History    10. Maritime History    11. Seafaring life    12. Voyages and travels    13. History / General   

Reviews (17)

Genuinely worthy of five stars
I have had this book on my shelf for quite a while, and finally got around to reading it after watching a documentary on Columbus on the Discivery Channel. I got inspired to overcome my intellectual laziness, and how pleased I am I did! This book really deserves its reputation as a timeless classic, and the author, a giant of maritime history, did such a fine job that I now want to read his well known biography of John Paul Jones. The text is gripping and the author's insights abound. This is a fine book.

A colorful narrative, rich in detail.
This book is the definitive work on Columbus.Morison is famous for making the same journey that Columbus made with largely the same equipment in order to prepare for writing this book.His experience shines through in the detail thatMorison lavishes on his subject.
Misleading entities...
While Morison does admit to the genocide of the Indians lead by Columbus and his henchmen, it idolizes him for the duration of the book. A brief admittance of guilt, for Morison, is a surefire way of allowing a much more bias, idealistic portrayal of a man with "questionable" character traits. Bartolome De Las Casas, a European minister who lived in the same time as Colombus, gives a much more realistcally bleek look at the Spanish invasion of the Americas. Because Morison's focus shifts so rapidly from the bad to the good, it loses major points for realism. The book reads more like a 3rd grade textbook; Morison would have us believe Santa Claus and the toothfairy exists along side a saintly Christopher Columbus. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. America    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Columbus, Christopher    7. Expeditions & Discoveries    8. Explorers    9. Historical - General    10. Spain    11. Biography: historical    12. Geographical discovery & exploration    13. History / General    14. North America    15. South America    16. World history: c 1750 to c 1900    17. c 1500 to c 1600   

Reviews (7)

Brilliant
Excellent, Brilliant and full of wisdom. This is from a philosopher who has the ability to see things from more perspectives than black and white. His book is concise and not too academic. He makes philosophy trendy. He is a new generation of thinkers that will reshape our thoughts. He tackles sensitive issues with respect for all parties. One cannot tell his sentiments due to his fairness and objectivity. The first book I will read a second time.

Accept the complex
Although K. Appiah starts on a very solid and sometimes difficult philosophical ground, the essay seems to lost itself into the richness and the complexity of humanity. Which does not necessarily make it uninteresting. On the contrary. The parallels drawn from personal experience, archeology, capitalism and so forth are at times enlightening and original. Besides the advices on how to converse properly, I was left with a taste of subtle fatality hidden behind a veil of optimism.

Citizens of the World: Please Unite
Appiah has written an intelligent, urbane, and concise analysis of, and prescription for, the global world we have come to inhabit. His title "Cosmopolitan" is intended to evoke its etymology, that we are "citizens of the world." Unlike Robert Wright in "The Moral Animal," Appiah rejects a one-world government, insisting we need to maintain a pluralistic system of governments for the ostensible purpose of creative enhancements, e.g., changes to the existent models through new insights, programs, and trial-and-error (hopefully, with errors corrected).
Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Conduct of life    3. Cosmopolitanism    4. Ethics    5. Ethics & Moral Philosophy    6. History & Theory - General    7. International Relations - General    8. Modern - 21st Century    9. Political    10. Political Science    11. Political Science (General)    12. Politics / Current Events    13. Politics/International Relations    14. Current Events / General    15. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    16. Social & political philosophy   

Subjects:  1. History    2. History: World    3. Middle East - General    4. Middle East - History - 20th Century    5. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    6. Current Events / General    7. Palestine    8. c 1945 to c 1960   

Reviews (1)

History Book
I recieved the item locally from the seller, they did not offer to refund or my shipping charges that I paid even though there ws no shipping involved.. thats ok though I got a great price on the book and the shipping did not offset that. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. World - General    6. History / General    7. World history   

Editorial Review

Some historical events simply beggar any attempt at description--the Holocaust is one of these. Therefore, as it recedes and the people able to bear witness die, it becomes more and more essential that novel, vigorous methods are used to describe the indescribable. Examined in these terms, Art Spiegelman's Read more

