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.

King's Captain: An Alan Lewrie Naval Adventure (Alan Lewrie Naval Adventures)

Average customer rating:

Now for some historical perspective....
Raise the Red Flag!
Closer to Patrick O'Brian's High Literary Standards
Mutiny at the Nore
Lewrie Grows Up?

King's Captain: An Alan Lewrie Naval Adventure (Alan Lewrie Naval Adventures)
Dewey Lambdin
Manufacturer: Thomas Dunne Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312268858

Book Description

In the bestselling tradition of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series comes Dewey Lambdin's latest naval adventure featuring Commander Alan Lewrie.This highly entertaining adventure, the ninth in the series, has Lewrie being promoted for his role in the Battle of Cape St. Vincent and awarded command of a new frigate.His future seems assured, but before he's even had a chance to settle into his new role, mutiny blazes through the fleet, and Lewrie finds himself battling an old enemy for control of his ship.The problems that await him on his own ship, however, make him wish he was back under the Spanish guns, and the sudden reappearance of an old enemy has Lewrie fighting not just for his command, but for his life.Gritty, real, action-packed, and loaded with fun, King's Captain will take you on a great adventure in the high seas.AUTHORBIO: DEWEY LAMBDIN is the author of eight previous Alan Lewrie novels and an omnibus volume, For King and Country. A member of the U.S. Naval Institute and a Friend of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England, he spends his free time working and sailing on a rather tatty old sloop, Wind Dancer.He makes his home in Nashville, Tennessee, but would much prefer Margaritaville or Murrell's Inlet.EXCERPT: Off Jester's lee bow, down to the Sou'east, there were about eight or nine Spanish ships of the line, with accompanying frigates, and coming up slowly to merge with another pack.And that pack, Good God!Seventeen, at the last, tall-sided, ugly brutes there were; two-decker 68's, 74's and 80-gunners; some of them 3-deckers, and one monstrous 4-decker flying more admiral's flags than sail-canvas, it seemed.And so stuffed with guns that every time she lit off a broadside, it looked like a mountain blowing up!"I can make out, sir...." Lt. Ralph Knolles attempted to say, as he took off his hat and swiped both forearms of his coat at his hair and brows. A bad sign, that; usually, one nervous hand over his blonde locks was sufficient sign of nervousness."Aye, Mister Knolles?"Commander Alan Lewrie replied, sounding almost calm in comparison."Beyond, sir."Knolles pointed towards the Spanish fleet."It may not be a convoy.About eight or nine more rather large ships over yonder....to the West-Nor'west.Do they all assemble, sir....Well!""Two-deckers, d'ye think, sir?Lewrie frowned, stepping to the starboard side of his quarterdeck, leaning on the bulwarks, and raising his telescope for a look-see."Cah-rrisstt!" Was Lewrie's sudden, un-captainly comment.And a rather loud comment it was, too.In his telescope's ocular, he'd just discovered the fore-end of a ship of the line which wasn't crossing right-to-left, sailing obediently in the battle-line.He was looking at the beak-head and figure-head, the cutwater and frothing bow-wave below an out-thrust bowsprit and jib-boom of a warship - pointing right at him!

Customer Reviews:

Now for some historical perspective...........2007-10-08

I have most of the Dewey Lambdin books and like all of them and love several of them. I'd write more reviews but Michael K. Smith usually puts it better than I could.
That said, King's Captain demonstrates a good author doing a first-rate job of illuminating the history of the industrial revolution, the enclosures, the displacement of vast numbers of British citizens (Okay, subjects) in the early 1800s. Lambdin's naval officer Alan Lewrie does not depart from his character, and yet he cannot help but observe the inequities that prompt the mutiny at the Nore.
The reader is in effect seeing a remarkable period of history through the eyes of a consistently realized character.
Note that Lambdin was once a producer of TV news. Occasionally I find his writing captures a scene like a video camera.
It is a delightful find even among the many rigorous researchers who write military fiction from this Napoleonic era.

Raise the Red Flag!.......2004-06-30

It's Valentine's Day, 1797, and the JESTER sloop under Commander Alan Lewrie is prowling behind the line-of-battle ships as Admiral Jervis seeks to close with the Spanish fleet off Cape St. Vincent. And when Captain Horatio Nelson goes against orders in breaking out to pursue his own instincts against an enemy division, Lewrie gets sucked into the action against his much better judgment. But Nelson's success gets him promoted Rear Admiral and Lewrie, from pure dumb luck combined with a willingness to take a chance when necessary, ends up being made post and is given PROTEUS, a spanking-new frigate -- with a perhaps mystical personality. And that's just about all the naval action you'll find in this ninth in the series, but that's because history has once again caught Lewrie up, in the form of the widespread mutinies at Spithead and the Nore. Lambdin does an excellent job of placing these close-to-revolutionary events in the context of the times: High taxation, soaring prices for consumer goods, industrial revolution and continued low wages for those not involved in it, and an increasingly repressive Tory government. Denied by circumstances the usual privilege of taking a core of favored crewmen from his last command to his new one, he must learn his way around not only a new ship and new responsibilities but an entirely new group of subordinates. And cope with the mutiny when it comes to him. And deal with his wife and family. And cope with the notion of his rapscallion father living next door. Not to mention all those women in his past! I suspect this installment may disappoint those who merely want blood and action and don't care about "real" history, but I enjoyed it a great deal.

