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 New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories (2 Vol. Set)

Average customer rating:

The Best Annotated Holmes Collection Available
conan doyle changed police procedure from beating todeduction
BEAUTIFUL! ~~An HONOR to Doyle, and to HOLMES!
Masterful
Excellent production, could have been bound better

The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories (2 Vol. Set)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0393059162

Book Description

A cause for international celebration—the most important Sherlock Holmes publication in four decades.

This monumental edition promises to be the most important new contribution to Sherlock Holmes literature since William Baring-Gould's 1967 classic work. In this boxed set, Leslie Klinger, a leading world authority, reassembles Arthur Conan Doyle's 56 classic short stories in the order in which they appeared in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century book editions. Inside, readers will find a cornucopia of insights: beginners will benefit from Klinger's insightful biographies of Holmes, Watson, and Conan Doyle; history lovers will revel in the wealth of Victorian literary and cultural details; Sherlockian fanatics will puzzle over tantalizing new theories; art lovers will thrill to the 700-plus illustrations, which make this the most lavishly illustrated edition of the Holmes tales ever produced. The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes illuminates the timeless genius of Arthur Conan Doyle for an entirely new generation of readers. 700+ illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

The Best Annotated Holmes Collection Available.......2007-08-14

Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories are widely available in numerous editions, but this one stands out for three reasons. First, there is a superb introudction of over 60 pages ("The World of Sherlock Holmes"); second, there are numerous original illustrations, photographs of the scenes of the stories, and so on; third, and most important, the annotations--which are extensive--include both real facts about the Victorian world that one needs to know to understand the stories *and* "Sherlockiana".

For example, when, in "the Adventure of the Beryl Coronet", a mysterious nobleman asks a banker for "a trifling sum" of 50,000 pounds, the modern reader might shrug--surely 50,000 pounds *is* indeed a "trifling sum" for a rich nobleman?--until one realizes, as the annotations say, that it would be over $6,000,000 today. The annotators do an excellent job with such factoids: less and some of the stories' references would remain obscure; more and they would become pedantic.

What really sets it apart, however, are the "Sherlockian" annotations, which pretend "A. C. Doyle" was Watson's pen name and that the stories describe real events--and makes up theories to explain apparent contradictions or omissions. For example, in "The Man with the Twisted Lip", Watson's wife calls him "James" (instead of "John"). Why? The obvious answer--Doyle made a slip--is, of course, not allowed by the rules of the Sherlockian "game". The annotators give three pages to summarising the numerous theories Sherlockians offered--from claiming "James" was Watson's middle name, to claims it was her lover's name (thus also "discovering" Waton's middle name, and/or explaining why he seems to have left his wife).

Even if you have no interest at all in such intellectual games, the photographs and illustrations, the historical introduction, and the factual annotations alone more than justify a "five stars" rating. If you *are* interested in Shelockiana, these books are more than that--they're an instant classic, sure to be the "standard edition" of Sherlock fans for years to come.

conan doyle changed police procedure from beating todeduction .......2007-08-10

Conanan Doylechanged police from bribers of low life to rat on others or to beat confessions from poorly educated or low intelligence souls tothose who sought to know the facts.The facts came from evidence of all sorts, witnesses,debris on the scene, or from the area or arena of suspects o those involved. The courts the\n rejected evidence that was tainted.This included statements from tortured or possibly tortured persons that was not corrobrated by tangible evidence. So today we have a system that is closer to trying to get the truth than getting a conviction. This enables those who can manipulate it to beat the justice sytem in the short term. The safety valve is that those who tend to break the law do so again until getting caught.

BEAUTIFUL! ~~An HONOR to Doyle, and to HOLMES!.......2007-07-16

Well, to start, I see that I am the 25th person to review this double volume of these marvelous stories in this wonderful edition.

It is so wonderful to sit down in my big old wing-back chair, especially on a rainy day or evening, and re-read these fabulous stories again, some for perhaps the 6th or 7th time, others the 3rd or 4th. And, the highlight, of course, is to ponder the notations in the margins of these wonderfully crafted and beautifully presented books.

