The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

If past is prologue, then The Metaphysical Club by Louis Menand may suggest an intellectual course for the United States in the 21st century. At least Menand, a frequent contributor to The New Yorker and The New York Review of Books, thinks so. This enthralling study of Oliver Wendell Holmes, William James, Charles Sanders Peirce, and John Dewey shows how these four men developed a philosophy of pragmatism following the Civil War, a period Menand likens to post-cold-war times. Together, "they were more responsible than any other group for moving American thought into the modern world."

Despite this potentially forbidding theme, The Metaphysical Club is not a dry tome for academics. Instead, it is a quadruple biography, a wonderfully told story of ideas that advances by turning these thinkers into characters and bringing them to life. Menand links them through the Metaphysical Club, a conversational club formed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1872. It lasted but a few months, and references to it appear only in Peirce's writings (its real significance seems rather limited), though Holmes and James were both members. (Dewey was much younger than these three, and more an heir than a contemporary.) It is difficult to describe in a sentence or two what they accomplished, though Menand takes a stab at it: "They helped put an end to the idea that the universe is an idea, that beyond the mundane business of making our way as best we can in a world shot through with contingency, there exists some order, invisible to us, whose logic we transgress at our peril." Academic freedom and cultural pluralism are just two of their legacies, and they are linchpins of democracy in a nonideological age, says Menand.

A book like this is necessarily idiosyncratic, yet at the same time this one is sweeping. It presents an accessible survey of intellectual life from roughly the end of the Civil War to the start of the cold war. Dozens of figures receive fascinating thumbnail sketches, from Ralph Waldo Emerson and Charles Darwin to Jane Addams and Eugene Debs. The result is a grand portrait of an age that will appeal to anyone with even a modest interest in the history of philosophy and ideas. --John Miller

Book Description

Winner of the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for History

A riveting, original book about the creation of modern American thought.

The Metaphysical Club was an informal group that met in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1872, to talk about ideas. Its members included Oliver Well Holmes, Jr., future associate justice of the United States Supreme Court; William James, the father of modern American psychology; and Charles Sanders Peirce, logician, scientist, and the founder of semiotics. The Club was probably in existence for about nine months. No records were kept. The one thing we know that came out of it was an idea -- an idea about ideas. This book is the story of that idea.

Holmes, James, and Peirce all believed that ideas are not things "out there" waiting to be discovered but are tools people invent -- like knives and forks and microchips -- to make their way in the world. They thought that ideas are produced not by individuals, but by groups of individuals -- that ideas are social. They do not develop according to some inner logic of their own but are entirely depent -- like germs -- on their human carriers and environment. And they thought that the survival of any idea deps not on its immutability but on its adaptability.

The Metaphysical Club is written in the spirit of this idea about ideas. It is not a history of philosophy but an absorbing narrative about personalities and social history, a story about America. It begins with the Civil War and s in 1919 with Justice Holmes's dissenting opinion in the case of U.S. v. Abrams-the basis for the constitutional law of free speech. The first four sections of the book focus on Holmes, James, Peirce, and their intellectual heir, John Dewey. The last section discusses some of the fundamental twentieth-century ideas they are associated with. This is a book about a way of thinking that changed American life."

Download Description

A riveting, original book about the creation of modern American thought.

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant, ambitious, dense.......2007-09-12

The Metaphysical Club is a brilliant, ambitious book - the chronicle of pragmatism's rise as a governing philosophy in the decades following the Civil War. But for all its virtues, I'm surprised this book won the Pulitzer Prize. This is pretty dense stuff. Despite Louis Menand's engaging writing style, I had trouble keeping up with his exploration of emerging philosophies in the 19th and early 20th centuries. But I think I got the gist of it: Thinkers like Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., William James, John Dewey and Charles Peirce were struggling to come up with a guiding philosophy to a deal with a world that (as Darwinism showed) is all the time changing right under our feet. They realized that hewing to rigid principles and old certitudes was futile, even dangerous. Together, they created pragmatism, in which keeping the public debate and political process open to dissenting views trumps any underlying theoretical framework, which, after all, might be proven wrong by the next round of scientific research. Today's heresy is tomorrow's truism. I realize that I might be making this book sound like drudgery; it's not. Menand is a great storyteller in love with the stories he's telling. The Metaphysical Club is peopled with long-forgotten incidents and thinkers, many of them cranks and weirdoes who were always interesting and often brilliant even when they were dead wrong. The book is filled with little gems. Did you know, for example, that we owe the notion of academic freedom partly to a racist professor who wanted to expound his noxious views denigrating Asians and other immigrants? Reading this book, I came to realize how much I owe my own evolving worldview - a clumsy attempt to figure out how to live decently in a world where almost nothing is certain -- to Dewey, James and Holmes.

