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.

The Complete Locations of Star Wars: Inside the Worlds of the Entire Star Wars Saga

Average customer rating:

Where you've always wanted to go
A great source for background information
Great visual drawings!
Hypnotic Journey into Star Wars
awesome buy for Star Wars Fanatics

The Complete Locations of Star Wars: Inside the Worlds of the Entire Star Wars Saga
DK Publishing
Manufacturer: DK CHILDREN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Ultimate Visual Guide to Star Wars
The Complete Visual Dictionary of Star Wars: The Ultimate Guide to Characters and Creatures from the Entire Star Wars Saga
The New Essential Chronology to Star Wars
Star Wars Complete Cross-Sections: The Spacecraft and Vehicles of the Entire Star Wars Saga
Incredible Cross-sections of Star Wars, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith: The Definitive Guide to Spaceships and Vehicles

ASIN: 0756614198

Book Description

The dramatic culmination of DK's best-selling Inside the Worlds of Star Wars series, The Complete Locations of Star Wars uses breathtaking illustrations and insightful text to reveal the planets from every movie in the Star Wars saga, including the hotly anticipated Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

Customer Reviews:

Where you've always wanted to go.......2007-09-03

This book is great!! I love how it approaches Star Wars as if it where real in the telling of each local or spot. It makes you feel even more apart of what's going on in the Saga and only improves the feeling of the movies for me anyways. If you've always had questions about each place you've seen on screen then this is the book for you!!

A great source for background information.......2007-08-30

The complete locations is a great source that brings all the locations together. One does not have to buy book after book of each movie to see their perspective location. As always, the schematics are detailed and will aid anyone who like to build diorhamas. I do recommend this book.

Great visual drawings!.......2007-05-18

See beyond the locations of the places where all the events take place. You can explore the little sections of what rooms are in the Jedi Temple, the routes from the pod race and more.

Hypnotic Journey into Star Wars.......2007-04-19

Star Wars fans will easily get lost in the fantasy worlds so brilliantly evoked in this book. Thousands of hours have been expended by hugely talented artists and writers to bring to life the small and large details of the Star Wars galaxy.

I'm grateful that someone in the Lucas creative hierarchy gave these artists the go-ahead to add new story exposition and perspective that was never in the movies. Fascinating new detail - did you know that Ben Kenobi had a secret basement in his house on Tatooine? Its shown here, along with what he hides in it. Did you know the Cantina in Mos Eisley was owned by a Wookie who bugs his customer's conversations? Did you know the carbonite freezing chamber in the Cloud City on Bespin was inside the gas processing vane? These and a thousand other details provide the essential Star Wars backstory and immersion craved by true fans.

This a a book to be read and examined slowly, preferably at night before sleeping, because your dreams will be of Star Wars.

awesome buy for Star Wars Fanatics.......2007-01-19

I bought this item for Christmas for my Star Wars fanatic husband. It turned out to be the hit for him and my 2 fanatic boys ages 5 and 8. They haven't stopped looking it over and discovering new trivia.

Complete Book Of Covers From The New Yorker: 1925-1989

Average customer rating:

Eustace and the 3,277 cover versions
Delivery cannot be rated because not gotten yet

Complete Book Of Covers From The New Yorker: 1925-1989
New Yorker Magazine
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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

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Similar Items:

Covering the New Yorker: Cutting-Edge Covers from a Literary Institution

ASIN: 0394578414
Release Date: 1989-11-14

Customer Reviews:

Eustace and the 3,277 cover versions.......2005-10-03

This very large book is sort of redundant now that you can buy 'The Complete New Yorker' (ISBN 1400064740) on eight DVDs and see every cover and page from 4,109 issues. I'll most likely buy the DVDs too, if only to be able to see the covers large and also to have a look at all the ads from the first February 21, 1925 copy onwards.

Still, being able to see the covers on screen is not really the same as opening this lovely book and flipping through the pages. Each year starts on a spread with a selected cover big on the left, the right has a couple of covers above a list of issue dates and the relevant artist, the next two spreads from each year display twenty-four covers 3.25 by 2.5 inches wide and I think this is a reasonable size to appreciate the artwork and follow your favorites.

The New Yorker is probably the only consumer magazine not to have changed its cover design since the start, even the National Geographic eventually junked their yellow border for a more contemporary look. Because the NY doesn't have cover lines the format still works, even down to using the logo typeface designed in the Twenties by the first Art Editor Rea Irvin.

This book is just delightful and you can slowly look through the pages and enjoy the amazing range of artists and styles, the whimsy of Mary Petty or the hard line graphics of Gretchen Dow Simpson. Whoever did the cover the quality is always maintained.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

Delivery cannot be rated because not gotten yet.......2005-09-07

Amazon asked for a rating. But till today I did not get any book so far. Maybe because ist is still on its way to Germany. Still waiting...

