Book Description
Have you been skipping over references to time in the Bible because they seem too confusing? Professor Jack FineganÂ's Handbook of Biblical Chronology clarifies those ancient systems of time reckoning and the biblical passages that use them. Part 1, Principles of Chronology in the Ancient World, describes the origins of basic units of time and surveys the calendars used in the ancient Near East through the Roman era. Part 2, Problems of Chronology in the Bible, discusses major periods of the Old Testament, as well as the lives of Jesus, John the Baptist, and the Apostles Peter and Paul.
This thoroughly revised edition includes a number of improvements over the classic 1964 edition. The text has been updated, expanded, and retypeset. It features more than 190 helpful tables (including 43 new ones), new sections, new datings, full subject and Scripture indexes, a detailed table of contents, and updated bibliographies.
Customer Reviews:
A Great Reference.......2000-12-20
This book is intended to help the sudent of the bible become familiar with the various issues and problems in biblical chronology. It is NOT intended to defend the biblical chronology from divergent chronologies derived from extrabiblical sources. My own area of interest being the Old Testament of patriarchal and Exodus times, I can say that the book does a fantastic job of both revealing difficulties in the biblical chronology as well as offering possibilities for solving those difficulties and preserving the reliability of the biblical record. References to extra-biblical sources are only used when explaining the intrabiblical discrepancies or apparent discrepancies. Finegan has no interest in the Egyptian and near-eastern chronologies in their own rights. He wants only to present the chronology that the bible presents. Finegan accepts the centuries long lifespans of the antedeluvians without a second thought. His aim here is not to convince or defend the validity of any statements in the bible. He only wants to help you see what the bible is telling you. While this makes the book useful to sceptics and the faithful alike, it can be frustrating to those who want to see where the bible measures up against the other ancient chronological sources. I had hoped that the bibliographic references in this book would point me to other works covering the obscure fields of Babylonian and Egyptian chronology, but they do not. If the book had discussed biblical chronology against the backdrop of other systems of chronology, I would have given it five stars. It does do its job of laying out the chronology of the bible perfectly, though, and is a fantastic reference for all students of the bible. Historians of the ancient Middle East might be a bit frustrated, though.
The best book on biblical chronology on the market........1999-06-12
Absolutely essential for straigtening out the chronology associated with Herod's death. Professor Finegan now makes it clear that Herod DID NOT die in 4 B.C. as all of us historians and theologians have thought, but in 1 B.C. This information is indispensible for the student of New Testament history and the chronology of Jesus' life and it illumines one of the darkest periods in the early imperial history of Rome. This volume changes all previous standard works for the past 100 years dealing with the Nativity of Jesus and the history dealing with it. There is much more too for the biblical student. A first class work that every library must have. Professor Finegan must be congratulated (in his 89th year of life) for producing such a splendid and profitable volume of research.
Ernest L. Martin, Ph.D. Academy for Scriptual Knowledge Portland, OR 97825
A necessary revision of a timeless book!.......1999-03-21
Amazingly, at the age of 89, Jack Finegan has revised his 1964 classic and has done a wonderful job! The new book reads a lot like the first edition, but is substantially revised to include many references up to 1996. Sections on Jesus' birth and Herod's death now discuss both the standard dating (nativity before 4 BC), and that of Martin, Keresztes, etc (3/2 BC); Finegan favors the latter dating, as well as 33 AD for the crucifixion. The new section on John the Baptist mainly focuses on the chronology of the cycle of priestly courses, which Finegan seems to over-emphasize. Literature listings and scriptural & subject indexes are each about double the lengths in the first edition. Overall, I find it a very valuable tool with up-to-date information.
Book Description
A wise and witty compendium of the greatest thoughts, greatest minds, and greatest books of all time -- listed in accessible and succinct form -- by one of the world's greatest scholars.
From the "Hundred Best Books" to the "Ten Greatest Thinkers" to the "Ten Greatest Poets," here is a concise collection of the world's most significant knowledge. For the better part of a century, Will Durant dwelled upon -- and wrote about -- the most significant eras, individuals, and achievements of human history. His selections have finally been brought together in a single, compact volume. Durant eloquently defends his choices of the greatest minds and ideas, but he also stimulates readers into forming their own opinions, encouraging them to shed their surroundings and biases and enter "The Country of the Mind," a timeless realm where the heroes of our species dwell.
From a thinker who always chose to exalt the positive in the human species, The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time stays true to Durant's optimism. This is a book containing the absolute best of our heritage, passed on for the benefit of future generations. Filled with Durant's renowned wit, knowledge, and unique ability to explain events and ideas in simple and exciting terms, this is a pocket-size liberal arts and humanist curriculum in one volume.
Customer Reviews:
Inspirational Introduction to Will Durant.......2007-09-09
This was my first introduction to Will Durant and it did not dissapoint. It was a very quick and easy read as well as being both a great historical refresher and a great insight into the mind of this legendary figure. The book includes top ten lists of the greatest thinkers, poets, and peaks of human progress among others. Durant's commentary is very insightful and his selection methodology is well reasoned. This has inspired me to read more of his works and texts from his Top 100 Best Books for Education.