The Center Doesn't Hold .......2007-06-29

Hard to think why I did not like this book more. It covers a lot of interesting ground, is set in a period of American life that fascinates me and details the lives of some of the most influential social thinkers in American history.

But no central character really emerges as the central personality of the club. For me, the closest to such a character was William James. I suppose another reader would be more drawn to Oliver Wendell Holmes or Thomas Dewey.

In the end I think a reader would have to have a strong interest in each and every one of the four men profiled. (The three mentioned in the above paragraph and Charles Sanders Peirce). A reader with a strong interest in any one of them would probably be better served by a good biography.

The Origins of Pragmatism.......2007-04-04

The Metaphysical Club refers to a philosophical society that met in Cambridge in the 1870's. This short-lived group of intellectuals gathered regularly to discuss the issues of the day: the aftermath of the Civil War, evolution, science, religion, abolition, race, to name a few. Louis Menand, professor at the City College of New York and writer for the New Yorker, has done extensive research of this group and has written a very lively account of their achievements. Menand is a practitioner of the pragmatism that emerged from the meetings and writings of this extraordinary group.

And how does one characterize the philosophy of pragmatism? Pragmatism was, first of all, a reaction to the death and destruction of the Civil War, it was a reaction to the political certitudes that led to the violence of war. As the subtitle indicates this is a story about ideas. The pragmatists "believed that ideas were not 'out there' waiting to be discovered, but are tools..." They believed ideas were social, that no individual could lay claim to them. And borrowing from the Darwinism of the day, they "believed that ideas do not develop according to some inner logic of their own, but are entirely dependent, like germs, on their human carriers and the environment." The pragmatists thus had a fluid notion of knowledge and truth: "ideas are provisional responses to particular and unreproducible circumstances." Therefore truth is contingent: ideas are true only insofar as they work. As William James famously said in "Varieties of Religious Experience," pragmatists are only interested in "truth's cash value." As you can see, this is a very homespun American philosophy.

Before going into some of the problems of this philosophy , it is important to point out that Menand's method of collective biography of pragmatism's four key orginators - Oliver Wendell Holmes,Jr., Charles Sanders Peirce, William James, and John Dewey - is the logical way to discuss its ideas. Since ideas are always "soaked through" with contingency, it is proper to describle the historical milieu from which they ushered. If truth is provisional it follows that what was true then may not be true now. This explains why Menand's pragmatists and their pragmatisms readily dodged criticism: they were always moving targets.

Menand's portraits of Holmes, Peirce, James, and Dewey show how each of them from different angles arrived at convergent conclusions. Going into their backgrounds, their professional and social standing, and the events of their lives, he follows the method of how pragmatists arrive at truth. What has practical consequences in one's life is the only truth one need be concerned with.

The last part of this book - Part Five - contains three chapters entitled respectively Pragmatisms, Pluralisms, and Freedoms. This is where one would expect to find the final summation of pragmatism as a body of ideas, instead we are left hanging in abeyance. When truth is reduced to efficacy and there are no other standards by which to judge it, we find that something is lacking. If certitudes led to the violence of the Civil War, the absence of certitudes could lead to even greater injustices. Unlimited freedom and tolerance - the "truth is whatever works" attitude - is highly problematic. It is difficult to imagine what a pragmatist's ethics would look like. It sounds like a recipe for totalitarianism. The author was not convincing in resolving the problem of ethical relativism or the so-called situational ethics.

That said, the book advocates tolerance, pluralism, and multiculturalism, it promotes the positives. It is also very well researched and very well written, and reading it has been very instructive. I would definitely recommed it.

America does produce world class philosophy.......2007-02-15

This is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. Not only is it informative, but it also is written in a clever style that is fun to read.

The book traces the evolution of American philosophical thought - pragmatism. Americans are sometimes accused of not contributing much to world philosophy. The Metaphysical Club shows both why that accusation is false and why it is so often made.

Unlike many other cultures, American does not produce individual great philosophers. No American philosopher has his own -ism. Americans produce methods and teams to address problems or issues. Philosophy is no different. A pragmatic philosophy is built by many thinkers, each contributing and correcting the ones that went before. It is very much like the scientific method, where ideas are tested & modified and where practitioners recognize that absolute truth is unattainable

Louis Menand makes this interesting by tracing the intellectual lives of such such well known personalities as William James, John Dewey, Charles Pierce and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. He describes their interactions, flaws and successes. In doing this, he describes the creation of a unique American philosophy. In the end their collective contribution to philosophy is greater than the sum of all their contributions. A team usually is better than even the greatest individual and recent books like The Wisdom of Crowds or The Long Tail give some ideas about why this should be so.

