Customer Reviews:
Most Compelling and Interesting History Books I've Ever Read!.......2007-09-02
I went to the local library and happened upon Vol. One of this series called "Our Oriental Heritage". It was a thick book, but it was so interesting that I couldn't put it down. Therefore, I bought the entire set for my personal library through Amazon.
History may be seen as being dull but not when you read it by these 2 authors, Wil and Ariel Durant. It took them 20 years to write the entire 11 volume set. These books are so inspiring that I could not put them down, until I managed to read them all. I am thrilled to read the series and cannot recommend it enough to all history buffs. This is a power-packed 11 volume set that will keep you captivated for months, as you go through each age of civilization as if you were personally traveling in a 'time machine' and able to be present in person.
masterpiece....history at its best.......2007-06-03
This magnum opus is a veritable treasurehouse of integral history.The authors have chosen the widest possible canvass.They have sustained the pace and momentum throughout the whole series.Their conception is on grand scale,their execution magnificent.Their holistic vision is splendidly reflected in their work.They have succeeded,in a great measure, in making it interesting.Full of vitality,interspersed by occasional flashes of humor,written in vigorous and elegant prose,this story is a sure prescription for elevation of mind.
Fantastic!!!.......2007-03-12
I agree completely with all the 5-star reviews. I use to hate history books. They were so dry and boring. My husband purchased this set a long time ago and encouraged me to give it a try. He said it was different. He was right. I am now on volume 4.
Boring.......2006-03-26
The style is tiring and dull.Too much written by one scholar.Better to write less but write interestingly.
The History of Man in the World. Read and Learn!.......2005-01-29
The Story of Civilization is an excellent history and the most complete result of the ambitious goal of writing a world history. The books are organized in such a way that they can be read as individual works or be read out of sequence with no loss to their meaning. Overall I rate them very highly and would suggest them to the interested non historian and implore the budding historian to read them since it is doubtless they will enjoy them.
Will Durant began his intellectually adventurous life attempting to be a philosopher. He was good at it but he, Like myself, saw the intertwining of history and philosophy. I believe he saw that seeing the greatness of man's record (history) was more valuable and enriching than speculating on what man might be (philosophy). His books exude his philosophical inclinations and are far more enjoyable for optimistic view of man evolving towards greatness through the ages.
Durant paints each historical character has a real human being with the complexities of character we all have. While he doesn't make excuses villains of history he makes sure he humanizes each person mentioned. This is the main constant of the Story of Civilization: Durant sees civilization as a network of real people interacting. His work presents all of recorded history not as chronology and not as a sequence of events but as a progression of people.
The style of the books is conversational and peppered with puns and overall enjoyable to read. He is amazingly concise while still making his points. That being said, he does require that the reader do some work and remember people and events. However, I surmise that it wont require heavy note taking or anything because these books are a fun read.
His style is a good mix of history as literature and history as a science. The mix is necessary for the sake of readability and those of you who have been reading modern histories that seem rely too much on footnotes and data points or provide little at all will find his style refreshing. The historians among you will be pleased the number of footnotes and the well documented bibliography , but I need to say that if you are attempting to use these books for university-level research, use them purely for their bibliography and pull out a few of his well-worded quotes for emphasis.
Overall you should take a chance with this set. Buy a used copy simplybecause it makes an impressive statement on a bookshelf. Even if you don't undertake the task you will have a beautiful set of books and your friends will be impressed by your intellectual prowess. If you do decide to read them, you have made an even wiser decision. While it required 5 years for me to complete the set, I am very happy I have and still to this day go back to them. Buy them read them and enjoy them... you will vastly enrich your life with this set of books.
-- Ted Murena
Customer Reviews:
Want a Good Start on an Education?.......2005-02-06
"Caesar and Christ" is the third thick volume of an amazing 45-year life work by Will Durant. I strongly advise you do not heed the academic reviews of "The Story of Civilization." There is no reason to assume the critics even read one volume of Durant's work. Be aware that academic philosophy professors list Hanna Arendt, a second rate intellectual, as the only significant female philosopher and ignore one of the most powerful minds of the post WWII era, Ayn Rand. Sure, she is flawed but she is greater than a Camus or a Chomsky. I strongly recommend reading "Caesar and Christ" and the entire 10 volume set of "Story of Civilization" - if you truly seek to be generally educated. You will learn more from Durant than from years of liberal arts schooling in any university. I never heard a professor mention Durant to students but I saw the entire set on the shelves of the private libraries of some major historians. Would you buy, own, read and keep 10 volumes of books you knew to be worthless? Ignore the academic mantra and decide for yourself.
Let me introduce you to this remarkable man. Durant was a gifted Columbia philosophy student who earned a PhD in philosophy. He was a major teacher-staff member of a now forgotten, fascinating private school movement, The Modern School movement. He served primarily as a head foreign language teacher. A real scholar, Durant mastered six important languages. Durant wrote and published "The Story of Philosophy" in the 1920s. To his surprise, it was an instant best seller. Durant's prose style, bright mind, and sharp wit made the book a little classic that has never been out of print. The book made him famous & independently wealthy and professors wrote to inform him that "Story of Philosophy" had caused a sharp increase in enrollment in philosophy courses.
Durant's book income allowed him to quit working and pursue his fascination with history. He devoted the rest of his life to researching and writing "The Story of Civilization," still a unique work. Do yourself a favor. Read the Introduction to any volume. Read a chapter of any volume before you decide whether to buy or read a volume of the history. The books are thick but Durant was a major prose stylist. His prose style and his wit will make you love reading Durant.
