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.

Lord of the Silent Kingdom (Instrumentalities of the Night)

Average customer rating:

The Godslayer Strikes Again
Thoroughly Pleasing
Eh, Whatever.
Hard edged and realistic.
Enjoyable addition to this series....

Lord of the Silent Kingdom (Instrumentalities of the Night)
Glen Cook
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

A Cruel Wind: A Chronicle Of The Dread Empire
Sung In Blood
The Tyranny of the Night: Book One of the Instrumentalities of the Night
A Fortress In Shadow: A Chronicle Of The Dread Empire
Passage at Arms

ASIN: 0765306859
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Book Description

Its cold. The wells of power are weakening, and the forces of Night are strong. The gods are real, and they still have some power, mostly to do harm. The Instrumentalities of the Night are the worst of these. Piper Hecht, born Else Tage, survived a battle with the Instrumentalities. Now hes captain-general of the armies fighting a crusade for Patriarch Sublime V. Intrigues swirl around the throne of the Grail Empire, as the imperial familys enemy Anne of Menand raises money to help the perpetually indebted Patriarch finance his crusades. Now Piper Hecht learns that the legendary sorcerer Cloven Februaren, referred to as the Ninth Unknown, is still alive, more than one hundred years old, and on his side. As the dynastic politics of the Empire become even more convoluted, its clear that while the old gods may be fading, theyre determined to do everything they can to bend the doings of men to their own advantage. Sieges, explosions, betrayals, Anti-Patriarchs, and suspicious deaths will ensue as the great chess game plays itself out, with Piper Hecht at the center of it all. Dark, exciting, gritty, and sometimes bleakly funny, this is Glen Cook in his Black Company mode, writing military fantasy of compelling intensity.

Customer Reviews:

The Godslayer Strikes Again.......2007-09-13

Lord of the Silent Kingdom (2007) is the second epic fantasy novel of The Instrumentalities of the Night, following The Tyranny of the Night. In the previous volume, Svavar absorbs the souls of several gods through the spear and then flees back to the northlands. The Deves use their firearms to destroy Gray Walker and then save Pinkus Ghort -- and Princess Helspeth -- from the Hero revenants.

Prince Lothar is snatched from the hospital tent and later reappears among the Imperials. The dying Grade Drocker selects Piper Hecht to command the Patriarchal forces after his death and later the Patriarch concurs. As the senior Brother of War, Sergeant Bechter conducts the service for Drocker.

In this novel, Patriarch Sublime V -- formerly Honario Benedocto -- of the Bothan Episcopal Church has a dire need for funds. He has too many outstanding loans. Some date back to vote buying in the Patriarchal election and the rest had paid for funding of the Calziran Crusade. Unhappily, the Crusade had been a military win, but an economic loss.

Now Sublime is trying to conquer the Maysean heretics in the End of the Connec by issuing letters of marque to Grolsacher mercenaries. The plunder has not been that great. Rumors say that sooner or later he will be sending in Church forces to seize this land.

Brother Candle is a Maysean Perfect, a leader of the Seekers After Light. When the Grolsacher mercenaries besiege Caron ande Lette, Brother Candle is sent out the back way to save his life. Church mercenaries would love to capture a Perfect.

Piper Hecht - formerly Else Tage -- is Captain-General of the Bothan Episcopal Church forces. One of his duties is to ensure that his forces are ready to follow the orders of the Patriarch. Of course, he has good subordinates, so he spends most of his time with Anna Mozilla, his lover.

Pinkus Ghort is Commander of the Bothan City Regiment. He has been a friend and campaigning companion of Hecht for years. When he comes to fetch Hecht, Piper goes with him without complaint. On the way to the Closed Ground, Hecht, Ghort and their escort encounter three bowmen and a sorcerer who try to assassinate Piper.

The Collegium -- the Princes of the Church -- includes the official sorcerers of the Bothan Episcopal Church. In the West, almost all mages are either part of the Collegium or dead. A committee of these Princes is waiting when Hecht finally arrives for his meeting.

