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.

Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Rise of the New Imperialism (American Empire Project)

Average customer rating:

Lots of Info
Amazing book on US intervention in its own backyard
Not in your history book
Bit Overreaching
It's all connected

Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Rise of the New Imperialism (American Empire Project)
Greg Grandin
Manufacturer: Metropolitan Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History & Theory | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0805077383
Release Date: 2006-05-02

Book Description

In recent years, one book after another has sought to take the measure of the Bush administrations aggressive foreign policy. In their search for precedents, they invoke the Roman and British empires as well as postwar reconstructions of Germany and Japan. Yet they consistently ignore the one place where the United States had its most formative imperial experience: Latin America. A brilliant excavation of a long-obscured history, Empires Workshop is the first book to show how Latin America has functioned as a laboratory for American extraterritorial rule. Historian Greg Grandin follows the United States imperial operations, from Thomas Jeffersons aspirations for an empire of liberty in Cuba and Spanish Florida, to Ronald Reagans support for brutally oppressive but U.S.-friendly regimes in Central America. He traces the origins of Bushs policies to Latin America, where many of the administrations leading lightsJohn Negroponte, Elliott Abrams, Otto Reichfirst embraced the deployment of military power to advance free-market economics and first enlisted the evangelical movement in support of their ventures. With much of Latin America now in open rebellion against U.S. domination, Grandin concludes with a vital question: If Washington has failed to bring prosperity and democracy to Latin Americaits own backyard workshopwhat are the chances it will do so for the world?

Customer Reviews:

Lots of Info.......2007-08-13

Very well researched but could tell it was written by a historian. Somewhat repetitive and bland. Obviously liberally biased.

Amazing book on US intervention in its own backyard.......2007-08-01

This is truly an excellent book that in a clear way illustrates American involvement in South and Central America.The book begins by telling the story about how Kennedy set out to reshape the Americas into a place where true revolutionary ideals could grow spread by free men and women. He started something called the "Alliance for progress" which contained the nucleus of this idea. The problem was that he armed exactly those people who where completley opposed to these revolutionary ideas. thus began an era of counterrevolution, that gave birth to the death squads and coups in Brazil, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina. When Richard Nixon arrived in Venezuela in 1958 his limousine was attacked by an angry mob. The next day they cleared the streets with tear gas so he could leave safely. This set the tone for American and Latin American relation in the coming years. Allendes election in Chile terrified Nixon because Allende wasnt trying to create another Cuba with Soviet style repression of civil liberties. He wanted a socialist state that would be a symbol of real reform, and this was truly frightening to Washington. Therefore Nixon with the help of the strong arm of the CIA ordered Allendes downfall.

Later when Reagan came to power he saw his purpose to reinstate a sense of national purpose and this he did by restoring military power. Almost all of Latin America was ruled at the time by pro american dictators, but something was starting to brew in Central America. The hardest hit countries where El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala. US allies killed approximatley 300,ooo people during Reagans two terms. Hundreds of thousands where tortured. Jean Kirkpatrick advised the Reagan administration to undo the human rights programs that Carter had initiated and spoke instead of the true nature of politics that was based on "competition for power", and that "brute force" was often better than "human reason". This rationalized such things as the dictatorships death squads-because "salvadors political culture respected a sovreign who was willing to wield violence". America now painted itself as the vanguard against the evill empire of the Soviet Union and this was used as an excuse to legitemize the brutal opposition to third world nationalism. In countries like El salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua, the United States did not make the same mistake as they did in Vietnam. Instead they "outsourced" their army and by supporting local bad boys let death squads do their dirty work. The idea of "going primitive" was implemented in these conflicts, where the most brutal crimes against human rights imaginable where committed.To tell you the truth I skimmed past most of the descriptions of the violence due to the intense brutality that was described.

Already in the 1960s Kennedy had installed such anti-communist paramilitary groups in El Salvador called ANSESAL and ORDEN. These groups where to work preemptively to stop any communist threats in the area. These groups where such a large part of the political oppression that eventually the people rose up,and this gave the Reagan administration the motivation they needed to "go primitive". One US expert said that "the horrible lesson of El Salvador is that terrorism works". Several torturers defected from the notorious Battalion 316 and testified in American courts of how they where trained by American specialists. They where taught to employ psychological torture instead of physical torture. This is what we are seeing today in Abu Graihb. Ofcourse if this didnt work then the good old hands on methods where used. Finally at the end of the cold war in 1991 the FMLN rebels where not defeated and saw to it that the United States helped to implement the changes that they had long been fighting for. If El Salvador was bad then Guatemala was worse. Here there was a literal genocide that moved into its most brutal faze when Ronald Reagan became president. The military turned the Guatemalan highlands into a "slaughterhouse" committing as many as 600 massacres there between 1981 and 1983. Most of the victims being Indian men, women and children, all the while Reagan pushed military aid to the area.

Reagan was also handson in rearming Somozas National guard and with the help of the CIA turning that ruthless group of marauding thugs into the "freedom fighters" better known as the Contras. After the US government froze the funding for the Contras Reagans accomplice Oliver North was sent to negotiate arms deals with Iran, securing large sums of money for the Contras. Large amounts of evidence say that he also negotiated delas with drug cartels to have access to their planes bringing weapons to the contras while giving them easier access to US markets for their drugs. The Contras where infamous for their "murders, mutilations, tortures and rapes" and at the end of the war an apporximate 30,000 civilians hand been killed, most at the hands of the Contras. They destroyed schools, health clinics, and power stations to show the Nicaraguan civilians that the Sandinistas werent capable of bringing stability to the region. There also followed an intense degredation of the Sandinistas in US media. The sandinistas where linked to such things as "terrorism, nuclear submarines, religious and ethnic persecution, totaliarianism, Castro, East germany Bulgarians, Libya, Iran, and even the Bader meinhoff gang".