Durant found history writing to be too divided and too provincial. A real historian, Durant wanted to know something about world history. As you read his history, you must remind yourself of the year when the volume you are reading was written, especially the first three volumes. They read like Durant wrote them today. He writes with keen insight about the Arab world. He tried to correct a major error still prevalent today: The muth that Irish monastaries and monks preserved civilization for the Western world. Durant discusses at length how and why the Arabic world was the leader in learning & science during the middle ages. Arab scholars knew Latin and Greek and they studied the great Greek thinkers. Arab mosques pioneered free education & wealthier muslims practiced charity.
Durant wrote total history (he called it synthesis) before it was a fad in France. He covers art, architecture, literature, geography. When Durant explains the importance of the Mediterranean and describes the coast, you comprehend what he conveys to you. He was there. He was not on a taxpayer paid vacation, thinly disguised as "research." He was "there", at his own expense, for weeks studying the area (with his wife who knew another five languages, including her native Russian). Durant and his wife invested in at least three lengthy world tours to see and study the areas Durant wrote about and He wrote about the civilized world.
American history majors should read at least the "Our Oriental Heritage" volume. Serious art majors should read the entire 10 volumes. You will never read a historian who writes so well or with greater knowledge about the art, architecture and skilled crafts of different times and different peoples.
Enough. I leave you with this. By all means, read modern academic trashings of Durant's "Story of Civilization." Also, read the introductory remarks in each volume. You may be surprised to learn that Durant wrote each volume twice. He sent his final drafts to well known academic historians, according to their region of specialty. Durant then re-wrote each volume in response to detailed criticisms these professors sent him. No volume of "Story of Civilization" contains the 'whole truth' but very few modern histories of one year of one institution are more factually accurate. And no academic historian can lay claim to possessing the 'whole truth.' If you have a liberal arts graduate degree, read all ten volumes. You may gain the basic liberal arts education you wanted but did not get in six years of college.
HISTORY WELL DONE.......2005-01-01
It this third volume, Durant continues the story of man through the time of the height of Rome and Christ. Like the other volumes it is quite well done and despite what another reviewer's opinion is, quite comprehensive. Granted, I you want to read more about battles, etc. they you should probably look elswhere. I am of the school that a time period can only be understood by what they left behind, i.e. art, literature, politics, etc. rather than who they defeated in battle, or who defeated them. This is only my opinion though, others look at it differently. Also, I suppose if you are teaching a college course addressing this period of time, you would certainly want to gleen information from other sources. That not being the case on my part, I thought this was a wonderful overview of a very important epoch. I thought it was quite well presented. Recommend highly.
Civilization vs. History.......2004-05-23
The book has wonderful moments. It is lovingly written and often witty. However readers should be aware of Durant's definition of civilization. According to Durant:
"Civilization is social order promoting cultural creation. Four elements constitute it: economic provision, political organization, moral traditions and the pursuit of knowledge and the arts. It begins where chaos and insecurity end. For when fear is overcome, curiosity and constructiveness are free, and man passes by natural impulse towards the understanding and embellishment of life"
If you want a history that incudes the brute forces of history (not solely its cultural creation) you will probably be somewhat disappointed. There is nothing wrong with Durant's msny sections on poetry, philosophy, painting etc. but it squeezes the space alotted to things like economic trends and military struggle. If you want to read this book, you should probably first read a regular history of Rome. You can then appreciate this book as icing on the cake.
Valuable reference for historical novel readers.......2002-11-04
It is an excellent history reference, although people may not read it from page one to the end like reading a fiction. College students may use it for academic reference and research papers.
However, if you are into Roman historical novels such as Colleen McCullough "First Man in Rome", "Grass Crown"..., Gore Vidal "Julian", Robert Graves "I, Claudius"..., Henryk K. Sienkiewicz "Quo Vadis"; Roman era fantasies such as Pauline Gedge "The Eagle and the Raven", Donna Gillespie "The Light Bearer", it definitely adds complimentary flavor to your reading by being aware of the political and social environment of Roman Empire. The chapters are not essentially in chronological layout, but, for example, a chapter devoted to Roman arts and letters, another for daily lives of the social classes. Whilst you are reading your novel in the middle and want to find out more about a particular topic, simply refer to the Index and the relevant chapters.
You would enjoy the novels, and possibly Shakespeare's "Anthony and Cleopatra", and the movies "Ben-Hur", "Spartacus", "The Fall of Roman Empire", "Gladiator" even more. And "Cleopatra" and "Quo Vadis" were made movies too.
The part of Early Christianity in the latter chapters, would help you in reading the Gospels, the Acts, and letters from Paul and the disciples. In the same manner, it helps you to appreciate more in reading Christian historical fictions such as Sholem Asch "The Nazarene" "The Apostle", Thomas Costain "The Silver Chalice".
An additional recommendation is Vol 4. "Age of Faith", sole focus of which is the discussion of the religions Judaism, Christianity, Islam in the Middle Ages.
Pearls before swine.......2000-01-03
It's too bad so few people have taken the trouble to read or even review Durant. "The Story of Philosophy" was a best-seller in 1929. Tom Clancy & Patricia Cornwell (sic) get listings as long as the day is long, but Durant just gets in left in the corner ignored. It's a shame.
Average customer rating:
- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
- Pants on fire?
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
- History as Science Fiction
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History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
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ASIN: 2913621058 |
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.
Amazon.com
"I am a Scotsman," Sir Walter Scott famously wrote, "therefore I had to fight my way into the world." So did any number of his compatriots over a period of just a few centuries, leaving their native country and traveling to every continent, carving out livelihoods and bringing ideas of freedom, self-reliance, moral discipline, and technological mastery with them, among other key assumptions of what historian Arthur Herman calls the "Scottish mentality."
