The great migration begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633

Customer Reviews:

Excellent genealogy resource for New England........1999-08-07

The author, sponsored by NEHGS, has written a comprehensive 3 volumne genealogical document of everyone known to have lived in New England between 1620-1633. This book brings many well know sources together for a researcher. Its a 'must have' for anyone with roots in New England!

Seventeenth-Century Dutch and Flemish Painting: The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection

Average customer rating:

Seventeenth-Century Dutch and Flemish Painting: The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection
Ivan Gaskell
Manufacturer: Philip Wilson Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Museums & Collections | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Netherlands | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0856673528

Book Description

A catalogue of 128 paintings produced during this period in which the art of portraiture was transformed, religious imagery dynamized, and new genres such as flower painting were established.

The art of Holland's Golden Age is perennially popular with collectors and gallery visitors alike and this book provides a new insight into this unique private collection.

In his introduction Ivan Gaskill considers the extremely varied character of Dutch and Flemsih seventeenth century art. It ranges from minutely observed scens of everyday life to portraits, religious works and intimate still-life compositions. The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection is especially rich in landscapes, a subject which had emerged as a seperate genre in the Netherlands in the previous century. The author outlines the development of painting on both sides of the border, placing it in its social and historical context, and goes on to discuss the taste for Dutch and Flemish art from the seventeenth century to the present day and spotlights some of the earlier collectors. This detailed catalogue of 128 paintings is the result of meticulous researchin British, Dutch and American libraries and archives. The entries are arranged in ten groups by subject so that thematic similarities can be conveniently examined. Amongst the most celebrated works is Frans Hal's monumental "Family Portrait" - once the most expensive painting in the world. All the paintings are illustrated in colour and are accompanied by comparative illustrations and technical photographs.

Average customer rating:

A great continuation of the story; gets somewhat bogged down in detail.
Good Continuation...Keem Em' Coming!
Introduction to the thirty years war
A New World
A good book, BUT BEWARE OF THE 1634 SEQUELS.

1633
Eric Flint , and David Weber
Manufacturer: Baen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Adventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Alternate History | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Space Opera | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0743471555

Book Description

American Freedom and Justice vs. The Tyrannies of the Seventeenth Century

The new government in central Europe, called the Confederated Principalities of Europe, was formed by an alliance between Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, and the West Virginians led by Mike Stearns who were transplanted into 17th-century Germany by a mysterious cosmic accident. The new regime is shaky. Outside its borders, the Thirty Years War continues to rage. Within, it is beset by financial crisis as well as the political and social tensions between the democratic ideals of the 20th-century Americans and the aristocracy which continues to rule the roost in the CPE as everywhere in Europe.

Worst of all, the CPE has aroused the implacable hostility of Cardinal Richelieu, the effective ruler of France. Richelieu has created the League of Ostend in order to strike at the weakest link in the CPE's armorits dependence on the Baltic as the lifeline between Gustav Adolf's Sweden and the rest of his realm.

The greatest naval war in European history is about to erupt. Like it or not, Gustavus Adolphus will have to rely on Mike Stearns and the technical wizardry of his obstreperous Americans to save the King of Sweden from ruin.

Caught in the conflagration are two American diplomatic missions abroad: Rebecca Stearns' mission to France and Holland, and the embassy which Mike Stearns sent to King Charles of England headed by his sister Rita and Melissa Mailey. Rebecca finds herself trapped in war-torn Amsterdam; Rita and Melissa, imprisoned in the Tower of London.

And much as Mike wants to transport 20th-century values into war-torn 17th-century Europe by Sweet Reason, still he finds comfort in the fact that Julie, who once trained to be an Olympic marksman, still has her rifle...

Customer Reviews:

A great continuation of the story; gets somewhat bogged down in detail........2007-01-08

1633 lacks some of what made me love 1632 so much. Mainly, there is much less action and much more politics than in the previous book. The first ~500 pages are spent setting up for a dramatic clash between the forces of Cardinal Richelieu and Emporer Gustavus that only begins to develop at the end of this book (and will be concluded in 1634: the Baltic War). Actually, throughout almost the entire book, none of the characters seem to be in very much danger, instead just pondering and planning for future dangers.

The majority of 1633 is spent detailing the "up-time" American's efforts to influence the fate of Europe. Diplomatic missions to England, Scotland, and the Netherlands take up much of the book but don't contribute much in the way of action. The beginings of a navy and air force are interesting to read about but don't really influence the story much until the very end (but when they do its excellently intense).

