Third, equally great and successful book about some of the most influential historical figures of modern Western civilization
926179
Tales of Titans, or by its full name- Tales of Titans: Founding Fathers, Women Warriors and World War II is the third book of the same genre written by the same author. The fact that this is the third book written about the same topics only emphasizes more the fact that this is something the readers enjoy reading and there are many reasons for a reader to enjoy reading these books. For instance, I love to read literature with historical note and especially if the book is written with so much effort. The author, similar like before, wanted to show us some of the most important characters of the Western history, like George Washington. However, instead of just writing the naked facts, the author choses different approach: he writes about historical figures in the form of essays, emphasizing both positive and negative traits of each of them, making Tales of Titans very interesting approach on something that can be perceived as dull and boring, such as history. Since I love history and since the author made this book to be a little more different that the normal history books, I can only say that I have truly enjoyed reading this book. Will there be Volume 4? I surely hope so.
1018110
Exceptional. I read Bertrand Russell's A History of Western Philosophy, and while I found it intriguing was a little disappointed that it was less a history, and more of Russell's opinions on philosophies in history (although it was still enjoyable to read, as Russell is a good writer, and has interesting opinions).  Gottlieb  may have been influenced to write this because of this, as he even mentions Russell's book sometimes within the book.

Having said that, I think Gottlieb's book is far superior as a history of philosophy.

Now, I know the book to give to people wanting to know more about the History of Western Philosophy: this book.  Gottlieb's writing is superb, and the narrative flow works excellently.  It is extremely throughly researched and sourced, so that if you want to learn more, you can look at his sources easily.  More than that, the tone is respectful and objective, and Gottlieb explains the context as well as the arguments of the ancients.  Some ideas are very confusing from a modern persepective, but Gottlieb always does a good job of explaining how the idea came about, what environment the idea lived in, and he tries to give the best gloss to it.  This is what we need to do if we are to actually engage in new ideas, or consider new ones.

I really, really recommend this book, as it is just full of interesting stories about philosophy, and the interesting people of philosophy.  I can't wait to read Gottlieb's next book The Dream of Enlightenment.
1391283
Here, finally, is an incredibly scholarly book about one of the most influential historic figures of the last century. Focusing upon the life and world of Erich Ludendorff The Brownells bring to life the true and detailed background of Germany in World War 1 and the insanity that drove millions upon millions to die in endless battles, stalemates, ill=planned campaigns and military fantasies. I have read hundreds of books on the Holocaust, Hitler, Germany, Third Reich, etc. and have finally discovered a gem that speaks to the culture, society, personalities and pure megalomania that gave the world far-reaching nightmare tragedies that still haunt parts of this world. Most impressive is the quantity of new revelations rarely uncovered in the past, wonderful overviews or how mistakes, ego and pure blunders were multiplied over and over again. I once considered Barbara Tuchman's "Guns of August" the definitive tome on the march to WWI, but the perspective here is so much more pointed...and....still so much more expansive. I've read forty books this year and would easily rate this book NUMBER #1.
46458
Constantine the Great (282-337) has been the subject of many previous biographies - some of them very dry and many which dwell on his conversion to Christianity and its impact.  It is true to say that without Constantine's conversion and his military success in uniting the (then) disparate Roman Empire, Christianity might never have been able to become the major religion it is today.  The Niciion Creed he also presided over is a pillar of the Church's faith today.  However there is even more to Constantine than this.  Throughout history the founder of Constantinople has inspired very different views from writers and historians alike.

In this new biography, David Potter comprehensively covers the whole of the life of Constantine.  In fact the book goes back to the events of 260AD, when with the capture by the Persians of the Roman Empire, Valerian, the empire split into three.  This background material helps the reader to understand and appreciate the achievements of Constantine.

