Expansion Books

This was the finest box set printed during the 2nd Edition era. All the books were useful, including the pre-made adventures that let you know how you should frame your adventures. Add to the fact it had nice expansions, and its hard to beat this book, save for the new d20 version.

The Gothic Earth setting is by far the most realistic adventure setting from TSR in decades, but, as noted in another review, successful play requires a good knowledge of the late 19th century, its customs, technology, etiquette, etc. This is NOT beyond the scope of anything required by any "steampunk" RPG, such as "Space 1889" or "Castle Falkenstein" or the "Cthulhu by Gaslight" 1890s campaign. Any background research into "our" world which has been done for any of those games is just as valid for Gothic Earth, and this campaign setting should actually require less mental gymnastics than "Falkenstein" or "1889."

The boxed set is VERY nice, and the maps and illustrations are unexpectedly beautiful (in a horrifically Gothic way, of course!), far above typical TSR standards, but the presentation and background of "the Red Death" entity (Gothic Earth's answer to the Voices of the Mists of Ravenloft) is rather feeble; most skilled GM's could come up with something better as a house rule. The mini-module, "The Red Death," which is included in the boxed set is, however, a very different matter; based upon Poe's "Masque of the Red Death," I adapted it to a "Falkenstein" game (it would have worked just as well in any other 19th century game) and shocked the heck out of my players; it is so obviously based upon the Poe story, however, that player knowledge can easily become a problem.

By and large, it's worth the price, and far less grim than Ravenloft itself.

Ever wondered whats like to play a Ravenloft campaign in the world we live in? This boxed set gives you everything you need to get started in gothic like horror role playing in Earth, in the year 1890. A general map, the character classes and abilities. Its just another good oportunity to role play something quite new... You'll love it.

This is by far the most original campaign setting in the AD&D line. While all other campaign settings are rather hack and slash, medieval settings. This setting takes you to 19th century earth in the 1890's. Where you can fight the villians some of the lords of Ravenloft were based after. You can fight Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, Mummies in real Egyptian tombs, and many many more. The only problem is that to do a really good game of Masque, one must do a whole lot of research about the 1890's. I ended up reading 3 books about the History of L.A. where my campaign was taking place in. But if you love to do real good research for a campaign, this is the world for you! Oh, H.P. Lovecraft stories are really great adventure ideas for this setting!

This interesting resource is an AD&D (2nd edition) sourcebook that came out in 1996. What this book is is an explanation of the northern part of the Forgotten Realms campaign, including the Sword Coast and all points north. EVERYTHING is included in this book, including climate and weather, history, races, classes (sadly, no new one herein), religion and geography, not to mention such details as military information and interesting Non-Player Characters.

Yes, as a guide to the Forgotten Realms North, this book is an excellent resource. If you are playing in that campaign, then you must have this book, so that you can flesh out the world in which your players are living. Now, my one and only complaint against this otherwise excellent book is that it is very specific to that campaign. If you are playing in a different campaign, then you will not find much here, as there is not much in the way of generic rules, new kits and so forth, that you can use elsewhere.

But, that said, this is a great resource, and a great purchase. If you are playing in the Forgotten Realms, then you really must get this book. I highly recommend it. (By the way, The Great Glacier resource covers the far, far north, and has lots of rules for tundra adventuring that can be taken to any campaign.)

Since this book is a review of the original "The Savage Frontier", I think it's indispensable for the Forgotten Realms master that likes wilderness adventures. I'm looking for this book for 3 years and I'd appreciate if anyone could tell me where to find and buy it.

Its awsome! Does anybody out there have a copy or knows who has a copy they are willing to sell? I have been looking for this thing for about four years now! Please send your price lists to Anthony Thomas 1255-C Langley Ave Grand Forks ND 58204. THANKS

This expansion presents most of the text of Volo's Guide to the North with updates on people and events, as well as indepth coverage of some areas not present in the Guide, such as barbarian customs and religion. A useful addition for the DM who wants to conduct adventures north of Waterdeep in the Forgotten Realms setting and those who like to keep up with what amounts to TSR's soap opera of the Seven Sisters. This product may disapoint some who were hoping that this product would do as much to expand on Volo's Guide as Volo's Guide expanded on the North, but since Volo's Guide has been discontinued and this is the replacement product a certain amount of rehash in necessary.