Average customer rating:

Excellent read
DEMEAMING, INSENSITIVE, STEREOTYPING, TOO GRAPHIC - JUST NOT CORRECT
Sometimes truth is better than fiction.
Maus
Immensely sad. Full of pathos. An immense work

The Complete Maus
Art Spiegelman
Manufacturer: Penguin Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
In the Shadow of No Towers
Watchmen
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

ASIN: 0141014083

Book Description

Volumes I & II in paperback of this 1992 Pulitzer Prize-winning illustrated narrative of Holocaust survival.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent read.......2007-09-12

I read Maus I and II back in junior high and thought it was really cool that I was reading a book while also reading a comic. I purchased and re-read the boxed set recently when I stumbled upon it on Amazon. It's excellent. Truly a one-of-a-kind story, told in a way that gets the reader engaged in the details of what went on back in World War II. I love the cleverness of the Jews being portrayed as mice and the Nazi soldiers as cats. The only qualm I have with this series is that Maus II (the second and last book) ends rather abruptly, which is sort of understandable if you read the books. Honestly, I wanted more from the author and the storyline. Either way, it was a good read back when I was age 12 and still a good read at age 25.

DEMEAMING, INSENSITIVE, STEREOTYPING, TOO GRAPHIC - JUST NOT CORRECT.......2007-09-01

I just don't understand, how any type of stereotyping, as maus is loaded with it, can be acceptable. Stereotyping like bigotry, can "never" be justified! The graphic nature of this book is also "disturbing." With so many other books out there, I personally am unable to understand why anyone would use this book that offends "other" (3 million Catholic Poles for starters)holocaust victims. Many, many books out there get the job done, without such dark graphics and offending peoples, who were also victims. There are three books that I feel are truly objective, factual and just not as offensive, as Maus is: "Auschwitz," by Sybile Steinbacher, Richard Lukas' "The Forgotten Holocaust," which "objectively" talks about "everyone's" suffering in the holocaust; and finally, Michael R. Marrus' "The Holocaust in History." On Marrus' book: "An ideal introduction to the subject for any student of the Holocaust, and an authoritative summary for the expert." Yehuda Bauer, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem(back cover). With all the suffering and sensitivity on the Holocaust, "all" victims' feelings should be considered - maus does "not" accomplish this.

Sometimes truth is better than fiction........2007-08-21

I stumbled across this a few days ago in a book shop in Cambodia, of all places. I sat transfixed reading the book until 4 a.m., when my eyes could no longer focus. When I awoke the next day, I finished the book.

We are provided with a narrative by the father, a Holocaust survivor, and a more recent portrayal of the author (the son, who happens to be the artist, also). We see the trials and tribulations of his father and his mother as a young Jewish couple in World War 2 era Poland during the Nazi invasion and subsequent occupation.

We also get to share the experience of being the guilty son of Holocaust survivors. He worries about seeing his father as the stereotypical "miserly old Jew." Can he have judgment about people who have suffered through so much? Can he have a bit of animosity towards his parents, as most people tend to do? The author has to question how his mother could have survived the Nazi regime, but committed suicide when he was 20. He has to question the relationship with his father. Is he annoying or pitiful or admirable?

All these muddled emotions and the true story of a man who lived through the most brutal crime of the 20th century all come into play.

The drawings are great. The format is great. The idea to show different races as different animals is also great. Because, as silly as that sounds- isn't even sillier that people see our own races as different creatures?

Maus.......2007-08-10

As a Polish/american/alsacian I need to say this book is amazing. It captures all cultures together and produces the most authentic representation of WW2 I have ever read.

Immensely sad. Full of pathos. An immense work.......2007-06-13

More than a graphic novel. Rather a powerful moving tale of a son's recovery of a father's experience of the years of the holocaust and how this trickled down into contemporary family life. Reflective and immense in scope. I would recommend this book genuinely to anyone interested in what makes life worth living. The vignettes of Spiegelman's father are harrowing and inspiring, accentuated by a matter of fact story telling style. Spiegelman's insertion of his own family into the narrative serves to contrast the relatively normal travails of a modern family with those of families on the edge of survival and extinction.

Panzer Truppen: The Complete Guide to the Creation & Combat Employment of Germany's Task Force-Formations, Organizations, Tactics, Combat Reports, Unit Strengths, sta (Schiffer Military History Book)

Average customer rating:

Superb reference source!
Untainted Excellent Info
Best $50 I've spent
Great Book!
Essential to any WWII historian

Panzer Truppen: The Complete Guide to the Creation & Combat Employment of Germany's Task Force-Formations, Organizations, Tactics, Combat Reports, Unit Strengths, sta (Schiffer Military History Book)
Thomas L. Jentz
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Panzertruppen 2: The Complete Guide to the Creation & Combat Employment of Germany's Tank Force ¥ 1943-1945/Formations ¥ Organizations ¥ Tactics Combat Reports ¥ Unit Strengths ¥ Statistics
Tank Combat in North Africa: The Opening Rounds : Operations Sonnenblume, Brevity, Skorpion and Battleaxe February 1941-June 1941 (Schiffer Military History)
Sledgehammers: Strengths and Flaws of Tiger Tank Battalions in World War II
Germany's Panther Tank the Quest for Combat Supremacy: Development - Modifications - Rare Variants - Characteristics - Combat Accounts (Schiffer Military/Aviation History)
Germany's Tiger Tanks: Tiger I & II : Combat Tactics

