History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World & Everything in It

Average customer rating:

A valuable history lesson and food for thought
A must-read!
Excellent Book
Excellent
The Miracle of the Scottish Enlightenment

How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World & Everything in It
Arthur Herman
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0609809997
Release Date: 2002-09-24

Amazon.com

"I am a Scotsman," Sir Walter Scott famously wrote, "therefore I had to fight my way into the world." So did any number of his compatriots over a period of just a few centuries, leaving their native country and traveling to every continent, carving out livelihoods and bringing ideas of freedom, self-reliance, moral discipline, and technological mastery with them, among other key assumptions of what historian Arthur Herman calls the "Scottish mentality."

It is only natural, Herman suggests, that a country that once ranked among Europe's poorest, if most literate, would prize the ideal of progress, measured "by how far we have come from where we once were." Forged in the Scottish Enlightenment, that ideal would inform the political theories of Francis Hutcheson, Adam Smith, and David Hume, and other Scottish thinkers who viewed "man as a product of history," and whose collective enterprise involved "nothing less than a massive reordering of human knowledge" (yielding, among other things, the Encyclopaedia Britannica, first published in Edinburgh in 1768, and the Declaration of Independence, published in Philadelphia just a few years later). On a more immediately practical front, but no less bound to that notion of progress, Scotland also fielded inventors, warriors, administrators, and diplomats such as Alexander Graham Bell, Andrew Carnegie, Simon MacTavish, and Charles James Napier, who created empires and great fortunes, extending Scotland's reach into every corner of the world.

Herman examines the lives and work of these and many more eminent Scots, capably defending his thesis and arguing, with both skill and good cheer, that the Scots "have by and large made the world a better place rather than a worse place." --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

Who formed the first modern nation?
Who created the first literate society?
Who invented our modern ideas of democracy and free market capitalism?
The Scots.

Mention of Scotland and the Scots usually conjures up images of kilts, bagpipes, Scotch whisky, and golf. But as historian and author Arthur Herman demonstrates, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Scotland earned the respect of the rest of the world for its crucial contributions to science, philosophy, literature, education, medicine, commerce, and politics—contributions that have formed and nurtured the modern West ever since.

Arthur Herman has charted a fascinating journey across the centuries of Scottish history. He lucidly summarizes the ideas, discoveries, and achievements that made this small country facing on the North Atlantic an inspiration and driving force in world history. Here is the untold story of how John Knox and the Church of Scotland laid the foundation for our modern idea of democracy; how the Scottish Enlightenment helped to inspire both the American Revolution and the U.S. Constitution; and how thousands of Scottish immigrants left their homes to create the American frontier, the Australian outback, and the British Empire in India and Hong Kong.

How the Scots Invented the Modern World reveals how Scottish genius for creating the basic ideas and institutions of modern life stamped the lives of a series of remarkable historical figures, from James Watt and Adam Smith to Andrew Carnegie and Arthur Conan Doyle, and how Scottish heroes continue to inspire our contemporary culture, from William “Braveheart” Wallace to James Bond.

Victorian historian John Anthony Froude once proclaimed, “No people so few in number have scored so deep a mark in the world’s history as the Scots have done.” And no one who has taken this incredible historical trek, from the Highland glens and the factories and slums of Glasgow to the California Gold Rush and the search for the source of the Nile, will ever view Scotland and the Scots—or the modern West—in the same way again. For this is a story not just about Scotland: it is an exciting account of the origins of the modern world and its consequences.

“The point of this book is that being Scottish turns out to be more than just a matter of nationality or place of origin or clan or even culture. It is also a state of mind, a way of viewing the world and our place in it. . . . This is the story of how the Scots created the basic idea of modernity. It will show how that idea transformed their own culture and society in the eighteenth century, and how they carried it with them wherever they went. Obviously, the Scots did not do everything by themselves: other nations—Germans, French, English, Italians, Russians, and many others—have their place in the making of the modern world. But it is the Scots more than anyone else who have created the lens through which we see the final product. When we gaze out on a contemporary world shaped by technology, capitalism, and modern democracy, and struggle to find our place as individuals in it, we are in effect viewing the world as the Scots did. . . . The story of Scotland in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries is one of hard-earned triumph and heart-rending tragedy, spilled blood and ruined lives, as well as of great achievement.”
—FROM THE PREFACE

Customer Reviews:

A valuable history lesson and food for thought.......2007-10-12

An amazing revelation of a small country's enormous contributions to freedom and knowledge with special relationship to the founding of our country. Negative, condescending stereotypes are exploded.

A must-read!.......2007-09-26

An absolute must-read for anyone interested in how the principles and values that America was founded on came to be...I couldn't help but wonder after reading this inspiring book, why there isn't some type of national recognition for the Scots like those that exist for other cultures (St. Patrick's Day for the Irish, Columbus Day for the Italians, etc.).

Excellent Book.......2007-08-23

I was lent a copy of this book and liked it so much that I bought one for myself. It gives a very good background on the Scottish culture and the development of the philosophy that underlies it. It covers a very broad area and the way it is written, makes for very good reading.

Excellent.......2007-08-15

This book was a Christmas gift and I recently finished reading it. I had fairly low expectations going in, but my interest was held all the way through. Mr. Herman does indeed make a strong case for Scots leading the way in many aspects of modern society, although I would say that declaring that Scots invented the modern world is rather speculative. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this book and was especially interested in how Scots helped shape the United States and Canada with highlanders generally siding with the monarchy and migrating to Canada as Loyalists after the War of Independence and lowlanders siding with the revolutionaries. An excellent read if you are interested in Scottish or New World history.