Next time you feel like doing something "Nice" for yourself, why not treat yourself to this beautiful, and so much fun to revisit, set of the Sherlock Holmes Short Stories! You will never regret it...they always seem to be like old forgotten friends each time you come back to them. ~operabruin

(PS: Do not forget the Novels, also part of this edition in their own volume.)

Masterful.......2006-08-18

I cannot add to the kudos bestowed by virtually every review of this 2 volume delight.
A warning: Check the "Adventure of the Priory School" for missing footnotes. The numbers appear in the margins but the (red type) prose is missing! Someone goofed seriously at the printer's shop. This may not be a major catastrophe (perhaps it is an intentional mystery created by the author), but it's like buying a new car with a dimple in the hood: you know it's there (or, in this instance, it isn't there!) If you are affected by this lack of annotation, return the volumes to Amazon, write a letter to the publisher (Norton) and get restitution, by George!

Excellent production, could have been bound better.......2006-07-23

Rather than repeat the reviews of the previous authors, I'd like to make two points related to the production of the book:

The book should have been stitched rather than gummed at the spine. I can almost foresee my grandson many years hence trying to read Grandpa's favorite book that was willed to him, only to have the spine break. A book of enduring value must have a stitched spine. OTOH looks like it has been printed on acid-free paper, which is a good thing.

How I wish there was a CD-ROM edition. The book is unbelievably bulky. That is fine for someone's study or library. If there was a CD-ROM based edition, people short on space, or those who travel on public transport could enjoy the author's work more conveniently (e.g. by reading on their laptop).

Unfortunately Amazon does not ship this book free. But some of its competitors do. It pays to shop around.

The New Arthurian Encyclopedia: Updated Paperback Edition (Garland Reference Library of the Humanities, Vol. 931)

Average customer rating:

Good, but huge
Basic to all serious study on the topic
A must have for any collection.

The New Arthurian Encyclopedia: Updated Paperback Edition (Garland Reference Library of the Humanities, Vol. 931)
Norris J. Lacy
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0815323034

Customer Reviews:

Good, but huge.......2000-03-15

This work's primary selling point is that it's very complete. And its biggest drawback is that . . . it's very complete. There's more material in this volume than you can ever put to use. You come away from a straight read feeling overwhelmed, and you come away from a skimming or a search by subject feeling like you missed something. Still, if you're looking for specific material on something relating to King Arthur, this is probably your best bet. If you're looking to be entertained by the Arthurian story, buy yourself a copy of The Once And Future King.

Basic to all serious study on the topic.......1999-10-19

If you are serious about studying the Arthurian legends, you need this book. If you have no other reference work, this should be the one on your shelf. Lacy & Co. deserve heaps of praise on their heads for this volume! It covers aspects of the legends themselves in differing countries and in different eras. It covers art work. It covers music. It covers particular characters. It covers theories relating to the backgrounds to the legends, both historical and folklorical. The entries are readable, clear, and give lots of information so that you can follow up on any given topic. I cannot praise this book enough! Every library should have a copy (including many personal libraries...).

A must have for any collection........1996-05-16

This is the new, updated edition of The New Arthurian Encyclopedia published in hardcover in 1991. As with the older version, it provides more than 500 new entries that cannot be found in the 1986 Arthurian Encyclopedia. The update also contains a 40-page section compiling the various addendums that have appeared in The Arthurian Yearbook since 1991. It is disappointing to note, however, that these new items were not incorporated into the main work.

Arranged alphabetically, the Encyclopedia remains the most invaluable reference resource for the Arthurian Legend. Each entry is written and signed by a scholar of Arthurian studies, and is followed, where necessary, by a short bibliography. The index is much easier to use than the one in the original volume. A must have for any collection.

Average customer rating:

A Great--And Very Different--Read

It's witty and erudite

Take my camel, dear

Eccentric And Touching

" Considered Macaulay's masterpiece"

The Towers of Trebizond (New York Review Books Classics)
Rose Macaulay
Manufacturer: NYRB Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Siege of Krishnapur (New York Review Books Classics)

Memed, My Hawk

The Singapore Grip (New York Review Books Classics)

Troubles (New York Review Books Classics)

Turkish Reflections: A Biography of a Place

ASIN: 159017058X
Release Date: 2003-11-30

Book Description

"'Take my camel, dear,' said my aunt Dot, as she climbed down from this animal on her return from High Mass." So begins The Towers of Trebizond, the greatest novel by Rose Macaulay, one of the eccentric geniuses of English literature. In this fine and funny adventure set in the backlands of modern Turkey, a group of highly unusual travel companions makes its way from Istanbul to legendary Trebizond, encountering potion-dealing sorcerers, recalcitrant policemen, and Billy Graham on tour with a busload of Southern evangelists. But though the dominant note of the novel is humorous, its pages are shadowed by heartbreak—as the narrator confronts the specters of ancient empires, religious turmoil, and painful memories of lost love.

