History Made Accessible
928569
In the spirit of Esther Forbes 'Johnny Tremain', Anderson has created a novel capable of both capturing a readers attention and presenting a realistic post revolution environment surrounding the epidemic. My favorite of her novels.
2702368
I enjoy reading history, and love it when I can read it from a human perspective. This book not only informs; it takes its reader back to the middle ages. It engaged me entirely in the daily life of a common woman and rewarded me with a fresh perspective on my favorite period.
1066548
This is a book that will invite you in and make you feel like you are witnessing history.  You care about the King and his circle and what happens to all of them. The book is not only about the king and his circle, however; the reader learns about Spain (and indeed different parts of Europe at that time), culture, and many other topics.  Simon Doubleday gives a new perspective about the Renaissance.  Most of us learned that it began and  was centered in Italy, especially thanks to Machiavelli, but he shows that some of the ideas about  leadership and ruling began in Spain.  This is well-written in a lively style; Professor Doubleday teaches history at the university level, but his writing is approachable, clear, and elegant.  I learned a lot from this book, and it makes me want to learn more about Spanish history.  I didn't want the book to end!
1358141
I love reading history, serious tomes and lighter versions with fewer footnotes.
This was written as part of his involvement in the BBC series on the history of Ireland.
Tis a delight that made me want to read more.
Hagarty has a wonderful writer's voice here; the voice will carry you along.
4536074
Tired of reading history book's? Nick Yapp found a great way in which one can learn (and SEE) what happened in the last century decade by decade. This is more than just an ordinary photograph book for it contains "history-worthy" comments. Appart from the 1920's other decades  are available (30s, 40s, 50s, 60, 70s) for this reason the book's size  comes in handy for one can fit ALL the collection in a relative small  amount of space. I already picture them lying in my coffee table, making  them available for all my friends to enjoy. The price is relative cheap. The best part is that you can buy each one separately. I'm  buying the 1920's for my grandmother,for she was born in that decade.  Although I recommend buying the whole pack and enjoying a history review  through the incredible pictures of this book.
3075315
Quite readable and edifying. It is books like this that will pave the way to inform for our understanding of the hidden past.
1562553
excellent source of historical information in an easy to read format
1199774
Citizens is a truly wonderful example of narrative historical writing - a "tremendous performance", to borrow a favourite expression of Simon Schama. The author prefers a more old-fashioned interpretation of the French revolution, which presents the revolution as a drama and focuses on the characters that determine the unravelling of the plot. This choice provides the book with the memorable stories, such as the royal family's comically feckless flight from Paris in 1791, that make it such a delightful read. It is a liberating experience to find a general historical survey that does away with the conventional, stultifying analytical distinctions between economic, social and political factors. Instead, the reader can interact directly - as well as chronologically, which makes it easy to dip in and out of - with the actors and the events without having to navigate around tedious discussions of causal significance or complex arguments with other historians.

But it is the skill with which Schama recounts events like the fall of the Bastille that makes this book unique and easily the most enjoyable modern history of the revolution in English. The embellishing vocabulary (readers are advised to have a dictionary to hand), the recurring motifs (the revolutionary obsession with heads, whether on pikes or as busts) and the vivid build-up of tension are the true strengths of this so-called chronicle. It is perfect for the novice reader and the enlightened amateur alike. Citizens demands re-reading for the richness of its description to be fully appreciated, especially its masterful reconstruction of the fascinating and sometimes disturbing culture of the old regime, which is probably the most accessible that exists. The only disappointment is that it ends with Thermidor, in 1794. After 800 pages, one is still hoping for more, which is the highest recommendation possible for this genre of historical writing.
4139332
I did not know about this book until I recently found it on Kindle.  It's a nuanced, entertaining, and fact-filled telling of the behind-the-scenes dealing that went on before, during, and after the war.  We are taught history these days without understanding the details, and this book gives them - meticulously described, tirelessly footnoted, and with a rapid pace that keeps the reader's interest.  I found the 1913 grammar and spelling to be fascinating, and the author's dexterity with the language first rate.  If you ever have keen interested in knowing what really happened to our country in 1861, with all of the back-story details, this is the book to read.  A++
413014
accessible and rich in information; was a pleasure for me to read it. i missed however detailed maps of Alexander's quests, especially some of the cities still exist and on the front news (e.g. Kandahar etc)
3820848
I throughly enjoyed this book both for the history presented and the informative and interesting illustrations. Reading it was like looking through a window into a forgotten past. Despite having majored in history in college I had never known about Breendonk. This book brings the history of this obscure fort and prison to light and places it in the context of WWII Europe.