The Miracle of the Scottish Enlightenment.......2007-04-20

How did it come about that between 1700 and 1800 a small undeveloped European country transformed itself into a modern capitalist democracy? The title is obviously pretentious and used as a marketing gimmick. It worked on me because it convinced me to buy this book. Historian Arthur Herman is not Scottish or of Scottish descent, but he has written a very compelling chronicle of the miracle of the Scottish Enlightenment.

In 1707, the Union Act united the kingdoms of Scotland and England. Prior to this, the two antagonists living on opposite sides of Hadrian's Wall wanted nothing to do with each other. Scotland consisted mainly of primitive clans living in the highlands and slightly more advanced lowlanders living mainly in the cities of Glascow and Edinburgh. The parliament in Edinburgh was controlled by groups of noblemen who in turn were dominated by the rigid and inquisitorial Presbyterian Kirk (church) of Scotland.

After 1707, there were two developments that were crucial to Scotland's rise to modernity. The first was the opening up to the economic free trade zone of the British Empire. At first the Scottish fretted about either being swallowed-up by their world-class English competitors or becoming pauperized like the Irish. Their fears were misplaced, neither happened. Instead, the Scottish became, Herman argues, the most significant player in the the empire's economic and intellectual sphere.

The second big reason for Scottish success was their public education system - the first in Europe. This was the work of the Presbyterian Kirk. They maintained that political power, ordained by God, was vested in the people, not the monarchy or the church. The Kirk believed that all people should be able to read the Bible, and as a consequence they achieved a 75% literacy rate - unprecedented in 1750.

Near-universal education produced in this tiny country a disproportionate number of world-class thinkers - David Hume, Francis Hutchison, and Adam Smith, to name a few. They transformed the fields of philosophy, history, economics, education, commerce, architecture, and many more. Due to their mutual animosity toward the English, the Scots found inspiration from the great thinkers of the French Enlightenment, and vice versa. It was Voltaire who said that, "We look to Scotland for all of our ideas of civilization."

As for Herman's claim that the Scots invented the modern world, it should be taken with a grain of salt. In the free trade zone of the British Empire, commerce and ideas flowed both ways. It can be said that the Scots did much to improve or make new existing ideas, and in some cases invent; but they did not singlehandedly invent the modern world.

The Scottish Enlightenment was not without its dark side. The modernizing of the Scottish Highlands was anything but civilized. Before the Scots exported the ideas of goverment and commerce abroad, it had to brutally convert some of its own population. Herman also sidesteps the ugly fact that the Scots were deeply involved in the slave trade and the Klu Klux Klan in the US, and in the opium trade in China - recall the trading companies of Jardine Matheson and Hutchison Whampoa originally spoke with a Scottish burr. Not to say that they invented either of these unseemly businesses, but they certainly flourished in them.

Nevertheless, Professor Herman is a gifted writer and he is exceptionally good at explaining the many geniuses that populated this tiny country during the 18th century.

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Hilarious
Non Fiction
Homage to Auld Albion
Unabridged it is not.
More Bryson goodness.

Notes from a Small Island
Bill Bryson
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0380727501
Release Date: 2001-05-15

Amazon.com

Reacting to an itch common to Midwesterners since there's been a Midwest from which to escape, writer Bill Bryson moved from Iowa to Britain in 1973. Working for such places as Times of London, among others, he has lived quite happily there ever since. Now Bryson has decided his native country needs him--but first, he's going on a roundabout jaunt on the island he loves.

Britain fascinates Americans: it's familiar, yet alien; the same in some ways, yet so different. Bryson does an excellent job of showing his adopted home to a Yank audience, but you never get the feeling that Bryson is too much of an outsider to know the true nature of the country. Notes from a Small Island strikes a nice balance: the writing is American-silly with a British range of vocabulary. Bryson's marvelous ear is also in evidence: "... I noted the names of the little villages we passed through--Pinhead, West Stuttering, Bakelite, Ham Hocks, Sheepshanks ..." If you're an Anglophile, you'll devour Notes from a Small Island.

Book Description

"Suddenly, in the space of a moment, I realized what it was that I loved about Britain-which is to say, all of it."

After nearly two decades spent on British soil, Bill Bryson-bestsellingauthor of The Mother Tongue and Made in America-decided to returnto the United States. ("I had recently read," Bryson writes, "that 3.7 million Americans believed that they had been abducted by aliens at one time or another,so it was clear that my people needed me.") But before departing, he set out ona grand farewell tour of the green and kindly island that had so long been his home.

Veering from the ludicrous to the endearing and back again, Notes from a Small Island is a delightfully irreverent jaunt around the unparalleled floating nation that has produced zebra crossings, Shakespeare, Twiggie Winkie's Farm, and places with names like Farleigh Wallop and Titsey. The result is an uproarious social commentary that conveys the true glory of Britain, from the satiric pen of an unapologetic Anglophile.

"Suddenly, in the space of a moment, I realized what it was that I loved about Britain-which is to say, all of it."

After nearly two decades spent on British soil, Bill Bryson-bestselling author of ,i>The Mother Tongue and Made in America-decided to return to the United States. ("I had recently read," Bryson writes, "that 3.7 million Americans believed that they had been abducted by aliens at one time or another, so it was clear that my people needed me.") But before departing, he set out on a grand farewell tour of the green and kindly island that had so long been his home.

Customer Reviews:

Hilarious.......2007-10-10

Eloquently written, full of comedy, and insightful. However, it does sound like he has a lot of resentment for the English landscape, and goes a little far critisizing the culture at times. I've lived in england for three monthes however, I find a lot of humor based on the knowledge that I acquired there about the culture. Especially the bit about him talking about the war england waged with iceland over cod. :-D

Non Fiction.......2007-09-03

An amusing account written by a yank who has spent quite a bit of time in pommieland. Probably a couple of others of his books are better, but this is ok for a quick, extemely light read and browse. It won't take anyone very long. The English can be funny, who woulda thunk it?