Upon hearing about the assassination attempt, Principate Muniero Delari leaves the room in a rush to question the prisoners. The rest of the committee question Hecht closely about the ambush. When Delari returns, he has little information, but has learned the rendezvous point for the assassins.

After the meeting, Delari takes Hecht to the baths for further discussion. Hecht leaves early to check on Polo, who had been injured in the ambush, and to meet with Ghort to discuss the two men from the City Regiment who had betrayed them into the ambush. Then Hecht leaves for his overdue staff meeting.

Hecht meets his senior staff at the Castella dollas Pontellas, a Brotherhood of War facility. One of his senior staff is Clej Sedlakova, observer for the Brotherhood. Others included Colonel Buhle Smolens, his second in command, the Krogusian Hagan Brokke, his planning officer, Titus Consent, his intelligence chief, and Tabill Talab, his senior quartermaster. These latter two are Devedians.

In this story, Hecht briefs his staff on the Clearenza situation and is briefed in turn on current efforts. He arranges to have a few days off and then has a private meeting with his intelligence chief. Consent wants to convert to the Chaldarean faith and asks Hecht to be the godfather for his soon-to-be-born child.

Later, Hecht and Ghort take ship up the Sawn to Sonsa. There they pick a young urchin as a guide and deliver a courier packet to a Brotherhood agent at the Ten Galleons, a local cathouse. They have to leave the cathouse in disguise as a family group and then one young girl refuses to return to the house. She claims to be an adducted child from a good family. All four flee town before their enemies can organize a pursuit.

The four walk through Alicea to the Knight of Wands inn and wait for the deserters to arrive. When the two men from the City Regiment appear, Hecht and Ghort confront them and their paymasters outside the inn and learn that Immaculate, the Anti-Patriarch, was apparently behind the ambush. The attempt had been set up by Rudenes Schneidel through intermediaries.

After this operation, Hecht and Ghort return to Bothe with the children. Hecht leaves the boy Pella and the girl Vali with Anna and she soon has them dressed and behaving as good Bothan children. Hecht goes off to ask Delari about Rudenes Schneidel.

This story continues the adventures of Else Tage -- former Captain of the Sha-lug slave-soldiers of far Dreanger -- in the lands of his enemies. But are they really his enemies? He is beginning to have too many friends among the Bothans for his peace of mind.

Highly recommended for Cook fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of swords and cannons, Things of the Night, and international intrigue.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Thoroughly Pleasing.......2007-07-16

Thankfully Cook's publishers have allowed him to step away from his proven intellectual properties of the Black Company and Garrett. I thoroughly enjoy those series, but it is amazing to see how witty and how imaginative this man is. I agree with an earlier reviewer that a few "out of time" dialogs exit, but they should not detract from the brilliantly woven story.

Cook's character development is as good as anyone writing. His pacing and style create a fast-paced imagery and identifiable characters. I read this book craving the next page, while dreading that it was brining me closer to the end.

Eh, Whatever........2007-07-03

I have read quite a lot of Glen Cook's stuff earlier output so I know he can write good creative stuff when he is of a mind to. Sadly, this series is not up to that standard. There is nothing at all inventive about the world in which this tale is set, It is a very thinly veneered Europe of the Late Middle Ages, complete with Moors (Pramen), Cathars (Seekers) and Holy Roman Emperors and Avignon Anti-Popes. For all that it is neither Historical Fiction or Alternative History Fiction. The Fantasy aspects of the story are even thinner yet. The Instrumentalities of the Night seem to be afraid of their own shadows and turn into Easter eggs if one just yells "Boo" in a loud enough voice. As for the Sorcerers - Well, lets just say that so far not a one of them could whup even Hagrid from Hogwarts on their best day. Any good tale requires that the hearer/ reader/ viewer can attain some degree of Suspension of Disbelief. It also helps if you can come to care about the main character I just want the "lifeguards' to kick Piper's smug butt up between his ears. So, all in all, the story here barely works in either regard. To save the series, the third book will have to be a humdinger

