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.

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

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

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ASIN: 0805047344

Book Description

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

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

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The First Battalion of the 28th Marines on Iwo Jima: A Day-by-Day History from Personal Accounts and Official Reports, with Complete Muster Rolls

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An Exemplary Research Project
Always Faithful....Always Remembered

The First Battalion of the 28th Marines on Iwo Jima: A Day-by-Day History from Personal Accounts and Official Reports, with Complete Muster Rolls
Robert E. Allen
Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0786421584

Book Description

On February 19, 1945, seven battalions of U.S. Marines landed on the eastern beaches of Iwo Jima. On the southernmost flank, in the shadows of Suribachi, the First Battalion, 28th Marines, stormed ashore into the bloodiest and most renowned of all battles fought by the U.S. Marine Corps. Thirty-six days later, the Marines overran the "Bloody Gorge" and dislodged the last enemy holdouts. The battle was over, but at great cost: 225 of the First Battalion's men died on Iwo Jima.

Based on official reports and personal accounts, this is a day-by-day history of the First Battalion, 28th Marines, on Iwo Jima. Each chapter presents an overview of that day's combat and other relevant events, and also contains the text of that day's official regimental and battalion narratives. The text is complemented by a chronology and transcribed muster rolls for February and March 1945.

Customer Reviews:

An Exemplary Research Project.......2000-08-15

Robert Allen has produced an amazing work on the oft-reported saga of the Marine Corps and Iwo Jima, that terrible island. As an amateur military historian (and former Marine who has attempted to reconstruct certain campaigns), I found myself asking over and over again: where and how did he get this information? how long did it take to accurately compile, for instance, the daily "muster rolls" of an entire battalion in the field? The picture that emerges of the Iwo Jima assault is even more horrifying from this perspective of dry military "diaries" and the daily recounting of casualties and replacements. This was island warfare against Japan at its worst, and Allen's microscopic treatment helps to bring it all into focus at the fighting man's level. With the United States Government itself doing little to advance in-depth WWII analysis, writers like Allen are doing a great service for those who do care.

Always Faithful....Always Remembered.......2000-05-18

Bob Allen's work represents the best kind of historical narrative-a first hand narrative from the perspective of one who was in motion on Iwo Jima's bloodied sands, and the thoughtful and detailed analysis provided by his focus on the overall picture of the events. Bob's devotion is to telling the story and painting as much of the canvas as he can, while there is time to do so. The memories are 50+ years out there, but they are as clear as though they were this morning. You must read this, and treasure it as a family heirloom of American history. Bob Allen, and his fellow Marines and Sailors, put it all on the line for us, and this is the story of what that really means. Thanks, Bob. Semper fi.

The Routledge Atlas of the First World War: The Complete History (Routledge Historical Atlases)

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A Real Gem of a Reference Tool

The Routledge Atlas of the First World War: The Complete History (Routledge Historical Atlases)
Martin Gilbert
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Reference | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0415285089

Book Description

This atlas offers a definitive visual history of World War I. In 164 finely detailed, easy-to-read maps, it covers the origins of the war, the quarrels of the great European powers and the mobilization of 1914, plus the major battles and all the individual campaigns including the war at sea and in the air--putting them in the wider context of strategy. Beyond its thorough and precise military coverage, the atlas also explores the diplomatic, economic, and social aspects of the conflict. Many of the maps--such as a map of German food riots in 1916, a state-by-state map of opposition to the war in the United States in April, 1917--have put together normally scattered and diverse information with exceptional clarity.

Customer Reviews:

A Real Gem of a Reference Tool.......2003-07-26

The first edition of The Routledge Atlas of the First World War was published in 1970, and this new edition is extremely useful for readers interested in the conflict. Martin Gilbert has amassed something like 200 maps that cover various aspects of the First World. However, readers should realize that this is not a battle atlas that will depict every battle in great detail; rather, Gilbert's intent is to use maps to graphically portray many of the factors that shaped the war but that are often glossed over in textual accounts. While Gilbert does include maps of individual battles and campaigns, this atlas is designed to give the reader a fuller understanding of the political, military, economic and social factors that ultimately determined the outcome. Readers should also be advised that this atlas is heavily Anglo-centric, with only minimal coverage of the Eastern Front. The contributions of the French, Italians and Romanians are virtually absent from this volume. Despite this glaring bias, this atlas is still a useful reference tool (unless you are researching the French, Italian or Romanian armies).