Homage to Auld Albion.......2007-08-22

This is a cute book about how to see a country up close. Bill Bryson, a yank who became a son of Albion decides to do a rail and bus tour of Britain. Along the way he provides constant observations, some silly, and irreverent humor, and some cogent thoughts about this green and pleasant land, England.

Having been to the UK many times I could find some humor and aggrement to his observations. I only regret that he tended to take a rather superficial look at the land and its people. Much time is spent describing small town centers and decrying the loss of older establishments and stores. Since this book was written back in the early 1990s it is probably quite dated even today. Many of the trends noted by the author have no doubt gott'en worse. There is an undeniable charm about Britain that is quite unlike most other places. For a small island it is rich in history and culture quite out of proportion to its size. I only wish Mr. Bryson might have spent a little more time on those wonderful aspects of the UK without going on endlessly about hotels, pubs, and what he had to eat all through the course of the day. I marvel how for a man of his size and appetite that he was able to walk about as much as he did!

I wish Wales and Scotland could have gott'en better than the short schrift he seems to give them. In particular I think he missed much about the special charm and beauty of Wales. At times his tone is nagging and often redundant. The book is at its best when describing the British character. After living there for so long I wonder why he bothered to come back to the USA. Perhaps he had second thoughts as I believe he is back in the UK once more. Probably George Bush drove him back!

A light and amusing read, better if you have been to some of the places talked about. Over all he seems enchanted by Britain. Unfortunately many of the things that give that island its charm seem to be changing. I wonder if in 20 years the same kind of book could be written again.

Unabridged it is not........2007-07-19

Don't be fooled by the confusing title of this book "Notes from a Small Island [Abridged] [Audiobook] [Unabridged]" It is the abridged version which should be made much clearer on the Amazon site.

More Bryson goodness........2007-06-19

I recommend this book for Bill Bryson fans, but not perhaps for those just starting out with his books. I really enjoy his audiobooks read by the author, but this one is read by the capable but somehow inappropriate David Case. While his British-accented voice is clear and he tells the story well, I can never quite escape the impression that he's reading with a slight sneer, as if putting a sarcastic feel into this tale about his country by an American. I like the story overall and it helps complete the biography of this worthwhile storyteller.

That Sweet Enemy: The French and the British from the Sun King to the Present

Average customer rating:

Francophobia does not reflect well on the Anglo-Saxon world.
An esepcially enjoyable reading experience - and quite a fresh perspective for Americans
A good book for serious readers
A Fascinating Review of 300 Years
Quite brilliant

That Sweet Enemy: The French and the British from the Sun King to the Present
Robert Tombs , and Isabelle Tombs
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1400040248
Release Date: 2007-01-16

Book Description

A brilliantly original account—narrated from both sides—of the love-hate relationship between Britain and France that began in the time of Louis XIV and shows no sign of abating.

That Sweet Enemy brings both British wit (Robert Tombs is a British historian) and Gallic panache (Isabelle Tombs is a French historian) to bear on three centuries of the history of Britain and France. The authors take us from Waterloo to Chirac’s slandering of British cooking, charting the cross-channel entanglement and its unparalleled breadth of cultural, economic and political influence. They illuminate the complexity of the relationship—rivalry, enmity, misapprehension and loathing mixed with envy, admiration and genuine affection—and the ways in which it has shaped the modern world, from North America to the Middle East to Southeast Asia, and is still shaping Europe today. They make clear that warfare between the two countries often went hand in hand with hardy, if hidden, strains of anglophilia and francophilia; conversely, though France and Britain were allies for much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, it has been an alliance almost as uneasy, as competitive and as ambivalent as the previous generations of warfare.

Wonderfully written—acute, witty, consistently surprising—That Sweet Enemy is a triumph: an eye-opener for the experts, and a feast for the general reader.

Customer Reviews:

Francophobia does not reflect well on the Anglo-Saxon world........2007-08-26

This book is another "monument" to the francophobia of the Anglo-Saxon world. It is full of clichés and often it distorts the truth. I will take only three examples :

- 1 - The section on Napoleon is ridiculous. To start off by putting on the same level Napoleon, Stalin and Hitler is just not right.

- 2 - The narration of the start of WWI is not right too. I suggest that Barbara Tuckman's book "The Guns of August", Pulitzer price, is the correct history. It shows how poorly the English were prepared for the war, how they kept retreating and that the French were left alone against the full fury of the German attack. Come on, be fair ! The French won the first World War, not the English.

- 3 - Then what happened in the thirties is not reported fairly. Churchill, in "Gathering Storm" writes : "How the English speaking people through their unwisdom, carelessness and good nature (?) allowed the wicked to rearm". Many others make the same point, for instance, Zara Steiner in her book "The Lights that failed". The result of francophobia was Hitler.

This book was a waste of my time. And I would venture that the English and Anglo-Saxon world are now in permanent relative decline. As the subprime mess is showing, finance has its limits. Nial Ferguson in his book "Colossus" writes about the three Anglo-Saxon deficits : attention deficit disorder, people deficit, money deficit. How true!

In 1945, the Anglo-Saxon world was the victor. But since then, it has lost all its advantage and more.
The defining moment was when Jean Monnet understood that France and Germany should be tied together so tightlty that never a European war could again take place. Monnet succeeded. Since then, continental Europe is an island of prosperity and good life : perfect infrastructures, education for everybody, good health system, high productivity and long holydays. The Anglo-Saxon world is the reverse: the rich live very well but the low and middle classes are being squeezed to complete dispair. Continental Europe shows more balance and less greed.
The rest of the world has progressed a lot. China, Brazil, India, Japan, etc... are great success stories. The problem of the Anglo-Saxon world is that it has not yet realized that the rest of the world has improved so much that it is tired of Anglo-Saxon arrogance.