1633 is very well-researched and you'll actually learn a lot about 17th century European politics and living conditions. The characters are great and the whole idea of a small American town changing the course of history retains its appeal.

Overall, while the story is well-writen, fun and interesting, you're left with a very incomplete feeling after finishing. A lot of build-up for very little action and a lot of story still to tell.

Good Continuation...Keem Em' Coming!.......2006-12-09

Suffice it to say that if you read the very good novel "1632" you'd have wanted to make a beeline right for the sequel "1633". And I can't blame you for it...I had to special order this book because neither the library or the local bookstores carried it. This is a very good read, make no mistake, but coming off of the much easier to read and faster paced 1632 one may be surprised by the changes contained within.

For starters where 1632 covered the citizens of Grantville's sudden appearance in central Germany of the 17th century, and the related effects of it's possession of advanced weapons, medicine, science, and knowledge of future events, here we have a book focusing more on the diplomatic and political angle, interspersed with the story of Grantville's struggle with the possibility of oncoming plague and the development of a working Air Force and Navy. There's much more plot depth and characters that were overly stereotypical in the first novel (ie; Simpson) are given actual personalities, and on this latter account the story gains much.

I need to go ahead and get it out of the way though. You see, I'm one of those charlatans who thinks there's entirely too much politics and not enough action in the book. Before the public stoning begins allow me to illucidate. Politics is an interesting subject, no doubt, but there are so many different threads of it running rampant through the book that it's difficult to keep track of all of it. So much in fact that I was almost forced to grab a pen and paper to write character's names down and their ultimate goals for power grabs in the New Europe...ordinarily this is something I only do for the Russian literature of the late 19th century (just for keepin track of all the names), but I was almost forced to it here. I found myself laboring through entire chapters of the book forced to read what I considered some rather dull, pages long descriptions of constitutional banter, interlaced with the plottings of German nobles and assorted power plays by foreign dignataries. And don't even get me started on the almost Mafia-like "Committees of Correspondance", whom, for whatever reason, I just have a tendency to really dislike for their thug-like behavior. And while I understand the CoC's reasons for hatred of nobles I find myself befuddled as to their motives and overall disposition against Gustav, whom I consider a good and noble man. Bottom line...I just don't get it. Much of the book is like this, and borders on needing accompanying Cliff's Notes.

Several plots have broken off from the main book as well. A diplomatic mission to Cardinal Richelieu, primary foil for the new European republic, results in my appreciation of this character (who it appears is maligned far too much on various "Three Musketeers" movies), a man who is honorable, cunning, kind, and dangerous in equal parts. A separate diplomatic mission takes place to England, largely dealing with the group's incarceration in the infamous Tower of London, as well as the introduction of later historical figure Oliver Cromwell. I very much look forward to that plot development as the portions of history I've read on the man tend to impress me.

As to the action portion those parts of the book are wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed the formation of Grantville's Air Force, and being a US Air Force veteran myself, felt pulled in and filled with wonder. Likewise, I really enjoyed the improved character of Simpson, whom I think a perfect fit for the job of Admiral of the US Navy's two Grantville-Class ironclads and I cannot wait to see them in action. The book culminates in a large sea battle which had me turning pages furiously and results in the death of a much loved character from the first book.

I very much enjoyed the book, but found it tedious in many places. If you were rooting for more high-technology cause/effect events to unfold you may be disappointed, but certainly not enough to dissuade you from finishing. The 1632 universe is fascinating and I look forward to the continuing saga of Grantville!

Introduction to the thirty years war.......2006-09-14

1633 is a worthy sequel to 1632. The plot and character development are good and the time period is interesting, to say the least. Until reading this fictional treatment, I never really understood all of what was happening in Europe during the thirty years war. The cast of major historical characters is fascinating and seems to accord pretty well with what I had learned about them in reading history. A lot of important figures are turning up in the story also such as: Otto Von Guericke, Harvey, and etc. A satisfying read!

A New World.......2006-07-31

Having been sent back in time by the mysterious Ring of Fire nearly two years ago, the entire town of Grantville (formerly of West Virginia) continues to survive the Thirty Years War, smack in the middle of 17th century Germany. After the attacks of the previous year, they are not just surviving...they are attempting to build an entirely new world...one that is safe from the designs of petty kings and princes, conniving cardinals and earls. But they are not doing this alone, they have enlisted the surrounding countryside...making them citizens of the new United States. A United States which will be at war again all too soon.

