Book Description
Written by a team of leading scholars, this richly illustrated book, with over 200 colour and black and white pictures, presents an authoritative and comprehensive history of the Crusades from the preaching of the First Crusade in 1095 to the legacy of crusading ideas and imagery today.
Customer Reviews:
Historical facts. No more........2006-11-09
This is a very important book for people who want to know the facts without stories of romance and chivalry. It is very well organized with chapters dedicated to all the aspects of life from the time of the Crusades, aspects ranging from the military orders in various periods of time to the evolution of crusading literature. I recommend this book for people who need an overview of the period of the Crusades. It is also advisable, in order to comprehend the whole picture of the Crusades, to read opinions from the Muslim side. A very good book in this region is "Arab Historians of the Crusades" (The Islamic World Series) by Francesco Gabrieli.
High-gloss paper w/ a straight-forward approach to the Crusades.......2006-03-24
This is an intro book to the Crusades.
What I liked about The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades was it's very 'neat' look at history. It is a clean-cut array of events in prose form, with several pictures and illustrations, without moral position taken. This way, the reader can use the information given and put it into a context of discussion and a wider analysis of the time period covered. The only down-side was probably that, having used it in a classroom setting, I felt almost as if it were too 'story-book', too illustrative. The information, however, is substantial.
An excellent tome on the crusades to begin your historical journey!.......2006-01-10
The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades introduced me to several aspects of the military campaigns and enduring influences they had which I had never been exposed. I have read other books on this topic and have learned a great deal, however, additional topics such as poetry, song and architecture were items which up until my reading of this book I had not even considered. After reading this book you will realize as perhaps as I that one has merely scratched the surface of Crusade history. I highly recommend this source if you would be interested in getting a bigger and better picture of this often misunderstood and oft-maligned period of history in western civilization.
Not a book for the general public.......2005-07-04
On the back cover you can read: "written by a team of leading scholars, this richly illustrated book.....presents an authoritative and comprehensive history of the Crusades from the preaching of the First Crusade in 1905 to the legacy of crusading ideas and imaginery today".
In fact it is a book written by scholars for scholars only and it is very different from the other many books about the Crusades that follow a cronological description of the history of the events that took place.
The book is composed of 15 chapters, written by different authors, that have little or no coordination at all, so it is no informative. The contents are very descriptive of the orientation of the book: ... Songs of the crusades, Architecture in the latin east, Images of the crusades in the 19th and 20th centuries, Revival and Survival (the orders today). As good scholars they authors also plague the book with a lot of fashionalbe, weird and mislead theories, very much repeated along the book like that the spanish reconquista was part of the crusades.
The book has many pictures, and some of the articles-chapters are interesting because they focus more deeply on a given issue, but it doesn't treat adequately the history of the crusades, the fears, pains, feats and ambitions of the crusaders, the way of life on the Holy Land, and the daily relationships between the several clashing cultures.
After reading the book you will not have a true picture about the flow of events that lead to the Crusades and their outcome. At the most it is a book for those that already have many other books on the subject, and want to have a look to its pictures and know a particular point of view of some of its authors.
Definitely not worth buying for the general public as one of the first readings.
Review of Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades.......2004-03-19
By:Jonathan Riley-Smith
Reviewed by:D. Wang
P.5
The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades is a book about you want and don't want to know about the crusades. The book's opening chapters aren't about the actual military action at all. It's about the minds of the crusaders, the songs of the time, the Latin East. It's not until chapter nine that military orders, movements, and actions are mentioned. The book concludes with a comparison of modern day events and the crusades.
I liked this book because of the sheer amount of information. on page 86 it says "Men and women, including elderly crusaders, came to Jerusalem to end their days. The charnel chambers in the Hospitallers' ruined twelfth-century cemetry-church at Alcheldamach, just outside Jersalem, are still filled with the bones of pious Christians." It is extremely doubtful you will find this variety of information in a textbook.
This book really took the effort to find all the information possible. An entire chapter of the book is devoted to songs about the crusade. There are not many books about a series of wars where an entire chapter is devouted to songs. The book puts a lot a information and visual material in 436 pages. It is very easy to be overwhelmed, and the authors should have made it easier to comprehend.
My favorite part of the book is the last chapter. "In a surprising development, however, the theology of force that underpinned crusading has been revived, especially in Latin America, by a militant wing of Christian Liberation." It is amzing how we humans fall from the same things over and over again, and this chapter previews of what might come. I like to compare our present to our past because it makes you realize how many times we've made the same mistake over and over again. Sometimes we just fail to take the past into consideration.