Customer Reviews:

A Great--And Very Different--Read.......2007-10-01

*MILD SPOILERS*

This is a sneaky book. It starts off one way--as a comic recount of eccentric, genteelly arrogant Brits (the narrator's Aunt and a high-church Anglican priest) on a quixotic mission to convert and reform Turkey. As told by the crazy Aunt's niece (?), Turkey itself (and the Turks' reaction to the Brits) is beautifully evoked. Then, a hint here, a little more explication there, then a major plot twist as the Aunt and the Priest disappear into the Soviet Union, and the book evolves into a profound rumination on love and faith, and the conflicts the two can engender.

The story is always told in an arm's length, almost unemotional, way. And I think the last page of the book, on the "eternal dilemma" of searching for the City on the Hill is one of the most moving and profound pieces of writing I have ever read.

The book is also hilarious. There is more than one LOL moment, but my favorite is when the narrator from her (?) Turkish phrase book confuses, "I don't speak Turkish well," with "Can you connect me with Mr. Yorum"--and then is introduced to a Mr. Yorum.

Kudos to whomever it was that noted that the gender of the narrator is never clearly identified. One tends to assume it is female, from the voice of the book, yet when you look back, you really don't know. The ambiguity just adds one more layer to an already many-layered book.

I'd like to conclude by noting my thanks to New York Review Classics. I have read something like twenty of them now, none of which I would have heard of, much less read, without their publication through this series. The editors have done a magnificent job in bringing back to new and more-than-deserved life these forgotten classics.

It's witty and erudite.......2007-01-11

Macaulay's Towers is clever and generally a joy to read. A familiarity with classical near east history helps but is not absolutely necessary; an appreciation of strains of high church Christian theology is almost essential. I especially liked Aunt Dot, who appears in the bulk of the book. When she takes a sabbatical, I found my attention wandering; the fantastic bits with long camel rides and driving monkeys did not appeal to me. The underlying theme of the book deals with how ones religion is manifested in ones life, and the author's views are sophisticated. Much is made of interplays between traditional Christianity and Islam; evangelical Christianity makes a minor appearance, and a few basic issues of feminism are sprinkled throughout. The book does a fine job in identifying many of the troubles which continue to plague the Levant in the present era. Recommended.

Take my camel, dear.......2006-08-12

I stumbled across Rose Macaulay while browsing through the "New York Review of Books Classics". It turns out that the Towers of Trebizond was a great hit in the UK and US back in the 1950's. I highly recommend taking a look at those wonderful reprints of older books. All praise to the New York Review of Books.

This book is a mostly hilarious sendup of conventional society (primarily British, but others do not escape unscathed) in the form of a travelogue and memoir of a youngish upper middle-class English woman who travels to Turkey with her Aunt Dot and their High Anglican minister Hugh Chantry-Pigg. A camel, Billy Graham sightings, and a disappearance into Soviet Russia are involved in this wonderfully witty tale. Macaulay also sprinkles some philosophy along the way and a sudden and sobering twist at the end.

By turns quirky, eccentric, funny, and thoughtful, The Towers of Trebizond is a nugget well worth rediscovery.

Eccentric And Touching.......2004-09-07

The Towers of Trebizond might mislead a reader who picks it up into thinking it to be a standard travel account of a journey to Turkey and the Middle East in the 1950s. However, the famous first line "Take my camel, dear . . ." will soon warn that there is much much more to this hilarious, odd little novel.

Rose Macaulay uses as narrator the ambiguously named Laurie. Most people assume Laurie is a woman, and there is some internal evidence to substantiate this, but as other reviewers have pointed out, Laurie could just as well be a man, and in some ways, the story makes more sense if he is.

