Book Description
A landmark study that offers an alternative history of the Cold War from the point of view of the world's poor.
'"Europe" is morally, spiritually indefensible. And today the indictment is brought against it…by tens and tens of thousands of millions of men who, from the depths of slavery, set themselves up as judges.'—Aimé Césaire, Discourse on Colonialism
Here, from a brilliant young writer, is a paradigm-shifting history of both a utopian concept and global movement—the idea of the Third World. The Darker Nations traces the intellectual origins and the political history of the twentieth century attempt to knit together the world's impoverished countries in opposition to the United States and Soviet spheres of influence in the decades following World War II.
Spanning every continent of the global South, Vijay Prashad's fascinating narrative takes us from the birth of postcolonial nations after World War II to the downfall and corruption of nationalist regimes. A breakthrough book of cutting-edge scholarship, it includes vivid portraits of Third World giants like India's Nehru, Egypt's Nasser, and Indonesia's Sukarno—as well as scores of extraordinary but now-forgotten intellectuals, artists, and freedom fighters. The Darker Nations restores to memory the vibrant though flawed idea of the Third World, whose demise, Prashad ultimately argues, has produced a much impoverished international political arena. 12 b/w photographs.
Customer Reviews:
still waiting.......2007-08-29
In 1927, two hundred delegates from thirty-seven states and regions gathered in Brussels and formed the League Against Imperialism. In doing so they gave an institutional voice to the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of the vast majority of the people in the world who eventually found their countries sandwiched between the "first" world of the United States and the "second" world of the Soviet Union. Not wanting to align with either empire, from that meeting onward the "third world" (a word coined in 1952 by Albert Sauvy) became a prolonged international project and not just a place of misery. The setting was fraught with irony, for Belgium was then led by King Leopold II, whose shameless pillage of the Congo had few peers. In this history of the majority of the world's peoples, Vijay Prashad traces their elusive quest, its problems and pitfalls, and the causes and consequences of its failure.
Prashad's organization takes one on a global tour; each one of his eighteen chapter titles is a major city of the third world project. In Part 1 he considers the quest (Paris, Brussels, Bandung, Cairo, Buenos Aires, Tehran, Belgrade, and Havana); in Part 2 the pitfalls (Algiers, La Paz, Bali, Tawang, Caracas, and Arusha); then in Part 3 the "assassinations" of the project (New Delhi, Kingston, Singapore, Mecca). The third world sought three goals, he says: political independence and self-rule; peaceful co-existence and non-violent international relations; and using the United Nations as the means to push its agenda, all in contrast to the militarism, economic dominance, and ostensible superiority of the American and Soviet spheres. Along the way Prashad tackles most every aspect of this struggle, including education, bureaucratism, land reform, suffrage, religion, revolutionary violence, foreign aid, transnational corporations, the "villigization" of millions of people, the debt crisis, natural resources, and women's discrimination.
The third world project failed badly for many complex reasons. After freeing themselves from the shackles of imperial overlords, countries tended to centralize power in the state instead of establishing effective social democracies, stifled dissent, ignored rule of law, plundered national treasure, and set up military regimes ruled by dictator-thugs ("Nothing good comes from a military dictatorship."). The predator first world continued their economic plunder thanks to the threat of overwhelming military, political, and economic means (globalization, the IMF, etc.). And thus the "catastrophic demise" of the third world project. Crushing debt and widening income gaps between rich and poor nations are only the most obvious signs that most people in the world remain marginalized by their own states and exploited by the first world. But at least they now have a history of their struggle, thanks to Prashad.
The Bruised Peoples.......2007-06-15
This book gets high marks for its sheer wealth of information, though it's not a casual reading experience. Here Vijay Prashad has continued the spirit of Howard Zinn's classic "A People's History of the United States," and this book is a strong inaugural release in what will hopefully be a continuing series. Here Prashad constructs the "Third World" as a Cold War term for all the disadvantaged nations that were caught in the crossfire between the First and Second Worlds, and were usually abused as pawns in the era's strictly bilateral games of geopolitics and development. Specifically, most of Prashad's work concerns the Non-Aligned Movement of nations that tried to resist taking sides in the bilateral Cold War, and attempted to build a coalition of nations that could stand as a viable entity with its own ideologies and political strategies. Prashad provides a wealth of little-known information on the nations and leaders that attempted to build this movement, and the political and economic realities faced by the peoples and societies that were being used and left behind by the superpowers.
Those familiar with Zinn's book will recognize the travails of the passionate historian who can't figure out how to synthesize vast quantities of historical knowledge. The first half of this book is tough to digest, consisting of an interminable laundry list of names and events with little over-arching analysis, giving the impression that Prashad is trying to describe every single thing that happened during the Cold War era outside of the US, Europe, and USSR. Occasional snippets of theory also seem forced and awkward, such as Prashad's examinations of unnatural borders or the behavior of military dictators. Fortunately, the book improves in the second half, as Prashad manages to develop his previously disconnected bits of history and theory into a strong overall analysis of how the superpowers "assassinated" (in his rather hyperbolic term) the Third World movement and its promises of social and economic progress, through globalization, conquest, and corporatism. Most importantly, Prashad does not refrain from criticizing the Third World nations too, as many of them have compounded their own misery by reverting to old styles of inequality and dictatorship. While this book has some real readability issues, and Prashad can sometimes be faulted for steering historical data toward his own theories, the reader is rewarded with a great amount of knowledge on peoples and leaders who have been forgotten in the histories of winners. [~doomsdayer520~]
Good.......2007-04-15
The Third World is a Cold War term, meaning mostly former nations that were ruled by Europeans and won their political independence in the decades after the second world war. That's how most people understand it anyway. It started off as a term of empowerment and hope by the leaders of the newly independent countries in the 1950s, after years of trying to bind the colonized into a single cause. These leaders saw that the First capitalist world and the Second Soviet-bloc world needed the Third world for its resources, people, and support in the global cold war, and they did not want to be pawns anymore.
The Third World Project started in the 1955 at the Bandung Asian-African Conference, when the Nonaligned Movement was founded (NAM) in opposition to the 1st and 2nd Worlds. From here, the Third World was split by internal divisions, attacks by the West and Eastern blocs, and finally outright destruction of the "Third World" by economic policies pushed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the United States, as well as political and military attacks by the USA and its allies. In "The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World" by Vijay Prashad, the history of this push for unity, the contradictions of the class of leaders in trying to build this better Third world, the splits within the movement, and the final assassination of the Third World Project.