Today, when America does something right, in six months it has been taken up by the rest of the world . When something right is done in Europe and elsewhere, the Anglo-Saxon world will argue for five years before taking it up... The surest path to mediocrity. Just look at what happen to the Anglo-Saxon automobile industry.

Today Europe is prosperous. America and England still have to spend billions - that they don't have - to rebuild their education system, their health system and their infrastructure. France is not agressive toward England, but France is amazed at the fact that England is still Bush and America's poodle... France and continental Europe want peace and democracy but they understand that it is a process to be negotiated and which requires time and respect. Bombs don't solve problems, diplomacy does. Jean Monnet showed the way. Thanks to his honesty, sincerety, openness and patience, peace was achieved. Read his memoirs...

I am a solid anglophile but this book could make of me an anglophobe. But I shall not condescend to such pettiness. Let us stop this cheap in-fighting. Climate change is the biggest threat that the world ever will meet. We need England to convince America to give up on its selfishness and work with the rest of the world on an equal and generous footing.

An esepcially enjoyable reading experience - and quite a fresh perspective for Americans.......2007-05-22

Yes, I read a lot of books. And I review the books I enjoy (there is no point to reading what one dislikes, is there?). Once in awhile I run across a book I find to be very special and am especially enthusiastic about. This is one of those books.

Robert and Isabelle Tombs are scholars on the history of France and Britain and the combine their wonderfully expansive knowledge of those histories to give us a tour of the social, economic, military, political, and cultural histories of these nations from Louis IV through the first few years of the Twenty-First Century. As an American who grew up while America was always a dominant (if not the dominant) world power, it is particularly interesting to see how the world's major powers interacted and contended when America was largely, as yet, unpopulated by the Europeans.

Even our Revolution, so central to every American's understanding of our nation, takes a minor role in a much larger global struggle for supremacy. Both Britain and France tried to cause the other to stretch their ability to hold their growing Empires together. Each had to make choices on what to hold onto and what had only secondary importance, and what to let go. This happened over and over again. Eventually, their mutual struggles became a mutually cooperative relationship to deal with the rising German (and other) threats.

What I like about this telling is that the authors do not feel the need to side with anyone in particular. They provide quite a number of side articles (in the shaded areas) to flesh out specific points. There are also special sections such as the "interlude" (a couple of pages) on the French and Shakespeare. We also get some wonderfully chosen illustrations. However, what I like most are the chapters where the authors draw their separate conclusions and disagreements on various topics. The provide differing perspectives on the same topics that through the subject into better relief than one side alone. These sections provide for a rich perspective and help make the reading experience seomthing I wanted to savor.

The book has a tremendous amount of information about economic expenditures, the great leaders, the common folks, the literary digs at each nation, the technological leaps, the balancing of the benefits of a strong navy with the amazing costs incurred to build and maintain it. The authors are also quite clear about what was fortune (for good or ill) and what happened that actually looks like good judgment and skillful execution.

For Americans, this is can be a very helpful and educational book. It has been for me and I am grateful to the Tombs for writing it.

A good book for serious readers.......2007-04-16

This is a well-written book about the relationship between Britain and France over the past three centuries or so. It reviews the history, the development of their cultures and identities, and the influence that both have exerted on one and another, and in fact on many aspects of modern society allover the world in areas ranging from politics and economics to art, literature, fashion and cuisine. The authors are a couple, a British husband and professor of history at Cambridge University, and a French wife with a Ph.D. in modern British history. The authors' background, in my view, might help ameliorate some potential biases. The authors have attempted to provide several point and counterpoint discussions to illustrate the difference between the British and the French views.

The book however is a lengthy tome of a little more than 700 pages. Many scholars tend to believe that writing about history usually benefits from looking backward at events after the passions of the day have subsided, and more historical records become available for serious study. Perhaps this book could have presented a more balanced and a somewhat shorter review by omitting Part IV,"Revival" dealing with recent history. In particular, chapter 14, "Ever Closer Disunion", including commentary on ongoing events such as the War against Militant Islamic Terrorism, seems to suffer from the lack of a decent historical distance to allow a dispassionate review; and seems to be somewhat influenced by anti-American propaganda.

The authors seem to consider that the American Independence War, as a part of the British-French continued wars in the 18th century. They further argue, "France's victory in 1783, though it created the United States of America, has bankrupted the French Bourbon monarchy and led to the French revolution. Clearly, France's assistance to the American colonies was not only important but also instrumental for the ultimate victory at Yorktown on October 19, 1781. After the French and Indian war 1754-1763,France attempted to foment rebellion against Britain in the American colonies. In 1775, the French minister of foreign affairs, Comte de Vergennes, dispatched a representative to Philadelphia, who secretly met with five of the leaders of the colonies, one of whom was Benjamin Franklin. These attempts however did not stir up the Americans to take the French bait. However after approximately a year of war between the British and the American Continental armies 1775-1776, and the declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress sent Benjamin Franklin in December 1776 to France to seek assistance. The initial French assistance was relatively small, measured in a way so as to avoid war with Britain. It was only after the Americans prevailed at the battle of Saratoga in October 1777, that the French attitude started changing, and finally agreed to sign a treaty with the colonies in 1778. A more serious assistance was attempted by France afterwards. Also it seems that the French Bourbon monarchy bankruptcy is more related to a spree of spending and borrowing from 1783 to 1787 managed by France's controller general, Charles de Calonne. The spending and borrowing bubble ultimately burst in 1787. The bubble burst was further aggravated by the Assembly of Notables refusal in February 1787 to authorize further taxation to increase revenues, and remedy the incipient Bourbon bankruptcy.