The book details Constantine's training at the court of Diocletion, his military brilliance, the enormously successful administration with which he ruled and, of course, his conversion to Christianity and his impact on the emerging church.  It also examines more personal  matters - the divorce of his beloved mother by his father and Constantine's close relationship with her throughout her life, his early marriage and his devotion to his children and the happy years of his second marriage.

What emerges from the pages of Potter's biography is a man who was very complex in character.  On the one hand a ruler who showed through his government, concern for the poor and wronged; also a shrewd leader who knew better than to force his people to give up all their pagan gods and ways; a brilliant military strategist who knew exactly when to seize the moment but also a man capable of acts of vengeance and extreme brutality.  He exiled, executed or forced suicide on some of his nearest and dearest including his father in law, two brothers in law, his eldest son and his second wife.  He was involved in the coup which toppled his father.

David Potter weaves his tale through the life of Constantine with writing which is lively, never heavy and gets the reader wanting to know more.  It  is knowledgeable without degenerating into mere academia.  This is a great read for anyone interested in the life of this amazing Roman.
4706149
I really enjoyed this book. Author John Haywood has collected a number of ancient civilizations (familiar and unfamiliar) into one book. Each chapter focuses on one ancient people, and every page is filled with bright and colourful photographs. All pictures are in focus, the text is easy on the eyes, not too heavy to hold, and it's pretty much like a history textbook but signficantly shorter. It tells the reader the way the people came, how their society operated, important figures and stories from each civilization, and the way the ancients went.

Each chapter opens with a vibrant, two-page colour photograph of a visually startling scene that is relevant to the chapter. Each chapter includes a variety of photos, ranging from important people to artefacts to monuments, and each one is explained. A timeline of key dates is included at the beginning of each chapter. And when the civilization leaves the ancient world, no more is heard of them.

I detected no spelling errors in the text, although there were a number of misplaced "only"s in certain parts. Haywood should really leave his feelings about religion out of the text, as he refers to the Great Flood as having a prototype "for the later Biblical story of Noah's flood." (pg. 17) Another one, and this is one that may put off other readers, occurs on pg. 27: "Later Biblical writers would appropriate this legend [of King Sargon of Kish] for the story of Moses." Instead of drawing a parallel and noting similiarity, he risks turning off his readers by implying that the biblical story is a fictional account. Personally I wasn't bothered much by it, but others might be. Thankfully, these are the only two occurences I found in the book.

The biggest surprises of the book come in the chapters regarding India, China and Mesoamerica. What most people know about ancient history comes to them from Egypt or Greece, but little is widely known about the others. This book fills in that grey area with details and intrigue, and does it very well. One thing I must stress that the text is never an overkill - Haywood gives just the right amount of information, doesn't draw bold conclusions (or any for that matter), and leaves the reader to decide for themselves how it applies to today's world.

All in all, it is an enjoyable book, and would make a fine conversation piece if placed on a coffee table. But who would want to converse about it when you can pick it up and read something so engrossing silently? A good book but a little overpriced. (Thank goodness for bargain bins!)
3545334
This magisterial three volume set is still the premier and definitive work on the dynastic, diplomatic, colonial, foreign policy and political descsion making of the European great powers and how their interaction, distrust and rivalry led to the 1st World War. Professor Albertini {who died in 1942} had access to scores of primary source documents that have since been destroyed {during WW11}and uniquely was able to conduct interviews with some of the protagonists including those former Serbian government and military officials that were personally responsible on arranging the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife.

The depth and detail of his writing and how he presents this immense subject makes these three {3} volumes a very challenging but ultimately rewarding read. His writing style is not boring but it is dense and complex and many of the government documents that he quotes in these volumes have to be read slowly/carefully to fully understand their meaning. I have the three {3} hardcover volumes printed between 1952 and 1957 and it took me over seven {7} years years of serious on and off reading to finish all 3 volumes - volume 1/ 578 pages, volume 2/ 686 pages and volume 3/ 702 pages - not including some 70 + pages of bibliography and footnotes.