Reviews (129)

Why are so many amazed that its a "comic" book?
...I loved this graphic novel, and so many accolades have been heaped upon this book that I need'nt say more. However, in reviewing some of the readers responses, and colligiate papers regarding the works of Maus, many seemed surprised or shocked that such amazing storytelling could be attributed to the comic book form. Why? I have been a lover and reader of comics for many years and this so - called "low" art form has produced some of the most memorable, touching, exciting, and thought-provoking material I have ever read. Granted, a large percentage of "comic" books cater to the stylized "men-in-tights" brigade, however even this attitude has changed much within the industry and modern comics. Even the long-running "hero" titles touch upon modern issues with a compexity that some people might find surprising. It should also be noted however that largely indie, underground, and other "non-mainstream" works really drive the graphic novel and comic industry in terms of content. If you thought comics simply "silly childrens stories" or "lame escapism" you should read some of the highly recommended titles of the genre and see why "comics" are being used as source material for a lot of current and upcoming films.

An Incredible Historical Perspective
Making one man's story about his life during the Holocaust into a comic book isn't contrite or demeaning. It's brilliant.
Ja! Like lightning!
Despite all the press and hype regarding it, I had never heard of Maus until mid-last year when browsing through a book store. The image of Hitler as a cat with two mice seemingly losing all hope on the cover really struck me, and I then made a blind purchase. I didn't even flip through the pages to see the art style, or read the back of the book or inside flaps to get an idea of what it was about. All I knew was that Nazis = cats, and Jews = mice. Having loved my experience in various history classes, I figured I'd get something out of this comic. Then I read it, and didn't. It all seemed bland, some parts rushed, and I didn't like the art style too much. Then, almost a year later, I reread it, and I don't know what it is, but my view changed. I actually got the characters, loved the story of survival, and understood just how bad the times were from the narrator's point of view. I still hated the art style, but everything else was meaningful. While most stories of the Holocaust rub in your face how bad things were, giving you every tiny detail about the pain and suffering, Maus takes things in a different direction. Art Spiegelman, the semi-author and artist, interviews his own father, a Holocaust survivor, and tells his story in comic form. It's not "normal" though- his father, Vladek, is a cranky old man now, and Art even makes a comment that he's now the stereotypical Jew. Maus takes both the real story of the Holocaust as Vladek experienced it, as well as the in-between portions of getting together with his father and the difficulties the two experience together in trying to make things work out. It's these little things that make the story so much more real than just simply a survivor telling their story straight forward.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography And Autobiography    4. Children of Holocaust survivors    5. Comic books, strips, etc    6. Comics & Graphic Novels    7. Fine Arts    8. Historical - Holocaust    9. History: World    10. Holocaust    11. Holocaust survivors    12. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    13. Jewish - General    14. Literary    15. Literature: Classics    16. Military - World War II    17. Personal Memoirs    18. Poland    19. Spiegelman, Vladek    20. United States    21. Europe    22. Fiction / Graphic Novels    23. Graphic novels    24. Spiegelman, Art   

Editorial Review

At its peak in the nineteenth century, the British Empire was the largest empire ever known, governing roughly a quarter of the world's population. In Read more

Reviews (58)

Rule, Brittania

consise treatment of an otherwise daunting subject
I am not accustomed to reading books on history.This book is ideal for someone like me.At only 380 pages, this book does not intimidate, yet draws the reader in, and gives him an overview and basic understanding of how the British Empire came about (mostly by accident) and how it came to an end (WW1 and WW2).In between it offers interesting chapters on America, Africa and India.In particular the section on the Indian Raj has inspired me to pursue other books on this topic.
harmless time waster
This is a kind of casual time wasting stroll with a chipper professor of no great consequence, with his good decorum, correct opinions (eugenics is "snake-oil science", Kitchener was a butcher etc.) and dreadful witticims (on fishing being more important than religion in early Mass. "it was cod not God"). Fergie hassome interesting stuff on the beginnings of Empire (stealing gold from the Spanish) and how the heck Britain acquired India in the early days (by way of the East India Company, kind of an old day Halliburton with a private army). However past about 1880 it all becomes rather slipshod, complete with the oft regurgitated Churchill's personal observations on the Boer War and Sudan (if you have read "The Last Lion" by William Manchester you'll recognise the quotations) and stuff that seems clearly lifted from "A Peace to End all Peace" (albeit this is speculation as footnotes and citations of quoted materials are clearly not for philosopher kings like Mr Ferguson).
Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Great Britain - General    2. Great Britain - History    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Imperialism    7. World - Colonial Studies    8. World - Post-Colonial Studies    9. British Empire    10. World history: c 1750 to c 1900   

