Reviews (3)

Lives up to the Pirate Soul Museum!
Croce's Pirate Soul book is an amazing achievement in that it captures a large part of the history, interactive entertainment and pirate lore residing within Croce's one of a kind Pirate museum in Key West, FL. This is no small feat given the quality and scope (over 500 authentic artifacts) of the museum and is a testament to Pat's emerging presence as the foremost pirate expert. Whether you wish to relive your Pirate Soul museum experience or get a taste of the world's largest collection of pirate artifacts, this book is a must read!

the perfect pirate book!!
this book is a major WOW!everything you'd ever want to know about the golden age of piracy while making the trip so fun and hands on.i just keep going back through it and finding more and more "stuff"!i love just leaving it out on my coffee table -- no one is shy about playing with it and talking about it. a great gift this holiday season for all pirate lovers.

Brilliant interactive adventure and wonderful learning experience
Croce has introduced a whole new way of learning about Pirates that children and adults can enjoy.This book makes the experience of reading to your child truly enjoyable.The numerous 3-D representation of Pirate artifacts is a great way to tell the story.The playing cards, fold-out map and the Henry Every's "Wanted" poster are brilliant additions to this book.My children (all ages 6 and below) were fascinated by the history and Pirate culture.There are many imitations, but this book is the real deal!!!!!Buy it for you, your child (as a treasure/keepsake) and for a relative!!!!Worth every bit of the price!!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Maritime History    6. Navigation    7. Reference    8. Travel writing    9. World history: c 1500 to c 1750   

Editorial Review

Filippo Brunelleschi's design for the dome of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence remains one of the most towering achievements of Renaissance architecture. Completed in 1436, the dome remains a remarkable feat of design and engineering. Its span of more than 140 feet exceeds St Paul's in London and St Peter's in Rome, and even outdoes the Capitol in Washington, D.C., making it the largest dome ever constructed using bricks and mortar. The story of its creation and its brilliant but "hot-tempered" creator is told in Ross King's delightful Read more

Reviews (85)

A slice of Rennaisance life
The subject may be the legendary dome, and the man who built it, but thebest part of the book is its characterization of everyday life during that era.The author knows a lot about Rennaisance Europe, and his writing is enjoyable as well. He is no engineer, so it's never clear why this is such an engineering marvel. For that, see Why Buildings Stand Up, although the readibility of that book pales alongside this one.

Easy-to-read, great intro to the subject; but, never attempts to explain its own title
In this book, author Ross King provides an easy-to-read narrative not only of Brunelleschi's procedure in building the dome of the Florence cathedral, but also of the political context, particularly within the Opera del Duomo, the office of works in charge of the cathedral.It's a nice intro for a general audience, but lacks historical analysis and fails to satisfactorily address the statement made in its own subtitle.
The Dome, Yes, but also much, much, more.
Santa Maria del Fiore may just be the one perfect piece of architecture.I dare you to go to Florence, see it, and not be moved.Read this book, and then go climb il Duomo's stairs, passing the frescoes inside the dome to enter the passage between the two domes.Feel the changes in the sharpness of the stairs' angles.Climb out at the base of the Lanterna with the city's red roofs stretching beneath you at every angle.The experience would be exhilerating of itself, but with Ross King's description of the building process echoing through your head, you might find yourself full of wonder and moved to tears like I was.
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Subjects:  1. 1377-1446    2. Architecture    3. Brunelleschi, Filippo,    4. Buildings    5. Design and construction    6. Domes    7. Europe - Italy    8. Florence    9. Florence (Italy)    10. History - Specific Styles    11. Individual Architect    12. Italy    13. Religious Buildings    14. Renaissance    15. Santa Maria del Fiore (Cathedr    16. Santa Maria del Fiore (Cathedral : Florence, Italy)    17. Architecture / History    18. Brunelleschi, Filippo   

Reviews (15)