This is a well-written book that I believe the serious readers and aficionados of modern western civilization would find both informative and entertaining.

A Fascinating Review of 300 Years.......2007-02-23

This very long (I guess about 750,000 words of text), informative and frequently amusing narrative and analysis of the clashes and misunderstandings between Britain and France (even when they were on the same side) over the past 300+ years is fascinatng and very well done. I thought I knew the history pretty well, at least from the British side, but this opened my eyes many times.

The strict focus on the two protagonists has produced what to me as an American seems to be an oddly distorted (although not inaccurate) picture of the last 70 years or so, because there is relatively little discussion of the participation of the United States in world events.

I have two complaints about the book. One is that the detailed comparison of the economic position of the two countries in recent times virtually overlooks the stultifying effect on France's employment level and economic activity of its restrictive and "protectionist" trade policy.

The second is that the index is truly dreadful, particularly considering the length of this book. I frequently looked, for example, in the index to see if a particular person was mentioned. When I failed to find that person's name in the index I assumed he/she was not mentioned. But it turned out that the index was incomplete.

Quite brilliant.......2006-05-08

This tome of nearly 700 pages of text about the relations between Britain and `that sweet enemy, France' (a phrase from a sonnet by Sir Philip Sidney) is like a huge pudding stuffed with goodies: I have rarely read a history book whose brilliance is sustained over such an immense time-range - from the reign of Louis XIV to that of Jacques Chirac. The authors - the husband an Englishman, his wife born in France - handle the story with skill, and efficiency, and they frequently employ a joyous felicity of phrase to point up differences and similarities between England and France. There are neat descriptions of personalities - the authors are always forthright in their judgments - and spirited accounts of campaigns. Even someone who, like myself, considered himself quite familiar with the political narrative will come across sections which throw a new light upon it. I learnt much, for example, from the Tombs' description of France's involvement in the American War of Independence, and from their interesting reflections on how the loss of the American colonies, even in the short term, turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Britain. And the wider narrative is frequently interrupted by vignettes of little-known episodes, set in a different type, which further illuminate the themes under discussion.

There is a particularly striking chapter about the differences between the British and French navies during the Second Hundred Years' War: here, as throughout the book, the authors fully acknowledge and make excellent use of the secondary literature they have consulted. (Their list of secondary authorities runs to 28 pages.)

After the Napoleonic Wars Britain and France were never again at war with each other, and since the Entente Cordiale of 1904 they have technically been allies. But that does not mean that there have not been tensions and suspicions between the two countries throughout all these years, even during the First and Second World Wars, and of course during the inter-war period also. The authors are interesting on Appeasement. Most historians say that the French could not stop Hitler marching into the Rhineland or the Sudetenland because the British would not have supported them. The authors say that for various reasons the French governments, like the British, would not have wanted to risk a conflict anyway and were glad later to blame their non-intervention on the lack of British support.

After the Second World War Britain and France took such different attitudes towards `ever closer union' in Europe that there really has been very little cordiality between them. The parts of the book dealing with the issue of Europe bring out very well the very different visions of the two countries in an account that shows clearly how British policy handed the leadership of Western Europe to France for more than half a century, but which has broken down in today's enlarged European Union. Besides, the book argues, that leadership was exercised in a way which, after early economic successes, eventually brought stagnation to France.

The political chapters are interspersed with sparkling chapters on culture and society: how each nation saw and often stereotyped the other; how each alternatively (or simultaneously) mocked and copied, despised and envied, hated and admired the other, but could never be indifferent. Travel, manners in general and table manners in particular, sport, fashions in clothes, attitudes to the theatre, the views the two countries had about each other's women, philosophical traditions - these are some of the subjects that are treated with wit and learning.

Not the least among the charms of this book are the debates between husband and wife which end each of the four parts into which the volume is divided. It is perhaps a bit of a knockabout, in which both rally fairly uncompromisingly to the defence of their native countries; but the summing up of the `British' and `French' points of view is very well done and thought-provoking.

This must already be the most authoritative and enjoyable treatment of the period under review; but I hope that the success of this book will encourage the authors to produce a prequel, from the Norman Conquest to the 17th century, or at least from the 16th to the 17th century: the Tudor-Valois period is, in my opinion, the defining period during which the most essential differences between England and France took shape, and I would love to see the authors tackle it with the same verve which has made this book such a remarkable achievement.

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"I want to move to a country that the poor people are fat!"
Excellent Insights Into Our Country
What's So Great About America
Important Rejection of the Fad of Anti-Americanism
"Last best hope for the world"

What's So Great About America
Dinesh D'Souza
Manufacturer: Regnery Publishing, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0895261537

Amazon.com

Look again at the title of this book: it's not a question, but a statement. "America is the greatest, freest, and most decent society in existence," writes Dinesh D'Souza. "American life as it is lived today [is] the best life that our world has to offer." There are those who hate it, or at least essential elements of it, from radical Islamists to the likes of Patrick Buchanan (on the right) and Jesse Jackson (on the left). But they are wrong to hate it, and D'Souza grapples with all of them in this engaging and compelling volume. D'Souza is the author of provocative books such as Illiberal Education and The End of Racism, plus the appreciative Ronald Reagan. This may be his most personal book, with parts written in the first person as the India-born D'Souza describes his encounter with the United States, first as an immigrant and now as a citizen. Foreign authors such as Alexis de Tocqueville and Gunnar Myrdal have offered some of the most penetrating assessments of America, and D'Souza clearly shares in this noble tradition. "I am constantly surprised by how much I hear racism talked about and how little I actually see it," he writes. What's So Great About America is also vintage D'Souza, full of feisty arguments and sharp humor. He is perhaps better at explaining why America's critics are wrong than explaining why America's celebrants are right, but he's very good at both. Written in the months following the September 11 terrorist strikes, this book should find a large and receptive audience. --John Miller

Book Description

Dinesh D'Souza explains what is so great about America--and why that greatness inspires critics and even terrorism.