ASIN: 0887409156

Book Description

In September of 1939, the world was astounded by Germany's ability to defeat Poland in less than a month. With the world still puzzled by the suddenness of this event, Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium, and France fell in rapid succession to the German onslaught, leaving Britain in shock. Greece and Yugoslavia were rapidly over-run during April of 1941, while German-Italian forces advanced rapidly in North Africa. Russia's turn was next, when German forces began pulverizing their forces in June of 1941. How had Germany achieved victory after victory, often against numerically superior enemy forces? The answer came in two words-Panzer and Blitzkrieg. When and how had Germany built its Panzer forces and trained them for the Blitzkrieg? When was each Panzer unit formed? What was their organization? Why were Panzer units disbursed among the Panzer-Divisions. leichte Divisions, and Armee-Korps? When were the various types of Panzers developed? What were their armament, armor protection, capability? How many of each type were produced? What tactics did they use? How successful were they in combat? This is the only book that provides detailed answers to these and other questions related to how German tankers fought in World War II. Tom Jentz found the answers to these questions bu digging through original records for the past tweny-five years. The content os this book is derived solely from these original records consisting of war diaries, reports, and technical and tactical manuals written during the war. The story is told as recorded by those responsible for decisions in developing the Panzertruppen and by those who fought in the Panzers. As work on this book progressed it became apparent that the story of the Panzertruppen was divided into two distinctly separate phases; offensive and defensive. This first volume presents the offensive phase up to October 1942. A second volume is planned that will cover the defensive phase to the end of the war. Tom Jentz is also the author of Germany's Panther Tank: The Quest of Combat Supremacy(available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.). , over 200 b/w photos, 8 1/2" x 11"

Customer Reviews:

Superb reference source!.......2005-10-17

Thomas Jentz's book proves to be a fantastic source of information regarding the German Panzer forces during World War II. This volume covers the period from the early 1930s to 1942. It uses primary German sources that revealed the evolutionary stages of the German panzer formations, their weapons and numbers as the years rolled by. The book also reflects on German perception of how they did, how their tanks performed and needs for changes.

The book reflects the closeness to the source German material. The author expects the reader to have a fine tune knowledge of the German military prior to reading this book. If you have to look up to see the difference between a Panzer 38(t) to Panzer IVd, this book is probably not for you. The unit organization tables are done in the unfamiliar German symbolism instead of your usual NATO symbols so that can be confusing to the novice.

The book seem to be written for people who wants a greater understanding of the German panzer formations and thier gradual metamorphosis. The second volume covers the second half of the war when the German forces were mostly on the defensive mode.

Overall, highly informative reading material, not for the casual reader since this book don't exactly read like a best seller.

Untainted Excellent Info.......2005-06-10

Fantastic books! The detail and information is great. These are not "spec" books of German tanks. The wonderful inclusion of original correspondence between Beck, Fromm, Guderian, etc is fascinating reading. The extensive usage of original German terminology makes for difficult reading (unless you are fluent in German) but is very much appreciated to avoid errors of translation.

Best $50 I've spent.......2004-08-04

This is perhaps the most usefull book on the German panzer forces in World War II, and anyone interested in the subject needs a copy.

In the first portion of the book, Jentz provides a thorough history of the development and employment of panzer formations. This includes initial formation of the first units, the development of prototypes and early equipment, as well as German armored doctrine and tactics.

The remaining portion of the book covers the employment of the Panzer divisions in war from 1939-1942. In this section, Jentz provides a wealth of information. One very usefull feature is that the organization of panzer companies, battalions, and divisions are tracked (along with the translated text of orders changing the organizations) and presented in tables or figures. Given that the Germans frequently changed the organization of these units, this is very valuable information.

Jentz also presents tank strengths and tank types for each division at the start of major operations as part of orders of battle for the panzer divisions. For example, it is thus possible to quickly look up how many Panzer II tanks were available for the invasion of France, and the amount that each division had.

The end of the book has a number of appendices, which provide data on monthly on-hand strength of each tank as well as technical data on for German and a variety of Allied tanks.

I also strongly recommend Jentz's follow-up to this, which is Panzer Truppen volume II, and covers 1943-1945.

Great Book!.......1999-07-07

I agree with the other reviewers. These two books are excellent! If you have any interest in German panzer, tactics and deployment i strongly recommend you to buy them. The 'combat reports' from the officers writing about there experinence during there fight with the enemy, trying to explain the good and bad how to use there tanks is great and gives you a deeper feeling of the problems they had. A must buy!