The book details the stories of individual prisoners. The incarcerated encompassed not only Jews but also common criminals and political prisoners. While the personal histories are captivating the differences and similarities of their confinements are especially interesting.

The historical photographs, modern photographs, maps, and other illustrations all come together to give the book the feel of a textbook but in a good way. The pictures scattered throughout the text bring the stories to life. It's an almost emotional experience to be reading the story of a prisoner after seeing their face, the barracks, the commandant, and a hand drawn sketch of a scene from their daily life.

This book, while a fascinating work of history with wide appeal, would be ideally suited to a high school or lower level college course. Although the focus is on a narrow slice of WWII and holocaust history the lessons gleaned from the text can be broadly applied to the war as a whole.
3915566
David McCullough's extensive reserve of  American History shines brightly through a pages of this easy to read collection of  presentations at many of America's oldest and most revered institutions.  Of particular interest to this grandfather was Abigail Adam's letter to her 11 year old son, John Quincy, and  how far we are removed today from getting someone like my 13 year old grandson to show interest in something so far removed from today's electronic media.
428725
Delightful and very accessible presentation of historic background leading to an understanding of nature's simple magic soil blend and how it can be incorporated in a variety of obvious and not-so-frequently thought of locations.
1584030
Too often history in the classroom is reduced to rote memorization of dates, and the stories of real people and the significance and impact of the events surrounding them are lost to generations of children too bored and frustrated with the material to gain any real insight from the subject.  It is very encouraging, therefore, to find a book that introduces the reader to particular young people and builds the historical events up around their characters and actions, thereby adding elements of relevance and relatability to the accounts.  Although there is sufficient contextual information to place the individuals profiled here in their respective eras and regions, the focus is upon drawing connections and pointing out causation between the past and the present, a surprisingly sophisticated technique for so young an author.

The selection of children profiled in the text is wide and varied, with particular attention to children in oppressed or marginalized groups that are often overlooked.  Although the accounts are rather short, the first few entries in particular do a good job of placing the events the children endured or actions they performed in their historical context and demonstrating how greatly life today has been shaped by these historical events.

The book is appropriate for all children of reading age, although early elementary students may need some assistance with the content.  It generally well-written, but would benefit from a more fastidious editor to smooth the sometimes choppy style and eliminate occasional technical errors.  The fanciful font seems out of place in this book, and is a strange choice for a work aimed at children, but it is not unreadable.

Overall, this is an educational and accessible read for children and will likely be very enjoyable for the older folks as well.  As an introduction to only a handful of the fascinating individuals studied in the field, History Matters for Children will serve to pique the interest of young students and function as a gateway to the broader study and appreciation of history.
3787477
It is rare to find a well documented historical account in which the writer's obvious passion is not a detriment.  This book accomplishes that.
  A survey of primary and secondary sources about a fascinating geographical area, era, and man, Colon's *Rasputin and the Jews* is accessible reading for the armchair historian while providing citations for further study by scholars.  Told in a friendly writing style, the text is entertaining and informative.
  Anyone with an interest in Russia, the powers behind the First World War, the political systems of that era, or Rasputin himself should not fail to read this compelling account.
4964407
This book is not a definitive history but a highly readable factual narrative of the digital revolution; a revolution as game-changing as the industrial revolution.  I like the way the author tied the book together with the story of Ada Lovelace at the beginning and a congratulatory reference to her at the end.

The author went to great lengths to interview original sources.  As with Steve Jobs, the information these sources provide is invaluable and irreplaceable.  The book is heavily footnoted with print sources of all kinds, including letters, journals, oral histories, etc.  Websites are provided for instant access from the eBook version.  These websites vastly expand the scope of the book; they give the reader a quick and easy way to delve deeper into topics of special interest.  The index is highly detailed and provides instant access into the eBook.

"Innovators" will appeal to boomers who grew up in a world of typewriters, rotary phones and snail-mailed letters.  It will appeal to the younger set who might wonder why boomers think the iPhone and the iPod are so revolutionary.
1402983
I got interested in the Patapsco River when I went to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.  I knew about the general history of the B & O railroad in the Patapsco Valley, but this book opened up an entire new window on the history of the Patapsco Valley.  Travers' prose makes the history of the Patapsco Valley easily accessible to everyone and the geographic organization of his book makes it useful as a guidebook too.