It is only natural, Herman suggests, that a country that once ranked among Europe's poorest, if most literate, would prize the ideal of progress, measured "by how far we have come from where we once were." Forged in the Scottish Enlightenment, that ideal would inform the political theories of Francis Hutcheson, Adam Smith, and David Hume, and other Scottish thinkers who viewed "man as a product of history," and whose collective enterprise involved "nothing less than a massive reordering of human knowledge" (yielding, among other things, the Encyclopaedia Britannica, first published in Edinburgh in 1768, and the Declaration of Independence, published in Philadelphia just a few years later). On a more immediately practical front, but no less bound to that notion of progress, Scotland also fielded inventors, warriors, administrators, and diplomats such as Alexander Graham Bell, Andrew Carnegie, Simon MacTavish, and Charles James Napier, who created empires and great fortunes, extending Scotland's reach into every corner of the world.
Herman examines the lives and work of these and many more eminent Scots, capably defending his thesis and arguing, with both skill and good cheer, that the Scots "have by and large made the world a better place rather than a worse place." --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
Who formed the first modern nation?
Who created the first literate society?
Who invented our modern ideas of democracy and free market capitalism?
The Scots.
Mention of Scotland and the Scots usually conjures up images of kilts, bagpipes, Scotch whisky, and golf. But as historian and author Arthur Herman demonstrates, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Scotland earned the respect of the rest of the world for its crucial contributions to science, philosophy, literature, education, medicine, commerce, and politics—contributions that have formed and nurtured the modern West ever since.
Arthur Herman has charted a fascinating journey across the centuries of Scottish history. He lucidly summarizes the ideas, discoveries, and achievements that made this small country facing on the North Atlantic an inspiration and driving force in world history. Here is the untold story of how John Knox and the Church of Scotland laid the foundation for our modern idea of democracy; how the Scottish Enlightenment helped to inspire both the American Revolution and the U.S. Constitution; and how thousands of Scottish immigrants left their homes to create the American frontier, the Australian outback, and the British Empire in India and Hong Kong.
How the Scots Invented the Modern World reveals how Scottish genius for creating the basic ideas and institutions of modern life stamped the lives of a series of remarkable historical figures, from James Watt and Adam Smith to Andrew Carnegie and Arthur Conan Doyle, and how Scottish heroes continue to inspire our contemporary culture, from William “Braveheart” Wallace to James Bond.
Victorian historian John Anthony Froude once proclaimed, “No people so few in number have scored so deep a mark in the world’s history as the Scots have done.” And no one who has taken this incredible historical trek, from the Highland glens and the factories and slums of Glasgow to the California Gold Rush and the search for the source of the Nile, will ever view Scotland and the Scots—or the modern West—in the same way again. For this is a story not just about Scotland: it is an exciting account of the origins of the modern world and its consequences.
“The point of this book is that being Scottish turns out to be more than just a matter of nationality or place of origin or clan or even culture. It is also a state of mind, a way of viewing the world and our place in it. . . . This is the story of how the Scots created the basic idea of modernity. It will show how that idea transformed their own culture and society in the eighteenth century, and how they carried it with them wherever they went. Obviously, the Scots did not do everything by themselves: other nations—Germans, French, English, Italians, Russians, and many others—have their place in the making of the modern world. But it is the Scots more than anyone else who have created the lens through which we see the final product. When we gaze out on a contemporary world shaped by technology, capitalism, and modern democracy, and struggle to find our place as individuals in it, we are in effect viewing the world as the Scots did. . . . The story of Scotland in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries is one of hard-earned triumph and heart-rending tragedy, spilled blood and ruined lives, as well as of great achievement.”
—FROM THE PREFACE
Customer Reviews:
A valuable history lesson and food for thought.......2007-10-12
An amazing revelation of a small country's enormous contributions to freedom and knowledge with special relationship to the founding of our country. Negative, condescending stereotypes are exploded.
A must-read!.......2007-09-26
An absolute must-read for anyone interested in how the principles and values that America was founded on came to be...I couldn't help but wonder after reading this inspiring book, why there isn't some type of national recognition for the Scots like those that exist for other cultures (St. Patrick's Day for the Irish, Columbus Day for the Italians, etc.).
Excellent Book.......2007-08-23
I was lent a copy of this book and liked it so much that I bought one for myself. It gives a very good background on the Scottish culture and the development of the philosophy that underlies it. It covers a very broad area and the way it is written, makes for very good reading.
Excellent.......2007-08-15
This book was a Christmas gift and I recently finished reading it. I had fairly low expectations going in, but my interest was held all the way through. Mr. Herman does indeed make a strong case for Scots leading the way in many aspects of modern society, although I would say that declaring that Scots invented the modern world is rather speculative. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this book and was especially interested in how Scots helped shape the United States and Canada with highlanders generally siding with the monarchy and migrating to Canada as Loyalists after the War of Independence and lowlanders siding with the revolutionaries. An excellent read if you are interested in Scottish or New World history.
The Miracle of the Scottish Enlightenment.......2007-04-20
How did it come about that between 1700 and 1800 a small undeveloped European country transformed itself into a modern capitalist democracy? The title is obviously pretentious and used as a marketing gimmick. It worked on me because it convinced me to buy this book. Historian Arthur Herman is not Scottish or of Scottish descent, but he has written a very compelling chronicle of the miracle of the Scottish Enlightenment.
In 1707, the Union Act united the kingdoms of Scotland and England. Prior to this, the two antagonists living on opposite sides of Hadrian's Wall wanted nothing to do with each other. Scotland consisted mainly of primitive clans living in the highlands and slightly more advanced lowlanders living mainly in the cities of Glascow and Edinburgh. The parliament in Edinburgh was controlled by groups of noblemen who in turn were dominated by the rigid and inquisitorial Presbyterian Kirk (church) of Scotland.