Great CD.....full of wonderful historical info!.......2007-07-03
Will Durant and his wife Ariel devoted over 50 years to the study of history and philosophy; creating 11 sage volumes of "The Story of Civilization."
His dedication and hard work ultimately earned him a Pulitzer Prize in literature, followed by the highest award granted by the United States government to civilians, the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ford in 1977.
Durant endeavored to make history more than just dates committed to memory and to bring our human heritage richly alive in the men and women who've walked before us and influenced our lives.
Often called THE GENTLE PHILOSOPHER, his words are laced with warmth and humor as he brings these great thinkers to life!
His lists include the best books for an education, the ten greatest thinkers, the ten greatest poets, twelve vital dates in human history, and the ten peaks of human progress.
I have listened to this in the car and have learned that I have many books and authors with which I have yet to acquaint myself!
It's read with wit, warmth, and wisdom.
Highly recommended!
"The most interesting thing in the world is another human being who wonders, suffers and raises the questions that have bothered him to the last day of his life, knowing he will never get the answers."
Will Durant
A place to begin.......2007-03-29
As the Durant himself acknowledges, all lists have their limitations. This is no exception; it isn't perfect and never claims to be. That said, it's an excellent starting point for anyone looking to educate themselves on the history of philosophy and culture. It has an unquestionable bent on western authors, but within that bent, he made his choices based on solid reasoning.
Bottom line: you will have begun to give yourself an invaluable education if you read any of the books or authors that Durant suggests. Therefore, this slim volume is worth more than whatever you're about to pay for it.
For all those who slept in their Western Civilzation courses!.......2007-01-25
Heard THE GREATEST MINDS AND IDEAS OF ALL TIME by
Will Durant, a best-selling historian and philosopher, who devoted his
life to studying human history . . . his efforts earned him a Pulitzer
Prize.
Although I never read anything by Durant, this work gave me
a feel for his writing . . . in addition, it made me realize that though
I have spent many years in both undergraduate and graduate education,
I should now return to many books that I missed along the way if
I want to attain a true liberal arts education.
This book is actually a summation of Durant's work . . . it presents
a series of somewhat brief essays with titles ranging from
"The One Hundred Best Books for an Education" to "The Ten Greatest
Thinkers" and including "The Ten Greatest Poets," "The Ten Peaks
of Human Progress" and "Twelve Vital Dates in Human History."
I particularly liked those dealing with people . . . the ones dealing
with dates and events were less interesting.
Overall, I'd recommend THE GREATEST MINDS AND IDEAS OF
ALL TIME, particularly if you slept in or never took a course in
Western Civilization . . . Durant makes the material come alive,
particularly when he makes such observations as the following:
Confucius was one of the top thinkers. (He then explains why.)
You might as well not lived until you have heard Bach's work.
Balzac is almost as illuminating as life itself.
Miss not a word of Flaubert's MADAM BOVARY.
You will marvel at the delicacies of Anatole France.
Meander through the 1,700 pages of WAR AND PEACE.
Poe is a little bit overrated.
Whitman is our only American giant.
hard to follow.......2007-01-15
this seems to jump around alot, good information just hard to follow
Customer Reviews:
A Must Have for French History Students.......2004-03-10
Gordon Wright's "France In Modern Times" is an all-encompassing book about French history from the start of the 1789 Revolution to contemporary times. This book has been required reading in all of my French history classes and with good reason: it clearly defines the main themes of French history in language that everyone can understand. In other words, one does not have to be a professional historian or a graduate student like myself in order to understand the points that Wright is highlighting. Furthermore, Wright gives an outstanding bibliography that enables one to continue their research on the various topics that he discusses within the book. If you are looking for one book on modern French history, this is the one that you should buy!
Average customer rating:
- What Part of Our World are we "Doomed to Repeat"?
- Are there no editors at iUniverse?
- Poorly written but worth the read
- Great book
- Answers all the questions
|
Voices from Legendary Times: We Are a Bridge Between Past and Future
Ellen Lloyd
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
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The Cygnus Mystery: Unlocking the Ancient Secret of Life's Origins in the Cosmos
ASIN: 0595367380 |
Book Description
About the book: What is the connection between lost civilizations, ancient cosmic catastrophes, and extraterrestrial visitations in prehistory? Voices from Legendary Times draws together compelling evidence from archaeology, astronomy, geology, myths, and ancient texts to prove that superior beings from outer space genetically engineered several human races on our planet. . Examines the flaws in the theory of evolution. . Proves that giants were an important, yet now forgotten part of our history. . Explains what really caused the destruction of highly advanced civilizations and continents like Atlantis, Lemuria, and Thule. . Reveals that our ancestors were familiar with flying machines and nuclear weapons. . Shows proof of extraterrestrial contact in the Bible. In the search for lost origins of humanity, Ellen Llyod demonstrates that races of men have inhabited Earth for millions of years, but not all of them were human. Ancient sources describe the past ages as world cycles. The mysteries of the forgotten past reveal that the humans and all living beings have not been created once, but are products of a continuous re-creation process performed and guided by alien gods. Learn why our history is more startling than we could ever imagine!