Regardless of Laurie's gender, the story revolves principally around her/his Aunt Dot, one of the great British eccentrics, and her escapades on a journey through Turkey and into the Soviet Union. Her adventures, and those of Laurie, the camel, a monkey, and various other assorted characters, are hilarious. At the same time, there is a sad note of wistfulness tand a sense of loss and deprivation that are not quite so easy to sort out.

Read The Towers of Trebizond and laugh, but you'll be pondering it in more solemn moments for a long time to come.

" Considered Macaulay's masterpiece".......2004-09-01

Rose Macaulay, the author of 35 books, The Towers of Trebizond is considered her masterpiece. In it, she recounts an hilarious overland journey in the 1950s across Turkey to the legendary town of Trebizond. On the way she meet potion-selling sorcerers, dirty cops and a busload of Southern Baptists.

The Singapore Grip (New York Review Books Classics)

Average customer rating:

Magnificent
The Tolstoy of the Asian Theater
Historical fiction/commentary at its finest
Not Very Gripping
A Ride on the Descending Road of Modern History

The Singapore Grip (New York Review Books Classics)
J.G. Farrell
Manufacturer: NYRB Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1590171365
Release Date: 2005-01-31

Book Description

Singapore, 1939: life on the eve of World War II just isn't what it used to be for Walter Blackett, head of British Singapore's oldest and most powerful firm. No matter how forcefully the police break one strike, the natives go on strike somewhere else. His daughter keeps entangling herself with the most unsuitable beaus, while her intended match, the son of Blackett's partner, is an idealistic sympathizer with the League of Nations and a vegetarian. Business may be booming—what with the war in Europe, the Allies are desperate for rubber and helpless to resist Blackett's price-fixing and market manipulation—but something is wrong. No one suspects that the world of the British Empire, of fixed boundaries between classes and nations, is about to come to a terrible end.

A love story and a war story, a tragicomic tale of a city under siege and a dying way of life, The Singapore Grip completes the “Empire Trilogy” that began with Troubles and the Booker prize-winning Siege of Krishnapur.

Customer Reviews:

Magnificent.......2007-10-04

Farrell is kind of comic Tolstoy except vastly underappreciated, and this novel has it all--laughs, history, gallantry, foolishness, great atmospherics and of course luscious prose. It's like Vanity Fair, except Thackeray joked about not being among the leading war novelists, whereas that mantle fits nicely on Farrell. Get it, you can't go wrong.

The Tolstoy of the Asian Theater.......2007-09-15

A vast and absorbing work of historical fiction, this magnificent novel is set in Singapore, in the months leading to the fall of the city to the Japanese in 1942. The unexpected and total defeat of the commonwealth allies by forces whose fighting abilities they had previously pooh-poohed has been called the worst defeat in British military history. Farrell describes these events very well, both by getting inside the minds of the real-life commanders and by inventing more humble characters on both sides who experience the fighting at first hand. But the main focus of the book is on the civilians, especially the merchant princes whose forefathers founded the colony at the southern tip of the Malay peninsula in the early nineteenth century, and the fictional firm of Blackett and Webb in particular.

The central figure at the start of the book is the rubber millionaire Walter Blackett, immensely proud of his firm's tradition, but concerned about handing it over to the next generation. Recognizing that his son Monty is a useless playboy, he concentrates on finding a suitable match for his elder daughter Joan, who has both brains and beauty. Much of the early part of the book has the romantic wit of Jane Austen, the dynastic maneuvering of John Galsworthy, and the jazz-age pizzazz of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The philosophical antithesis to Walter is Matthew Webb, the estranged son of his long-retired business partner, who arrives to take over his father's estate. Innocent and idealistic, he provides a pair of fresh eyes with which to view the colony. And what he sees first puzzles then horrifies him: exploitation of the native growers, the creation of a dependent economy rather than one that can be locally self-sustaining, and the manipulation of prices through a rubber cartel that holds the rest of the world to ransom. Matthew has much charm; in a rather confused way he eventually discovers passion; by the end of the book he has become a strong man of action; but his naive idealism never leaves him. Here the author who most comes to mind is Tolstoy, with Matthew the spiritual descendant of Levin in ANNA KARENINA.

