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.

The Naked and the Dead: 50th Anniversary Edition, With a New Introduction by the Author

Average customer rating:

Solid, but not the classic I envisioned.
Not Your Grandpa's War Story
How else can you explain the impact of war on the participants except
Could've been better - Could've been worse
Overwritten Work of a Young Writer

The Naked and the Dead: 50th Anniversary Edition, With a New Introduction by the Author
Norman Mailer
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312265050

Book Description

Hailed as one of the finest novels to come out of the Second World War, The Naked and the Dead received unprecedented critical acclaim upon its publication and has since enjoyed a long and well-deserved tenure in the American canon.This fiftieth anniversary edition features a new introduction created especially for the occasion by Norman Mailer.Written in fascinating detail, the story follows a platoon of foot soldiers who are fighting for the possession of the Japanese-held island of Anopopei.Composed in 1948 with the wisdom of a man twice Mailer's age and the raw courage of the young man he was, The Naked and the Dead is representative of the best in twentieth-century American writing.

Customer Reviews:

Solid, but not the classic I envisioned........2007-09-11

Maybe it's the movies.......Maybe it's the movies that have de-sensitized me to expect that the subtle, internal nature of literature could possibly match the over-the-top, external stimuli of cinema. I guess this is probably no more apparent than in "war stories", where I was expecting something along the lines of "Saving Private Ryan", or "Flags of Our Fathers".

Throughout most of this book, I found myself about as lost as the platoon that was sent out to "recon" the rear lines of the Japanese Army. I struggled in the first half of the book, admittedly. Where were the battles? Where was the karnage? I was rather disappointed that nothing was really happening; that all the U.S. company was doing was preparing to prepare for a battle that they knew was possibly months away.

However, As I was finishing this book, I realized that maybe war is more properly illustrated by stories like this. Maybe war is monotonous; boring; anti-climactic; as the nature of this book describes. Maybe war involves a battle of wills and personalities more so than the battle between armies.

Probably more so than any novel I've read, the author brings you deep into the lives and backgrounds of the major players. You're given an opportunity to actually know each character, to the point where you feel it when something happens to them.

This book is not for everyone, and it took me a while to really understand and accept what the author had intended. Nevertheless, if you have time and patience it is worth it.

Not Your Grandpa's War Story.......2007-08-09

Or maybe it is your grandpa's war story; I wouldn't know because my grandpa was in the navy. Anyway, those looking for a rollicking action adventure about WWII in the Pacific had better look elsewhere. It's not a John Wayne movie or even "Saving Private Ryan." This is a psychological study of men grappling with the elements and themselves in a hellish environment. (Substitute the jungle for sand dunes and tropical humidity for 130-degree heat and Japanese soldiers for Arab terrorists and it would fit perfectly into modern times.)

This is a fictional account of the taking of an island in the Pacific by American forces. The story focuses primarily on a recon platoon lead by the abusive tyrant Sergeant Croft. There are about a dozen men in the platoon at the beginning including the Mexican sergeant Martinez, the former hobo Red, the Jew trying to fit in Goldstein, the intellectual Jew/platoon runt Roth, a couple good ol' boys Wilson and Ridges, gangster wanna-be Polack, brownnoser corporal Stanley, and seemingly All-American boy Brown. There's also General Cummings and his surly Ivy League aide Hearn, who have a very conflicted and adversarial relationship.

This relationship ends with Hearn being assigned to the recon platoon for a quixotic mission to explore behind the Japanese lines. This patrol leads to three men dying, two quickly and one very slowly.

But again this isn't a book about the war. There's really only one real battle and a couple of skirmishes. The real war for the soldiers is with the jungle and themselves--physically and mentally. A lot of the book details the platoon's fatigue as they tramp through the jungle or work on constructing a road to resupply the front.

None of these guys come off as your stereotypical characters from a war movie and Mailer's greatest strength is delving beneath the tough guy surfaces to show the fragile individuals underneath. Several sections of the book are referred to as the "time machine" and detail the platoon members before they went to war. None of them are heroes, but just ordinary guys who don't care about causes and flags, only about getting back home to their families and friends.

There's no glory to be had anywhere in this very long, very detailed narrative. If you're looking for action and excitement, look elsewhere--maybe ask your grandpa to tell one of his stories. If you want a realistic portrait of war, then look no further.

That is all.

How else can you explain the impact of war on the participants except.......2007-08-01

by reflecting the tension everyone in it is under while they prepare and prepare and wait and wait for something to happen? The agony of anticipation and the unknown. Then the suddeness of what does happen. Norman Mailer does this very well and I especially liked that there were no answers to anything - just life in a brutal situation. And it goes on....

Don't misunderstand me, for me it was a page turner. I thought it was great.

Could've been better - Could've been worse.......2007-06-30

Yes this is a World War II book. It is not really packed full of action, it is more a psychological study of some of the American soldiers. It is a slow book, but it is really, really slow in the beginning. It is like meeting a group of people it takes a while to know and remember who is who. Some reviewers didn't like the semi-profanities. I can live with it, my mind can simply substitute the proper four letter word in each case. What I did not like is that the book is over written, even though you find signs of great writing. Many of the characters are questioning what causes some soldiers to be killed and others not killed, luck, fate, etc. What I did like is when one protagonist was shot their was little explanation. It was left out which leaves the reader as shocked as the other soldiers probably would've been. This leaves the reader to try and provide and explanation, which is what I believe the author is trying to achieve. The description of the humid jungle weather was beaten into the ground. The "Time Machine" was an interesting literary tool to provide background on many of the soldiers in the platoon. I also wonder if this book would be popular with readers who were not to familiar with this time period.