Customer Reviews:
What Part of Our World are we "Doomed to Repeat"?.......2007-09-27
We, on this planet, are repeatedly told; "He who forgets the Past, is doomed to repeat It; but, if we have already forgotten "it" "or...never even been told "it", where & how do we even start to get "clue one" about what "it"is? Legendary Times definitely gets a person off on the right foot, gets that foot in the door and that toe in the water! The ancient brought to light, & the public.
Legendary Times puts in one place; stories, facts, legends, recovered artifacts, scientific results, & first person accounts of humanity's origins. This compilation is written for the casual reader, yet still contains good clues for a researcher. If Legendary Times has a downside, it can be said to sort of "trail off towards the end" leaving one wishing for more data.
I bought a copy for a friend and find I am always going back to reference a fact.
Are there no editors at iUniverse?.......2007-09-03
There are a lot of problems with this book but the most glaring are the punctuation, sentence fragments and lack of continuity. If this book was translated from another language into English, where were the proofreaders? I've read lots of books translated from other languages that don't have these irritating mistakes.
With that said, I wonder about the research. Among her many assertions, she states that bones of giants found in CA were re-buried in order to suppress the true history of our origin. How does she know this? Though she has sources listed in the back of the book, there are no footnotes to indicate her source for such conclusions. I would think a mathematician, as the jacket states she is, would be more likely to demand proof. Her off-hand conclusions are not based on any arguments or proof that I found in her writing.
I believe there were civilizations prior to the Egyptian/Mesopotamian civilizations but this book is shallow and offers only wild speculation.
Save your money and eyesight.
Poorly written but worth the read.......2007-02-01
This book would be excellent if it were better written. My guess is that English is not the author's primary language. But beneath the annoyingly dropped words (especially "the"), incomplete and awkward sentences, and randomly placed commas is a wealth of substance. The author makes an excellent case that scholars should take cultural myths and legends more seriously, that there are important truths within the stories.
The tour of mysterious sites around the world, along with other evidence of long-lost great civilizations in our distant past, is relatively comprehensive and interesting. Yes, the "ancient astronauts" theory has for some time now been an object of merciless ridicule, but the ever growing body of anomalous evidence, in my opinion, continues to call conventional notions of human origins into question. Although this poorly written book would never suffice in an academic setting, it most certainly can serve well to introduce the reader to related theories proposed by the likes of Velikovsky, Alford, Hancock, Sitchen, and of course the controversial and giggle-factor encrusted popularizer, Erich von Daniken. If one is willing and able to push aside the ridicule, approach these theories objectively (and also tolerate annoying grammatical errors and typos) for the sake of understanding content, buy Voices, for it serves as a very good compilation of evidence proposed supporting ancient astronauts related claims.
Great book.......2006-08-10
[...]
Voices from Legendary Times by Ellen Lloyd
I have to be honest from the start, I am not a lover of books that deal with visiting "crafts" from outer space as an answer to the mysteries of the past. Ever since reading Daniken's book I always felt that many statements and claims were made without the evidence to back them up, and yet Ellen Lloyd has done a superb job in uncovering a huge and bewildering amount of
data. This is not just a simple tale claiming that ships landed on the pyramids of Giza, no, this is a really good and clever investigation into hundreds of mysteries, from the Hopi indians to the Maya, oh yes, and a really good read.
There are the infamous authors on extraterrestrial visitation such as Sitchin and Daniken with all their flaws and there are many unsung authors such as Ellen Lloyd who deserve to have their voices heard. The simple reason being that Ellen has done more research and uncovered more enigmas than Sitchin and Daniken put together and all this in one book. From the
moment Ellen steps into the "theory of evolution" she had me hooked because I associated with her as she ripped it to shreds. And then, without blinking she moved headlong into a territory many so-called authors would fear to
tread - Atlantis. In her cleverly deduced assumption there was much more to this ancient tale than previously believed - not least of which involved much more advanced technical abilities in ancient times.
Whatever your thoughts on little green men; whether you think there's something at Area 51 or not, you will be hooked by this well-written book that far surpasses the many other ET books I have read before. This is not a "it happened to me" story, but a really serious investigation into areas academics fear to tread and for that alone Ellen deserves applause.
Philip Gardiner, 2006
Answers all the questions.......2006-06-05
As a true supporter of the ancient astronauts' theory, I find this book a great contribution to this field. For me personally, the AAS theory answers all the crucial questions regarding mankind's past. Who are we, were do we come from, who created us and why?
I hope that Ellen Lloyd will keep up her good work and continue where Däniken and Sitchin left off. I look forward to her next book.
Ian Martin,
London, UK
Customer Reviews:
DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK.......2007-02-28
BBC NEWS says it all:
Last Updated: Tuesday, 27 February 2007, 17:03 GMT
Paedophile freed for Dracula book
Kurt Treptow served nearly five years in jail (pic: PRO IMAGE)
An American historian jailed in Romania for paedophile offences has been released more than two years early because he wrote a book about Dracula.
According to the law, Kurt Treptow was entitled to early release because his writing counted as work in prison.
He published a book about Vlad III Dracul, the Romanian prince who inspired the Dracula legend.
Mr Treptow had served nearly five years of his seven-year sentence for "sexual relations with minors".
His lawyer, Liviu Bran, denied that he wrote the book to get out of prison, saying that a board of historians had reviewed it and concluded it was an "original scientific piece of work".