Hard edged and realistic........2007-06-27

As with all of Glen Cook's novels, Instrumentalites of the Night is a departure from standard fantasy fare. There are few, if any, ultra-good, or ultra-evil characters. There are no "you hold the only key" characters who must rise from obscurity to defeat an all-powerful enemy. Cook's stories are filled with very real characters who must deal with their very real lives. Living in a world where very few people are as bad, or as good, as they may seem. Lord of the Silent Kingdom seems almost a retelling of actual history, rather than a work of fiction. His honest portrayal of individuals makes them that much more believable. He has created a world, and let his characters walk it. Great Fiction.

Enjoyable addition to this series...........2007-05-25

First, I have read every single thing Glen Cook has published aside from his last 3 garrett novels, and have reviews for many of them on this site. He is one of my very favorite authors.

This story picks up the 3 storylines of Else Tag/Piper Hecht, Brother Candle, and Helspeth. Much of the story is devoted to Hecht's storyline as Captain-General of the Patriarchal armies. When other viewpoints come in, often months pass between with some description of ongoing military and political events in the interim. Considerably greater background on Hecht is given during the story as well, some of it bearing on the plot.

As in the prior novel, the abundance of place-names referring to places that may have existed in 12th century europe (or even today) but altered beyond recognition has made matters far too complicated. We know the map is of europe with substantially lower mediterranean (and black) sea levels and extensive glaciation in the north, so why not give us that map? At least he keeps the name of the person Gibraltar was named for in the name of that landmark, but....I guess i can brag about figuring out Corsica and Sardinia (I think).

This story, in style of writing, resembles Dread Empire more than anything else of his I have read. The eventually connection between Hecht and Helspeth is once again teased at the end of this novel, but knowing Cook, he might just kill her instead. (I keep thinking of O'Shing when I consider this) He does tend to kill off much of his cast in major battles at the end of a series, so presumably most of the players will be around a bit longer.

Time is spend on politics in the Grail Empire, usually through Helspeth but Ferris Renfrow is treated in more detail. Presumably we will learn a lot more about him later in the series.

Brother Candle is mainly used to give a first-hand view of events in the Connec, including resurgence of Night instrumentalities, a couple of invasions/sieges, and a glimpse of the inside of politics within that faction.

Cook also introduces a figure, the man in brown, who becomes almost a deux ex machina for resolving a number of events and incidents differently than they already would have turned out. It reached the point that everytime Hecht had trouble, you could count on the man in brown showing up.

I enjoyed this book a lot, despite inconsistent patterns of grammar usage in exposition/descriptions, which was distracting early in the book. That said, I recently reread the original dread empire trilogy, and it is by far more enjoyable that this while being substantially shorter.

Beaufighters in the Night: 417 Night Fighter Squadron USAAF

Average customer rating:

A Father's Legacy
a worthy subject but lacks effort
The most difficult political decision laid bare.

Beaufighters in the Night: 417 Night Fighter Squadron USAAF
Brick Eisel
Manufacturer: Pen and Sword
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Bristol F2 Fighter Aces of World War I (Aircraft of the Aces)
Royal Navy Aces of World War 2 (Aircraft of the Aces)
US Navy and Marine Corps A-4 Skyhawk Units of the Vietnam War 1963-1973 (Combat Aircraft)
VOODOO WARRIORS: The Story of the McDonnell Voodoo Fast-jets
The Luftwaffe Over Germany: Defense of the Reich