Overwritten Work of a Young Writer.......2007-06-01

It's the overwritten work of a young writer.

He feels he has something to say, and boy, does he say it. And say it. And say it.

Am I starting to annoy you?

The story lacks drama and wit, and portrays characters who are all uniformly narrow, prejudiced, cynical, and, it seems, clinically depressed. The writing confirms this picture of each character, over and over.

It seems as if Mailer tried to turn an ordinary adventure story into something more profound by padding it with "insights."

And yet we never really get inside the characters. What is intended as insight is rarely any deeper than what they themselves might say out loud. Mailer could have left out most of the narrative and just let us listen to them.

The device of interspersing the story with flashbacks was irritating. I suppose this is a backhanded compliment to the writer, since he made me want to know what was going to happen next in the present, without interruption.

James Jones's "The Thin Red Line" has everything this book is missing. Jones's book is a wry, sardonic masterpiece. And it's succinct.

The reason I give Mailer three stars is that he showed remarkable command of his craft for one so young, and so, despite hating something on almost every page, I was drawn in by the vividness of some of the writing, however self-indulgent.

And being first on the scene with this kind of story made Mailer something of an innovator. Enough to convince the Pulitzer judges.

A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II, New Edition

Average customer rating:

A Very Comprehesive History!
Needs a revision since the fall of the iron curtain but a good starting point
Military and Diplomatic History of World War II
The best global history of WWII
A Master Work

A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II, New Edition
Gerhard L. Weinberg
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521618266

Amazon.com

This comprehensive examination of the Second World War looks at grand strategy and diplomacy, as opposed to the gritty details of the combat experience. A World at Arms is written in a matter-of-fact tone, so don't expect a poetic narrative. Despite this, no other historian has presented such a sweeping overview. Weinberg performs the important task of reminding his readers in the West that much of the fighting--and perhaps the most decisive parts--was done in the East, between the Germans and the Russians. American readers, for their part, may appreciate Weinberg's treatment of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who is portrayed as a courageous wartime leader. This book is an essential part of any library on the Second World War.

Book Description

In a new edition featuring a new preface, A World of Arms remains a classic of global history. Widely hailed as a masterpiece, this volume remains the first history of World War II to provide a truly global account of the war that encompassed six continents. Starting with the changes that restructured Europe and its colonies following the First World War, Gerhard Weinberg sheds new light on every aspect of World War II. Actions of the Axis, the Allies, and the Neutrals are covered in every theater of the war. More importantly, the global nature of the war is examined, with new insights into how events in one corner of the world helped affect events in often distant areas.

Customer Reviews:

A Very Comprehesive History!.......2007-08-26

To start I will say that this book is not a fast or easy read and it is not for the casual WWII enthusiast clocking in at a full 900+ pages. Weinberg has set forth in "A World at Arms" a very systematic and comprehensive history of WWII from a global perspective. The book focuses on over arching strategies and themes of the war and disregards stories of individual battles or events (for instance the famous Bastonge battle received about 1 page.) But what Weinberg has accomplished in this text is fascinating and far reaching. He successfully weaves together a tapestry of motivations, actions, and reactions by the Axis, Allies, and Neutrals that created the greatest conflict the world has seen. Weinberg discusses everything from political motivations and the rise of WWII stemming from the end of WWI, internal power struggles of leaders and generals, global war strategies, new technologies of war, and any turn of event that contributed to the flow of war. Weinberg is very systematic in his approach if not a bit dry in some parts, has extensive back-up for his research, and interjects some well formed opinions though not over bearing throughout the events. What I found most fascinating are the events of the German surrender to the Allies that molded the beginning of the Cold War and the power jockying between the British, Amaericans, and Soviets. Another eye opening matter of this book was just how evil and extensive Hitler's plans were for world domination and the extermination of certain races/classes and how close he came to acheiving it...perhaps one battle for a certain city on the Volga away from ultimate success. I would highly recommend this book and would count it a must for any student of WWII, whether acedemic or as a hobbyist.

Needs a revision since the fall of the iron curtain but a good starting point.......2007-06-03

I agree with many of the positive points made by the reviewers here. The approach of a global history of World War II is commendable. However, Professor Weinberg wrote this work mainly during the 1980's without the benefit of access to the documentation on the Soviet Union that later authors have used. This work would benefit greatly from the expansion of Soviet sources.
Another drawback is some of Weinberg's at times excessive moral assessments with little direct evidence, whether in government documents or private sources, of the motivations. In a wide-ranging historical work of this kind that can only cover many topics superficially, such moralizing is haughty at best. That is not the purpose of historical writing.
The work could have also benefited from an expansion of its starting point. The events of the 1920's in many of the countries strongly influenced the course of events all the way through the 1930's and into World War II. A more in-depth look at these events and the evolution of international relations starting from the immediate post-WWI (i.e. armisitice of November 1918) may have better shed light on the intricacies of this whole period to 1945 (and beyond). For example, what about details of the relations between the German and Soviet military during the 1920's and 1930's? What were the activities of the Soviet espionage services during the 1920's and 1930's throughout Europe and their influence on political and military events? What were the relations of Britain and the US with China during the 1920's and 1930's especially in relation to Japanese activity and/or aggression in that country?
A number of important intriguing events are simply glanced over, explained without any reference to evidence, or ignored. For example:
Why did Germany not insist on their Japanese allies attacking the Soviet Union in 1941? Why did they not insist that they NOT attack the United States or its territories?
Why did Germany and Italy declare war on the United States when the latter had not declared war on Germany or Italy?
Why did Germany accept the continuation of the Japanese-Soviet Neutrality Treaty after 1941 which allowed major supplies to the Soviets to arrive at Vladivostok from the United States throughout the war?
Why did Germany accept a partition of France into occupied and unoccupied portions in 1940 along with leaving major parts of the French military intact?
These are only a few examples.