Closer to Patrick O'Brian's High Literary Standards.......2001-06-21

While "Kings Captain" won't replace O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series for literary quality, it does rise towards the latter with its political intrigue. Lambdin has given the reader a fascinating look at what living conditions were like in England in 1797, and how they set the stage for the Royal Navy mutinies at Spithead and Nore. Newly promoted Captain Lewrie comes across as a younger, more earnest Jack Aubrey in this fine Napoleonic era yarn. Those who mourn O'Brian's passing and seek new naval adventures may not be disappointed at all in the latest installment in the Alan Lewrie naval adventure series.

Mutiny at the Nore.......2001-01-08

Alan Lewrie, at the end of the last novel (Jester's Fortune), was withdrawing from the Adriatic as part of the British withdrawal from the Mediterranean in late 1796. This story skips forward and begins with the Battle of Cape St. Vincent in early 1797. Admiral Jervis is depicted out of character, praising Lewrie without promoting him. Jervis had the authority to promote officers he approved of and would have immediately done so if he approved of Lewrie. The real life Peter Puget received such a promotion from Jervis, even though he arrived after the battle (Puget was known from earlier accomplishments).

After a return to England to put the Jester into the dockyard, and a reconciliation between Lewrie and his father, the main part of this novel deals with the mutiny at the Nore after Lewrie is promoted and takes command of a frigate. He is confronted by an old enemy he cannot identify, and a crew split between mutineers and loyal men. The story contains little action at sea - when Lewrie is not on land, he is mainly aboard ship at anchor dealing with the mutineers. A side issue arises when someone writes a poison pen letter revealing Lewrie's past indiscretions. Overall, the novel is more about personalities than about naval action. It covers a relatively short period of time in 1797.

For novels more action-filled, covering the same time period (including the mutiny), the reader is referred to Richard Woodman's, "A King's Cutter," and C. Northcote Parkinson's, "The Fireship."

Lewrie Grows Up?.......2000-12-16

As a huge fan of this series, I was a bit disappointed in the last installment (Jester's Fortune) as I felt there was just not enough of the action or womanizing that made the first few novels so much fun. King's Captain also suffers a bit from this, but in place of the action we get to see Lewrie mature some. Rather than one novel after another in which the character stays the same but just rises in rank (which, considering how good the first books were, wouldn't be all that bad) Lambdin is showing Lewrie turning from his rakish former self into a family man, even if Alan does chafe a bit in the presence of his own children. I could wish for a bit more of the old ramcat in the future, but King's Captain did keep my interest, and I enjoyed seeing how Lewrie dealt with mutineers, and how he reacted to a bit of his past coming back to haunt him. Now that he's been made post, and has a new frigate to command, perhaps we will get to see Lewrie in a few more adventures that bring him the prize money he always seems to need.

The Journals of Captain Cook (Penguin Classics)

Average customer rating:

A dry tedious read
Cook Lite
READ THIS ALONGSIDE RICHARD HOUGH'S BIOGRAPHY
A detailed account of Cook's voyages
A classic re-launched

The Journals of Captain Cook (Penguin Classics)
James R. Cook , and Philip Edwards
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140436472
Release Date: 2000-04-03

Book Description

A new one-volume abridged edition of Cook's famous journals--"a majestic story of epic proportions"(Philip Edwards in the Introduction)
Captain Cook's Journals provide his vivid first-hand account of three extraordinary expeditions between 1768 and 1779. These charted the entire coast of New Zealand and the east coast of Australia and brought back detailed descriptions of Tahiti, Tonga, and a host of previously unknown islands in the Pacific including the Hawaiian Islands. The journals amply reveal the determination, courage, and skill that enabled Cook to wrestle with the continuous dangers of uncharted seas and the problems of achieving a relationship with the peoples whose unannounced guest he became. This edition, abridged from the definitive four-volume Hakluyt Society edition, makes Cook's inimitable personal account of his years of voyaging widely accessible for the first time and includes an Introduction to each voyage, a Glossary of unusual words, indexes of people and places, and a Postscript assessing the controversy surrounding Cook's death.