The book switches between different locations and different situations. Prashad points out that there was a strange contradiction in the work of building a Third World. The ruling class of the decolonized countries supported the new rulers, in many places, who wanted to stand up for themselves. But at the same time, as time went on, they also supported all-powerful dictators and neo-liberal economics that lead to the resources of the country being drained out like vampires (leading to continuation of places which have some of the richest resources of the world and some of the poorest people, like in Congo.) Projects like OPEC started as the "darker nations" tried to control their own politics, though it soon disintegrated into just rulers enriching themselves. In the end, they worked better with ruling classes of the 1st world than the people of their own countries.
Prashad goes to each place, from Singapore, to Indonesia and Suharto, to Baghdad, and explores the rise and fall of the Third World. Today, he ends, the Third World is dead. However, an international movement, free of imposed movements from above or directly by the elites of the government, has arisen and the world is changing to oppose the US. The book is an interesting look at an attempt by the leaders of former colonized places to fight back, though it can be a little disorienting traveling across so many places so fast (which is probably what trying to organize all those places to act together would have been like.) How the First World was able to destroy this movement is a pretty good lesson of history for any person to know.
Excellent.......2007-03-14
I've heard Prashad occassionally on WBAI and am kicking myself for taking so long to get around to his work. This is one of the greatest books ever written on the Third World. Its cogent, lucid and thorough. What I found very interesting was the book's balance. I can imagine how diffult it must've been to explicate each Nation's history in a few hundred pages adequately. He also excelled at depicting just how connected - Poitically / Sociologically and Economically - Third World Nations really are. This is indispensable in understanding the current state of the Third World. Undoubtedly, one for the shelves.
Worthy read for those interested.......2007-02-27
Well done. Bringing together material usually found in national, regional, and international histories the author orders material topically with chapter titles of cities where major events related to each theme happened.
Although not easy reading because much of the material is unfamiliar to most readers, the discussions are handled well and judgements usually sound. It is a wonder that this book could be written at all because of the breadth required. If you know one region of the world this volume will open your eyes and provide rich information for comparison.
Even if one is put off by views reflecting sympathy for the "Darker Peoples", critical of colonial mythmaking and neoliberal globalization alike - the control of the facts and history demands attention.
Customer Reviews:
very good, eye-opening ... spicy, too!.......2002-05-28
This book was challenging, convicting and exciting. Brown writes humorously and concisely. At times he writes a bit too epigramatically or too much in pseudo-journalese. Brown closes humbly: he admits he's as guilty of greed and complacency as we are.
My favorite aspect of this book is that it is not just a book *about* liberation theology. This a *devotional* based on liberation theology (in fact, this was my devotional on and off for half a year). Happily, Brown includes whole passages of scripture for study. True, the third world (better, "two-thirds world") interpretations are jarring. For example, the OT reality behind Jesus quoting (and most Bibles mistranslating!) Isaiah's "day of the Lord's favor" almost knocked me out of my seat (see Luke 4).
Two other virtues of this book are 1) that Brown examines other parallel passages in each chapter (to provide a larger biblical basis), and 2) the pointed questions and scenarios Brown poses at the end of each chapter. This book is good for private or group study or just straight reading. Also, Brown offers a good list for further reading.
Some of the other reviews of this book are revealing. Why do we USAmericans get so upset about our capitalism and our money? Because our hearts (and our emotions) are where our treasure is, and vice versa? Why do we have so many problems with these "radical, militant, Marxist" liberation theologians? Because they point out how the God of the Bible has problems with greed, rugged individualism and national elitism? Why do we see Brown and "his ilk" twisting Scripture and eisegeting Marxism into the Bible? Because we don't like to hear Scripture echoed from the nouths of those for and by whom it was written: the poor and oppressed? If the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (I Tim 6:10) and if you cannot serve both God and money (Matt 6:24), why do we cling so firmly to money? What would the big loss be anyway in losing our economic clout -- if we truly hope for *heavenly* riches? The more you live and share with "the least of these" (Matt 25:31ff), I've found, the less radical Brown, et al. sound. Raving neo-McCarthyists deal the Bible a grave blow by capitulating social justice and economic parity into the hands of Marxists. Marx subverted God's Word to his ends (he was raised a Jew, remember), not the other way around.
I am looking for more contemporary books of this nature (it was published in 1984), but will probably "just settle for" reading Gutierrez, Romero, Arrupe, et al. -- precisely what Brown would hope for his readers to do, I think. (PS, I recommend Haugen's _Good News About Injustice_ and Are's _Israeli Peace, Palestinian Justice_. I also recommend watching _Romero_ and _The Mission_ for some liberation visuals!)
Jesus Christ as Activist.......2002-02-04
I really liked this book and it opened my eyes to a fresh interpretation of the Bible... I started thinking of all the things that never seem to get mentioned when I go to church... I looked at Communion in a completely different light... I saw the Good Samaritan story for what it is... When I listen to a televangelist going on and on about Faith in Christ it seems like they're just trying to convince themselves... I accept Christ... Now lets move on to what he told us to do... Robert McAfee Brown shows how the Christianity of the rich is like watered down milk toast... Every time I turn to some Christian radio program it's always about the evils of homosexuality, alcohol or adultery... It's like a broken record with these guys... I've studied every religion of the world and I never really considered converting to Christianity till I read Unexpected News... I don't see this book as Marxist propaganda... I see it as the only antidote to the Capitalist-Communist conundrum... Jesus spoke truth to power... He stood up to the religious leaders of the time and I'm sure he would have stood up to the Communists as well... The status quo church of today wants you to believe but they don't want you to actually walk in the footsteps of Christ because we would have too many people like Gandhi and Martin Luther King running around changing things... I've heard so-called Christians tell me, "Oh you don't have to do anything like that... Christ did it all for you... You just have to believe." I feel like saying, "I already believe... I just want to know what to do!" This book challenges you to actually do something...
Thoughtful Perspective Encourages Action, Responsibility.......2000-03-30
In this book, the author explores the fundamental beliefs of Liberation Theology, common in much of Latin America. Yet he goes further, selecting 10 specific Bible passages, and interpreting them from another perspective.
I found this book extremely thought-provoking. While there are portions that I personally do not agree with, many of Brown's comments will forever color my reading of the Bible. What does it mean that Jesus favored the poor and oppressed? What does that mean for me, as a North American Christian? Brown points a finger at every reader, saying that we have a responsibility to take an active role in helping those around us -- whether that be next door or around the world.
The author may step on a few toes as he goes about making his point, but I firmly agree with him. The rest of the world has a distict perspective on the Bible, and we need to realize that North America does not have a monopoly on Christianity.
In regards to the prevailing Marxist theme, I lived in Central America for four months and saw firsthand many of the realities that brought about the formation of this theology. Socialism, when God is brought into the picture, is not the evil that the United States likes to depict. In many impoverished countries and to many people, it is one of the few options to improve the quality of life.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with the courage to question entrenched beliefs and see life and Scripture through the eyes of much of the impoverished world -- all two-thirds of it.