There are also some non-sensical arguments concerning Germany's and Hitler's willingness to expand the Kriegsmarine in a substantial manner to confront the United States and Britain. At no time did Germany have the industrial capacity or strategic/logistical flexibility to do this.

Professor Weinberg must be praised for attempting such a broad history of the interrelationships of all the protagonists and antagonists involved. The book stimulates discussion on a wide range of subjects. However, it is not the definitive work by far and I would be surprised that Professor Weinberg ever meant it to be such.

Military and Diplomatic History of World War II.......2007-03-17

Like all of Professor Weinberg's books, everything is solidly supported by reference to authentic documents. Thisis probably the best single volume history--it's 1200 pages long--of the most lethal war in human history. It is highly regarded in circles of professional historians. It's 200 pages of documentation make it useful for the interested general reader as well as for the serious student of history.(I read the 1994 hard back edition.)

The best global history of WWII.......2007-02-13

Second time I read this book. They don't get any more comprehensive than this.

It is not a military history as much as a diplomatic, and global analysis of the conflict. It tries to explain in detail how things got to happen, and why, rather than what exactly happened. Geopolitics is the best word that defines this book. It assumes that the reader knows what happened, 'grosso modo', and then aims at the big picture, a great canvass that includes all countries and regions involved.

And it achieves this aim wonderfully. Now, you would like to dig more deeper -for sure- in some campaigns or countries more than in others: then you have to go to other sources.

Around 900 pages, and about 200 pages of notes. The only insufficiency that I find is the lack of illustrations, and photos. There's nothing but text here. Well... and a few poor & sketchy maps at the very back of the book.

A Master Work.......2007-01-01

I read with much appreciation on Feb 4, 1989, Robert Leckie's one-volume history of World War II: Delivered from Evil. So I did not think I needed to read another history of that war, since life is so short and since I lived thru that war with extreme attention to its course. But when I saw that Victor Davis Hanson (even though I am no particular fan of his ideology) said this was the best one-volume history the Second
World War, I decided to read it. I am glad I did. It is a much more carefully composed account than Leckie's unfootnoted popular book. This book is well worth the time I spent reading it, albeit there are 920 pages of text, a 23 page bibliographic essay, 31 maps and 75 pages of notes. I found on many pages things of high interest which I did not know or had forgotten. Furthermore, I found that his opinions were well-reasoned and convincing. The edition I read was published by Cambridge University Press, but I found no bias in favor of Britain, even though the author, born in Germany, lived as a youth in England before serving in the US Army after World War II. Even if you think you know all there is to know about World War II I submit you will find that reading this book will be a pleasure and well worth your time.

Fundamentalism and American Culture (New Edition)

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Fundamentalism and American Culture
Engrossing, Engaging and Well Researched
1980 Edition Read
Interesting background literature
Quality History of an Important Period of American History

Fundamentalism and American Culture (New Edition)
George M. Marsden
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0195300475

Book Description

Many American's today are taking note of the surprisingly strong political force that is the religious right. Controversial decisions by the government are met with hundreds of lobbyists, millions of dollars of advertising spending, and a powerful grassroots response. How has the fundamentalist movement managed to resist the pressures of the scientific community and the draw of modern popular culture to hold on to their ultra-conservative Christian views? Understanding the movement's history is key to answering this question. Fundamentalism and American Culture has long been considered a classic in religious history, and to this day remains unsurpassed. Now available in a new edition, this highly regarded analysis takes us through the full history of the origin and direction of one of America's most influential religious movements. For Marsden, fundamentalists are not just religious conservatives; they are conservatives who are willing to take a stand and to fight. In Marsden's words (borrowed by Jerry Falwell), "a fundamentalist is an evangelical who is angry about something." In the late nineteenth century American Protestantism was gradually dividing between liberals who were accepting new scientific and higher critical views that contradicted the Bible and defenders of the more traditional evangelicalism. By the 1920s a full-fledged "fundamentalist" movement had developed in protest against theological changes in the churches and changing mores in the culture. Building on networks of evangelists, Bible conferences, Bible institutes, and missions agencies, fundamentalists coalesced into a major protest movement that proved to have remarkable staying power. For this new edition, a major new chapter compares fundamentalism since the 1970s to the fundamentalism of the 1920s, looking particularly at the extraordinary growth in political emphasis and power of the more recent movement. Never has it been more important to understand the history of fundamentalism in our rapidly polarizing nation. Marsen's carefully researched and engrossing work remains the best way to do just that.

Customer Reviews:

Fundamentalism and American Culture.......2006-11-03

Good reading. It presents a good review of the culture and the strengths and weaknesses that religion can play in forming it.

