History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Cezanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications)

Average customer rating:

Great Footnotes
The quintessential art dealer
A real keepsake!
worth every penny
At Last, a Tribute to an Art Dealer!

Cezanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications)

Manufacturer: Metropolitan Museum of Art
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0300117795

Book Description

Ambroise Vollard (1867–1939) played a key role in the transformation of the art world in the late 19th century. A pioneering Parisian dealer, Vollard introduced many of the era’s leading artists to the public. This beautifully illustrated catalogue, accompanying the first comprehensive exhibition devoted to Vollard’s extraordinary achievement, presents 130 important paintings, sculpture, and works on paper that he promoted, exhibited, and sold.
Vollard’s groundbreaking exhibition in 1895 of Cézanne’s work definitively established the artist’s reputation, and Vollard subsequently organized major exhibitions of the Nabis, Gauguin, and Van Gogh; promoted the work of artists ranging from Degas to Rouault to the Fauves; and gave many young artists, including Picasso and Matisse, their first solo shows. In addition, Vollard published print albums and livres d’artiste that are among the most celebrated of the early 20th century. This important volume features twenty-two essays that examine Vollard’s career and expertise in the art market, his relationships with individual artists and collectors, and a wealth of previously unpublished material from the newly available archive of Vollard’s documents and from the archives of the artists he represented.

Customer Reviews:

Great Footnotes.......2007-05-13

Lot's of footnotes and academic prose.
Good if you want a bibliography item on your art history/museum paper.
Otherwise, an achievement in taking an interesting subject and turning it into a boring one. A reasonable number of color plates but unremarkable as they (mostly) have the same values--that is, tonally, they look too similar.
DS

The quintessential art dealer.......2007-04-02

A great exhibition, a great dealer and a great book. Very well documented, even though Vollard seems to have been very secretive. He certainly was at the right place, at the right time as the book very well shows . He no doubt was an opportunist, but with an eye and a love of art unmatched by his peers. He also invented the art market of his time and certainly deserved such a beautiful tribute.

A real keepsake!.......2007-01-15

My daughter was an Art History Minor and had expressed interest in this book. I bought it for her as a holiday gift and she treasures it. Amazon got it to me in time for me to enjoy leafing through it as well. It is extraordinary both in picture and text. It is truly a keepsake.

worth every penny.......2007-01-11

This book is jammed with fascinating information,gorgeous reproductions and is extremely well priced.Anyone interested in 20th cent.art will welcome this book!

At Last, a Tribute to an Art Dealer!.......2006-10-17

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has produced yet another fine curatorial statement with their exhibition 'Cezanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde' and fortunately the accompanying catalogue is as bold and beautiful as the exhibition itself. The concept of discussing artists of international stature from the stance of the man who gave their careers the jumpstart needed is unique and valuable and is a tribute to the work that art dealers around the world perform in assisting artists in their career paths.

Ambroise Vollard (1867-1939), a Parisian art dealer, played a significant role in molding the art movements of the late 19th and early 20th century. The stimulus, according to the curators and essayists of this lavishly illustrated book, was the 1895 exhibition of Cezanne's art, an exhibition which triggered the movements of modern art as followed by such artists as Gauguin, Van Gogh, Degas, Rouault, Matisse and Picasso. Some credit Vollard with the development of the Fauvist school simply by his intelligent, sensitive, provocative exhibitions of the right artists given space beside each other that created comparisons and links.

The concept of art dealer as innovator is a fresh one and one handled with sufficient intelligent documentation by the various writers contributing to this catalogue to lend credibility to the premise. But over and above the curatorial concept is the pleasure of the exceptional illustrations of works by familiar artists not usually seen in books of this sort. The writing and design make this catalogue/book a collector's item that will enhance not only art school libraries but also the personal libraries of all art lovers. A very fine addition to the information about the artists included in this exhibition and catalogue. Grady Harp, October 06

Average customer rating:

A very fine, accurate, brief review of European History
Must Have for the AP Euro Exam
Modern European History
it's great
Perfect for Reviewing for Tests

Modern European History
Birdsall S. Viault
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0070674531

Customer Reviews:

A very fine, accurate, brief review of European History.......2007-08-04

The student above who felt this review book was too LONG completely misses the point. One does not read through a book like this as a substitute for the textbook -- which is what I imagine this poor young student though he could do. One relies on it to clarify areas of confusion. As a good reference and review book to read either before a chapter or as review afterward, this is a genuinely excellent book.