Book Description
In 1945, a mysterious Nazi secret weapons project code-named The Bell left its underground bunker in lower Silesia, with its project documentation, and the 4-star SS general Hans Kammler. Taken aboard a massive six engine Junkers 390 ultra-long range aircraft, The Bell, Kammler, and all project records disappeared completely, along with the gigantic Junkers 390 carrying them. It has been speculated that it flew to Argentina. As a prelude to this disappearing act, the SS murdered most of the scientists and technicians involved with the project, a secret weapon that, according to one German Nobel prize-winning physicist, was given a classification of decisive for the war -- the highest security classification. Offered here is a range of exotic technologies the Nazis researched, and challenges to the conventional views of the end of World War Two, the Roswell incident, and the beginning of MAJIC-12, the government's alleged secret team of UFO investigators.
Customer Reviews:
The Nazis are still here??!!.......2007-09-02
It starts with a rambling history of the Nazi experiments with levitation, atomic power, and zero point energy. I say rambling, because in contrast to the book that got me started on this subject was "The Hunt for Zero Point" by Nick Cook, which is a very grounded (no pun intended) and less fringy take on the subject. Very well written, too.
Now, back to the book by Farrell:
Okay, the Nazi scientists emigrated to the US to work on our space program. Okay, I buy that. He goes into a lot of speculation about stealth technology (again, see Cooks book for a better take) and the physics of levitation generated by Mercury spinning really really fast, which was mentioned in some ancient Sanskrit text... THEN, Farrell drops some hokey documents on our lap and says that the Nazis helped orchestrate the JFK assassination and, by the way, we may already have a base on the Moon and Mars.
Huh? You have to read it to follow the chain of information. It IS compelling, but it just makes the author sound like a maniac, who, in his acknowledgements, thanks his parents for letting him set up camp in their basement to write this book. Obviously a book meant for the subculture of people who are convinced the Chupacabra is the pet dog of the Grey aliens, and he got lost on his way to Bigfoot's house.
Yeah. He also acknowledges David Hatcher Childress, who... well, just do a search for the books he is attached to to see where HE is coming from. Fringe-o-philes...
Interesting pile of ideas in here to fuel some comic book writer somewhere. If taken for what it is, it reads like a weird espionage alternate history sci-fi. For that point along, I give it three stars.
good book.......2007-08-23
If you are interested in weird ideas about world war II, this book is definitely worth the read.
Very little in this book seems to be supported by hard evidence, and yet the information is useful.
This book is NOT just a list of usupported claims like many books about the weird side of the Nazis are.
Full course dinner plus dessert.......2007-07-13
This book is one big meal of a read. I read it a few years back and it remains one of my favorite in the field of alternative technologies and history. Not only is it well written (I enjoy Farrell's writing...see Giza Deathstar series) but it keeps the mind buzzing. If you have a feeling there is more to history than what you got in high school this is a great place to start an investigation. I would feel confident in offering an expanded review once I reread the title to refresh my memory so for now, trust me, this is a great book. Not for summer reading unless this is what you usually read. Not for the light hearted.
Amazing Connections.......2007-02-26
Where the author of this book has had to take some venturous assumptions on, he uses a lot of very well documented 'finds' to substantiate them - amazing finds that will astound those unfamiliar with how far really the Reich was able to go before the war's end in 1945.
The logical conclusions Joseph Farrell comes to, and the amazing substantiated technology that a secret few in the brotherhood were privy to gives you a wide open door for any UFO researcher, armchair or otherwise to be better equiped in debunking possible alien myths, and/or truths we are living in these very days.
Be spellbound, entertained and gripped by this amazing book. Where it has a ton on what was going on 'back then'(and therefore fills in a lot of blanks our history books left us), you will find it relates to everything going on today, right now, right before your very eyes!
Joseph Farrell shares his expertise in the science world giving the reader a huge leg up on how these events relate to modern science/phenomena; the findings in this work clearly interleaves well with other researchers who have written about the 'spiritual side' of our political world and their unique attachments to the 'other side'.
An excellent read and I heartily recommend it - some of it is 'open minded', and after you see what he is writing about, you can understand how it all fits! The rest is pure 'connect the fact-dots!' and you definately get the same picture...
Revelations of a global conspiracy - truth or untruth?.......2007-01-09
Joseph P. Farrell's The SS Brotherhood of the Bell continues the author's work - brought out in the so-called Giza trilogy and the "Reich of the Black Sun" - advocating that the general public has been deceived by its leaders for the better part of the 20th Century, and that the deception has been exacerbated in the new century. Mr. Farrell's contention is that there is an alternative doctrine of physics that - if studied and understood by experts and laymen - provides a general set of explanations for a variety of "mysteries" in our world such as UFOs. At the risk of grossly mis-stating the author's explanation, it seems to me that this "ether physics" is based broadly on the notion that our very environment is alive with energy rather than objects within the environment being the source of energy. The most notable result of this theory is that an object would be able to move through the environment by creating shifts in the ether. Call it whatever you wish, but this caused me to simplify the theory down to magnetic power...
Central to his premise is also the need to accept that - if ether physics are valid - then there has been a systematic and prolonged effort by those in power to hide this information from us. And, further accepting the credo that "knowledge is power" as the justification for such actions, one is directed by the author towards the conclusion that a worldwide entity larger than any single government is manipulating our lives.
Farrell contends that while ether physics is not a new theory. In fact, in his earlier books on the pyramids at Giza being sources of ether-physics-related power, this science is virtually antediluvian. It was, however, Nazi Germany and its links to the occult that caused resurgence in experimentation into ether physics in terms of its military potential. While discussing various technologies - as he did in his earlier book Reich of the Black Sun - the center-piece of this book is an alleged experiment that is more-or-less eponymous with the title of this book.
The bare details are this: the Germans were experimenting with high speed magnetic rotation of various elements. The results of these experiments are mysterious, deadly and, in some cases, contradictory, depending upon references. Core to this part of the story is published material from a Polish research named Igor Witkowski. He claims to have accessed documents that were held in the former German Democratic Republic but are now being accessed with the collapse of Communism. It is Witkowski's work - also cited heavily in Nick Cook's The Hunt for Zero Point - that is the basis for the bell-related information in Farrell's book.