This was my first ever attempt at reading a novel written by two authors...I have to admit, that everything being equal, I enjoyed it. The story itself was fluid and the characters were reasonably well-developed. I found some of the background information on 17th century Europe a bit tedious (I challenge anyone who doesn't have a ph.D in this stuff to keep track of all the kings and princes, dukes and earls!)

I'll admit something else. This story did get me curious enough about this era of western culture that I might just have to do some research of my own on it.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in quality alternate history as well as anyone interested in 17th century Europe. I look forward to picking up the sequels.

A good book, BUT BEWARE OF THE 1634 SEQUELS........2006-04-22

This is the second book in the popular Ring of Fire(ROF) or Assiti Shards series. It continues all the remarkable features from the first book: Tense battles, political intrigue, historical characters and up-time versus down-time technology.

If you enjoyed 1632, then you will definitely enjoy this book.

The ROF series has become so popular that various anthologies have been published: The Ring of Fire, The Grantville Gazette Series.

Unfortunately, there are 2 volumes, so far, that follow 1633 and do little to forward the story set in 1632 and 1633(This is where the series takes a turn for the worst). These books are 1634: The Galileo Affair and 1634: The Ram Rebellion. Both are side stories, not sequels, and contain none of the epic scope or tense action set into the series. The "actual" sequel is 1643: Baltic War. I believe that the sequel to 1633 should be titled 1634 and should be left at that. It almost seems, maybe not intentional, that the reasoning for adding 1634 into the title for the other books was to trick fans into buying the books. I cannot wait for the "real" 1634 to come out.

If have any complaints or are interested in sharing your thoughts and ideas, go to the Baen Bar website.

The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633

Average customer rating:

exellent disk
CD-ROM version of the classic 3-volume set.

The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633

Manufacturer: Ancestry.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM

General | Genealogy | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Plymouth Colony: Its History and People

ASIN: 1888486600

Book Description

New England Immigrant Researchers, START HERE! Conceived with the goal "to provide a concise, reliable summary of past research on the early immigrants to New England, which will reduce the amount of time which must be spent in discovering past work..." this impressive survey of over one thousand 17th Century immigrants is a MUST HAVE for anyone engaged in early New England research.

Millions of Americans can trace their Old World roots through these original American colonists. Each biographical "sketch" provides a wealth of information with citations to other sources, providing a foundation for further research.

Sketch details include

- Location from which the subject immigrated, date of migration, and the immigrant's first New England residence.
- Biographic information such as occupation, church membership, education, civil and military offices, and information about the immigrant's estate.
- Information particularly valuable for family history research, including the immigrant's children and dates of births, deaths, and marriages. - - -
- Information that doesn't fit under any other section and detailed argumentation needed to prove portions of the profile. The argumentation can establish the identity of a spouse or the complete list of an immigrant's children. The fifth section of a profile lists the most important published treatments of the immigrant and offers a brief evaluation of each source.

Data is gleaned from a variety of sources including:

- Passenger Lists
- Lists of Freemen
- Colony & Court Records
- Notarial Records
- Town Records
- Vital Records
- Land Records
- Church Records
- Journals & Letters
- Other miscellaneous sources

Enjoy AncestryView Searching

Originally published in three volumes, this convenient CD-ROM puts the wealth of data contained in this unparalleled series at your fingertips. Search by name, date, or any other keyword or phrase. Instantly retrieve every record detail, get answers to frequently asked questions, and access help tools to assist you in finding precisely what you've been looking for. The details of your New England heritage are just a click away!

Minimum System Requirements:

-486/33 processor (Pentium recommended)
-Windows 95 or better
-16mb RAM, 15mb hard disk space
-2X CD-ROM
-Monitor with 800x600 pixel display, 16 bit color or higher.

Customer Reviews:

exellent disk.......2007-08-28

immigrants to new england 1620-1633 has plenty of information & more that is related to my own research. will purchase next immigrants disk.

CD-ROM version of the classic 3-volume set........2001-07-08

Searchable by any keyword including date and name, this CD-ROM version of the 3-volume "The Great Migration Begins" is extremely convenient for genealogists to use. It contains information on over 900 early New England families and represents the first phase of the Great Migration Study Project - an effort to identify all those Europeans who settled in New England before 1633.