Essential to any WWII historian.......1999-05-08

Both this volume and volume 2, are excellent sources of primary documentation. Both use war diary, and after-action reports to describe tactics and weapons evolution. As I said in a review of vol.2, by allowing the crews and their platoon-battalion commanders to speak the book has an immediacy that can't be duplicated in other works of the same subject. The author assumes the reader has at least general familiarity with German operations, and knowledge of German WWII military terms and ranks. Probably not for a general interest reader.

Complete Guide to United States Army Medals, Badges and Insignia - World War II to Present

Average customer rating:

A vital asset to any collector

Complete Guide to United States Army Medals, Badges and Insignia - World War II to Present
Frank C. Foster
Manufacturer: Medals of America Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Complete Guide to United States Navy Medals, Badges and Insignia: World War II to Present
Complete Guide to United States Marine Corps Medals, badges and Insignia: World War II to Present
United States Military Patch Guide
A Complete Guide to United States Military Medals: 1939 to Present Sixth Edition
Encyclopedia of United States Army Insignia and Uniforms

ASIN: 1884452582

Book Description

Features complete full color plates of all US Army decorations, medals , ribbons, badges, and insignia with all criteria.

Full color precedence chart for all US Army awards and ribbons with devices.

Shows insignia and ribbons placement on uniforms for World War II, Korea, Vietnam and present.

Pictures, criteria and specifications of all Army skill and specialty badges.

Customer Reviews:

A vital asset to any collector.......2006-02-22

I make military shadow boxes for people all the time. When I first started I did my grandfathers. All we had was a picture of him in uniform and his discharge paperwork. When I received his info from the VA, it said he was part of the 213th Coast Artillery. I had never heard of such a thing. I spent 2 months writing to Army historians to find out what this was. It took me alomst a year to find the insignia on ebay. When I received this book, it had a section on Coast artillery and showed all of it's insignia! If I had had this book sooner it would've saved me a lot of time. It has lots of detailed information. There's one of these books for each branch of service. I plan to collect them all since people keep showing me civil war, WWI, WII photos with things on the uniforms I've never seen before. Now I just look at the book and there it is.

Eugene O'Neill : Complete Plays 1932-1943 (Library of America)

Average customer rating:

always sneering at someone else
America's greatest plywright at his best!
Best American Play Ever Written

Eugene O'Neill : Complete Plays 1932-1943 (Library of America)
Eugene O'Neill
Manufacturer: Library of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

United States | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Eugene O'Neill : Complete Plays 1920-1931 (Library of America)
Eugene O'Neill : Complete Plays 1913-1920 (Library of America)
Tennessee Williams: Plays 1937-1955 (Library of America)
Arthur Miller: Collected Plays 1944-1961 (Library of America)
Tennessee Williams: Plays 1957-1980 (Library of America)

ASIN: 094045050X

Book Description

eeeeeeeeeeeee

Customer Reviews:

always sneering at someone else.......2001-02-12

I enjoy this collection of plays from Mr Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953). He is considered the first dramatist from the US and is also the first to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. First, I must write that this edition from the LIBRARY OF AMERICA is beautiful. It has a sewn binding, flexible yet strong binding boards covered with a closely woven, rayon cloth and a ribbon bookmark attached to the spine. This volume covers the period 1932-43, marking Mr O'Neill's most well-known work. My favourites are A LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT and THE ICEMAN COMETH. I also enjoy the the Irish flavour of A TOUCH OF the POET. ALDJIN is auto-biographical, as is also A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN. ALDJIN benefits from an eye-witness perspective which makes the characters extremely poignant. I feel an eery shiver as I read the drama, knowing the playwright's life. Like his character Edmund, Mr O'Neill left Princeton after his first year; went to sea, searched for gold in South America and haunted the waterfront bars in Buenos Aires, Liverpool and New York. He drank heavily. The other characters reflect his life also. His father was a successful actor who played but one role, the Count of Monte Cristo, and never became a more serious actor. His mother used morphine and his older brother was an alchoholic. All three died between 1920-23. This play is such a vivid "photograph" it sometimes is painfull for me to read, but at the same time a great reward. If you are interested in dramatists from the US, or in gritty, realistic plays about characters on the the margins of society, this collection will be interesting to you.

America's greatest plywright at his best!.......2000-04-21

This collection of work gives the reader O'Neill, America's greatest playwright, at his most powerful. The two earlier collections are likewise great, but this third one contains his two strongest works: "The Iceman Cometh" and "Long Day's Journey Into Night."

In "The Iceman Cometh," O'Neill creates a world of happy derelicts. They spend their nights and days in Harry Hope's saloon, living through today by drinking and believing in the "pipe dreams" of tomorrow. That is until Hickey comes to town. He forces them, for the first time, to look honestly at their lives. This dose of reality has devestating affects on the patrons of Harry's.