Farrell is Tolstoyan too in his apparently effortless juggling of world events with personal intimacies, in the range of his characters from the mighty to the insignificant, in the fact that his people grow or decline, in his social awareness and moral conscience, and in his sheer ability to tell a story. Like WAR AND PEACE, this is a long book, and I read it during a three-week period when sometimes I could only manage a chapter or two a day, but never once did I lose the onward momentum or my interest in the characters and their situation; there are very few books that can promise that. The only thing that slightly disappointed me was the love story; Farrell's erotic scenes are somewhat more explicit than Tolstoy's, but there is little sense of grand romance, no Pierre and Natasha, no Kitty worthy of this Levin.

THE SINGAPORE GRIP is the third novel in JG Farrell's so-called "Empire Trilogy." The books are connected in that all deal with various moments in the decline of the British Empire, but they expand notably in scope. The first, TROUBLES, though set in the Irish War of Independence, is essentially a social comedy in form, focused on a group of mostly-elderly people living in a crumbling seaside hotel. The small enclave has become larger in the second novel, THE SIEGE OF KRISHNAPUR, where it is an entire garrison town under siege by sepoys in the Indian Mutiny of 1857. That book also expands the range and number of its characters, enabling the author to portray through them a great variety of attitudes in Victorian Britain towards religion, duty, and colonialism in all its aspects. With THE SINGAPORE GRIP, the enclave is now an entire city-state, and the range is wider still, now extending its political vision to the global scale and having a great deal more to say about commerce and economics. It shows an author Tolstoy-like in his vision, and very close to Tolstoy in his powers.

And the meaning of the title? The Singapore Grip might be any of several things, such as a rattan suitcase or a touch of the flu. But the most special meaning is revealed only at the end, a last touch of the humor that has never been totally absent from this book, no matter how grim the events that it describes.

Historical fiction/commentary at its finest.......2007-08-13

(Four-and-a-half stars) In "The Singapore Grip," Farrell convincingly recreates Singapore, 1942, on the verge of its fall to the Japanese. Each of the novels in Farrell's Empire trilogy are fantastic. "Grip", unlike its predecessors, suffers perhaps from a slight case of logorrhea; even so, it's a formidable, fascinating, at times downright funny book. Farrell has an uncanny ability to root out and deflate pretension and hypocrisy wherever it exists, and that's what he does here, to incredible comic effect. The buffoonish tycoon Walter Blackett is a solid stand-in for British imperalism at its blindest--having convinced himself of the great service he's supposedly done for the natives of Singapore, he struggles to maintain his rubber empire even in the face of steadily encroaching chaos. He is surrounded by characters of depth and interest: the skeptical Dupigny; the well-meaning but naive Matthew Webb; the "divided" Ehrendorf; and the wonderfuly droll Major Archer (already familiar to readers of Farrell's equally-terrific "Troubles"). Each of these men, in their own way, flesh out the novel's vision of colonialism and the pitfalls of world diplomacy.

Amid spectacular battle scenes and a dizzying wealth of information about the rubber industry, tax shelters, and military strategy, Farrell manages to hop nimbly from scenes of tragedy to hilarity to suspense and political commentary. In short, "The Singapore Grip", like the previous works in the Empire trilogy, has it all (including a terrifically ambiguous title--what is the "Singapore Grip" anyway? Read this book and you'll be able to answer that in 1,001 ways.)

Thanks to the New York Review of Books, American readers can now enjoy Farrell's work; which is great, since he deserves the widest possible readership.

Not Very Gripping.......2007-08-02

Perhaps a great part of the reason for these encomiastic reviews is the apt comparison between British hubris then in re the Japanese and current American hubris in re Iraq. - I simply don't know. - I do know, however, that I can not share in this universal laud. The book is a stylistic flop. The writing is clunky and flat. The characters, while admittedly droll at times, aren't very well threshed out. ---But my main objection to the work is that it is tendentious. Any "novel" in which the "novelist" suddenly switches to the first person in one chapter to compare what he is fictionalising to his own experience, only to revert to the fictionalization in the next chapter, and in which the last chapter is a hypothetical political lesson, is not the work of a master stylist, who would have worked these things seamlessly into the novel without these jolting digressions, but the work of a writer whose primary goal is political and would have been better off sticking to the essay.