Engrossing, Engaging and Well Researched.......2006-09-01

George Marsden's biography of Jonathan Edwards was so well written that I decided to read more of his stuff. This book on fundamentalism is a classic. Many scholars of Christian fundamentalism paint with too broad a brush, often lumping evangelicals into the fundy camp. Marsden avoids this mistake. He also acknowledges what many do not, that the fundamentalism of the post WWI era took on a much harsher and more separatistic tone.

Marsden does a nice of discussing some of the towering figures of the movement: D.L Moody, R.A Torrey, Arno Gaebelein, J, Gresham Machen, Jonathan Blanchard and Charles Blanchard (the President of Wheaton College). He shows how early fundamentalists like R.A Torrey and W.H Griffith Thomas thought that evangelical zeal should be coupled with social concern. Marsden also highlights the fundamentalist disdain over the more liberal Social Gospel, which jettisoned evangelism completely.

We also get to see the fundamentalists like Billy Sunday and William Jennings Bryan, who were concerned about people coming to know Christ, but not quite as concerned about people coming to know more about the doctrinal content of Christianity. This was a major concern of the evangelical Princeton theologians (BB Warfield, Charles Hodge, and J. Gresham Machen).

There is also a newer chapter in this edition that traces the development of fundamentalism from 1980 to the present day. In this chaoter, Marsden also takes himself to task for not discussing how the relaxed mores of the "Roaring Twenties" alarmed the fundamentalist community, nor did her mention the role of women in the fundamentalist movement of 1871-1925.

But these criticisms duly noted, I still like the book very much and commend it to those interested in religious movements.

Rev. Marc Axelrod

1980 Edition Read.......2006-06-18

I have read the 1980 edition of this book.

How to use the word miracle in one's vocabulary, but not accept the signs and wonders of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Birth, the ressurection, any event recorded in the Old Testament that goes against the laws of Nature. To accept the premise that God on rare occasions does something beyound the laws of Nature or the existence of God entirely, A modernist may use may use the word miracle to describe the unexpexted or an event happening despite the mathematical odds- but not an act by a supernatural being overruling the laws of Nature.

To not believe in such a Being, means to deny the facts described in the bible. These scholars do not accept the Lord God as described in the Bible. This type of Theologian albeit University instructor or Pastor of a church was quite prominant in Europe before 1870, but not in the United States until later. This book is a debate among those who accept the bible as true as it is and those who deny the word of God as valid.

The date of the book is not arbitrary. Since the author cites the end of the Civil war and Darwins theory of evolution as major cataylist to bringing the debate to the forefront in the United States. This includes the University, the pulpit and in the American Culture. This book is a narrative about social change in American society, theological thought, and the major players in Christian Revivals and Theology. Not just the scholars in the Universities. The book touches on changes in the Universities(1980 edition), but its main focus is on society. Is the Bible sufficient to show how God interacts with the created.

I found the reading interesting and easy to understand.

.

Interesting background literature.......2006-02-23

I used this book to get insight in background of R.A. Torrey, and it helped wonderfully. Espescially for me as a European theologian, it helped to get insight in history and society of the States, especially concerning the relation between pre-millenianism and cultural atmosphere and impact on theology, especially on the question of the personhood of the Holy Spirit!

For European theology it gives an insight in the background of the more and more popular evangelical and pentecostal churches and their theology, that has its roots there, where this book is al about!

Stefan R Timmerman

Quality History of an Important Period of American History.......2004-07-01

The reviews above by Aitkin and Huchison are very helpful, but I felt it was important to add two points. The fourth part- Interpretations- deals with scholarly understanding of the movement within American Chistianity called fundamentalism. I found this to be especially helpful, a careful synthesis and interaction with the most important scholarly work in this area. I also found it to be a good demonstration of how a christian can do "history" with scholarly integrity. In this part, he also gives some interesting authors worth looking at later, of which he interacts. The last two pages of the book, the Epilogue, is something of Marsden's philosophy of history, and how it relates to theology and faith. Again, very worthwhile, and something I will share with friends who also have an interest in Christians doing scholarly work in history, He is always fair and evenhanded. In my opinion, the book is soild throughout, and very readable. Yet I learned more from the last fifty pages than the preceeding chapters.

The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology, Revised Edition (Star Wars)

Average customer rating:

Star Wars for Children?
They Don't make them like they used too
A job well done.
Nice!

The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology, Revised Edition (Star Wars)
Haden Blackman
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0345449037
Release Date: 2004-10-26

Book Description

There’s more to the arms, artillery, and exotic equipment of the Star Wars galaxy than Jedi lightsabers and blasters. Species such as the tree-dwelling Wookiees, the amphibious Gungans, and the deadly Yuuzhan Vong have yielded a staggering array of unique weapons and devices. And as the Star Wars mythos continues to grow–in prequels and video games, on screen, in print, and beyond–these remarkable technical creations also multiply and evolve.

The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology is the fully updated and greatly expanded reference resource that organizes and explains every key class, make, and model of Star Wars munitions–from the smallest personal sidearms to the most devastating interplanetary superweapons–along with a host of other high-tech paraphernalia. This exhaustive compendium includes:

• New in this edition: a fascinating look at the historical significance of Star Wars weaponry and the major technological turning points– including the Clone Wars, the creation of the first Death Star,
and the Yuuzhan Vong invasion
• A roster of the major manufacturers who created the most powerful armaments for the Old and New Republics, the Empire, the Sith, the Rebel Alliance, and all of the exotic governments that populate the Star Wars galaxy
• In-depth descriptions of more than 100 weapons and more than 100 additional devices used for defense, communication, survival, security, and more–including detailed schematics of key technology featured in all five films

From the Geonosian sonic blaster to the Wookiee bowcaster; from the imperial energy grenade to the Yuuzhan Vong fire spitter; from dart shooters and laser cannons to Sun Crushers and World Devastators, find the facts about Star Wars firepower–and much more–in The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology.