It goes without saying that for decades, centuries in fact, society has been patriarchal. Man ruled over woman. What he said was law. This held true for the pre- and post emigrating years along the trail.
Dr. Faragher's effort is a righteous work of how families coexisted both before and during these times. It was a working relationship. Meaningful romance and a companionate marriage took a back seat.

The overload of this fine book is the redundant "woman good, man bad" theme. We are well aware of the hardships women endured during the nineteenth century by performing nearly every task at hand. She was a super human. No social life, just plain hard work all the time.
We are also aware that man was responsible for the "other" duties both on the farm and while traveling the trail. This was life back then, and though times have changed for the better, there is still room for improvement between the sexes.

I felt that the book was really hard. And it was a little long. But overall the book was very intersing and was different then what I thought it was going to be. I think it is a must buy.

In the historiography of the westward movement the male perspective predominates. It is the story of men seeking their own destinies in an empty wilderness, searching for land and wealth. It is often a romantic tale of buffalo, Indians, wagon trains, and the gold rush. It is the patriotic story of Manifest Destiny. It is Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and Rawhide. Although it is often about greed, it is always about adventure. John Mack Faragher in Women & Men on the Overland Trail tells a different story from a different perspective. His story is about women being ripped from their families, and how they managed to keep their families together and retain their culture in adverse situations.
Faragher's story is generally about the migration of families, and more specifically about the role of women in this migration and their relationships to men within marriages during the 1840s and 1850s. He bases his analyses on 169 diaries and other narratives from women. He then extrapolates to women in general who he believes were coerced into moving west by the socially-constructed dominance of their husbands. Whether it is fair or right to assign the emotions of 169 women to the thousands of women who left no journals, is debatable. He uses a large cohort but not necessarily a representative one. The tables that Faragher compiled in Appendix 1, however, do corroborate his contention that the migrants were young, married, from the Midwest, and took with them only the necessities to start up a new life.
It shouldn't be a surprise that women of were less free than men; women had few rights prior to the 20th Century. Their roles were limited to such activities as cooking, cleaning, sewing, bearing children, nurturing the family, and teaching. As such, their work was never done and they could never rest. During migration, women no longer had their own sphere of influence (a home); instead, they were forced to work within the boundaries of male structure (the trail). Women wanted to bring their culture with them, such as the music, clothing, and literature from back East; yet even here, men controlled which parts of their culture to transport to a new land. What little they included was often discarded along the trail. Women were isolated on the trail, having supportive camaraderie from other women only at the sufferance of men. Men, however, "were never short on company; there were always other men on the road." (p 143) In their diaries, women expressed their sorrow at leaving their lives behind, their fears for the families and the future, and their sense of aloneness on the trail. However, they kept their opinions to themselves when men were present since they remained dependent upon those men.
Men made all the critical decisions and ultimately shouldered the responsibility for the success or failure of the migration. However, women, according to Faragher, shouldered more than their fair share of duties. In addition to socially-defined women's work, women also performed male duties such as driving wagons and handling livestock. Women excelled at women's work as well as men's work. Left unsaid by Faragher is that the blurring of the division of labor led to strong, independent women with the self-esteem to perform any task. It led to women obtaining socio-political rights such as the vote first in the West. This fact could and should have been linked to the strengths that women learned and obtained while migrating and creating a new homestead.

This is an enlightening, informative study on men's and women's lives both in the antebellum midwest and on the trail bound for Oregon and California. It is an excellent source of information. However, men were consistently cast as oppressors and women as victims. The point that nineteenth-century cultural mores put women in an inferior role is well made. But Faragher needs to move past his own sense of outrage at this injustice, and give us a more in-depth analysis of their lives and motivations.

I cannot really critique this book because I never could get the actual game to install on my pc. Thus, I never read this book with any real determination.

I likeed this strategy guide. Having it simply makes the game more fun, and that's what makes this a 5-star guide IMO. It covers everything from gameplay tweaks compared to the original game, to a completel walkthough of all missions.

This book covers every new campaign in the new expansion game. Maps and in depth walkthrus for the campaigns. Also every EVERY multiplayer tactic u ever wanted to know to become the master of the titans. For 15 dollars its definitly a great deal to get!! and heres more facts The eagerly anticipated Titans Expansion adds new strategic possibilities and depth of the Age of Mythology universe with Titan uberunits, the new Atlantean mythology, and a whole new campaign. This comprehensive strategy guide, written with the full support of Ensemble Studios and Microsoft Game Studios, is packed with the strategies, tactics, and analysis you need to master the Titans!