Readers would be much better off reading an historical account (which one reviewer here provides excerpts of in his review) of the fall of Singapore. - The facts and real characters are actually much more droll and interesting - than reading this...whatever it is.

I suppose I'm wasting my breath. But, really, someone has to put plainly, for instance, that the three meanings of the title are not in any way "clever." Rather, they are contrived and twee. Farrell admits the contrived part in the Afterword to my edition concerning the erotic meaning, revealing that he learned of it from The Chinese Way of Love, but that he has been "unable to resist taking a hand in it myself."

Again, if you must read something about Singapore's fall, read the actual, fascinating history. If you must read something by Farrell, read Troubles, a novel free of all the blunderings here.

Three stars for the historical interest, which may serve as an impetus for the reader to look into historical accounts. But, otherwise, this book just doesn't have much of a hold.

A Ride on the Descending Road of Modern History.......2007-03-07

`Singapore Grip' recreates the world of pre-WWII Singapore. Farrell centers his tale around the Blackett and Webb conglomerate based on rubber plantations, but extends to wide-ranging export-import business. Singapore was created to be a trading center for the British Empire and it succeeded beyond any reasonable expectations.

As war edges closer the air of unreality gets thicker. Even when the Japanese attack Malaya in late 1941, these people just don't get it. Singapore Grip explores this world in detail and from many different perspectives. The higher in the colonial hierarchy, the harder it is for reality to penetrate. Walter Blackett, scion and head delusionist is still planning the company's 50th Jubilee while the Japanese are bombing the island and even Singapore town proper.

`Singapore Grip' is a vignette in what Huxley called "the descending road of modern history". The war gathers slowly, life begins to change, but not dramatically at first. But, the vise inexorably tightens and the world of the characters crumbles under the relentless pressure. Escape from the island seems at first an absurd idea, but it gradually becomes ever more desirable until it finally becomes impossible in the crush at the quays.

If you are tempted to turn away from this book, don't. `Singapore Grip' gathers force and clarity as Farrell slowly adds the pieces to his masterful mosaic and the reader is duly rewarded. The book has been recently reprinted in the excellent New York Review of Books Classics series. Highly recommended.

The Romance of Arthur, New, Expanded Edition: An Anthology of Medieval Texts in Translation (Garland Reference Library of the Humanities, Vol 1267)

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Good Overview of the Arthurian Legend, with some flaws
THE ROMANCE OF ARTHUR
Great starting book
Good overview of Arthurian legends
An excellent compilation of essential Arthurian texts

The Romance of Arthur, New, Expanded Edition: An Anthology of Medieval Texts in Translation (Garland Reference Library of the Humanities, Vol 1267)
Wilhelm
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0815315112

Book Description

Here are some of the most important works of medieval Arthurian literature in fresh, new translations that convey the development of King Arthur from Latin chronicles and Celtic mythology into the romantic king of late-medieval literature.
Covering almost a thousand years, The Romance of Arthur: New Expanded Edition covers a broad range of genres, from the early chronicles and Welsh verse through Sir Thomas Malory. A section on lyrics is a new addition. The translations, from Latin, French, German, Spanish, Welsh, Middle English, and Italian, were freshly done for the original anthologies and have now been updated. Complete texts have been presented wherever possible.
Partial list of contents: James J. Wilhelm, "Arthur in the Latin Chronicles"; John K. Bollard, "Arthur in the Early Welsh Tradition"; Richard M. Loomis, "Culhwch and Olwen"; Richard M. Loomis, "Arthur in Geoffrey of Monmouth"; William W. Kibler, "Chr tien de Troyes: Lancelot, or The Knight of the Cart";James J. Wilhelm, "Selected Lyrics"; Marianne E. Kalinke, "The Sage of the Mantle"; Norris J. Lacy, B roul: The Romance of Tristan"; Russell Weingartner, "Marie de France: Lay of the Chievrefueil (Honeysuckle)"; James J. Wilhelm, "Thomas of Britain: Tristan ('The Death Scene')"; Mildred Leake Day, "The Rise of Gawain, Nephew of Arthur"; James J. Wilhelm, ,"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"; James J. Wilhelm, "The Wedding of Sir Gawain Dame Ragnell."Index. Bibliography.