Book Description
This new edition of the most authoritative, comprehensive history of the French Revolution of 1789 draws on a generation of extensive research and scholarly debate to reappraise the most famous of all revolutions. Updates for this second edition include a generous chronology of events, plus an extended bibliographical essay providing an examination of the historiography of the Revolution. Opening with the accession of Louis XVI in 1774, the book traces the history of France through revolution, terror, and counter-revolution, to the triumph of Napoleon in 1802, and analyses the impact of events both in France itself and the rest of Europe. William Doyle shows how a movement which began with optimism and general enthusiasm soon became a tragedy, not only for the ruling orders, but for the millions of ordinary people all over Europe whose lives were disrupted by religious upheaval, and civil and international war. It was they who paid the price for the destruction of the old political order and the struggle to establish a new one, based on the ideals of liberty and revolution, in the face of widespread indifference and hostility.
Customer Reviews:
A Very Solid History of the French Revolution.......2007-09-13
I wanted to learn about the French Revolution in less than 500 pages and after reading this book, I'm glad I bought it.
Doyle's tome is uniquely comprehensive without being burdensome. He methodically, yet briskly, establishes the patchwork of politics, economies and personalities of 18th Century France that conspired to lead the country into a terrifying and bloody Revolution.
There may be greater (and longer) books on the subject, but ounce-for-ounce, this is probably one of the best.
Comprehensive and Insightful.......2006-11-25
"The Oxford History of the French Revolution", by William Doyle is among the best books that I have read on the French Revolution. It is comprehensive (some would say it is dense) and covers in about 420 pages all the most important events of the Revolution. The author tells the chilling story of the French Revolution, stressing the roles of the leading characters that shaped events during this period. Among these people were Robespierre, Murat, Danton, King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette, Napoleon Bonaparte and others as well as the external and internal forces that were attempting to crash the Revolution.
The book gives a grim account of the complete and utter chaos of the time, including the dreadful description of how things went out of hand, the reign of terror, senseless executions including the beheading of the King and Queen of France. The shocking mistakes, for example with respect to the Catholic Church, and the attempt to establish a State sponsored church are highlighted. One gets the feel of the impact of mob rule and what happens in the absence of the rule of law.
William Doyle meticulously researched the book resulting in a minefield of information that students of the French Revolution will find useful and important. The book is full of non-stop action.
This is a well written book that is interesting to read. Those who wish to get a comprehensive study of the French Revolution should enjoy reading this book. However, the book is too long for someone without previous knowledge of the French Revolution.
Excellent Introduction.......2005-05-15
The French Revolution is one of the most important events in modern history, went on for the better part of a decade, involved a large number of significant personages, has complex political, social, economic, and ideological dimensions, has generated a huge literature, and interpretation has been controversial often. This list gives an idea of the challenges involved in producing a good one volume overview. Despite these obstacles, William Doyle succeeds with a lucid and enjoyable book that seems not to neglect any important areas and is generally evenhanded in dealing with controversial issues.
Doyle presents the Revolution as a highly contingent event precipitated by the fiscal collapse of the French Monarchy, exacerbated by recent history of economic difficulties due to irregular and often poor harvests in France in the decade prior to the Revolution. Doyle is very good also on the long term trends - the increasing size of the bourgeosie, the rising literacy and importance of public opinion, the Enlightenment influenced disillusion with the sometimes arbitrary nature of traditional government - that set the stage for the Revolution and had a large effect on its outcomes. Still, Doyle's emphasis is on the basis narrative and he does very well in telling the story of the Revolution without either getting too bogged down in details or sliding over important issues. I recommend, however, that the first half of this book be read in conjunction with Doyle's concise (about 200 pages in a paperback edition) book on the Origins of the French Revolution. There is some redundancy in the narrative when reading both books but the Origins book stresses the underlying structural features in a complementary manner.
Doyle goes on with a sustained narrative to Napoleon's seizure of power. Doyle covers very well the achievements and common disastrous mistakes of the Revolutionary period. Some of these mistakes, like the disastrously mistaken policies towards the Catholic Church, were responsible for generating implacable hostility, both within and outside France, to the Revolution. A consistent theme is that war against internal and external enemies was a powerful radicalizing force, often responsible for many of the serious errors and crimes of the Revolution. Many sections are excellent; his discussion of revolutionary imperialism, for example, nicely explores the apparent paradox of a liberation movement becoming a ruthless exploiter. Doyle's description of the oscillations of the Revolution and the corrupt behavior of the last Revolutionary government, the Directory, give a very good sense of why so many people must have welcomed the dictatorship of Napoleon.
Doyle concludes with an interpretative chapter on the Revolution. In common with many recent historians, he sees the Revolution as a social disaster precipitated by good intentions. Among other causes, he cites the overconfidence of the original revolutionaries that they could remake society on rational grounds. This is both conventional and contains a lot of truth. For example, the attack on the Church essentially destroyed France's largest educational institution and its largest source of poor relief, both with severe adverse consequences. Doyle doesn't mention, however, that the Revolution engendered (largely under Napoleon) educational institutions that made French science and mathematics the world leader well into the 19th century. It is also possible to argue that one of the defects of the initial revolutionaries was not that they were too radical but that in important domains they weren't radical enough. In finance, the Revolution maintained the traditional French aversion to a strong state central bank like the Bank of England, something that might have mitigated the financial problems of the revolutionary governments. In the newly founded USA, the first Bank of the United States did play an important role in putting our governments on a firm footing. In religion, the initial revolutionaries attempted to rationalize and democratize the Church, with disastrous consequences. But, they wished to maintain a state sponsored Church, another traditional French approach. What if they had taken the really radical step of disestablishing religion and simply left religous practice alone?