Selected and Edited with Introductions by Philip Edwards

Customer Reviews:

A dry tedious read.......2007-07-20

I wanted to like this book. I really did. When I saw it online, I thought that it looked interesting. The few reviews were favorable. I enjoy maritime tales, stories and life. I thought that pirates and life aboard ships were interesting decades ago.

This was a slow, monotonous account. At least all that I could read for three days. Then I lost interest. I have read period pieces before. However the abbreviations and some of the words I just could not decipher.

If you want to attempt to figure out this book, I wish you luck. If you do, maybe you could explain it to me. :)

Cook Lite.......2005-04-04

I wish I had read the reviews before paying for this. The key word for this edition is ABRIDGED. According to the editor Philip Edward's introduction, only about a third of Cook's/Beaglehole's text is included.

READ THIS ALONGSIDE RICHARD HOUGH'S BIOGRAPHY.......2003-06-05

This is a spectacularly interesting journal. Cook was an odd sort, that's for sure. But a genius? I'd certainly say so after reading his often-daily account of his activities. Really neat book.

A detailed account of Cook's voyages.......2001-04-05

This well prepared abridged edition of Captain James Cook's journals is a specialized book of interest to people studying the exploration of the Pacific and/or the British Navy of that time period. Other people might find sections of it dry reading. The book is recommended for oceanography students as the 17th century voyages of exploration formed the basis for later oceanographic cruises.

Cook's voyages carried scientific personnel of that time period, many of whom died from the harsh conditions along with members of the crews. In addition to bad weather, there were diseases and hostile natives (including cannibals). Extensive charting was carried out and, on the second voyage, the Board of Longitude supplied Cook with Larcum Kendall's copy of John Harrison's H4 watch for determining longitude. Observations were made of prevailing winds, currents, temperature, and other things of scientific interest.

Natives throughout the Pacific would go to great lengths to obtain iron, expecially axes, even prostituting their wives and daughters (willing or not). Natives would attempt to steal items, if they could, leading to numerous confrontations including one in which a boat crew of the Adventure (the consort ship of the second voyage) were killed and eaten by the Maori natives of New Zealand.

Cook's journal ended several weeks before his death. The editor fills in details from journals of other people who were on the voyage, and speculates on the reason he was killed by the natives in Hawaii.

The book includes maps of Cook's routes on his voyages. It also has an index listing the names of the various individuals mentioned, with an indication of their positions on the voyages or their other positions if they were not active participants.

A classic re-launched.......2000-07-18

This re-issue of the Beaglehole edition of the Cook journals attests to the enduring importance of Cook as the exemplar navigator and Beaglehole as his nautical Boswell.

The writing is elegant and subtle and the fascination of the recital enduring.

Customer Reviews:

Last of the Greats.......2007-02-25

I personally tend to find high adventure all the more entertaining when it's real. That it can be informative is icing on the cake. The story of Captain James Cook, about the life of the title's namesake, is high adventure and informative, not only in subject matter but in the telling as well. Author Richard Hough's presentation makes clear the spirit of discovery and exploration that guided Cook's life and exploits in his early years and during his three major voyages as the captain of his own ship.

Cook was an inveterate explorer of the world's oceans and unknown lands, not only identifying them but also charting their coastlines with an accuracy that was sometimes not surpassed until well into the last century. Among his discoveries were islands in parts of the world most remote from European civilization, mostly in the pacific, and in all latitudes from the icy Antarctic sea to the sweltering tropics. His voyages saw the collection of botanical samples extraordinaire and the measuring of astronomical phenomena. He was a literal pioneer in the field of health maintenance among sailors through his attention to cleanliness and diet - the dread disease of scurvy made almost no appearance on his ships.

The text traces out all the major events of his three voyages, including his skills as a diplomat, such as diplomacy was, with countless native Polynesian groups. Likewise, his deteriorating mental condition during his final voyage is presented in a manner of such contrast to his earlier steady-mindedness that the reader has little need for the author to make the redundant observation that something was very wrong. The breakdown in discipline that led ultimately to his death on the Hawaiian shores is clear to all.

There can be no doubt that the synthesis of knowledge and entertainment has exists in its highest form between these two covers. To call it readable is an understatement. Aside from downplaying the various scientific achievements of the civilian passengers, which form a peripheral subject in the story, the informative content is equally valuable. There can be little lacking in a reader's appreciation for this excellent work.

Another great bristish explorer - Excellent Biography.......2006-05-13

I knew a few things about the three voyages of Captain Cook so I decided to read his biography. Well I think I chose right, the author vividly tells the fascinating story of a brave man and his explorations in the pacific and South seas that you just don't want to stop reading, full of adventure and totally enjoyable.
In each voyage they were away from home almost three years, exploring mostly the polynesian islands, tahiti, new zealand and the fatal Hawai. They were also in the east coast of Australia, Eastern Island, Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn. I wish I have the opportunity to meet all theses places.