Written for a 12 Year-Old
What a disappointment!It is only lacking cartoon illustrations to make it seem competely childish.But more disturbingly it is deceptively simplistic.Told through rose-colored glasses, leaving out what is convenient to ensure a "happy" ending.
Absorbing history that reads like a soap opera
As a lifelong and very active Catholic I was shocked to learn just how little I knew about the history of St. Peters in Rome.
A Mixed Bag
I've been waiting for a popular history dealing with the Renaissance, Reformation, Catholic Reformation, etc. And at first glance this book is it. It's an easy and absorbing read, and endlessly fascinating.
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Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano    4. Buildings, structures, etc    5. Christianity - History - Catholic    6. History    7. History - General    8. History - General History    9. Religious Buildings    10. Religious Buildings Architecture    11. Renaissance    12. Vatican City    13. History / Europe / General    14. Italy   

Reviews (2)

Challenging Theory
This is an excellent book for anyone interested in the history of the Americas, colonial history or comparative studies of the American countries. Although it is based largely on secondary sources it reflects the enormous amount of work that the author has carried out in his previous books on Spain. The most interestin feature of the book is how Elliott points out the similarities between the British and Spanish Empires in the Americas; a fact that most historians have previously tended to ignore.

An important contribution
Colonialism and Empire are the two most important subjects in history, no other subject exists without them and the discovery of the New World and its repopulation/depopulation is one fo the great episodes of human history.The colonies in America can be easily put into two categories, the Anglo ones and the Catholic ones.Despite small French and Portugues and Dutch intrusions, the overall lesson is one of difference between these two great naval powers and the makeup of their colonial systems.
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Subjects:  1. America    2. Americas (North Central South West Indies)    3. Atlantic Ocean Region    4. British    5. Colonies    6. Colonies And Colonization    7. Europe - Great Britain - General    8. Europe - Spain & Portugal    9. History    10. History - General History    11. History: American    12. North America - History    13. Spain    14. Spaniards    15. United States - Colonial Period    16. World - Colonial Studies    17. Empires & historical states    18. History / Americas (North, Central, South, West Indies)    19. USA    20. United Kingdom, Great Britain    21. World history: c 1500 to c 1750    22. World history: c 1750 to c 1900    23. World history: c 500 to C 1500   

Subjects:  1. Discovery And Exploration (General)    2. Europe - General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History Of Civilization And Culture (General)    6. History: World    7. Reference    8. Renaissance    9. American history: c 1500 to c 1800    10. Europe    11. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    12. History / Renaissance    13. Social history    14. The Americas    15. c 1500 to c 1600    16. c 1600 to c 1700   

Editorial Review

It speaks to the failure of medieval Europe, writes popular historian William Manchester, that"in the year 1500, after a thousand years of neglect, the roads built by the Romans were still the beston the continent." European powers were so absorbed in destroying each other and in suppressingpeasant revolts and religious reform that they never quite got around to realizing the possibilities ofcontemporary innovations in public health, civil engineering, and other peaceful pursuits. Instead, theywaged war in faraway lands, created and lost fortunes, and squandered millions of lives. For all thewastefulness of medieval societies, however, Manchester notes, the era created the foundation for theextraordinary creative explosion of the Renaissance. Drawing on a cast of characters numbering in thehundreds, Manchester does a solid job of reconstructing the medieval world, although some scholars maydisagree with his interpretations. ... Read more

Reviews (172)

Not for the squeamish
This is an excellent book in many ways. However, the author goes into far more detail that the average reader will want to know regarding the depravity of the age and methods of torture in use back then.The title is not just about illuminating a room.It also refers to the numerous people in this book who are burned at the stake.