In summary, this is an excellent book to begin study of the French Revolution.
Dense but informative.......2005-03-30
Professor Doyle captures the intricacies of France leading to the French Revolution. His piece can be somewhat dense in parts which further detracts from the subject when mixed with the several grammatical and spelling errors contained within. While the style and format could be improved, the book is filled with useful information. Worth the read if you can get past the mildly annoying inaccuracies.
A bloodless account........2003-07-22
This book has all the virtues--and all the vices---of academic history. The facts are all there and the professor is admirably fair and balanced, so hard to find when the French Revolution is the subject at hand, but where's the passion? I confess I found myself constantly checking how many pages to go as I neared the end of these over four hundred dry pages. This is a book for the student more than the general reader looking for the passion behind the facts, or for exciting narrative. At the end I was happier to have finished than to have read this book.
Amazon.com
The definitive single-volume reference work for students of World War II, I. C. B. Dear's 1,400-page compendium provides a wealth of detail on matters that standard histories often gloss over or pass over altogether. For example, Dear covers the Night and Fog Decree, which called for the execution of any civilians committing crimes against German forces in occupied territories, as well as the Battle of the Courland Peninsula, in which Red Army soldiers overwhelmed the last German forces in the Baltic and seized Latvia and Lithuania for the Soviet Union. This is a fine book to browse through while watching Bataan or The Longest Day, or to have on hand to provide background material for other World War II-related reading.
Book Description
From blitzkrieg and blackout to ghettos and Guadalcanal, World War II was a conflict that touched all nations and penetrated all aspects of people's lives. Sixty years after it ended, it still shapes the world we live in today. With over 1,750 A-Z entries, by more than 140 specialist contributors from Germany, Italy, and Japan, as well as from the Allied nations, the Companion provides uniquely worldwide coverage of the war. The strategies, forces, battles, and campaigns, and the social, political, and economic environments in which they operated are explored from both sides of the conflict. Every aspect of the war is covered: in-depth surveys of the countries involved in the conflict; politics and strategy; domestic and economic issues; resistance and intelligence; campaigns and battles; warfare and weapons; wartime leaders and influential people; slogans and slang The Companion's comprehensive coverage and in-depth analysis are supported by hundreds of maps, charts, and diagrams, and a full chronology.
Customer Reviews:
Correction to "page count" comment in earlier review.......2007-04-23
I have both the current and first edition of this book (in hardcover). As far as I can tell, the new edition is only shorter because it uses a smaller typeface, allowing several more words per line.
However, the new edition is also a bit easier to read despite the smaller size, because the new edition uses a glossy paper and the text seems more sharply defined on the page. This is particularly noticeable in the text of the maps, which I have struggled to read in the first edition, but seem clearer in the new edition.
As an aside, I agree with the general view that this is the single best reference book on World War II. I can't really tell what is changed in the new edition, although it may just be minor corrections, since the several longer articles I have compared seem identical.
A Cautionary Note.......2006-09-11
I'm a fan of the first edition (1995) of this fine book: I'm a World War Two buff, and this is the best one-volume reference book on World War Two that I know of. So why would I give only four stars to the revised edition of 2005? Here's why. Prospective purchasers of the revised 2005 edition might like to know that it is 1,039 pages long, whereas the first edition of 1995 was 1,343 pages long. That's a loss of 304 pages, representing 23% of the material in the first edition---a considerable loss.
In the case of The Oxford Companion to Music, there was a beautiful, lavishly illustrated edition of 2,017 pages of 1983; it was replaced by a revised edition in 2002 that had 1,434 pages---a whopping loss of almost 600 pages of material. In this case I know what I'm talking about, because I have both editions: the 2002 edition represents a substantial abridgement and cheapening of the 1986 edition; I doubt that anyone who had the chance to compare the two would choose the newer edition.
I don't know if the same thing is going on with this Oxford Companion to World War Two (I don't have the new edition at hand to compare the two), but the loss of 23% of the material in the first edition, and my experience with The Oxford Companion to Music described above, would incline me to approach the new edition with caution.