These books are definitely not for the casual reader and prior knowledge of 19th and early 20th century European dynastic, economic and diplomatic history is essential before you attempt to tackle these very challenging reads. Books that I would recommend would be Willian L. Langers "European Alliances and Alignments 1871-1890" Paul Kennedy's "The Rise of the Anglo-German Antagonism", Edmond Taylor's "The Fall of the Dynasties", Barbara Tuchman's "The Proud Tower", Nial Fergurson's "The Pity Of War" and Fritz Stern's "Gold and Iron" are good "starting point" books to be read.

Mr. Albertini has his opinions - in general he is very sympathetic to Sir Edward Grey and British foreign policy, he gives a lot of "ink" to Italian foreign policy and the Mediterranean which are often peripheral and relatively minor in the big picture of European great power politics. He is very unsympathetic to Imperial Germany and her diplomatic maneuvering after the fall of Bismark and {sometimes unfairly} always suspects that Germany is being particularly devious and duplicitous compared to the other powers. Austria -Hungary, its policies and problems is chronicled in exhaustive detail with proper weight of the key role and position she had in the Balkans "vis a vie" Slav nationalism, Serbia and Russia.

Professor Albertini writes and documents the pre 1914 European old world diplomacy, great power politics, what the European ruling elites were thinking ,saying and doing and details their sensible and the paranoid reasoning "side by side" with the sum of their fears. These 3 volumes are the bedrock foundation for anybody interested in the root causes of World War 1. Reading the extensive offical documents that Albertini quotes at length {from all the powers} one can only be astonished at the mistakes and miscalculations of the sovereigns, diplomats and politicians - the total failure of the European ruling classes and their diplomantic system in 1914 to prevent catastrophe.

The auyhor's verdict is that Imperial Germany was primarily responsible for the war or to phrase it differently - the most guilty party. This view was basically dismissed by historians in the 1960s, 70s and 80s as the prevailing opinion then was "group collective guilt" viewing all the powers as equally responsible - but the latest historical research is strongly leaning back towards Albertini's view of Imperial Germany being the most culpable/responsible with which I am in total agreement. Still his research ensures that there is enough blame to "go all around". To the dedicated and knowledgeable reader of European history from 1815 to 1914 - I highly recommend each volume and give them 5 stars singularly and collectively.
2215950
This book may be one that purist historiographers - who view the study of the past as its own virtue - may bristle at. But Andreas Kluth very much follows the Confuciun line of studying the past, to understand the present and to foresee the future. In doing so he takes the story of the Carthaginian general, Hannibal and makes it relevant to our times. For in Hannibal and the other two protagonists in the Hannibal story - Fabius and Scipio - we see all sides of humanity and learn lessons about the real meaning of success and failure or, as Kipling called them, the twin imposters that are triumph and disaster.

Weaved into to story of Hannibal, Kluth brings us lessons from the lives of other great historical figures, from Truman to Steve Jobs, from Einstein to Eleanor Roosevelt, from the tragedy of Liu Shaoqi to the hubris of Eliot Spitzer. But most compelling of all are the lessons that Kluth shows he has drawn himself, recognizing the success he achieved in his twenties working long hours in an investment bank for the imposter it was and (with a little help from the study of Hannibal) pursuing a career in journalism instead, which has led ultimately to this excellent work. One which ties together history, philosophy and (perhaps a little) life guidance, and demonstrates an astounding breadth of knowledge.

