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.

Average customer rating:

AN EYE-OPENING CARD IS DEALT
Sad, sad, sad
Silly self-serious schlock
Barely recognizable as OSC.
Fascinating, interesting, and very unnerving

Empire
Orson Scott Card
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0765316110
Release Date: 2006-11-28

Book Description

The American Empire has grown too fast, and the fault lines at home are stressed to the breaking point. The war of words between Right and Left has collapsed into a shooting war, though most people just want to be left alone.

The battle rages between the high-technology weapons on one side, and militia foot-soldiers on the other, devastating the cities, and overrunning the countryside. But the vast majority, who only want the killing to stop and the nation to return to more peaceful days, have technology, weapons and strategic geniuses of their own.

When the American dream shatters into violence, who can hold the people and the government together? And which side will you be on?

Orson Scott Card is a master storyteller, who has earned millions of fans and reams of praise for his previous science fiction and fantasy novels. Now he steps a little closer to the present day with this chilling look at a near future scenario of a new American Civil War.

Customer Reviews:

AN EYE-OPENING CARD IS DEALT.......2007-10-04

CARD IS A PROLIFIC (THANK GOD!) MASTER STORYTELLER. IT'S NOTABLE THAT SEVERAL WELL-WRITTEN REVIEWS IN THIS LIST SEEM TO DENEGRATE THE POLITICAL POLARIZATION INDUCED BY THE PLOT AND STORYLINE, TAGGING IT TO MR. CARD'S POLITICAL ATTITUDES, WHICH HE OPENLY SHARES WITH US IN THE AFTERWORD.

I BELIEVE THAT THIS POLARIZATION WAS AN INTENDED EFFECT, MEANT TO MAKE US ALL OPEN OUR EYES TO THE EVER WIDENING GAP BETWEEN THE POLITICAL EXTREMES NOW OPERANT IN AMERICA. THE CHILLING FACT IS THAT THE STORY COULD BE VERY CLOSE TO A NEAR-FUTURE REALITY, NOTWITHSTANDING THE FUTURISTIC WEAPONRY.

THE BOOK WOULD MAKE AN EXCELLENT MOVIE OR TV DRAMA (HOPEFULLY A SERIES), EXPLORING WHAT WE CAN DO IN THE NAME OF HUMANITY AND LOVE TO RESTORE THE BALANCE NECESSARY FOR THE CONTINUED EXISTANCE OF A FREE NATION AND A FREE PEOPLE.

Sad, sad, sad.......2007-10-02

Orson Scott Card has created some of the most interesting stories of his generation. His list of successes would be the envy of many an other author. And now......this, this, this.....well, story. For one of the most skilled authors in the US, he decides to tell a convulated, inplausable, and thinly veiled political rant. True, he tells it well, but.......jeeez what a waste of talent. Although his previous works will stand alone, the taint surrounding this effort surely saddens all readers that appreciated said previous efforts. Please, OSC, revert to to the old OSC.

Silly self-serious schlock.......2007-09-30

This is just a silly book, whatever your politics. After a promising start featuring a nifty opening action sequence and some interesting if underdeveloped buddy chemistry between the main characters the whole thing goes south in a big way when the "war" begins.

It's actually quite interesting to see some of Card's broad-stroke sociopolitical drama applied to a current day scenario, because it exposes so many of the crutches and weaknesses of so much SF: plot holes filled with improbable technology, deux ex machina in the form of the late introduction of a villan with unlimited wealth and resources, improbably polymath heroes, and ridiculously over-engineered details that add fanboy gee-whiz but break any sense of reality. Such things can be gotten away with in space opera, but are glaring and laughable in a "realistic" current-day fiction.

I wasn't aware until I got to the afterword that the book is based around a video game and was influenced by the TV show "24", which explains a lot of the silliness as the various puzzles, improbable and impractical (but surely flashy-looking) weaponry, and contrived action fit right in to the needs of a shoot-em up. This could have been fun, escapist entertainment if Card wasn't taking the ludicrous proceedings so seriously. Hint: if you have to go on for pages in your afterword trying to convince the reader that something like your story *really could happen*, you probably haven't done a very good job in the storytelling.

Barely recognizable as OSC........2007-09-29

I don't mean to scathe an author I have for so long respected, but given my reaction to this book I don't see how I can do otherwise. On one hand, plot mechanics and the language of the book are blatantly recycled from his Ender series. The obsession with the word "jeesh" and certain actions with .22 pistols are laughable distractions for anyone who's read any other OSC.

The other hand, the more important hand to me, is that Card's language throughout is blatantly offensive to my value system. Card and I have opposite sociopolitical views, which I have known for a long time. That said, I have respected him for years because he always argued his value system in a way that I respect. From reading Card's work in the past, I was able to understand and sympathize with Conservative viewpoints. That said, he abandoned his intellectual approach in this book in favor of cheap shots barely worthy of best seller of the week pulp novels. I had to check the cover every few minutes to make sure it was still an Orson Scott Card book.

The only entertaining parts of the book, which ends in a total fizzle, are the action sequences... which are practically written to go straight to a movie. It's strange, the moment the book goes to an action sequence bizarre sci-fi machines come out of the woodwork. Nothing believable ever happens in the entire book, and the action sequences only serve to drop the credibility of the story.

I don't recognize this author as the man who wrote Ender's Game or Xenocide, two of my favorite books. He spends too much time taking cheap shots at modern pop culture, giving responsibility for a bloody and amoral civil war on absurdly single-minded "progressives" (the word "Progressive" is used in a derogatory fashion the whole book) who are bitter about Gore's loss in 2000, and championing the military much in the style of the Transformers movie to make this anything but a cartoonish joke of a novel. The occasional efforts to lighten this radical right wing blitzkrieg with assertions of right wing wrongdoing are pitiful and forced, quite patronizing.

I have nothing against people of different political persuasions, nothing that would cause me to wish extreme violence upon them, and I know no one who does... on either side of the aisle. This is not about my views as a left leaning American, this is about my views as a human. I'm ashamed of Card right now.

Really, I could go on and on, but I'd rather not. Mr. Card, I expected so much better from you. I'm actually a good bit sad right now.

Fascinating, interesting, and very unnerving.......2007-09-20

Many seem to give this book a negative review solely because the political ideology discussed does not suit them. Mostly this feeling originates from progressives, but also from conservatives. As I write this review I see tags describing this book as "right wing, left wing, right wing rant, and left wing rant".

Like it or not, Card manages to show the idiocy of both the Red and the Blue Staters. That how the Blue States dream of a different result from 2000, and how the Red States want to roll back most of the latest Supreme Court decisions. And how, ultimately, both are utterly insane. Card does it well, if a bit more sympathetically towards the Right.