Political connections
In 2002 Mr Treptow was convicted of having sex with two underage girls and possession of child pornography. A Romanian woman accomplice, Tatiana Popovici, is still in jail.
At the time of his arrest in 2002, Mr Treptow was director of the Centre for Romanian Studies in Iasi.
It was housed in a building belonging to the Romanian Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE).
Mr Treptow had been a Fulbright scholar in Romania before 1989, during the communist regime.
He wrote a book on the Romanian dictator, Ion Antonescu, who had been an ally of the Nazis during World War II.
After 1990 he was close to the left-wing government of former President Ion Iliescu and especially to Ioan Talpes, a former head of the SIE and chief presidential adviser.
Not bad but less pricey books can be found.......2003-11-14
This is a nice scholarly book just teeming with footnotes and it made me feel like I was in college again. It could have contained a little more info and a little less footnote. It very well might have some snippets that the other books don't, but McNally and Florescu books have a wealth of information for much less money. For example "In Search of Dracula" is about $10 to $15 with shipping vs. this book at $40.00 or so. It is a good book, but not worth the price for the information that it contains.
Vlad III Dracula: The Life and Times of the Historical.......2003-09-29
Buy it! If you're a serious student (casual readers may be intimidated by the massive amount of footnotes), get this one. If one could own four books on Dracula they should be the Florescu-McNally books and this one.
This volume is well-written and heavily footnoted, with an extensive bibliography; one does wish certain chapters (such as the chapter on Dracula's relations with the church,) were a bit longer, however the only real drwaback is that many of the works cited in the footnotes and bibliography are by Romanian authors, hence, not available to the majority of nonspecialist readers, however, most Romanian quotations are also rendered in English.
This volume represents the latest in Dracula scholarship. Author Treptow attempts to portary Vlad as objectively as possible, divorced from the Stoker/vampire connection.
The book itself is very handsome; black hardback cover with imitation gold leaf; color dust jacket; and an attached cloth bookmark. And the illustrations by artist Octavian Ion Penda in the style of medieval/renaissance woodcuts, in imitation of Holbein's work, add to the book's overall attractiveness. The price can't be beat, either. All-in-all, a worthy addition to Dracula studies.
A scholarly biography.......2001-01-13
I'm a history professor who's teaching a course on Dracula next semester. I've already ordered Florescu's Prince of Many Faces and McNally's In Search of Dracula as required reading. I've attempted to read everything in English on Dracula.
I then found Treptow. From the very first page he avoids the tendency to sensionalize Vlad III. He avoids using documents that are suspicious, like other historians. He tells us how he came to the conclusion that they are not trustworthy. He attemps to set Vlad's action within their proper context. When I finished the book, I knew that I had read the best biography on Dracula now in existence.
The best of the Dracula biographies.......2000-11-03
Having acquired a passing interest with the "real" Dracula, it was nice to find a detailed historical account more in the vein of academics than popular culture. If you have a causal interest in Vlad then this book will be more than you want to handle. But if you are ready to deal with an in-depth consideration of the Impaler, you cannot do better than this volume.
Book Description
Are we alone in the Universe? From the furor over Percival Lowell's claim of canals on Mars at the beginning of the century to the more recent controversial rock from Mars and the sophisticated Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), the prospect of otherworldly life has often titillated and occasionally consumed science and the public. The search for planetary systems, the quest to explain UFOs, and inquiries into the origin of life have fueled an abundance of popular and scientific literature. They have also provided Hollywood with fodder for some of the most popular films of our time, including ET, Aliens, Independence Day, and Contact. Lucid and accessible, Life on Other Worlds chronicles the history of the twentieth-century extraterrestrial debate. Putting the latest findings and heated controversies into a broader historical context, Steven Dick documents how the concept of extraterrestrial intelligence is a world view of its own--a "biophysical cosmology" that seeks confirmation no less than physical views of the Universe. The debate rests at the very limits of science, and attempts at confirmation only illuminate the nature of science itself. Dick shows that appreciating the history of the debate enables a better understanding of the nature of science, and is central to any forward-looking view of religion and philosophy. For anyone interested in a look over the edge of scientific discovery, Life on Other Worlds provides the exciting tale behind the greatest debate in the twentieth century. Dr. Steven J. Dick is an astronomer and historian of science at the U.S. Naval Observatory. He is the author of Plurality of Worlds: The Origins of the Extraterrestrial Life Debate from Democritus to Kant (Cambridge, 1982) and Biological Universe (Cambridge, 1996).
Customer Reviews:
An investigation of what is the most important question.......2001-05-16
Life, what makes it different from other matter and how it began on Earth are the major questions that have faced humans since we evolved the ability to ask questions. Given recent studies that indicate it arose very early on Earth and it is extremely tenacious once it exists, there is nothing to suggest that it would not arise on other planets, if they exist. Astronomers have pushed the envelope and there is now conclusive evidence that there are planets revolving around many other stars. Therefore, current thinking is that there is no evidence contrary to the likelihood of microbial life on many other planets. Of course, while the discovery of microbes on other worlds would be one of the biggest discoveries ever, the real point of interest is the presence of intelligent life. Conclusive evidence, particularly physical contact, would forever change every aspect of how humans approach all facets of religious, ethical and social behavior.