The Facts about WWII without the Spin.......2006-06-26
This is a wonderful one volume encyclopedia of WWII, covering all fronts, participants, and major events. This outstanding work is an absolute must have for any serious student of World War II in my opinion. More than 100 scholars and professional historians contributed to this book. This work is certainly detailed, well written, and well researched, but it is not comprehensive (how could one describe WWII in one volume of about 1000 pages?). I think the description of this book as a `Companion' is entirely appropriate, it has been my companion for more than ten years now. I've flipped through pages of this book several times a week for the past ten years and (effectively) read the entire book through at least half a dozen times. This book is filled with an unbelievable amount of information. There are major sections on each of the combatants that include discussions about the military, political, economic, and cultural developments and changes that took place throughout the war. All the major battles are discussed, as well as people, equipment, and events. In my opinion, this is not a reference book, it is a learning book. If you already know a great deal about the Battle of Kursk or Uboats, for example, you will not find much new here. You will find, however, a wealth of information about all aspects of the war that you probably weren't even aware of. I have no complaints about this book and would consider it a bargain at twice the price. My only warning is that this book is probably not suited to someone who has only passing interest in World War II; if Steven Ambrose is your idea of a good historian, you probably aren't going to like this Companion.
One of the Best Overall Reference Books.......2005-10-26
One of the definitive histories of World War II. As you would expect from a book published by Oxford, it is as complete as was possible to make it, some examples:
Number of minor landing craft produced in the US -- 42,524
Number of Dutch forced laborers -- 174,358
What was Force J -- amphibious assault force used in the Dieppe raid
Number of US Aircraft carriers -- 152
The book is in dictionary or encyclopedia format with entries arranged in A to Z format. It has some 1750 entries. Virtually every aspect of the war is covered: political, strategic, forces, campaigns, battles, equipment and many more.
If there is any single complaint about the book it is its British centric view. Some rather minor British operations, for instance, are given as much space as some fairly major US operations in the pacific. You may also want to have an American encyclopedia on your book shelf.
The books major strength has to be the completeness of its entries. There is material here that simply has not been printed anywhere else that I can find.
The War -- A to Z .......2005-08-10
A book with the word "Cambridge" or "Oxford" in the title is guaranteed to be authoritative, written by top-notch scholars, contain excellent maps and charts, and be as dryasdust. The "Oxford Companion to World War II" is no exception. Within these 1,000 pages is an enormous amount of information on countries, people, events, and battles of WW II.
One can, for example, look up "Riom Trial" and get a two paragraph description of a trial of those held responsible for the fall of France. Or a 4-line description of "Force Viper" a small British marine force in Burma. Unfortunately, the selection of the topics worthy of a separate entry was more than a little Anglo-centric. The US Marine Corps Raiders were far more important that "Force Viper" but for information about them one is referred to a section of the article on the USA. Likewise, the Soviet Union is slighted. The Raid at Dieppe gets 2 columns of attention; the Battle of Stalingrad gets less than 4 columns. Was Stalingrad more than twice as important as Dieppe? Yes! It was a thousand times more important.
The space devoted to description of battles often seems arbitrary rather than rational. The Normandy invasion gets 12 columns of attention; the second largest amphibious operation of the war, Okinawa, gets one column. That's a travesty. Midway -- the crucial turning point in the war for for the United States -- gets one measly column of attention. Another travesty. India, a British colony, gets eight pages; the battle of Iwo Jima only one column.
The most valuable parts of the book are the numerous charts illustrating nearly every facet of the war. For example, on page 480 is a chart of Japanese production during the war including tanks, planes, and ships. On page 306 is a list of the aggregate strength and equipment of a US infantry divison: 14,253 men, 2,012 vehicles, 58 band members, 13 chaplins, 157 30 caliber machine guns, etc. On page 117 is described and illustrated "the corkscrew maneuver," a defensive strategy for bombers under attack by fighters. These are samples of the gems of information found in this book that would be difficult to find elsewhere.
The above complaints notwithstanding "The Oxford Companion to World War II" is a superb reference book and every serious student of WW II should have it on his bookshelf.
Smallchief
Amazon.com
From 18th-century fortifications to nuclear submarines to guerrilla combat, The Oxford Illustrated History of Modern War is a thorough treatment of how warfare has evolved over the last three centuries. The bulk of the book focuses on the 20th century, but it also effectively shows how the past influences the present and may affect the future. A well-chosen illustration on almost every page makes this an exceedingly attractive volume. The list of contributors is heavily English (what else would you expect from Oxford University Press?), and this slightly colors (or, perhaps more accurately, "colours") some of their interpretations--but certainly not in a bad way. Make some extra room on your shelf for this one, right beside books by Karl von Clausewitz and John Keegan.