Also included is O'Neill's masterpiece, "Long Day's Journey Into Night." This play, not published or produced in his lifetime, painfully tells the story of his own dysfunctional family. The play's action is one calendar day, but O'Neill, through dialogue, takes the reader back to the origins of their problems. The emotions displayed, which include guilt, envy, pain, cynicism, and love, tears the family apart, while strangely holding them together. Even though the emotions run high, O'Neill does it without employing sentimentality. He is honest without becoming melodramatic. A rare accomplish in literature. A more emotionally rendering work would be hard to find.

These two works are not the only jems the collection contains. "A Moon for the Misbegotten," now running on Broadway, continues the story of his brother, Jamie, who appears in "Long Day's Journey . . ." "Ah, Wilderness!" is a fine coming of age story.

The others also bare the mark of O'Neill's genius. The stories, set in the first half of the twentieth century, are as true today as they were when written. They've persevered and have proven timeless. His characters live with the reader long after the work is finished. And many are well worth a second visit.

Best American Play Ever Written.......1997-11-08

Long Day's Journey Into Night is O'Neill's autobiographical dichotomization of his dysfunctional family. I also happens to be one of the best plays ever written. One would not expect the author to be impartial toward his past or his family: he is either strongly libelous or fondly empathetic. What O'Neill accomplishes is a Golden Mean, it is written with so much integrity, so much compasion and with so much devastating truth that it becomes one of the most emotionally- challenging literary works one is ever likely to read. The four Tyrones' characterization is as broadly affecting as life itself: Jamie, a cynic ruined by dissipation; Mary, one of the best tragic heroines ever created; Edmund, O'Neill's tortured alter-ego; James, an epitomy of the Irish-American presence in US and their blind faith and peculiraly ambivalent optimism. The play is in four acts and it is brillintly crafted; it has all the urgency of a social outcry and all the emotional strength of an epic. O'Neill wrote," God grant me sympathy for the haunted Tyrones." He does sympathize with these people, of course, but he is also soberly realistic: his heroes will forever remain thwarted by the vicious circle of their multi-faceted inadequacy.

Franz Marc: The Complete Works: Volume 2: The Watercolours, Works on Paper, Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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Franz Marc: The Complete Works: Volume 2: The Watercolours, Works on Paper, Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Annegret Hoberg , and Isabelle Jansen
Manufacturer: Philip Wilson Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Franz Marc: The Retrospective

ASIN: 0856675911
Release Date: 2005-10-13

Book Description

Franz Marc (1880-1916) was one of the most important members of the Blue Rider group of painters, together with other outstanding artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Gabriele Muuml;nter, August Macke, Paul Klee and Alfred Kubin. The group marked the high point of German Expressionism and had a profound influence on international art during the brief period from its formation to the beginning of the First World War. This volume, the second of a three-part catalogue raisonneacute; of Franz Marc's work, is devoted to the watercolors, works on paper, sculpture and decorative arts. All the pieces included have been newly researched and documented by the Stauml;dtische Galerie at the Lenbachhaus in Munich. Each entry provides details of technique, provenance, exhibitions and literature.

The Second World War: A Complete History

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Superb Coverage
Excellent Read
Comprehensive one volume history
A MONUMENTAL JOB OF RESEARCH, A WW II BUFF'S VITAL TEXT
ouch, ouch, ouch ...

The Second World War: A Complete History
Martin Gilbert
Manufacturer: Holt Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The First World War, Second Edition: A Complete History
Churchill: A Life
The Holocaust: A History of the Jews of Europe During the Second World War
A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II, New Edition
A Short History of World War II

ASIN: 0805076239

Book Description

A "magisterial" (The New York Times) single-volume history of WWII

It began with the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. By the time it came to an end on V-J Day-August 14, 1945 -it had involved every major power and become global in its reach. In the final accounting, it would turn out to be, in both human terms and material resources, the costliest war in history, taking the lives of thirty million people.
In one brilliant volume, eminent historian Martin Gilbert offers the complete history of the Second World War. With unparalleled scholarship and breadth of vision, Gilbert, the official biographer of Winston Churchill as well as one of the leading experts on the Holocaust, weaves together political, military, diplomatic, and civilian elements to provide a global perspective on the war, in a work that is both a treasure trove of information and a gripping, dramatic narrative.

"In his transmission of the horror of the war, Martin Gilbert has achieved something no other historian but he could. There is indeed a relentless force about chronology when it is used as a tool by an historian of the stature of Martin Gilbert."
-The Sunday Telegraph

"Gilbert's flowing narrative is spiced with anecdotal details culled from diaries, memoirs, and official documents. He is especially skillful at interweaving summaries of military
strategy with vignettes of civilian suffering." -Newsweek

Customer Reviews:

Superb Coverage.......2007-09-09

Excellent read -- the author's style is comfortable so I never felt as if I were immersed in a text book. Thoroughly enjoyed this one from cover to cover.