Customer Reviews:

"I want to move to a country that the poor people are fat!".......2007-08-24

As an immigrant myself, I can see the reason why the author stress the reason why people wants to come to America. I as and adult, choose to come to America an become an American citizen. It is a conscious choice, for all the flaws of the system, and the ugliness of bigotry, America is still an attractive country to be a part of. As a woman, I will not have as many opportunities as I have in America anywhere else in the world, especially some one that is not as well educated as I should have been. I loath the people who put down America because of the flaws, but never give credits for the advance and opportunities she offered. I personally think, most people who had never suffered from the oppression of other countries should not have the right to championed these oppressive countries. This is the typical mentality of the prilivaged few. Until you are oppressed by the country of your choice, you are not entitled to defend the country of your choice.

Excellent Insights Into Our Country.......2007-07-28

This book offers a fresh look at racism, terrorism, global politics...it's a welcome and thoughtful perspective. I think every American should read it, and have already bought copies for friends and family!

What's So Great About America.......2007-07-12

This is a well written book reminding us that with all of our problems, the United States of America is still the greatest county in the world. This is a must read for any person doubting America'a greatness.

Important Rejection of the Fad of Anti-Americanism.......2007-06-04

The author does an outstanding job of retelling what is so great about America. Although this would seem like an easy thing to do, the constant America-bashing that comes from the media, the left, and academia makes it a challenge. The author is definitely up to the challenge, and as an immigrant from India, makes the case for a great America from that unique perspective. Of note, he persuasively discredits multiculturalism and the victimization mentality among other sacred cows of the left. This is a quick read and worth your time.

"Last best hope for the world".......2007-06-01

D'Souza is a former White House domestic policy analyst. He first came here as an exchange student from India. We gain a unique prospective of America viewed through the eyes of a former East Indian. Excellent observations are made, such as the comparisons to ancient Athens. There are notes with extensive references.

So how did the West become so great?: through science, capitalism, democracy, and Judeo/Christian ethics...........but we Americans, and the media's idea of who the terrorist are, is not exactly accurate (as in the motives behind 9/11). D'Souza believes our media, our schools, and the left, are feeding the hatred and emboldening the enemy; there is a progressive attack from the "intellectuals"; what is driving our enemy is mis-leading. In a way Muslims are right about our morality, in what they believe; Islam is strong in its faith, we are weak in ours. This may be our demise if we don't recognize what is happening; we need a renewal--to show them we are strong in our faith. Remember, there are times when the enemy of our enemy is our friend.

The cultures of the world are being shaped by the west. But through multiculturalism, students get a false picture of the world: the West is the blame for the ills of the middle East (lack of prosperity), but remember, the East has been around much longer than we have. Also, because we hold on to the guilt of being racist, we end up strangling "minorities" and risk our safety with protectionism. No, the "new morality" of Rousseau has not died, he is alive and well in America. We are under a different set of standards because of our moral superiority; the U.S. is the "last best hope for the world".

We may look at English colonialism and Americas African descendants of slavery as a blessing in disguise; are these cultures not better off?

I will leave you with this thought by the author: "the only time the Islamic world makes the news is when they killed somebody, when is the last time we heard of an Islamic discovery or invention?".

Wish you well
Scott

Great Books of the Western World Volumes 1- 54

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Great Books of the Western World Volumes 1- 54

Manufacturer: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000EOGWDG

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All of the Great books and the great ideas of the Western World in 54 volumes. Read the orignal works with biographical notes from Homer to Freud.

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A Truly Spiritual Geography
A beautiful book.
Not for everyone, but I loved it.
must read for all dakotans and transplants to the midwest
To Read and Reread

Dakota: A Spiritual Geography
Kathleen Norris
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0618127240

Amazon.com

After 20 years of living in the "Great American Outback," as Newsweek magazine once designated the Dakotas, poet Kathleen Norris (The Cloister Walk) came to understand the fascinating ways that people become metaphors for the land they inhabit. When trying to understand the polarizing contradictions that exist in the Dakotas between "hospitality and insularity, change and inertia, stability and instability.... between hope and despair, between open hearts and closed minds," Norris draws a map. "We are at the point of transition between east and west in the United States," she explains, "geographically and psychically isolated from either coast, and unlike either the Midwest or the desert west."

Like Terry Tempest Williams (Refuge), Norris understands how the boundary between inner and outer scenery begins to blur when one is fully present in the landscape of their lives. As a result, she offers the geography lesson we all longed for in school. This is a poetic, noble, and often funny (see her discussion on the foreign concept of tofu) tribute to Dakota, including its Native Americans, Benedictine monks, ministers and churchgoers, wind-weathered farmers, and all its plain folks who live such complicated and simple lives. --Gail Hudson

Book Description

"A book of stories, a book of prayer, a book to be read meditatively and well," DAKOTA offers a timeless tribute to a place in the American landscape that is at once desolate and sublime, harsh and forgiving, steeped in history and myth. From the award-winning author of AMAZING GRACE, DAKOTA is Kathleen Norris at her most thoughtful, her most discerning, her best. She gives us, once again, a rare "gift of hope and balance, a place to begin" (Chicago Tribune) and assurance that wherever we go, we chart our own spiritual geography.