Well worth a read.
4828475
Manchester's epic should appeal to readers of politics, economics, and military history as he skillfully intertwines the Krupp family business with multiple generations of political leaders of Europe.  While 400 years is a bit of a misnomer - the Krupps weren't the Rothschilds and only truly affected the world scene from 1870 onwards - the author does a magnificent job of immersing the reader in a fascinating top down look at the political and military climate of pre-Great War Europe from their most important arms supplier - the Cannon Kings Alfred, Fritz, and Gustav Krupp.  Underlying this is a well-proven thesis that Germany's military prowess relied heavily on Krupp technological innovations, and Manchester is to be commended for making this understandable to the layman.
The second half of the narrative is far darker but equally as important as he essentially reconstructs the Allied case against Krupp in greater detail than publicly available at Nuremburg for their crimes in World War II.  Beyond any doubt, Alfried Krupp and the firm did monstrous things - at times far worse than the SS - to slave laborers that other German manufacturers refused.  Starving to death thousands, torturing more, and outright looting conquered territory were good business for Krupp.  Manchester's reconstruction bogs the pace of the book but is an overwhelmingly effective refutation of Krupp as victim.  Had this been available at Nuremburg Krupp would clearly have hanged.  One finishes the book hoping that some effort was made to memorialize the slave camp babies murdered by 'die Firma'.
The age of the 1968 publishing only shows up in some of the economic analysis, but even then students of economics can glean a couple of lessons about what happens when you overlever and overexpand.
Highly recommended.
3304090
* A People That Shall Dwell Alone: Judaism as a Group Evolutionary Strategy, with Diaspora Peoples
* Separation and Its Discontents: Toward an Evolutionary Theory of Anti-Semitism
* The Culture of Critique: An Evolutionary Analysis of Jewish Involvement in Twentieth-Century Intellectual and Political Movements

These books are so meaningful at so many different levels.

Firstly, as others have explicated, these books explain the history of Judaism, the Jews and their interaction with the peoples that surrounded them.  As a group of people, the Jews are perhaps one of the most important and influential groups the recent world has seen, if not outright the most important.  European history is taught all over the world in every country in addition to the local history, because for the last four hundred years, what has happened in Europe and its descendant New World has changed the rest of the Old World, and is still doing so.  And after the mighty force of the European people's scientific revolution, it is the Jews that have played the most important role in European history: the destruction of monarchies, the establishment of the nation-state in different forms all had Jews behind them.  So, this trilogy of books fills a much-needed gap in history books, a gap which I suspect has been deliberately left there.

Secondly, these books, especially the first and the second of the trilogy, explain the rise of the major religions in the world.  I have a feeling Kevin MacDonald might not have originated the idea that organized religions are group evolutionary strategies, but the way he goes about explaining how Judaism worked as a group evolutionary strategy, and then broadening that understanding to Christianity (and by extension, Islam, since Islam borrows a lot from Christianity, especially its treatment of usury) is a really tremendous achievement.  To restate, clearly and cogently explaining how Christianity originated is a tremendous achievement, I think.  Group evolutionary strategies need not be religious, and thus explaining how Nazism worked as one against Judaism is also tremendous. Thus, this trilogy is meaningful at a more higher level than one particular religion.

Thirdly, these books are a testament to the power of science and the bringing to bear of scientific thinking on this topic.  Evolution is a scientific theory, and Kevin MacDonald is a sociologist.  Science is the most powerful religion this world has seen, and it is the One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the brightness, broad daylight bind them.  Science will succeed where Christianity and Islam have failed in extirpating the evil behind Judaism, because it is not Judaism itself that is evil, but the mathematics of the iniquitous money system behind it as practised by Judaism's elite adherents.  I suspect that the whole of civilized world history will be rewritten with much more understanding if historians knew about the unjust, evil money system that has pervaded our planet since Babylon five thousand years ago.  As I write this, in the United States, war is being waged against the Money Masters, the International Bankers, and their institution the Federal Reserve, all without a trace of anti-Semitism.

Some books are more equal than others.  The Kevin MacDonald trilogy is among the most equal of them all.
1877249
This is a terrific read and very relevant to 2009 world history especially Jewish History.