As I read this book and followed the arguments about the likelihood of extraterrestrial life, I was profoundly affected by what I read. To me, the most amazing fact is how quickly life arose on Earth after it cooled to a temperature that would allow it. The oldest known fossils are 3.7 billion years old. Given that this is at most 500 million years after it was possible, this indicates that life may arise quickly. Contrast this with the 3.7 billion years it took for intelligence to evolve and you cannot help but be impressed. Following the stated arguments about the remote probability of life spontaneously developing and you are left with three possibilities: the probabilities are wrong and life arises easily; there was some form of intervention in the creation of life on Earth or the nearly impossible random miracle occurred. Of these possibilities, the third is the least convincing and the first two both strongly indicate the presence of life on other worlds.
However, the topics are not restricted to the scientific study of extraterrestrial life. One chapter is devoted to the presence of extraterrestrials in literature and another to the extraterrestrial explanation for UFOs. The idea of life on other worlds has been around for some time, although religious doctrines made it very dangerous to speak of it until after the power of the Catholic church was weakened. It is interesting to read of many scientists arguing, although indirectly, that life can exist elsewhere. The chapter on UFOs was quite interesting. While the extraterrestrial hypothesis is rightly dismissed out of hand, it is acknowledged that some represent events that science cannot currently explain and for that reason, should be the object of serious study.
There is a major investigation currently under way that unitizes software that anyone can download to their machines. It runs as a screen saver and sifts through captured radio data looking for signals from another civilization. The web site is http://setiathome.berkeley.edu and I am proud to say that my current ranking is in the top ten percent based on the amount of data analyzed. I encourage you to join the effort and hopefully make the consequences of a successful search described in chapters seven and eight a reality.
This is a book that explores some of the deepest questions that humans try to answer. In many ways, answers one way or another would be equivalent to a spiritual awakening.
A fine introduction to the ET debate and its implications.......2001-02-21
Steven Dick have given the general reader a first rate overview of the contemporary debate over extraterrestrial life. The book is an academic contribution, but is accessible to the non-specialist.
He may be at his best in describing what he calls "the biophysical cosmology," which has functioned as a wide-ranging worldview for many of its advocates. The book combines first hand astronomical experience with sophisticated philosophical and sociological reflection.
He describes warring parties in careful, measured prose, and doesn't grind any axes. I especially appreciate his treatment of the theological reflections on and implications of the debate--a discussion often ignored in popular treatments of the debate over extraterrestrial life. I highly recommend this book.
Could use some work.......1999-12-13
Steven Dick covers a lot of interesting material in a variety of fields. However, the author has a tendency to write extensively in the passive voice, making it very slow reading. He also has a tendency to drop lots of names at once. This makes it extremely difficult to follow at times.
Toward a new view of the universe.......1999-11-21
In recent years, scientists have moved toward a new worldview. The universe now seems much friendlier to life than it was in the old cosmology of lifeless rocks and stars. Steven Dick captures this new worldview in LIFE ON OTHER WORLDS. It is breathtaking in its broad sweep of decades of debate and progress, and highly relevant for understanding today's science. This abridgment and update of "The Biological Universe" is even easier to read than the longer version.
Excellent discussion of the current status of Astrobiology.......1999-08-18
This book covers the topic of science and theology and the field of Astrobiology in a comprehensive manner. It is thorough in the discussion of most aspects of the debate on life elsewhere in the Universe. I look forward to future discussions by this writer as the fields of physics, biology, astronomy, and mathematics reveal the complex origins of biological life in the Universe and couple it with the realization the creation is not a singular event. It continues as you read this review.
Customer Reviews:
A superlative book.......2001-11-13
I think that it would be very hard to classify this as a picture book. The text is truly tremendous and the accompanying illustrations were excellent.
I certainly look forward to collecting the books in this Time-Life series.
A researcher's dream.......2000-04-07
This is one of those rare books which explores both the micro and macro of the period. It discusses the major historical events of the time in great detail. But it also paints a picture of everyday life of the common man/woman. The information is abundant and accompanied with vivid graphical representations which aid in learning about this place and time in history.
Amazon.com
Taking a more extensive view of the American war in Indochina than have many other historians, Robert Schulzinger begins his well-crafted account at the end of World War II. The collapsing Japanese and French empires had created a political vacuum that could be filled only by a nationalist movement--one that, in Vietnam's case, was also communist. American involvement, he writes, was questionable from the start. He quotes Dean Rusk, an architect of Kennedy and Johnson administration war policies, as saying that his greatest mistake was overestimating the patience of the American people and underestimating that of the Vietnamese. That was but one in a long series of miscalculations over three decades, and Schulzinger's book admirably relates the sad history of that conflict.