First, it's a nice size. It's smaller (height and width) than most of the enormously giant-sized review books available so it's like a real book. And it's printed on real paper, not cheap newsprint like most of the AP review books are. Small enough that you can easily grab it off the shelf or carry it around with you. And, the page layout makes it easy to find things. Everything is treated in brief paragraphs with clear topic headings. Pages are brief so you move through it page-after-page very quickly. It really couldn't be easier to use.

As a history teacher, I look into this book from time to time to double-check an historical issue or event or to check up on correct chronology of events I can't quite recall. It saves a lot of time compared to paging through much longer, denser books.

As a review book, I imagine this would be very good to refresh a student's memory of lots of important (and, frankly, many less important!) events, people, and ideas. However, students who are looking for a book to replace their textbook will be disappointed as this book assumes you have some idea what is going on historically. You could read it alone and understand the history pretty well, but I doubt you'd be very confident without the analysis of the textbook which this does not have.

The one thing most lacking from books like this is overall themes and ideas. Most review books lack this so this is not so much a criticism as something to be aware of. History has patterns, themes, and MAJOR themes to be aware of (The rise of democracy, the clash of civilizations, the struggle for equality, impact of the Enlightenment, the impact of economic changes . . . and so on). If all you know are facts, events, and dates, you will be lost--but you already knew that!

This book assumes you are aware of these themes (See your textbook or your teacher if you aren't -- believe me, they are very important) and is designed simply to remind you of all that pesky information you might not have understood so well the first time. In that respect, this is a very fine book and clearly worth the money as one of the better European History review books.

Another caveat: It is NOT designed specifically to prepare you to "ace" the AP exam. It doesn't have the usual tips and tricks stuff that most review books have. It is designed for students who want to understand and remember the history, not for students that want quick shortcuts to faking out the exam. Of course, it goes without saying that students who understand the history tend to "ace" the exam -- without shortcuts and so-called "insider" information that isn't really very useful.

4 stars only because of lack of larger themes, but I'm a very tough grader!

Must Have for the AP Euro Exam.......2007-05-14

I had one of the most boring textbooks invented for the AP Euro class. I couldn't stand reading it and as a result, I was not one of the top scorers on the tests in my class. However, I used this book to study for my in-class final and the AP exam and I did well on both. Thanks to this book, I got a 5 on the AP. The book has good information and it helped me learn things that my AP teacher did not teach in our class. I recommend that you buy this book in order to do well on the AP. My only negative comment is that it has no practice exams but since the book is not associated with AP, it is a flaw that is easy to forgive.

Modern European History.......2007-03-12

Very helpful book. It has maps in it and its written in a very good language and nothing fancy.

it's great.......2007-03-01

i just took the ap euro exam last year (got a 5) and this was my favorite prep book out of all prep books (also had barrons and REA). concise, easy to carry around, excellent index, even smells nice (if you're a weirdo like me who likes to sniff bookpaper)- mod euro history condensed my piles of lecture notes to little easy-to-read paragraphs. altho i wouldn't recommend solely studying from this book (read your textbook and notes too. make flashcards till your hand falls off.), I definitely recommend getting it.

Perfect for Reviewing for Tests.......2007-01-24

So, I just finished my AP Euro class (the class exam was last week). I managed to get an A in what is considered a highly difficult course at my school, and I can proudly say that I only read my textbook the first week of the class. While other students spent hours poring over tedious 5 pt. font pages in our convoluted textbook, I simply read this. Before every M/C test or essay, I would quickly read the chapter[s] that corresponded with whatever subject we were studying. Many times, Modern European History had answers to questions on the test that the textbook didn't even mention. It covers every topic in the textbook in appropriate depth, and makes everything truly easy to understand. I highly recommend this; it saved my life!

Average customer rating:

Superb Finale
Excellent
Well Done Sandra Gulland--An Outstanding Conclusion!!!
Don't forget the rest of the trilogy
A Standing Ovation

The Last Great Dance on Earth
Sandra Gulland
Manufacturer: Scribner Paperback Fiction
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0684856085

Book Description

The Last Great Dance on Earth is the triumphant final volume of Sandra Gulland's beloved trilogy based on the life of Josephine Bonaparte. When the novel opens, Josephine and Napoleon have been married for four tumultuous years. Napoleon is Josephine's great love, and she his. But their passionate union is troubled from within, as Josephine is unable to produce an heir, and from without, as England makes war against France and Napoleon's Corsican clan makes war against his wife. Through Josephine's heartfelt diary entries, we witness the personal betrayals and political intrigues that will finally drive them apart, culminating in Josephine's greatest tragedy: her divorce from Napoleon and his exile to Elba. The Last Great Dance on Earth is historical fiction on a grand scale and the stirring conclusion to an unforgettable love story.