Customer Reviews:

Star Wars for Children?.......2007-09-10

This book is good. There are plenty of pictures, sourcing for items and where the surface in the universe, even a fairly decent description of most of them. But it didn't have the technical specifications that you would expect from a Star Wars Manual. It was lacking in a lot of fine details, and seemed ti have been made just to gloss over everything and make it look good. Ok, but not great.

They Don't make them like they used too.......2007-08-29

Nice Diagrams, a few VERY good light saber comparison pages, nice description of companies that make the weaponry but mostly underwhelming with little information or obvious information on the actually weapons as well as very poor renders of the few that were rendered. I never got the original of this book but I did have the original Essential guide to vehicle's and vessels and it was MUCH better with no render only black and white artist sketches as well as more interesting diagrams.

A job well done........2007-06-15

I was extremely pleased with what I got when I purchased this guide. It gives a detailed description of the anatomy, history, and use of every item in Star Wars. This guide is broken into sections. These are ranged weapons, melee weapons, starship and planetary weapons, superweapons, defenses and armor, security, and other equitment. The ranged weapons section covers everything from the simple dart shooter to the lethal disruptor rifle. Melee is similar, and it gives many descriptions of Yuuzhan Vong melee weapons(ugh). Starship and planetary weapons section covers many things, and the superweapons section is a very interesting section. I value this guide over the Vehicles and Vessels guide. Its setup is more structured and organized. In the beginning of this guide you can find a Major Manufacterers guide. Ian Fullwood has done an excellent job illistrating this guide. You can see everything. I strongly reccomend this guide to anyone who likes Star Wars, and it really helped me get into Star Wars. A must-have.

Nice!.......2006-11-21

Tis book expands on the weapons/technology used in the Star Wars universe, not just what's seen in the movies but also what appears in the books. The artwork/pictures in the book have been updated, they have a more realistic look to them.

Second World War (Houghton Mifflin: Chartwell Edition) (Houghton Mifflin New Poetry Series)

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The Hobo Philosopher
The Second World War (Six Volume Boxed Set)
Churchill - brilliant writer and thinker
The Second World War by Windston S. Churchill
A mile-high pile of stinking propaganda....

Second World War (Houghton Mifflin: Chartwell Edition) (Houghton Mifflin New Poetry Series)
Winston Churchill , and Winston Churchill
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin (T)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 039534929X

Amazon.com

"After the end of the World War of 1914 there was a deep conviction and almost universal hope that peace would reign in the world. This heart's desire of all the peoples could easily have been gained by steadfastness in righteous convictions, and by reasonable common sense and prudence."

But we all know that's not what happened. As Britain's prime minister for most of the Second World War, Winston Churchill--whose career had to that point already encompassed the roles of military historian and civil servant with a proficiency in both that few others could claim--had a unique perspective on the conflict, and as soon as he left office in 1945, he began to set that perspective down on paper. To measure the importance of The Second World War, it is worth remembering that there are no parallel accounts from either of the other Allied leaders, Roosevelt and Stalin. We have in this multivolume work an account that contains both comprehensive sweep and intimate detail. Almost anybody who compiles a list of such works ranks it highly among the nonfiction books of the 20th century.

In the opening volume, The Gathering Storm, Churchill tracks the erosion of the shaky peace brokered at the end of the First World War, followed by the rise to power of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis and their gradual spread from beyond Germany's borders to most of the European continent. Churchill foresaw the coming crisis and made his opinion known quite clearly throughout the latter '30s, and this book concludes on a vindicating note, with his appointment in May 1940 as prime minister, after which he recalls that "I felt as if I were walking with destiny, and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial."

Their Finest Hour concerns itself with 1940. France falls, and England is left to face the German menace alone. Soon London is under siege from the air--and Churchill has a few stories of his own experiences during the Blitz to share--but they persevere to the end of what Churchill calls "the most splendid, as it was the most deadly, year in our long English and British history." They press on in The Grand Alliance, liberating Ethiopia from the Italians and lending support to Greece. Then, when Hitler reneges on his non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union (the very signing of which had proved Stalin and his commissars "the most completely outwitted bunglers of the Second World War"), the Allied team begins to coalesce. The bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese makes the participation of the United States in the war official, and this is of "the greatest joy" to Churchill: "How long the war would last or in what fashion it would end no man could tell, nor did I at that moment care. Once again in our long island history we should emerge, however mauled or mutilated, safe and victorious."

But as the fourth volume, The Hinge of Fate, reveals, success would not happen overnight. The Japanese military still held strong positions in the Pacific theater, and Rommel's tank corps were on the offensive in Africa. After a string of military defeats, Churchill's opponents in Parliament introduced a motion for a censure vote; this was handily defeated, and victory secured in Africa, then Italy. By this time, Churchill had met separately with both Roosevelt and Stalin; the second half of volume 5, Closing the Ring, brings the three of them together for the first time at the November 1943 conference in Teheran. This book closes on the eve of D-day: "All the ships were at sea. We had the mastery of the oceans and of the air. The Hitler tyranny was doomed."