Book Description
Even after two decades, the memory of the Vietnam War seems to haunt our culture. From Forrest Gump to Miss Saigon, from Tim O'Brien's Pulitzer Prize-winning Going After Cacciato to Robert McNamara's controversial memoir In Retrospect, Americans are drawn again and again to ponder our long, tragic involvement in Southeast Asia. Now eminent historian Robert D. Schulzinger has combed the newly available documentary evidence, both in public and private archives, to produce an ambitious, masterful account of three decades of war in Vietnam--the first major full-length history of the conflict to be based on primary sources. In A Time for War, Schulzinger paints a vast yet intricate canvas of more than three decades of conflict in Vietnam, from the first rumblings of rebellion against the French colonialists to the American intervention and eventual withdrawal. His comprehensive narrative incorporates every aspect of the war--from the military (as seen in his brisk account of the French failure at Dienbienphu) to the economic (such as the wage increase sparked by the draft in the United States) to the political. Drawing on massive research, he offers a vivid and insightful portrait of the changes in Vietnamese politics and society, from the rise of Ho Chi Minh, to the division of the country, to the struggles between South Vietnamese president Diem and heavily armed religious sects, to the infighting and corruption that plagued Saigon. Schulzinger reveals precisely how outside powers--first the French, then the Americans--committed themselves to war in Indochina, even against their own better judgment. Roosevelt, for example, derided the French efforts to reassert their colonial control after World War II, yet Truman, Eisenhower, and their advisers gradually came to believe that Vietnam was central to American interests. The author's account of Johnson is particularly telling and tragic, describing how president would voice clear headed, even prescient warnings about the dangers of intervention--then change his mind, committing America's prestige and military might to supporting a corrupt, unpopular regime. Schulzinger offers sharp criticism of the American military effort, and offers a fascinating look inside the Nixon White House, showing how the Republican president dragged out the war long past the point when he realized that the United States could not win. Finally, Schulzinger paints a brilliant political and social portrait of the times, illuminating the impact of the war on the lives of ordinary Americans and Vietnamese. Schulzinger shows what it was like to participate in the war--as a common soldier, an American nurse, a navy flyer, a conscript in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, a Vietcong fighter, or an antiwar protester. In a field crowded with fiction, memoirs, and popular tracts, A Time for War will stand as the landmark history of America's longest war. Based on extensive archival research, it will be the first place readers will turn in an effort to understand this tragic, divisive conflict.
Customer Reviews:
Solid historical overview of Vietnam and U.S. involvement .......2005-08-19
This is worth while reading for anyone interested in how the U.S. and it's political leaders, step by step, led the country into the tragedy that was Vietnam. The antecedents really go back to the end of WW II and is a long complicated story that involves the administrations of six presidents. Although this book is a fairly high level look at Vietnam (it would take more than one book to do otherwise), the author does do a good job of pulling the many threads together in to a fairly coherent story. The war in Vietnam generated strong emotions then and still does for some people, but I appreciate that the author tells the story of the war in a fairly straight forward manner. I have over 30 books on Vietnam in my book collection (I'm a Vietnam vet) and this book is a solid addition to that collection and I would recommend to anyone who is interested in the subject.
Revisionist History With Right-Wing Bias.......2004-12-06
In his account of the war in the last months of 1963, the author contradicts himself and reveals a right-wing bias. He acknowledges that Kennedy never committed combat troops to Vietnam, and never committed to commit them, and says rather that Kennedy simply "retained the option of ordering just such a deployment at a later date." But the author then contradicts himself and reveals his anti-Kennedy bias by asserting that "Kennedy bequeathed a terrible legacy to his successor, Lyndon Johnson. The United States was committed to participation in a civil war in Vietnam without guarantees of success." This opinion is rubbish. The United States was not committed to any course of action in Vietnam when Johnson took over. Johnson, not Kennedy, bears the responsibility for the decisions Johnson made as President.
The author recites but ignores the fact that, when Kennedy was assassinated, there were only 16,000 U.S. military personnel in Vietnam--all advisors or support personnel, no combat troops--as opposed to the 565,000 combat troops Johnson committed. The author acknowledges that, shortly before he was killed, Kennedy told a top aide and the Senate Majority leader that he intended to withdraw completely from Vietnam after the 1964 election. The author dismisses these statements as "represent[ing] more the musings born of the frustrations of dealing with Diem than an acceptance of a communist triumph." Absolutely no factual basis is provided for this assertion.
If you hate Kennedy and enjoy revisionist histories, buy this book. Otherwise, keep looking for a real history.
Good, depending on what you're looking for.......2001-06-27
This book is a very good political (not military) history of the war. It's based on U.S. archives, so it's told entirely from the perspective of U.S. policymakers, even when discussing French or Vietnamese events. Also, although the book is about as objective as possible, you really can't leave politics behind when you write about Vietnam. Schulzinger believes that the United States could not have won the war; that we got involved out of misguided good intentions rather than evil motives; and that the Vietminh and Vietcong were homegrown liberation movements, not puppets of the Soviets or Chinese. Those are common and reasonable views, so I'm just saying know what you're getting. Overall, I preferred Karnow's Vietnam to this book. Karnow's politics and focus (U.S. policymakers) is similar. Schulzinger, a historian, has better command of the written source materials, but Karnow, a journalist in Vietnam during the war, is a better writer and rounds out the story with his own observations. Still, with all those caveats, this is a very readable and informative book.