Download Description

The only novelist invited to appear among a group of noted scholars and experts for a four-hour PBS documentary on Napoleon, Gulland knows her characters so well she inhabits their world, and her novels enable readers to do the same. The Last Great Dance on Earth brings to life Napoleon's grand empire, its rise and fall, and Josephine's greatest tragedy: her divorce from Napoleon and his exile to Elba. Written in a spare but compelling style with finely nuanced characters and vivid setting. The Last Great Dance on Earth is a brilliant feat of historical fiction that is difficult to put down and impossible to forget.

Customer Reviews:

Superb Finale.......2007-02-11

I don't need to repeat what eveyone else seems to be stating in their reviews of this book and the entire Josephine trilogy; the story flows from start to finish.

I very highly recommend this book!

Excellent.......2006-07-11

A perfect ending to a wonderful trilogy. Gulland has clearly done her research and France comes alive through the eyes of Josephine Bonaparte. Compassionate, kind and well-loved in France, Josephine also gives us a very intimate and sympathetic insight to Napoleon Bonaparte. I enjoyed this whole series and would heartily recommend it to anyone interested in the French Revolution, the French Republic and the rise of Napoleon. It is engrossing, humorous and heart-rending. Highly recommended.

Well Done Sandra Gulland--An Outstanding Conclusion!!!.......2006-06-22

I can't express how much I loved this wonderful novel. The most accurate adjective I can think of would be 'interesting'. This book was soooo interesting. Gulland's attention to detail is absolutely meticulous. She used over 400 sources in the writing of this trilogy. I learned so much--not only about Napoleon and Josephine, but also of other historical figures of that time. I also found the daily life of the aristocracy not only fascinating but also exhausting.

Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine Beauharnais are some of the most intriguing characters in history. Their story is so compelling and Gulland does a wonderful job of presenting it. Her 'Josephine' trilogy tells the story of Marie-Josephe-Rose Tascher (Beauharnais Bonaparte) who was born on the French Caribbean island of Martinique in 1763. She died, as she was still known, as the Empress Josephine at her beloved Malmaison in Paris in 1814. THE LAST GREAT DANCE ON EARTH begins in March 1800 at the Tuileries Palace in Paris and ends at her death. But, Gulland has a special treat for her readers. She ties up all the loose ends by telling us what happens to all the characters in her novel. I loved that! In fact, I was taking a tour a couple of weeks ago in St. Augustine, Florida and the guide told us that this is where Napoleon Bonaparte's brother came to....I now know that it was Jerome. The author also has a chronology with detailed accounts and dates of events in the last fourteen years of Josephine's life. Gulland also used actual letters of the pair in this book. And again, the pages are peppered with footnotes that add credence to this story.

In book three we're treated to more of the deep and abiding friendship of Josephine and Napoleon. The love they had for each other is legendary. Napoleon was a wonderful father to Hortense and Eugene and they also adored him. But Josephine had to put up with her horrid in-laws, their jealousy and constant designs of destroying her marriage, their lies and the constant undermining--geesh, she was more patient than I could have been. They eventually succeeded. Despite going through horrible and archaic treatments for infertility, Josephine could not conceive. As we all know, Napoleon divorced her in order to gain an heir. Even then, they continued their friendship and love.

I have been mesmerized with Napoleon and Josephine since visiting the Lourve for the first time as a college freshman and falling in love with David's "The Coronation of Napoleon." Then, after visiting the famous, albeit headless statue of the former Empress at her birthplace in Martinique, my curiosity became insatiable. We learned that Josephine's head was cut off because she influenced her husband to reinstate slavery. I was hoping to read an explanation in these novels but it was never mentioned (although Martinico is mentioned quite often). Which comes to another point: Gulland mentions that researching the lives of Napoleon and Josephine is addictive; I've already bought two more books, maybe I'll find the answer to my question!

Don't forget the rest of the trilogy.......2003-06-15

While this book stands out on it's own merits, you would be doing yourself a huge disservice if you didn't read the first two books in the trilogy first ('The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B.' and 'Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe'). This is probably my favorite group of books and everyone I have let borrow them feels the same. All are well-written and easy reading (as well as interesting history). I am only sorry that Sandra Gulland hasn't written any other books...yet. I keep hoping.

A Standing Ovation.......2003-02-11

Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!! Oh, how I hated to come to the end of this series. A caution to would-be readers: Do NOT shortchange yourself and skip either of the first two books (Many Lives/Secret Sorrows, and Tales of Passion) - they all flow together seamlessly and offer an indescribable wealth of passion and intellect. Wonderfully written, deeply researched - this trilogy by Ms. Gulland is truly a treasure.