The American christian right opposed itself to "peace christianity"(the same thing as liberation theology)-this christianity opposed Reagans policies in Central America. Liberation theology said that democracy and capitalism were antithetical values. This liberation teology also threatend the new right because they opposed the rights claim that capitalism was linked to human freedom. The christian right therefore now claimed that corporate capitalism mirrors "god's presence on earth". They fought latin american liberation theology with an american "theology of the corporation". They called liberation theology the "theology of mass murder" and claimed it to be "the single most critical problem that christianity has faced in its 2000 year history". The evangelical christian right argued that in a universe of free will where the good are rewarded and the bad are punished, then the USA is a shining example of gods blessing. The misfortune of the third world was "gods curse". The christian right proclaimed Robert DÁubuisson, the despicable murderer of the El Salvadorian archbishop Oscar Romero, as hero and freedom fighter.

This is infact the story of how American corporate elites helped to bring down reformist presidents in places like Chile, Brazil, and Guatemala. Dictatorships where therefore needed for these countries to understand the values of individualism, consumerism and passive rather than participatory democracy. Grandin writes that "Chile had fulfilled the new rights agenda of defining democracy in terms of economic freedom and restoring the power of the executive branch." In 1973 the US experienced a deep economic recession therefore third world nationalism was seen as a great obstacle to economic recovery. This led to Latin Americas "second conquest". First the Spanish and the Portugese took all the gold. Then during the second half of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth the second faze came- which "entailed the initial phase of US corporate expansion, as firms like United Fruit Company, Standard Oil, and Phelps Dodge turned on the region as a source of raw materials and agricultural products, coming to control most of the continents railroads, electric companies,ports, mines and oil fields." The third conquest began in the 1980s "Railroads, postal service, roads, factories, telephone services, schools, hospitals, prisons, garbage collection services,water, broadcast frequencies, pension systems, electric, television,and telephone companies were sold off-often not to the highest but to the best connected bidder." Much of this property landed with multinational corporations or with latin American "superbillionaires- this was a new class that had taken advantage of the dismantling of the state.

Although Latin America now has democracies with the exception of Cuba many of its countries are devestated economically. Countries like Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador all suffer from incredible poverty In Latin America 165 millionpeople live on less than 2 dollars a day. 60 people are murdered in Guatemala city each week. For many people the only alternative is to try to make it into America through Mexico to find work. This is becoming increasingly difficult due to the tough border patrols. All this has resulted in a new movement in Latin America, which could be called the anti-globalization movement. More and more left politicians are being elected and are protesting against free-market orthodoxy. This to me is a hopefull sign. And even though the Us keep projecting their imperial ambitions in Iraq I think its clear that if they couldnt do it in their own backyard they wont be able to do it in the middle east either. All in all I think that this was a great book and I can reccomend it to anyone that wants to learn more about US foreign policy and how it has effected the third world.

Not in your history book.......2007-07-11

This is a great book that details America's foreign policy with Latin America during between roughly 1950 to present. With a good deal of time being spent in the 1980s and 1990s. The book specifically addresses the support of Latin American rebels that launched and led coups of political leaders in their respective countries. A lot of time is given to the post-Vietnam economic/war engine that America was attempting to create in the wake of the Vietnam disaster. Hearing stories about how our country and leaders were constantly overthrowing leaders, putting new ones in power, only to overthrow them shortly thereafter . . . is quite disturbing. The book is a part of The American Empire Project, which seems extremely interesting. My only complaint about the book would be the sheer amount of details and timelines that get thrown about. While this definitely shows good research . . . at times it left you confused as to what was being discussed as the author jumped from the 50's to the 70's to the 90's and then back to the 70's. It wasn't written with a linear timeline. But rather a philosophy timeline. Which I found confusing at times. But I definitely recommend the book if you are at least somewhat curious about what Cheney, Rumsfield, and Reagan's pals were up to in Latin America. And even how that policy is being reflected in the Middle East today.

Bit Overreaching.......2007-05-24

I felt Mr. Grandin had some very interesting insights into U.S. history in Latin America and its relevance on current administration policy and our involvement in Iraq. I thought that the background on Nicaragua and El Salvador, in particular, was very insightful as was his description of the "PR Campaigns" that have been waged domestically. I found Mr. Grandin's linkage of the militarists and the Christian right to be an interesting perspective. However, particularly towards the end of the book I felt that the stereotypes and judgments in the book were overreaching and that Mr. Grandin offered plenty of criticisms of U.S. foreign policy without offering any meaningful solutions.

It's all connected.......2007-04-07

I've understood for some time that there is a connection between US foreign policy history, corporate globalization, militarism, and current events around the world -- and that US rhetoric says one thing, while US policy often does the opposite. This is the first book I've read that presents the timeline and the players of our involvement in Latin America so completely and so accessibly. I'm not a history buff, or a political scientist, or an academic - just someone who believes that it's important to understand our history so that I can better understand the present and be an informed participant in our democracy. I'm following the events in Iraq and elsewhere with a greater understanding of the US's true objectives and methods.