ASIN: 1844154831

Book Description

The 417th Night Fighter Squadron USAAF was only the forth such unit to be formed. In the early days of WWII, the US sent observers to England to study how the latest form of air warfare would take shape and it very soon became apparent to them that a night fighting capability was of increasing importance. When they joined the battle against the Reich they found themselves without a suitable American aircraft and were forced to utilize RAF Beaufighters. Having 're-learned to fly' this British design the 417th were sent to North Africa. Most of the ex-RAF aircraft they had inherited were battle weary and no supplies of spares were available through the US supply chain. The squadron found an elderly B-25 bomber, nicknamed the "Strawberry Roan," and they ranged throughout the Mediterranean in search of Beaufighter parts. 417 soon built a healthy score of downed German and Italian aircraft and as the war progressed they were moved to Corsica to support the Italian invasion, After D-Day they were moved to Le Vallon from where they attacked the night-time movements of the German Army. Perhaps their most famous operation was to attack the low flying German Condor that ran the route from the Reich to Spain carrying Nazi gold and treasures.

Customer Reviews:

A Father's Legacy.......2007-09-18

My review would be quite biased since this was my father's unit. I have learned a lot of the extraordinary circumstances my father and others went through. I didn't know much about the Beaufighter and that my father was actually one of two people in the plane. I feel the book was well written and well researched. An easy, enjoyable read.

a worthy subject but lacks effort.......2007-08-15

The author has done well to focus on a little known aspect of World War Two. However, the writing seems padded, as if the manuscript required a minimum number of pages to be published. Too often, facts and figures appear on one page only to be reiterated one or two pages later, as if they had not been mentioned before, to flesh out the chapter.
It doesn't help that minor errors that should have been caught prior to publication weren't. One example is the statement, "Vice-Admiral Sir James Somerville, who had been brought out of retirement and taken a considerable demotion from his original career rank of Admiral of the Fleet: in other words, Somerville had gone from five star rank to three stars to serve his country." Sir James Somerville retired from the Royal Navy in 1939 as a Vice-Admiral and returned to that rank when recalled to duty. He did not achieve the rank of Admiral of the Fleet until VE Day in 1945.
As a slimmer volume, this book would have done better at keeping the reader's interest.

The most difficult political decision laid bare........2007-06-05

The dark years of World War Two were difficult years for France. On the one hand they were an occupied nation required to comply with the wishes of their dominant German overlords who had installed a puppet government at Vichy. On the other side of this country's commitment to it's own freedom was the rallying call of resistance from a very junior - and relatively unknown, Brigadier-General Charles De Gaulle, who had fled to England in fear of his life. In a curious collaboration between the elected and the military favoured by France, De Gaulle had been appointed to a junior government ministerial post as a serving brigadier in the French Army. After German occupation, when the entire country was in a state of complete chaos, De Gaulle had suggested a plan of action which, although finding favour with his own Prime Minister, was not well received by the remainder of the cabinet at all. Consequently, De Gaulle fled for his life and Marshall Petain, then Deputy Prime Minister, took over the reins of government.

Against this turbulent background, the French possessed what was then the fourth largest navy in the world and, had that navy fallen into German hands, it would have done much to make Germany fairly invincible on the high seas.

This book examines in great detail the confused political situation and the very real British fears that, in conjunction with the Vichy government, French warships were in serious danger of being handed over to Nazi Germany as an act of appeasement.

The French sailors who manned those ships were given every opportunity to sail out of harbour and join the British Fleet whilst still remaining a "Free French Navy." Sadly, those many entreaties were all turned down. As a consequence, the order was given to "Sink the French" and there was not one British sailor amongst those who took part who rejoiced.

Thoroughly researched, well put together and written in a readable style, this author turns an important historic act into an account which brings a great deal of understanding to both French and British readers of why and how this tragic event became necessary.

NM

This review is for the book called "Sink the French" and should "NOT" appear against the book called "Beaufighters in the Night!"

Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce

Average customer rating:

fascinating
Great Christmas read, not a great book.
War is a failure of civilization
Great story, but book is hard to follow
Boring, Disorganized, and Highly Repetitive

Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce
Stanley Weintraub
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

World War I | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Silent Night, Holy Night: The Story of the Christmas Truce
Christmas in the Trenches
Joyeux Noel (Widescreen)
Christmas Truce: The Western Front December 1914 (Pan Grand Strategy Series)
11 Days in December: Christmas at the Bulge, 1944

ASIN: 0684872811
Release Date: 2001-10-30

Amazon.com

History is peppered with oddments and ironies, and one of the strangest is this. A few days before the first Christmas of that long bloodletting then called the Great War, hundreds of thousands of cold, trench-bound combatants put aside their arms and, in defiance of their orders, tacitly agreed to stop the killing in honor of the holiday.

That informal truce began with small acts: here opposing Scottish and German troops would toss newspapers, ration tins, and friendly remarks across the lines; there ambulance parties, clearing the dead from the barbwire hell of no man's land, would stop to share cigarettes and handshakes. Soon it spread, so that by Christmas Eve the armies of France, England, and Germany were serenading each other with Christmas carols and sentimental ballads and denouncing the conflict with cries of "Á bas la guerre!" and "Nie wieder Krieg!" The truce was, writes Stanley Weintraub, a remarkable episode, and, though "dismissed in official histories as an aberration of no consequence," it was so compelling that many who observed it wrote in near-disbelief to their families and hometown newspapers to report the extraordinary event.

In the end, writes Weintraub, the truce ended with a few stray bullets that escalated into total war, and that would fill the air for just shy of four more Christmases to come; further, isolated attempts at informal peacemaking would fail. But what, Weintraub wonders at the close of this inspired study, would have happened if the soldiers on both sides had refused to take up arms again? His counterfactual scenarios are intriguing, and well worth pondering. -- Gregory McNamee

Book Description

It was one of history's most powerful -- yet forgotten -- Christmas stories. It took place in the improbable setting of the mud, cold rain and senseless killing of the trenches of World War I. It happened in spite of orders to the contrary by superiors; it happened in spite of language barriers. And it still stands as the only time in history that peace spontaneously arose from the lower ranks in a major conflict, bubbling up to the officers and temporarily turning sworn enemies into friends.

Silent Night, by renowned military historian Stanley Weintraub, magically restores the 1914 Christmas Truce to history. It had been lost in the tide of horror that filled the battlefields of Europe for months and years afterward. Yet in December 1914 the Great War was still young, and the men who suddenly threw down their arms and came together across the front lines -- to sing carols, exchange gifts and letters, eat and drink and even play friendly games of soccer -- naively hoped that the war would be short-lived, and that they were fraternizing with future friends.

It began when German soldiers lit candles on small Christmas trees, and British, French, Belgian and German troops serenaded each other on Christmas Eve. Soon they were gathering and burying the dead, in an age-old custom of truces. But as the power of Christmas grew among them, they broke bread, exchanged addresses and letters and expressed deep admiration for one another. When angry superiors ordered them to recommence the shooting, many men aimed harmlessly high overhead.

Sometimes the greatest beauty emerges from deep tragedy. Surely the forgotten Christmas Truce was one of history's most beautiful moments, made all the more beautiful in light of the carnage that followed it. Stanley Weintraub's moving re-creation demonstrates that peace can be more fragile than war, but also that ordinary men can bond with one another despite all efforts of politicians and generals to the contrary.

Customer Reviews:

fascinating.......2007-03-14

This book gave me for the first a real understanding of the Christmas Truce in No Man's Land in 1914. To see details of the events from all sides was great. It made me wonder why they just went back to the killing after it.

Great Christmas read, not a great book........2006-01-03

The book does prove that it is politics and governments who want and pursue war, not the fighting men on the front. However, I thought the writing was dry and matter of fact given the great subject matter and should have been more inspired. The letters home that were used within the book clearly stole the show here, along with the story of Phillip Maddison's bicycle ride behind the enemy lines during the truce. I thought the best part of the book was the last "what if" chapter, where the author really let loose with some alternative history if the truce had led to a secession of hostilities. Also this book was turned into a movie this year in Europe, I believe it was a joint German, British, and French production. Fitting!