Reviews (5)

Murphey's Law of Bias
There are limited texts on East Asian history and it is unfortunate that this author decided to spike his with unabashed personal commentary.Overall, the content is impressive but some of Murphey's claims are hard to stomach.
This book needs improvement in some areas
There are a few weaknesses and factual errors in this book. A MUST HAVE FOR STUDENTS& CURIOSITY~!!!
1ST, I BORROWED THIS BOOK FROM THE LIBRARY AND THE WRITER BLEW MY MIND!THE TEXT IN THIS BOOK IS SUPERB AND HISTORY IS QUITE PRECISE!!SO I DECIDED TO BUY THIS BOOK, AND IT'S STILL AS THRILLING!!!2ND, IT IS AN EASY TO READ BOOK - - HEY ... THE BOOK IS SO GOOD I BROUGHT AN EXTRA COPIES FOR MY COLLECTION!!!Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - General    2. Asia, Southeastern    3. East Asia    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Southeast Asia    8. Asian / Middle Eastern history    9. East Asia, Far East    10. History / General   

Reviews (2)

The Cold War Sometimes Turned Hot
I recommend this book as a "must read" for anyone interested in Cold War military history and intelligence gathering as well as all former "spooks". Mr. Burrows has written a detailed account of United States Air Force, Navy and CIA airborne electronic and photographic reconnaissance efforts from the end of WWII through the US Navy's P3 incident on Hainan in 2001. The development of specialized aircraft (U-2, SR-71), electronics and camera equipment as well as modification of ordinary aircraft (B-29, B-47, C-130, etc) for reconnaissance missions is covered in sufficient detail to satisfy everyone expect hardcore technical buffs. Very good book
Written very well. It brings out into the open for the first time the people, the missions, and the politics behind a dark chapter in our country's history. The crews were sent into very dangerous situations with limited or no support, and if they survived, they received very little recognition. The crews that did not come back were left to die, and their families were lied to in order to cover up the true circumstances that lead to their lose. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Air warfare    2. Cold War    3. Communist countries    4. Espionage, American    5. History    6. History - Military / War    7. History: World    8. Military - Aviation    9. Military - General    10. History / General   

Reviews (3)

A remarkable and exceptional book
When I read Charles Gati's prize winning "Hungary and the Soviet Bloc," I then thought that he had written the last and best word on our understanding of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 during the Cold War. Then, unexpectedly, several years later the Berlin Wall came down, Hungary and the USSR's East European satellites regained independence, and heretofore closed Cold War archives began to open. From archives in Budapest and Moscow as well as from dozens of interviews with participants of '56 both East and West, Professor Gati has written a classic of Cold War history and analysis which arguably will become the definitive account of the multi-sided, tragic events of 1956 in Hungary. No stone has been left unturned -- the author has read the minutes of the Politburo meetings in the Soviet Union and Hungary, as well as the interrogation and trial transcripts from the last days before his execution of Imre Nagy, former Prime Minister of Hungary. This fluently written, masterfully organized, and exeptionally well integrated small volume deserves to sit on the Cold War history shelf along with Allison's "Essence of Decision," the study of another major event of the era, the Cuban Missile Crisis.
A HumanJourney
Take the experts' word that this study is a reliable, extensive, and insightful account of the 1956 Hungarian Revolt. What strikes me is the personal element. We go from the recollections of a young, unsophisticated journalist of 22, caught in the tide of momentous events he does not understand, to the retrospection of a highly sophisticated scholar revisiting those events and doing his very best to look behind history's curtain to resolve their meaning. It is a gripping, honest, and personal account, rendered with the binocularity of five decades of study. A century from now, this will still be the book to read, not just for the facts but also for the feel of one of the 20th century's signal struggles.