Average customer rating:

Informative and Original
A Way Out of the Mess?
The On-going Drama in the Middle East
Behind the Iraqi Mess
Very Informative

The New American Empire
Rodrigue Tremblay
Manufacturer: Infinity Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0741418878

Book Description

What is behind the American-led war in Iraq? Has the long and uninterrupted march towards globalization and world economic interdependence reached a zenith and begun to regress? What will be the consequences for the United States and for the world? The author explains the fundamental shift that foreign and domestic policies have taken under George W. Bush, since September 11, 2001. Besides attempting to focus a critical light on the new international geopolitical situation against the backdrop of the war in Iraq, the book adopts the larger perspective of the evolution of Western civilization over the last five and a half centuries, that is, since the fall of Constantinople in 1453.

Customer Reviews:

Informative and Original.......2006-08-16

This is a very informative book and a must read for anyone interested in understanding why the Bush administration is so prone to launching wars in the oil-rich Middle East region. The author, a renowned economist, is very knowledgeable about the economics and domestic politics that support such warmongering efforts. He identifies the pro-Israel Neocon movement and its alliance with the lunatics of the religious Right as important forces in the push toward involving the U.S. in wars abroad. The military-industrial complex and the strategic importance of Middle East oil are represented by Vice President Dick Cheney in the Bush administration, and are also prime movers of war.

Probably the most original part of this book is its chronology of empires and how Western civilization started its ascendency after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. This chapter (chap. 16) is worth buying the book in itself. The author's style is direct and pulls no punches. An excellent book.

A Way Out of the Mess?.......2006-06-23

As an amateur student of American foreign policy, I am appalled by the wave of anti-americanism it has generated over the last few years. The policy of systematically meddling in the internal affairs of other countries, especially in the Middle East, has been most counter-productive.

There is no doubt that unbridled interventionism, often done illegally and under murky influences, is the root cause of why there is so much anti-americanism around the world. And case in point is the gratuitous violence imposed on some Muslim countries, i.e. Iraq and Palestine. This is creating tons of resentment all over the Muslim world, turning many to hatred and some to terrorism.

Tremblay's book offers a way out of this circular dilemma: Apply to the Muslim world the same treatment given to the Communist world with the 1975 Helsinki Accords. As he puts it (p. 152-53), the Helsinki Accords, signed by 33 Eastern and Western European countries, the United States, and Canada, played a fundamental role in opening up the communist bloc to liberty, freedom and reforms. I doubt that bombs would have brought the same result.

Former President Mikhail Gorbachev has said that the Helsinki Accords opened the door to reforms that would not have taken place otherwise. Why can we not adopt a similar approach with the Muslim world, instead of jumping all the time on the war wagon? This is a well-written and well-researched book. It is highly recommended.

The On-going Drama in the Middle East.......2006-05-17

People who want a condensed introduction on how the Bush administration walked into a quagmire in Iraq should read "The New American Empire". I don't agree with all of Tremblay's arguments, but in my opinion he hits the nail on the head when he identifies the real reasons why Bush II invaded Iraq, i.e oil, Israel, military bases and domestic politics. By the way, the same scenario seems to be repeating itself with Iran, with the same deception about the real reasons for intimidating Iran.

So, even if you do not agree with everything the author has to say, this book is worth a ton of newspapers articles or hours of TV reporting. The chapters on `Oil' and on the `History of Empires' are worth buying this book.

Behind the Iraqi Mess.......2006-04-03

Among the many books written on the Iraq war and the Bush administration's fixation with militarism, this book by economist Tremblay is one of the most readable and most informative.

The fact that George W. Bush was planning a premeditated attack on Iraq to secure 'regime change' in that country, even before he took power in January 2001, should make people pause and think. So should the Neocon blueprint for a complete American take-over of the Middle East ("Rebuilding America's Defenses"), drafted in Sept. 2001, by Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Jeb Bush and Lewis Libby.

Now that Iraq is a mess, that thousands and thousands of people have been killed, and hundreds of billions of dollars have been wasted, the American people are entitled to know the real reasons why the Bush administration launched an illegal war of aggression against Iraq, with no provocation but with a lot of bad faith. All the official reasons have been proven false. After reading this book, one knows the real reasons behind one of the most foolish enterprises ever undertaken by a U.S. government abroad. I have learned a lot also from prof.
Tremblay's new blog: http://www.TheNewAmericanEmpire.com/blog.

The truth shall set you free!

Very Informative.......2006-03-11

I found this book fascinating. It is full of insights. This is a book hard to put down.

If you want to know why there are so many wars, read this book.

Average customer rating:

GOLDEN AGE OF NYC
New York, Empire City: 1920-1945
Every brick and window
Ageless and timeless New York
New York, Empire City 1920-1945

New York, Empire City: 1920-1945
David Stravitz
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Photo Essays | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0810950111

Book Description

New York between the wars: the city of Babe Ruth, Checker cabs, and Zelda Fitzgerald's infamous dip in the fountain at the Plaza Hotel. That is the city that comes gloriously to life in this fascinating collection of 100 historical photographs of New York's notable streetscapes and landmarks. Discovered serendipitously by author David Stravitz when he was on a hunt for used camera equipment, these rare photographs of the city are accompanied here by informative captions and an insightful essay by architectural historian Christopher Gray.