All concerned conclude their stories with the scientific equipment and records being taken by SS Obergruppenfuehrer Hans Kammler, a real person who had virtual total control of the German secret programs in the 1944/1945 timeframe. But, with Witkowski and Cook are somewhat vague about what happened with the end of World War two, Farrell is adamant in his belief that Kammler and other former regime members were able to cut deals with all the allied powers and, in doing so, were able to establish themselves as an extra-national entity that operates to this day. This entity has been able to maintain itself by nefarious actions that, Farrell implies, may have included the assassination of John F. Kennedy!
As part of this startling allegation, Farrell continues on to presents his view that the entity that is controlling and manipulating the post-modern world is dominated by a "next-generation" Nazis who have taken over the older more established behind the scenes New World order groups such as the Illuminati, the Council and Foreign Relations and Skull and Bones. Thus, the author states that Bush, pere and fils, along with John Kerry are either willing accomplices or subjugated dupes.
What is true and what is not true in this book is a matter of personal choice. While one can say, "You cannot make this stuff up!" it is also clear that one could. In light of this, The SS Brotherhood of the Bell falls into the same literary/historical niche as such events as The Philadelphia Experiment and Roswell, where it is certain something happened but the details and the actual accuracy of those details is extremely unclear.
As I implied, it is up to each and every reader of this book to make his/her rational decision about whether or not to believe all or some of what is contained in this book.
Average customer rating:
- And The Truth Shall Set You Free!
- The Third Millennium
- Four, for the style
- Don't judge!
- My favorite book
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The Third Millennium: Living in the Posthistoric World
Ken Carey
Manufacturer: HarperOne
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ASIN: 0062514083 |
Book Description
For all of our progress,the world stubbornly retains a male-dominated, competitive streak. Certainly the emphasis our culture places on enterprise has given us much, but what have we sacrificed along the way? Carol Lee Flindersargues that the more ancient values of Belonging (mutuality, cooperation, and generosity), traditionally associated with women, have been subsumed by thoseof Enterprise (individualism, competitiveness, and materialism), associated with men. In the lives of visionaries, artists, and mystics such as the Buddha, BaalShem Tov, Teresa of Avila, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, John Muir, and Martin Luther King Jr., Flinders offers models for a new kind of balance. Rebalancing the World urges us to incorporate the values we are missing in our lives for the sense of wholeness we all seek.
Customer Reviews:
And The Truth Shall Set You Free!.......2007-08-29
Indeed, this is a book that must be read and understood. A simple reading reveals that it is truth incarnate. We must learn to relax and flow with the changes that are already upon us, because they are necessary for our complete evolution into spiritualized matter. What wonders will be wrought when matter becomes spiritualized! We will soon find out! Keep in mind that this book was written in 1991, yet its prophecies are already in fulfillment. Global warming is taking place, and the poles are indeed beginning their meltdown as the book suggests. Why? Because they must! As mankind begins his changes, the earth must respond likewise. As man is beginning to explore the realms that were once off limits to him because of his own isolating ideologies, the areas on earth that were once off limits are now becoming open to man as well. Non-fertile areas must become fertile as man begins to harvest from his spirtual center. The deserts are about to bloom, and nature is making those changes possible because of man's changing nature. Nature is responding to man, and will continue to respond to the positive loving responses that mankind was designed to have. Look at how nature is stumbling. She has always gone on the same old path dictated by the same old unenlightened orbit that mankind has travelled on for thousands of years. What has happened? What has confounded our good earth? The earth's wobble is no longer stable, weather patterns and weather behavior have become unpredictable. Why? Because the foundations that mankind have depended on are also changing and all of mankind is in an organized process of revolution to a new world. The earth is temporarily confused as to whether to continue with the old pattern, or begin the new. She has two groups of people pulling her in opposite directions! She is in travail! The new must take place, and our good earth will respond. She may groan temporarily as she changes, but change she must to adapt to the new gifts that are beginning to radiate from man. Growth is now exponential, so the wave is cresting ever higher on a daily basis. Even our animals and nature itself is changing. Look at how even the wild animals are looking to man for direction. The fear of man intrinsic in the wild animal is beginning to depart. The Garden of Eden is returning, and man's rightful place as a loving ruler of this creation is beginning to unfold. What must come next? It seems quite obvious that the next physical change that must occur is a magnetic pole shift. The magnetic force is already weakening as the postive forces returning to the Godhead are just about even with the forces of those stuck in self manufactured egos based upon survival. Once the magnetic poles shift, we know that the new leap into the new world has already taken place, and incredible changes will be forthcoming. Read the book for personal and spiritual insight. It is poetically written, and very easy to digest. It is time to ride the crest of the wave that you were designed to ride, and this book will bring it back to rememberence, lest you forget.
The Third Millennium.......2007-08-08
Really like the author... but haven't read this book... but expect to like this book.
Four, for the style.......2007-02-06
If reading how truly great you are and how everything is going to be truly great, this book is for you! But maybe one of his reasons Was to focus more on the positive?
I'm referring to black opps - on a global scale - of course. This May be a sign that something significant is around the bend.
How's about, "The comingling of planetary joy, human volition and the Star Maker's intent will swirl together in a unified whirlwind of love."
He generally seems to have reworded traditional (kabbalistic etc) terms and added a dose of new age sleep filler.
The paradox in all this, to me, is that we supposedly pass through our subconscious mind to access the superconscious...
Ken Wilber addressed this in his thoughts on pre and post egoic consciousness.
But neither of these authors address the findings concerning engineered artifacts Millions(+) of years old.
I can only imagine that we lost something along the way. This as to not having evolved enough...
But ultimately, we are talking Integration - as to cutting off or transcending aspects.
I also think he should've mentioned something about sexual energies. How to deal with This major force. It's These energies and polarities that run the universe.
But it still feels to be an uplifting book. This is an art you know.
What's funny for me is that in my days of shroom use, I basically experienced everything he wrote about. I indeed experienced this evolutionary leading edge... and that we are All on a cosmic Vector to something akin to godhood.
Won't bother with the infinitely darker experiences.
Don't judge!.......2006-08-04
This book is another excellent example of the channelings that are taking place more and more. These spiritual channelings are not showing up in most of the established churches because they are still stuck in the past. Channelings are showing up in poetry, books, screen plays, movie scripts, songs, billboards, cereal boxes and even graffiti. Seemingly unlikely channels are popping up all over the world. There is a reason for this which becomes clear when you read. But, read without judgement because when you pre-judge all you hear is yourself and what's the point in that? Read it, re-read it and then just let it simmer. When you are ready you will 'get' it.
My favorite book.......2004-03-15
I have been on a spiritual path for quite a while. Along the way I have studied quite a few teachings, including numerous books. This is far and away my favorite. This is God talking to people, using Ken Carey as a channel. If you can open yourself to it, you can verify the source of this very special book. Each page of this book is worth an entire book. Ken has the high honor of being the spokesperson for this message. You too may be so stimulated by this book as to experience the multidimensional Great Love that envelops us all.