Customer Reviews:

Good Overview of the Arthurian Legend, with some flaws.......2003-10-05

This is a useful anthology. If you want to learn some basics about the Arthurian legend, or if you want to teach a class on it, this is the best book to buy. It's fairly comprehensive, with the exception noted below, and the translations are readable, though seldom the best available. It's nice to see some of the unusual stories like "The Saga of the Mantle" and "The Rise of Gawain."

The collection's major flaw is its omission of any Grail text. I have to supplement this book with Nigel Bryant's translation of Robert de Boron (Merlin and the Grail, from Boydell and Brewer). We could certainly do without all the Tristan and Isolde texts (which are only marginally Arthurian anyway). The other flaw, though less grave, is the paucity of the selection from Malory. He really deserves greater prominence than he gets in this anthology, and the selection without proper context isn't very compelling.

THE ROMANCE OF ARTHUR.......2002-09-14

James Wilhelm's "The Romance of Arthur" is an outstanding one-book resource for any student of Arthurian lore. Wilhelm's introductory notes are concise but helpful, and the selection of material is both varied and quite entertaining. There are not only widely familiar and vital core works such as The Knight of the Cart, The Romance of Tristan, Malory's Le Morte Darthur and the Prose Merlin, but more obscure masterpieces such as The Saga of the Mantle, the Rise of Gawain, and the Alliterative Morte Arthure--the last highlighted by some of the most powerful literary battles since Homer and a particularly moving scene of Arthur on his deathbed. An unqualified recommendation for any Arthurian library.

Great starting book.......2000-05-17

I originally got this book for a course, and it was my first taste of medeival lit. (beyond Beowulf and Canterbury tales, at least - but who didn't read those in twelth grade?). I found it an intriguing, well chosen compilation which showed the major evolutions of the Arthurian saga from the blood-thirsty early chronicals to the flowery romances and chivalry more commonly associated with the legend. The selected excerpts were of just the right length for reading in one sitting, and the introductions helped greatly in understanding them. Despite the fate of most books assigned for a class - I truly enjoyed this one.

Good overview of Arthurian legends.......2000-02-26

This book gives somewhat of a Arthurian anthology as it begins in the early writings of Geoffrey of Monmouth and others, then works its way through some of the more well known stories, most notably Knight of the Cart and Gawain and the Green Knight. The translations of the individual stories aren't always the best, but this book is a good compilation for casual readers of Arthurian lit looking for a sampler.

An excellent compilation of essential Arthurian texts.......1999-09-17

This book is an excellent "one-stop" source for Arthurian materials. Spanning from the earliest Latin sources to touching on the most modern adaptations, this book has everything any student of Arthurian literature needs.

Postwar British Fiction: New Accents and Attitudes

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Postwar British Fiction: New Accents and Attitudes
James Jack Gindin
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press Reprint
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Average customer rating:

Easy read...Just like the amplified Bible..
In Praise of the Original version by John Bunyan
Incredibly well-adapted to "our times-" Great Family Reading
". . . most adventure-filled. . . version published today

The New Amplified Pilgrim's Progress
John Bunyan
Manufacturer: Destiny Image Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0768420512

Book Description

John Bunyan's amazing Pilgrim's Progress is well into its fourth century of unparalleled popularity as the world's best-selling non-Biblical book in all history. Now in modern English comes The New Amplified Pilgrim's Progress. All of the age-old spiritual treasures that have made John Bunyan's original the world's best selling non-Biblical masterpiece in all of history are now carried to new heights of power and clarity in this new enhanced version. While this is perhaps the most adventure-filled and user-friendly adaptation ever penned, yet it is totally unabridged and, excepting certain amplified scenes, remains strictly faithful to Bunyan's original storyline.

Exciting new levels of love and joy, hope and humor are skillfully woven by master storyteller Jim Pappas, into this enchanting retelling of John Bunyan's immortal classic! Designed to return this spellbinding masterpiece of angels and giants, castles and dragon, to the fireside of the everyday reader.

Customer Reviews:

Easy read...Just like the amplified Bible.........2003-03-02

If you have no desire to tackle the "old English" then this is the Pilgrim's Progress for you. Everyone should read The Pilgrims Progress as well as Hinds Feet For High Places. We need to read the classics and this one is an easy read.