The Routledge Atlas of the First World War consists of ten sections, five covering a single year of the war, one covering the prelude to war, one each on the war at sea and in the air, a section on the global war, and an aftermath. The section on prelude to war covers many well-known issues - such as the alliance system in Europe, the Berlin-Baghdad Railway, and ethnic politics in the Balkans - but it is nice to have all these put together in one graphic package. Oddly, there is no map detailing the various crises that preceded the war, such as the 1908 Bosnian Annexation Crisis.

The section on 1914 is good, covering the main campaigns on the East and Western Fronts, as well as naval actions overseas and the fate of the German colonies. Two significant omissions are the lack of a map of the Austrian invasion of Serbia or the French Plan XVII offensive that led to the Battle of the Frontiers. The section on 1915 is rather lame, with over-focus on British operations in Gallipoli and Mesopotamia, but only a handful of maps on the Eastern Front. Even the Western Front is down-played in the 1915 section, with no mention of the British Loos or Neuve Chapelle offensives, or any French operations. The 1916 section is also skimpy on non-British issues, with only one simple map of Verdun and no coverage of the Brusilov offensive.

The section on the air war is quite interesting, with maps depicting German zeppelin raids over England, London's air defenses, and British air raids on Germany. The section on the naval war has interesting maps of the British blockade, food riots in Germany, Allied merchant ship losses in the Mediterranean and in British waters, and American ship-building. The section on 1917 is better than the earlier sections on 1915-1916, with very nice maps of the underground mines at Messines Ridge, 3rd Ypres and several maps on the Eastern Front. The section on 1918 is also interesting, although the belated inclusion of a single map on the Italian Front is rather telling about the Anglo-centric nature of this volume. Certainly the most informative section of the Atlas is that covering the world at war, which has maps depicting the various war aims, India and the Commonwealth's contributions, British munitions production and British supplies to the Allies. The aftermath section is also useful for understanding the various treaties,

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The basics of WWI

A GREAT BEGINNING TO A DEEP SUBJECT!!

the ONLY picture in this book is on the cover

Some Idiot Published a War Book Without Maps

a must for the beginner!!

Complete Idiot's Guide to World War I
Alan Axelrod
Manufacturer: Alpha
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Complete Idiot's Guide to World War II, 2nd Edition (The Complete Idiot's Guide)

World War II for Dummies

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The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Civil War, 2nd Edition (The Complete Idiot's Guide)

ASIN: 0028639022

Book Description

For history buffs, students, and anyone interested in the 20th century, this book reveals why World War I began, explores the "guns of August," describes the horrors of trench warfare and the first uses of poison gas, and explains why the Americans were so slow to enter the war. From the eastern front to the west, from Gallipoli to the Marne, from the Lafayette Escadrillo to Lawrence fo Arabia, the book tells the whole story of "the war to end all wars."

Download Description

Born of grand sweeping strategies, World War 1 was a conflict marked by stalemate and slaughter - characterised by misery rather than heroism. From the eastern to the western front this book tells the story of war from start to end, revealing why the war started, describes the horrors of trench warfare and describes the new ways we found to kill each other including poison gas.

Customer Reviews:

The basics of WWI.......2007-04-24

"The Complete Idiot's Guide to World War I" is a very thorough once over of World War One, one of the most important wars few people know about, which is a shame. If World War II shaped the modern world, then The Great War (as World War I is also known) was the one that destroyed the Old World. 'Guide' begins traces the origin of the war to the Franco-Prussian War in the late 19th Century, and then discusses the many intricate treaties and alliances that allowed events to get so out of control so fast. We get the nuts and bolts of Germany's 'Schlieffen Plan' and France's 'Plan XVII', and how those plans went so wrong. Then it goes into the day to day routine of the soldiers living in the nightmarish trench warfare, exposed to intense artillery and a new weapon, poison gas. It also goes into the fledgling tanks, aircraft and submarine/naval fighting that would later be perfected in the next war. There are interesting minute details on the Battle of Jutland, the disastrous Gallipoli, and Belleau Wood. It also talks about how America tried to remain neutral, but was eventually forced into the war and made the difference in an Allied victory. There are details on persons that were important figures in the war, like Kaiser Wilhelm II, Czar Nicholas II, General Pershing, T.E. Lawrence (a.k.a. Lawrence of Arabia), and Woodrow Wilson among many others. WWI is a war that few people know a lot about, and it is a shame, because even though it was a stupid and more or less pointless war for the official reasons it was started for; it is a vital event in shaping the modern world by laying the foundation for WWII and the Cold War after it. If there is one problem it is (as has been noted several times before) there really needs to be pictures and maps, that would have made understanding the war plans and stratagies much easier to follow and understand. Otherwise this is a great book. Everything you always needed to or wanted to know about the war.

A GREAT BEGINNING TO A DEEP SUBJECT!!.......2006-06-11

I remember reading this book as an introduction to WW1 as I knew very little about it.I now have read and studied a lot about it as it is a major turning point in the history of the world,especially as we know it today.It is a very good introduction.I suggest for beginners to read a book like this which covers the overall war and then to pick specific battles or politics to read about.When you read this,I then suggest BARBARA TUCHMANS "GUNS OF AUGUST".

the ONLY picture in this book is on the cover.......2006-04-23

This book has no photos in it at ALL. Nothing but text.
The section on Airplanes and tanks is maybe three pages.

Some Idiot Published a War Book Without Maps .......2005-09-25

There's not a single map gracing the pages of this "Idiot's Guide" which indicates perhaps that idiocy is widespread in the publishing industry as well as elsewhere. How can you publish a war book without maps? It's sort of like publishing a book called "Great Paintings of Rembrandt" without any illustrations.

Except for the absence of maps, this book has a lot of virtues. It's easy to read, covers every aspect of the war concisely, defines a lot of technical terms, throws in some apt quotes, gives you a "Who's Who of WW I," and makes sense of what was a brutal, boring, but earth-shattering event.

Most of what happened of interest in the war was during the first month in which the Germans made a huge sweep through Belgium and France -- the Schlieffen Plan -- and nearly won all the marbles in a single turn. German luck and nerve failed however and the French were able to hold on by the skin of their "dents." You can readily skip reading about most of the next four dismal years. It's all about mindless slaughter. Then, in 1918 the allies -- especially the British -- repelled five desperate German offensives and an allied counterattack -- spearheaded by the Americans -- forced the Germans to surrender. A couple of chapters at the end discuss the aftermath of WW I, the "lost generation," the League of Nations, and all the other factors that made WW I the opening act for WW II.

By all means look up "Lawrence, T.E." and "Lettow-Vorbeck, Paul von" in the index for interesting summaries of the war in the Middle East and Africa.

Smallchief

a must for the beginner!!.......2005-04-04

i picked up this book (along with idiots guide to ww 2) because i wanted to get a basic understanding of this war (and ww2). people i talked to told me that, "ww 1 was boring...all it consisted was trench warfare!" yes, it was basically trench warfare but how did it become so? a lot of things happened in this war that is interesting! for example, the french army had a mutiny. also, how these commanders of these countries had "great plans" with no back-up plan in case that one failed. or how these commanders assumed their enemies will do this or that when making their moves - big mistake! also, these plans fell flat which caused a stalemate along the western front that lasted 4 years. to sum it up this book is chock full of information!

overall, i highly recommend this book for the beginner who wants to get the idea of the great war. i didn't find this book humerous as some idiots guides are and thats fine with me. i find axlerod's approach straight forward and in a clear cut manner. i have one quibble as did some other reviews - not one map! they could've put in one map (at least) of europe during 1914 to give us the visualization of where these outdated countries were and the fronts lines. for that, i'll have to refer to thre idiots guide to nazi germany (another excellent book to fill in the gap between ww 1 and 2).

The Columbus Panhandles: A Complete History of Pro Football's Toughest Team, 1900-1922

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The Columbus Panhandles: A Complete History of Pro Football's Toughest Team, 1900-1922
Chris Willis
Manufacturer: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

History of Sports | Miscellaneous | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Football (American) | Sports | Subjects | Books

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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0810858932

Delivered from Evil: The Saga of World War II: The First Complete One-Volume History

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Great Read
Good reading, but long for college students...
Did the U.S. Marine Corps win WW II?
Brilliant... but for one, irksome thing...
Monumental task eloquently done...