The First Total War: Napoleon's Europe and the Birth of Warfare as We Know It

Average customer rating:

An Intellectual History of the Napoleonic Wars
Tosh
"No one likes armed missionaries"
An interesting but flawed thesis

The First Total War: Napoleon's Europe and the Birth of Warfare as We Know It
David A. Bell
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0618349650

Book Description

World War I has been called "the war to end all wars", the first time combatants were mobilized on a massive scale to ruthlessly destroy an enemy. But as David Bell argues in this tour de force of interpretive history, the Great War was not, in fact, the first total war. For this, we need to travel back to the era of muskets and sailing ships, to the age of Napoleon. According to Bell, it was then that warfare was transformed into the hideous spectacle that seems ever present today. Indeed, nearly every modern aspect of war took root in that time: conscription, unconditional surrender, total disregard for the rules of combat, mobilization of civilians, guerrilla warfare, and the perverse notion of war fought for the sake of peace. The revolutionaries were leading "the last crusade for universal liberty." A war for such stakes could only be apocalyptic - and terribly bloody. With a historian's keen insight and a journalist's flair for detail, Bell brings this period to life while keeping an eye on our own "war of liberation" in Iraq. The parallels are astonishing, making this vivid narrative history as timely and important as it is unforgettable.

Customer Reviews:

An Intellectual History of the Napoleonic Wars.......2007-02-28

We have grown accustomed to viewing the World Wars of the 20th century as the first total wars in modern history, for they required the total mobilization and militarization of the societies involved. Their accompanying ideologies, fascism and communism, were appropriately called totalitarian since they left no aspect of society unaffected. Now historian David A Bell has written a new and different history of the Napoleonic Wars (1792 - 1815) arguing that they were in fact the first total wars.

In his introduction, Bell tells us that he is borrowing techniques from intellectual history to write a military history. Traditionally military historians have restricted themselves to accounts of battlefield tactics and weapon systems. Bell is attempting to go further in showing that the ideals of the Enlightenment played a role in what he calls the first total war. He believes that the French Revolution - the apotheosis of the Enlightenment - radicalized people's ideas about how and why wars should be fought.

During the time of the ancien regime - which is Bell's main standard of comparison - wars were limited and short-lived. They were fought according to established rules and usually to defend the honor of this or that aristocrat; in fact, many times the armies were made up of mercenaries. The philosophes of the Enlightenment such as Kant, Diderot, d'Alembert, and the Marquis de Condorcet were certain that with the advent of reason wars would be a thing of the past. As late as 1790 Robespierre was declaring in the Assembly that the French nation had no desire to engage in war, that to invade another country and make it adopt their laws and constitution was the furthest thing from their minds.

Much changed in two years. By 1792 there was growing opposition to the revolutionary government in Paris, especially in Vendee. The government decided to put down this rebellion with a degree of brutality not seen before. They conducted a scorched-earth policy that spared no one. They made no distinction between combattants and non-combattants. The dogs of war had been unleashed to save the revolution and to obliterate any dissent.

Bell explores the nature of total war and how it feeds on itself. Once the military becomes front and center of the government, war becomes unstoppable. All of the nations resources and efforts went to the Grand Armee to create an empire in places as far as Egypt and Russia.

In his retelling of the Spanish campaign, Bell attempts to draw a parallel with America's intervention in Iraq. To an extent there are some parallels. Napoleon claimed to be bringing Enlightenment ideals and reform to Spain, yet the insurgency would have none of it. This, however, is a distraction from Bell's thesis; whatever else it is doing in Iraq, America is not conducting a total war. This is a very restrained and cautious use of military power. In fact, Napoleon's excursion into Spain was somewhat cautious to be called total war.

When contrasted with what transpired in the preceding century and what the philosophes predicted, the Napoleonic Wars were barbaric and total, but it is still not clear how they were different from, say, the Mongol invasions of the Middle Ages or the military expeditions of Alexander the Great. Its seems that the so-called total wars of Napoleon have been done before. The total mobilization of people and resources is as old as human history. Mutual and absolute hatred for the enemy is a timeless emotion. Bell's argument that hell hath no fury like a citzen's army is reminiscent of Victor Davis Hanson's thesis in Carnage and Culture, and it is as unconvincing.

Bell's book provides much food for thought on how quickly circumstances can change from permanent peace to permanent war without pinpointing exactly what triggers the change. Paranoia, perceived threat,and survival are all factors in the devolution of high ideals to base hostility. And why armies of citizens driven by Enlightenment ideals fight more effectively than previous armies is still unanswered. However, Bell makes a robust effort with this original work.

Tosh.......2007-02-05

David A. Bell operates by trying to sneak ridiculous analogies past his readers, then treating them as true by definition. And what a convincing conclusion: dreaming of peace causes modern wars; if we all just accepted the necessity of war, then we'd be better off.