Book Description
How has war shaped modern society and vice versa? How has it changed over the centuries between the introduction of firearms and the invention of the atom bomb? How is war waged today? This excitingly illustrated book examines the techniques, technology, and theory of warfare from the `military revolution' of the seventeenth century to the present day. The expert contributors explore major developments and themes, including the extraordinary achievements of Napoleon's armies; the role of nationalism in battlegrounds as various as the American Civil War and the former Yugoslavia; colonial wars; the concept and reality of `total war'; guerrilla warfare and `people's wars'. The Oxford Illustrated History of Modern War offers a comprehensive overview of military conflict over several centuries, with fascinating thematic chapters covering air and sea warfare, combat experience, technology, and even opposition to war. Contributors... Jeremy Black, University of Durham John Bourne, University of Birmingham John Childs, University of Leeds Jean Bethke Elshtain, University of Chicago Alan Forrest, University of York David French, University College London John B. Hattendorf, Naval War College, Rhode Island Richard Holmes Richard Overy, King's College London Douglas Porch, Naval War College, Rhode Island Adam Roberts, University of Oxford Mark Roseman, Keele University Philip Towle, Queens' College, Cambridge Charles Townshend, Keele University Martin van Creveld, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Book Description
This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the significant growth of sculpture as an artistic form in Europe and America from 1900-1945. Using a clearly-defined thematic structure it identifies key issues and developments throughout this important period in the history of art. Individual chapters cover: public sculpture, the monument, the object, image-making, the built environment, the figurative ideal, and different materials. These themes broadly reflect the changing cultural and political climate of a turbulent period which included two world wars, each preceded by widespread rising nationalism. The practice of sculpture is considered within the wider artistic context of painting and architecture and the development of international art markets. Auguste Rodin, whose ground-breaking exhibition opened in Paris in 1900, serves as the book's point of departure, and as a recurrent point of reference.
Book Description
The `Dutch Golden Age', the age of Grotius, Spinoza, Rembrandt, Vermeer, and a host of other renowned artists and writers was also remarkable for its immense impact in the spheres of commerce, finance, shipping, and technology. It was in fact one of the most spectacularly creative episodes in the history of the world. In this book, Jonathan Israel gives the definitive account of the emergence of the United Provinces as a great power, and explains the subsequent decline in the eighteenth century. He places the thought, politics, religion, and social developments of the Golden Age in their broad context, and examines the changing relationship between the northern Netherlands and the south, which was to develop into modern Belgium. One of the principal aims of the book is to counter the oversimplification which characterizes so much history writing today, and to provide a new type of integrated history which draws the different dimensions of the discipline firmly together in strictly non-technical language.
Customer Reviews:
Truly Splendid.......2005-08-12
This book truly is the difinitive work on Dutch history. The sheer volume and description of detail makes the book very informative. The vivid writing style and the subdivision of the chapters gives the reader the ability to speed through the book in addition to breaking down and digesting each main idea clearly. The maps, charts, and graphs are clear and give the reader an illustration to the detail of the text. Also, the explanation of the Dutch Republican government, which is anything but simple, was clear and precise. I plan on using this book in my classes for reference. A truly great book.
For all of you Dutch I have only one word "READ !!!!!".......2003-02-10
The best historybook I have ever read with no doubt. I think in a small 1300 pages I never learned so much about my own history than I learned in the 2 weeks I spend to read this book. By now I have read it 3 times and if only have time I would pick ip up and read it again and again till I can dream whats in there. The 17th & 18th century is with no doubt one of the most interesting parts in the history of the world. Strangely it was my own country that played the most important role in this very interesting time.
And so many Dutch that earn the right to be named here, so many founders of our nations. Perhaps to them this is the most honarable a man could ever do to them, since they are all named in the book and how !!! I think about John Van Oldenbarnevelt, Hugo De Groot, John & Cornelius De Witt, Micheal De Ruyter, Rembrandt Van Rijn and last but not least Spinoza !!
An amazing achievement that will set out to be THE standard work about the Republic for years to come.
I have read the Dutch version, and that one is a really special one, seperated in 2 books, hardcover !! And everty page printed on photopaper, beautifully released !!! So when you are Dutch you can beter go to a local bookstore to get the Dutch version, since its simply more beautifull, although the price (about $ 130,- is another thing that can keep you away from it.) is worth it every penny !! You will not be regreted.
For non Dutch people, when you want to come over and tour our little nice country, be sure to read this book from beginning till end and back. It will tell you everything you ever need to know to understand our culture & history.
Flawed but Interesting Book.......2001-08-27
This is a frustrating book to review. It is one of the worst-edited books I have read in a long time, yet it contains a wealth of intersting information. It is comprehensive and well-enough explained to interest a lay reader, but it is difficult to read beyond what is necessary given the dryness of the subject matter. First, the good: Israel presents almost a year-by-year discussion of Dutch politics, economics, and demographics. His presentation is highly detailed, generally offering his arguments first, then backing them up with substantial data. Israel has pulled together statistics of population growth, economic activity, and political positions in a wealth of tables. Finally, he defines his terms clearly, then uses them consistently. Now, the bad: This is one of the worst-edited books I can imagine. Israel's excessive use of commas in the most inappropriate places makes reading this work a chore. His meaning is obscured by the incorrect use of punctuation. In short, his editor should [have done a better editing job]. Second, the editing goes downhill toward the end of the book. Whereas the first 2/3 of the text clearly presents the major political events, then follows them with the appropriate economic, social, and demographic consequences, the latter part of the book reverses this presentation. This leaves the reader to infer major political events (like the French invasion of 1792-1794) from the discussion of demographics, economics, or social trends. A consequence of this decline in editing is that the explanation of why the Dutch republic declined is not presented clearly. If the reader pays close attention and has a good grounding in economics, he can understand what must have been going on behind the scenes. But the big story of the sudden decline of one of the major maritime powers in the world is not clearly told. Finally, Israel often uses text where a table would be more appropriate. He will take three pages to go through the voting record of each city in each province, rather than summarize the data in a table. The 1100 pages of the book could easily be reduced by several hundred without impacting the support of Israel's arguments and make the book much more readable in the process.