Delivered from Evil: The Saga of World War II: The First Complete One-Volume History
Robert Leckie
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 0060915358

Book Description

"A first-class popular history of the war, lively, entertaining, and continuously informative."--Publishers Weekly "His ability to recreate the emotions of war makes this monumental work a living history."--Booklist

Customer Reviews:

Great Read.......2007-08-04

When I first gained an interest in history it was this book that hooked me for the long haul. A brilliant read. The prose is so compelling there were times I thought I was reading a work of fiction.

Good reading, but long for college students..........2005-02-11

If you are a college student you might find this book way too long, so go for another source. However, if you consider yourself a history lover then this print will certainly more than entertain you. Highly recommended for those interested in WWII battles.

Did the U.S. Marine Corps win WW II?.......2004-10-25

Attempting to fit a subject as enormous as World War II into one single volume of history is no mean feat. Whether Mr. Leckie's book is indeed the first such endeavour is open to debate - it may well be the first American one-volume history, but by declaring his book a "first" without reservation, Mr. Leckie rather sets the tone for the entire account: This is a short version of World War II seen from a purely (and chauvinist) American point of view.
The account furthermore suffers from factual inaccuracies, as the author makes every effort to belittle (or indeed ridicule) especially the British from Montgomery to Churchill, demonize the Germans and generally overlook the decisive effort of the Soviets. But even if the reader accepts the book as a history of mainly the U.S. war effort, the narrative is unbalanced by the excessive attention given to the island-hopping campaign in the Pacific.
Mr. Leckie is, I believe, a former Marine himself, and his loyalty to his old corps is touching - but damaging to his credibility as a writer of history. The number of individual marines portrayed, the detailed decriptions of their weapons and equipment are completely out of proportion in a one-volume history of a conflict of this magnitude, especially when taking into account that - in the larger scheme of things - the campaigns of MacArthur and Nimitz were little more than a side-show. The only decisive contribution to the outcome of the war provided by the island-hopping was the securing of forward air bases from which the air offensive against the Japanese mainland - culminating in the dropping of the nuclear bombs - could be staged. Such bases might just as well have been secured in China had the Americans used some of the ressources poured into the Pacific to support the Chinese war effort. Still Mr. Leckie allows the Pacific campaign to outshine even the monumental American effort in Europe.
Only in his description of the Yalta conference does Mr. Leckie achieve an objective evaluation of the American contribution to the war - and its sad aftermath. The author deserves praise for his severe criticism of how President Roosevelt and his entourage allowed their biases and idiosyncracies to cloud their judgement at Yalta, thus condemming half of Europe to communist tyrrany.
Generally, however, the book seems in a sense oddly superflous: It is too subjective and selective as well as too factually flawed to be of use to readers who want to gain insight into the history of WW II by reading just one book, while it falls far below the scholarly requirements of those who wish to study the conflict in detail.

Brilliant... but for one, irksome thing..........2003-12-07

The narrative of this book is supurbly written and it almost reads like a novel in many parts. It must have been a daunting prospect when Mr. Leckie set out to write this and he pulled it off with almost unprecendented brilliance. Having read this the reader might be wondering why this doesn't get five stars from me. The reason for this is that this book has an almost unbearable one-sidedness. The bias towards America in this book is almost painful to read. Leckie has almost no shame as he deals out a surplus of scathing remarks to almost anyone or anything not American. Not even America's British allies are spared with Montgomery receiving some particularly harsh remarks. Only the Australian troops in New Guinea and Erwin Rommel receive any praise from this American chauvinist. Just a glance at the units listed in the index and one will see that there are 157 American units listed compared with just 42 Germans, 35 Japanese and and stunning 8 Soviets (despite the fact that Soviets fielded the most troops of all nations by far and sustained fifty percent of all the losses in the Second World War). It is unfortunate that an otherwise splendid book should be so ruined just because this man couldn't stop his bias seeping into the writing. Don't read this book unless you have a considerable knowledge of WWII already otherwise you will miss out on a lot as there are some dreadfully large omissions.