Another great british explorer.

Honorable.......2005-02-22

Destiny. Some people possess an innate psyche as to what they want to do in life. James Cook would be one of those people. From his days as a youth working in an English seaside shop, Cook dreamed of sailing in a ship to discover other lands and people. He did it, becoming one of England's greatest navigators.
Richard Hough effects a daring read of this fascinating man. With firsthand quotes from the men who were on Cook's three voyages, the book is complete of adventure, misfortunes, perilous storms, native peoples with their ensuing customs and demeanor, geographical descriptions, disorientation, cannibalism, scurvy outbreaks, etc.
He joined the Royal Navy and worked his way up the ranks becoming surveyor in eastern Canada. With honor and distinction from these years of service, he accepts a position to captain an expedition to the South Pacific for exploration and to study the Transit of Venus for astronomical observations.
With accolades from this voyage, Cook is again asked to lead an expedition to the South Pacific in order to discover and survey the South Pole. Adventure after adventure follows.
His third and final voyage is to locate the mythical northwest passage by first journeying east around the Cape of Good Hope and then straight north through Hawaii to the northwest coast of North America. We see during this final expedition that due to a possible parasitic intestinal infection from his previous voyage, Cook's character and conduct is unbecoming of him and at times his behavior is unrestrained. He meets his final days at the hands of Hawaiian natives.
A discerning look into an accomplished and extraordinary man.

Where did this book come from?.......2004-10-22

When I read this book, I was fascinated by the story of Cook's life (who wouldn't be?) but I was sure this book was a reprint of some turn of the 19th/20th century author. But no, it was published in 1995. So where does this guy get that Australian aborigines are negrotoid and Inuits are mongoloid? Has he read any recent anthropology? Does he still believe in phrenology? He seems not to have read anything besides Beaglehole's biography and Beaglehole's editions of the journals, except for a few other journals by the crew. There is no historiography and no analysis. This book was originally a manuscript Hough found in a Victorian attic, I am sure of it!

This is a very solid biography........2003-06-05

We Aussies have a great deal of affection for dear old Captain Cook, who mapped our east coast whilst exploring the pacific. This book traces Cook's life and long career in an expert and readable fashion. Cook never advanced as rapidly as Lord Nelson, and traded in strictly military missions for other roles of importance to the Admiralty. But, as this fine biography shows, he stands alongside Nelson as a great British naval hero.

Cook : The Extraordinary Voyages of Captain James Cook

Average customer rating:

A good history
The People on the Beach
A good read, strange word choice at times.
The maori were cannibals!
Excellent account marred by a few lapses in style

Cook : The Extraordinary Voyages of Captain James Cook
Nicholas Thomas
Manufacturer: Walker & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0802714129

Book Description

Commonly regarded as the greatest sea explorer of all time, James Cook made his three world-changing voyages during the 1770s, at a time when ships were routinely lost around the English coast. He made history by making geography-- sailing through previously unknown southern seas, charting the eastern Australian coast and circumnavigating New Zealand, putting many Pacific islands on the map, and exploring both the Arctic and Antarctic. His men suffered near shipwreck, were ravaged by tropical diseases, and survived frozen oceans; his lieutenants-- including George Vancouver and William Bligh-- became celebrated captains in their own right. Exploits among native peoples combined to make Cook a celebrity and a legend.

Cook is not, however, viewed by all as a heroic figure. Some Hawaiians demonize him as a syphilitic rascist who had a catastrophic effect on local health. Indigenous Australians often see him as the violent dispossessor of their lands. Nicholas Thomas explores Cook's contradictory character as never before, by reconstructing the many sides of encounters that were curious and unusual for Europeans and natives alike. The result of twenty years' research, Thomas's magnificently rich portrait overturns the familiar images of Cook and reveals the fascinating and far more ambiguous figure beneath.

Customer Reviews:

A good history.......2006-08-17

Fewer things are better than a good sea story dealing with unexplored regions of the world. Captain James Cook's British Naval expeditions in the late 1700's were some of the last expeditions to the unexplored parts of the world. For introducing the subject and telling a good story, Thomas does an excellent job of introducing the reader to the inherent problems in leading a naval and scientific expedition and first contact with Pacific Islanders.

In many ways, today's outer space missions are less complicated than Cook's expeditions.

The anthropology sections of this book are the weakest sections, but there are simply few ways to understand the native Pacific islanders of Hawaii and Polynesia and the Maori peoples of New Zealand and Aborigines of Australia.

Cook's legacy is somewhat mixed in the Pacific basin, though to his credit, he handled first contact issues as well as he probably could. His death that resulted from an altercation with some Hawaiian tribe members was a bit of a tragedy, for few of his generation had as much patience in dealing with the inherent issues of Western and native interaction.

