Excellent for every historian
357375
The author's immaculate research and attention to the truth of the sinking of the Luisitania is beyond reproach. I enjoyed it a great deal but should add that it can be a bit tedious, especially for those who are not into details. Very much recommend.
932608
Great book for historians. Explains the origins of American academic histories better than any other book I've found. It was very helpful for my lit review on narrative history. I also appreciate that the language and prose are accessible to the general public.
4267181
Whether you are Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant (or not even a believer at all) if you are at all interested in the history of the Early Church, this volume is a must-read.
The 20th century critical historian will quickly note that Eusebius' understanding of relating history differs greatly from what is considered the "correct" way of relating history today.  Frankly, this does not matter, and the wise historian will accept Eusebius for his accomplishments, and place his great value as a historian in its proper context.  The foolish pseudo-historian will make the mistake of trying to apply 20th century standards (such as there are) to this 4th century document.
As far as my own personal interests and research are concerned, I found his discussion of the Canon of the New Testament to be most informative.  It provides a snapshot view of what was held in the beginning of the 4th century, which can then be compared to a similar snapshot view from the end of the 4th century (Athanasius, for example) or beginning of the 5th century (Augustine, for example).
Other scholars may well be interested in Eusebius' discussion of heresies and heretics; persecutions; martyrs, etc.
A wonderful resource which should be widely used by both religious and secular historians.
950324
With this eclectic work readers are exposed once more to the solid historical perspective and excellent writing of the prolific, broad-ranging Norman Davies.  Most history readers will know the names and a few chronological markers of several of the entities (nations and/or states) discussed, but will be surprised and pleased by the details and piquancies of Davies' presentation, including current retropsective views of "lost ancestors".  The European map is covered here - parts of France, Britain, Ireland, Spain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, and some tiny pieces of territory that once belonged or now belongs to former and current nations or that "fell between the cracks" but still managed to survive for as little as one day or as long as several centuries.  The illustrations are also eclectic, and superb.  Some of the stories within chapters are concise yet comprehensive histories in their own right (e.g., the doings, holdings, and feudal relationships of the Teutonic Knights, who appear in both the chapters on Borussia and "Litva", the eastern core of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth or Republic).  Famous and obscure rulers and other political players appear as well.

  Davies is especially good at debunking the "foundation and inevitable development" myths and legends that are perpetrated by the later dominant Great Powers of Europe, who are reluctant to admit the simple truth that their victories were far from inevitable and who insist, against all the evidence, that they represent some kind of Hegelian trend in history.  All such powers ignore and evade those parts of their own histories when they were in fact controlled by neighboring groups/states or played a very minor role in the affairs of their own regions.  They also tend to evade mention of the numerous nationalities, ideologies, and religions that once existed in the lands that are their current holdings, but 20th century historians - usually non-natives - have done an excellent job of shredding such myths, Davies being one of the foremost of these "correctors of history".  He is an obvious admirer of older entities that tolerated several languages and religions without attempting to force all citizens into a single, ethno-linguistic mold that then becomes the justification for the policies of a "monocultural" nation.  I could not be in more agreement on this point myself, being aware of all the buried and lost stories of significant groups (outsiders to the national myth) in our own American history.  Fortunately this is being remedied too, although the remedy itself, when it comes to "group identity" histories, often becomes as nonsensical, monomaniacal, and unenlightening as the master-narrative against which it is undertaken.  As Davies emphasizes, many small-to-middling states have vanished, but the peoples who inhabited them - and their cultures - did not really vanish, but assimilated or were absorbed in one fashion or another, yet many traces of their former way of life and daily practices survive, either as customs, festivals, or architectural and even legal-system remains.

  The book concludes with a delineation of ways in which states fail (using the individual cases he has covered as examples), and this part should be of special value to historians and even of some value to politicians and statesmen and stateswomen.  As usual, Davies tends in this latest work of his to be an empiricist with no obvious theoretical axes to grind, and, as usual again, his writing style is an admirable combination of the straightforward and colloquial with the scholarly (but never arcane or solipsistic).  The book also has the virtue of being able to be read in any chapter-order the reader chooses, reflecting the ability of Davies to go back and forth in time and across national boundaries with extreme ease and fluidity.
243803
Suetonius, one of the great Roman historians, gives a detailed account of the lives and follies of twelve of the Roman Caesars.  He goes not only into their political lives but their personal lives as well, looking at the  faults and their sometimes humorous shortcomings.  It is a very vivid and  racy history, but that is what good history does, it exposes the innermost  facets of the past, and like Suetonius, without being bias.  This is an  excellent book, not just for history students, but for any who would like a  more personal and informative look at the men behind the deified  personalities of Imperial Rome.  Not only does it include the histories of  the Caesars but also maps, genealogical tables, an index of names, and a  helpful little key of names and places of the past and where the present  day location is located. Overall this is a very good book that is well  translated and very fun to read.  It is both informative and amusing at the  same time.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone, and am glad to  see that a high school student has read and taken the time to give a  review.  Not many high school students get a chance to read, let alone such  authors as Suetonius and the like.  I hope others will continue to read and  encourage others to do the same.
1587248
Every serious reader can use a panoramic single-volume history of Europe and its civilization.  Norman Davies' Europe: A History is absolutely sweeping in its scope, taking the reader from the Ice Age to the present day.  This book is beautifully written and despite the enormous ground that it covers, it maintains a strong narrative drive. Norman Davies is erudite and incredibly well read and each page bristles with interesting facts and despite the necessity of compressing so much history into thirteen hundred pages, there is a surprising amount of detail.  Like all good synthesizers, he has an eye for the telling anecdote, the little vignette that contributes to the narrative.  Davies' work has hundreds of such asides and his work is full of triumph and pathos, irony and humor - as it is the story of man and Western Civilization.  There are plenty of well-written sidebars that are short dissertations on historical figures, philosophical concepts, laws or wars, issues that may have distracted from the narrative, but that serve to illuminate the text.  Overall, Europe: A History is an exceptional work of brevity and compression. While few of us will read it from cover to cover, it's of great use for those of us who want  a single volume to refer to, to understand what an exceptional scholar feels is most important about historical events and epochs.
3630696
In a day when "historians" make comment on the long dead or events from the confines of their apartments, Francis Parkman is the person who actually experienced the history he wrote about. There is no political correctness in Parkman and he describes savages, French, frontiersmen and Mormons exactly as they were without apology.