In Praise of the Original version by John Bunyan.......2003-01-26

In the beginning we were very excited because we felt like Mr. Pappas clarified some of the messages of Christians experiences. However, when we read comparatively with John Bunyans original we found several glaring exclusions, changes, and introductions of different theological ideas. John Bunyan was Reformed in his theology. This book takes a definite dispensational turn (a doctrine introduced only in the last 150 years and not scriptural). There is terminology inserted in this "amplified" version that makes the story even harder to understand, (i.e. The two witnesses; latter rain). The meaning of these two terms is debatable depending on denominational differences. Mr. Pappas also completely reversed the words in some instances, saying the exact opposite of what Bunyan said. (e.g. In the Second Stage, Bunyan says that God put the man in the cage-Pappas says that the man put himself in the cage.)

Part of the reason that Pilgrims Progress has faded out of favor is it's reformed context, and most denominations have fallen into dispensationalism. If you aren't familiar with what I am referring to then it is imperative that you seek out my meaning. Then, if you choose to remain of a dispensational mind this book is fine. But if you choose to keep to the reformed path, this version must be rejected.

I am very sorry to have to give this negative review, I was hoping to be pleasantly surprised by a new easier to understand version for my grandchildren.

Incredibly well-adapted to "our times-" Great Family Reading.......1999-09-05

We began the "Aloud" reading of this wonderful book in our home as daily family time, and our four children, ages 5-14, have been energetic in their enthusiasm over it. We splurged and purchased each of them their own copy since we take turns reading, and they guard their books well. Using modern-day terminology, Pappas' Pilgrim's Progress weaves an understandable, incredible journey. Even our five year old is entranced, and all are enriched as we discover and discuss the meanings of the players' and places' names. We keep the original version of Pilgrim's Progress nearby and compare passages at times. Mr. Pappas' rendition of this classic is superb. His amplifications really do enhance the journey of Christian, are not distracting, nor (important to me) do they take away from the original text. This is an heirloom edition, to be sure. We have also very, very much enjoyed the old-world graphics throughout the book as it lends to take us back to the era in which it was staged.

". . . most adventure-filled. . . version published today.......1999-08-18

Jim Pappas' adaption of Bunyan's timeless classic is the most adventure-filled and reader-friendly modern version published today. The work is totally unabridged and (excepting certain amplified scenes) remains strictly adherent to Bunyan's original storyline. In it we are treated to exciting new levels of love and joy, hope and humor, all skillfully woven and designed to accurately present Bunyan's spellbinding, inspirational masterpiece of angels and giants, castles and dragons to the modern reader.

The Enchanted April (New York Review Books Classics)

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The Enchanted April (New York Review Books Classics)
Elizabeth Von Arnim
Manufacturer: NYRB Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1590172256
Release Date: 2007-04-03

Book Description

A recipe for happiness: four women, one medieval Italian castle, plenty of wisteria, and solitude as needed.

The women at the center of The Enchanted April are alike only in their dissatisfaction with their everyday lives. They find each other—and the castle of their dreams—through a classified ad in a London newspaper one rainy February afternoon. The ladies expect a pleasant holiday, but they don’t anticipate that the month they spend in Portofino will reintroduce them to their true natures and reacquaint them with joy. Now, if the same transformation can be worked on their husbands and lovers, the enchantment will be complete.

The Enchanted April was a best-seller in both England and the United States, where it was a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and set off a craze for tourism to Portofino. More recently, the novel has been the inspiration for a major film and a Broadway play.

Charlotte Temple and Lucy Temple (Penguin Classics)

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Interesting Piece of Americana

Charlotte Temple and Lucy Temple (Penguin Classics)
Susanna Rowson , and Ann Douglas
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140390804

Customer Reviews:

Interesting Piece of Americana.......2000-04-01

While vastly inferior to Jane Austen, who followed a few years later, Rowson does stand out as one of the better early-American writers. In a style foreshadowing Harriet Beecher Stowe, Rowson shows how life punishes vice. The second book, Lucy Temple, is less pedantic and more entertaining. This book is best for enthusiasts of early American Literature.

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