As a junkie politico and science fiction geek, I enjoyed what in my mind felt like a mostly plausible breakdown in America. It was done realistically, and relatively fairly. There are some silly sci-fi death rays but the underlying idea is solid. I would have loved to see this book be fleshed out as a possible two parter or a trilogy because many characters are not completely developed, but it gets the job done.

If you have an open mind, and are not offended at having your ideas and core beliefs tested, read this book. If not, don't bother--you will see it as a personal attack against your way of life, which is exactly the point that Card makes about how easy it can ultimately be in fragmenting our society along political lines.

9/11 and American Empire: Intellectuals Speak Out, Vol. 1

Average customer rating:

Recoil Not
Remedy to Falsehood, Ignorance, Error and Evil
Best of the 11 books on 9/11 I've read so far...
Bravo on a job well done!
9/11 Facts

9/11 and American Empire: Intellectuals Speak Out, Vol. 1

Manufacturer: Olive Branch Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1566566592

Book Description

Practically from the moment the dust settled in New York and Washington after the attacks of September 11, a movement has grown of survivors, witnesses, and skeptics who have never quite been able to accept the official story. When theologian David Ray Griffin turned his attention to this topic in his book The New Pearl Harbor (2003), he helped give voice to a disquieting rumble of critiques and questions from many Americans and people around the world about the events of that day. Were the military and the FAA really that incompetent? Were our intelligence-gathering agencies really in the dark about such a possibility? In short, how could so much go wrong at once, in the world's strongest and most technologically sophisticated country?

Both the government and the mainstream media have since tried to portray the 9/11 truth movement as led by people who can be dismissed as "conspiracy theorists" able to find an outlet for their ideas only on the internet. This volume, with essays by intellectuals from Europe and North America, shows this caricature to be untrue. Coming from different intellectual disciplines as well as from different parts of the world, these authors are united in the conviction that the official story about 9/11 is a huge deception manufactured to extend imperial control at home and abroad.

Contributors include Richard Falk, Daniele Ganser, David Ray Griffin, Steven E. Jones, Karin Kwiatkowski, John McMurtry, Peter Phillips, Morgan Reynolds, Kevin Ryan, Peter Dale Scott, Ola Tunander.

Customer Reviews:

Recoil Not.......2007-10-12

As soon as I heard Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" appear as the definitive soundtrack for all things 9/11 during the initial grim days of this national tragedy, I had the sneaky suspiscion that the event itself would wrap around us as an emotional blanket of perpetual grief and fear, smothering us to the cause of this effect, but warming us to a nationalistic zeal unmeasured in our history. There are countless books chronicalling the arrogance, calumny, deception, and criminality of the Bush administration, and even if all of his minions and Bush himself were jailed for their collective crimes against humanity, what they have done in all other constitutional and other matters pales in comparison to what "9/11 and the American Empire" suggests they've done in regard to 9/11 itself. I normally recoil from the culture of conspiracy, choosing to seek a sober, data-driven, argument for cause and effect relationships. In many ways this book achieves that in a refreshingly cold-hearted way. Subtracting the emotion from its charge, the authors argue cooly for the plausibility that a cadre of neo-cons were dedicated to advancing American hegemony, ignoring the rationale it takes to warrant Empire, and ignoring the lessons history has given them to recoil from pursuing Empire. If you have your own suspicions about the nature of anything 9/11, you owe it to your own curiosity to read this book. When it settles on you that a greater truth is out there beyond what the vapid mass media reports, then you'll have to decide for yourself whether to recoil from a harder truth that our government is in the grips of a new kind of fascism, or just turn away, shrug in disbelief, and change the channel and hope for the best.Finally, those who dismiss any scholarship on seeking the truth on 9/11 should embrace skepticism for its own sake, for doubting the motives of those who have abused authority and power is at the very core of democratic thinking and the very founding of our constitutional republic. The secrecy of the Bush administration, couched as it is in claims of national security, is cause for great concern. The very fact, verifiable even in the most flaccid journal of mass media, that Bush did NOT want 9/11 investigated suggests culpability.Though I do not want to believe my country's leaders would concoct such a monstrous offense to America and the world, I believe skepticism warrants a vigorous investigation into this terrible tragedy.

Remedy to Falsehood, Ignorance, Error and Evil.......2007-08-30

"These are they who are conscious of the much falsehood in the world; they grow in the house of Truth, they are the strong and invincible sons of Infinity"

Rig Veda

Best of the 11 books on 9/11 I've read so far..........2007-08-15

...a very difficult choice, as they include books by Ahmed,Griffin,Tarpley, Zwicker and others! This collection of brilliant articles is hard to beat because it covers the key aspects of 9/11 truth and a wide range of connected important issues concerning our future. If you only have time for one book, read this!
Pekka Castrén

Bravo on a job well done!.......2007-05-27

"9/11 and American Empire" is written by an outstanding cast of authors, who put together an eloquent volume with tremendous references that addressed the unanswered questions about 9/11. They helped elucidate the haze surrounding this historic event, and debunked the myth that shrouded it. Read it and make your own decision.....

9/11 Facts.......2007-05-11

For those of us who examine the literature on 9/11, including material on the Internet and on DVDs, this is an important resource. No one will be bored reading this book, and it substantiates the serious scholarship done on this subject.

Heir to the Empire (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Vol. 1)

Average customer rating:

Not Free SF Reader
awful
best of the Star Wars stories
Readable but annoyingly written continuation of original trilogy
Best of a shot-in-the-dark lot

Heir to the Empire (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Vol. 1)
Timothy Zahn
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0553296124
Release Date: 1992-05-01

Book Description

It's five years after Return of the Jedi: the Rebel Alliance has destroyed the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, and driven out the remnants of the old Imperial Starfleet to a distant corner of the galaxy. Princess Leia and Han Solo are married and expecting Jedi Twins. And Luke Skywalker has become the first in a long-awaited line of Jedi Knights. But thousand of light-years away, the last of the emperor's warlords has taken command of the shattered Imperial Fleet, readied it for war, and pointed it at the fragile heart of the new Republic. For this dark warrior has made two vital discoveries that could destroy everything the courageous men and women of the Rebel Alliance fought so hard to build. The explosive confrontation that results is a towering epic of action, invention, mystery, and spectacle on a galactic scale--in short, a story worthy of the name Star Wars.

Customer Reviews:

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Some years after the events in the Star Wars movie, the New Republic is
beginning to encounter political problems, and having to deal with
governing and routing out rebels.

Along comes something nastier. A grand admiral of the Empire, with
a very potent battle fleet at his command, and a very impressive
ability to utilise it.