This biography provides insight in the History of Persian (Iraqi) Jews.  It describes Dr. Heskel escape from Iraq, his ability to make lemonade from lemons, and how he becomes an accomplished physician.  His story is amazing, it keeps your attention, and has genuine warmth and passion. It describes Jewish Iraq in the 30's - 40's, Zionism,Jews,and Israel.  The Jewish diversity of Israelis, European, Asian, African, American, and Sabras.  Dr. Haddad exemplifies a personal and universal success story. We witness his growth determination, discipline, and humanity from child to scholar to activist to professional. The message is clearly stated, Jews have a unique history, a commonality that we share whatever birth nation.  We see history repeating itself and how the Jewish world changes yet remains the same.

This is a terrific addition to your library.
If you enjoy Jewish History this is a must read.
2295127
This book is a facinating insight into what people have done that has influenced the world. It is an concise summary of pivital historical events in the development of cyvilization. It provides an excelent brief-bio on many facinating people.  It is insightfully relivant to some of lifes deepest issues and the development of civilization.  It is also a great introduction to world history and I read it to my 10 year old one or two bios a night.  He loved it.  A truly geat work, my thank to Tomas Hart.
2433623
I read Give Us This Day (God Is an Englishman) by R. F. Delderfield recently and really enjoyed it.  This is the 3rd book of this trilogy and I was totally addicted to them for a month or so, reading them in order. Great stories and you really get the feel of the times. These are not only sagas about a family but really about Great Britain as a whole and the progress of thought concerning human rights, individual responsibility, morality, success and money.

This book follows Adam and Henrietta Swann, the central characters in the first and second books, who epitomize the age of industry. The story also includes interesting portraits of their children as they reach adulthood, marry and are individually launched to various reaches of the British Empire. Great characters and totally enjoyable reading. The book covers the beginning of the age of the automobile and the end of Victoria's rule.  It foreshadows the tragedy of Work War I (The Great War) and accurately depicts why so few saw the magnitude of that horrible conflict as it initially started.  The author is a gifted historian and the writing is both warm and academic. He uses very precise (and now antiquated) language of that era of history that adds a rich element to his style. It was great to read this on my Kindle so that I could get definitions as I read along with minimal interruption.
1662896
This was a fantastic survey of world history that suffered from debilitating problems, as a book.

On the one hand, for its content, I'd heartily recommend The Silk Roads. It's a great survey of material culture and commerce from ancient times to the present. It's global in perspective (when most similar treatments focus on western Europe). Frankopan makes a convincing case that myopic European accounts of history distort our understanding of the world. Not just the contributions and role of Indian, Chinese, Turkish, Arabic and (particularly) Persian culture; but also a myriad of other tribes and nations. The history of the world through this broader lens is fascinating in its own right. But, importantly, this distortion causes us to badly misinterpret "our" own culture (which I'll define as, loosely, Anglo, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch). Some of the most hamhanded, shortsighted, and bloody mistakes of the last hundred years or more,  emerge directly from our ignorance and arrogance.

None of this is a new perspective (especially if you're a linguist, say), and the outlines of this history were familiar to me, from talking with good friends, in a very international crowd: Turkey, Portugal, China and Iran, Austria and Egypt. But there's been very little history written, in English, that departs from the familiar Rome->Dark Ages-> Renaissance pattern. It's good to finally see something substantial written, that recontextualises our place in the world in a thorough and sensible way.

For all of the above reasons, I'd give the book 5 stars. Similarly, Frankopan's prose is excellent, and deserving of 5 stars, as is his thorough documentation and extensive bibliography. His coverage of several periods of history was exciting. However, the book was almost unreadable for long stretches. It contained too many details, laid out in rapid succession, with too little discussion. Paragraph after paragraph of names, and dates, and unadorned details. It was a brisk, high altitude flight across 2000 years of history, of about 30 different nations and 12000 or more miles of territory, with no time to catch your breath.