After 1707, there were two developments that were crucial to Scotland's rise to modernity. The first was the opening up to the economic free trade zone of the British Empire. At first the Scottish fretted about either being swallowed-up by their world-class English competitors or becoming pauperized like the Irish. Their fears were misplaced, neither happened. Instead, the Scottish became, Herman argues, the most significant player in the the empire's economic and intellectual sphere.
The second big reason for Scottish success was their public education system - the first in Europe. This was the work of the Presbyterian Kirk. They maintained that political power, ordained by God, was vested in the people, not the monarchy or the church. The Kirk believed that all people should be able to read the Bible, and as a consequence they achieved a 75% literacy rate - unprecedented in 1750.
Near-universal education produced in this tiny country a disproportionate number of world-class thinkers - David Hume, Francis Hutchison, and Adam Smith, to name a few. They transformed the fields of philosophy, history, economics, education, commerce, architecture, and many more. Due to their mutual animosity toward the English, the Scots found inspiration from the great thinkers of the French Enlightenment, and vice versa. It was Voltaire who said that, "We look to Scotland for all of our ideas of civilization."
As for Herman's claim that the Scots invented the modern world, it should be taken with a grain of salt. In the free trade zone of the British Empire, commerce and ideas flowed both ways. It can be said that the Scots did much to improve or make new existing ideas, and in some cases invent; but they did not singlehandedly invent the modern world.
The Scottish Enlightenment was not without its dark side. The modernizing of the Scottish Highlands was anything but civilized. Before the Scots exported the ideas of goverment and commerce abroad, it had to brutally convert some of its own population. Herman also sidesteps the ugly fact that the Scots were deeply involved in the slave trade and the Klu Klux Klan in the US, and in the opium trade in China - recall the trading companies of Jardine Matheson and Hutchison Whampoa originally spoke with a Scottish burr. Not to say that they invented either of these unseemly businesses, but they certainly flourished in them.
Nevertheless, Professor Herman is a gifted writer and he is exceptionally good at explaining the many geniuses that populated this tiny country during the 18th century.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent read for my 7-year-old
- Historically accurate
- MY BOY LOVES READING
- Vacation Under the Valcano - Magic Tree House #13
- Volcanos wow!
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Vacation Under The Volcano (Magic Tree House 13, paper)
Mary Pope Osborne
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
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ASIN: 0679890505
Release Date: 1998-03-24 |
Book Description
In their first adventure as Master Librarians, Jack and Annie go to the city of Pompeii to bring back an ancient story that is in danger of being lost forever. Little do they know they are saving the myth of Hercules! But before they can find it, the town's volcano erupts in a mighty explosion. Just when things look hopeless, Jack and Annie get some unexpected help from a certain mythic hero - and the rest, as they say, is history.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent read for my 7-year-old.......2007-09-15
My daughter could not put this book down once she started reading it. She loves the MAGIC TREE HOUSE series so much!
Historically accurate.......2007-06-21
We paired this with the Discovery Kids Magazine on Pompeii and found out that this book is a great way to find out about Pompeii and what happened, not just as a tourist attraction. It really puts kids in the moment of the time period. Every detail, down to the arrangement of the city was accurate. You can actually find a map replicating Pompeii and show your child where Jack and Annie went. Wow. Talk about subject integration! You know it is a great book when you can go down the list of Bloom's Taxonomy and use the book to create activities for every level.
We are leaving today to buy every book in the series.
Perfect for homeschooling.
MY BOY LOVES READING.......2007-01-02
My 1st grader hates to put them down, he would rather read Magic Tree House books, than play video games. He even reads them to his class and explains the story for show and tell. When he was in kindergarten, the teacher would also let him read the Magic Tree House books out loud, not given her a break, but to promote reading out loud. Great books!
Vacation Under the Valcano - Magic Tree House #13.......2006-01-29
Shortly before leaving for vacation, Jack and Annie remembered that they needed to go to the magic tree house to solve a mystery. Morgan said "your aventure is going to the Roman times you need to find this book or it will be lost forever""WOW! I always wanted to go to the Roman times this will be fun Annie" said Jack.
The magic tree house takes them to the seaside town of Pompeii during Roman times, which was 2,000 years ago. Many Romans traveled to Pompeii for vacation. They built large houses called villas and planted groves of olive trees on the slopes of a nearby mountain called Mount Vesuvius.
As they walked into the town of Pompeii, they noticed there were no birds and the stream under the bridge was dried up. Once in Pompeii, a soothsayer said "go home". Jack and Annie walked by the town forum, public baths and the Temple of Jupiter while looking for the library.
When they get to the library, they start looking for the book "Vir Fortissinus in Mundo". After finding the book, Jack opened the door and noticed everything crashing down in front of them. The ground started to shake as Mount Vesuvius erupted into a deadly volcano. "That is what the soothsayer meant" said Jack.
Jack and Annie ran from the library and headed back to the tree house. As they ran, a great cloud of pumice, ash, and burning rock formed over the city. When it rained down on Pompeii,it coverd the town. They used pillows to cover their heads from the falling ash.
The tree house was in the olive grove on the side of the mountain. Jack and Annie were running towards the volcano while everyone else was running away from it. When they got to the dried-up stream, the brige. They were trapped in the pumice, when a big, strong man named Hercules saved them. He pulled them from the pumice and took them to the other side of the stream.
Jack and Annie made it to the magic tree house, which took them back home. Morgan made them Master Librarians and they went on vacation with their family.