For the reader wanting a solid introduction to one of history's greatest explorers and one of the greatest sea stories, this is a worthwhile book.

The People on the Beach.......2006-03-28

Before reading this book, most of what I knew about Captain Cook was from high school (not much) and from a vacation or two in Hawaii complete with visits to historic sites. I saw it at the library and checked it out because I am enrolled in a "Pacific Islanders in the U.S." course at my local junior college, and because I'm planning another vacation in Hawaii and want to feel more grounded in the history of the place while I'm there.
I thought the book was great. It really cut through a lot of the mythology that surrounds what most of us are taught about Cook, to the real person, with failings as well as strengths. What I loved was I felt I got both perspectives, Cook's as well as the point of view of the People he encountered on the islands. One thing I got from the book is that Cook missed a lot. His journal records his perspective, but as well-meaning as it might be, that perspective was narrow and often limited by his own background. The island kingdoms he encountered, in Tonga, Hawaii and others were politically complex, and socially and culturally rich. Power plays were being made, not only by Cook, but by the People on the beach. I thought the presentation was balanced, and fascinating, and I am grateful for having read a book that allows me to think about this moment in history, and the islands themselves, in a broader way.

A good read, strange word choice at times........2005-09-30

The history, anthropology and sociology presented are well written at least 90% of the time. At other times the writer seems to get bogged down in making hindsighted judgments about certain situations and injects quite a bit of his personal thoughts... but hey it's his book and it's not sold as being a dry history book. It is all about Cook and the impact his expeditions had on the local islanders.

I would have rated the book higher had it not been for some very poor word choices that caught me off guard (read "profanity"). Including the fairly random use of the "F" word at one point in the book, which really seemed out of place and truly bizarre.

The maori were cannibals!.......2005-07-08

Unlike other accounts, this book doesnt start with Cook's heritage, but rather dives straight into Cooks voyages. Although his heritage plays significant roles in his decision making process, there is no need to waste pages. Instead the book recounts a remarkable journey that makes for simple yet eloquent reading. Accounts of European contact with Polynesian natives are griping and wildly descriptive. While university professors in Hawaii tend to blast Cook, most of them are informed by mostly biased sources. Here, the story remains unbiased and allows the reader to see Cook for who he really was: an amazing navigator, an amateur anthropologist, a steady diplomat, and a supurb leader among men. The heinous actions Cook committed has been expressed at face value by Hawaiian instructors, but Thomas goes into the whys rather than the whats. This is an excellent book on leadership as well.

Excellent account marred by a few lapses in style.......2005-05-11

I am not sure that the reviewers who complained about the "political correctness" of this title actually read the same book that I did. Nicholas Thomas presents an interesting, thoroughly researched, and balanced account of Cook's three voyages. Rather than depicting Cook as a malicious abuser of native societies, I was surprised to find that Cook was remarkably understanding, for his time, of cultural differences. The account of Cook's death in Hawaii (I trust I am not giving anything away), which to some extent was provoked by an unfortunate coincidence having to do with the native religion, was particularly fascinating.

My one quibble with the book, for which I deduct "one star", is with the style: first person asides, gratuitous use of the "F-word", and a sprinkling of contractions (e.g., "I'm", "they're"--this is a book, for heaven's sake, not a post-it note!). It is too bad that an otherwise excellent and scholarly work was marred by inelegant language.

Great Tales from English History (3): Captain Cook, Samuel Johnson, Queen Victoria, Charles Darwin, Edward the Abdicator, and More

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The third Volume in a Wonderful Series
WELL WRITTEN HISTORY
I love Robert Lacey!
History Writing at its Best

Great Tales from English History (3): Captain Cook, Samuel Johnson, Queen Victoria, Charles Darwin, Edward the Abdicator, and More
Robert Lacey
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0316114596

Book Description

History at its best--the great stories of England's modernage, distilled in Robert Lacey's inimitable style. From William and Mary to Watson and Crick, Robert Lacey's newest volumeoffers up the most delightful and intriguing English tales of the last fewcenturies. Royal families and renowned scientists, highwaymen and warheroes--the most colorful characters of modern English history are here.Samuel Johnson, Mary Wollstonecraft, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert,Charles Darwin, Winston Churchill--these are but a few of the famouscharacters to grace the pages of volume three. Robert Lacey once againcaptivates with the tales of an era's most pivotal moments: the events andextraordinary characters that shaped a great nation.

Customer Reviews:

The third Volume in a Wonderful Series.......2007-08-11

This third and final volume by Robert Lacey really finishes the series. Included are tales about the famous and the not so famous. What I really like about his books are that they are stories- great quick reads about events that we may not be familiar with.