The beginning of the publishing of 100 billion books of what I suppose you could call '21st century pulp'.

This series is pretty decent, however.

awful.......2007-08-23

i can't believe people like this book.it's realy awful.and i bought this book when there was no new star wars books out and i was starving for something new from star wars.i would keep reading the old brian dalye or alan dean foster books.but i guess being spoiled by those writers reading zahn's book coulnd only be a dissapointment.and i really wanted to like this book.he just copies too much from the other writers instead of making something new.i mean an old jedi master.hey people use your brain trying to make another obi-wan character,sheesh!.

best of the Star Wars stories.......2007-06-24

Heir To The Empire is part one of The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn. This trilogy is set 5 years after Return of the Jedi. Han Solo and Princess Leia are married and are expecting Jedi twins. The Empire, lead by Grand Admiral Thrawn (best villian since Vader), plan to capture Leia and turn her and her twins to the Dark Side of the Force. Very highly recommended.

The Thrawn Trilogy consists of:
The Heir To The Empire
Dark Force Rising
The Last Command

Readable but annoyingly written continuation of original trilogy.......2007-06-13

My curiosity finally got the better of me, so I decided I would read the official continuation of the Star Wars story post Return of the Jedi. It starts out familiarizing the reader with a glossing over of the post Death Star V2 Emperor defeat happenings and jumps right into the activities of the new self appointed head of the Imperial forces, Admiral Thrawn who has been successfully raiding New Republic bases and supply lines. He has a plan to reinsert the Empire into their previous spot as bully overlord of the galaxy and Heir to the Empire is the jumping off point for this story, which takes three books to wrap up.

First off, it's an easy read. The story flows at a pretty good pace and seems to match the films in this respect. There are plenty of new characters that are realized relatively well and only seem out of place sometimes by name more than anything else. Some of the names of the characters just don't seem appropriate for Star Wars and it can be a little distracting, but not terribly so. What is more distracting however, and what makes these books less successful for me, is the lazy writing of the author. He can only describe moods with lip characterizations and most of the time, it's of the "so and so's lip twisted" variety, like...

Han is mad: His lip twists

Luke is worried: His lip twists

Leia is frightened: Her lip twists

Luke is determined: His lip twists

C3PO is acting dandy: His... Just kidding (Zahn probably had to hold himself back none the less)

He also comes up with new ideas of how to describe things and just starts using them all of a sudden but doesn't go back to insert them into earlier parts of the book. It's just weird when a character starts using a phrase all of a sudden, frequently, and they never used it for the first half of the book. How hard would it be to go back and place it in earlier parts of the book to make the character's use of language consistent?

And don't get me started on the Mynocks! "The thingy took off like a Mynock with a scorched tail." "It fell to the ground like a clipped Mynock." "He chortled like a bemused Mynock." "She ate like an anorexic Mynock."... and on and on.

Additionally,these characters, and maybe this was unavoidable but I don't think so, live completely in the past that is the 3 prequels. They are not given much of a life before them, in memory, so all of their recall harks back to the films (like we need to be reminded what happened) and that gets old real quick. Everything is "this is just like it happened on the Death Star" or "don't you remember what he did at Mos Eisley?" or "Luke thought back to the cave on Daigobah." Where's that extra mystery of the stuff we didn't see? It's like sitting around a bunch of people who only reminisce about a small period in their lives... Enough!

Well, I guess I'm trying to say that Heir to the Empire is not very well written, but the story is relatively interesting, easy to read, and, well, it tells us what happens to Luke and all of the rest after Return of the Jedi. I imagine a lot of people don't expect to find something literate in a book like this, but, maybe just once, I would like to be surprised.

Best of a shot-in-the-dark lot.......2007-05-27

Star Wars novels are often hit or miss, with many of them being completely unappealing to non-star wars nerds. Speaking as one of those nerds, I've read quite a few of the Star Wars novels, and the entire Hand of Thrawn trilogy is one of the few that stands on it's own not just as a good Star Wars series, but as an excellent general science fiction story as well. Timothy Zahn has an eye for detail that escapes most authors of any genre, and has carefully crafted a fantastic story that has something for every reader to enjoy.

The trilogy focuses both on the difficulties of setting up a new government to replace the old Empire, the number of things still mysterious and unknown even in a well-known universe, and the artful style with which a true strategist could use the resources of the Star Wars universe.

If I could rate it higher than five stars, I would.

Wilderness Empire: A Narrative (Eckert, Allan W. Winning of America Series.)

Average customer rating:

Great series
A Dangerous Time in Colonial America
History coming alive
Bloody, bloody good
Widerness Empire

Wilderness Empire: A Narrative (Eckert, Allan W. Winning of America Series.)
Allan W. Eckert
Manufacturer: Jesse Stuart Foundation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 1931672024

Book Description

For over two hundred years no Indian force in America was so powerful and feared as the Iroquois League. Throughout two thirds of this continent, the cry of "The Iroquois are coming!" was enough to demoralize entire tribes. But these Iroquois occupied and controlled a vast wilderness empire which beckoned like a precious gem to foreign powers. France and England secured toeholds and suddenly each was claiming as its own this land of the Iroquois. Alliance with the Indians was the key; whichever power controlled them could destroy the other.

Wilderness Empire is the gripping narrative of the eighteenth-century struggle of these two powers to win for themselves the allegiance of the Indians in a war for territorial dominance, yet without letting these Indians know that the prize of the war would be this very Iroquois land. It is the story of English strength hamstrung by incredible incompetence, of French power sapped by devastating corruption. It is the story of the English, Indian and French individuals whose lives intertwine in the greatest territorial struggle in American history--the French and Indian War.

Customer Reviews:

Great series.......2007-07-28

This is one of the weaker books in Eckert's series, but it was still a good read. I'd recommend it for any Eckert fan, or any other American-History fan. You should definately read the other books in the series!!!

A Dangerous Time in Colonial America.......2007-02-26

Wow! What a book! For anyone interested in studying the French and Indian War period, this is a must read. Although it's not a "textbook" account it's still a lot of fun. I would read this book alongside Francis Parkman's "Montcalm and Wolfe" and Anderson's "Crucible of War". Probably Mr. Eckert's best work. It's really great for younger children or anyone who has forgotten about good old-fashioned American folklore. Fantastic!

History coming alive.......2007-02-12

The best book I have ever read on the French and Indian War. It is utterly amazing how Eckert makes characters from the past come so alive. You really get the feeling that you not only learned about events that happened in the past, but that you get to know the people who experienced them.