The descendants of James Cole of Plymouth, 1633;: Also a record of the families of Lieutenant Thomas Burnham, of Ipswich, 1635, Lieutenant Edward Winship, ... Cowle families of America in the revolution,

Average customer rating:

The descendants of James Cole of Plymouth, 1633;: Also a record of the families of Lieutenant Thomas Burnham, of Ipswich, 1635, Lieutenant Edward Winship, ... Cowle families of America in the revolution,
Ernest Byron Cole
Manufacturer: The Grafton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

The Diary of Samuel Pepys (Modern Library)

Average customer rating:

A real inside look at history!
Diary of Samuel Pepys-Vol. X - Companion
A few words about Pepys and the diary of the soul
The World Upside Down
A Blend of Chronicle, Confession, and Tabloid Gossip

The Diary of Samuel Pepys (Modern Library)
Samuel Pepys
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0679642218
Release Date: 2001-06-26

Book Description

The diary which Samuel Pepys kept from January 1660 to May 1669 ...is one of our greatest historical records and... a major work of English literature, writes the renowned historian Paul Johnson. A witness to the coronation of Charles II, the Great Plague of 1665, and the Great Fire of 1666, Pepys chronicled the events of his day. Originally written in a cryptic shorthand, Pepys's diary provides an astonishingly frank and diverting account of political intrigues and naval, church, and cultural affairs, as well as a quotidian journal of daily life in London during the Restoration.

In 1825, when Pepys's memoirs were first published, Francis Jeffrey of The Edinburgh Review declared, "We can scarcely say that we wish it a page shorter... it is very entertaining thus to be transported into the very heart of a time so long gone by; and to be admitted into the domestic intimacy, as well as the public councils of a man of great activity and circulation in the reign of Charles II." Edited and abridged by literary critic and author Richard Le Gallienne, this edition features an Introduction by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Customer Reviews:

A real inside look at history!.......2007-01-14

When I started reading the diary, I expected it to be extremely boring and very old fashioned (seeing how it was written in the 1600's) - how wrong I was!!!
Samuel Pepys (pronounced 'peeps') is a human, funny, moody man who has his ups and downs like the rest of us. His narrative during the plague records his concern about neighbors, and his real sorrow when people he knows succumb to it. He also records his experiences during the great fire of London in 1666 and his first mention of it strikes me as entirely human - he says that his maids wake him as they have heard of the fire and as it is not near his doorstep he simply goes back to bed as he's tired. He has arguments with his wife, and has cast a lusty eye upon the kings mistress for years! He also has, what I call 'mini affairs' where he kisses and fondles women quite regularly, (including his own maids) and seems to have no guilt about this whatsoever. Most mornings he 'drinks' his breakfast and at one point is outraged that his new wig is teeming with nits! An historical and very human read. Makes me realise that after 450 years we are all no different at all........

Diary of Samuel Pepys-Vol. X - Companion.......2006-07-02

It is kind of hard to match up these reviews of the Pepys' Diary with specific volumes, probably due to the nature of ISBN numbers. However, this review is about Volume 10, the Companion to the 10 vol. set of paperbacks (complete edition) by the University of California Press. IT IS a valuable book indeed, being 1700 entries, alphabetically arranged, on the details about the people and places mentioned in the Diary. It has 626 numbered pages and genealogical tables and maps.

A few words about Pepys and the diary of the soul .......2005-02-07

There are on the Amazon site two excellent, informative reviews of the Pepys' diaries. They say far more than my own contribution.
I have read in and out of the Pepys' diary more than once. I did this in part because I have read many times that they are the ' best diaries' ever written. Without contending with that I found that they were not for me the most interesting. This probably shows more about my own shortcomings than it does about the work of Pepys.
Pepys' work is filled with description of the life of the time. It is rich in perception of the great city of London in Restoration times. It is filled with personal anecdote, gossip including that relating to his prodigious sexual appetite and activity. It is a busy, businesslike work. And it tells more about a world outside than a world in.
In the diaries I most love there is the quest of the soul to deeply understand itself and its relation to other people, and God. I find that the flurry of activity in the life of Pepys does not lead to this kind of reflectiveness. And thus for me the 'diary' is not a highly significant work personally.