Excellent Read.......2007-05-25

Not completely finished with it yet, but so far...AMAZING!!!! Don't let the high page count and the small text deter you....it is an easy read and very riveting....keeps you turning the pages. Highly descriptive and detailed. Pretty much a day to day account of the Second World War

Comprehensive one volume history.......2007-05-15

As with all of Martin Gilbert's works, this is an accomplished and polished history of World War II, looking both from a bird's eye view of events, to a closer more intimate picture of so many of those involved.

It details the war in Europe, from the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939, to then effects of the War even today.
The millitary conflict, is set against the backdrop of the genocide by the Nazis of millions of Jews, Gypsies, Poles, Russians , Serbs, 'anti-social elements' and others.

Even before the war, Hitler had boasted that the result of the war, would be the total destruction of European Jewry (echoed today by the threats of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to 'wipe Israel off the map', and his nuclear weapons programme, in order to do this.)
In response to Hitler's persecution of the Jews, Dr Chaim Weizmann, the elder statesman of the Zionist movement, wrote to the British Prime Minister, to declare that the Jews would fight on the side of the democracies against Nazi Germany- his letter was published in The Times on September 6.
The human cost is recorded in harrowing detail. On September 25, the Germans launched Operation Coast. a massive air attack on Warsaw, which dropped a total of seventy incendiary tons on the Polish capital. A Polish officer's wife, Jadwiga Sosnkowska, who later escaped to the West recalled the horrors of that night. Also recorded by Gilbert was the bombing of Belgrade, in which 17 000 civillians were killed in one day.
Gilbert covers the Soviet connivance in the rape of Poland, and quotes from a variety of sources on the holocaust, such as the diaries of Chaim Kaplan and Emanuel Ringleblum.
The power of the German occupation authorities to tyrannize through hunger, fear and terror was unlimited.
We can take inspiration from the words of Winston Churchill to the members of his new government: 'You ask what is our policy? I will say it is to wage war by sea, land and air, with all our might, and with all the strength that G-D can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime.'
This is the stand that leaders of the free world need to take in the war of terror, and against the axis of evil Islamist and Marxist regimes, today, which stands for the destruction of Israel and the West.
Unfortunately in these days of moral relativity and fashionable political correctness, such a stand is not fashionable, hence all the hate directed against brave leaders like President George W Bush, and Tony Blair.
Roosevelt also gave us some wisdom on how to deal with totalitarian states by 'resistance, not appeasement'.
There were always propagandists for Nazi Germany and her agression, such as the propagandist William Joyce, known as Lor Haw Haw, who broadcast pro-Axis messages from Radio Bremen, into Britain.
Gilbert covers antisemitic filth, which has poured from Nazi faucets, which made the holocaust possible, indeed moral denigration encourages physical elimination.
'Even the world of film and entertainment had been dragooned to serve the cause of race hatred.'
This is mirrored in the propaganda against the Jews of Israel, by the extreme Left, the international media, the United Nations, much of the European Union, the Non-Aligned Movement, Third World regimes, universities and leftist academics.
Nazi films such as 'Jud Suss' and the 'Eternal Jew' are mirrored by violently anti-Israel and pro-terror movies like 'Paradise Now', 'documentaries such as John Pilger's 'Palestine Is Still the Issue' and plays like Alan Rickman's 'My Name Is Rachel Corrie'.

The book highlights heros such as the Jewish volunteers from the Land of Israel- Peretz Rosenberg, Hannah Szenes , Enzo Sereni, French heros such as Jean Moulin, British heros such as Noor Inayat Khan, Norwegian heros such as Arne Dahl, and those brave Germans who opposed the Nazis such as Hans Scholl, his sister Sophie Scholl of the White Rose, Pastor Niemoller, Bernhard Letterhaus and Gertrude Seele.
Also villains such as Eichmann, Mengele, Stroop , Hans Frank, the Mufti Haj Amin El Husseini and Rashid Ali of Iraq.
The scale of human cruelty is mindblowing. Even after it was clear that all was over for Hitler and the Nazis, 20 Jewish children were hung on Hitler's birthday, ranging in age from five to twelve years.
The basic message of remembering thse events is that totalitarian evil must be fought without quarter, and that the forces of good must never surrender.

A MONUMENTAL JOB OF RESEARCH, A WW II BUFF'S VITAL TEXT.......2006-09-15

Although overwhelming in its detail, Gilbert's book brilliantly captures the day-by-day evolution of the war on all fronts, which nicely supplements other, more "themed" presentations (such as Keegan's outstanding book). The two running themes that do emerge from the piling on of detail after detail are: 1) the Germans' relentless persecution of the Jews, despite military setbacks and setbacks in prosecuting the war, and 2) the vital role of the codebreakers in helping win specific battles and, ultimately, the war itself. The book must be read in small doses; its cumulative effect is too depressing.

ouch, ouch, ouch ..........2006-07-16

The great Churchill scholar Martin Gilbert's 'complete' history of the Second World War can perhaps be faulted on only one count: plodding.