I highly recommend this book to any Anglophile, or anyone wanting to learn more about the history of the UK.

WELL WRITTEN HISTORY.......2007-02-24

The author Robert Lacey, writes "The job of the historian is to deal objectively with the available facts. But, history is in the eye of the beholder and also of the historian, who as a human being has feelings and prejudices of his own." In Volume 3, few if any of Lacey's prejudices are apparent as he demonstrates once again that he is one of the best, both as a historian and a storyteller.

Technical, economic, governmental and political advancement dominated this period. The monarchs of the period are succinctly covered including the German George I, the madness of George III, and the coming to the throne of the teenage Queen Victoria. Tomas Paine's idea "that the rights of man, which include equality and liberty, are God-given at birth, and that governments are only good when they protect them" became a part of American doctrine. Curiously, profits of the triangular slave trade helped fuel the spectacular economy of England in the eighteenth century...." England ended slave trade in 1807.

The engineering marvels of the Great Western Railway are noted. In 1842 Queen Victoria chose that railway for her first train trip. This was also a period of great labor unrest and abuse. Labor alliances were formed. The 1888 strike of the "match girls" pioneered techniques of protest still used today, helped the formation of trade unions all over the country and "provided an early grass roots triumph in the struggle for women's rights.

Coverage of the twentieth century is excellent.The World War I trench-warfare truce of 24 December 1914 occurred when both German and Allied troops stopped fighting and celebrated Christmas together. Lacey notes that "such a widespread flowering of peace and friendship had never been seen in the history of war...." In 1915.when a few Allied soldiers trapped behind lines in Belgium were helped to escape by Edith Cavell, matron in a Belgium nurses' training school, the Germans executed her. The worldwide outcry was enormous and the bitterness so great that there were no more Christmas truces. In 1914 the British used volunteers. Young friends marched to recruiting offices, to enlist in what became known as the "pals or chums" battalions. At the Somme nearly twenty thousand British soldiers were killed with another forty thousand wounded: "the greatest ever British loss in a single day of battle.

Most interesting is the account of Edward, Prince of Wales' abdication. Apparently, Edward had been thinking of giving up the throne long before his father's death. Later Edward was involved with Mrs. Simpson, an American divorcee, which was his excuse for abdicating. Brief but sympathetic comments are given Neville Chamberlain's well-meaning attempts to appease Hitler. Robert Lacey asks the rhetorical question regarding Chamberlain "And was he really so wrong to try to stop a conflict which....would claim the lives of more than fifty million people?"

The text coverage of World War II is revealing. The story of the little boats at Dunkirk is exaggerated; "it was the big ships of the Royal Navy that transported the vast majority of the soldiers home.." While Churchill lauded the RAF pilots in the Battle of Britain stating "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few", the text notes "...every fighter pilot depended on a massive and complex pyramid of support staff--radar technicians, the observer crops...." The few were supported by "many." The text's final comment on WWII notes that Winston Churchill, taking up to eight hours,wrote all his own speeches. Churchill phrases are still quoted to this day.

Finally, the text closes with a review of the 1953 discovery of DNA 1953 by Francis Crick and James Watson for which they later received a Nobel Prize

This is an easy and very enjoyable book to read. The reader need not worry about the author's objectivity.

I love Robert Lacey!.......2007-01-27

Robert Lacey has a most remarkable aptitude for relating history in an engaging manner, while still informing and educating. "The Year 1000" and the first two volumes of "Great Tales" are testaments to this. Lacey also manages to make history relevant and selects figures of note. Also to his credit is his lively, entertaining writing style.

History Writing at its Best.......2006-12-28

Those who have had the pleasure of reading this author's first two volumes in this series will know what to expect in this third and final volume - and they will not be disappointed. This volume contains 60 short (4 or 5 pages) snippets of English history - often little known but fascinating facts. These span the years from 1690 to 1953. The writing style, as usual for this author, is clear, simple, lively and quite engaging. The book is hard to put down for, I believe, the following two main reasons: 1) the shortness of the chapters and 2) the excellent writing style. This book can be enjoyed by anyone - but especially history buffs.

Ramage & the Saracens (The Lord Ramage Novels)

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Ramage & the Saracens (The Lord Ramage Novels)
Dudley Pope
Manufacturer: McBooks Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1590130235

Book Description

Barbary Coast pirates—the Saraceni—are capturing slaves and terrorizing fishing villages along the coast of Sicily. Ramage and his crew are sent to track them down before they can devastate another town.