Bloody, bloody good.......2006-09-08

Though published in 1969, when attitudes toward Native Americans were just beginning to recover after centuries of demonization, "Wilderness Empire" paints a very balanced picture of the complexities of the American frontier during the period of the French and Indian War. Comprising the formative years of George Washington, Ben Franklin and many of other actors on the American historical stage, this often-ignored historical period was the foundation for the Revolutionary War years that immediately followed. What happened in the 1740s and 50s cemented the reputations and formed the attitudes of those who forged America in the 1770s and 80s.

Eckert does a fascinating job of writing a "semi-fictional" work that relies heavily on the letters and other documents of the players themselves. He claims not to have invented conversations, but to have dramatized them based on the evidence in the primary sources. Of course, this cannot extend to Eckert's descriptions of his characters' state of mind, but he seems to take care to add proper emotional expression to the dry facts where appropriate.

Eckert's tale includes hundreds of characters, but he focuses on the exploits of a few notable ones. William Johnson, the young Irish adventurer become military leader, is at the center of the tale. Johnson seems one of only a few Americans who took the Indians seriously and was subsequently adopted by them. His incredible double life - as a white subject of the crown and as the Indian Warraghiyagey - showed him to be a man of intelligence, subtlety, heart and strength. Other characters - the exquisite French Marquis de Montcalm, a young and inexperienced George Washington, the Mohawk Chief Tiyanoga and New Hampshire's Robert Rogers of Ranger fame - are also featured prominently. This is not due to their later fame as much as to the fact that these were men of great valor and valiant action in their day. Eckert does feature women in his tale, but often they are love partners, slaves or victims. One wonders whether he might have made more of them had he written the book ten years later, when feminist scholarship and sensitivity urged writers to take a closer look at female contributions.

In any event, Eckert's tale is very bloody. Indian atrocities -- including scalping, dismemberment, ritual torture and cannibalism -- get more than their fair share of space. Cannonballs cut men in two and musket fire pierces brains and bodies and leaves men screaming in agony. Eckert does not pass judgment on these actions, though his French and especially his English characters do. At least he attempts to see these practices with native eyes, as the just spoils of warfare, as much due to the victors as the powder and food of the vanquished. But for the reader, the burnings, killings and mutilations do seem to pile up after a while. On the positive side, this gives the reader a chance to appreciate the tenuous nature of life on the New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia frontier. There's enough brutality on all sides to make one glad to live in more peaceful times.

I found "Wilderness Empire" to be a fascinating, if slow, read. The vast array of characters, the difficult Indian names and places, and the complex and convoluted nature of the events makes it difficult to read for pleasure. But in the end, the book was well worth the effort. I now feel I have filled a long-standing lacuna in my historical understanding - the period the led to the American Revolution and set the stage for the white expansion across the continent.

Widerness Empire.......2006-07-04

Second time I have read it the first time was over 25 years ago, it is an oustanding narative of the early days of America detailing important events in the early setteling of our country.

Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West

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Great reading
Add this to your reading list
ONE OF THE BEST HISTORY BOOK
Questions Remain
Holland back and at his finest

Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West
Tom Holland
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0385513119
Release Date: 2006-05-02

Book Description

In 480 B.C., Xerxes, the King of Persia, led an invasion of mainland Greece. Its success should have been a formality. For seventy years, victory—rapid, spectacular victory—had seemed the birthright of the Persian Empire. In the space of a single generation, they had swept across the Near East, shattering ancient kingdoms, storming famous cities, putting together an empire which stretched from India to the shores of the Aegean. As a result of those conquests, Xerxes ruled as the most powerful man on the planet. Yet somehow, astonishingly, against the largest expeditionary force ever assembled, the Greeks of the mainland managed to hold out. The Persians were turned back. Greece remained free. Had the Greeks been defeated in the epochal naval battle at Salamis, not only would the West have lost its first struggle for independence and survival, but it is unlikely that there would ever have been such an entity as the West at all.

Tom Holland’s brilliant new book describes the very first “clash of Empires” between East and West. As he did in the critically praised Rubicon, he has found extraordinary parallels between the ancient world and our own. There is no other popular history that takes in the entire sweep of the Persian Wars, and no other classical historian, academic or popular, who combines scholarly rigor with novelistic depth with a worldly irony in quite the fashion that Tom Holland does.

Customer Reviews:

Great reading.......2007-10-09

Work was really well done. This book would give anyone a greater understanding of the complexities and cultural events of the day.

Add this to your reading list.......2007-08-12

If you are interested in Persian and Greek history this is an excellent read. It is very well written and provides a number of good illustrations, photos and maps. The author has a very good writing voice and is entertaining.

ONE OF THE BEST HISTORY BOOK.......2007-07-23

this book is so good that if i could rate it 10 stars i would rate it 20

Questions Remain.......2007-07-12

Tom Holland does a good job of summarizing what we know about the subject. If you have read Herodotus' "Persian War" or Plutarch's "Lives" or Thucidydes' "Peloponessian War" then you have the facts already. "Persian Fire" puts it all together into an entertaining and sometimes moving story. And let's face it, it is one of the world's great stories.

I kept handy my Times Atlas of World History and my Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia as I read it. There is also a lot of stuff on the net regarding the Persian Empire which will supplement Holland.

So why does he feel the need to use profanity to tell it? "S**t" and "f**k" have no place here. Those two words cost him a star, from me.

I feel the book would have benefitted from a deeper discussion of military matters. Just what was a "hoplite"? How was a phalanx made up? What means did they employ to fend off a cavalry charge?

I picked up a copy of "Rubicon" based on my enjoyment of this.

Holland back and at his finest.......2007-07-10

Tom Holland scored some major points with Rubicon, a terrific, narrative account of the fall of the Roman Republic. His clear prose, entertaining characterization and solid research and diverse use of sources can be apppreciated by all levels of readers. Holland may not have improved between his two books, but he certainly hasn't lost a step either. In Persian Fire, he recounts the rise of the Persian Empire and the revolutionary changes in Greek life, focusing on the late Archaic age in Sparta and Athens. I'm sure the point has been made before, but I like Holland's insistence that Marathon proved to be the first real test of the democracy of Athens. Holland traces their subsequent rise in prestige and the spread of democracy to this great victory over the hegemonic superpower of Persia. Holland's narrative is sleek, the various Athenian factions are (thankfully) clarified and the representation of the Persians is quite good. He tends to over-do his comparisons to the contemporary world, but overall, Holland treats my favorite historical event with his unique touch and has written a wonderfully accessible account of a stodgy, academic conflict. Well done, Tom.