"No one likes armed missionaries".......2007-01-21

There is a hilarious and biting excerpt from Bell's analysis of the French Revolution. During one of the debates in the Assembly, it was suggested that if the French armies were to invade their neighbours, overthrow the benighted royalist regimes, and offer the glories of representative democracy, then the peoples of those countries would greet the French with gratitude. Bell recounts that Maximilian Robespierre gave a cynical but accurate rejoinder, "No one likes armed missionaries". Bell suggests that Robespierre showed better understanding of practical sociology than some current leaders. Though the latter were left unspecified, he was clearly referring to George Bush and the liberation of Iraq. For some reason, the Iraqis don't seem very grateful to Americans!

An interesting but flawed thesis.......2007-01-06

David Bell has written an interesting but somewhat flawed book which states that the Napoleonic Wars was the first total war in European history. According to Bell the intellectual origins of the Napoleanic wars occurred with the writings of elightenment philosophers who wanted to go back to the Classical period in which all the citizens of the republic were part of the army. This theory about the armed republic became reality during the French revolution in which mass conscription took place. As a result of the Napoleonic wars, accroding to Bell, aristocrats soon lost their place with the French army and later in the nineteenth century with other Eurpean armies. As a result classes that taught aristcratic values for army officers were soon replaced by those that stressed technical skills. Also every citizen was judged a combatant and this led to massacres committed by French forces during the Vendee and in Spain and Italy. The are two main weaknesses in Bell's case that the Napoleonic Wars was the first truly modern war in history. The first is Bell's belief that aristocrats and royals were eliminated from the army but this was not the case with the German army in the First World War which included the Bavarian Prince Ruppert as a commander of the main German armies and the Tsarist army of the same time period who had Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich and Tsar Nicholas II as head of the army. Also the Napoleonic wars as being a precursor to the atrocities committed during the two world wars seems to be flawed in that the genocides that occurred in the first half of the twentieth century were based on the physical elimination of class and ethinc groups unlike the massacres in Spain,France, and Italy in the early nineteenth century. Despite these major flaws this book is still an interesting book to read.

Framing America: A Social History of American Art

Average customer rating:

Good overview

Framing America: A Social History of American Art
Frances K. Pohl
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0500237921

Book Description

For more than a generation, critics and scholars have been revising and expanding the customary definition of American art. A tradition once assumed to be mainly European and oriented toward painting and sculpture has been enriched by the inclusion of other media such as ceramics, needlework, and illustration, and the work of previously marginalized groups such as Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans. Now, in a brilliant combination of original scholarship and synthesis, Frances Pohl's Framing America provides the first comprehensive survey of this new, enlarged vision of American art.

Here are the many strands of North America's history and visual culture: the first contacts of the Spanish with the Aztecs and other Native Americans; the post-Revolutionary definition of nationhood; the visionary feeling for landscape and nature; the images of social and military conflict of the nineteenth century; and the tempering of the twentieth century's heady plunge into modernism by the Depression, World War II, the Cold War, and the culture wars.

Pohl's account is an adroitly inclusive fusion of many themes. Her discussion of the early definition of nationhood includes the traditional painters of the grand manner: West, Copley, Trumbull, and Stuart. But Stuart's portraits of George Washington, for instance, are also discussed in relation to portrayals of Washington in wood, marble, and embroidery, and the vogue for "mourning pictures" after Washington's death, which create a domestic counterpoint to the more institutional portrayals. Pohl's description of the great landscape tradition of Cole, Durand, and Church shows how the optimistic assertion of a sublime sense of the American nation was accompanied by a sense of loss as the nation expanded westward.

As our appreciation of the rich cultural diversity of American life has grown, our sense of American art—its sources, its motives, its possibilities—has also become more varied. Fresh and contemporary, Framing America embraces what our history can tell us about our art and what our art can tell us about our past and present. 665 illustrations, 337 in color.

Customer Reviews:

Good overview.......2007-02-28

This is a great book for a survey course in American art or for someone who wants to get into American art and just wants a general overview. The text is written in a very approachable manner, and the images that are included are of excellent quality and represent some good instances of characteristically American works. I used this book for an art history course in American art that was of a very limited time period, but the book is essentially written to cover everything in American art fairly broadly, from colonial times to the late twentieth century. A good read, and a good deal.