Volcanos wow!.......2005-10-25
My son and I have been reading the Magic Tree House series for the last couple months and we love them. These are the first books that my son has taken a real interest into, checking them out and reading them on his own. Vacations under the Volcano is our favorite one so far. After checking out a bunch from the library we finally decided to buy a set, and he was so disappointed that this one wasn't part of the set that he bought it seperatly on his own. This book has sparked a whole new interest for him.
I like that this story is based on a real historical event. As opposed to some of the others, like Sunset of the Sabertooth, which is one of my least favorites. As far as the danger goes, which another reviewer mentioned, I think Mary does a great job keeping the stories exciting. They would really become dull if the kids only strolled through meadows. For another scary one try Earthquakes in the Early Morning.
On a side note, its good to read them in order, but we didn't and you definatly don't have too.
Average customer rating:
- Regarding Thomas Greco's Review
- Massive historical detail with a cogent message
- If you only read one book about money this is the one.
- The History of Money Redeemed
- A good historical perspective but little science or solution
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The Lost Science of Money: The Mythology of Money - The Story of Power
Stephen A. Zarlenga
Manufacturer: Amer Monetary Inst Charitable Trust
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Customer Reviews:
Regarding Thomas Greco's Review.......2005-09-05
I believe that "The Lost Science of Money" is a very well written, serious, and thorough book. If you can't afford the cost based upon reviews then check it out of a library first, and judge for your self.
Please, note that Greco's review is by an author(Greco himself) who is sideways attempting to promote his own book ("Money") by pulling Down Zarlenga's book. Yes, Stephen Zarlenga does not delve deeply into alternative and community based currencies in these current times, but the basis for a solid understanding of monetary history and principles is fully accessible and clearly written, unlike Greco's exercise in muddling through without an outline.
Massive historical detail with a cogent message.......2004-11-18
This book provides a huge service to understanding one of the most central and powerful artifacts in human civilization: money. The brilliance of Zarlenga's treatment of this subject and what makes it stand out from others, is that while including massive historical detail and richness, he brings a cogent message about money that anyone (viz. the non-specialist) can walk away with. And it is, that money systems are designed by the intelligence of humans and established and empowered through a collective authority. Thus, the more all of society understands money and willingly participates in backing its authority, the greater the possibility that it will serve all people, and not private elites who may be tempted to structure its design in their favor. This single human innovation - money - has many alternative ways of being socially constructed and politically established as a means of exchange. Get the design right, and the quality of life for all people can be dramatically altered. The structural design of money will directly affect the degree to which individual market action will be morally and socially responsible. Getting the money system right can lead to the alignment of individual and collective action of people. This understanding that money is a human-specified tool (and not some mystical object that we all use but don't really know where it came from or how it works) is so important in birthing a new awareness around emergent economic and market behavior. To me, this kind of writing is a great examplar of how economics should be performed: taking a historical perspective to see what worked and what didn't work. The metaphysical clap-trap around money, as well as the professional economist's mathematical obfuscations are avoided. Seeing it for what it truly is - a designable artifact - is really the gift of this study. Highly recommended, and in my recent reading, complements Kevin Phillips', Wealth and Democracy.
If you only read one book about money this is the one........2004-11-13
Having read numerous books on the issues of money systems I can say without equivocation this is the best by far of any I have come across including many of the Austrian economics books and those by Rothbard. All of them have their perspectives but Zarlenga's work and conclusions are a synthesis from history, well documented, and ring true on deep gut level. He makes his case very well and there is no hype or misplaced emotion as there are in many works on the money issues. Taken as a history book alone I would give the book 5 stars. Too many people, including me, have been ignorant of the historical roots of money and Zarlenga helps us to learn the dramas, political games, and debasement of money systems through the ages. It is fascinating and shocking story. What is taking place in the world now, including the Federal Reserve and World Bank is a slight variation of the historical power struggles over the control of money that go back thousands of years. The most informative issues that come out of this work is the history of gold and silver as money and how they are fiat currencies just like any other proclaimed currency. The money powers, governments, and kings have at various times decreed gold to be money (fiat) as they stood to benefit from it. Yes, gold can't be created out of nothing but it is just as fiat as a dollar bill. As a defender of the gold standard I have to admit that my notions of the gold standard have been flipped upside down even though I have read many of the Mises Institutes books. I can't say that a commodity-based money may not be useful or that the connection between paper money and its basis in gold adds integrity to the system but I do believe now that the issues is not black and white, gold or paper money. What Zarlenga elegantly makes clear is that all money, short of direct barter of goods, has always been a creature of law, i.e. someone decrees it so. As such it is open to abuse and perversion. The book, Subtitled " The Mythology of Money, the Story of Power", does a great service in taking the mythology issues and presenting them in a factual and understandable way. What I like about this book is it is common sense, down to earth, expertly researched and presented in a way that avoids the curse of too much economics jargon and pseudo-science. Money is not particle physics and it is an issue that touches each and every one of us every day. Money has, and continues to shape culture and the direction of life. Leaving the control of money, which seems to me to function as a sort of cultural economic DNA, to a private and secretive group of world elites is a recipe for life out of balance on all levels. It invites exploitation and abuse and as history show there has been much of that concerning the control of money.