Average customer rating:

A very accessible book
A little more detail would have made it a good one
A fresh look at some little-known history
Wars of Heraclitus against the Persians

First Crusader: Byzantium's Holy Wars
Geoffrey Regan
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1403961514

Book Description

The word 'Crusades' has traditionally referred to the wars fought after the late eleventh century to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims. Regan argues that they actually be-gan in the seventh century with the conquests of the Byzan-tine Empire by the Per-sians. In retaliation, the emperor Herac-lius used Christian propaganda to turn the war into the first crusade. Coincidentally, Heraclius's career was unfold-ing at the same time as that of the Muslim prophet Mohammed. No sooner had Heraclius overthrown the power of Persia and re-gained the Holy Land, than he lost it to the irresistibly strong Arabs. First Crusader is an entertaining and challenging rein-ter-pretation of the Crusades.

Customer Reviews:

A very accessible book.......2004-05-03

Regan's book writes in a style that is easy to understand and even fun to read. This was the first book I read dealing with the Byzantine Empire, it was good enough to warrant a topic switch in my major from Medieval studies, to Byzantine studies. Regan's book makes a clear cut and convincing case for emperor Heraclius of Byzantium, as the First Crusader. Though the book does not contain enough detail for my taste, it was still a captivating and informative read. This should be considered an informative introductory to the study of the Byzantine Empire.

A little more detail would have made it a good one.......2004-01-01

Geoffrey Regan's books are entertaining. Read his Military blunders 1&2, which by the way were much better books than this one. He wishes to elaborate on the first true crusader, Heraclius but starts off with his typical satire, related to the times of Constantine's father and the birth of Byzantium. The early history of Byzantium was unnecessary. He could have written more on Heraclius himself. The lack of description of key battles and undertakings do not do justice to a man who deserves more. There are a couple of interesting pictures. On the good aspect of the book. One gets to read a bit of interesting history and legends. The author uses good judgement to question the authenticity of the True Cross and the Holy Sepulchre. Overall i'd say its a good book to keep but i wont recommend buying the hardback version.

A fresh look at some little-known history.......2003-08-25

This book reminds us that Christian crusades to liberate Jerusalem's holy places long predate the so-called First Crusade of the eleventh century. More than four hundred years earlier, the Byzantine Empire used Christian themes in its struggles against threats from the East. Regan is particularly effective in describing the campaigns of the Byzantine emperor Heraclius, who regained Jerusalem from the Persians. Regan follows the story through the era of Islamic expansion, the Turkish conquests, and the first Western Crusade. Among other things, readers will discover the original Church of the Holy Sepulcher built by Constantine, much more impressive than the current version. Like the Jewish Temple, it was destroyed by invaders. The book, written in an accessible style, includes black and white photographs and some basic maps.

Wars of Heraclitus against the Persians.......2003-05-17

REVIEWED BY SMITH HEMPSTONE ...

When it comes to warrior-kings, the Byzantine emperor Heraclitus, who ruled Constantinople from 610 to 641 A.D., was in a league by himself. Few have risen so fast, and achieved so much in such a short time, only to lose all at the end.
Indeed, in "First Crusader: Byzantium's Holy Wars," the British historian Geoffrey Regan makes a convincing case that the wars of Heraclitus against the Sasanian Persians (622-628 A.D.) should rank as the first crusade rather than that from the West called by Pope Urban in 1095. Heraclitus smashed the Persian empire, recovering the flags and standards lost by 100 Byzantine armies over the centuries, regained the lost colonies of Syria, Palestine and Egypt, sacked a dozen great cities, brought back the True Cross from Persia and rebuilt the shrine of the Holy Sepulchre.
Whether you call the wars of the Christian Byzantines against the fire-worshipping Zoroastrian Persians crusades, or something else, the heroics of Heraclitus, who personally led his troops in battle and fought in single combat the champions of many enemy armies, had the effect of prolonging the life of the Eastern Roman empire for several centuries, delaying the Moslem advance into the Balkans by hundreds of years.
Both his personal life and his military successes combined to weaken Heraclitus toward the end of his reign. His popular first wife, Fabia-Eudokia, died in 612 A.D., leaving the emperor with only one male heir, not nearly enough to guarantee the succession. So Heraclitus married his beautiful and able niece, Martina, daughter of his sister, Maria. Although incestuous unions were not that unusual in those days, they were forbidden. But a significant group of the Byzantine establishment regarded the deaths of four of her disabled children as God's judgement on Martina, blaming her for defeats at the hands of the Moslem Arabs.
When Heraclitus died horribly of "dropsy" (cancer) this was taken as yet another sign of divine displeasure. The fates of Martina and her surviving sons: Martina's tongue was split and she was exiled to Rhodes with her eldest son, who had his nose cut off. Of her three other sons, two had their noses cut off and the youngest was castrated.
Like many another political leader, Heraclitus wanted to have both chariots and wine, and his wars proved ruinously expensive. Syria and Palestine had been regained but were denuded of their populations, their fields lay fallow and returned little revenue. Egypt was about to fall to Mohammed's desert Bedouin breaking out from Arabia.
The Orthodox Church, through the influence of Heraclitus' great friend and supporter, the Patriarch Sergius of Constantinople, had floated huge loans to pay for the wars. But now, except in distant Egypt, the wars were over and the church wanted its money back.
Heraclitus paid up, but only at the cost of his planned reform of the army and the civil service. Alexandria soon fell to the Moslems and much of Syria followed. By 674 A.D. the Moslem jihad had carried them to the gates of Constantinople. In desperation, the Byzantines fell back on their secret weapon: "Greek fire," a highly flammable mixture of tar, resin, sandarac and powdered sulphur mixed with dolphin and goat fat. It was ignited after passing through a hose and could not be put out with water. The Byzantine garrison of Constantinople used this primitive napalm to great effect against the Arab fleet and the wooden siege machines of the Moslems.
Their effective use of "Greek fire" and the arrival of Bulgar reinforcements and their King Tervel, resulted in over 20,000 Moslems killed. The Arabs abandoned the siege in 718 A.D., and the city was to block the Moslem invasion of Eastern Europe for another 700 years.
The millennium of Christ's death in 1033 A.D. triggered a wave of religious fervor that engulfed all Western Europe. What had been mere acts of faith evolved into a series of crusades whose objective was nothing less than the conquest of the Holy Land and its restoration to Christian rule.
What distinguished the Western crusaders from the earlier pilgrims was that by their acts they earned indulgences from the pope. These guaranteed protection of his family, lands and assets during his absence and granted the remission of sins should the crusader die in battle, with immediate entry into Paradise. In an age of faith, this was of no little consequence.
Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. and by the Persians in 614 A.D. The Moslem Arabs had captured it in 638 A.D. In 1099 A.D. it was invested by the Western Crusaders and fell in a bloody massacre. After all the Moslems were dead and most of the Crusaders had sailed back to Europe, just 300 Christian knights and 2,000 infantry remained in the smoking ruins.
While Byzantium remained, it did so only as a shadow of its former days of greatness under Hiraclitus. Christian communities in the Near East could no longer expect help from Constantinople, which was to fall to the Ottoman Turks. As the gap grew greater between Latin Christianity and the Orthodox Church, Islam was rent by the division between Sunni and Shia and defeated in France and Hungary. It was not a time for greatness.