The Metaphysical Club is a great book that should be read by anyone interested in philosophy or just looking to learn more about interesting people.

If You Missed It..........2006-10-23

...when it was new and on the best seller list, do yourself a favor and buy it used. This is one of those books that makes you re-think what you thought you knew, both about the history of the Gilded Age and about philosophy in America. It's not a book for casual readers, however. It's long, it's scholarly, it's unabashedly an intellectual's choice... but it is well crafted and well edited.

The Metaphysical Club : A Story of Ideas in America

Average customer rating:

The Metaphysical Club : A Story of Ideas in America

Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0965332950

Product Description

History, United States, Pragmatist Thinking

Average customer rating:

The Metaphysical Club : A Story of Ideas in America
Louis Menand
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OXDBB8

Ideas as Tools.(Review): An article from: American Scientist

Average customer rating:

Ideas as Tools.(Review): An article from: American Scientist
David A. Hollinger
Manufacturer: Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Science & Technology | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books

The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America. (Book Reviews). (book review): An article from: The Psychological Record

Average customer rating:

The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America. (Book Reviews). (book review): An article from: The Psychological Record
Edward K. Morris
Manufacturer: Psychological Record
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0008FAVN8
Release Date: 2005-07-30

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Psychological Record, published by Psychological Record on March 22, 2002. The length of the article is 660 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America. (Book Reviews). (book review)
Author: Edward K. Morris
Publication: The Psychological Record (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2002
Publisher: Psychological Record
Volume: 52 Issue: 2 Page: 256(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

THE METAPHYSICAL CLUB: A STORY OF IDEAS IN AMERICA.(Review): An article from: American Scholar

Average customer rating:

THE METAPHYSICAL CLUB: A STORY OF IDEAS IN AMERICA.(Review): An article from: American Scholar
Casey Nelson Blake
Manufacturer: Phi Beta Kappa Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0008I8I0I
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from American Scholar, published by Phi Beta Kappa Society on June 22, 2001. The length of the article is 1812 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: THE METAPHYSICAL CLUB: A STORY OF IDEAS IN AMERICA.(Review)
Author: Casey Nelson Blake
Publication: American Scholar (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 2001
Publisher: Phi Beta Kappa Society
Volume: 70 Issue: 3 Page: 148

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America.(Review): An article from: New Criterion

Average customer rating:

The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America.(Review): An article from: New Criterion
Mark Bauerlein
Manufacturer: Foundation for Cultural Review
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from New Criterion, published by Foundation for Cultural Review on October 1, 2001. The length of the article is 3076 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America.(Review)
Author: Mark Bauerlein
Publication: New Criterion (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 2001
Publisher: Foundation for Cultural Review
Volume: 20 Issue: 2 Page: 67

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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.

Average customer rating:

Enticing!
Eleanor of Aquitaine; So. Cool.
A perfect introduction to some great figures in history
A Stylish Eleanor
Just didn't grab me...

A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver
E.L. Konigsburg
Manufacturer: Aladdin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Medieval | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Historical Fiction | History & Historical Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Children's Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Teen Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 068984624X

Book Description

Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife to two kings, mother to two others, has been waiting in Heaven a long time -- eight centuries, more or less -- to be reunited with her second husband, Henry II of England. Finally, the day has come when Henry will be judged for admission. While Eleanor, never a patient woman in life or afterlife, waits, three people, each of whom was close to Eleanor during a time of her life, join her. Their reminiscences do far more than help distract Eleanor -- they also paint a rich portrait of an extraordinary woman who was front and center in a remarkable period in history and whose accomplishments have had an important influence on society through the ages.

Customer Reviews:

Enticing!.......2007-10-09

This book was required by my 5th grade daughter's English teacher for her reading comprehension class. She is learning a lot about history and Christianity out of this book. Story is very enticing and keeps my daughter's interest in development.

Eleanor of Aquitaine; So. Cool........2006-10-18

Before reading this book, I wasn't too interested in Eleanor of Aquitaine. I knew who she was, and dimly remembered reading about her somewhere, but nothing made an impression. At that time, I wasn't particularly interested in British or French history. This book completely changed that. I found Eleanor a fascinating woman, and instantly dove into a pile of books to learn more about her and her real life.

"A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver" tells (pretty accurately) of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who is mostly known for being a wife of two kings, and the mother of two kings, but in reality, had a fascinating life by herself. Strong-minded and extremely independent, Eleanor was a major historical character, and in this book we see that clearly. She is proud and firm, and it's easy to find her fascinating.