Comprehensive, learned but dull history.......2000-02-13
Professor Israel's book is the first volume in what is clearly intended to be a new series of definitive texts, Oxford University Press's History of Early Modern Europe. The book is certainly superbly produced (albeit a bit short of maps), and is packed with information on a fascinating subject. No doubt the Dutch achievement in the seventeenth century was amazing - after rebelling from Spain the Dutch turned themselves into a world power,became the freest and most advanced society in Europe (although Dutch freedom had its limits, as Professor Israel makes clear) and produced a galaxy of stunning artists - Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals etc. All this based on nothing but hard work and daring, and founded on a country that Dutchmen made themselves - "God made the world, but the Dutch made Holland", as they say. So a great subject, a magnificent looking book, and a first rate scholar who really knows his stuff and who has published a number of excellent books. And yet, it doesn't quite get there...I don't agree with those who say that this book is in the same league as Simon Schama's. I am a historian, but found the book very hard going. I think one problem was the author's obsessive focus on the internal rivalries of the Dutch provinces and towns. By the time the states of Friesland and the States of Zeeland and the States of Holland and the States-General had all fallen out with themselves yet again for the umpteenth time my eyes were starting to glaze over...I'm sure it's very important to understanding Dutch history but I felt the material on internal rivalries and jealousies needed to be shortened and the issues clarified for the non-specialist. As well as being overburdened with material on internal politics other aspects of the Dutch achievement were covered very sketchily. I was surprised for such a large book to have so little on the Dutch seaborne empire - Israel is mainly interested in the VOC as a factor in Dutch internal politics. There is one chapter on the overseas empire but it is not very detailed and Israel is clearly not especially interested in it. As a citizan of a country named, after all, after a Dutch province and whose first European discoverer was a Dutchman I was disappointed to see so little on the DUtch in North America, Brazil, Ceylon, South Africa and the East Indies. The book is essentially a detailed internal political history of the Seven Provinces in 1100 pages. I also would have liked to know more about art and literature. Perhaps the book basically reflects a tendency in modern European historical writing to focus on internal politics and European affairs and to minimise and downplay the European overseas empires. For a great world seapower like the Netherlands this seems very limiting. Older works on the Dutch empire by C R Boxer and others still remain essential reading.
Not for beginners.......2000-01-27
I am afraid I have to disagree with my fellow readers. Israel's account of the rise and fall of the Dutch Republic is exhaustive and certainly impressive, but it is a difficult read. This book is for only those with a burning interest in the subject and a willingness to tolerate dry, academic prose.
I learned a lot, which was my goal, but not without some, in my judgment, unnecessary frustration. Too often, Israel assumes that the reader has a much deeper knowledge of the subject matter than I believe is warranted. He frequently makes use of terms and refers to historical characters that are not explained until much later in the text. The organization of the chapters within each section does not help. It would have been better, I think, to begin each section with an overview of political events and follow with broader commentary on Dutch society and religious development, for example. This way the reader could put the latter into the context of the former. Israel does this in his section, "The Early Golden Age", but not with "The Later Golden Age." The narrative flow suffers as a result. Someone more expert in Dutch history would not find this a problem, but if this is to be the definitive and most accessible account of the rise and fall of the Dutch Republic, as the professional critic suggests, then it is a serious flaw.
I have a bias towards maps. I think history books should include a lot of them. They help readers place events. This book could use more, but the real problem here is that the maps Oxford's editors did produce for Israel are of poor quality.
In short, this is a book for the serious student of Dutch history and not for those looking for a good, accessible introduction to the subject. Turn to Israel after reading a book that provides such an introduction.