This weakness in rhetorical strategy is also the virtue that sets this history of the Second War apart from others. A glimpse at the dated chapters in the table of contents is barely enough to prepare the reader for the cumulative impact of marching month by month through this great conflagration. One skips from one military theater to the next, always aligned with the same dates.

Thus, Gilbert allows the crushing burden of *world* war to settle upon the careful reader with devastating effect. One wonders how the world survived.

Survive it did, thanks in part - with apologies to doctrinaire oponents of 'great men' history-making - to decision-makers and opinion-shapers like Gilbert's beloved Churchill. Still, the bulk of this work's attention falls upon the generals. How could it be otherwise in a theater-movement-and-strategy approach? One follows the bloodied paths of armies who follow, to some degree at least, the edicts of generals who see dimly through their glasses and on their HQ maps. This, too, is a reality of war.

I highly recommend this book. It is not the view of the man in the foxhole or the nurse in the dressing station. It is, however, a bird's-eye view of how the world tore itself to pieces and then stopped just before there was nothing left.

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A Compelling Read
The Hop, Skip, and Jump Approach to History
Competent, well written, accurate
World War I from the perspective of the British and British poets
The Good, The Bad and The Disappointing

The First World War: A Complete History
Martin Gilbert
Manufacturer: Holt Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Second World War: A Complete History
The First World War
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The First World War

ASIN: 0805047344

Book Description

A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 1994

It was to be the war to end all wars, and it began at 11:15 on the morning of June 28, 1914, in an outpost of the Austro-Hungarian Empire called Sarajevo. It would end officially almost five years later. Unofficially, it has never ended: the horrors we live with today were born in the First World War.

It left millions--civilians and soldiers--maimed or dead. And it left us with new technologies of death: tanks, planes and submarines; reliable rapid-fire machine guns and field artillery, poison gas and chemical warfare. It introduced us to U-boat packs and strategic bombing, to unrestricted war on civilians and maltreatment of prisoners. most of all, it changed our world. In its wake, empires toppled, monarchies fell, whole populations lost their national identities as political systems and geographic boundaries realigned. Instabilities were institutionalized, enmities enshrined. And the social order shifted seismically. Manners, mores, codes of behavior; literature and the arts; education and class distinctions--all underwent a vast sea change. In all these ways, the twentieth century can be said to have been born on the morning of June 28, 1914.

Customer Reviews:

A Compelling Read.......2007-08-23

I enjoyed reading it immensely. Somewhere between Keegan's sometimes overwhelming numbers and Strachan's daunting compendium lies this humanizing account of the Great War. I'm not enough of a historian to tell you what may or may not be wrong with this book, but I am enough of a reader to say Gilbert has written an informative and engaging page turner. Well done.

The Hop, Skip, and Jump Approach to History.......2007-05-24

Sir Martin Gilbert is Winston Churchill's official biographer and is one of Britain's best historians. He has been prolific in his writing. He has 72 books to his name, and fully deserves the knighthood he received in 1995.

A trademark of Gilbert's history is his use of narrative. Generally, I prefer this approach in what I like to read and what I try to write. Biography, for which Sir Martin is best known, really demands this approach.

This book is well-written. His coverage is broad. He moves easily from the pounding of artillery on the western front, to the high seas where deadly u-boats patrolled. He looks at both sides and covers the social and political impact of this conflict on the various homefronts.

Despite those strengths, I would not recommend this book to the casual reader. Gilbert goes wrong with his use of narrative. It is so overwhelming in this book that it verges on being the literary equivalent of chronology. The problem is that when Gilbert might be discussing an event, say a battle, that transpired over a long period of time, he will spend two paragraphs on that topic and then move to another issue that might be on the other side of the planet. Then two paragraphs later he has moved on to a third topic, and three paragraphs later he brings up a fourth issue. He often will not return to the first event for 10 or 20 pages. The result is that it becomes quite difficult to keep track of what is happening. With his hop, skip and jump approach, readers do get an idea of the relentless crush of the war, but at the expense of comprehension.

Competent, well written, accurate.......2007-05-10

I have perused a good many of the reviews here, and there is, to me, a surprising amount of disdain for the book and its famous author. This is a competently written account of a wildly confusing jumble of five chaotic years, battled on a dozen or so fronts on 4 continents, with North and South America barely missing out. No one book can capture the whole story; if in doubt look at the splendid, lengthy narratives about one battle or one month or one participant. A survey of The Great War is a daunting task, and Gilbert handles it competently, if not brilliantly. His prejudices are on display, as are those of the various reviewers here. Is it the single one best book describing the whole war? I don't think so. But does he do a good job of telling the story? He certainly does.

Its strengths begin with Gilbert's ability to maintain chronology in such a shambles of action and inaction. We bounce from Poland to Mesopotamia to London to Belgium, and he keeps the reader along for this confusing ride. I had no trouble following where we were, or how we got there. Another strength is how he maintains a fairly objective look. What does he think about Pershing's persistence at not rescuing the Allies before he thought the troops were ready? I'm not sure. I have my opinions, but they are mine. The emphasis on poetry is well-done, making many of those mangled corpses into beings we can identify with. The prose flowed well.