Not only are these photographs being published for the first time, but the clarity and detail of the images, taken with a large-format camera, are astonishing. One can read the signage on the sides of buildings, examine the items in store windows, and see how people on the streets and sidewalks are dressed. From Trinity Church to Harlem, from Coney Island to Yankee Stadium, these images transport the reader into the heart of a vanished era, when men wore fedoras and the Empire City sparkled with promise. AUTHOR BIO: David Stravitz is a professional photographer, an industrial design consultant and product creator for many Fortune 500 companies, and the author of The Chrysler Building: Creating a New York Icon Day by Day. Christopher Gray, the author of Abrams' New York Streetscapes and other books on New York City architecture, has written the "Streetscapes" column in The New York Times since 1987. Both authors live in New York City.

Customer Reviews:

GOLDEN AGE OF NYC.......2006-10-26

I love the fantastic black and white images in this book, you forget how spectacularly beautiful the New York skyline was before the 50's, 60's and 70's international style of Mies and SOM ruined the skyline blocking many of these breathtaking buildings from view and altering an iconic american image forever. At any rate, this is a really good book, with well researched, interesting text and aforementioned great photo's. As you look at all the beautiful buildings and lament the loss of so many over the years, you can't help but want to throttle Robert Moses and David Rockefeller.

New York, Empire City: 1920-1945 .......2006-06-28

No regrets but I wish there were more photos of the city and street scenes.

Every brick and window.......2006-06-04

When David Stravitz bought around five hundred glass negatives from a New Jersey photo shop in the late seventies I bet he didn't realise what a nice little earner he was onto. This treasure trove of images has so far produced two books, the amazing day-by-day building of the Chrysler Building (ISBN 1568983549) and now 'New York, Empire State'.

Both books follow the same format, page after page of very detailed architectural photographs of the city in the first fifty years of the last century. This book has a hundred images (thankfully in 175dpi) taken by commercial photographers Peyser and Patzig probably for architects and builders as a record of their endeavours.

It is the detail in the photos that makes the book so fascinating. Taken on eight by ten glass negs after carefully selecting the right position reveals street scenes and buildings where you can read the road signs and study the detail work on skyscrapers that would be impossible to see from street level. Nearly all the photos are of commercial property though near the end there shots of tenements, shops, sport arenas and Coney Island. Needless to say many of the buildings shown came down years ago.

Each picture has the name of the building or city area and Christopher Gray adds more detail on six pages at the back of the book and this is where I felt the reader has been badly let down by the publishers. There are 130 photo pages yet only sixteen have page numbers, which makes nonsense of Gray's page numbered captions and the three page comprehensive index. Strangely page 105, with a whole page photo does have a number and this, I assume, was to be the case with every page but someone screwed up! Very frustrating (and do I get a refund?).

I recently reviewed a similar architectural photo book about New York City with 170 stunning photos taken by Samuel Gottscho between 1925 and 1940. Included are some marvellous Manhattan night photos as well as shop and house interiors. Gottscho's work helped to define the popular skyline silhouette image of the big American city. Have a look at 'The Mythic City' (ISBN 1568985622) by Donald Albrecht.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

Ageless and timeless New York.......2005-07-19

A wonderful pictoral history of early 20th century New York. One will be astounded at the space between the buildings of the city and the level of architecture throughout. In our daily hustle, this book reminds us of the beauty of the many buildings that make up the skyline of New York. Enjoy.

New York, Empire City 1920-1945.......2004-12-01

I found David Stravitz's new book (New York, Empire City 1920-1945) every bit as thrilling as his book on the Construction of the Chrysler Building, building an Icon Day-by-Day. The photos are spectacular, oversized and chuck full of detail of a grand era in the history of the greatest city in the world. The big question for me is "is there another book to follow?". Can't wait! Lisa Franciosi

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING: The Making of a Landmark

Average customer rating:

A Book So Nice They Named It Twice
The History of the ESB
American emblem
Great Building, Great Story
Wonderful! Fun To Read! Educational!

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING: The Making of a Landmark
John Tauranac
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0684196786

Book Description

The Empire State Building is the companion volume to the Museum of the City of New York's definitive exhibition: "A Dream Well Planned: The Empire State Building."

Customer Reviews:

A Book So Nice They Named It Twice.......2004-10-09

Well, they didn't, but it's a classic anyway.

This is a terrific book for anyone who wants to learn how great projects are visualized, actualized, and pressed through extremely challenging environmental circumstances. It's a source of inspiration for the dreamers and the practical alike.

If you want to read about architecture and engineering, you get only a small dose here. It's more about the capitalization, visioning and building. But that story is magnetic and wonderful.

Only thing they left out: that it was to this (then half-empty) building that Annhaeuser-Busch delivered the "first" case of legal beer to Al Smith at the end of Prohibition. Smith, the "wet" and the eternal optimist, exemplifies what this building was conceived to be: a vibrant and living testimony to the human spirit.

So, it stands to reason that it survives now as New York's essential symbol.

The History of the ESB.......2004-08-11

This book is a must read for anyone interested in not only the Empire State Building, but in New York City history of the late 1920s and early 1930s. Who would think that a building completed in 1931 at 1250 feet high would still be the tallest building in NYC in 2007 (of course, we can't forget the tragic loss of the taller WTC Towers). This book covers the quick construction of the ESB, but also covers the politics and history behind the building's location (the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel used to be at the corner of 5th Ave and 34th Street) and the people involved. This is an interesting book about an exciting time where anything seemed possible in one of the world's greatest cities.