Manchester Lit Up The Pages
In the book A World Lit Only By Fire, Manchester discusses the impact of the Dark Ages, the Medieval period, and the Renaissance as each had a major influence on Europe. The significance of this book is to develop knowledge of society and its characteristics during these eras. Throughout the book Manchester mainly talks about the history of the Roman Catholic Church and the quest of Ferdinand Magellan. The book is separated into three parts: The Medieval Mind, The Shattering and One Man Alone. Which give a detailed description of the figures that played a major role in society and whose actions and personality stood out above all. All three sections discuss the changes that occurred at the time and the effect they had on the people. A World Lit Only By Fire broadens the reader's understanding of European society, religion, exploration, and how each impacted and influenced history.
review by Richelle
William Manchester's A World Lit Only by Fire illustrates to the reader the main events starting from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, thus allowing the reader to learn more about these time periods. Manchester not only writes about the main events, but he is able to catch the reader's attention with interesting and unexpected facts so the book does not completely sound like a history book. This books shows that a book cannot be judged by its cover because the title may seem to be one of a book which talks about the whole world, when it really only talks about Europe. The book tries to include most of the important historical figures of this time period such as: Sir Thomas More, John Alvin, Erasmus, and Henry VIII, but unfortunately Martin Luther and Magellan are talked about the most so it seems the writer is biased and favors these two men. This book can be seen as an introduction to the period of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, but it is really a brief history book discussing the lack of achievements in the Middle Ages, different aspects of the Renaissance, especially the Church, and Magellan's travels, which help broaden the reader's knowledge and at the same time might bore him or her.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Medieval    6. Renaissance    7. History / General    8. Lancashire    9. Local history   

Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. Civilization, Medieval    3. Europe    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History Of Civilization And Culture (General)    7. History Of Women (General)    8. History: World    9. Middle Ages, 500-1500    10. Renaissance    11. Science, Medieval    12. Women    13. World - General    14. History / World   

Reviews (4)

A must-have
This beautifully presented large hardback is actually a series of essays covering the story of the search for Longitude from the 16th century to the 19th. The essays deal with a range of subjects from the mathematical to the absurd, from astronomy to cartography and has 4 excellent appendices. The book is well laid out with both black&white and color photography in a manner that means you don't need to be a student of the sea of chronology to understand it. A good book to have on the shelf.

review
Excellent book focused on the Longitude act's of the 1700's.The primary emphasis is on the two technologies Lunar-distance and chonometer for determining longitude with a precision under 1 degree. The relative percentages are: 50% chonometer, 30% lunar distance, 10% Jupiter's moons, 10% general history pre-1600's.I gave it four stars instead of 5 because I thought the book was going to be a balanced discussion ( i.e. equal time)encompassing all methods of determining longitude irrespective of a 1 degree precision. All that said, I would still recommend the book to anyone interested in the topic.

Most comprehensive coverage
This review is top notch and comprehensive.It's the book of choice to cover the background and the technology.I'm not a watch or clock fanatic, but I slam dunked this whole book in just a couple days; a 15 hour Qantasflight kept me captive.I wish there was more discussion on the nature ofastronomy and how the clocks were calibrated.I want to read up onoctants, sextants and basic navigation now.This book deserves five stars. The A&E four hour documentary, "Longitude", this month alsodeserves high marks.If someone knows of a good read on navigating withastronomy that's more layman oriented, please email me (thanks). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1693-1776    2. Astronomy - General    3. Congresses    4. Harrison, John,    5. History    6. Horology    7. Longitude    8. Measurement    9. Navigation    10. Practical And Spherical Astronomy    11. Science    12. Science/Mathematics    13. Harrison, John    14. Maritime history    15. Time (chronology)    16. World history: c 1500 to c 1750    17. World history: c 1750 to c 1900    18. c 1500 to c 1600    19. c 1600 to c 1700    20. c 1700 to c 1800   

Reviews (29)

There is only one thing wrong--
with "The Cartoon History Of The Universe".
Another goodie
History textbooks have notoriously been dreary articles that students have to slog through, often with their noses held tightly.Larry Gonick is the cure. His three volumes of the Cartoon History of the Universe has it all--historical accuracy, depth, breadth and humor. The cartoons are hilarious in themselves but they convey a deeper purpose, to show the sweep of history and the complexity of it.
Larry Gonick covers the forgotten bases.
I read the first two volumes of this series years ago, and was thrilled to death when I found the third.I've since reread the entire series from beginning to end twice, and I'm sure I'm going to return to it again.
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Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Caricatures and cartoons    3. Cartoons and caricatures    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Renaissance    8. World - General    9. World history    10. Graphic novels    11. World history: c 500 to C 1500    12. c 1000 CE to c 1500   

Subjects:  1. Emigration & Immigration    2. Emigration and immigration    3. General    4. History    5. History: World    6. Migration, Internal    7. Modern - General    8. Sociology    9. Cultural studies    10. Economic history    11. History / General    12. Immigration & emigration    13. Social history    14. World history: c 1500 to c 1750    15. World history: c 1750 to c 1900    16. World history: from c 1900 -   

Reviews (3)

Technology alone just doesn't cut it....
This book contains an awful lot of wisdom for such a slim volume (it clocks in at just under 200 pages). Concise overview of military revolutions
This book is the volume one should buy if he or she is searching for the best, consise overvue of the history and processes involved in the military innovations of the Western world.