Cochrane: The Life and Exploits of a Fighting Captain

Average customer rating:

Cochrane v. Aubrey, worth the read?
Page turner
Walk the Plank. The sharks aren't in the water, they're onboard!
Glad I only paid $5 for it.....
An interesting, but biased history

Cochrane: The Life and Exploits of a Fighting Captain
Robert Harvey
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Military & Spies | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Naval | Military | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0786707690

Book Description

A seaman as heroic as Nelson, a master of gunnery and genius at deception, a tactician so formidably skillful Napoleon called him "the sea wolf," Thomas Cochrane was an adventurer, admiral, and inventor of new devices of warfare far beyond his time. He made of his life at sea a legend more extraordinary than any of the works of fiction it inspired - like the famous sea tales of C.S. Forrester and Patrick O'Brian's bestselling series of naval novels featuring the redoubtable Jack Aubrey. Barely twenty-five when he assumed command of the Speedy, Cochrane created mayhem in the Mediterranean as he took the tiny brig with its fourteen guns to naval glory and himself to national fame and a fortune in prize money. A maverick, Cochrane often stood at odds with the Admiralty and on occasion operated against its orders. As innovative as he was fearless, he flew under false colors to deceive the enemy, instituted in-shore guerrilla raiding, promoted the use of explosion ships, and experimented with poison gas, propeller-drive ships, and compressed-air engines. Outnumbered and outgunned, he nonetheless triumphed over Spanish and Portuguese naval forces in battles off the coasts of Chile, Peru, and Brazil, where he served as a mercenary in the cause of independence. Born into a penurious but noble Scottish family, Cochrane rose fabulously and fearlessly from midshipman to admiral, from penniless heir to a radical member of parliament to Tenth Earl of Dundonald. He married a penniless orphan and had a long-standing liaison with one of the most famous literary figures of his day. He survived the Stock Exchange scandal that sent him to prison and escaped to South America, where he helped shape the destiny of a continent. Rebellious, dashing, mad, heroic; Cochrane embodies the spirit of the Romantic Age.

Customer Reviews:

Cochrane v. Aubrey, worth the read?.......2007-09-16

I have read half of the Aubrey series and though it might be worthwhile to read about the real man...yes, that of Lord Thomas Cochrane, before finishing the rest of the series. Was it worth it, yes!!! Could it have been better written...probably, as a lot of questions went unanswered.

So what did I do...I ordered one of the books Robert Harvey recommended..."Cochrane" by Donald Thomas and continued reading the series by Patrick O'Bryan. I was not disappointed in Harvey's book, in fact, I found a lot of information which I felt was left out of the series. What might that be...try reading about the real life hero of Scotland and how the Admiralty tried/attempted to shut him down. This guy was for real. Damn if we don't have the same thing happening today.

Any history is worthwhile...it is what we do with it that makes it important. And give me a break...you can afford the $14 to be better informed....

Page turner.......2007-06-19

As noted, fact is stranger than fiction, and it couldn't be truer than with the life of Thomas Cochrane. If you enjoy the likes of Horatio Hornblower or Jack Aubrey, you won't be able to put this one down. You'll immediately recognize their "fictional" exploits as you read the real stories upon which they're based. A great summer read!

Walk the Plank. The sharks aren't in the water, they're onboard!.......2006-05-14

If you love adventure, history, and a dashing and a daring true-life hero; then this is your cup of tea. However, if your closer to my taste then it would be a martini, dry, shaken not stirred. Anyone with military background will sadly identify with the upper echelon's stupidity/hypocrisy. Dare I say our hero undergoes a transformation, who at the climax of the book is on his way to rescue Napolean himself! Truth is stranger than fiction. And I might add: edge of your seat true suspence. Because in the end you can't escape the truth. The FIGHTING CAPTAIN welcomes you aboard mate!

Glad I only paid $5 for it............2006-03-27

Basically a recital of accomplishments and events, with next to no detail about most of them. The only thing he really goes into depth about was his trial before the King's Bench. Also, it appears to be writtin almost on a 6th grade level. Not impressed at all.

An interesting, but biased history.......2003-10-28

I bought this book because I wanted to learn more about cutter and brig anti-privateering and sea-land battle tactics. Cochrane was a true master at both of these things, and this book did provide some useful insights.

The author seems on a mission to put Cochrane on a pedestal. He spends too much time sniping at Cochrane's enemies, and whitewashing his misconduct. This makes an otherwise interesting story difficult to read at times.

Book Description

Admiralty spies are hunting for British officers and allies trapped on the mainland, among them Ramage's first love, Gianna, the Marchesa di Volterra. Ramage returns to the Tuscan coast, where Bonaparte holds a group of hostages for an unknown fate.

Customer Reviews:

Not quite Hornblower or Bolitho...but OK.......2006-02-23

Not up to the tense build-up from the Hornblower novels and he drops clues early that makes you frustrated..Why can't Ramage figure this out from the OBVIOUS clue? Otherwise the action's believable and interesting...the three different girl friends are a bit overdone.