First rate history
Gati's definitive account of the Hungarian revolution and the American role in it reads like a LeCarre novel with documentation. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Eastern Europe - General    2. Europe - Austria & Hungary    3. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    4. Foreign relations    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Hungary    9. Revolution, 1956    10. Revolutionary    11. Soviet Union    12. United States    13. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    14. Revolutions & coups    15. c 1945 to c 1960   

Reviews (6)

Full of plenty of information
When you buy these for dummies or idiots guide's books its always a grab bag.Either they presuppose you are a total moron, and fill the book with so much fluff that you end up getting very little actual knowledge of the topic.Or, they present the material in a semi-academic manner and you actually learn something.Thank god this book is the latter of the two.The book is well structured, and presented from a realistic point of view.At no point in the book are Muslims presented as evil or good.They are people, who just happen to view life from a completely different perspective than most Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists Taoists....any religion.Yes the book lacks silly anecdotes and the perspective of a Muslim.However silly anecdotes tend to take the place of concrete information and a Muslim perspective would only provide bias (if you doubt me read The Complete Idiot's Guide To Judaism.It reads like a Children's book with the goal of conversion).For the reviewer that labeled this book dry and lacking humor I recommend a children's book on Islam.They have very little words, a whole lot of silliness, and plenty of pictures.You should probably have time for that

If by "dummies" you mean "college freshmen," then yes, this is for dummies.
I eagerly anticipated this book after finishing the delightful Judaism for Dummies.That book, written by two Jewish men, was funny, warm, and informative.It was full of helpful hints and personal anecdotes.I feel like I got not just the facts but also the flavor of certain aspects of Jewish culture.
Excellent content, horrible editing
I would have given this book 5 stars based on content, but I have to take off a star due to the absolutely horrible editing. The publisher should be ashamed - typos EVERYWHERE ('Google' is mispelled 'Goggle' multiple times), even a couple of garbled/transposed sentences (a section comparing and constrasting Sunnis, Shias, and Sufis is just incomprehensible due to transpositions).
Read more

Subjects:  1. Doctrines    2. Essence, genius, nature    3. General    4. Islam    5. Islam - General    6. Religion    7. Religion - World Religions    8. Islamic studies    9. Religion / Islam   

Reviews (43)

Koestler Reveals Mistaken Heritage of Displaced Khazars
If some Chinese leaders decide to be Religious and
Khazar
The book delivered the information I was looking for.There were times that I got lost trying to follow the nomadic patterns of the tribe.Overall, the book is a good read, and I recommend it to others.

Historically Interesting, Conclusion Value Poor
From circa 700 ce to 1100 ce, there was a Khazar Empire that existed north of the Caucasus Mts between the Black and Caspian Seas, that controlled the Volga-Don River portage.They were a bullwark against tribes moving east to the Ukraine and the European plains; against the moslems moving north from Persia; and the Viking-Rus moving south from Muscovy/Kiev.
Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History: World    3. Judaism - History    4. Khazars    5. Medieval    6. Eastern Europe    7. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    8. Non-Classifiable   

Reviews (29)

An Excellent Primer on the Hermit Kingdom

Great Leader/Dear Leader's Paradise
This book reminds me of the 1990's book "The Private Life of Chairman Mao" by Mao's personal doctor that told the truth about the appalling conditions in the PRC under the Great Helmsman and his dissolute life.If possible things are worse under the Dear Leader.You rarely get such a good picture of day to day life in such a closed society.Remember anyone who goes abroad for the DPRK is in the top 1% of the population and vetted for political reliablity to an extreme.So the diplomats and "businessmen" we see abroad are