Customer Reviews:

A Truly Spiritual Geography.......2007-06-09

The key to this book is right there in the title. The Dakota of Kathleen Norris' experience, depiction, and understanding is a decidedly spiritual state of being. Just as "deep calls unto deep," so the austere, high plains landscape both evokes and instructs Norris' interior world. Having traveled with Norris through her "Cloister Walk," and having learned her lexicon in "Amazing Grace," I was prepared to look around Dakota with her penetrating vision, to listen to the wind with her attentive hearing, to think deeply about what we were seeing together, and to let my heart grow still as she taught me. Now, though I've never yet been to the high plains, I have truly been to Kathleen Norris' unique and personal Dakota -- and is that not the best accolade for a travelogue, that the reader honestly feels that he's made the trip? I gave this book to a deep-souled friend who needed the time of quiet contemplation it provides, and I recommend it to you as well.

A beautiful book........2007-01-09

I read this book every couple of years and find it a fresh, new read everytime. I recently ordered an extra copy for some friends. To my parents, this was one of those books you love and give copies of to all you friends, siblings, and children. I think I will be doing the same thing.

Not for everyone, but I loved it........2006-11-07

Having moved from a large city to a small town in West Texas, I could totally identify with this book. I learned a lot about the dynamics of a small town, both good and bad. Spiritually, I came to the realization that I found my own desert. The insights that accompany that realization along with the prose of the book are definitely worth the time.

That having been said, this book is not for everyone. It is highly spiritual and insightful, but in an understated way.

must read for all dakotans and transplants to the midwest.......2006-09-26

Norris offers an insight-full monastically minded view into Dakota life, not just North and South Dakota, but the fascinating cultural differences between east and west of the Missouri river that divides So. Dakota. In what I consider a very telling paragraph (p129) she begins a dialogue on sacred space saying that those who ask what is sacred really are asking "What place is mine." Dakota seems to emanate from Norris' own coming to grips with place and aims to help others do the same. That love-hate relationship that many feel toward home is evident within. For those who know rural life in the midwest "Dakota" is penetrating and beautiful on one hand and so frustrating it made me want to move on the other. At times she portays a rural ghetto of resisting outside influence (p.62), exclusionary unity (p, 59) lower professional standards which she also claims to be part of the small town charm (p.55). It is both bitter and sweet but not from judgment, rather from her claiming this land as her own...this is where she belongs...this is where she planted and rooted.

Kathleen Norris has helped me to return to my roots, not in South Dakota, but Iowa. It has given me a new found appreciation of the land and culture which I was and still am planted in. For those in the midwest much of her insights will transfer to other contexts. And for those not from the midwest or small towns it will be an interesting read into how the other half live and will likely offer some fine opportunities to reflect on your location.

To Read and Reread.......2006-04-05

I loved Dakota. I've read it and reread it. It has so much to enjoy. First, Norris writes like a poet. Her words are beautiful. They pull you along. Second, her description of the Great Plains and the monasteries transports you. I've been wanting to visit Dakota ever since I read the book. Finally, there is the conversion that takes place in Norris herself as she is changed by the place. Dakota is slow reading, but it is not boring. This isn't a Tom Clancy book. However, a book on farmers, monks and poets should be slow. Norris reflects on herself and her environment. If you slow yourself down to keep pace with the book, you will find an appreciation for yourself and your own environment. If you get impatient, go read Clancy or Grisham, but come back to Dakota.

British English for American Readers: A Dictionary of the Language, Customs, and Places of British Life and Literature

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British English for American Readers: A Dictionary of the Language, Customs, and Places of British Life and Literature
David Grote
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0313278512

Book Description

How does a vicar differ from a rector? Is a marquis a lord? Where are the Home Counties? Is someone who is "dead chuffed" happy or angry? Americans reading British literature, come upon such unfamiliar terms and generally have to rely on contextual clues. For the legions of readers of Dickens and Trollope, of Agatha Christie, John LeCarre, and P.D. James, of Muriel Spark and Iris Murdoch, of Noel Coward and Tom Stoppard--to name a few--as well as viewers of British film and television imports, this helpful and entertaining guide defines the kinds of things that British authors thought needed no explanation. Part dictionary, part guidebook, part almanac, part gazetter, part history, part sociology, this lexicon has no specialty, for it deals with British culture in general. David Grote's guiding principle was to select terminology with the potential to confuse readers who know only American English. Consequently, the volume is organized as a dictionary, with entries for concepts, items, and names that might create confusion. Entries are arranged alphabetically, from ten basic categories: (1) titles, ranks, and honours; (2) widely used words not part of the typical American vocabulary; (3) words used differently in America and Britain; (4) customs, terminology, and activities of daily life not shared by Americans; (5) governmental organizations; (6) political and legal customs and methods; (7) communities, and places often used in literary works; (8) foods and common commercial products; (9) common animals and plants not found in the same form in America; and (10) basic social practices that differ considerably from modern American practice. Ideally kept on hand for ready referral when immersed in fictional Britain, this dictionary will make for many enjoyable hours of random or systematic browsing. A true "companion" to British literature, its concern is not authors and literary history, but the slang, bureaucracy, stereotypes of places, food and products used in daily life, social organization, and hundreds of such homespun items.