Back to the Beginning.......2002-12-21

Ramage and his happy crew sail back to adventure off the Tuscan coast of Italy again, haunts where he first rescued the beautiful Gianna, the Marchesa of Volterra, escaping from the heel of Napolean. Now she's presumed to be his victim again, but will Ramage happen upon traces of her, or of the wife he married just before she disappeared at sea? In the meantime he has been tasked by the Navy to rescue some noble (and well-hidden) hostages, and he must try several ruses to outwit the clever French. This story and its allusions will make more sense if you've read Ramage no. 1 (and the rest of the series).

Among the interesting vignettes Pope loved to slip in are how to up anchor on a lee shore or cast a log line to determine ship's speed. Usual McBooks excellence in typography, with those lovely swash capitals (oops, the swashbucklers appear in no. 17). This time the cover art is misleading, since this is another story featuring Ramage's ingenuity, guile, tact, and luck rather than bloodthirsty battle.

Weak link in the Ramage chain.......2002-10-13

I've read all the Ramage novels and I'm a fan. This is just a friendly suggestion to the reader that when you get to this one you might consider to proceed rapidly through the first half of the book. Read the first sentence of each paragraph and then decide whether to read the whole paragraph or not. The author gets especially carried away with descriptions of things we, the seeker of naval action, don't give a damn about -- local vegetation, birds, geographical names (and their histories). Mr Pope can be forgiven for waxing on about his interests (because he has given us so many exciting stories up to this point), but I voted to pass up large portions.

Make no mistake, the exciting part does eventually arrive, but even then is a bit rushed and abbreviated. And, the ending definitely leaves a bunch of loose threads (e.g., what happens to the duel between Ramage and the obnoxious General?).

Average customer rating:

Graphic SF Reader

Maybe for Alan Moore Collectors...

Not an Alan Moore book but still it's an Alan Davis

Classic Captain Britain from Davis and Delano

There are two TPBs of the Captain

Captain Britain TPB
Alan Moore
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
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Supreme: The Story of the Year

The Ballad of Halo Jones

The One: The Last Word In Superheroics

Excalibur Classic, Vol. 1: The Sword is Drawn (X-Men)

Judgment Day

ASIN: 0785108556

Customer Reviews:

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Some very early Alan Moore and Alan Davis work. This, as we know, is a pretty decent combination, even though they were still learning.

Once they kick it into full gear we get a good Captain Britain mythological and dimension spanning epic as crazed villains plot to do very bad things, and a reluctant hero has to find allies where he can to stop them.

Maybe for Alan Moore Collectors..........2006-10-25

The original Captain Britain comics are hard for American readers to come by- this trade paperback (it IS the early Alan Moore material) shows some of Moore's earliest published scripts. Coming smack in the middle of a very confusing storyline, the young Moore does as best as he can to bring about some semblance of cohesion to the pedestrian setting. Moore and Davis are both still struggling to find their "voices", so to speak. Some of Davis's drawings border of crude, and the experimental nature of some of the artwork adds to the very young feel. Still, CB is presented with good development; Slaymaster and The Fury are presented as formidable foes. For completists and the curious- but definitely neither's strongest early works...

Not an Alan Moore book but still it's an Alan Davis.......2006-08-04

Despite the reviews put in this category, the contents of this book has no involvement from Alan Moore. It is the continuation of the contents of the other "Captain Britain" compilation, with the continuation of the Captain Britain run in Marvel UK prior to his guest appearances in the Uncanny X-Men series and Psylocke's installation as mainstay of the X-Men mythos and Captain Britain and Meggan's of the Excalibur. Here are the first introduction for Gatecrasher and most of the Technet crew, and the events that led to Betsy Braddock, or Psylocke's being blinded by Slaymaster. This particular book is never reprinted in this century, creating a gap between the "Captain Britain" by Alan Moore, Dave Thorpe and Alan Davis, and the Excalibur trade paperback series. This book however is still available in the market, and to the sellers provided by Amazon.

Classic Captain Britain from Davis and Delano.......2006-03-09

After the departure of writer Alan Moore at the conclusion of the Jaspers' Warp story, artist Alan Davis was joined by Jamie Delano (on Moores reccomendation) in chronicling the good Captain's further adventures, including the introduction of Psylocke, WHO and a host of new characters along with enjoyable stories. Shortly after this changing of the guard, Captain Britain regained his own title. It lasted only 14 issues (reprinted here) before the character was moved into the newly launched Excalibur team.

There are two TPBs of the Captain.......2005-10-30

This one (with Alan Davis as the author) is the one that was released first and is CB's later adventures (from his own UK comic) , whereas the Alan Moore TPB was released later and is the CB's earlier adventures (starting in the Mighty World of Marvel. The Moore TPB is the one in print

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