Regarding the comments from a prior reviewer of the book who was somewhat critical of the work I disagree with his comment that the book does not give specific solutions. I got the sense that the reviewer wanted economic equations and esoteric pogroms that he could espouse as a scientific look at money. Money, at its roots is no more scientific than sex. Sure, you can define sex with all the science in the world but the gist of it is personal and well known to all of us. People get heated up over the issue of sex and everyone has an opinion. Money is no exception and taking the understanding and control of money and wrapping it up in academic polemics is simply a way to convince us that we need accredited experts to help us. Try that with sex and see what happens. The kinds of solutions that are needed are social and political. Zarlengas effort was not to micro-manage the topic but to show us the lay of the land and give us the broader concepts and tools to regain the control of societies money. It belongs to all of us and is part and parcel to human life and commerce. Just as "We The People" are the foundation and source of the authority for our constitution, we should also be the foundation and final arbiter of our money system. There is little difference between a dictatorship of the societal political process or the societal money process. Concentrated in the hands of the few leads to perverse distortion and societal destruction.
In my 50 years or so of life I have only a handful of books that I think are must-reads and this is one of them. With three sons all out of college and in their twenties this is one of the books I am getting for each of them to read. It is that important. I give this book 5 stars. It is a tour de force of excellent research and common sense analysis.
The History of Money Redeemed.......2004-11-02
After a decade-plus of intensive research in the monetary arena, Stephen Zarlenga has authored a book titled "The Lost Science of Money." It is a truly monumental work that, I believe, reconstitutes the history of money, and the essence of its nature, in a way that does not, and might not ever, otherwise exist. It documents this crucial, but long neglected field of study, in a manner that does justice to the finest standards of scholarship, while at the same time rendering in a subject that in lesser hands might produce a tedious tome, a lively narrative that is accessible to the interested layman. It is a good read; a page-turner even. It paints a sensitive and intelligent historical panorama that transcends the gaudier narrations of wars, rulers and empires commonly proffered by more orthodox historians. To state that it constitutes an urgently needed service to the human race is more understatement than hype. It provides the intellectual basis for comprehending the monetary undercurrent that has shaped and driven civilization. It is simply not possible to realize who we are, how we got here, and the options for the future without an understanding of what is delineated in this epic work.
A good historical perspective but little science or solution.......2004-09-26
- A Book Review by Thomas H. Greco, Jr.
The Lost Science of Money: The Mythology of Money - the Story of Power by Stephen Zarlenga
(The American Monetary Institute, PO Box 601, Valatie, NY, 2002. Hardcover, 724 pages. ISBN 1-930748-03-5)
Zarlenga's book attempts to do two things, first, to describe the dimensions of the "money problem" by tracing its roots, not only in economics and finance, but also in ethics, religion, and politics; and second, to prescribe, in broad outline at least, a solution. In the first instance it is mostly successful, but in the second, it falls far short.
This massive treatise (more than 700 pages) recounts the history of money from early times, providing an interesting historical overview based on a wide variety of sources. It is a scholarly, well researched, and insightful account of the evolution of money, banking, and finance, in which the author argues that "a main arena of human struggle is over the monetary control of societies..," and shows how the money power has historically rivaled that of governments. All that is well and good; the story of money IS the story of power, and the author tells it well. It is, indeed unfortunate that few people today realize the important political implications that are inherent in the control over money and banking, or that such control has typically been in the hands of elite private interests. This well researched history goes a long way toward clearing away the fog that has enshrouded that bastion of privilege.
The title promises to tell us about "the lost science of money," but there is little in it that would qualify as scientific. The author's subtitle, "The Mythology of Money - The Story of Power," would have been far more appropriate as a title. While I can appreciate the author for the major contribution he has made to our understanding of the evolution of money, banking, and centralized power, I must also say that the conclusions he draws and his proposed reforms are less than helpful.
It is not until the very last chapter that we see anything of proposed solutions. That is just as well, for his reform proposals are ill considered and anything but original, directing us into another blind alley of centralized control.
In a mere 28 pages, he manages to dismiss every other approach to a solution which he has ever heard of, then propose that the money monopoly be reestablished under new management. He gives short shrift to the whole alternative exchange movement - mutual credit clearing associations, LETS, and community currencies, and, does not even mention the commercial "barter" industry, thus revealing that he has not yet educated himself about the essential nature of the exchange process, contemporary methods, and the possibilities offered by voluntary, popular, and private approaches.
His critique of the "free money" movement covers less than a single page. If Zarlenga has any knowledge at all of the free money and free banking theories, it is not apparent. Likewise, his critique of the local currency movement is similarly uninformed. Again, in less than a page he dismisses it as worse than irrelevant, seeing it as a distraction from the "real" work of reform (the centralist, government-oriented approach).
His approach is both reformist and centralist, and shows no appreciation for the role of scale in making the system dysfunctional in the first place. Nor does he offer any strategy for achieving the massive reform he proposes. Having described so carefully the corrupting effects that result from centralizing the money power, it is curious that the author asks us to accept it when under the control of politicians and bureaucrats. Does he not see that the political and financial elites are in cahoots, and indeed are the same people.
Well, no one volume can hope to be competent in addressing all aspects of a problem, so we should appreciate this book for what it is rather than condemn it for what it isn't. Despite it's shortcomings, this is an important book. In sum, it is an admirable contribution to our understanding of power dynamics in today's world, and the singular importance of the democratization of the monetary power to enabling lives of dignity, freedom, and fulfillment for all.
# # #
Amazon.com
In this delightful and illuminating look into a crucial but little-known "hinge" of history, Thomas Cahill takes us to the "island of saints and scholars," the Ireland of St. Patrick and the Book of Kells. Here, far from the barbarian despoliation of the continent, monks and scribes laboriously, lovingly, even playfully preserved the West's written treasury. When stability returned in Europe, these Irish scholars were instrumental in spreading learning, becoming not only the conservators of civilization, but also the shapers of the medieval mind, putting their unique stamp on Western culture.