The World Upside Down.......2004-04-27

I've long been a student and a collector of information on the personalities of Restoration England, growing out of a desire to know more about the background in literature classes. The Restoration crowd loved life, and in this volume (and presumably the next) you see how tenuous their lives were -- 5000 a week in the City of London dying of plague, two fleets of 100 ships each at war in a narrow sea, everyone so intent on feathering their nest and getting their next place, and an honest man rarest commodity of all. I love all these diaries. I've learned to ignore a lot of the textural (not text) notes that tell you if there was a blot on the page, or the symbol was not quite clear, but the footnotes are amazing and so is the information. Love Sam; he could have done pretty much as he pleased with me, I fear. But in his daily strolls of 5 miles and more I fear I could never have kept up as he went up and down the town, up and down the river. I've been to London and took the boat tour on the Thames from the houses of Parliament down to Greenwich to see the naval museum and Queen's house -- and he would walk, day or night, from London to Depworth, to Woolwich, to Greenwich (though he'd borrow the boat if he could) and pay attention to all he passed. What a companion!

Unfortunately for my budget's sake I started buying these in 3s and am now having trouble filling up 1666-1669. I will persevere, though, and anticipate a re-read of all or part probably every summer (while TV takes a dive and there's good light to read by until long into the evening). The only thing I have wished for is more portraits of the people he is speaking of--and the portraits by Huysmans and Lely that he reports having seen fresh painted. However, financially that may not have been doable. Will have to keep searching for a companion Restoration Portraits volume to keep me happy.

Great reading - do start from the beginning to get into the swing of things. A random paragraph doesn't put you "in the life" like the unrolling panorama does. A better map of London at your elbow (though there is one in the back of each volume) will also increase your pleasure.

A Blend of Chronicle, Confession, and Tabloid Gossip.......2003-02-11

Pepys' secret diary, kept in cryptic shorthand to shield it from prying eyes, covers the years 1660 to 1669, starting with the return of Charles II from exile and ending when the writer's failing eyesight made writing difficult. He was 27 years old when he began this work, and quite impecunious. Through the patronage of his kin, Edward Montagu (later Earl of Sandwich) he rose from humble beginnings to a respected position (Clerk of the Acts in the navy office). Educated at Cambridge, he was ill prepared for the job: while he read Latin and French, he did not know the multiplication tables and had to be taught basic mechanics. However, he seems to have applied himself to his work with diligence and persistence. During the naval war with Holland (1665-67) he was surveyor of victualling. In this capacity, he gained the confidence of the lord high admiral, the Duke of York (later King James II). After the war, he defended the navy office in Parliament against charges of mismanagement with a speech that seems to have been the high point of his career.

His eyewitness accounts of the Plague (1665) and the Great Fire (1666) in London are riveting. But it is the description of quotidian events that sheds light on how the people lived. Moving easily among different social classes, he recorded their moods and diversions. He attended public executions of regicides (complete with display of heads and organs to a cheering crowd), and noted when initial enthusiasm for the restoration of the monarchy gave way to disillusionment; when anger at the King's debauchery and neglect of state business bred nostalgia for the reign of Oliver Cromwell.

While critical of the King's and the Court's incessant "gambling and whoring", Pepys himself was no paragon of virtue. His dalliances with maidservants and accommodating ladies of his acquaintance caused bitter quarrels with his wife. He seems to have lusted after every pretty girl who crossed his path. Repeated vows to mend his ways generally came to naught. Some of the racier passages in his diary are written in fractured French or Latin.

Pepys was an avid theater-goer: he loved Macbeth and Henry IV, but thought Midsummer Night's Dream silly and inane. There was a lot of music in his life: he played the lute, the flageolet, and the violin, and missed no opportunity to join in singing, dancing, drinking and merry-making. He carefully noted, however, how much these diversions cost him. He also conscientiously recorded the bribes and kickbacks paid him by suppliers. Forever curious, he attended lectures and observed experiments, read voraciously and enjoyed a good discourse.

If he often appears vain and foolish, it is because he portrays himself as vain and foolish. His naive enjoyment of even the most mundane things ("this pleased me mightily" is an oft-repeated phrase) cannot fail to strike a sympathetic chord in the reader. He comments on fashion trends (powdered wigs, beauty spots, wearing of masks and male riding habit by court ladies, etc.). When he yielded to fashion and had a periwig made for himself, it was delivered full of nits. New servants had to be deloused and fitted with clean garments, but once domesticated, they were part of the household; they received music lessons and, in some cases, lessons in Latin and Greek. When they misbehaved, he beat them until his arm hurt.

The parallel career of his wife deserves some reflection: the "poor wretch" who, early in their marriage, used to wash his dirty clothes by hand, graduated to lace gowns, powdered wigs and a coach of her own; but discontent increased in proportion to luxury. "I have to find her something to do", mused Sam. Dancing and painting lessons, theater visits and parties filled the void. The couple had no children.