American emblem.......2004-07-02

From the outset, the Empire State Building seemed to have had everything going against it. Although conceived during the 1920s boom years, most of the construction went on during the earliest years of the Depression, thereby putting the idea of high occupancy in the severest doubt. Its location wasn't ideal either. It was three miles north of the Wall Street district and a mile south of the center of the midtown business center. And it was ten blocks south of Grand Central Station and three avenues east of old Pennsylvania Station. The idea of mooring dirigibles was quickly scrapped after failed attempts. And sure enough, although the Empire State Building did get built, the tenants did not come. King Kong did, but he didn't pay rent.

John Tauranac describes all this and more in his exhaustive book, THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING: THE MAKING OF A LANDMARK. Written in an engaging style, Tauranac's book is as elegant and interesting as the subject itself, while his wit is as colorful as the characters surrounding the Empire State Building's creation. The book covers the idea for the building, Raskob's and Smith's supervision, the monumental task of the construction workers, and, most importantly, the survival of the building to become THE emblem of America's cultural and economic reach while become THE identifying symbol of New York City. The generous amount of photographs add to the understanding and enjoyment of the book. Highly recommended.

Great Building, Great Story.......2001-09-25

This is an excellent work that details the history of the Empire State Building. I was a bit surprised to find how much the author managed to pack into my paperback. Everything from skyscraper height restrictions to land leases and modern restructuring of ownership for tax purposes (and all the "interesting" stuff in between). If you buy this book and you're not from New York, do yourself a favor and get a map of the area. So you can follow along in the early chapters.

Wonderful! Fun To Read! Educational!.......2001-07-08

I bought this book shortly after a trip to NYC in 2000, and found it to be an excellent history of one of the Big Apple's architectural jewels, the Empire State Building. It is full of intrigue, history, great anecdotes and one-of-a-kind photographs. If you're a visitor to Manhattan or a local resident, you owe it to yourself to read this book.

Religion and Empire: The Dynamics of Aztec and Inca Expansionism (New Studies in Archaeology)

Average customer rating:

Do we really need a reprint of an old and not very good book?
Excelent, well thoughtout arguments
Has good and bad points
Very detailed.
This book is excellent.

Religion and Empire: The Dynamics of Aztec and Inca Expansionism (New Studies in Archaeology)
Geoffrey W. Conrad , and Arthur Andrew Demarest
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Mexico | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

Aztec | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Incan | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Native American | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0521318963

Book Description

Religion and Empire is an innovative and provocative study of the two largest states of the Precolumbian Americas, the Aztec and Inca Empires. By examining the causes of the formation and expansion of these two empires, the authors identify similar patterns and processes underlying their rise and decline. They demonstrate that in both examples among the critical elements in the transition from marginal people to imperial power to disintegrating society were changes in traditional religion, including the elaboration of Aztec human sacrifice and Inca worship of the corpses of their kings. The authors show that the complex interaction between such ideological shifts and political and economic factors generated the spectacular historical trajectories of these Pre-Colombian empires.

Customer Reviews:

Do we really need a reprint of an old and not very good book?.......2007-01-06

The interpretations of the Aztec empire in this book were misleading and deficient when it was first published in 1984; now they are both bad and outdated. According to the authors, the driving force of Aztec imperial expansion was rabid religious fanaticism. Crazed bloodthirsty warriors supposedly ran around conquering peoples with no sense of planning of strategy, and with no economic motivation (sounds sort of like the bloodthirsty Maya of Mel Gibson's movie Apocalypto). This interpretation does not for work Apocalypto, and it does not work for the Aztec empire either.

I'm not qualified to evaluate the Inka sections of the book. But if you are interested in Aztec imperialism, please check some of the post-1984 literature.

Excelent, well thoughtout arguments.......2002-12-13

I read this book as part of a research project into the rise and fall of the Mexica, or Aztec. This book offered an interesting view of the Aztec, as a warfaring society which was propelled by a religous zelous that got out of hand and eventually caused the destabilization of a great empire. While I happen to disagree with certain arguments in this book they are all well justified with valid arguments. This field is constantly changing and is full of writers who don't have the background or the backing for their arguments, this is not one of them. Conrad and Demerest use fresh, compelling, and well thoughtout arguments to make an interesting point. If researching the Inca and Aztec this is a must read to achieve a good view of these two expansionist empires.

Has good and bad points.......2001-12-21

I read this book for a class on the emergence of state society. The book was great for its review of Aztec ideology and its resulting effects on the society. Too many authors ignore the importance of the way people think. However, archaeological evidence does not support their conclusions about the Inca's ancestor worship. But the book was good read, very fast paced and enjoyable. I recommend it.

Very detailed........2000-01-20

The book really gets into the nuts and bolts of the empires, showing you how ideas could give birth to and help expand the two cultures. But it also shows how the same ideas could hinder and even start to destroy the empires later in their existance. Yet it is not hard to read and even delightful at some points. They answer alot of questions I had about the Aztec and Inca, making sure to support everything they say with lots of details. A must of any history library.

This book is excellent........1998-09-22

It explains how modern/western thought fails when applied to the cultures of the Aztecs and Incas. This book is good for beginning students for the narrative is easy to follow. However, it is outstanding for the more advanced scholar. This book would make a great companion book to broader studies of these two cultures. The authors criticise modern archaeology for its dogmatic unbending views.The authors also take modern political theory and apply it to these ancient cultures. What happens is that it falls apart. Marx, Hegel, et al have met their match against these ancient ones. What a great departure from the faulty theories of socialism & communism.