A much-needed study of the Vietnam War.......2000-07-10
The conflict in Vietnam was one of the most divisive foreign policy issues in our nation's history. The events which led up to full-scale American involvement in Vietnam vividly illustrated this divisiveness; a divisiveness which would change politics in America and the way in which Americans would look at their government. Robert D. Schulzinger's book, "A Time for War:The United States and Vietnam, 1941-1975", presents a comprehensive and analytical narrative on a war which is still hard for historians and the public to fully understand and interpret. Schulzinger brilliantly portrays U.S. involvement in Vietnamese affairs by analyzing how presidents and their national security teams from Roosevelt to Ford handled foreign policy concerning Vietnam. The objectivity of the book is very important and refreshing and interestingly points out how so many politicians and foreign policy experts predicted the eventual outcome of U.S. military involvement. Schulzinger's analysis of Johnson and his relations with advisors such as Robert McNamara, Walt Rostow, and McGeorge Bundy, tell of a president who knew what he was getting the country into but could not look beyond the short term effects of his decisions. By 1967-68, the war totally consumed Johnson and a point of no return was reached. Schulzinger also points out that the various South Vietnamese regimes failed to give proper support and encouragement to U.S. efforts. U.S. involvement in Vietnam was much too often taken for granted and this was a serious flaw in relations between Saigon and Washington. Unity and sense of nationalism were severely lacking in South Vietnam. Schulzinger's book provides a well-rounded and comprehensive analysis of a difficult time in American history. His primary source research was well done and the objectivity of the book was truly refreshing. The only drawback to the book is that one can easily get lost in his discussions of politics and diplomatic maneuvering. It also might have behooved the author to cover the American soldiers' experiences a little more as well. But, overall, this is a book which definitely stands out among Vietnam historiography.
A clear-cut history of the rationale for the Vietnam debacle.......1998-09-16
Dr. Schulzinger's book is the first of a two-part series on the history of Vietnamese resistance. While A Time For Peace is still being written, the prequel, A Time for War clearly describes the hows and whys that caused, first the French, and then the Americans to become embroiled in a controversial conflict that would divide their nations. Although some of Shulzinger's conclusions can be considered suspect (who could ever say that President Diem was not corrupt?), overall, the treatment is well-done.
Book Description
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen is one of the most popular novelists in the English language and her work is more popular today than ever before. The wit and romance of her writing captivate television and cinema audiences worldwide, while boosting the readership of the novels themselves. In an age when attention spans are low and fast, furious action drama overwhelms television and movie audiences, the sheer romance of Jane Austen adaptations has continued to prove itself at awards ceremonies. But who was Jane Austen and what sort of world did she inhabit? Maggie Lane, a respected Austen authority and a committee member of the Jane Austen Society, takes a look at the historical and social period in which Jane Austen was writing ? a time when England was developing into a colonial power, while George III sank into madness and the Regency took hold. Elsewhere, the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars raged and the New World was developing.
Customer Reviews:
A good resource for Jane Austen/Regency lovers, but ..........2007-03-20
This is an enjoyable flip-through for Jane Austen and Regency lovers, but because the format limits the length of any entry, it is a rather abbreviated overview without a lot of depth. Many of the entries had me yearning for more information, especially those items about social mores, society, relationships within the family, etc.
An Excellent Retelling of Her Life and Times.......2006-08-23
These days many books come along that discuss specific influences on Jane's writing such as poets, other authors, politics and social customs. This book allows a return to the overview of her story. The hard cover book is 8 x 11 in. which makes it easy to be a coffee table presentation or to read in a comfortable upright chair or even in bed (Yes, I do it!) Six well written chapters choronical her life, who she was, what it was like to live in Regency England, the society and spirit of her times, what her country was like, and her influence through the ages especially via her six novels and in the recent movies and television productions. For the old timers who have followed Jane Austen for some time or for the new comers wanting to know more, this is the book for you.
Helped me understand Jane Austen's novels better.......2002-05-24
This is a really great book. I'm a fan of Jane Austen and have read all her novels but there were many things in them that I didn't understand because I didn't know the culture, customs and history of that time. Just one small example--Mr. Darcy hands his letter to Elizabeth Bennett instead of mailing it. Apparently unmarried men and women did not correspond with each other unless they were relatives or engaged to be married. Another example--balls and dances were a primary way for unmarried people to meet and socialize and one of the few ways they could talk alone to each other (while on the dance floor). So the balls/dances in Jane Austen's books are much more significant than I realized.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand Jane Austen's novels better.
Worth It!.......2001-10-31
This books is so informative! Easy to read, lots of information about the Georgian and Regency Eras, very informative. It goes into depth about Jane Austen's time and her life. It talks about everything from the Army, to everyday life, to the madness of King George, fashion, etc.. So much info! If you're into history or Jane Austen, you'll like this book.
Worth It!.......2001-10-31
This books is so informative! Easy to read, lots of information about the Georgian and Regency Eras, very informative. It goes into depth about Jane Austen's time and her life. It talks about everything from the Army, to everyday life, to the madness of King George, fashion, etc.. So much info! If you're into history or Jane Austen, you'll like this book.
Book Description
"For people who still are wondering what was happening to the conscience of the West toward Bosnia since 1991,
This Time We Knew: Western Responses to Genocide in Bosnia is must reading."
--Universal Press Syndicate
"
This Time We Knew is a work of scholarship that aspires to be an act of conscience -- and succeeds in its aspirations."