The Modern Library Edition is, of course, a greatly abridged version of the six-volume original. One may quibble with the selection or deplore the lack of notes; but the hefty original is available to all who want to know more.

Average customer rating:

Pepys is the best!
A Truly fascinating Man
Peeping at the unpleasant side of Pepys
The unequalled biography
As good as they come

Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self
Claire Tomalin
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0375411437
Release Date: 2002-11-12

Book Description

The seventeenth century saw a revolution in man’s thought, as Isaac Newton and others began the scientific study of the universe around them. At the same time a shrewd young civil servant in London began to observe, with something of the same dispassionate curiosity, the strange object around which, for him, the universe revolved–himself. For ten years, beginning in 1660, Samuel Pepys secretly kept one of the most remarkable records ever made of a human life.

With astounding candor and perceptiveness he described his ambitions and peculations, his professional successes and failures, his pettinesses and meannesses, his tenderness toward his wife and the irritations and jealousies she provoked, his extramarital longings and fumblings, his coolly critical attitude toward the king he served and his watchful adaptation to the corrupt and treacherous life of the court. Pepys’s diary is a magnificent creation.

But there is more to Samuel Pepys than his diary, as Claire Tomalin makes clear in this profoundly original biography. Buttressing it with less familiar sources and other contemporary material, she is able to illuminate his entire life–as a poor London tailor’s son, as a schoolboy rejoicing at the execution of Charles I, as an aspiring clerk with good connections who transforms himself into a royalist, escorting Charles II to England for the Restoration. Then there is the bureaucrat heroically working against the odds to create a modern navy, finding his way through the dangerous years of political and religious conflict (even, at one point, being charged with treason and jailed), peacefully retiring at last with his books and his music and his friends.

It is Claire Tomalin’s unique skill as a biographer to achieve extraordinary intimacy with her subject, and Pepys is no exception. To the endlessly fascinating question of his relations with women, for example, she brings the same insight and freshness of approach that distinguished such highly praised books as Jane Austen and The Invisible Woman. At the same time, the historical context is never less than brilliantly evoked. The result is exemplary, by far the most revealing–and readable–portrait of the greatest diarist in the English language, a man of unmatched interest and importance.

Customer Reviews:

Pepys is the best! .......2007-01-09

I loved this book. I still love this book. On a recent trip to London I found myself thinking about Pepys around the city, seeing things, going places, meeting people. He is so interesting to himself, and to Tomalin, and now to me! She does a superb job telling the story with no intrusions from her self--it's all Pepys all the time. If you can read, you'll love it!

A Truly fascinating Man.......2006-07-22

This is another fascinating historical biography that reads more like a novel than a stuffy factual book. Virtually everyone knows the name of Samuel Pepys. Ah yes, he's the man who wrote the diary. This is of course true, but do they actually know anything about the man behind the name of Samuel Pepys. What for instance were his feelings on the politicians of the day. What were his own ambitions and aspirations.

Pepys was a naval administrator and friend and confidant of some of the most famous and powerful people in London . Sex, the plague, music, marital conflict, naval life, public executions and incarcerations in the Tower of London. These are just some of the colourful events in the life of a man famous for his writing of a diary.

The book contains a wealth of interesting material about the life of a man who's name goes before him. Everyone knows his name, but few know of the life of the man himself.

Peeping at the unpleasant side of Pepys .......2005-04-20

This overpraised biography of Pepys tends to underplay his character flaws. Tomalin is over-forgiving of Pepys betrayals of friends and family, of his frequent physical and sexual abuse of women including his own wife. Pepys betrayal of his brother and sister his frequent cruelty to those members of his family who could not serve his social climbing goals make very questionable the heroic image Tomalin provides of him. She surely overrates his greatness as a writer and explorer of the self.
Pepys is a diarist of tremendous curiosity who is capable of recording his own intimate acts with a certain kind of objective impersonality.
Since Pepys is famous for his sexual antics I expected this biography would make some effort at real analysis of his character. It does not do this but contents itself but relating and celebrating his exploits. Reading this work we thus know much about what Pepys did without necessarily understanding who he really is.
Pepys unpleasant side was also revealed in his greatest career year, the Plague Year . While one of every six people in London were falling victim to the Plague Pepys was happily recording his advances in career. A very hard worker, and a masterful
bureaucrat he nonetheless does not show a broad and humane sympathy for others.
For those who love English social history , for those who want to know a great deal about Restoration England, for those interested in understanding how bureaucracy works, and how people get on and by in the world, this biography is outstanding. But for those who wish to understand human character in depth, including that of Samuel Pepys this book it seems to me is as lacking as Pepys himself was.