The Heart of Asymmetric Advantage is NOT Technology
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Subjects:  1. Europe    2. History    3. History - Military / War    4. History: World    5. Military - General    6. Military Science    7. Military art and science    8. Modern - General    9. Renaissance    10. Revolutions    11. Strategy    12. History / Renaissance    13. Modern period, c 1500 onwards    14. Revolutions & coups    15. Strategy--History    16. Warfare & Defence    17. World history    18. c 1000 CE to c 1500   

Reviews (71)

Verbose and useless
This book has no idea what should be prioritized and what shouldn't. Also, the narrative is a rambling mess.
Outstanding overview of modern history
I am not exceptionally scholarly, although I would have to say that it takes some scholarly motivation to read over 1000 pages of dense historical writing in one's free time. Yet I found this book, which is often used as a textbook, very easy to read. It doesn't quite read like fiction as some lively historical accounts can, but that would be a difficult task given this broad a subject.
Excellent and prompt service
The book arrived within a week after I placed the order.As advertised, it was in very good condition.No highlighting or pen/pencil marks on the interior pages.Was a little surprised by the deteriorating binding near the back of the book which is only noticeable if you open the back cover and turn to the last page of the index.Surprised but not upset as this is to be expected in such an old book.Just happy that the pages are in pristine condition and the rest of the book is in pretty good shape. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - General History    3. History, Modern    4. History: World    5. Modern - General    6. World - General    7. Modern period, c 1500 onwards    8. World history: c 1500 to c 1750    9. World history: c 1750 to c 1900    10. World history: from c 1900 -   

Reviews (4)

Florence Comes Alive
This is a must read for anyone planning a vacation to Florence, or for those wanting to experience the place and time without the expense, as Martines reaches far beyond the story of a single man and into Renassiance Florence. Readers will find this gripping and complex historical drama impossible to put down. "April Blood" (the Pazzi conspiracy against the Medici) sets the stage for this great book, and Martines combines expert scholarship with dramatic narrative skill in both works.

Very Strange
I was interested in learning more about Savonarola because "The Palace" by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro is set in Renaissance Florence at the time of Savonarola, who plays a part in the novel. Now I love history and read a lot of history books, unfortunately, this book was a big dissapointment. Contrary to the blurb on the back cover this book is hardly riveting nor is it much of a thriller. It only covers the last few years of Savonarola's life but it is more about the political history of Florence than on Savonarola himself. Actually the book does not really seem to have a direction or a point and I could not figure out why the author wrote this.
A burning in Florence
This is an excellent, well-written book about Savonarola and the Medici era in Florence. It presents the Friar in a different light from the perception of him that I was taught in parochial school. Here we have a deeply religious reformer, who tried to change the government type of a city that had been under the thumb of the Medici family for many years. His sermons attracted huge crowds, but he also acquired many enemies, not only in Florence, but more importantly, in the Roman Curia. Eventually his enemies won out and he and two of his fellow monks were hanged and burned. This is definitely a sympathetic look at a man who, in some ways, foreshadowed Luther and his attempts at Church reform. It's a book well worth reading by everyone. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1421-1737    2. Biography    3. Dominicans    4. Europe - Italy    5. Florence    6. Florence (Italy)    7. Historical - General    8. History    9. History - General History    10. History: World    11. Italy    12. Politics and government    13. Reformers    14. Renaissance    15. History / Renaissance    16. History, World | European | Italy   

Subjects:  1. Asia - General    2. Discoveries in geography    3. Ethnopsychology    4. Europe    5. Europe - General    6. Far East    7. Foreign countries    8. General    9. History    10. History - General History    11. History: World    12. Intercultural communication    13. Relations    14. East Asia, Far East    15. Europe--Relations--Foreign countries    16. History / World    17. World history: c 1500 to c 1750   