Amazon.com
Humans have a fascination with evil. We long to identify it, quantify it, and understand it. To this end, newspapers frequently splash photographs of murderers with the caption "The face of evil." Heading most lists of the 20th century's most evil people would be Adolf Hitler, but, as Michael Burleigh's tour de force makes clear, evil is not always as cut-and-dried as we would like. The Nazis could not have come to power and committed Germany to a policy of war and genocide without the tacit consent of the German people. This makes Germany as a whole responsible for the crimes committed in its name, but it is clearly wrong to label every German as evil. Through his painstaking research and direct prose, Burleigh slowly builds up a picture of a people desperate for identity and economic prosperity, who, bit by bit, closed off their conscience as the price of their dreams. There was no one cathartic moment when Germany, under the Third Reich, lapsed from goodness into badness; rather, there was an incremental realignment of a collective morality. Burleigh's explanation of this phenomenon is so simple, yet so obviously right, that you can only wonder that it didn't become the generally accepted currency years ago.
Instead of viewing Nazi Germany in purely social, political, and economic terms--though he doesn't ignore these spheres--Burleigh wraps them all into a picture of a country gripped in a religious, messianic fervor, and that which had previously felt inexplicable suddenly seems clear. If you want the nitty-gritty details of the Second World War and the genocide, they are here, retold as well as, if not better than, many of the other histories of this period. But it's Burleigh's take on the people of Germany that makes this book so special. Above all, with similar genocidal wars currently being fought in Kosovo, Rwanda, and Iraq, it makes you think, "Would I be able to resist becoming complicit in such regimes?" This is a must for every 20th-century historian. --John Crace, Amazon.co.uk
Book Description
Until now there has been no up-to-date, one-volume, international history of Nazi Germany, despite its being among the most studied phenomena of our time. The Third Reich restores a broad perspective and intellectual unity to issues that have become academic subspecialties and offers a brilliant new interpretation of Hitler's evil rule.
Filled with human and moral considerations that are missing from theoretical accounts, Michael Burleigh's book gives full weight to the experience of ordinary people who were swept up in, or repelled by, Hitler's movement. It emphasizes, as well, the international themes -- for Nazi Germany appealed to the political classes and the ordinary people of many European nations, its wartime conduct included efforts to dominate the entire continent's economy, and its murderous policies involved gigantic population transfers and exterminations, recruitment of foreign labor, and multinational armies.
What happened when many, or most, of Germany's elite as well as a majority of its citizenry chose not to think for themselves and to favor instead a politics based on faith, hope, hatred, and sentimental regard for their own race and nation? The consequences were catastrophic for Germany, Europe, and the wider world, but no more so than for European Jews. Michael Burleigh's account of the moral breakdown and transformation of an advanced industrial society in the heart of Europe is a remarkably clearheaded assessment of the dangerous consequences when, in a country still obsessed with its losses in a previous war, a political movement takes on the form of a pseudo- or substitute religion. His narrative of events in Nazi Germany, and in a world that was forced to respond to its criminal actions, is a masterpiece of great intellectual and moral courage.
Customer Reviews:
Plodding & Difficult to Read.......2007-05-10
I agree with "writing got in the way". The writing was so difficult to follow it required reading a sentence 2 or 3 times to figure out what he was saying. I finally give up after 90 pages. No comparison to "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" which kept me up for days. A new viewpoint gets you nowhere if you can't finish the book. Wish I had saved my money.
wiped out by page 25.......2007-03-17
This is trenchant, demanding, totally depressing. I found myself defeated by this book early on. It was like an avalanche. Nor do I find the view that Nazism=a religion very enlightening, short of being an obvious comparison. I guess I just don't have the heart to go through this book, right now.
The writing gets in the way.......2005-11-09
I don't mind an academic using fancy words and I didn't need a dictionary more than once or twice (per page, that is). Anyway, I like dictionaries. Nor do I mind a historian positing moral equivalence between Hitlerism and Stalinism. There is an important difference, though: most Stalinists were never held to account for their crimes, and they still have apologists such as Hrycenko (June 12, 2001 below) who gets some cheap mileage out of the author being British.
But while this may be 'writing of the highest order' (Financial Times), not every reader will find it a page-turner. What makes it heavy going is that too many passages turn into a kind of semantic obstacle course - the result not of high-flown language but of obtuse constructions - which can leave readers wondering: what is he trying to say? There have been popular historians capable of trenchant or refined wit (think Taylor or Tuchman) who, not coincidentally, were models of clarity. Prof. Burleigh, on the other hand, could use a good editor. I don't suppose he does this deliberately like some pomo poseur. Then again, some people don't seem to mind.
It's a shame, because he has a vast amount of scholarship at his fingertips and he has genuinely original ideas. His latest book ('Earthly Powers: Religion and Politics in Europe from the French Revolution to the Great War', just published in the UK) suffers from the same sort of bafflegab. Like this one it promises to be really interesting, if only you can get past the writing. I will finish it. I will.
A moral view of Nazi Germany.......2005-10-14
I picked up this massive tome with the anticipation of being served up something akin to Shire's excellent "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich". Had I not read that book with it's emphasis on the organization, personalities and political history of the Nazis, Burleigh's work would have been even harder to follow then it was. It is implied that you have read it already or something like it, perhaps even Mein Kampf -- though the author rarely cites the latter and the former not at all -- and assumed you know the difference between a Gauleiter and Gruppenführer or are fully aware of the nature of the events and party infighting behind the Night of the Long Knives.
You will find little information in this book about the roots of Nazism or the events that led to it's rise; nor will you get more than a glimpse of characterization of it's principal actors. Having said that, A New History fills in some gaps left out of the popular William L. Shire work and others in the areas of economy, government, policy, and society with a very heavy emphasis on the crimes of Nazi Germany.
Burleigh does not try to hide -- and neither necessarily should he -- a personal bias that should be lacking in the objective observer in his view of seeing Nazi Germany as nothing but a state of pure evil with hatred it's only raison d'etre and who's only historic legacy was mass murder. The narrative does a fine job of identifying the evolution and natural progression from eugenics to euthanasia to murders-of-convenience during wartime to large scale assembly-line genocide. And yet, after we are told how it happened, we are still left to wonder -- and continue to wonder today, even as our own inner demons lead to events such as an abu gharib -- about the nature of the psyche that could lead sane people in a highly civilized culture to sink into barbarity.