The chapters individually were sensibly written around an approximate theme. Each chapter, individually, might be a good resource for several hours of a seminar course, where you could spend some time digging into the material and discussing. But one after another, the effect was numbing. I really feel like this should have been 4 separate books, and Frankopan should have taken twice as many pages to cover the same amount of material. There is really no conceivable reason why anyone would need to cover Ancient Rome, classic Persia, China, and India; the conquest of the Americas; the 19th century through the Second World war; and finally the Cold War through the Iraq war (focusing on all the meddling we did in the Middle East)---all in a single book.

The general premise, that central Asia and the Middle East, by linking East and West, were important historically,  and will probably be important again, is too weak to hold the whole thing together. It was frustrating. There were beautiful moments of clarity, but they got lost in the torrent. The overtly political agenda, mainly evident in the last couple chapters and afterword, detracted from the historicity (and it's not that I disagree with Frankopan's politics, but when I want to listen to Chomsky, I do), and felt like a distraction from what was otherwise a great story of the importance of trade, material culture, and cultural transmission. I got the feeling that the political tale was meant to be the unifying thread, but again this was only clear in the last couple chapters, and it wasn't enough to hold the book together. Nor was the central conceit of saying "the silk roads" occasionally.
256276
This book was absolutely wonderful. The breadth, scope and perspective given from all angles is just the best. The amount of research and compilation that had to be done to create this very readable history book and a miracle, especially considering that the sources are multi-lingual. It is a book that I have read three times so far and I find new things each time.
4076892
I belong to the "Living Your Best Life" study group at the Oshkosh Senior Center, and we are all delighted with this book.  We read and discuss a section each week, and have enjoyed the first 3 very much.  The book introduces several "Great Americans" that few of our members were familiar with, which has sent several of us to the local library to read some Sherwood Anderson, for instance.  I would have given a fifth star if more great women were included--Elizabeth Cady Stanton's letter to her daughter was my favorite thus far, but most sections have only one woman, 3 have none, and two have two.  I realize this reflects the relative absence of women from mainstream history texts, but I had hoped the past several decades of research in women's history had reached a wider audience.
3595442
Oddly, Chernow's otherwise masterful work, skims many of the critical political turning points of Washington's profoundly important years as President. Flexner's 4 volume life is obviously more comprehensive, as are a few of Washington's many other biographers. However, Ron Chernow's great accomplishment is presenting a single volume life of Washington that paints the most human portrait of this previously remote giant of history-- an enormous contribution.

The flesh and blood George Washington was a vastly complex and remarkable person, one of the great figures of world history, not just American history. He was literally a legend in his own time with his achievements and powers elevated to mythical levels. As a result, he has been harder for later generations of Americans to identify with. Lincoln and Theododre Roosevelt are more user friendly-- even funny/angry/petty John Adams is more like "one of us" than the majesterial Washington.

But he WAS majesterial! Chernow presents Washington, warts and all, and he's well worth knowing. An imperfect man who had the courage to strive for perfection. He failed in some areas (slavery, for example) but came closer than most men will ever come.

George Washington set out to be a great man. Chernow has written a great biography that I suspect will stand for a generation or more as THE biography of the greatest of Americans.
3789489
Re/Search has reliably published excellent interview books on a number of sub- and anti- cultural groups, so it is not surprising that their latest, Modern Pagans, is as well-executed as it is.  A number of Pagan interview books have been released over the last handful of years, but Re/Search truly distinguish themselves by exploring the thinking of contemporary leaders with much greater depth than has been shown before.  This book provides a brilliant snapshot of the people whose influence will shape the direction of the Neo-Pagan movement in the future, and brings into focus the challenges and level of discussion within it today.  As a sample of the diverse personalities interviewed, one could give Starhawk on Doreen Valiente, Don Frew on Ronald Hutton, Margot Adler on the media, Isaac Bonewits on Neitzsche, Matthew Fox on his leaving the Catholic Church, and Carol Queen on the Great Rite.  Definitely another success for Re/Search.