Inside you'll find: Strategies and tips straight from Ensemble Studios' best players Thorough analysis of the Atlantean mythology, including military units, Major and Lesser Gods, and their powers Detailed economic and military strategies that show you how to build a thriving economy and prevail in combat Multiplayer tactics for every game mode, including Lightning tactics from Age of Mythology expert Chris "Swinger" Rupp In-depth stats for everything in the game Step-by-step walkthrough of the compelling new campaign

A very good start for the college student who is interested in learning more than myths about Alexander and the world he was born into. Not a psychological portrait but straight history, in the old style [it was first published in 1931]. It should be balanced with other works if one wants a full portrait of Alexander. It can be dense at times but it's rewarding.

This is a smoothly done work. The author, a product of the older German school of history, has been expertly translated here. This book reads easily, and the reader quickly gets swept up into the interesting and insightful text. This a fairly straight-forward bio of Alexander. Those wanting to know his sexual escapades should consult more modern works. Here such is only hinted at.

The main stength of this book seems to be its comparative analysis. The author shows how Alexander evolved in his strategy of conquest. He is also skillful at showing how he managed his various titles as ruler, being Hegemon to the Greeks, and Divine King to the Asiatics. There is limited discussion of the great battles of Alexander, although reference is made to the Oblique Order which he developed from Epamiadas of Thebes. The early chapter concerning Philip also sheds light on his accomplishments and how they would influence his son.

The concluding chapters discuss the legacy of Alexander. Useful reference is made to how Caeser planned to model his three year campaign of conquest on Alexander in the East before he was assassinated. Tthe legacy of Alexander with the Romans is also interesting. There is also a good deal of how the Diodachi Succession wars developed, and how these various rulers spread Hellanism throughtout their empires. Alexander can be seen on many different levels. He is many things to different people. Here we find a pretty unbiased account, which is on the whole favorable toward his accomplishments and deeds. Readers more familar with recent bios may wish to consult this work to get a clear, concise and uncluttered account.

I have read a number of books on Alexander the Great and finally decided to read Wilcken's biography on Alexander since it is cited in so many other works. While the book covers all the high points and is generally favorable in its treatment and view of Alexander, it fails to give any real detail about the man, his life or his military exploits. If you know little of Alexander you will find the highpoints here. If you are looking for something new, the only information that I had not seen before was the author's speculation about Alexander's future plans; and the author's discussion of the legacy of Alexander. There is an interesting discussion in the introduction about earlier Alexander biographies.

I never would have read this book if i didnt have to, but once again, im glad i did. This book is really no different than anything about Alexander, except its short, easy, and it covers the important points of his life.
If you have to read it- dont worry its not too bad, and if you ever wanted to know about Alexander the Great, this book is perfect for you, both academically and casually