War is a failure of civilization.......2005-07-24

Another eloquent and well-documented proof that war is a failure of civilization. A wonderful story of humanity and hope. Should be a required reading for decision-makers in government, high-ranking military officials, or anyone else responsible for sending young men to die for a cause that is not theirs. . . .

Great story, but book is hard to follow.......2004-12-29

This is a great story for the holiday season and is a great anomaly in what was a horrible war of attrition. However, the book is more of a collection of thoughts rather than an oral history or an actual story. At times I couldn't tell which side I was reading about unless the names were totally obvious. Also it may be tougher to understand if you don't know the geography or the history of the WWI era and how it came to pass.

Boring, Disorganized, and Highly Repetitive.......2004-08-12

I have read over 40 books about World War I, and this is the worst book I've ever read on the subject. The book is boring, disorganized, and relentlessly pursues it pacifist agenda. The book is repititous ad nauseaum. In the author's attempt to convince his readers that the ordinary soldiers didn't want to fight, he presents a huge number of barely discernible short stories and excerpts throughout the book. The text is erratic and disorganized. This unconvincing book seems not like the work of a published author, but the work of a human psychology student's term paper. Much of the book simply consists of word-for-word extracts from other published media. Ignore the positive reviews on the back cover - it's clear these reviewers didn't read more than the first few pages. This book isn't worth the paper it's printed on!

Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton: The Secret Agent Who Made the Pilgrimage to Mecca, Discovered the Kama Sutra and Brought the Arabian Nights to T

Average customer rating:

Amazing book, amazing life
EXCELLENT!
THE definitive biography of this great man.
fascinating
Wow.

Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton: The Secret Agent Who Made the Pilgrimage to Mecca, Discovered the Kama Sutra and Brought the Arabian Nights to T
Edward Rice
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton: A Biography

ASIN: 0060973943

Customer Reviews:

Amazing book, amazing life.......2007-09-25

This is a book that may look intimidating with its 600+ pages, but unlike some other reviewers, I did not find a single dull moment. Edward Rice has done a truly masterful job in carrying us through the whole life of this extraordinary man.

Burton had energy and talent enough for any six normal people - perhaps more. Even in his declining years, weak and wracked by sickness, he still traveled, traveled compulsively, though in these latter days the travels did not, as always previously, produce books full of information on the places and people and societies he visited. He was now focused on the translations for which he is (among other things) famous. Yet still, when the old lion was required to return from England to his "official" consular job in Trieste, Rice notes that "Noise, fatigue, hours spent in changing trains or boarding or disembarking from steamboats did not deter Burton. Geneva, Venice, Naples, Brindisi, Malta, Tunis, Algiers, the Riviera, the Alps, with a dozen stops in between, were visited and complained about."

It's hard to give the flavor of this amazing biography - amazing life! Soaking up languages as if by osmosis, dressing and passing for any of a dozen Eastern races and sharing their ways, visiting their secret holy places - hey, what a movie or TV series, would knock spots off Tomb Raiders etc...

The pleasure is increased by Rice's occasional laconic throwaway lines: "The Maratha princes...were patrons of the great god Siva and practiced forms of phallic worship, engaged in by male and female devotees alike in very wild and primitive rites." That's all we get on that. (But then, perhaps it's all we need.)

Rice describes Doughty, another famous writer on the Middle East, as writing "a rich and tortured prose that still wins him admiration but few readers."

Many mind-jolting incidents: on Burton's wife Isabel's difficulties in South America, preaching to the black slaves: "Her only convert was a black dwarf named Chico, who betrayed her faith in him by roasting her favorite cat alive over the kitchen fire." But Chico continued in her service - no others available!

He has an eye for other people's good quotes: Burton's predecessor at Trieste had been handed the post of consul with Lord Derby's comment, "Here is six hundred a year for doing nothing, and you are just the man to do it."