"Society Must Be Defended": Lectures at the College de France, 1975-1976 (Lectures at the College de France)

Average customer rating:

Indispensable Addition to Foucault's Oeuvre
Foucault Is Being Ironic
Offering an unusually insightful perspective

"Society Must Be Defended": Lectures at the College de France, 1975-1976 (Lectures at the College de France)
Michel Foucault
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0312422660

Book Description

From 1971 until 1984 at the Collge de France, Michel Foucault gave a series of lectures ranging freely and conversationally over the range of his research. In Society Must Be Defended, Foucault deals with the emergence in the early seventeenth century of a new understanding of war as the permanent basis of all institutions of power, a hidden presence within society that could be deciphered by an historical analysis. Tracing this development, Foucault outlines the genealogy of power and knowledge that had become his dominant concern.

Customer Reviews:

Indispensable Addition to Foucault's Oeuvre.......2005-02-25

Foucault never wrote a monograph on power per se, the arguably most influential notion put forth by him. Yet this posthumous publication of his College de France lectures 1975-76 approximates one. Here one can find the most elaborate discussion of the distinction between power-as-law and power as a bunch of local techniques and force relations, and more important, the idiosyncratic conceptualization of political power based on the model of war. It is also in these lectures that Foucault gives a sustantial analysis of racism. Although these topics are already touched upon in The History of Sexuality vol. 1, unfortunately they have not been given extended space to develop thanks to Foucault's drastic modification of his writing plan. Two decades after his premature death, we are finally allowed to have a better understanding of Foucault's profound reflection upon these issues. The continual unveiling of Foucault's other lectures in print in years to come makes life worthy to live even in this depressive political atmosphere.

Foucault Is Being Ironic.......2003-11-12

The last thing Foucault wants to do is defend society.

Offering an unusually insightful perspective.......2003-02-11

Capably and collaboratively edited by Mauro Bertani and Allesandro Fontana, "Society Must Be Defended" is a collection of French philosopher and historian Michel Foucault's eleven lectures given at the College de France from 1975 to 1976, and which are ably translated into English for an American readership by David Macey. Offering an unusually insightful perspective and wisdom on a wide variety of educational topics ranging from the origin of feudalism, to the functions and domains of racism, to Hobbes' ideas on war and sovereignty, and a great deal more, "Society Must Be Defended" is a very thought-provoking and instructive collection from a uniquely informed and informative point of view. As Michel Foucault writes about this compilation of his views: "The role of history will, then, be to show that laws deceive, that kings wear masks, that power creates illusions, and that historians tell lies. This will not, then, be a history of continuity, but a history of deciphering, the detection of the secret, the outwitting of the ruse, and the reappropriation of a knowledge that has been distorted or buried. It will decipher a truth that has been sealed".

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Excellent
Really compelling story of Josephine
A magnificent, poignant look into Napoleon Bonaparte's wife!
NAPOLEON AND JOSEPHINE, A LOVE STORY
Entertaining Read

Tales Of Passion Tales Of Woe
Sandra Gulland
Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0684856077

Book Description

Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe is the much-awaited sequel to Sandra Gulland's highly acclaimed first novel, The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. Beginning in Paris in 1796, the saga continues as Josephine awakens to her new life as Mrs. Napoleon Bonaparte. Through her intimate diary entries and Napoleon's impassioned love letters, an astonishing portrait of an incredible woman emerges. Gulland transports us into the ballrooms and bedrooms of exquisite palaces and onto the blood-soaked fields of Napoleon's campaigns. As Napoleon marches to power, we witness, through Josephine, the political intrigues and personal betrayals -- both sexual and psychological -- that result in death, ruin, and victory for those closest to her.

Download Description

In beautifully imagined diary entries, Sandra Gulland continues the story of Josephine's marriage to "the Corsican, " Napoleon Bonaparte. As Napoleon's march to power erupts in political intrigues and personal betrayals, Josephine witnesses the triumphs, as well as the death and ruin, of those closest to her. The novel is set at the end of the eighteenth century, when Napoleon is General-in-Chief of the Army of Italy, and his impassioned -- and at times disturbing -- love letters provide a fascinating counterpoint to Josephine's own journal. An impressive combination of historical fidelity and fictional artistry, Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe brings the legendary Josephine and the drama of her time to vibrant life.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2007-01-31

I love this series and am not looking forward to it ending. However, I am excited to get started reading the third book in this series having finished the first and second books. These books read so easily and the reader is drawn into Josephine's life -- the reader begins to feel like they truly know this woman.

If you like to read Historical Fiction then this series is definately for you!

Really compelling story of Josephine.......2006-08-26

Whether this piece of historical fiction sticks to the facts or not, I don't know, but the drama and empathy one feels in reading it makes you want to have known Josephine first hand. A delightful and compelling read.