History frequently expresses strong views of Alexander. Alexander was not the first cult figure but one of the greatest characters of history. I thought that history books were dates and footnotes and Greek passages. But it has come down to many more questions than answers. Why did more Greeks fight against Alexander as mercenaries than for him?
I like the readability of the book. I knew something about Alexander the Great from high school. And then I learned on the History Channel about how his father Philip was killed. That's all I knew up to reading the book. Through this book I found the spirit of Alexander. The book provides a glossary which is very helpful. The book is a easy read. It's like a series of guest lectures and reviews that helped shaped the work . Frank Holt is the leading scholar working on Alexander and the East, as well as Greeks in Asia. I liked it and read more.
I learned to like the word Arete meaning excellence, but it really means the "capacity for excellence" or "prowess." It is the Homeric ideal to which all heroes aspire and the driving principle in Alexander' s character. I took this took to heart.
I never thought that money was so important to history. From the Persians 3 Billion dollars alone was the prize catch. I learned that many came over to Alexander the Great's side and he was met along the road and then cities would surrender their fortresses and treasuries to him. I enjoyed the book and liked it very much there were times I got into the action of the book. The topic of Alexander is 2300 years old. Alexander ordered a journal kept and even had a staff to keep it up to date. This was the Ephemerides ( or the royal Journal or "Day Book"). Today they survive in fragments. The literature published on Alexander in German, French, Italian and of course Greek is immense. I think I would like to read some day "William Woodthorpe Tarns, Alexander the Great 2, Cambridge, 1948.
I have started another book,"Alexander the Great" by Paul Cartledge which tells of another Alexander, the Spartans and his ancient world. The book talks a lot about history but does not get into Alexander's relationship with his father Philip or his his career in terms of alcohol. Alexander favorite pastime was hunting. In Macedonia you did not become fully a man until you had passed the key manhood test of hunting and killing, without a net, one of the ferocious wild boars that roamed the heights of western Macedonia. Only then could you recline, as opposed to sitting, when participating in the daily ritual of the symposium, the evening drinking party. Another kind of hunting, the killing of enemies in battle entitled a Macedonian to wear a special belt, as a visual signal and reminder of his attainment and prestige.
Alexander's legacy unites East and West in it's traditions including art and music. Alexander is a world legacy as well as a Greek Hero. Alexander is seen as hero, bad guy, holy man, Christian, as a new achilles, prophet and visionary, King of Macedonia and conqueror of the Persian Empire. No sexual relationship ever distracted Alexander from his purpose.
From the reading I still question if Alexander was poisoned. I think he died because of a contracted fever and broken heart. I think he knew that his men wanted him to come home and finish his war in other lands. He left no heirs, nor did he establish any permanent structure for the empire. The League of Corinth had been dissolved. His empire fell apart.
This book is presuming that the reader is beginning the study of Macedonia and Alexander the Great. Another book he wrote that I would love to read is In the Shadow of Olympus: the Emergence of Macedonia ( Princeton ,1990) by E. N. Borza which describes Aristotle teaching him at thirteen and combat training at seven.
Alexander the Great introduced Greek as an official language throughout his vast empire. Alexander kept a copy of Homer's Iliad under his pillow. I liked how this man took care of his sick and wounded on the battlefield and disabled veterans. And he also took care of veterans as they got older.
The first historical novel " The Alexander Romance" celebrated his many feats and Alexander coin portraits continue to be struck. Caesar as a pretorian governor in Spain, on seeing a portrait of Alexander, lamented that he was in his late thirties and had yet to do any thing great. This was the greatness of Alexander

Biographies of figures from the ancient world are often written, in the words of one of my old professors, "as if the author were being paid by the word." Lindsay Adam's new biography of Alexander the Great manages to avoid that trap. This book demonstrates that scholarship and readability are not contradictory. Adam's scholarly grounding is top-notch, but he does not clutter up his narrative with the usual wordy footnotes and passages in classical Greek. Both the professional historian and the history fan will find much to enjoy here. The author handles the complex and fascinating story of Alexander's conquests and their legacy with considerable grace and mastery. The professor looking for a text for undergraduates and the reader simply interested in a retelling of one of history's most compelling careers would both profit from this book.

In what can only be described as historic irony, the short and tumultuous career of Alexander I of Macedonia marked the start of the slow decline of direct Greek participation within the scope of ancient-world politics; but it also ushered in the period of that civilization's most profound cultural influence. In just a dozen years, the Mediterranean world had changed forever, the political landscape reshuffled and its known boundaries expanded. But just as pioneers in any field are beholden to those who came before, the world's first great conqueror displayed many values of the ancient society from which he sprang and paid homage to several ideals that pervaded the culture of ancient Greece from its prehistory to his own time. This work is an annotated journey through Alexander's life as recounted by the ancient chroniclers Arrian, Diodorus, Plutarch, and Quitus Curtius. It is not modernized, or summarized. It is a true historian's read, not a popular manifestation of Alexander's story. Like reading Herodotus or Thucydides, it is history written by historians who are, themselves, a part of history. That being said, everything we know (or think we know) about Alexander was recorded by these chroniclers. This is the historical basis of the popular image of Alexander.

And what about that image? Ironically, the very act of bridging the gap between civilizations and exposing the world to more and more scrutiny that, in the end, is Alexander's most important legacy, was the very mechanism that insured that he would never become a god in the ancient tradition. Alexander was a transitional figure in history - both a destroyer of old values and the creator of new ones. Like the great Colossus of Rhodes, Alexander's life bestrides the strait dividing the ancient world from its next incarnation, the Hellenistic Age, the era that - thanks to Alexander and no other - introduced the enduring values of ancient Greece to the known world and beyond.

This compelation of exerpts from all the major ancient sources that realte to Alexander the Great is a good source if you require a compact straight forward document on Alexander's highlights. Although it doesn't replace the full editions of the books it quotes from, it is a very handy - and inexpensive - source book that can be very handy if you don't want to wade through reams of pages of evidence. It can also give you an idea of a starting point to look at in the full editions.