Constant surprises.......2005-08-27
This is not your father's history of Nazi Germany. Burleigh skips the standard and too many times retold elements of the rise of Nazi Germany and concentrates instead on a corrective explanation of previously unexplored undercurrents that made the Third Reich what it was. Every chapter abounds with discoveries you will not find in any other standard history of the period. Beyond this, Burleigh has a refreshingly energetic writing style and I find myself eager to pick the book up again each day to continue. It's probably not the best choice for a first book on the Third Reich, but I'm sure it will one day be considered one of the greatest.
Book Description
After thirty years of autocratic rule under "Life President" Kamuzu Banda, Malawians experienced a transition to multi-party democracy in 1994. A new constitution and several democratic institutions promised a new dawn in a country ravaged by poverty and injustice. This book presents original research on the economic, social, political and cultural consequences of the new era. A new generation of scholars, most of them from Malawi, cover virtually every issue causing debate in the New Malawi: poverty and hunger, the plight of civil servants, the role of the judiciary, political intolerance and hate speech, popular music as a form of protest, clergy activism, voluntary associations and ethnic revival, responses to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and controversies over women’s rights. Both chameleon-like leaders and the donors of Malawi’s foreign aid come under critical scrutiny for supporting superficial democratization. The book ends with a rare public statement on the New Malawi by Jack Mapanje, Malawi’s internationally acclaimed writer.
Average customer rating:
- Third Eye
- Cheated
- Good Read....But No Real Insight
- Interesting Read
- Wonderful and compelling
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Third Eye
T. Lobsang Rampa
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0345340388
Release Date: 1986-06-12 |
Book Description
T. Lobsang Rampa was preordained to be a Tibetan priest, a sign from the stars that could not be ignored. When he left his wealthy home to enter the monastery, his heart was filled with trepidation, with only a slight knowledge of the rigorous spiritual training and physical ordeal that awaited him . . . .
This is his story, a hauntingly beautiful and deeply inspiring journey of awakening within Chakpori Lamasery, the temple of Tibetan medicine. It is a moving tale of passage through the mystic arts of astral projection, crystal gazing, aura deciphering, meditation, and more, a spiritual guide of enlightenment and discovery through the opening of the all-powerful, the all-knowing . . . .
"Fascinates the reader!" -- Miami Herald
Customer Reviews:
Third Eye.......2007-07-27
First published in the early sixties, the Third Eye soon became legendary. Almost fifty years later, the legend has grown into credible acceptance as the wonders of meditation, telepathy, levitation, teletransportation, etc. have become subjects of serious study. The life of people in Tibet before the Chinese invasion, particularly in the lamaseries, where the author was raised, is engagingly portrayed as the adventures of the mind and journeys into extraordinary lands are revealed.
Cheated .......2007-06-22
I gave this book one star and I'd like to explain why.
Yes, it appears that it IS a hoax, the story and all of it, including the subsequent books of this gentleman. For a detailed account of this hoax, read "Dr. Christopher Evans - Cults of Unreason" in http://www.whyaretheydead.net/krasel/books/evans/monks.html
There, after the passage about Hare Krishna, you will find a very disconcerting narration of how Mr. Cyril Hoskins (some say it is 'Hoskin'), formerly of `Rose Croft', Thames Ditton, Surrey, England, turned into Mr T. (for Tuesday) Lobsang Rampa, clairvoyant pilot, doctor and lama from Tibet.
I encountered the book at first many years ago, close to its publication. I was thrilled to read it, being an avid lover of adventure and occult books, though the kite flying experience left me with my doubts about it, as the astonishing opening of the 'third eye' operation. The photo of the author, also, looked to me, at the time, too much of a Caucasian, but one might never know who might be who, so I overlooked the little inner voice telling me that something might be awry.
So I bought every book of his, and every one of them awakened in me the same astonishment of how could such things be, but again I chose to take it from the positive side and overlooked the suspicion willingly, again.
The most suspicious piece was one in which (his tenth book, I don't remember its name, now) he curses and nulls and voids as bad, negative, the prayers that people pray for and direct toward others, sick persons, because he was affected negatively by them. Now that was a bang on my head that told me that such a stance in spiritually minded persons is plain wrong, but again I overlooked it, though every time I hear about prayers for sick and hurt people, I am reminded of Rampa's statement.
After many years, in June 2007, during a research for a book I write about "Spirituality and Meditation", I came upon the subject of "the third eye" and Lobsang Rampa again. And lo and behold, I read with my own physical eyes about the hoax that the gentleman committed and which had been uncovered by detectives hired by a group of academicians interested in Tibet matters.
To cut a long story short, after this long "complaint" of mine, I decided on the spot to throw his books in the recycling box, having one because of city regulations.
Being versed in all matters spiritual, I am not in need of his advices in particular, though in themselves they may help many mount the road to less denser, spiritual, spheres, which I respect profoundly and recommend highly. So his books do not adorn my personal library shelves anymore.
I am disturbed by the hoax perpetrated on me and on many others by a man hungry for fame, money and personal influence, on the expenses of good willing people.
You, the reader of this review, may do as you feel right for you, not the least learn much about spirituality from his books, but there are many other books not less educative and informative, and true, mind you, than the books of Mr. C. Hoskins, the Englishman, aka T. L. Rampa, a fictitious Tibetan lama.
Good Read....But No Real Insight.......2007-02-05
This book gives you a history channel like walk through on the Tibetan way of life and their goal to achieve oneness. Page after page, is nothing but some guy rambling on about how hard life was for him as an intiate, and the experiences he's had. There is nothing to learn from this book. However if you are a person (like me) that loves to read, then this book is worth the five hours.
Interesting Read.......2007-01-26
I read the Rampa series back in my early twenties, and in the middle of the seventies, I got a lot of good things out of it, but come on...keep an open mind guys. The Author, Hoskin, had some good common sense advice, but read this web page; [...], before you buy into it completely.
It is sort of like the Sylvia Browne books. Lots of good stuff there, but see the web page; www.stopsylviabrowne.com, for balance. When it comes to spirituality, make up your OWN mind, don't let someone do it for you. Yea, it is a hoax, but it is also a parable, and they are good to learn and understand ourselves by.
Wonderful and compelling.......2006-10-22
I love this book! Whoever calls it poorly written fiction has obviously not spent much time in the East or suffer from an American mindset. I lived in India and Tibet for years and studied different religions. This book is really beautifully written and grabs your attention. It does seem to describe an age that has gone; but fact is things are changing fast in the east and old traditions are dying out. And for the author to be an Englishman who is said to never have visited Tibet, and to have such a great sense of the eastern mind is really quite remarkable. I often wondered if the author came across someone else's notes of the real Lobsang. I don't agree with some reviews that dispute the spiritual comments in the book as 'wrong' and not in line with Tibetan views; I find many of the comments real and on a more elevated level of eastern thinking than mere dogma. It is impossible to categorize eastern thought into exact word by word verbatum as the vision and angle of thought in the east often expands with the person.