Monumental task eloquently done..........2003-09-22

An extremely courageous undertaking...many detailed volumes have previously been written on World War II at the specific battle level that to imagine a one-volume account of the whole war which is not only useful but also readable seems initially to be a ridiculous proposition. Robert Leckie, however, pulls it off marvelously and earns his reputation as a "masterful historian" with this epic work.

Starting at Versaille following the dreadful end of World War I and ending on the deck of the Missouri battleship for the formal Japanese surrender, this account (in over 900 pages of extremely small type) covers all the major details with surprising comprehensiveness while at the same time not sacrificing that important readability component. If one were to combine this book with the DVD issue of the classic WWII saga "The World at War", you'd get a beguiling experience of the events that continue to shape our world today.

Leckie's experience at extolling just the right amount of battle detail while balancing the "human" side of the struggle is really masterful...each period of the War is told in easily read chapters and paragraphs and although at times episodic, makes this work one that can easily be started and stopped at short intervals.

The post WWI German and Italian economies are the main impetus for the development of Fascism and Leckie develops this plot with wonderful biographies of Mussolini and Hitler...the rise of the Third Reich follows and Leckie explains this with deft political discussion as well as with many first-hand accounts from Generals down to the every-day Berliner. The English and French make little attempt at interdiction and Hitler is off on his dillusional nationalism...the invasion of Poland is just the start of the "empire building" that lasts for almost six more years.

The Japanese rise and ultimate invasion of Pearl Harbor are integrated as well and the reader really gets a true feeling of the coming of war. Leckie's previously published works on the Southwest Pacific theatre are obviously used here and thus makes for enticing reading at the battles for Guadalcanal and the Phillipines...also, his depiction of MacArthur goes against the "standard" history and is a refreshing point in this story.

The Allied invasion of Europe and the "island hopping" in the Pacific are discussed in full military detail (again, just the right amount) as are the many first hand soldier accounts of those battles that add depth and immediacy. The highlights of this work (in my opinion) are the fall of the Third Reich and the subsequent Hitler suicide; the American homefront and what it meant to a struggling American economy; the Normandy invasions and subsequent breakout and, finally, a completely comprehensive and disturbing summary of the Holocaust. Leckie adroitly mixes details with his amazing story-telling ability that leaves the reader with a pleasingly full knowledgable experience. This truly is THE text to start any study of WWII. The only criticism I'd add is the lack of maps...the afore mentioned Pacific theatre discussion would have been exceedingly better had Leckie included maps...

Book Description

Israel's national heroine, Senesh returned to her native HUngary in 1943 to help rescue Jews. She was captured by the Nazi's and executed at the age of 23.

Customer Reviews:

The Joan of Arc of Israel.......2007-09-08

Hannah Senesh is known as the Joan of Arc of Israel, and is a national heroine in that little country of heroes and heroines.
Her poems are learned by heart in Israel, and her acts of courage, self-sacrifice and love for her people, has led to forests, parks, streets and settlements throughout the country being named after her.

Her diary, which begins when she was 13, shows her remarkable spirit, intelligence and love for the Jewish people and the Land of Israel.
At the age of 23 she returned to Hungary as part of an Allied to mission to save Jews from the Nazi death machine. She was captured by the Nazis and tortured to reveal more about the mission and her comrades, but never broke under these circumstances. Her heroic and cruel death at the hands of the Nazis is recounted.

The book is divided into several sections:
Memories of Hannah's Childhood by Catherine Senesh, the Diary, the Letters, and the acounts by friends and comrades of her courageous mission into Hungary, and her cruel death at the hands of the Nazis.
The final section consists of a reproduction of some of Hannah's finest poems.