A magnificent, poignant look into Napoleon Bonaparte's wife!.......2006-06-10

I read The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B a few years ago and hadn't thought of reading the second volume until now. Well, in all fairness, I hadn't known there was a second installment until now. This historical figure has always intrigued me for being the wife of one of the most powerful military commanders in history. Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe is another intriguing and insightful historical/biographical novel centered on the woman who shared her life with the man responsible for the European wars of late eighteenth century to early nineteenth century. This novel covers the couple's stay in Italy during 1786 to 1800. In diary form, Josephine tells us about Bonaparte's self-declaration as First Counsel and becomes all the more powerful while she deals with her in-laws who had taken an instant dislike to her and try to ruin her reputation with lies and careful plotting. And through her many trials, she never loses her desire to help others in spite of having a compulsive need to shop and then hide her debts and expenses. And then she moves the reader when she realizes that she's developed feelings for her husband. There are various twists throughout the novel.

Sandra Gulland paints a true and compelling picture of the historical Empress. She makes her likeable and yet conflicting and complex at the same time. Her trials with her in-laws are the most difficult ones for her and you feel her struggles while applauding her strength for enduring them with the patience of a saint. I also like how the author describes the ever-changing roles in Josephine's life as her husband gains political power and becomes a formidable figure in Europe. The historical accuracy is quite impressive and the footnotes were very insightful. I often don't like footnotes in fiction because they distract me from the story, but in this case I found them to be integral to the overall book because I learned things about Bonaparte that I hadn't known about before. I read The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B a few years ago and cannot remember every detail, but I do know that I wasn't able to appreciate Josephine B back then as I do now with this one. Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe is a great second offering in what is so far a great trilogy. Sandra Gulland has impressed me with this wonderful book and I look forward to reading The Last Great Dance on Earth, which will pick up when Bonaparte moves to the Tuileries Palace. I hope that this third and last installment will also cover all of the Napoleonic wars, Bonaparte's exile to Elba and his reinstallment on the throne of France, which leads to the battle of Waterloo. I can't wait to read Gulland's version of Josephine B and her insights during those events! (Though I think Josephine died the year before Waterloo.) Anyway, I recommend this wonderful book, right after you read The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B.

NAPOLEON AND JOSEPHINE, A LOVE STORY.......2006-05-17

Two days after Josephine's marriage to the funny little Corsican (on March 9, 1796), Napoleon leaves Paris to take command of the Army of Italy. Three and a half months later Josephine is summoned to Milan by Bonaparte. She leaves her beautiful home, her friends, and most importantly, her children for almost two years. During this period she must spend time with her husband's horrible mother and siblings and endure the most unbelievable and torturous therapies in order to get pregnant.

TALES OF PASSION, TALES OF WOE is book two in Sandra Gulland's trilogy about the life of Josephine Bonaparte. This novel only covers four years--the period between Josephine's marriage in 1796 through February, 1800 when the Bonapartes move to the Tuileries Palace. This takes place after the big Coup d'Etat when Napoleon overthrows the Directors and declares himself as First Counsel. In between the pages, written as a diary and peppered with a multitude of historical footnotes, we find Josephine, as usual, trying to help others. She continues to show exceptional patience when dealing with her offensive in-laws (who are constantly plotting against her, taking money from her and who spread lies about her). She also shops and shops and spends way too much money and then tries to find ways to cover her debts. She also is slowly falling deeply in love with her younger husband.

I really enjoyed reading this historical novel about characters I have always been intrigued with. TALES OF PASSION is not only beautifully written but is quite the page-turner. Included in this book are actual letters written by Bonaparte to the love of his life. Even though I know the tragic ending of this love story, I am still looking forward to book number three to see how it all transpires.

Entertaining Read.......2003-08-21

While not as engrossing as the first of the series, this book still successfully draws the reader into the intrigue filled & interesting world of Josephine Bonaparte. The author does a good job of recreating so many of the pivotal moments in the Bonaparte's life without loosing the personal insight of Josephine.

Book Description

This volume in the Praeger Security International (PSI) series "Classics of the Counterinsurgency Era" reveals how French officers who served in Indochina, like the author, Roger Trinquier, fought fierce rear-guard actions against ideologically motivated insurgents in the 1940s and 1950s to a far greater extent than their American counterparts later faced in Vietnam. The lack of coherent strategic direction from Paris in the chaotic years of the Fourth Republic left the military with the task of making political decisions in the field. With the original introduction by Bernard B. Fall and a new foreword prepared by Eliot A. Cohen.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Book.......2007-01-04

This book was written in 1964, distilling the author's decades of counterinsurgency experience in Indochina and Algeria. However, as I was reading it, I found that he could have been speaking about Iraq in present day. In reading this book, a reader can realize exactly where we went wrong in Iraq and what we need to do in order to get it right. Unfortunately the generals still haven't learned from Trinquier's experience or apparently read the book. However, the planned "surge" (being discussed as of January 2007) would be in line with what Trinquier recommends.