And so, in the concluding volume, Triumph and Tragedy, the Allies push across Europe and take the fight to Berlin. President Roosevelt's death shortly before final victory against Germany affected Churchill deeply, "as if I had been struck a physical blow," and he would later regret not attending the funeral and meeting Harry Truman then, instead of at the Potsdam conference after Germany's defeat. Churchill himself would not be there for the conclusion to the war against Japan; in July of 1945, a general election in Britain brought in a Labor government (or, as he refers to them, "Socialists"), and he resigned immediately, for "the verdict of the electors had been so overwhelmingly expressed that I did not wish to remain even for an hour responsible for their affairs."

Book Description

Churchill's six-volume history of World War II -- the definitive work, remarkable both for its sweep and for its sense of personal involvement, universally acknowledged as a magnificent historical reconstruction and an enduring work of literature. From Britian's darkest and finest hour to the great alliance and ultimate victory, the Second World War remains the pivotal event in our century. Churchill was not only its greatest leader, but the free world's most eloquent voice of defiance in the face of Nazi tyranny. His epic account of those times, published in six volumes, won the Nobel Prize in 1953.

Customer Reviews:

The Hobo Philosopher.......2007-09-21

This book begins with the phrase "if ever there was a war that could have been prevented it was this one." or something to that effect. This I thought to be rather shocking when one understands that WWII is always held up as the world's most justified war; or the war that had to be fought. Winston goes on through this series of books to point out all the spots and circumstances where the proper world reaction could have prevented World War II.
I am one of those fortunate people who have this entire set in hardback. At one time I had two sets but I gave one to a friend. Admittedly, as Uncle Joe Stalin said, Winston can be a bit of a windbag. There are times where he goes on and on. But if you are a World War II history buff that is exactly what you want.
Winston was not only a politician but an intellectual and an historian. We have no ex-presidents who have ever accomplished anything comparable to this. I don't know of any other country or nation that does either.
If you learn to read Winston's style you will also find quite a bit of information in his historical output that you will have great difficulty finding any where else.
If you love books and history and you're not hurting for money this set is worth the investment. Do yourself a favor.

The Second World War (Six Volume Boxed Set).......2007-03-23

These are good books. Mr. Churchill wrote wonderful.
I marked it 4 stars because of printing quality.This edition has small font and paper is not good enough.
Not really comfortable to read.
I think it is better to buy books off-line ( in store) you may look at it first.

Churchill - brilliant writer and thinker.......2007-01-18

Churchill's excellently written magnum opus on WW2 is definitely worth while reading, and I recommend the box for all who want a detailed and insightful description of one of the most traumatic events in the history of man. His literary style is beautiful, sometimes even poetic and it is a long wonderful journey for the reader. Churchill must have been in his best mood when he wrote it, not least because of the many humourous anecdotes and comments. He is surely an outstanding scholar and for me, being an amateur historian, the books gave me all the necessary background for further explorations in the subjects.

The Second World War by Windston S. Churchill.......2007-01-05

Bought this set for a friend who absolutely thinks it is the best. He has been reading Churchill biographies and now to hear everything from his point of view has been very informative. Recommend this set highly.

A mile-high pile of stinking propaganda...........2006-10-04

...from the incompetent drunkard who destroyed the British Empire. This is a worthless series of phony history, valued only by myopic, hero-worshipping American neocons. Churchill was a prime actor in the events he was describing and as such, wrote a self-justifying history designed to make himself look like Pericles, Jesus and Alexander the Great rolled into one. Objective history is written by objective historians, and Churchill was not one.

Look- Churchill was an amusing alcoholic who made some witty remarks when he was plastered, and the man wasn't without a certain rat-like cunning, especially in the way that he manipulated America into violating its neutrality and skillfully turned world opinion against German "barbarism" (even though it was the British who were the first to bomb German civilians, in the hope that the Germans would retaliate in kind, thereby solidifying British support for an unpopular war.) But to say that Churchill is the apotheosis of political leadership and wisdom is a sad joke. He was a drunkard who sometimes got so pickled that he had to hire an impersonator to deliver some of his most famous speeches over the radio. He was a war criminal whose monomaniacal hatred of Hitler worked against his own people's interests and ended up bankrupting his country, destroying the British Empire and allowing half of Europe to be taken over the Soviets. What a victory! If any business or political leader today says he wants to emulate Churchill, he should be fired or impeached because either Chapter 11 or national ruin is just around the corner. But hey, if you're into long-winded, dishonest self-aggrandizement, then I highly recommend it.

The New Oxford Picture Dictionary: English-Chinese Edition (Oxford American English)

Average customer rating:

dictionary does not have any pin-yin, not useful unless you read chinese
Great for lower level students.
Not useful for English-speaking students of Chinese

The New Oxford Picture Dictionary: English-Chinese Edition (Oxford American English)
E. C. Parnwell
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 019434357X

Book Description

The New Oxford Picture Dictionary and its components provide a complete, four-skills language development program. The program is: BLPractical - a wide range of topics introduce new words in their most common context. BLEasy to use - vocabulary items are presented without ambiguity or the need for translation. BLVersatile - the Dictionary itself and its components have unlimited applications. BLFlexible - the Dictionary can be used alone or with its components.