The book draws the reader in quickly. It's not told by the same person all the time, which may be confusing to some, but I found it made the story flow much easier, because it meant that we didn't have to wonder why a certain character was around for so much. It's a wonderful historical novel, and really gets you reading other things about Eleanor of Aquitaine, and discovering how incredibly amazing she truly was.

I loved this book. I mean, really, really loved this book. It's got get history, a great main character, and so much more.

A perfect introduction to some great figures in history.......2006-03-27

I read this as a student in the seventh or eighth grade more than a decade ago, so I don't have a detailed enough memory of the book to comment on the quality of the writing. But I do remember that this book introduced me to characters such as Henry II, Eleanor of Acquitaine, and all their sons, and I found it all very interesting. Later in life these people would be brought back to my attention by James Goldman's play "The Lion In Winter" and it was largely my memories of this book that made this play one of my favorites I've ever read. This book is a great way to introduce any young person to some of the most interesting figures in Medeival history.

A Stylish Eleanor.......2005-09-02

Written from the viewpoint of four different persons who have shared the life of Eleanor of Acquitane, Konigsburg's book gives the reader an insightful look into the life of this regal lady. I went back and rewatched "The Lion in Winter" after having read this book and enjoyed both the movie and the book even more.

Just didn't grab me..........2005-04-04

This was a good kids book about Eleanor of Aquitaine, but it just didn't grab me. I guess I thought the whole premise of her telling her story after she is in heaven was a little weird, and I didn't really like the way she kept changing which person was telling the story. The actual story wasn't bad, and she did stick to the facts, but it just wasn't very interesting. The story begins when Eleanor is waiting for her husband Henry II to be judged on whether he'll get into heaven. Then one of her old friends, Abbot Suger tells the story of her first marriage. The book briefly returnes to heaven and then Mother Matilda tells the story of how Eleanor left King Louis for Henry. It again returns to heaven and next a knight tells of her years of marriage to King Henry. Another return to heaven and then Eleanor herself tells of her last 15 years after her husband's death. We again return to heaven just in time to greet Henry as he is escorted into heaven by Lincoln and Churchill. I guess it is a good book for younger kids for an intro to European history, but teens will probably be bored by this book.

Henry Plantagenet: A Biography of Henry II of England

Average customer rating:

The life and times of Henry II of England.
Engrossing, lively account of Henry II's life..........

Henry Plantagenet: A Biography of Henry II of England
Richard Barber
Manufacturer: Boydell Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Irish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0851158242

Book Description

Henry II is the most imposing figure among the medieval kings of England. His fiefs and domains extended from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, and his court was frequented by the greatest thinkers and men of letters of his time, besides ambassadors from all over Europe. This readable and accessible biography offers both a study of his character, and an estimate of his work as a ruler, work which is in a sense the history of his life, since it occupied his entire energies from his accession at the age of twenty-one to his death thirty-five years later. Nor is this the mere routine of government; from the desolate and lawless anarchy of Stephen's reign, and against the opposition of the great magnates and the Church, he built in England a stable and prosperous realm, and welded his diverse inheritance overseas into a single, and by the standards of the time, peaceful, unit. Only the folly of John dispersed his empire, and his work in England left an enduring mark on the institutions by which we are governed today.RICHARD BARBER's other books include Tournaments, with Juliet Barker, Edward Prince of Wales and Aquitaine, The Life and Campaigns of the Black Prince, The Knight and Chivalry and books on King Arthur; he is currently working on a study of the legend of the Holy Grail. 1154-1189

Customer Reviews:

The life and times of Henry II of England........2002-05-31

This is a average summary of this great King of England. It summarizes the challenges Henry Plangagenet faced when he assumed control of the Kingdom and his consolidation of his holdings in France. Henry II was one of the true great rulers
of his time, defying the Church and France to lead his realm. Since Barber wrote this book back in the sixties, it is not up to date on new research into Plantagenet rulers. Also Barber confuses the reader with the names of many people that were not a central theme of the King's time. The names are the most confusing aspect of this book, and thus the rating of three stars.

Engrossing, lively account of Henry II's life.................2001-04-04

In Henry Plantagenet, Richard Barber has produced a short, lively, commendably readable account of Henry Plantagenet's life and reign. The book never drags and is related in a novel-like narrative that keeps one's interest through every page. Henry II was one of Englands most intriguing rulers at battle with France and family. The husband of Eleanor of Aquitane, the father of Richard the Lion Heart and John Lackland, his story is one to behold and Barber's effort is a top notch resource with which to do so.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books