This is a wonderful book for anyone to read, whether you believe in eastern philosophy or not. Of course, a staunch agnostic may find it extremely boring and even ridiculous from their lifeless and dead perception of life.
Book Description
Engaging, integrated, and analytical, East Asia: A New Historyprovides a comprehensive history of the East Asian countries and addresses a diverse range of social, economic, and intellectual topics. This accessible and richly illustrated book examines China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, and includes coverage of the common people, the environment, and the experiences of women--topics that are often neglected in other books.
MARKET Appropriate for anyone interested in the History of East Asia. 73-99350-7
Customer Reviews:
Murphey's Law of Bias.......2004-09-06
There are limited texts on East Asian history and it is unfortunate that this author decided to spike his with unabashed personal commentary. Overall, the content is impressive but some of Murphey's claims are hard to stomach.
An example of such outlandish claims is the theme in later chapters that American Cold War policy drove Asian Communists to a harder line by resisting them with military campaigns and non-democratic governments. Murphey insinuates that Mao Zedong, Ho Chi Min, and other Communist leaders had more moderate programs planned for when they came to power but were forced into reeducation programs and political purges because of American policy.
Besides this outright opinion paraded as fact, Murphey also annoyingly snickers and gripes with hyphenated and parenthetical commentary. There are also facts suspiciously left out. For example, Murphey spends a great deal of effort detailing conservative corruption in earlier Korean politics but mentions nothing of the massive scandals accompanying the end of Kim Dae-Jun's term. Lastly, many of Murphey's dubious claims can not be investigated by the readers. Facts are not referenced and a bibliography of only 40 sources is available at the end -- suspiciously thin for a work of this magnitude and considering the many "facts" quoted. Murphey's bias and this lack of sourcing make this book marginally useful for graduate level research, unless one is willing to accept the good professor at his word. The Ivory Tower is alive and well in Ann Arbor.
This book needs improvement in some areas.......2004-01-30
There are a few weaknesses and factual errors in this book.
1. Index is very weak. Many important concepts are not listed in the index.
2. Too much emphasis on ancient/imperial China but not enough coverage of modern and contemporary East Asia.
3. Organization is puzzling. For instance, such an important historical period as the Northern Expedition is put under the chapter "China and Japan: the Road to War." This is an important period that deserves to have its own chapter.
4. Opinions(?)as facts. On page 349, the following description is given: "Zhang Xueliang and his troops kidnapped Chiang Kai-shek where he was spending a few days at a hot spring resort (with a lady not his wife!) and demanded...." The author has provided no documentation for Chiang's alleged liaison with another woman. Moreover, no other reference to this affair seems to be available in all relevant literature about the Xian Incident and Chiang Kai-shek . Chiang is a controversial figure but this allegation just cannot be supported.
Also stated in the book is the following statement: "The [Chinese] communists were tying down about a million Japanese troops..." during WWII. Considering the total number of Japanese troops in China during that period, this is tantamount to suggesting that the communist guerrillas pretty much single-handedly handled all the Japanese troops whereas the Nationalist troops did nothing. This is factually wrong and cannot be supported by historical facts.
These are just a few examples of the problems associated with this book. Here is hope that future editions will correct some of the aforementioned problems. The author did make an effort to weave all countries and historical periods together, which was challenging. He succeeded in some areas, but failed in some other.
A MUST HAVE FOR STUDENTS & CURIOSITY~!!!.......2002-01-27
1ST, I BORROWED THIS BOOK FROM THE LIBRARY AND THE WRITER BLEW MY MIND! THE TEXT IN THIS BOOK IS SUPERB AND HISTORY IS QUITE PRECISE!! SO I DECIDED TO BUY THIS BOOK, AND IT'S STILL AS THRILLING!!! 2ND, IT IS AN EASY TO READ BOOK - - HEY ... THE BOOK IS SO GOOD I BROUGHT AN EXTRA COPIES FOR MY COLLECTION!!!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR ANY OBSERVER AND ADVISOR!!!
An excellent primer on Asia by a humanist scholar and writer.......2000-10-28
Rhoads Murphey's East Asia: A New History covers everything a lay person needs and wants to know about this complex region and culture. This book is a fascinating and easy-to-read summary of Dr. Murphey's 60-year-long living and teaching experience in China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other Asian countries. It is an excellent introduction to Asia not just as a textbook but a very useful primer for corporate executives, professionals and even tourists. I've read this book and its various editions ever since 1973 when I first studied with Professor Murphey as a graduate student. Readers will get from this book not just the facts, images, philosophy and poetry of East Asia. You will see the humanity of a great teacher, scholar, writer and romantic who knows how to make Americans understand and appreciate our fellow men and women of this important part of the world. The book never fails to make me smile and re-discover the many simple truths about cultures that we so easily forget.
A very strong textbook for Asian surveys.......2000-08-31
I found this book in 1997 after desperately searching for something to replace Shirokauer's creaky _Modern China and Japan_. I have used it for several Modern East Asia courses and am presently using it for a Traditional East Asia survey, and I find that students of all levels of knowledge appreciate it. It does have a few shortcomings, as I feel would be the case for any textbook on Asia, as the topic is so expansive and many situations are downright confusing. However, it gives a good balance of political to social history, has extremely useful maps and insets, and the writing is consistently good. I would also recommend it for the casual reader who wants to get a decent background on Asian culture.
Average customer rating:
- Golden Bough
- An influential work on four 20th century seminal works
- The real deal
- Finally!
- The Golden Bough by Sir James George Frazer
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The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion: A New Abridgement from the Second and Third Editions (Oxford World's Classics)
James George Frazer
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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ASIN: 0192835416 |
Book Description
A classic study of the beliefs and institutions of mankind, and the progress through magic and religion to scientific thought, The Golden Bough has a unique status in modern anthropology and literature. First published in 1890, The Golden Bough was eventually issued in a twelve-volume edition (1906-15) which was abridged in 1922 by the author and his wife. That abridgement has never been reconsidered for a modern audience. In it some of the more controversial passages were dropped, including Frazer's daring speculations on the Crucifixion of Christ. For the first time this one-volume edition restores Frazer's bolder theories and sets them within the framework of a valuable introduction and notes. A seminal work of modern anthropolgy, The Golden Bough also influenced many twentieth-century writers, including D H Lawrence, T S Eliot, and Wyndham Lewis. Its discussion of magical types, the sacrificial killing of kings, the dying god, and the scapegoat is given fresh pertinence in this new edition.