Customer Reviews:

dictionary does not have any pin-yin, not useful unless you read chinese.......2005-10-18

i bought the dictionary, hoping to use it as a reference tool to teach my 4 year old chinese. i am a native speaker myself. it is a good reference, if you can read chinese characters. But since it doesn't have pin-yin, you really can't use the dictionary to learn how to pronounce any of the words.

Great for lower level students........2000-04-28

I use multiple versions of this book to help my students (mostly beginning and intermediate) enlarge their English vocabulary. I am currently using the Spanish-English, Chinese-English and Korean-English versions. I believe that they are good books, and very useful as supplements to ESL classes. THE GOOD: 1) The book is organized nicely for teaching beginning level students. It is organized into 12 units, such as: people, housing and recreation. This makes it easy to find a good vocabulary list for students to concentrate on. 2) The full color illustrations are nice, and make it easy for students to understand the word, even if they are using the monolingual edition. It is nice for students to try to figure out or learn the word without depending on the written translation. 3) Each page has some teaching suggestions at the bottom. While I don't always use them, they have come in handy for giving my students extra practice at using the new vocabulary. 4) There are some nice indices at the back of the book. These cover everything from irregular verbs to geography to alphabetical listings of the vocabulary. THE BAD: 1) While there are many good words, there are also a lot of common words missing. I find myself using a regular English-language dictionary to explain some words to my students. 2) Some of the translations aren't that great. My students have found errors (or just an outdated word) in both the Spanish-English and Korean-English versions. 3) This dictionary really is for beginning or intermediate users. My advanced students don't really like using it, as they already know most of the words in it. OVERALL: The Oxford Picture Dictionaries are great tools when used to supplement a lower level class. But if you are teaching more advanced students, maybe some other language-English dictionary would be better.

Not useful for English-speaking students of Chinese.......1998-12-24

The New Oxford Pciture Dictionary (English/Chinese) is not useful for English-speaking students of Chinese. There is no transliteration for the Chinese characters, which are printed in a very hard-to-read light blue ink. This dictionary could be useful to Chinese-speaking students of English. However, they would need a good knowledge of the Western alphabet and sound system to use it.

The Challenge of the Exception: An Introduction to the Political Ideas of Carl Schmitt Between 1921 and 1936; Second Edition, With a New Introduction (Contributions in Political Science)

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The Challenge of the Exception: An Introduction to the Political Ideas of Carl Schmitt Between 1921 and 1936; Second Edition, With a New Introduction (Contributions in Political Science)
George Schwab
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0313272298

Book Description

The Challenge of the Exception is the key that unlocked the ideas of Carl Schmitt, a leading political theorist and jurist who influenced the thoughts of, among others, Hannah Arendt, Carl Joachim Friedrich, Otto Kirchheimer, Hans Morgenthau, Franz Neumann, and Leo Strauss. Professor Schwab clearly articulates Schmitt's key concepts and relates their centrality to politics and the state, to the political theory of liberalism, democracy and authoritarianism, and to international relations. When Schwab treats Schmitt's interpretations of constitutional questions, for example, he shows how political theory in Germany is inextricably linked with constitutional law, legal theory, and the country's history. Not content to merely deal with Schmitt's profound contributions to twentieth-century thought, Schwab devotes considerable space to the unconscionable compromises that he made with the Third Reich. This, however, failed to help him become the political and legal theorist of Hitler's Germany. Schwab shows how the new Schmitt was suspect from the beginning and, by 1936, Schmitt the hunter had become Schmitt the hunted. Schwab's presentation of the multifaceted Carl Schmitt exposes the reader to a truly interdisciplinary excursion into the humanities and social sciences.

Allah's Mountains: The Battle for Chechnya, New Edition

Average customer rating:

A fair and unbiased look at a war
a good overview of Chechnya that goes deeply inside
A good primer on the War in Chechnya
Interesting, but one-sided...
Moving account of an unusual war

Allah's Mountains: The Battle for Chechnya, New Edition
Sebastian Smith
Manufacturer: Tauris Parke Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1850439796
Release Date: 2005-12-22

Book Description

A mixture of travelogue, history and war journalism, Allah's Mountains tells the story of the conflict between this nation of mountain tribes and the might of the Russian army. It is also a story of the history, people and cultures of the Caucasus and of tiny ethnic groups struggling for both physical and cultural survival.

Customer Reviews:

A fair and unbiased look at a war.......2007-03-19

Nowadays its easy to go and scream Islamic Jihadi and radical Islamic militancy and terrorist, and the list goes on. Rarely do we find someone who leaves the blame game out of the situation, and actually looks at the situation with a fair and unbiased approach which then gives people a better understanding and not a twisted one, that is full of hate. The Chechynan cause has been a resistance against foriegn invasion and it will go down in history as so, we must not forget that the world isnt black and white, or as Mr. Bush puts it you are "either with us or against us". There are in between the lines things that must be known and this book gives us a great look into the Chechnyan Issue. A must read for anyone interested in history and current events.

a good overview of Chechnya that goes deeply inside.......2007-01-10

Sebastian Smith found a good equilibrium among history, politics, religion, regional pecularities of Chechnya. All these features help an outsider to deeply understand the reasons for the present state of the Chechen State. We see that Chechen problems that led to the war started not with the Soviet Union collapse, but long time before at the time of Russian Empire. Another thing is that Chechnya wasn't the only unlucky one - in present Russia there are dozens of nations and territories that were occupied by Russians (example, Tatarstan, a present Russian colony, that used to be an independent state - Kazan Khanat (Kingdom). Smith gives a profound look into the Russian-Chechen controversy, and the fact that the guy actually was there and experienced all the uglyness of the war make a person believe in what's written in the book and better understand why Russia is called "a prison of nations"