Alexander the Great, was born on or around July 20, 356 B.C.E., and is my favorite personality to read about in history. To me he is the whole package general, statesman, conqueror, and philosopher. The smartest man who ever lived, Aristotle, tutored him. Alexander conquered more of the known world than any other figure in history, accomplishing all this before he dies at the ripe old age of 33. Some people called him conqueror and violent overlord. Some other called him civilizer and even God! All of them yet, called him "The Great". He was the first man in modern history that took this name, "The Great"! Even as a young boy, he shows great promise.

Diodorus a Greek historian who lived from 80-20 BCE wrote 40 books of world history. He is an uncritical compiler who used good sources and produced them faithfully. His work is one of the oldest works available and is based on eyewitness accounts. He does a better job than most in explaining the battle scenes, and seems to be more balanced in his admiration and criticism of Alexander then any of the other early biographers. I love his Bucephalus Story, and I recount it here so you get a flavor of the promise this young Alexander shows.

The legend begins with Philoneicus, a Thessalian, bringing a wild horse to Philip for him to buy. None of the hands was able to handle it, and Philip grew upset at Philoneicus for bringing such an unstable horse to him. Alexander, however, publicly defied his father and claimed that he could handle the horse. The bet between Philip and Alexander was that if Alexander could ride the horse, Philip would buy it, if not, Alexander would have to pay the price of the horse, which was 13 talents, an enormous sum for a boy of Alexander's age to have.

Alexander apparently noticed that the horse had been shying away from its own shadow, and so he led it gently into the sun, so that its shadow was behind it, all the while stroking it gently and whispering into its ear, (Alexander seems to be the original horse whisperer). Eventually the horse let Alexander mount him, and Alexander was able to show his equestrian skill to his father and all who were watching. The incident so impressed Alexander's father, King Philip that he told the boy "Look thee out a kingdom equal to and worthy of you, for Macedonia is too little for thee". He named the horse Bucephalus, which means Ox head, and rode it across Asia, founding a city in its honor in India after its death. This story gives you an inkling about the man.

This book is a necessary read for students of Alexander, I also recommend Plutarch's and Arrian's work, and from contemporary writers, J. F. C. Fuller and Tarn. Most of Alexander's greatest military traits are in the area of military logistics and to understand his genius in this area I highly recommend reading, "Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army," by Donald W. Engels.

As a retired U. S. Army Major, I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in ancient warfare, and history.

Just a collection of informative vignettes detailing the Brothers and Sisters contributions to the creation of the Old West. Yet another piece of the historical African puzzle that everyone (but especially Blacks) need to become aware of.

This book is great and very informative. It tells how the West was won with the help of African-Americans, the things they had to endure during slavery and after freedom and how they establish productive communities.

THE BLACK WEST is a revised edition of an older book by William Loren Katz. He gives us a definitive history, not only of the Black people who helped settle the West, but also of the machinations of the United States to steal the land from the indigenous people. He includes the brawl with Santa Ana of Mexico regarding Texas as well as the struggle to take California from the Mexicans and the Indians. Katz lets us know that although Blacks were prominent in the settling of the West, they were not welcome additions. Many territories that later became states, passed "black laws" to restrict the entry of Blacks into the territories and to regulate their behavior once they were there. Two such laws were keeping them from voting and preventing them from attending the local schools.

On the plus side, Katz gives the glittering history of the Black cowboys who herded the cattle, tamed the ponies and found gold. He even covers the lawbreakers who rustled cattle and gave Billy the Kid a run for his money in terms of bad behavior. Also there were those Blacks who were not willing to quietly accept the discrimination that they had left the states to avoid. Many of these individuals left a legacy of protest. Two women were told in a bar in Seattle, "We don't serve niggers here." They tore that place up. Then there was the sheriff who falsely arrested a Black Buffalo Soldier in Texas. Not only did his fellow soldiers protest, they ripped open the jail and took their comrade with them.

The heartbreaking side was those Blacks who worked hard and long to buy their freedom. Once they had the money and gave it their owner, their owner would accept the money and then continue to keep them in bondage. Also, when Blacks discovered gold, irate gangs of Whites who wished to steal from them frequently ran them off the claim.