City of Laughter: Sex and Satire in Eighteenth-Century London

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An Interesting new Scholarship
A book highly recommended for any in-depth college-level collection.
engaging, incomparable critique of historic British prints
A Fabulous History

City of Laughter: Sex and Satire in Eighteenth-Century London
Vic [V.A.C.] Gatrell
Manufacturer: Walker & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Love, Sex & Marriage | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0802716024
Release Date: 2006-11-28

Book Description

Between 1770 and 1830, London was the world’s largest and richest city, the center of hectic social ferment and spectacular sexual liberation. These singular conditions prompted revolutionary modes of thought, novel sensibilities, and constant debate about the relations between men and women. Such an atmosphere also stimulated outrageous behavior, from James Boswell’s copulating on Westminster Bridge to the Prince Regent’s attempt to seduce a woman by pleading, sobbing, and stabbing himself with a pen-knife. And nowhere was London’s lewdness and iconoclasm more vividly represented than its satire.

City of Laughter chronicles the rise and fall of a great tradition of ridicule and of the satirical, humorous, and widely circulated prints that sustained it. Focusing not on the polished wit upon which polite society prided itself, but rather on malicious, sardonic and satirical humor—humor that was bawdy, knowing and ironic—Vic Gatrell explores what this tradition says about Georgian views of the world and about their own pretensions. Taking the reader into the clubs and taverns where laughter flowed most freely, Gatrell examines how Londoners laughed about sex, scandal, fashion, drink and similar pleasures of life.

Combining words and images–including more than 300 original drawings by Cruikshank, Gillray, Rowlandson, and others—City of Laughter offers a brilliantly original panorama of the era, providing a ground-breaking reappraisal of a period of change and a unique account of the origins of our attitudes toward sex, celebrity and satire today.

Customer Reviews:

An Interesting new Scholarship.......2007-03-09

Benny Hill in 1800. We tend to think of the Brits as being rather prudish. There was even a play a few years ago -- 'No Sex Please, We're British.' We especially think of the days past when Jane Austen was writting her sexless romance stories that only a minimum amount of 'laying down and thinking of England' was done to perpetuate the race.

Now comes Mr. Gattrell's book that blows that all apart. He managed to find some hundreds (at least) of graphic prints in the British museum that are more graphic than you would expect to see. Ribald is the word that comes to mind. Here are drawings of every aspect you can image. There's bathroom humor, sexual satire, everything you can imagine.

Underneath the humor there is more serious research as Mr. Gatrell has used the prints to illustrate the climate of the times. It is a bit of scholarship not seen before and which may be used to increase our understanding of the times, much as the cartoons of Lincoln help to explain the background to our own Civil War.

A book highly recommended for any in-depth college-level collection........2007-03-06

CITY OF LAUGHTER: SEX AND SATIRE IN 18TH-CENTURY LONDON considers the presence and meaning of lewd graphic prints in early 18th century London society, and comes from a little-known treasure trove of such prints long held by the British Library. These prints held satire, observational pieces, and represented a changing sexual and social climate in the country: they are key to any in-depth, college-level understanding of 18th century London. Thousands of such prints of the era explore Georgian worldviews and habits in a book highly recommended for any in-depth college-level collection.

engaging, incomparable critique of historic British prints.......2007-02-14

Gatrell seamlessly blends art history and appreciation with social history for an elaborate, panoramic treatment of the spirit of ribaldry and satire captured in numerous comic prints of the era. The author goes well beyond the best known satirical artists of Hogarth, Gillray, Rowlandson, and Cruickshank to include numerous others as well. (The treatment carries over into the early nineteenth century.) Nearly 300 of the prints are reproduced in color in varying sizes from full-page to one-third of the 5" x 10" page size. In this century of sweeping social change from the old order to a much more democratic society, the artists took full advantage of their new freedoms and the growing number of newspapers and other media including posters to portray the antics and vices of English men and women. No one, not royalty or high politicians, escaped the scathing portraits of Hogarth, Rowlandson, and the others; though many of the prints had generic characters such as lechers, lusty women, hypocrites, and drunkards. Pornographic and scatological material and illustration knew no bounds. Still, much of the art of caricature and satire had a moralistic or political intent. In the early 1800s, the "radical commentary turned solemn and earnest on the whole, as a new optimism about the prospects for social- and self-improvement developed." Democratic society had grown to understand itself, its potentials, and its desirable proprieties better. The Victorian era was dawning. Adulterers, drunkards, etc., were no longer to be simply ridiculed, but reformed. Besides, it was becoming increasingly risky to make merciless and often bitter fun of recognizable leaders of society--the legal and financial troubles of some of the satirists moderated others. But generally, as democratic, middle-class values and tastes spread throughout the society, the wicked satire which could send a heir to the throne into seclusion and evoke "wild, coarse, reckless, ribald laughter...was beginning to be taught good manners," as the novelist Thackeray saw. Gatrell is a professor of British history in England.

A Fabulous History.......2006-12-25

I cannot rate this book too highly. It is profusely illustrated with hundreds of caricatures from the period; it is well written, witty, and deeply informed; and it covers ground of great interest to anyone interested in the birth of our modern world, this history of manners, or the specific artists treated, e.g. James Gillray, Cruikshank, or Rowlandson. The book is a deep, social history of the satirical print in England from 1780 to 1830, following the winding routes by which laughter, public sexuality, ridicule, and free speech made their way into the 19th century. The scholarly documentation is formidable.

Anyone with an interest in 18th or early 19th century culture will enjoy this book and find a wealth of fascinating observations. Of course, those who have a love for the artists themselves, will find this to be an inestimable resource!

Particularly interesting is the treatment of 'Libertine Philosophy', and the fuzzy boundaries between the high and low-lifes of London of the 18th century when it came to amusement. Gatrell's discussions of the 'history of laughter', yes, it has a history, is brilliant. If you have ever thought about why some jokes are taboo, why laughing out loud can be wonderful or embarrassing, read on.

Heathcliff and the Great Hunger: Studies in Irish Culture

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Heathcliff and the Great Hunger: Studies in Irish Culture
Terry Eagleton
Manufacturer: Verso
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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