Paul Collins. A lively, full-to-bursting history of the turbulent 10th century in
Europe, when inner dissention and external marauding began to give way
to cohesion and centrality. Collins manages to enthrall readers in the vicissitudes of an
early medieval era marked by random violence and unpronounceable Nordic
names via his thorough knowledge of the epoch and ability to spin an
engaging tale. Who knew the 10th century could be so compelling?--KirkusSaturday, March 16, 2013
The Birth of the West: Rome, Germany, France, and the Creation of Europe in the Tenth Century
Paul Collins. A lively, full-to-bursting history of the turbulent 10th century in
Europe, when inner dissention and external marauding began to give way
to cohesion and centrality. Collins manages to enthrall readers in the vicissitudes of an
early medieval era marked by random violence and unpronounceable Nordic
names via his thorough knowledge of the epoch and ability to spin an
engaging tale. Who knew the 10th century could be so compelling?--KirkusSunday, March 10, 2013
The Pharaoh: Life at Court and on Campaign
Garry Shaw. In this delightful and lavishly illustrated guide, Egyptologist Shaw
(Royal Authority in Egypt's Eighteenth Dynasty) introduces the
fascinating lives and times of the pharaohs in elaborate detail,
recreating in stories what it was like to be one. The author helpfully provides brief
biographies of most of the pharaohs, such as Hatshepsut, a strong female
pharaoh who established important trading relations with one of Egypt's
neighbors, and Amenhotep IV, who briefly established monotheistic
worship. Shaw's captivating study is the perfect introduction to these
fabled rulers.--Publisher's WeeklySaturday, March 2, 2013
Freedom National: The Destruction of Slavery in the United States, 1861-1865
James Oakes. A finely argued book about how the destruction of slavery involved much
more than Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Oakes returns to the notion that slavery, rather than states' rights or "an
outbreak of hysteria, irrationality and paranoia," was truly the origin
of the Civil War. A useful contribution to the literature about slavery and
the Civil War.--KirkusSunday, February 24, 2013
The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945
Rick Atkinson. Atkinson concludes his
series on the war in Europe and North Africa with this superb work.
Though lacking an overall theme, the book is distinguished by its
astonishing range of coverage peopling the pages are German, British,
French, Canadian, and (primarily) American generals and common soldiers.
Excerpts from the letters of dead soldiers on both sides, as well as
from the diaries of captain generals, fill out the story. It is hard to imagine a better history of the western
front's final phase.--Publishers WeeklyFriday, February 15, 2013
The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot
Robert Macfarlane. Macfarlane returns with another masterful, poetic travel narrative. The author's latest, focusing broadly on the concept of walking, forms what he calls "a loose trilogy," with his two earlier books, Mountains of the Mind and The Wild Places, "about landscape and the human heart." A breathtaking study of "walking as enabling sight and thought rather than encouraging retreat and escape."--KirkusSaturday, February 9, 2013
The Fourteenth Day: JFK and the Aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis: The Secret White House Tapes
David Coleman. Utilizing
recently released White House tapes, Coleman shows that a crisis atmosphere
still prevailed within the administration after the apparent
acquiescence of the Soviets. Kennedy and his advisors struggled with
issues of Soviet compliance with the agreement, the difficulty in coping
with a still-belligerent and supposedly dangerous Cuba, and especially
with the potential flashpoint of Berlin. Coleman has provided an excellent analysis of both short-
and long-term results of the crisis.Saturday, February 2, 2013
Former People: The Final Days of the Russian Aristocracy
Douglas Smith. Smith examines the much-neglected "fate of the nobility in the decades
following the Russian Revolution, " when they were sometimes given the
Orwellian title "former people." Smith focuses on three generations
of two families: the Sheremetsevs of St. Petersburg and the Golitsyns
of Moscow. This is an anecdotally rich, highly
informative look at decimated, uprooted former upper-class Russians.--Publisher's WeeklyWednesday, January 23, 2013
Isaac's Army: A Story of Courage and Survival in Nazi-Occupied Poland
Matthew Brzezinski. The history of Polish Jews who fought Nazi brutality, retold in the stories of some truly remarkable young men and women. Journalist Brzezinski (Sputnik and the Hidden Rivalries that Ignited the Space Age, 2007, etc.) presents a meticulous, harrowing account of resistance, humanized with personal tales of individual combatants. A well-told, direct story of endurance and courage in the face of death and destruction on an apocalyptic scale, as moving and powerful as any novel.--KirkusFriday, January 11, 2013
Tower : an epic history of the Tower of London
Nigel R. Jones. Historian and journalist Jones enlightens and delights in this history of the London Tower. The author begins with tales of William the Conquerer, whose "motte-and-bailey" forts could be erected "within a week." The buildings surrounding the White Tower served not only as royal pomp, but also as the armory, where blacksmiths forged swords, fletchers made arrows and weaponry was stored, including gunpowder. A historian's history that deserves pride of place in every library.--Kirkus
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)