The unequalled biography.......2004-12-13

Pepys is lucky to have Claire Tomalin as his biographer. She is objective but sympathetic, thoughtful, analytic, and writes with an easy, fluid style. At times she lets Pepys speak for himself, through excerpts from his diary and letters, while at other times she recounts events in a seamless narrative fashion that, from reading the diary alone, would be more opaque and even somewhat choppy. In other words, she fills in the gaps, explaining who's who and providing background information about selected people and events that Pepys naturally felt no need to describe.

Pepys led a colorful life, which Tomalin does her best to illuminate. The core of her book is, of course, the years 1660-1669, during which he wrote his famously candid diary. Given that he also left behind volumes of letters in the more than 30 years more that he lived, it's a bit surprising that she doesn't present more information from those letters. Without the rich detail of the diary, the second half of his life is presented in a more perfunctory manner, including his three arrests and one brief imprisonment in the Tower. Her quotes from the diary are more sparse than they might have been, too. I assume she was willing to let the diary speak for itself -- and the interested reader who has not read the diary would be well advised to do so, because its rewards are only hinted at in this biography.

Tomalin made another assumption in writing her book, namely, that the reader would have at least a passing familiarity with English history, particularly the Restoration era. Many events are not fully explained, such as the reasons for the war with the Dutch, or indeed how warfare was declared, conducted, and concluded in the 17th century, which might have been helpful. And she is unable to elucidate exactly what Pepys did at the office all day and often into the night, although his contributions to improving the Navy are adequately sketched. It's curious that, once she has covered the Great Fire of 1666, she doesn't make a single reference to the rebuilding of London (aside from one very slight allusion), although reconstruction surely was a significant part of the background of everyday life for the ten years it took the city to restore itself. The diary contains a number of references. (For a full account of the disaster and recovery, see Adrian Tinniswood's By Permission of Heaven: The True Story of the Great Fire of London.)

Tomalin sticks closely to the man himself, his career and personal life. As every biographer has a right to do, she favors those aspects that most interest her: the arc of his rise from near-poverty to wealth and influence; the ups and downs of his marriage to a wife he loves but never bothers to name in the diary; his personal honesty and disclosure of his own flaws, particularly his willingness to take bribes and his wandering eye; his observations of the licentious court of Charles II; the continuing influence of a Puritan upbringing and education on his worldly career; his friendships and enmities; the things that brought him pleasure, such as books and music and chasing women, and the things that made him anxious, such as the possible exposure of his shadier dealings and the problems with his eyesight that eventually forced him to abandon the diary; and his unflagging zest for life and experience. For those who choose to read Richard Le Gallienne's admirable but bowdlerized abridgment of the diary, which is one-eighth the length of the original, Tomalin's biography fills in some gaps and also provides information about persons named in Le Gallienne's edition, which, frustratingly, contains no notes at all.

Even if you haven't read the diary, Tomalin's biography of Samuel Pepys stands alone as an intimate portrait of an intelligent, curious, flawed human being and the tumultuous times he lived in.

As good as they come.......2004-09-14

Even for those of us who have read other work by Ms Tomalin, such as her great biography of Jane Austen, the quality of this book is astounding. Pepys couldn't have asked for a better biographer. Against the magnificent backdrop of Commonwealth and Restoration England, she paints a convincing and believable portrait of her subject, warts and all. He was tremendously ambitious and not above betraying his friends and benefactors. He systematically neglected and cheated on his wife, and sexually harassed his female servants and other women not in a position to resist his advances. He was mean and unkind to his sister. And yet he was an intelligent, hardworking and capable man, and one of the first to embody the concept of meritocracy, as opposed to making a career out of one's birth and fortune. Part of the author's merit lies in showing that the fascinating world in which her man lived has more similarities to ours than we might at first imagine. Tomalin's biography, covering not only the diary years but also Pepys' subsequent career, is an absolute must for all interested in the seventeenth century and this charming, flawed diarist.