This work is a masterpiece everyone should read and be a guidebook to modern historians who spend more time working a political end and getting in the way of history rather than letting history tell it's truthful tale.

Parkman is not just the historian or recorder of events. He is the bard of Sioux myth, the geologist, biologist and countless other things describing flora, fauna and weather. He is complete in having that air of Boston social elite in beginning his journey and returning from the plains an American having tasted, smelled and breathed the savage world and revealed the eastern thoughts on how that world would evolve for the next 60 years.

Parkman is remarkable and the best compliment for this book is to recommend that readers search for other Parkman histories to read as they are real.

I am currently in his wonderful Montecalm and Wolfe series on the history of Canada which actually created America. If you have children, share Parkman's history with them as he will make it come alive for them.

As you can see by all of the lengthy reviews, Francis Parkman invokes a great deal of thought and emotion in his histories which transfers to the reader.
2255911
While the overall size of this volume might be daunting for some, this is undoubtedly one of the best history books I've ever read.  Exhaustively researched and touching on nearly all aspects of Europe's long history, Norman Davies manages to pace and propel the story in a very readable way, while being cognizant to show history from nearly all angles ('winners' and 'losers').  This is a book I could reccomend to students and history buffs alike and each would find value and entertainment.
1007060
Andrew Roberts is a very fine historian and this book is an excellent example of both his diligent research and his lively writing style.  Essentially the book looks at the careers of various political and academic figures prominent in the British Establishment from the 1940's until the 1970's.

The attack on Lord Louis Mountbatten's record is sustained and ferocious.  Walter Monckton's reputation as a great bringer of industrial peace is shown to be symptomatic of Britain's later union unrest.  The 1950's Conservative government's confusion over non-white immigration into the UK is laid bare.  These are just some examples of the territory covered in this very readable book.
1025143
Excellent history; easily accessible to the non-academic.
971935
Christoph Baumer does excellent work (see my review of his book on the Southern Silk Road), and this book is no exception. Anyone interested in the rich varieties of Eastern Christianity should own this book, which surveys the complex and fascinating history of a Church mistakenly called Nestorian. I cannot praise this enough. It is "popular history" as it should be--nuanced and based on solid scholarship. And, as we have come to expect from Baumer, the illustrations are first rate. It is also well written, and unless a work of history is written in the clear language of common sense, it does not deserve to be called history.
2169019
This book is phenomenal.  James Wasserman's well - balanced outlook; his careful analysis of outstanding information; his impressive writing style and his mastery of the historical material make this a gem in any historian's library.
4760103
This is a wonderful book. The War is reviewed by the warriors, wise men and tribe members. To see it through their eyes plus the scholarship of the author is really amazing. Someone once said that history is always written by the victors, but the honesty and balance of this book belies that.

Jerome A. Greene is a splendid writer and historian and has added an excellent volume to the canon of books already published on the subject. Thanks Amazon for making my aware of its existence.
4309847
Kotkin is a first rate historian who dispenses with the slogans, cliches, and jingoism that often cloud Soviet studies.  Armageddon Averted is superbly titled and succinctly written.  The author takes less than 200 pages of text to explain the ending collapse of the U.S.S.R. - the "death agony of an entire world comprising non-market economies and anti-liberal institutions."  It's a pleasure to read history that so elegantly summarizes complex and world changing events without mischaracterizing them.  Many "experts" not only failed to anticipate the changes that occurred, but subsequently gave the wrong reasons for them.  Kotkin's breadth and depth of knowledge allow him to avoid such blunders.  Most highly recommended.  Additional plusses are the Notes and Further Reading sections.  The naysayers below seem to have axes to grind that cloud their "reviews."
1780529
This is a book for those with a serious interest in history. Prof Gaddis is truly versed in ancient, medieval and modern history and draws on that knowledge throughout the book in a fascinating and extremely readable text. I have not enjoyed a book as much for some time and immediately ordered two more of his books.  There is so much to learn from his approach and leads you to wish you knew even more. This is history taught by a scholar and not someone like Bill O'Reilly or some other popular author.
3093792
Mike Varhola has done it again. "Fire and Ice," his reference work on the Korean War, follows his very successful guide for writers and historians, "Everyday Life During the Civil War." "Fire and Ice" is a superb reference for teachers, veterans, war gamers, and military enthusiasts. It is an easy read for the armchair historian. Mike has packed his book with a wide variety of comments about international uniforms, unit organizations, the often overlooked naval role, military pay rates, and a section on POWs. He deftly combines his historical observations together with recently uncovered information. His list of Korean War films is most informative. As a retired Army veteran with a tour in Korea (75-76), who now teaches US History in a public high school, I highly recommend this work to my fellow teachers. It will help you bring the conflict to life for your students. For the children of veterans and the citizen, it will help you understand the grime, grit, and horror of war these men and women experienced. Great job, Mike.
3463600
This paper contains a description of all conflicts since ancient times to the present day.
The authors have done, without exaggeration, a Herculean job creating this volume.
The book adorn the bookshelves of any military historian, professional or amateur.