I am also reading the Galula book. I find the Trinquier book to be an easier read, and possibly a better book (although Galula gets all the recognition).

A Learning Tool.......2007-01-03

This should required reading for anyone about to deploy to OEF or OIF. The lessons taught in this book have direct applicability to today and the types of conflicts that we are currently engaged.

Average customer rating:

A Sumptous, Beautifully Crafted Visual Guide to Naploen
A good pictorial book, no more
Vive L'Empereur!!!! Vive La France!!!!

Napoleon: The Immortal Emperor
Gerard Gengembre , Pierre-Jean Chalencon , and David Chanteranne
Manufacturer: Vendome Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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18th Century | World | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0865652333

Book Description

This lavishly illustrated book retraces the meteoric career of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), the "little Corsican" who rose from the ashes of the ancien régime to become the most charismatic and powerful European leader since Alexander the Great. Accompanied by paintings, drawings, engravings, caricatures, sculpture, film stills, posters, and other examples of Napoleonic iconography, the text tells the story of the leader's life, his myth, and his enduring fame over two centuries.

An inspired master of propaganda, Bonaparte was acutely aware of his image at every stage of his progress, from the lean man of action painted by Gros in the 1790s through Ingres's Zeus-like sovereign of 1806, to the tragic, fallen hero apotheosized in stone by Rude. Later depictions of Napoleon cast him as Romantic hero and unsurpassed military strategist but also as Corsican despot and anti-Christ. In addition to work by artists ranging from the court painter David to Larry Rivers in our own time, the book presents clothing, jewels, furniture, porcelain, and silver from Malmaison and other Napoleonic residences, each a paradigm of Empire elegance. All ?nd a place in a book whose fascinating combination of history, biography, and the arts is sure to ?nd a wide audience.

Customer Reviews:

A Sumptous, Beautifully Crafted Visual Guide to Naploen.......2004-10-02

"Napoleon: The Immortal Emperor" is a sumptuous exploration of the life and legacy of the French Emperor. This is not a conventional biography, of which there are many, but a thematic exploration of Napoleon through images with explanatory text. While I lost whatever boyhood infatuation I had with Napoleon and learned to view him in the context of the terrible costs inflicted on the French nation and their unfortunate opponents in his long wars of conquest, an epoch was named for him and the arts reflected the glory he achieved. Even the decorative arts were inspired by his conquest and "Empire Style" with echoes of the Near East he conquered was born. Napoleon lived at a time when France was the artistic capital of the world and artists like Jacques Louis David, Baron Gros and Anne-Louise Girodet immortalized him. After his death, in a nation that never again stood astride Europe in the same way, the cult of Bonaparte lived on. Later in the 19th Century, the great military artists of France - Ernst Messionier and Edouard Detaille - continued to paint Napoleon and his soldiers. When his grandson, Napoleon III was the French autocrat, the Empire style was revived and paintings of Napleon's days of glory were purchased for the state. Finally, in the 20th Century he became the subject for countless films and this legacy is given the same visual exploration in the volume. This vivid exploration of Napoleon - the man and the myth - is written by Gerald Gengembre who is a professor of French literature at the University of Caen in Normandy. He has assembled several hundred illustrations, each annotated with relevant detail so that he reveals each facet of the man and history's interpretation of him. This large book will be of interest not only to those with a fascination with Napoleon and his time, but to those with an interest in beautifully crafted paintings and French culture.

A good pictorial book, no more.......2004-07-19

For the diehard Napoleonic fan, this book is NOT the bible on Napoleonic lore. It is filled with good looking pictures (not great looking pictures) and is a nice companion to delve into on Napoleonic poetry, social mores, the legend and various films on Napoleon. Really, a potted history.

Vive L'Empereur!!!! Vive La France!!!!.......2004-04-27

Simply, THIS BOOK ROCKS!!!!......This is for ALL of us who dream of the Emperor reviewing the Old Guard, with Berthier, Davout, Lannes, etc. at his side....This is the perfect & ultimate illustrated companion for David Chandler's "Campaigns of Napoleon", which is the Bible on the Napoleonic Wars! ..The third section of the book which is devoted to the Emperor's Legend and Legacy is worth the price of the book alone, illustrations galore!!...There are two pages of photos, illustrations and text giving the lowdown on the topic of the Emperor's 'little hat'...He purchased over 160 hats from only one merchant in Paris!...So do not hesitate to purchase this wonder of a time machine!.....You will NOT regret it!.....

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