I believe it would help us all to better understand the current Middle East to read this account of the sources it sprang from, 150 years ago. No, they are not like us (Westerners) and never have been. We even see the first mention of the Wahhabis, "a much-feared set of fundamentalists who were noted for their violence and puritanical beliefs..."

The writing is so accomplished that I regret having to raise one correction: in the Royal Navy you don't travel "in the H.M.S Antelope" for instance. You travel "in HMS Antelope - no "the" (and usually no periods in HMS). Doesn't make sense, anyway, when you recall that HMS stands for His (or Her) Majesty's Ship. Contrariwise, "the" is OK with "SS Oldiron" - "the steam ship Oldiron."

But that doesn't reduce the five stars!

EXCELLENT!.......2007-04-25

THIS IS a well researched.well written biography of a life that is truly inspiring.

THE definitive biography of this great man........2001-02-16

This was by far the best biography of the illustrious Richard Burton I have read. The level of scholarship displayed by the author is impressive and does justice to a man whose gifts made him one of the most impressive characters from history. I highly recommend this book as well as those written by Burton himself.

fascinating.......2001-01-09

A mostly gripping account of an absolutely fascinating life. Rice tells in great detail the travels and troubles of Burton as he searches for the source of the Nile, penetrates the forbidden cities of Mecca and Medina, brings the Kama Sutra to the west, translates the Arabian Nights, and joins a snake cult in India, and that is just a small sampling of the accomplishments and endeavors of Burton, a man who was constantly exploring himself and his world and transforming both in the process.

Rice tells the story with such attention to detail you feel like you are traveling right beside Burton, and when he doesn't know certain facts about a specific incident, he will tell you that he is conjecturing, and how he came to the conclusions he did. The net effect is that you feel like you can trust what Rice has written as being authentic and accurate.

The book is kind of slow during the earlier chapters, but stay with it and you will be rewarded with one of the most fascinating accounts you have ever read. I read it more than 5 years ago and still recommend the book and find and give away stray copies to friends. GO OUT OF YOUR WAY TO GET THIS BOOK ! !

Wow........2000-06-13

The most incredible thing about this book is the fact that it's true! Burton led such an extraordinary life! I would recommend this book to anyone who is curious, but reluctant to travel, experience, and live. This book is also excellent for anyone who is interested in language, religion, or travel. Burton spoke 26 languages, experienced firsthand an assortment of different religions including Hinduism and Islam, and shows just how much one person can accomplish in a lifetime. Only 4 stars due to some dry bits in the book, but never a dull moment in Burton's life...

THE FLY BY NIGHTS: Navigating RAF Lancasters in 1944 -5

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THE FLY BY NIGHTS: Navigating RAF Lancasters in 1944 -5
Donald Feesey
Manufacturer: Pen and Sword
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

At the age of eighteen Don Feesey volunteered for pilot training with the RAF. Having almost completed his course to become a fighter pilot, an eye problem was detected and he was switched to navigational training. He completed a tour of thirty-four successful operations, the majority at night during 1944 and 1945 - at the height of the bomber offensive.

On one remarkable sortie his Lancaster lost all power and the order to bale out was given. As the aircraft gradually lost altitude, making a safe parachute descent more impossible by the second, Don was about to jump when the pilot, still at the controls, attracted his attention. It was a life or death situation. Should he jump or go to the assistance of his pilot, leading to an almost certain death? He elected to go to the aid of what he thought was his trapped pilot - but to his astonishment he found that the skipper had nursed one engine back into life, so the only two remaining crew managed to struggle back across the Channel, only to find that at 700feet they could not climb over the usually welcome white cliffs of Dover. They turned for Manston, the nearest airfield and flew along the coastline to make an eventual safe landing.