The Empire Writes Back: Theory and Practice in Post-Colonial Literatures (New Accents)

Average customer rating:

All in one

The Empire Writes Back: Theory and Practice in Post-Colonial Literatures (New Accents)
Bill Ashcroft
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Caribbean & Latin American | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Latin American | Classics | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Literature & Fiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Reference | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0415280206

Book Description

The authors, three leading figures in post-colonial studies, open up debates about the interrelationships of post-colonial literatures, investigate the powerful forces acting on language in the post-colonial text, and show how these texts constitute a radical critique of Eurocentric notions of literature and language.

Customer Reviews:

All in one.......2000-04-05

Despite its "trendy" title -- very postmodern, combining Salman Rushdie with George Lucas and Star Wars -- and the multiple authorship, this survey is a very readable, clearly articulated consideration of the central problems and issues in post-colonial scholarship. The authors write seamlessly as one, not as a committee, though it is clear that they combine complementary areas of expertise. The consideration of feminist scholarship was perhaps the most disappointing: unlike the other analyses, it seemed desultory. The book is also to be commended for being not merely a conscientious account of post-colonial research, but also a thoughtful and fair-minded critique as well.

Historic New York: Architectural Journeys in the Empire State

Average customer rating:

Inspiring
Beautiful Overview of Historic Architecture in New York

Historic New York: Architectural Journeys in the Empire State

Manufacturer: Landmark Society of Western New York
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ASIN: 0976391023

Book Description

More than five years in the making, this photographic tour de force explores four centuries of architecture in the Empire State. From Hudson Valley mansions and New York skyscrapers to Adirondack Great Camps and Erie Canal cobblestone structures, Historic New York: Architectural Journeys in the Empire State visits hundreds of the state's landmarks thMore than five years in the making, this photographic tour de force explores four centuries of architecture in the Empire State. From Hudson Valley mansions and New York skyscrapers to Adirondack Great Camps and Erie Canal cobblestone structures, Historic New York: Architectural Journeys in the Empire State visits rough stunning color images and pithy

Customer Reviews:

Inspiring.......2007-01-10

BOOK REVIEW

Historic New York: Architectural Journeys in the Empire State

Andy Olenick and Richard Reisem have done themselves proud in this spectacular new book detailing some of New York's most prestigious landmarks. Over three hundred color photographs along with informative text provide plenty of inspiration for New York sightseers and history buffs.

There's something here for everyone as the book covers famous structures like the Chysler Building and the Brooklyn Bridge. It also offers detailed spreads of some of the former dwelling places of famous New Yorkers like Mark Twain, Teddy Roosevelt, and Susan B. Anthony. But perhaps most interesting are the more little-known treasures: places like abolitionist John Brown's home in North Elba, or the Glen Iris Inn in Letchworth State Park.

The book is divided into eleven regions throughout the state - Long Island, New York City, Hudson River Valley, Capital District, Adirondacks, Mohawk River Valley, Thousand Islands, Finger Lakes, Western Erie Canal, Southern Tier, and Niagara Frontier. Local readers will be happy to learn that several Utica landmarks are prominently displayed including the Stanley Theatre, Fountain Elms, and Union Station. Shots of nearby Hyde Hall and the Oneida Mansion are also included.

Those who wish to venture out of Central New York will also find much for their imagination. Olenick's superb photography is enough to make anyone pack up for a daytrip and the accompanying text by Richard Reisem is both elegant and educational.

Beautiful Overview of Historic Architecture in New York.......2006-11-08

This book features beautiful interior and exterior photographs of notable architecture from throughout the state. It includes a nice mix of architects, periods, styles and public and private buildings. Expected buildings such as Grand Central Station, New York Public Library and the Chrysler building in Manhattan are featured along with historic homes from throughout the state, Adirondack Great Camps and university and government buildings. Regions from Long Island, the Hudson River Valley and the Capital District to the Finger Lakes, the Thousand Islands and the Niagara Frontier are featured. It highlights Utica's Stanley Theater, Rochester's City Hall and Union College's Nott Memorial. It even includes a houseboat and a Seneca Indian longhouse. The newest building featured may be the Bard College Performing Arts Center designed by Frank Gehry. These beautiful photographs are accompanied by informative and interesting text. The book provides a great overview of the architectural richness and diversity of New York State. I highly recommend the book to anyone who is interested in New York State architecture.

Making the Voyageur World: Travelers and Traders in the North American Fur Trade (France Overseas: Studies in Empire and D)

Average customer rating:

The fur trade and labor relations

Making the Voyageur World: Travelers and Traders in the North American Fur Trade (France Overseas: Studies in Empire and D)
Carolyn Podruchny
Manufacturer: University of Nebraska Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Canada | Travel | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0803287909

Book Description

French Canadian workers who paddled canoes, transported goods, and staffed the interior posts of the northern North American fur trade became popularly known as voyageurs. Scholars and public historians alike have cast them in the romantic role of rugged and merry heroes who paved the way for European civilization in the wild Northwest. Carolyn Podruchny looks beyond the stereotypes and reveals the contours of voyageurs’ lives, world views, and values.