The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire: From the First Century A.D. to the Third (Johns Hopkins Paperbacks)

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Pellucid analysis, and perhaps relevant to our own time?
Great explanation how a world empire defended its citizens
Eye-opening analysis
Ancient history for current events
An excellent overview of Roman imperial strategy

The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire: From the First Century A.D. to the Third (Johns Hopkins Paperbacks)
Edward N. Luttwak
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0801821584

Book Description

'A fascinating book, well written and forcefully argued...Luttwak's formulations are as refreshing as they are convincing... He has done for Roman historians what they have not done for themselves.' --Z. Yavetz, New Republic

Customer Reviews:

Pellucid analysis, and perhaps relevant to our own time?.......2007-04-17

Luttwak's book is not only a marvelous addition to any library concerning strategy or Rome, but it may also be, in Barbara Tuchman's phrase, "A Distant Mirror". Speaking of the last phase of the Roman Empire (i.e. the late third and fourth century CE), Luttwak says "The machinery of empire now became increasingly self-serving, with its tax-collectors, administrators, and soldiers of much greater use to one another than to society at large...."

Great explanation how a world empire defended its citizens.......2005-05-28

I do not agree that this book is only for specialists. I am of the opinion that it is a book for history lovers. And, moreover, it is for any person who wishes to understand how a highly developed society managed to defend its way of living. It most valuable because it depicts the success of the Roman system in the first two centuries of our era. The Third Century depicts the problem of a World power which has began its decline.
Reading the book you understand the Roman system, and you learn how a society must be prepared for selfdefense, and even for attack, if it wants to survive.
If you translate this book into the idiom of the early XXIst Century, you realize how our declining Western Civilization must behave in order to protect itself, and its inhabitants, from its external -and even internal- threats.

Eye-opening analysis.......2005-05-19

This book is a very interesting analysis for everybody who wants to know more about the strategy of the Roman Empire. While also very accessible to non-experts, even experts or people who have read a lot about Rome will learn a lot and see things a new way.

Mr. Luttwak splits the time of the roman empire into time periods of same strategy. This strategy changed a few times through the centuries.

One of the most interesting points is that the Roman Empire did have trouble expanding its Empire beyond the size of Augustus Principate because the roman army could not apply its full military force in the border areas because of the evironment there. The roman army's core was the heavy infanterie and with this the legions were strong and hard to stop or defeat but they were also slow. Therefore in areas where enemies had something to defend (cities, fields, etc), the power of the roman army (also using their siege capabilities) was very high and therefore it could apply this potential military might either in direct military success or into political power which then helped the romans to create client states around their empire which served as buffer states against any potential enemy attack.

But the forested middle Europe, the desert areas of Arabia and North Africa and the plains of Iran and Ukraine were wide and the people who lived there did not depend on a city structure which they needed to defend. Therefore they could avoid a direct confrontation with the Romans (which was their main strength) and apply their way of fighting to the Romans. The Roman army could still penetrate these areas, but only under above average costs and had trouble keeping this area under their control. Examples of this are the losses of Crassus against the Parthians and the losses of 3 legions against the Cherusci in the Teutoburg Forest.

Very good book!

Ancient history for current events.......2004-09-22

Although much of this book may be at a level of specificity of interest only to Roman history buffs, Luttwak's assessments of the Roman Empire's strategic strengths and weaknesses has much relevance to the modern United States, which occupies an historical position not unlike Rome's at the beginning of the Empire. For example, issues such as the efficient use of a relatively small professional army, or the maintenance of client states, are directly relevant to the modern world. Each section begins with a sufficiently adequate historical summary that readers not yet familiar with Roman history will not be lost.

An excellent overview of Roman imperial strategy.......2003-03-09

This is a unique work in that it tries to explain an overall strategic picture of Roman Imperial defense through the principate and into the turbulent third century when the empire as a political entity was in real jepordy of being swept away by internal and external threats. In somewhat technical terms, he goes on to explain how Roman Imperial security evolved over time starting with the early principate. Then going into the Flavian, Antonine and Severan eras. Luttwak does a great job in outlining the threat, security measures and strategies of each different era. Extensive notes allow for additional study. Even though written almost 30 years ago, it is still very relevant. It is striking how simmilar the strategic problems faced by ancient Rome are today faced by the U.S. My only critisism is that he does not go into any detail of internal security measures or how these relate to strategic defense. Otherwise an excellent work.

Average customer rating:

biased garbage!
History at its best
Excellent historical book
Par excellence.
Excellent and Epic

The Greco-Persian Wars
Peter Green
Manufacturer: University of California Press
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0520203135

Amazon.com

Popular classicist Peter Green (author of Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.) offers an engrossing narrative of the wars between the Greeks and the Persians. This is real David-and-Goliath material, with the scrappy, feuding city-states of ancient Greece fending off a much larger aggressor. The conflicts themselves are a kind of struggle for the soul of Western civilization: "On the one side, the towering, autocratic figure of the Great King; on the other, the voluntary and imperfect discipline of proudly independent citizens." The Greeks surprisingly fare better in these encounters, and make themselves legends on the plains of Marathon (192 Greek casualties versus 6,400 Persians), during the heroic last stand at Thermopylae, and elsewhere.

The Greco-Persian Wars is full of wonderful stories featuring bravery, cowardice, and treachery. Unlike so many of his fellow historians, Green understands the importance of a dramatic narrative, sometimes employing novelistic techniques to relate what happened. It's not an overstatement to say that the course of Western history might have taken a strikingly unfamiliar turn if these battles had had different outcomes. Green is a natural storyteller, and The Greco-Persian Wars is a delight to read, even for readers who have no background or special interest in the classical world. --John J. Miller

Book Description

This is a reissue, with a new introduction and an update to the bibliography, of the original edition, published in 1970 as The Year of Salamis in England and as Xerxes at Salamis in the U.S.
The long and bitter struggle between the great Persian Empire and the fledgling Greek states reached its high point with the extraordinary Greek victory at Salamis in 480 B.C. The astonishing sea battle banished forever the specter of Persian invasion and occupation. Peter Green brilliantly retells this historic moment, evoking the whole dramatic sweep of events that the Persian offensive set in motion. The massive Greek victory, despite the Greeks' inferior numbers, opened the way for the historic evolution of the Greek states in a climate of creativity, independence, and democracy, one that provided a model and an inspiration for centuries to come.
Green's accounts of both Persian and Greek strategies are clear and persuasive; equally convincing are his everyday details regarding the lives of soldiers, statesmen, and ordinary citizens. He has first-hand knowledge of the land and sea he describes, as well as full command of original sources and modern scholarship. With a new foreword, The Greco-Persian Wars is a book that lovers of fine historical writing will greet with pleasure.