Hannah Senesh was born in 1921 to an assimilated Jewish family. Her father, a sucesful journalist and playwright died when Hannah was 6 years old. She was enrolled in a Protestant school. The deteriorating situation of the Jews in Hungary led Hannah to embrace Judaism and Zionism-the national liberation movement of the Jewish people, which she was passionate about and dedicated to.
She became involved in Maccabea, a Hungarian Zionist students organization.
But she also loved beautiful clothes and ice-skating and was enthusiastic about life and living. She was interested in astrology, spiritualism and development of the soul.
The sensitivity of her gem of a soul and her intelligence is shown in this excerpt from her diary. It could serve as a testament to Hannah Senesh herself:
"There are stars whose radiance is visible on earth though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world though they are no longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for mankind",-
Indeed in these dark days of the resurgance of anti-Semnitism and the Satanic international campaign to destroy Israel, it is comforting and inspiring to read her words.
Also interesting are Hannah's words about Jewish nationhood and Zionism:
'If we had to define Zionism briefly perhaps we could best do so in the words of Nahum Sokolow: "Zionism is the movement of the Jewish people for it's revival.'
In these days when Jews around the world are being pressured by evil forces to renounce Zionism we would do well to remember Hannah's words.
"We canot renounce a single on of our rights, not even if the ridiculous acusation were true- that Zionism breeds anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism is not the result of Zionism but of Dispersion. But even if were no so, woe to the individual who attempts to ingratiate himself with the enemy instead of following his own route. We can't renounce Zionism even if it does strengthen anti-Semitism...For only Zionism and the establishment of a Jewish State could ever bring about the possibility of the Jews in the Diaspora being able to make manifest their love for their Homeland. Because then they could choose to be part of the Homeland- not be necesity but by free will and free choice".
In these days it is so important to remember her words and her story.

Hannah Senesh, another remarkable woman.......2007-01-10

I had never heard of Hannah Senesh until I planned to go to Israel and was looking at possible places to visit. After I heard about her I wanted to know more. This book tells the story, in her own words of how a young Jewish woman came to be an Israeli hero. It makes me wonder if I too would have the courtage of conviction to stand up for something even to death. A very remarkable story indeed.

A star that lights the way for mankind .......2005-01-23

The story of Hannah Senesh is the story of a heroine of the Jewish people. This volume contains her diary including a record of her early years in Hungry and her time in Eretz Yisrael, two chapters about her by her mother, and chapters by fellow soldiers in the British Army from the Yishuv who served with her when they were dropped behind enemy lines during the War. Hannah Senesh was the daughter of a well- known Hungarian playwright who died when she was six. She and her older brother were raised by a very caring and devoted mother . In her school where she was outstanding she suffered from Anti- Semitism. And as Nazi power grew in Europe she moved toward a deeper connection to her own Jewishness, at one point announcing that she had become a Zionist. Her diary records her decision to go to Eretz Yisrael, and her years of education there at Nahalal. It is the diary of a spirited, intelligent and idealistic person. She volunteered to serve in the British Army Unit which was to be dropped behind enemy lines in the hope of helping rescue Jews. She and her fellow soldiers from the Yishuv were connected with the Partisans' struggle against the Nazis in Yugoslavia. The day before she was about to enter her native Hungry where she most hoped to help the Nazis entered and took control of Hungry. Upon hearing this news she cried. A friend asked her if this was because she was thinker of her mother. She said ' That the entrance of the Germans to Hungry doomed one - million Hungarian Jews to death. She was not wrong. The greatest share of Hungarian Jews were eventually murdered by the Nazis. She entered Hungry was captured, and was placed in prison. The Nazis brought her mother to the prison , and told Senesh that if she did not give them the information that they wanted the secret radio codes she had they would torture her mother before her eyes. She begged her mother's forgiveness, and she herself was tortured. But she did not give away the information. Eventually she was taken out and shot to death . All those associated with her admired her tremendous courage and integrity .
Her ambition was to be like her father a writer, but not a playwright but a novelist. Her love and dedication to the Jewish people in the land of Israel that she came to love so much are strongly apparent in the work.
Perhaps the best tribute to her is her own words,
"There are stars whose radiance is visible on earth though they have long been extinct.There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world though they are no longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for Mankind.'

Everyone must know Hannah.......2004-10-31

Hannah Senesh is the story every Jew should know, a heroic woman who fought the Nazis, parachutting into Europe in the worlds darkest hour, but beyond that her wonderful diaries tell the story of a young Jeiwsh girl finding herself, and her Jewishness amid the tumult of Europe and the Kibbutzes of Aretz Israel. This is a wonderful new volume on a true Jeiwsh Heroin, a message to all generations that evil must be confronted, ironically sometimes it is the most unlikely people that rise to the occasion. A heartrending book.