Making the Voyageur World shows that the voyageurs created distinct identities shaped by their French-Canadian peasant roots, the Aboriginal peoples they met in the Northwest, and the nature of their employment as indentured servants in diverse environments. Voyageurs’ identities were also shaped by their constant travels and by their own masculine ideals that emphasized strength, endurance, and daring. Although voyageurs left few conventional traces of their own voices in the documentary record, an astonishing amount of information can be found in descriptions of them by their masters, explorers, and other travelers. By examining their lives in conjunction with the metaphor of the voyage, Podruchny not only reveals the everyday lives of her subjects—what they ate, their cosmology and rituals of celebration, their families, and, above all, their work—but also underscores their impact on the social and cultural landscape of North America.

Customer Reviews:

The fur trade and labor relations.......2007-05-13

This book is a scholarly treatment of the French and later British/French-Canadian fur trade in the northern tier of North America. It looks at the fur trade from the perspective of labor relations, and clearly identifies the differences in class, culture, and power that were common to the 18th and 19th century especially in connection with the North American fur trade. The author covers the ground thoroughly, and readers will come away having learned a great deal. As a scholarly writer, it seemed to me, however, that Podruchny was sometimes trying too hard to make the mundane seem interesting, or to draw conclusions that were just slightly strained. Overall a well-done presentation of the British fur trade from a new perspective, and a valuable recent addition to the literature about this part of North American history.

Average customer rating:

When the Irish syndicate was king
A Fine Historical Novel And Thomas Kelly's Best
Very good historical novel
You Gotta Be Tough
Get it Read it Now

Empire Rising: A Novel
Thomas Kelly
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0374147817
Release Date: 2005-01-27

Book Description

A Novel of High-Stakes Romance and Betrayal, Set During the Race to Finish the World's Tallest Building

In Empire Rising, his extraordinary third book, Thomas Kelly tells a story of love and work, of intrigue and jealousy, with the narrative verve that led the Village Voice's reviewer to dub him "Dostoevsky with a hard hat and lead pipe."
As the novel opens, it is 1930-the Depression-and ground has just been broken for the Empire State Building. One of the thousands of men erecting the building high above the city is Michael Briody, an Irish immigrant torn between his desire to make a new life in America and his pledge to gather money and arms for the Irish republican cause. When he meets Grace Masterson, an alluring artist who is depicting the great skyscraper's ascent from her houseboat on the East River, Briody's life turns exhilarating-and dangerous, for Grace is also a paramour of Johnny Farrell, Mayor Jimmy Walker's liaison with Tammany Hall and the underworld.
Their heartbreaking love story-which takes place both in the immigrant neighborhoods of the Bronx and amid the swanky nightlife of the '21' Club--is also a chronicle of the city's rough passage from a working-class enclave to a world-class metropolis, and a vivid reimagining of the conflict that pitted the Tammany Hall political machine and its popular mayor against the boundlessly ambitious Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Colin Harrison, in The New York Times Book Review, called Kelly's The Rackets "A well-paced, violent thriller, [and] an elegy for the city's old Irish working class." In Empire Rising, Kelly takes his work to a new level: telling of the story of the people who built the "eighth wonder of the world," he makes old New York the setting for a rich and unforgettable story.

Customer Reviews:

When the Irish syndicate was king.......2007-08-12

Hop aboard as Thomas Kelly rolls out another Big Apple white-knuckler. Leading readers to the gaping Manhattan cavity left by the demolition of the old Waldorf Astoria, we meet Michael Briody, late of Cavan Town in Ireland, who drives the first rivet into the first steel column placed at the Empire State Building site. Cigars glow, flash bulbs pop, backs get slapped and Irish dandy Mayor Jimmy Walker smiles the smile of a man who gets a kickback, a commission he calls it, on every construction project in New York. Yet the winds of reform swirl. Its 1930 and the feds are on to miscreant Walker---Jimmy knows his time is short.

Walker runs New York under the guise of benefactor and patron to the city's immigrant poor and teeming masses. Behind his dapper, populist front lurks a man who controls Tammany Hall, arguably the most ruthless and corrupt political machine in American history. Walker's silky smile and engaging manner belie the pyramidal network of crooked cops, judges, assassins and thugs of every ilk who execute the misdeeds of the Tammany machine. American-born Irish like Walker and his right-hand `judges and jackhammers' man, Johnny Farrell, pull the strings while immigrant Irish like Briody fight to rise out of the gutter, keeping one foot in the aulde sod and one foot in their adopted America. Michael Briody served time in Curragh prison for anti-Free State, republican foot soldiering after Ireland's 1916 Rising. A man possessing knowledge of explosives, Briody curiously joins the British Army and fights in World War I before coming to America. He remains a staunch Irish republican.

Under Mayor Walker money talks and illegal liquor flows in the speakeasies, or speaks, as they're called. The Market crashed in 1929 and former big-time players peddle apples in the streets. A smart, tough Irishman can rise up in this environment and become wealthy if he knows who to pay homage and money to. He can also wind up in a grave if he backs the wrong horse. As the Empire State Building and city rise metaphorically in tandem, we find Briody as he connects with Bronx-born Tough Tommy Touhey, a homicidal brute who owns a few speaks and a piece of the Empire State project. He's a former childhood friend to Walker's Johnny Farrell, but takes umbrage as Farrell disdains his lower-class Bronx roots.