--Los Angeles Times
We didn't know. For half a century, Western politicians and intellectuals have so explained away their inaction in the face of genocide in World War II. In stark contrast, Western observers today face a daily barrage of information and images, from CNN, the Internet, and newspapers about the parties and individuals responsible for the current Balkan War and crimes against humanity. The stories, often accompanied by video or pictures of rape, torture, mass graves, and ethnic cleansing, available almost instantaneously, do not allow even the most uninterested viewer to ignore the grim reality of genocide.
And yet, while information abounds, so do rationalizations for non-intervention in Balkan affairs - the threshold of real genocide has yet to be reached in Bosnia; all sides are equally guilty; Islamic fundamentalism in Bosnia is a threat to the West; it will only end when they all tire of killing each other - to name but a few.
In
This Time We Knew, Thomas Cushman and Stjepan G. Mestrovic have put together a collection of critical, reflective, essays that offer detailed sociological, political, and historical analyses of western responses to the war. This volume punctures once and for all common excuses for Western inaction.
This Time We Knew further reveals the reasons why these rationalizations have persisted and led to the West's failure to intercede, in the face of incontrovertible evidence, in the most egregious crimes against humanity to occur in Europe since World War II.
Contributors to the volume include Kai Erickson, Jean Baudrillard, Mark Almond, David Riesman, Daniel Kofman, Brendan Simms, Daniele Conversi, Brad Kagan Blitz, James J. Sadkovich, and Sheri Fink.
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments1. Introduction - By Thomas Cushman, Stjepan G. Mestrovic
2. The Complicity of Serbian Intellectuals in Genocide in the 1990s - By Philip J. Cohen
3. Bosnia: The Lessons of History? - By Brendan Simms
4. No Pity for Sarajevo; The West's Serbianization; When the West Stands In for the Dead - By Jean Baudrillard
5. Israel and the War in Bosnia - By Daniel Kofman
6. The Politics of Indifference at the United Nations and Genocide in Rwanda and Bosnia - By Michael N. Barnett
7. The West Side Story of the Collapse of Yugoslavia and the Wars in Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina - By Slaven Letica
8. Serbia's War Lobby: Diaspora Groups and Western Elites - By Brad K. Blitz
9. Moral Relativism and Equidistance in British Attitudes to the War in the Former Yugoslavia - By Daniele Conversi
10. The Former Yugoslavia, the End of the Nuremberg Era, and the New Barbarism - By James J. Sadkovich
11. War and Ethnic Identity in Eastern Europe: Does the Post-Yugoslav Crisis Portend Wider Chaos? - By Liah Greenfeld
12. The Anti-Genocide Movement on American College Campuses: A Growing Response to the Balkan War - By Sheri Fink
13. Western Responses to the Current Balkan War - By David Riesman
Appendix 1. A Definition of Genocide
Appendix 2. Text of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
Appendix 3. Indictments by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
Customer Reviews:
An intellectual tour de force!.......2004-10-07
Cushman and Mestrovic demonstrate without a doubt that the war in Bosnia was a genocide. They provide unequivocal proof and overwhelming evidence that the war in Bosnia was not a civil war but a clear case of a Serbian aggression. This book offers an exhaustive account of the most egregious crimes committed in Europe since World War II. By arguing that the West not only failed to protect the Bosnian Muslims but also denied them the right to defend themselves by imposing the weapon embargo, Cushman and Mestrovic masterfully analyze the West's inability to put an end to the bloodshed. Thus, by imposing the weapon embargo, the West in effect denied the Bosnian Muslims the right to defend themselves. Facing an extremely powerful Serbian aggressor, the Bosnian Muslims were practically powerless and defenseless. Furthermore, this book shatters once and for all the myth of collective guilt, i.e. the equal guilt of all three sides in Bosnia. As Mestrovic and Cushman correctly point out, only the Serbs in Bosnia committed systematic war crimes including rapes and torture in an attempt to cleanse the area of all non-Serbs and create a "Greater Serbia". The evidence in support of these claims is abundant and has been extremely well documented by many fact-finding organizations including the Human Rights Watch, the Amnesty International, the War Tribunal in the Hague etc. One of the most gruesome massacres in Europe since World War II took place in Srebrenica. Led by the notorious war criminal Ratko Mladic, the Serb forces killed approximately 10,000 Muslims, one of which was my grandfather. My grandmother survived the massacre and was able to give a detailed account of the true scenes from hell. Following their own official investigation into the events in Srebrenica, Bosnian Serb officials just recently acknowledged that they were responsible for the massacre. It took them eight years to issue an official apology. As a result of the Serbian aggression, approximately 250,000 people were killed and many expelled from their homes.
In conclusion, this book provides a meticulously researched account of the most abhorrent crimes in Europe since World War II. It offers compelling evidence and countless examples that the war in Bosnia was a genocide. It completely destroys the myth that the war in Bosnia was a civil war. Strongly recommended!
The cover says it all........1998-11-20
The book cover shows who is responsible for this war. Draped in Serb paraphenilia, thugs like those pictured here, destroyed Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and now Kosovo and Vojvodina. What many refuse to acknowledge is the West's gross involvement in these wars and their overt and covert support for the thugs in the picture.
Excellent, well-researched........1998-06-09
Once again Mestrovic brings together some of the best writers and historians to put the wars in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina into context. Everyone should read this book!!!
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- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Books Index
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