Seth J. Frantzman

R E A D this book!!.......2004-06-23

For such a small stature as Hannah was, she is one of WWII's, strongest women. It is a must read for any philosophical or history buff. In addition, would make a great movie if someone would be wllling to do so.

Once you pick up this book you will devour it. Her life and who she was will remain forever in your memory. I envy her.

For 20 years Hannah's diary still remains so dear to my heart.

Under the Guns of the German Aces: Immelmann, Voss, Goring, Lothar Von Richthofen : The Complete Record of Their Victories and Victims

Average customer rating:

Great book.
Great book.

Under the Guns of the German Aces: Immelmann, Voss, Goring, Lothar Von Richthofen : The Complete Record of Their Victories and Victims
Norman Franks , and Hal Giblin
Manufacturer: Grub Street
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

World War I | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1898697728

Customer Reviews:

Great book........2002-01-12

It is a great book for those who is WWI aviation fun. It gives you description of all victories of Voss, Immelmann, Goring and Red Baron's young brother. It also gives short biographies of their unlucky adversaries and if they managed to survive the war their consequent life achievements. WWI aviafuns, you MUST read it.
On the otehr hand it is NOT the book you want to introduce yourself with to the subject

Great book........2002-01-03

It is a well written book describing all documented vitories of four German Aces. The book gives the dates and details (if available) of fights and biographies of their opponents. Its structure resembles the structure of "Under the guns of the Red Baron".
Those who are not accustomed to this type of literature will consider it dry and should read something more general about WWI aviation before buying this particular book. For WWI aviation fans its MUST TO READ.

UNDER THE GUNS OF THE KAISER'S ACES: Bohome, Muller, Von Tutschek and Wolff The Complete Record of Their Victories and Victims

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An exhaustive profile of four distinguished German aces

UNDER THE GUNS OF THE KAISER'S ACES: Bohome, Muller, Von Tutschek and Wolff The Complete Record of Their Victories and Victims
Norman Franks
Manufacturer: Grub Street
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

World War I | Military | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 1904010024

Book Description

Following their imaginative, popular and successful approach to identifying and describing all the airmen who were claimed by Manfred von Richthofen in Under the Guns of the Red Baron, and by Immelmann, Voss, Goring and Lothar von Richthofen in Under the Guns of the German Aces, air historians Franks and Giblin have put four more equally distinguished German aces of World War One under the microscope.

In doing so, they profile not only the aces themselves, all of whom received the 'Blue Max' - Germany's highest award for bravery in action - but also the Allied airmen they fought and downed. By extensive and exhaustive research into records, and carefully studying maps, timings and intelligence reports - contemporary and retrospective - as full a picture as possible is revealed with excellent photographic coverage of the many protagonists involved.

All four of the aces, Bohme, Muller, von Tutschek and Wolff were unit leaders at different times, one commanded a Jagdesgeschwader, the others commanded Jagdstaffels. All four were destined to die in actions against the Royal Flying Corps. Every one of their combats is detailed here, with colour artwork. This is the last in the 'Under the Guns' trilogy, to complete the set.

Customer Reviews:

An exhaustive profile of four distinguished German aces.......2003-11-13

Expertly compiled and co-written by World War I history experts Norman Franks and Hal Giblin, Under The Guns Of The Kaiser's Aces: Bohme, Muller, Von Tutschek And Wolff - The Complete Record Of Their Victories And Victims, is an exhaustive profile of four distinguished German aces of World War One, which informatively examines their personal and professional lives, including the aerial combat deeds that earned them the "Blue Max" (Germany's highest award for bravery in action). Under The Guns Of The Kaiser's Aces also includes the lives of the Allied airmen these German Aces fought and downed, and as well as their own deaths incurred by battling against the Royal Flying Corps. Black-and-white photographs, a wealth of details, painstaking research, and revealing insights from two true experts on the WWI and WW II air wars mark Under The Guns Of The Kaiser's Aces As a fascinating read for military aviation enthusiasts, as well as a major and significant contribution for World War I Military History reference collections.

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