This was an excellent book and in my opinion should be required reading for every school child in America. Katz does not sugar coat history as we've come so used to seeing in regular history books. He tells the good along with the bad. He makes the West come alive with his tales of individual courage as well as covering the ugly racism that has colored this country's history.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

This book is a great reference for the theory of bootstrap. However, it lacks applications, so practicioners should look for other references.

I wrote a book on bootstrap methods at the same time that Peter Hall was writing his. He kindly sent me an advance copy of the manuscript. This enabled me to incorporate some very useful information in my book. The material is advanced and rigorous. However the asymptotic results for Edgeworth and Cornish-Fisher expansions provide important insight into the advantages of bootstrap and the special modifications such as bootstrap iteration and various other bootstrap variants for confidence intervals including Efron's BCa method. It is well written but requires a good mathematical background and knowledge of advanced probability would be helpful. It is not easy reading even for Ph.D students and postdoctoral researchers but is certainly worth the effort.

I wrote a book on bootstrap methods at the same time that Peter Hall was writing his. He kindly sent me an advance copy of the manuscript. This enabled me to incorporate some very useful information in my book. The material is advanced and rigorous. However the asymptotic results for Edgeworth and Cornish-Fisher expansions provide important insight into the advantages of bootstrap and the special modifications such as bootstrap iteration and various other bootstrap variants for confidence intervals including Efron's BCa method. It is well written but requires a good mathematical background and knowledge of advanced probability would be helpful. It is not easy reading even for Ph.D students and postdoctoral researchers but is certainly worth the effort.

Readers and especially students who want a quick overview of the meaning of "empire" (by no means self-evident) will find a bright diamond in Professor Howe's short text. Encompassed in this slender volume is an attempt to clarify what it means to have an empire, how that differs from colonialism, imperialism, globalization and other competing conceptual categories; a brief description of the leading empires -- Roman, Ottoman, Austria-Hungarian, British, Chinese; and an especially good discussion of relatively recent debates on the overall effects of Empire, with particular attention on the consequences of empire for the dispersion of democracy and the creation of global wealth in countries formerly within the shadow of an empire's reach. The issue of whether and to what extent the U.S. constitutes an empire is raised. This book is a great place to identify the many faceted debates associated with empire for more detailed, subsequent investigation.

Kudos to author Stephen Howe for jamming so much solid info on empire and its related topics (such as imperialism, colonialism, decolonization, etc.) into a book that clocks in at under 130 pages. I've read three of these Very Short Introduction series books; they've all been good, and this one is the best so far in terms of readability and quality of information. Some of the books in this series can be surprisingly dense despite their slimness, but I found this one to be a quick read. Howe is probably better at raising questions than he is at giving final answers, but I don't think that's a bad thing -- this is a messy topic. Think of it as kind of a primer, and you won't be disappointed.

Howe does an excellent job of defining some of the terminology related to empire, which is no small task (not least because the terms are often so misused, confused, and/or politicized.) Much of the book consists of comparing and contrasting the different empires found throughout history. Admittedly, he spends more space discussing the modern (late-19th/early-20th century) European empires than he does land-based and/or ancient empires. If the book has a single 'weakness,' that's probably it -- though in order to bolster the sections about land-based and ancient empires, Howe would have had to break the 'Very Short Intro' format.

As someone who studied the British Empire in grad school, I was always intrigued by the idea of comparative studies on empires on a grand historical and global scale. However, there is surprisingly little comparative work done on empires out there -- doubly surprising when you consider that, in the grand sweep of human history, empires have been much more common and have been around a lot longer (since about 4K years ago) than nation-states. Howe's Very Short contribution is a good starting point, and provides a lot of food for thought for anyone interested in this topic.

Oh, one last thing -- the Further Reading list at the end of the book is excellent.

I have a number of these cute volumes from Oxford. They fill a useful niche in the academic literature on topics that are basic to understanding a wide variety of fields convering the humanities, history, and the social sciences. I found this particular volume on empire, however, a bit too broad and sweeping in historical scope; almost to the point where the concept of "empire" is rendered useless as an explanatory model. There should have been greater emphasis placed on "modern" empires that arose with the development of capitalism and its attendant imperial and colonial systems of maintanance. While the author's politics seem much more tepid in comparison to other contributors to this fine series, this particular volume is still worth reading. I request of Amazon that all these Oxford "Very Short Introduction" titles be stocked for purchase because they are ideal refresher courses that can be transported and read easily while waiting for the bus, sitting in a cafe, or occupying oneself until a beautiful woman who likes ideas wanders by.