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. History    3. History: World    4. Interior Design - General    5. Renaissance   

Reviews (6)

Lovely Topic. It's A Shame It's So Poorly Written!
This is perhaps the most poorly written general history I have ever read. Assigned reading in a Modern Indian history course, I cannot recommend strongly enough that instructors and students avoid this text. The largest failing of this book is to poorly integrate the scope of the topic. The book goes from focusing on one tiny event in India to another, with absolutely no flowing, overarching narrative to tie them together. There is very little context given for most of the events described, and the reader is left wondering why certain actors are behaving the way they are. There also seems to be a strident anti-British tone throughout the text, which generally is a fair assessment for Indian historians to make, however the authors fail to capture the Pro-British vs. Anti-British debate within the reform movement with any objectivity, which is essential to understanding modern Indian history. Overall, a wonderful opportunity to introduce Westerners to the rich history of India has been wasted, and educational institutions everywhere should take note.

Two lovers and a naughty-bore of a child
The Metcalf's have produced a book rich in factoids, post-colonial sentimentalism, and wretched prose. Clearly, the authors had good intentions in terms of contriving a history that implored us to mock the sunny empire. However, instead of focusing on their keen ehtical duty to educate against empire, they should have considered the horror that comes with mirthless prose and inevitable colonization ofany passionate interest the reader ever had.

Refreshing in its correction of bias, but indigestible
Most of the concise histories of India commonly assigned to students, such as those by John Keay and by Kulke and Rothermund, have been accused of having to Eurocentric a bias. The Metcalfs, professors at the UCalifornia schools, remedy this slant in their new CONCISE HISTORY OF INDIA by stacking the deck against European colonialism. While this is welcome, it is not without cost. The greatest, perhaps, is that the Metcalfs often seem to great length to vilify some figures or parties while at pains elsewhere to vindicate others . While their biases are understandable (even ones with which I basically agree), this does not make for the most balanced or objective of histories.Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - India    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. India    6. Modern - General    7. Asian / Middle Eastern history    8. Asian studies    9. History / Renaissance    10. India--History    11. Modern period, c 1500 onwards   

Reviews (9)

A slightly flawed masterpiece
Most people, when they think of the Enlightenment, think first of 18th France, of Voltaire and of Diderot.The late Roy Porter, in his spirited Enlightenment (Penguin paperback) claimed that the roots of the Enlightenment were actually in England.Then we have recently had James Buchan's Capital of the Mind, which claims in its subtitle that the philosophers of Edinburgh "changed the world".Jonathan Israel says that these are all parochial approaches, and that the Enlightenment was a movement whose international character he intends to illustrate.He has indeed read prodigiously in international literature:his bibliography gives 26 pages of published primary sources and 31 of secondary literature, and these include titles in Latin, English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish and Danish.
Good survey
It's a good book if you want to have an overview of the general philosophical and cultural atmosphere of the time.

Decent five stars, but not six or seven
A good overview of early enlightenment intellectual culture. Unfortunately, the first book it made me think of was Paul Hazard's The European Mind (an seven star book, if ever there was one), which it clearly sets it self up as a successor to, and while more than honorable effort, it is not a book on that scale. Maybe that is unfair: Hazard is on my list of 10 best of all time, and anyway an academic would not be allowed to write a like Hazard these days, but nevertheless, Israel does not bring Spinoza or his buddies alive , never mind make me wish I could invite them to dinner, in the same way that Hazard does with Pierre Bayle, and that is a flaw.
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Subjects:  1. 17th century    2. 18th century    3. Civilization    4. Enlightenment    5. Europe    6. Europe - General    7. History    8. History & Surveys - General    9. History - General History    10. History: World    11. Renaissance    12. Western Europe - General    13. European history: c 1500 to c 1750    14. History / Europe / Western    15. History of ideas, intellectual history    16. History, World | European | General    17. Western philosophy, c 1600 to c 1800    18. c 1700 to c 1800    19. c 1800 to c 1900