Customer Reviews:
Golden Bough.......2007-09-26
A approach of academic study to common reader interest. A excellent book for ritual understanding. The Frazer's Golden Bough is one of more sold around the world and is also one of more controversial within academic society because its author broken one of its dogmas - written without the academic language vicious.
An influential work on four 20th century seminal works.......2007-09-23
This book is a seminal work because it had a crucial influence on four important works of the twentieth century: T. S. Elliott's poem the Waste Land, Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces, Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code, and Francis Ford Coppolla's movie Apocalypse Now, screenplay by John Milius.
Sir James George Frazer's book written in 1922 was a groundbreaking work on ancient religion, paganism, and roots of early Christianity. Frazer does an in-depth examination of the sacrificial killing of god-kings to ensure bountiful harvests, which Frazer traces through several cultures, including in his elaborations the myths of Adonis, Osiris, and Balder.
Frazer spent his life writing fifteen volumes of history of myth and religion. This book sums up his theory of magic and its connections to paganism, as well as fusing ideas from Jessie L. Weston's book From Ritual To Romance and Gnostic texts that serve as a link to early Christianity's influence from ancient nature cults. His chapter titles say much about where his work goes and why it is so influential on iconic twentieth century works. The King of the Wood explains the original nature of the task imposed upon the hero, it undoubtedly influenced both Campbell's and Coppola's works. The Myths of Adonis, Attis, and Osiris looks to establish a chain of descent connecting early Aryan and Babylonian ritual with classic, Medieval and modern forms of nature worship. Our Debt to the Savage explains the role of the Medicine Man or doctor in fertility ritual. The Killing of the Devine King analyzes how this title is prevalent in so many of humankind's legends, and was a definite influence on Coppola's Colonel Kurtz character. Sacrifice of the King's Son regarded as an object of awe certainly influenced The Da Vinci Code.
Frazer's book is interesting and fun to read. I especially became interested in it from the movie Apocalypse Now. There is a scene in the movie that shows Colonel Kurtz's nightstand in his cave. Weston's book is one of three on the nightstand. The other two are Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, which the film is based on. The other book is Jessie L. Weston's book From Ritual To Romance. Anyone wanting to understand the movie Apocalypse Now, especially the character of Colonel Kurtz, and what Milius and Copolla were trying to tell their audience need to read these three books!
As a graduate student reading in philosophy and history I recommend this book for anyone interested in literature, myth, history, philosophy, religion and fans of Apocalypse Now.
The real deal.......2007-07-04
I'll skip reviewing the content and speak to book's edition. This is the one that was abridged by the author from a multi-volume, earlier edition. In later years, the tome was watered down and censored due to authorial speculation on the nature of Jesus. All the controversial ideas are present in this particular edition, so it is safe to purchase it and not feel cheated.
Finally!.......2007-01-03
An "uncensored" abridged version,
full of speculation about Christ. Sure to get the evangelicals lighting their torches,
to storm this Castle of Prometheus.
The Golden Bough by Sir James George Frazer.......2006-06-29
This is a wonderful book on the origin of beliefs, culture and
classic ceremonies. For instance, the Native American Indians
regarded a person's name as a part of their personality.
In Bohemia, children carry a straw man out of the village to
cast out death. Aphrodite and Old Paphos constitute one of the
most celebrated shrines in the ancient world. In death and
resurrection, Egyptians celebrated life after death. At Lagos in
Guinea, young women were impaled by custom after spring equinox
in order to secure a good crop that year. Festivities were
prepared in order to coincide with the summer and winter solstices.
The work would be perfect for students of world culture,
fine arts, language and literature.
Book Description
& 40 b/w plates & 20 diagrams & 6 x 9 & Weapon-by-weapon study by a leading expert & Exposes the full extent of the Third Reich's secret weapons program & Separates fact from fiction The sheer magnitude of the secret weapon program of the Third Reich is revealed in this comprehensive study, which covers weapons actually produced and projects still in their infancy when the war ended. The infamous V-1 and V-2 missiles that ravaged London are well known. But what of the V-3 and V-4? What of the Schmetterling, the Rchling shell, the Kurt bomb, the Hs293? What of Germany's programs for nuclear and chemical warfare? This volume examines the specific weapons on which the Germans concentrated, the difficulties they encountered, and how some concepts were subsequently exploited by the Allies. It explodes some of the myths surrounding Hitler's secret weapons to reveal a truth all the stranger for being fact. Ian V. Hogg is a respected authority on weaponry and the author of numerous books, including German Artillery of World War II and The World's Sniping Rifles.
Customer Reviews:
HISTORY IS WRITTEN BY THE VICTORS!.......2005-10-25
Don't judge a book by is cover.that is the mistake i made on Ian V.hogg book.the information on the book looked like a summary of sellected weapons of the Third riech.history is really written by the victors.i could not ignore the baised comments and lies about the third riech.As a historian one is supposed to distance himself of the demonization process and baised conclusions.their were no pictures to illustate what the weapons looked like but word problems that the reader had to solve.it is no secret that the allies exploited on german technologyand it is fair to say that 90% of all the weapons we see today are the direct desendants of hitler's top sectert weapons.it is for this reason that the weapons in the soviet,american and british arsenals resembled and one another.the author also dodges the question of germanys nuclear project.hitler did have a nuclear weapon at the end of the war and it fell into allied hands and thus both sides aquired the weapons that gave rise to the cold war.Read the book by birlin historian entitled Hitler's Bombe,getmany was the first to detonate the first atomic bomb.the author is ignorant of this or is delebrately dodging the questions.what is the big deal the war is over the soviet union is fallen and it is safe to reveal the truth right now.
Can't put it down.......2005-06-05
This book at first seems very ordinary with its monochrome blue cover and its dense text. Once you start, it's a whole different story. The book almost reads like a novel and is a real page turner. No details appear absent (at the level the book is pitched). I find this technology fascinating and enjoyed the book immensely. In short, don't judge a book by its cover, once you start reading you will find out how good this book really is. The only thing missing is more of the same !
Disapointing.......2004-03-19
Overly technical in places and light on information in others, limited illustrations and photos are very small not the authors best work, the hardcover version only has a glued spine and as such started to split almost immediately.
Awesome!!.......2000-10-11
Even the book is technical in nature I have read this book several times and it is awesome. It is amazing that the Germany's "wonder weapons" of World War II lead to today's development of inter-continental ballistic missiles and the modern air-to-ground missiles. Just imagine if the war lasted into 1946 we would be dealing with these "wonder weapons". This is a must read for history buffs!!!
Save your money!.......2000-09-14
Not a bargain at any price. What few illusrations there are are tiny, the text provides no information not presented elsewhere dozen of times. A real waste of money.
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