Book Description
The perfect St. Patrick's Day gift, and a book in the best tradition of popular history -- the untold story of Ireland's role in maintaining Western culture while the Dark Ages settled on Europe. Every year millions of Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but they may not be aware of how great an influence St. Patrick was on the subsequent history of civilization. Not only did he bring Christianity to Ireland, he instilled a sense of literacy and learning that would create the conditions that allowed Ireland to become "the isle of saints and scholars" -- and thus preserve Western culture while Europe was being overrun by barbarians. In this entertaining and compelling narrative, Thomas Cahill tells the story of how Europe evolved from the classical age of Rome to the medieval era. Without Ireland, the transition could not have taken place. Not only did Irish monks and scribes maintain the very record of Western civilization -- copying manuscripts of Greek and Latin writers, both pagan and Christian, while libraries and learning on the continent were forever lost -- they brought their uniquely Irish world-view to the task. As Cahill delightfully illustrates, so much of the liveliness we associate with medieval culture has its roots in Ireland. When the seeds of culture were replanted on the European continent, it was from Ireland that they were germinated. In the tradition of Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror, How The Irish Saved Civilization reconstructs an era that few know about but which is central to understanding our past and our cultural heritage. But it conveys its knowledge with a winking wit that aptly captures the sensibility of the unsung Irish who relaunched civilization.
Download Description
From the fall of Rome to the rise of Charlemagne--the "dark ages"--learning, scholarship, and culture disappeared from the European continent. The great heritage of western civilization--from the Greek and Roman classics to Jewish and Christian works--would have been utterly lost were it not for the holy men and women of unconquered Ireland.
Customer Reviews:
Enjoyable reading.......2007-09-28
I enjoyed this book and am somewhat surprised by the nasty reviews. I wasn't looking for a historical textbook or I would surely have looked elsewhere. As an introduction to the role Ireland played in history, I found it a scratching of the surface that made me want to go out and learn more. And I loved Cahill's rather lighthearted amusing writing style. I'm intrigued enough to want to read more in the hinges of history series and I find myself wanting to study Irish poetry from the middle ages.
An enjoyable read!
An ok book about the Irish.......2007-08-27
An ok book about irish civilization. I cannot say that I loved this book. It was a general read about the Irish. I was not overwhelmed by this.
Heavy reading.......2007-07-18
This book is an interesting intellectual history of the fall of Western classical civilization, and how its literary works and ideas were preserved and then brought back to life through Irish monasteries. Cahill begins with an analysis of why the Roman Empire collapsed, which he supports by drawing heavily on classical writers, from Plato to Cicero. He also examines the state of Irish society at the time, using the Tain as an example. He then traces the history of Saint Patrick bringing Christianity to Ireland, and how the new Christian monasteries came to be the institutions that preserved the ancient classical texts and brought them back to mainland Europe in future centuries.
I found Cahill's approach to history quite interesting, in his heavy use of contemporary literary works to exemplify his descriptions. He argues that it was the special nature of Irish intellectual society, in which the monks were interested in reading and preserving all classical works without censoring them, which enabled many classic Greek and Roman texts to be preserved. Without such broad interests in preserving all ancient texts, Cahill argues they would have been lost for good with the looting and burning of the great European libraries, and the ideas in them would not have been available to fuel the renaissance. The book is quite thought-provoking, and would make a good choice for book discussions.
Wonderful Book.......2007-06-14
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Like many of Thomas Cahill's books the author spends the first few chapters on background history (which can be a slow read for some - myself included), but once he sets up the time and place it is a smooth enjoyable ride that leaves you inspired and enriched.
Not scholarly literature.......2007-06-13
I thought Cahill's premise was fascinating. The book was interesting, too, but it's not a scholarly work. Cahill tells a story. I admit that I have not read enough in this area to be able to fully critique his work, but like any work the reader should not blindly accept everything he or she reads.
I was disappointed by the vagueness of much of Cahill's text. Much of it seemed irrelevant. Ausonius and Augustine and Plato are nice, but I don't know if they're really the greatest cross-section of classical civilzation to cite. I was confused by the way in which the story was told. I felt cheated by the layout, which seems to indicate that events happened in this order: 1) Rome is great, 2) Rome is overrun by barbarians, 3) Ireland becomes civilized, 4) Ireland enlightens the world, 5) the world is saved. However, if you look at the chronology in the back, these events are intertwined and one is not necessarily the result of another. This book seems to be the bones of the story - but it's not fleshed out. Please note that Cahill's credentials are as a religious scholar, not a historian.
Cahill's arguments are interesting, and he did illuminate an aspect of history that was previously a shadow of the Dark Ages. The time between the fall of the Roman empire and Charlemagne seems to be a black hole in history. Cahill does make the usual error of assuming that the people of his society are the only people in the world - but anyone who knows anything about history knows that the world was never empty. I may give Cahill another chance, but I have my reservations.
Average customer rating:
- My kids wanted me to keep reading!
- A Kids Review
- This Book is Great
- THIS BOOK IS PAINFUL TO READ!!
- Golden Goblet Exerpt
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The Golden Goblet (Newbery Library, Puffin)
Eloise Jarvis McGraw
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ASIN: 0140303359 |
Book Description
Ranofer struggles to thwart the plottings of his evil brother, Gebu, so he can become master goldsmith like their father in this exciting tale of ancient Egyptian mystery and intrigue.
Newbery Honor Book
Customer Reviews:
My kids wanted me to keep reading!.......2007-10-07
When we first started reading this book during our homeschool unit on Ancient Egypt, my kids seemed disinterested. They are both girls, and this was a book about a boy. How boring! But before they knew it, they were asking me to read on, beyond the chapter a day we were supposed to read. The suspense was too much for them, and they wanted to find out what would happen next. I'm glad I didn't give up too early on this wonderful book!