Customer Reviews:

biased garbage!.......2007-08-09

Obviously mr. peter green has some hostility toward the the persian (iranian)culture. Right at the intro, he goes on about how achaemenid persia gave no contribution to the world at all! well, for one, the persian court was a frequent learning place for the greek scholars for at least 200 years.(according to herodotus himself), postal system,tolerating free practice of religon and culture, no use of slavery, intricate governmet system(which completely was a failure when greeks attempted after alexander's barbaric conquest),pioneering army technological advances( check out "persian army" by nick sekunda), building great roads connecting the empire(two third of the known world then)... not to mention that alexander and the rest of the greeks burned down and destroyed alot of persian literature, and scentific recordings, alot of persian achievements were destroyed. Therefor, what is left today is known to be the greek's acheivements to their credits without a solid proof for the most part. only the battles that the greeks had won are grossly portrayed which to the iranians was nothing but an insignificant setback, untill the barbaric advances of alexander ofcourse. Even the bible praises cyrus, darius, xerxes, and artaxerxes for the humane, and generous actions of the persian emperors especially to the jews. mr. peter green get a clue! there was a reason that the persians were always envied by the greeks, and there was a reason that the greeks call the persian emperors lord of asia!

History at its best.......2007-03-25

History books should be interesting and supported by facts. Peter Green's Greco-Persian Wars scores well on both counts. He combines the historical fact with a narrative that maintains the reader's interest.

Excellent historical book.......2007-03-21

The book writes like a story. It is beautifully written and well researched. Anyone who is wanting to know the clash of the Greeks and the Persians, the battle of Marathon, the Hot Gates (a.k.a., the famous battle for the West) and the aftermath that leads to rising power of the great Greek empire, this is a must book. Mr. Green truly knows his Greek history and is not shy in making the narrative alive and reader friendly. Five stars all the way!

Par excellence........2007-01-26

This is quite simply THE book to read to thoroughly understand the conflict between Classical Greece and Imperial Persia. It rivals Kagan's "The Peloponnesian War" in depth and detail. And while not quite the break neck read of Holland's "Persian Fire" it compensates with an eminently readable style and makes Cartledges's "Thermopylae" look anemic and cadaverous even given the significantly more limited scope of the latter's work.

Green does an exceptional job of comparing and contrasting the ancient sources of information on the period, Herodotus, Plutarch, Aeschylus etc. and weaves them together with the modern scholarship of Burn and Pritchett etc. while injecting his own theories to provide a narrative that brings both the players and their times vividly to life.

Green takes Herodotus to task for bias and obvious propagandistic nonsense early and often and with common sense and logic corrects many of the more egregious errors of the primary sources, in particular the size of Xerxes army, specifically the probable confusion between chiliarchs (commander of 1,000 men) and myriarchs (commander of 10,000 men). Using Munro and Maurice among others he corrects the likely decimal error in Herodotus's calculation of the size of Xerxes army. Reducing it from a phantasmagorical 1.7 million men to more credible 170,000 infantry with another 40,000 cavalry, quisling Greeks and miscellaneous others.

Add in no small amount of irreverent levity and you have the perfect tract on what Thomas Cahill (How the Irish Saved Civilization) refers to as a "hinge" of history.

In two words, BUY IT!

Excellent and Epic.......2006-12-14

I recently bought a copy of Prof. Green's book The Greco-Persian wars and I could not put it down. The book is amazing and well-worth every penny I spent on it. Just the account of Thermopylae had me on the edge of my seat and filled with excitment and pride in what these barve 300 Spartans and their allies did for Greece and western civilization. Green's love-affair with Heroditus is quite evident and was a great use to him in this book. I loved Green's Alexander to Actium and I greatly love the Greco-Persian Wars. Buy this book and you will not be disappointed. I highly recommend this book

A War of Frontier and Empire: The Philippine-American War, 1899-1902

Average customer rating:

Understanding American and Philippine History
A starting point for me
How well does the author know his subject?
Somewhat Disappointed
SERIOUSLY FLAWED

A War of Frontier and Empire: The Philippine-American War, 1899-1902
David J. Silbey
Manufacturer: Hill and Wang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0809071878
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Book Description

It has been termed an insurgency, a revolution, a guerrilla war, and a conventional war. As David J. Silbey demonstrates in this taut, compelling history, the 1899 Philippine-American War was in fact all of these. Played out over three distinct conflicts—one fought between the Spanish and the allied United States and Filipino forces; one fought between the United States and the Philippine Army of Liberation; and one fought between occupying American troops and an insurgent alliance of often divided Filipinos—the war marked America’s first steps as a global power and produced a wealth of lessons learned and forgotten.

In A War of Frontier and Empire, Silbey traces the rise and fall of President Emilio Aguinaldo, as Aguinaldo tries to liberate the Philippines from colonial rule only to fail, devastatingly, before a relentless American army. He tracks President McKinley’s decision to commit troops and fulfill a divinely inspired injunction to “uplift and civilize” despite the protests of many Americans. Most important, Silbey provides a clear lens to view the Philippines as, in the crucible of war, it transforms itself from a territory divided by race, ethnicity, and warring clans into a cohesive nation on the path to independence.

Customer Reviews:

Understanding American and Philippine History.......2007-09-10

Historian David Silbey examines the Philippine-American War in his book, A WAR OF FRONTIER AND EMPIRE: THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN WAR, 1899-1902. After reading the book, the bottom line is that the event was controversial and misinterpreted in terms of gender roles, racial stereotypes, politics, economics, and imperialistic endeavors. Although historians argue that the war may have been a blunder on America's part, Silbey broadly suggests that in the eyes of the Filipino people, it was a victory that took over 40 years to achieve. Despite Philippine freedom from Spanish colonial rule in 1899, it was the annexation of the territory by the United States in 1902, which deferred that freedom until after World War II.