Cassell Military Classics: The Night Blitz: 1940 -1941 (Cassell Military Paperbacks)

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Cassell Military Classics: The Night Blitz: 1940 -1941 (Cassell Military Paperbacks)
John Ray
Manufacturer: Cassell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

After the failure to win the Battle of Britain, despite their superior numbers of better equipped aircraft, the Luftwaffe switched to night bombing raids in an attempt to defeat British morale. It was the first experience of a population under mass attack, night after night, and there were important lessons to be learnt on both sides. If the loss of life and the destruction of property in this campaign, between September 1940 and early summer 1941, failed to bring the nation down then surely Britain would win the war... In this finely-structured study of the campaign John Ray assesses the aircraft and weapons used, the strategies involved and the leaders of the combatant forces. He describes the effects of the Blitz on British cities, industry and people, and recalls for readers who could never have experienced it for themselves the terror of indiscriminate attack from the air. Yet despite all the death and destruction, the will of the British people to fight, and fight, and fight again remained undaunted even in their darkest hours.

Round the Clock: The Experience of the Allied Bomber Crews Who Flew By Day and Night from England in the Second World War

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Puts You In the Aircraft along with the Bomber Crews

Round the Clock: The Experience of the Allied Bomber Crews Who Flew By Day and Night from England in the Second World War
Philip Kaplan , and Jack Currie
Manufacturer: Seven Dials
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

"The best sort of popular military history."--Times Literary Supplement. "...will be referred to again and again."--Air Classics. Those who flew the bombing missions from British airfields in World War Two lived through an utterly unique experience, conducting an epic campaign that raged day and night. A remarkable testimony to this turbulent time--and what it felt like to be part of that struggle--features contemporary, personal documents from English and American flight crews, as well as over 160 unforgettable images from during and after the war. The British RAF Bomber Command carried out sustained nighttime raids on Germany, inflicting wide pattern destruction, while America's fledgling 8th Air Force successfully took on the challenge of precision daylight bombing--at a huge cost of lives and equipment. Poignant and significant.

Customer Reviews:

Puts You In the Aircraft along with the Bomber Crews.......2006-07-06

I am frankly in awe of the men who made up the aircrew of the strategic bombing compaign, both of RAF Bomber Command and the USAAF. These men flew on dangerous raids night-after-night or day-after-day, respectively, and took the war into the heart of Nazi Germany, particularly at a time when the Allies were hard-pressed and Germany controlled much of the continent of Europe.
This book is designed to give the reader a feel for all aspects of the life of these aircrew, from their lives at the bases, to how they viewed their aircraft and equipment and finally what it was like to fly the missions from the point-of-view of the different jobs of the aircrew. The book also describes the dedicated work of the ground crews that kept the planes flying, what happened to men who cracked under the strain, and how the British and Americans differed in their approaches to running an Air Force. The book is of a "coffee-table" style, with lush color photographs, but there is a lot of meat in the substance.
Special "treats" include a photo of screen star Jimmy Stewart revisiting in the 1980's the airfield where he served as Operations Officer, and a transcript of the famous broadcast legendary CBS newsman Edward R Murrow made describing the mission he flew with Bomber Command against Berlin at the time when the aircrews were suffering significant casualties.
In summary, this book is a fitting tribute to those thousands of young men who sacrificed so much in the skies over Germany to contribute to the victory over tyranny.

Autumn Traditions: Bonfire Night, Halloween And Other Festivals to Celebrate the Season

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Autumn Traditions: Bonfire Night, Halloween And Other Festivals to Celebrate the Season
Doc Rowe
Manufacturer: English Heritage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1905624034

Pursuit Through Darkened Skies: An Ace Night-Fighter Crew in World War II (Airlife Classics)

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Pursuit Through Darkened Skies: An Ace Night-Fighter Crew in World War II (Airlife Classics)
Michael Allen
Manufacturer: Airlife Publishing,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1840373555

Book Description

When Michael Allen "crewed up" with Harry White in August 1941, it was the start of a four-year partnership as navigator and pilot, respectively. Together they formed one of the RAF's top-scoring night-fighter crews of World War II. His crystal clear explanations of the way Serrate and other radar devices work, alongside his ability to relate personal experiences in the air and on the ground, make this book fascinating and compelling reading.

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