On the downside, I found his omnipresent, if not openly stated, damning of the whole enterprise as futile and stupid as unfair. John Keegan believes the First World War, while resulting in a horrific loss of life, did indeed accomplish something worthwhile, and I'm with him. Lives were not sacrificed in vain. Good men challenged bad men. And they won. Aggression in Europe was thwarted. Were these victorious nations, or their leaders, perfect? As we understand morality today, no they were not. Was there much foolishness and carelessness on both sides. Indeed. But was one side clearly better than the other? To that I wholeheartedly agree. The totalitarian states were crushed and, in many cases, replaced with nations that were an improvement. Perfect? How could it be? Certainly the establishment of the Soviet Union was a dismal, bitter, horrific disaster. (though Nicholas was so inept it is quite possible he would have tumbled without the war.) And true, it took another war to completely thwart Germany's quest for European hegemony, but after two crushing losses, the land grab has stopped. Is Europe more stable today? Certainly. Will it ever be Peace and Harmony everywhere? Only in the fantasies of the moral absolutists.

My other critique is the ending. While lengthy, I too was baffled by Germany's collapse in the 1917-18 offensive. They got tired? The losses were staggering. Yet many among the brass, and, to judge by the favor Hitler received, the common soldier, felt they could fight one. I never really got from Gilbert just what it was that caused the German retreat.

Ultimately, no book trying to tell this complex tale can be more than a gloss of the specifics. This is a shiny gloss. Read it to get the background, delve into the many books that discuss the specifics.

World War I from the perspective of the British and British poets.......2007-04-29

Martin Gilbert is a very concise and thoughtful writer and if this book had been properly titled, I would give it 5 stars. However, this is not a "Complete History". I would wager than less than 12 Austro-Hungarians are mentioned by name, but names of British soldiers appear like poppies in Flanders.

The title of this review, in my opinion, reflects the true title of this book. If you wish to read a book about World War I from the British perspective, and more properly from the perspective of the British intelligentsia and poets, this is the perfect book for you.

If you wish to read a book that is truly a "Complete History", try wonderful writers such as Niall Ferguson or John Keegan.

Mr. Gilbert is an excellent writer, despite the negativity of this review. I highly recommend his "Churchill: A Life".

The Good, The Bad and The Disappointing.......2007-02-01

This has been a very absorbing read, very detailed, chronologically ordered account of each sector of this war. Each battle is described right down to almost every single trench fight, while constantly invoking the strategic aim behind the battles.

However, at a soldier's level, this at best is an account of how the British saw the war. How the British felt about the war, and how the British saw other Allies and Enemies seeing the war. While there is enormous amount of coverage of British soldiers' record of letter-writing, diaries and poem-writing (there must be a hundred poems in the book - it seemed like every soldier was a poet at heart), there is not a single mention of any feelings of any other soldier who took part in the war. You want to know what the ordinary German soldier was thinking? Or even Britain's allied French, and American soldiers? You get an acount of what the British thought they were thinking. That's it! And its not for the lack of existence of any record. Its simply that the only research done was from British sources. The only account of any other country taking part in the war, has been of leaders, so you'll find some statements from the Kaiser of Germany, some generals in the French army, Adolf Hitler's letters to his landlord, etc, but no mention of any ordinary soldiers. It was refreshing to read at one point an account of a British soldier writing in his diary how a few German soldiers on the opposite side of the trenches at the frontline let it be known that they too were sick of the war. It finally gave a human face to the "German Soldier". It would have been great to know what a lot of these soldiers were actually writing in letters to their mothers, and what's recorded in the official German history of the war. But there's nothing there. Not for Germans, or the Austrians, or the Turks, and not even for the Allies.

And now for the truly disappointing part: Germans were "cruel" to use poisonous gases. British were forced to use the same gases, such had become the deterioration in mindset caused by the war. Turks and Austrians "butchered" the soldiers, while the naval blockade by British Navy of Germany causing over 80,000 civilians in Germany to die of starvation is mentioned as a matter of fact. Account of Turks handling the British POWs is deeply humanized from the prisoners' letters and poems, talking about the cruelty, but nothing is mentioned of any of the millions other prisoners that any other country possessed.
Churchill was as big a colonist as any other of his time. This is completely over-looked by the British historians, as if this wasn't really a bad thing. It flies in the face of what leaders on the opposite side were trying to do. So while the annexation of Belgium and Serbia and Poland are accounts mentioned in terms that a reader should find disturbing, British proposal of breaking up the Ottomon Empire, handing Syria, Palestine, Baghdad, Basra, Beirut etc to other countries as incentive to join the war should simply be read as military strategy.

If the wording had been the same for annexation of land and killing of people, this book could have been qualified as an impartial history of the First World War.

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