Book Description
G. R. Searle's absorbing narrative history breaks conventional chronological barriers to carry the reader from England in 1886, the apogee of the Victorian era with the nation poised to celebrate the empress queen's golden jubilee, to 1918, as the 'war to end all wars' drew to a close leaving England to come to term with its price - above all in terms of human life, but also in the general sense that things would never be the same again. This was an age of extremes: a period of imperial pomp and circumstance, with a political elite preoccupied with display and ceremony, alongside the growing cult of the simple life; the zenith of imperialism with its idealization of war on the one hand, the start of the Labour Party, a socialist renaissance, and welfare politics on the other; and a radical challenging of traditional gender stereotypes in the face of the prevailing cult of masculinity. Under Professor Searle's historical microscope, all the details of daily life spring into sharp relief. Half-forgotten figures such as Edward Carpenter, Vesta Tilley, and Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman take their place on stage beside Oscar Wilde, the Pankhursts, and Lloyd George. Motoring and aviation, to become such an intrinsic part of life within the next decades, had their beginnings in this period as pastimes for the rich. From the wretched slums of England's great cities to their bustling docks and factories, from the grand portals of Westminster to the violent political challenges of the Ulster Unionists and the militant suffrage movement, from Blackpool's tower and beach packed with holidaymakers to the trenches of the Western Front, the energy, creativity, and often destructive turmoil of the years 1886-1918 are brought into focus in this magisterial history. THE NEW OXFORD HISTORY OF ENGLAND The aim of the New Oxford History of England is to give an account of the development of the country over time. It is hard to treat that development as just the history which unfolds within the precise boundaries of England, and a mistake to suggest that this implies a neglect of the histories of the Scots, Irish, and Welsh. Yet the institutional core of the story which runs from Anglo-Saxon times to our own is the story of a state-structure built round the English monarchy and its effective successor, the Crown in Parliament. While the emphasis of individual volumes in the series will vary, the ultimate outcome is intended to be a set of standard and authoritative histories, embodying the scholarship of a generation.
Customer Reviews:
Fine study of English history from 1886 to 1918.......2006-02-06
The author, Professor of History at the University of East Anglia, concludes, "Britain was thus being governed at the end of the nineteenth century by a `ruling class' narrowly based upon landed wealth and the ancient professions ..." He honestly describes the reality, but weakly resorts to inverted commas!
Similarly, he shows how the ruling class was soft on Ulster loyalists, but harsh to Irish nationalists, trade unions and suffragettes, yet calls its attack on trade unions the `employers' offensive', again using inverted commas.
For the Entente, in 1914 Imperial Russia's population was 140 million: 21 million (15%) were eligible to vote. France's was 39 million (the French Empire numbered another 54 million): 11 million (29%) could vote. The UK's was 46 million: 9 million (18%) could vote. The rest of the British Empire had 350 million colonial slaves, who could not vote on the war or anything else.
For the Alliance, Germany's population in 1914 was 65 million (and of her colonies 6 million): 14 million (22%) could vote. Austria-Hungary's was 48 million; 10 million (21%) could vote.
The French, Russian and British empires had a total population of 629 million, of whom 41 million (6.6%) could vote. Even excluding the populations of the French and British empires, the populations of France, Russia and Britain totalled 225 million, only 18% of whom could vote. Germany, its colonies and Austria-Hungary had a total population of 119 million: 24 million (20%) were entitled to vote. So the Alliance was more democratic than the Entente, and Germany, with 22% eligible to vote, was more democratic than Britain, with only 18%.
Searle studies Britain's nationalism, gender, locality, occupation, religion and class; government, electoral and party systems; Ireland's struggle for national liberation; class struggle and the trade unions; the Empire and overseas investments, the Boer War ("We seek no gold fields. We seek no territory" said Lord Salisbury, who made sure that the British ruling class got them though); the Ententes with France and Russia; leisure and pleasure, art and culture, science and learning; and World War One, citing Rudyard Kipling's bitter epitaph on a dead soldier,
"If any question why we died,
Tell them, because our fathers lied."
Book Description
The peace treaties represented an almost impossible attempt to solve the problems caused by a murderous world war. In The Lights that Failed: European International History 1919-1933, part of the Oxford History of Modern Europe series, Steiner challenges the common assumption that the Treaty of Versailles led to the opening of a second European war. In a radically original way, this book characterizes the 1920s not as a frustrated prelude to a second global conflict but as a fascinating decade in its own right, when politicians and diplomats strove to re-assemble a viable European order. Steiner examines the efforts that failed but also those which gave hope for future promise, many of which are usually underestimated, if not ignored. She shows that an equilibrium was achieved, attained between a partial American withdrawal from Europe and the self-imposed constraints which the Soviet system imposed on exporting revolution. The stabilization painfully achieved in Europe reached it fragile limits after 1925, even prior to the financial crises that engulfed the continent. The hinge years between the great crash of 1929 and Hitler's achievement of power in 1933 devastatingly altered the balance between nationalism and internationalism. This wide-ranging study helps us grasp the decisive stages in this process. In a second volume, The Triumph of the Night , Steiner will examine the immediate lead up to the Second World War and its early years.