A View of the State of Ireland: From the First Printed Edition (1633

Average customer rating:

Fanning the Flames of Hatred and Violence

A View of the State of Ireland: From the First Printed Edition (1633
Edmund Spenser , Andrew Hadfield , and Willy Maley
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0631205357

Customer Reviews:

Fanning the Flames of Hatred and Violence.......2006-02-18

As difficult as it is to give a "star rating" to a book that advocates the genocide of an entire nation, this volume is a valuable scholarly resource. And, indeed, the total destruction of the Irish "race" is Edmund Spenser's aim and rallying cry in writing this volume, addressed to the first Queen Elizabeth. The text takes the form of a Platonic/dramatic dialogue between Irenaeus, lately returned from Ireland (as was Spenser), and his compatriot, the reasonable Eudoxus.

A capsule-summary of the book's tone is possible by a brief description of the half-dozen pages that Spenser spends describing a single article of traditional Irish clothing: the mantle, a long, warm cloak worn by common countryfolk. Even the clothing of the Irish, Spenser/Irenaeus argues, is an incitement towards crime and vice: the mantle can be used to hide anything from weapons to stolen goods to illegitimate pregnancies, and serves as both shelter and bed for outlaws, as well as serving as an effective shield in swordplay. This simple garment, he concludes, must be outlawed. Elsewhere, he also attempts to dissuade British functionaries similarly stationed in Ireland from taking Irish wives or wetnurses, because the women will infect your home and family, resulting in somehow "going native."

So be warned, this is a hateful volume, advocating step-by-step for the Irish people to be killed off so that England can flourish without a sore on her side, and warning, in fact, that the "great scourge" of Ireland presents an eminent danger to the Queen if she does not immediately invade and crush that nation. He argues that the Irish people are so barbarous that English laws will not rule them (and Irish "law" is simply "wrong," encouraging immorality), that the Irish people are uncivilizable, and thus barely human. This book, in many places, does become difficult to read, but read through 20th century eyes, the faulty logic of its arguments is ridiculous enough to prompt giggles--if they were not so deadly serious, and had not been taken seriously by the author's contemporaries.

I would definitely recommend this (quite readable for its age) book to anyone interested in Irish or English history, as well as--perhaps more urgently--to scholars of any of the major 20th century genocides.

Average customer rating:

The Letters of Samuel Pepys

Manufacturer: Boydell Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Political | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Reference | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Letters & Correspondence | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 184383197X
Release Date: 2006-04-20

Book Description

The correspondence included here represents the first selection of Pepys's letters drawn from all possible sources to be published since 1933. Since the Diary does not cover this period, the letters enable the reader to follow Pepys' early career on the staff of the Earl of Sandwich, his rise to greatness as Secretary of the Admiralty, and his retirement after the Glorious Revolution. Along the way Pepys fought battles with opponents of his naval reforms and enemies who tried to implicate him in the Popish Plot, while taking care of his various relatives and keeping up with an array of friends and acquaintances who included many of the great and famous of late-seventeenth-century England. The letters have been chosen to reflect all these aspects of Pepys's varied and fascinating life, and include 30 never before published. They are accompanied by a running commentary, biographies of persons mentioned, a glossary, a chronology, and an introduction that explains how the letters have survived and analyses how they were written.BR> GUY DE LA BÉDOYERE is an historian and archaeologist with numerous books to his credit. His specialist field is Roman Britain but he has published three books for Boydell on the 'other' seventeenth-century diarist, John Evelyn (1620-1706), including the widely-acclaimed Particular Friends: The Correspondence of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn which features all the letters exchanged by the two men over a period of 38 years.

The Vauban Fortifications of France (Fortress)

Average customer rating:

Great Introduction

The Vauban Fortifications of France (Fortress)
Paddy Griffith
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1841768758
Release Date: 2006-04-25

Book Description

Vauban was the foremost military engineer of France during the period of its centralisation and wars of expansion in the 17th and 18th centuries. His influence persisted long after Waterloo, and his name has become synonymous with the science of the construction, defence and attack of bastioned fortresses. Dunkirk, Toulon, Perpignan, Verdun and Brest stand out among the many historically significant sites created by this incredible engineer. This book examines the many achievements of this pivotal figure in fortification history, exploring the sites and their subsequent significance.

Customer Reviews:

Great Introduction.......2006-06-19

The author provides a descripton of the life of Vauban and introduces the reader to the fortifications he was involved with in France. His three systems are described and the author explains that Vauban did not actually divide his own work into these "systems" since that was a term applied by others later. This small work is packed with a large amount of information on Vauban and his works. The only problem is some illustrations which are a bit confusing since they have been mislabelled or poorly represent a Vauban fortification. In one case the artist marked an orlon incorrectly. Otherwise the book makes a nice introduction and basic reference.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books