A good primer on the War in Chechnya.......2006-09-02

I came across the writing of Sebastian Smith in a New York Times Op-Ed piece and decided to look into what books he had written. Allah's Mountains is a well written book which goes through the conflict of Chechnya along with the regional conflicts which are sewn together to give the story of regional turmoil in the former USSR. It was amazing to read how the band of Chechan fighters held off the once proud Soviet forces using very simple tactics. On the other hand, Yeltsin does not come across as a very compelling figure and more of an embarrassment of leadership. For anybody looking to get insight into the Chechan war, Mr. Smith's book is a MUST READ. The only reason why it did not get five stars is because at points there is some repitition.

Interesting, but one-sided..........2002-09-22

I agree with both Mr. Yin and Leonides. The premise of the book was good, but the book is heavily biased and ultimately unsatisfying if you are a serious student of this and related conflicts. The author admits that the Chenchens are proud, but somewhat thuggish, then goes on to praise how they cherish their knives while at the same time castigating the Russians for acting war-like. War is murderous and both sides in this book play at savagery. The author cannot praise one side and castigate the other - and contradicting himself on many pages - for the same characteristics; he loses all credibility.

And, let us not forget that Chechens are supporting Al-Qaida and related extremist,Islamic groups.

Moving account of an unusual war.......2002-02-09

I highly recommend this book as a moving account of the wars in Chechnya and the only book to explore all the remote North Caucasus nations. Smith travels deeply among these little known, ancient peoples and in Chechnya he seems to have witnessed just about every major turning point in the first war.

Having enjoyed this book so much and also having read several others on Chechnya(Anatol Lieven, Carlotta Gall, Anna Politkovskaya) I was amazed by the uninformed review already on this site by a previous reader.

This reviewer says Smith is way too pro-Chechen and never shows the Chechens in a bad light, only the Russians. I found Smith was certainly showing sympathy for this people. But then as a people they are the ones hurting. Their capital Grozny, large parts of other towns, and many of the villages have been flattened by aerial bombardment and artillery. Maybe 100,000 people, probably far more (no one bothers counting anymore) have been killed out of the tiny population. Smith points out early on that the entire Chechen ethnic group is smaller than the Russian armed forces alone. Just think about that.

By concentrating on travels with the Chechen guerrillas, not Russian troops, Smith was able to see the frontlines and feel the same effects of war as the people living in the republic. Any journalist knows that trying to get information from a regular army, especially one committing war crimes, is unlikely to result in anything but lies. If Smith is wrong in believing the Chechen side to be suffering by far the greatest, then so is MSF, Amnesty, Human Rights Watch and the other western journalists who spent time there and wrote books about it (Lieven, Gall etc), not to mention the incredibly brave Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who is one of the very few to dare contradict her government's propaganda.

What has happened in Chechnya makes Kosovo pale in comparison and Milosovic is on trial for war crimes. Even in Bosnia the Serbs did not inflict such massive destruction - they didn't have half the Russian weaponry, after all. If Smith shows admiration for the Chechen guerrillas, then you do have to think about what he says he saw: a few thousand fighters with light infantry weapons tying down up to 100,000 Russian troops armed with helicopters, planes, tanks, artillery etc for several years.

I wonder if that reviewer even read the book. He/she says that the Chechens are not criticised, but on the first page I read Basayev was a terrorist and criminal AS WELL as being a hero to his own entourage. I read of a Chechen father trying to bury his son during a Russian air raid but cursing the Chechen guerrillas who had dragged him into the war. Etc, etc;

And as for there being no irony in writing about Aslan Maskhadov trying to prove he had a "regular" army by obstinately putting his men in unfavourable terrain against the Russian weapons, then that reviewer just doesn't get irony! What I read was just as he had announced this "apocalyptic" policy to Smith, an attack by Russian artillery started and Maskhadov (and Smith we suppose)had to run for their lives. Seems ironic to me.

Then there was some idea that history is given too much play in Allah's Mountains, the reviewer saying that to compare past Chechen-Russian relations so often to the present is like "comparing modern US-Mexican relations to US attempts to kill Pancho Villa".

Now this really IS ludicrous! Surely the whole point Smith was making, and it is one of the main points of the book, was that in a place like Chechnya the past really does sit very heavily on the present.

First you had brutal and long colonial conquest in the 19th century (Chechnya was about the hardest place to conquer in the whole Russian empire); then you moved straight into Soviet repression and Stalin's genocide in the 20th; then you went straight into the chaos and war of the post Soviet period. In other words there was never a moment when people might put the past behind or have any incentive to change their way of thinking. Conflict, conflict, that's all they know in Chechnya.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent refrence work.......2007-05-13

This is the ultimate refrence work for all those terms that one finds when reading about ships of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and was originally intended for the ship builders and sailors of that time as a refrence to their trade. It is an exact copy of the original 1815 edition so there no modern additives and is printed in the same style smudges and all. I purchased this book because I have found that it is refered to as a source refrence in many of the other books I have on ships of this period and I can now see why. The information is extensive and the book has a size to match. I highly recommend this work for all period ship modellers.

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