A Kids Review.......2007-08-24
The Golden Goblet is about a boy, Ranofer, who is poor and has no food to eat. He worked at the goldsmith shop, but was not lucky enough to be an apprentice to Rekh the Goldsmith, because Gebu (Ranofer's half brother) thought that being a goldsmith had no skills. One day when Ranofer came home, Gebu told him that he has to work for the stonecutters. Ranofer was so mad he couldn't even say goodbye by to Rekh. This book takes you through different adventures with Ranofer. I liked this book because the characters in the book where described so well and the storytelling was described magnificently. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy mysteries and intense moments. They should also be aware that the book is a little slow to get into in the beginning, but once you start to see the plot develop you will not be able to put it down.
This Book is Great.......2007-03-14
I had to read this book for school. I am homeschooled. After I read the first chapter....I couldn't put it down. I couldn't stop reading it. Now, I have always found joy in reading but that matters not with this book. This went along with my history. (Acient Egypt) I will say nothing of the character nor the events, for it will destroy the joy in reading it yourself. This book is better...far better than words can describe. It is really good, take my word for it. Only satisfaction awaits you in this book.
THIS BOOK IS PAINFUL TO READ!!.......2006-05-19
This book is the worst book ever. I didn't know there could possibly be a book this bad. If you are required to read this book like me, i feel bad for you. Do NOT read this book for pleasure because it is not a pleasant book. It is painful to read. If you are STILL thinking of reading this bad book, DON'T READ IT!! take my advice.
Golden Goblet Exerpt.......2006-04-19
The Golden Goblet is about an Egyptian boy named Ranofer. After hid father, Thutra dies he has to live with his child-abusing half brother Gebu. Gebu always beat him up for no reason and feed Ranofer very little. Ranofer's dream was to be a Master Goldsmith, but Gebu messes it up when he makes Ranofer a Stonecutter. Soon Ranofer suspects Gebu is stealing. So, his friends, Heqet and the Ancient start spying on Gebu. But If you want to knows what happens then read Golden Goblet! If start getting bored between Chapter 1 through 2, then keep going because in Chapter 3 things start to get a little exciting. But if you are still bored then have fun burning the book.
Book Description
(9th in Story of Civilization series)
Volume 9 in THE STORY OF CIVILIZATION, THE AGE OF VOLTAIRE, is the biography of a great man as well as the story of ideas and events that culminated in the French Revolution. But the revolution turned inward and set the stage for Napoleon, a disaster for Europe in general and for the French in particular. Of notable interest to the general reader is the Durants' conclusion that it was English ideas of skepticism, scientific experiment, "natural rights", constitutional government, and individual liberty -- that started the French on their road to ruin.
"A fine work of popularization...the Durants show an acute appreciation of the quality of this particular period." (The New Yorker)
Customer Reviews:
ANOTHER WONDERFUL WORK BY DURANT.......2006-01-16
Durant's popularization of history, which he continues with this wonderful volume, has been and indeed, still is poopooed by many an academic. I first learned of this years ago while taking a never ending series of history courses in college. Almost to the man and woman, they, the professors, would gave collective fits if a student brought the name of Durant to class and heaven help the sudent who used a "popular history writer" to class in the form of a reference on a paper. I knew then that I had to own and read these books. I did and do now and have not regreted it one bit. Popular history, i.e. history that most of us can actually read and learn from is a wonderful thing. Few of us grow up to be accademics and works such as these open many windows for we, the common person. I have been reading and rereading this series for years and have not regreted it one bit. This particular volume of course examines the French Revolution, it's results and those involved. Durant's style continues to come through and I promise you, you will learn much in a very enjoyable fashion. Recommend highly.
Durant is one of the greatest polymaths of the 20th century.......2005-01-02
Will Durant, initially by himself and later with his wife Ariel, has written some of the most readable and interesting histories of the 20th or any other century. I found these books in the early 1980s and took five years to read them all. It was the greatest intellectual experience of my lifetime, and now I am selectively reading them again. (Fortunately I then had the habit of underlining passages I found most compelling and facinating, and this is saving me a lot of time in my rereading of the Durants.) And this is perhaps the most informative of the books, especially given our present day American obscession with evangelical Christanity. Rereading Durant makes me conscious of just how destructive have been the Christian schools that so many of our students have been subjected to since the mid 60s. I think that the Durants would call today, with the eager reelection of Geo. W. Bush and his merry men, The Age of Ignorance. Would that our students of today felt compelled to read the Durants. wfh
What a superb series.......1999-10-18
I remember seeing these sets of books in my University Bookstore in College--never read them, but picked up the whole set for .25 each at a garage sale. Little did I know what I'd been missing. I also just started teaching history in Calgary--a colleague agreed with me that they are fabulous, but said the snobby professors looked down on the Durants as "popularizers." I can't think of a higher compliment. Excellent footnotes, with quotes from primary resources, all the marks of a hallmark historian. I reading these books like steamy romance novels--and they are a lot more fun. Durrant is not afraid to comment on the sexual mores/and morality of the times. His judgments are pithy and well, history is riveting. I would have paid full price for these if I'd known how good they were!
Books:
- The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
- The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Descent of the West
- The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Descent of the West
- The World's Great Speeches (Fourth Enlarged Edition)
- The World's History, The, Combined Volume (3rd Edition)
- The World's History, Volume 1: To 1500 (3rd Edition)
- The World Is Flat [Updated and Expanded]: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
- The World Is Flat [Updated and Expanded]: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
- Traditions & Encounters: Traditions And Encounters
- Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation
Books Index
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