Book Description
This exciting new volume provides a freshly inclusive account of literature in England in the period before, during, and after the First World War. Chris Baldick places the modernist achievements of Virginia Woolf, T. S. Eliot, and James Joyce within the rich context of non-modernist writings across all major genres, allowing 'high' literary art to be read against the background of 'low' entertainment. Looking well beyond the modernist vanguard, Baldick highlights the survival and renewal of realist traditions in these decades of post-Victorian disillusionment. Ranging widely across psychological novels, war poems, detective stories, satires, and children's books, The Modern Movement provides a unique survey of the literature of this turbulent time.
Customer Reviews:
A model survey.......2006-01-03
If this book wasn't absorbed into a series, it could stand alone as one of the best books on literary Modernism in English Literature yet written. Readable, witty, up to date, and full of fascinating facts, it as close to a page turner a work of criticism could get.
Baldick has written more than the usual bloodless survey, clicking off checklists of titles chronologically. Instead he has created an elegant framework to give the reader a context for placing the literary output of the British Isles between 1910 and 1940. This includes the usual cast of Modernists such as Woolf, Eliot and Joyce, but finds room for FOREVER AMBER and LOST HORIZONS as well. EM Forster and GB Shaw rub shoulders with Agatha Christie and Sax Rohmer.
Baldick is not shy about giving his own critical assessments (PG Wodehouse thumbs up, DH Lawrence thumbs down) and he attemps to be inclusive without being exhaustive. He eschews theoretical jargon for compulsively readable prose. He will pique your curiosity about unfamiliar titles as well as covering the usual suspects with concise plot summaries. Plays, poetry, travel writing, memoirs and many other genres are covered and there is a concluding section on special topics including children's literature, the Great War and sexuality.
I can't see how this book could have been better...except by being longer.
Book Description
How has war shaped modern society and vice versa? How has it changed over the centuries between the introduction of firearms and the invention of the atom bomb? How is war waged today? This book examines the techniques, technology, and theory of warfare from the 'military revolution' of the seventeenth century to the present day. The expert contributors explore major developments and themes, including the growth of modern military professionalism and mass armies; the extraordinary achievements of Napoleon's armies; the role of nationalism in battlegrounds as various as the American Civil War and the former Yugoslavia; colonial wars; the concept and reality of 'total war'; guerrilla warfare and 'people's wars'.
Customer Reviews:
A Survey of the Evolution of Modern War.......2005-10-24
"The Oxford History of Modern War" offers a series of scholarly essays on the changing nature of war from the late 18th century to the late 20th century. Among the principal themes are the effects of technological innovation and mass mobilization on the conduct of war. Other topics include the changing effects of international law on war, and the role of women in modern war. The level of discussion is generally at the strategic level of war.
The quality of the entries vary. Some commentators, such as John Childs on the Transition to Modern Warfare and Richard Holmes on the Experience of Modern Combat, manage to be both educational and highly readable. Some others, such as Mark Roseman's essay on The Social Impact of Total War, offer surprising but well supported conclusions on the effects of the two World Wars. A few essays focus on chronological recitation of facts and offer only limited analysis. A very few essays, unfortunately, are dry and dense to the point of being difficult to follow.
This volume is recommended to the student looking for a compact survey of the general nature of modern war and how it became that way. The casual reader without background in the study of war may find this book a challenging read.
A good basic book on the current state of war.......2004-06-03
This book, while detailed, offers a good, basic approach to the modern state of war. The best part of an essay approach to this sunject is that rarely one person is the "guru" for all things. The multiple points of view weave together to provide full understanding to a very complex subject.
No easy read.......2001-05-18
A collection of essays covering all periods of modern war as well as essays on the development of the different aspects of war, ie Navy, Army, Air Force. Being a casual reader with just a light interest in history, the book was far to detailed and at times quite difficult to read. This book is not an introducton to the subject and so I would only recommend this book to someone with previous knowledge of the subject and a very keen interest.
No easy read.......2001-05-18
A collection of essays covering all periods of modern war as well as essays on the development of the different aspects of war, ie Navy, Army, Air Force. Being a casual reader with just a light interest in history, the book was far to detailed and at times quite difficult to read. This book is not an introducton to the subject and so I would only recommend this book to someone with previous knowledge of the subject and a very keen interest.
Books:
- The Peninsula and Seven Days: A Battlefield Guide (This Hallowed Ground: Guides to Civil Wa)
- The Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862
- The Tournament of Blood (Knights Templar series)
- The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception
- The Tuskegee Airmen: The Men Who Changed a Nation
- The Wilderness War: A Narrative (Eckert, Allan W. Winning of America Series.)
- Type Talk at Work (Revised): How the 16 Personality Types Determine Your Success on the Job
- U.S. Marine Corps Scout/Sniper Training Manual
- Union and Confederate Submarine Warfare in the Civil War
- Wellington's Army: Uniforms of the British Soldier,1812-1815
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18th Century
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Crusades Through Arab Eyes
The New Concise History of the Crusades (Critical Issues in History)
The Crusades: A History
Arab Historians of the Crusades
Crusades: The Illustrated History