Tough Tommy coaxes Briody into entering a cops-only boxing match. That Briody is not a cop is no stumbling block to him beating his cop opponent to a pulp. In attendance at the match is our Johnny Farrell, who squires Grace Masterson, a fatally-flawed femme fatale. She takes a liking to Briody, and him to her, when they meet in a speakeasy after the fight. She's an artist and late of Cavan herself, having lost heart, two sons, a husband and her faith on the trail from Ireland to Spain to Cuba, to Florida and finally New York. She's also mistress to the married Farrell---infidelity's seemingly a requisite to Hall membership. Grace also performs as bag woman to Farrell, to wit, she makes money drops at banks around town. Ill advisedly, Grace occasionally siphons a little pre-deposit money off the top.

Clan Na Gael, the arm of the Irish republicanism in New York, hovers in the background. Michael Briody is a natural recruit for Clan Na Gael, having demonstrated his willingness to kill for a cause. As his relationship with Grace burgeons, Briody enlists and partners with Clan Na Gael, participating in gun and explosives running to Ireland----and worse.

Inching its way to the forefront is the Italian syndicate and the sadistic `Dago', of whom Tough Tommy Touhey says, "He wants what we got," meaning the rackets, speaks and protection payoffs. Observing a soft spot in the Tammany machine, the Dago glad hands and threatens Farrell into working with him to acquire a piece of the action. As the reform movement gathers steam in Albany and Washington, the world of our players turns upside down. A judge formerly on the take suffers an untimely demise after demonstrating reluctance to adhere to a machine directive. The philandering Farrell discovers that his pilfering girlfriend Grace is unfaithful. Touhey disappears and turns up dead. But is it really him? After a moment of epiphany, Briody decides that killing only begets more killing and suffers a dangerous falling out with Clan Na Gael. Hoohah! I just had my own moment of epiphany. It's best to turn the rest of the tale over to Thomas Kelly.

The author takes readers on a wonderful ride through the gritty urban landscape that was New York City during Prohibition. Tales of power, greed and corruption get mixed in with liberal doses of violence in Empire Rising. Along with his previous novels, Payback and The Rackets, Rising is a must for readers fascinated by crafty historical fiction.

A Fine Historical Novel And Thomas Kelly's Best.......2007-08-10

As a chronicler of the dark, gritty underworld of New York City's working-class labor, Thomas Kelly has definitely become its poet laureate in his novel "Empire Rising", among the finest novels I have read of Depression-Era New York City (It actually deserves 4.5 stars from me and I wish Amazon.com had the option of bestowing an additional half star.). This is a dramatic, vivid, and richly-textured, no-holds-bar examination of New York City in 1931, as seen through the eyes of recent Irish immigrant Michael Briody, who works by day building the Empire State Building, and then, by night as both a boxer and an unrepentant soldier of the Irish Republican Army. In New York City he soon meets another, more worldly, recent Irish immigrant, Grace Masterson, and falls in love with her, even though he knows that she is the "concubine" of powerful Tammany Hall leader Johnny Farrell. This is indeed far from a romantic look of the Empire State Building's construction, since Kelly depicts his characters being immersed in a dark, often bloody, underworld of Tammany Hall political intrigue, Irish-run organized crime, and Irish Republican Army strife. Without question, "Empire Rising" is not only Kelly's best work of fiction, but also among the finest I have seen from the latest generation of Irish-American writers residing here in New York City.

Very good historical novel.......2006-07-24

Combine Depression era Manhattan, Irish nationalism and the workings of Tammany Hall, all in the ever growing shadow of the construction of the Empire State Building - Add well portrayed real and fictional characters in a plot line that ties the above together and the result is an entertaining read and a very good novel. The only fault I found with this book is that the author, at times, steps into the story to "explain" his characters, which is not necessary. This may sound like a nit but the rest of the writing is so good that these "intrusions" were somewhat jarring. That being said this book is still highly recommended.

You Gotta Be Tough.......2006-01-19

This is not the type of book I have a reputation for reading. It's a hard-core, bare-knuckles, get-to-the-top kind of fictional tale, set in Depression-era New York City, and it features among its fine cast of characters a number of real life personas, including future President Franklin Roosevelt, and New York's irrepressible "born for office" governor, Al Smith.

Empire Rising tells the story of New York City at all levels of society during this tough time, and uses the construction of the Empire State Building as a backdrop and metaphor. As Kelly pulls no punches in stating, it is the Irish, those first, second, and third generation rough-souled immigrants who make New York City function. Not only is it the Irish who run the city at both the street level and into the halls of power, but it is Irish working men who provide the backbone of the labor force that is building New York's most prized showpiece, the Empire State Building. (Think it's a coincidence that construction on the project began on Saint Patrick's Day?)

The character of Michael Briody, who has gone from a terrorist group's hitman to a soul in love with the dream that is the skyscraper he's struggling to see completed, is Kelly's best figure in this novel. He seems a very realistic individual, leagues removed from the stick-figure stereotypes so many other authors would have employed here in this sort of situation.

I enjoyed this novel, even if it was definitely at times a little cold and lacking in human kindness. I think it shines light onto what is both a forgotten and mysterious period in American history, and it also gives a reader an excellent plot that never slows or grows tiresome, and which reaches masterful heights in its climactic moments.

Get it Read it Now.......2006-01-11

This is one of the most engrossing novels i have read in some time. in an era where the novel has become nothing more than a hodge podge pastiche of cleverness Kelly delivers good story, good characters and a great backdrop. Everything that makes a great novel is here. get it read it now!

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books