As a military historian, Silbey engages the reader with core American military and political leaders who were involved in the conflict as well as the background information pertaining to how the conflict originated. There is no doubt that readers will have a better understanding of who the key individuals were, such as President William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Brig. General Arthur MacArthur, General Elwell Otis, Emilio Aguinaldo, and Gregorio del Pilar. An interesting aspect of the book is how Silbey maintains objectivity and parallels this event with previous historical events and leaders, shadows of the Civil War and President Lincoln and links and origins of the war, such as the sinking of the Maine and US intervention in Cuba, which triggered involvement in the Philippines with the Battle of Manila Bay. Furthermore, it was refreshing to see that Silbey makes an attempt to discuss and introduce the social, cultural, and geography of the Philippines and the Filipino people.

For readers who have studied this particular event, they will not find new findings or the use of undiscovered resource material in this book. Thus Silbey's narrative is derived from scholarly works that have been published during the past 100 years. And due to the size of the book, 218 pages of narrative, excluding the recommended reading list, notes, and index that are included within the concluding pages, the book serves as an introduction to the event rather than an extensive study of the war.

Overall, although WAR OF FRONTIER AND EMPIRE may not be a definitive study, it is recommended reading for anyone who wants to become familiar with this event in history. Unless one takes a history class or visits a museum that exposes or displays the complicated issues of war and history, and in particular, the Philippine-American War, this may be another part of history that may be forgotten. Undoubtedly, for the curious historian who may want to learn more about his topic, there may need to be further research and scholarly work done about this part of American and Philippine history.

A starting point for me.......2007-08-08

I know so little about this era in the Philippines that this book gave me some acquaintance with the issues and events.

Early on I noted two items that caused me to read with skepticism. On p. 27 it says that the Queen (Lili'oukalani) of Hawaii was deposed in 1883, but as of this time she had not yet ascended to the throne. On p.17 it says that the US Civil War "devastated large areas of Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia and the Carolinas" and I wonder about the inclusion of Pennsylvania on such a list. I checked other Amazon reviews and saw that one poster documented a number of other problems.

This is a very readable history. I did not come away any memory of facts of dates, places, battles, names, but did get from the interesting presentation a reasonably credible framework for acquiring more knowledge about the Philippines and its history.

For the size of the book, there are a good number of very interesting photographs.

How well does the author know his subject?.......2007-07-10

I saw the author, David Silbey, on C-SPAN and I was stunned by his mispronunciations of basic terms - "TAG-uh-log" and "KAY-vite." How can you spend time researching and writing a book yet still have such gaps of knowledge? These errors made me wonder if Mr. Silbey has ever visited the Philippines or if he's ever even spoken to a Filipino. This important subject, which parallels today's headlines, deserves a more thorough, balanced treatment. For me, "Little Brown Brother" by Leon Wolff remains the best account of the era.

Somewhat Disappointed.......2007-07-08

I recently saw a televised program of David Silbey's lecture at Temple University regarding his book, "A War of Frontier and Empire." As a grandson of a soldier who fought during the Philippine Insurrection (Philippine-American War), I was most anxious to read Mr. Sibley's book. I was also interested in his book since I was a student for two years at a Philippine university where I studied Philippine history and sociology. As I listened to his interpretation of the causes of the war, I was immediately struck with his terrible mispronunciation of common Philippine words such as Tagalog, the name of the main language of the large Philippine island of Luzon, and the name of the naval base, Cavite. If a serious scholar of the Philippines cannot pronounce common names important to the history of the country, then I somewhat doubt his research. This problem is also coupled with the spelling of place names which is not consistent with normal usage.

SERIOUSLY FLAWED.......2007-07-05

Yes, the subject of the Philippine-American War has not been sufficiently treated. Yes (p.xv), "Too much of Philippine history has been ... framed from an outsider's perspective." And yes (p.219), "the literature on the Philippine-American War is not of particularly high quality, with a number of important exceptions." Regrettably, I wouldn't make this book an exception.

An associate professor of history, the author was in position to contribute some insights into the connections between the Philippine-American War and both European history and domestic American politics. If he has actually accomplished that with any skill, it is negated by the numerous errors permeating the book which cast doubt on the credibility of almost every pronouncement. Distractions caused by those errors sometimes made it difficult for me to follow analysis in the text, and I found myself wincing.

Personal and geographic names are often wrong. Sorsogon is almost
unrecognizable as Sargosan, Dagupan is Pagupan, Banaue (or Banawe) is
Banane, Cagayan is Cagayen, Mariquina (or Marikina) is Mariquini, Santo
Tomas is San Tomas, Gen. Henry Lawton is misnamed William, Gen. Mariano
Trias is Antonio, Gen. Vicente Lukban is Vincente Lukhban, Apolinario
Mabini is Apollinaro, Reynaldo (Rey) Ileto is Raymond, etc.

Strangely wrong statements abound. Guam is in the Carolines and
Batangas is a plural which appears as The Batangas. The crucial category of mestizo is overlooked in the analysis of Philippine society. Aguinaldo was said to have been in Europe in the Spring of 1898, and his family owned a plantation. Andres Bonifacio was an ilustrado, which is defined as upper-class or educated in Europe. Rizal's family members were implied to be insulares, meaning Spaniards born in the Philippines. The title of Rizal's novel Noli Me Tangere was said to be an appropriation of an American theme, an echo of the slogan "Don't mess with me" (p.12). The author may have intended a comparison with the early American snake flag Don't tread on me. However, Rizal explained that his title, from the biblical Latin meaning Touch Me Not, meant he was dealing with subjects previously taboo.

The author uncritically swallows the discredited thesis of Glenn May
that Andres Bonifacio was an invented hero, a thesis which he classifies
(p.223) as "On the Philippine side of things." The behavior of Gen. Daniel Tirona in Dec. 1899 is featured as the example of Filipino co-optation by the Americans, but the author fails to mention that Tirona was already notorious in Philippine history for his reported role in the rift of Filipino revolutionary forces, when he slanderously denounced Bonifacio at the Tejeros Conference of 1897. Then, soon after Tejeros, Tirona cravenly surrendered to the Spanish enemy. Might the author have missed that connection because of consistently misspelling Tirona as Tirono?

Two of the photos implied to show fighting in the Philippines were
probably taken in the U.S.: "Death in the ranks of the Kansans" and The
Twentieth Kansas Volunteers commanded by Frederick Funston. A photo
captioned A Spanish fort outside of Manila is actually a view of the walled city of Manila, Intramuros.

A longer review with further commentary on many dubious or debatable
declarations of the author is not merited, although I want to state my disagreement with his opinion (p. 31) that in 1898 there was a "long American tradition of noninterference in foreign affairs." The 1893 (not 1883) American overthrow of the Hawaiian government is indeed described in the book. And in just the Pacific, what about the forced trade treaties with Japan and in Indochina by battleship diplomacy, the demands for extraterritorial rights in China, the grabbing of a piece of Samoa?
4 July 2007.

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