history

As a film professional and teacher I was extremely impressed by Frederick Levy's book. Every question a student has ever asked me about the industry is answered here. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as a supplemental text book for any college level class. Not only is it informative but it's fun to read!

Excellent book about breaking into the "Industry". This book details almost all jobs in the industry and really tells you how to go about securing that job without knowing someone who can help you. You may find that you are better suited for another career within the industry, one you never would have dreamed of. Frederick Levy is a guy who knows his stuff and truly wrote this book to help you succeed with your career in film. He talks about writing a Television 101.......I am waiting!! Although Hollywood 101 was just as helpful! After reading your book, I am more than ever convinced that I shall succeed as well. Thanks Mr. Levy, I look forward to more books on the Industry from you!!

This is the first book I bought after I decided on a career in television production. Thanks to this book, I've never looked back or questioned my decision. Levy outlines all the aspects of the industry and gives you tips on how to make it if your uncle isn't Steven Spielberg. What a great resource!

I think Maggie Lane has done an absolutely wonderful job on this Austen collection. It is beautifully illustrated, well set out and a perfect introduction to Austen especially for those fans who have to her through the recent popularity of her books from the movies and telly series.

It is a hard cover coffee table sized book so its not something you take to bed with you, quite slim but packed full of good material. It is divided into five chapters which cover everything from Jane Austen the person, to daily life in Regency England and the film adaptations. Each chapter is subdivided into smaller sections which are really just double page spreads on a particular subject. Don't expect an indepth analysis of any particular subject but do expect a very competent summary.

Lane includes an Austen chronology of Austen's life - useful and easy to read. The only real objection I have is that many of the pictures used in here are not titled and it is difficult to find out who drew them - the illustrations index in the back is quite small and cluttered.

For those of you who are thinking of buying this book second hand, watch out you don't confuse this book with Lane's earlier work on Austen's life. It is an smaller book and is more of an autobiography tracing her life and travels.

In short - a really enjoyable book.

"Jane Austen's world" is an excellent book for any Jane Austen fan--whether you're just starting to learn about Austen or you're already a seasoned fan. While giving some good biographical information on Austen, it more importantly familiarizes the reader on English society at the time that Jane Austen lived.We learn to understand how the novel was a recent literary form at this time, and this adds appreciation to the genius of Austen's works. "Jane Austen's World" is an excellent guide to recent Austen film adaptations. I particularly appreciated the sections on the English government and monarchy of the time. This is a wonderful beginning biography of Austen as it is very approchable and easy to read. The format of the entire book is interesting and inviting.

This is a really great book. I'm a fan of Jane Austen and have read all her novels but there were many things in them that I didn't understand because I didn't know the culture, customs and history of that time. Just one small example--Mr. Darcy hands his letter to Elizabeth Bennett instead of mailing it. Apparently unmarried men and women did not correspond with each other unless they were relatives or engaged to be married. Another example--balls and dances were a primary way for unmarried people to meet and socialize and one of the few ways they could talk alone to each other (while on the dance floor). So the balls/dances in Jane Austen's books are much more significant than I realized.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand Jane Austen's novels better.

If you really want to know what war does to ordinary people read this book. It is a superb, beautiful, deeply sad,uncompromising,uplifting masterpiece. With fascism on the move again across Europe, this work of art will convince you, if you ever needed convincing, that such evil should never be allowed to pass this way again

I CONSUMED this novel over fifteen years ago and re-read it recently. I had forgotten what a wonderfully funny, scary, sensitive story it is.

Elsa Morante is truly one of the best writers of the 20th Century. She is able to express the anguish and the glory of "her" little man. Indeed, regardless of what happens in our lives, the events that may seem catastrophic, happiness is still all around us, we just have to fight for it. This is the lesson that Elsa Morante wants us to take away.

How do we achive this? Read "History" and discover the secret...

I read this book over four years ago, and I still come to this website to see if any new titles have been added to the "If you liked this book..." section. I have a B.A. and M.A. in literature, read voraciously, and this remains in my top 10 list of all novels (among others, "Gathering Evidence," by Thomas Bernhardt, "Maria Zef," by Paola Driga, "Independent People," by Halldor Laxness . . .). It is one of those books that, should you hear of it somehow and read it, you will think a long time about how lucky you are that you "met" this novel, and this author, if you've never read her before; and you will shudder to think you might have gone through your life and missed such a book, and you will begin to wonder how many other books there are out there like this, some that you know you will never find. This is a serious novel, and a deeply moving one, especially if you have a fondness for literature about children. But this is not a prerequisite. When I began the novel, I didn't believe I could come to care so deeply for a fictional character, much less a five-year-old boy who, for the majority of the novel, is too young to speak. And his dogs! This is a truly magical novel. During the last fifty pages, I could not possibly put this book down, and my whole being was affected for days after reading the book, and I can never really forget it. If you don't like to feel, don't read this book. But if you do, you will rarely, if ever, be so richly rewarded.

Edward Winslow was the first Winslow to come over on the Mayflower.The Winslows had many children, but looking at our family Bible and records...no Gilbert. Also, the Winslows in our family line (directly from Edward)became Quakers and settled in the South (NC). However, the book sounds interesting, but the names could be more accurate.

This book is a must read for any Christian that has an interest in historical fiction. My father bought me this book for my birthday along with the other four in the book 1-5 boxed set. I loved it right away. It had adventure, romance, nail-biting, tear-jerking plot twists, and completely accurate historical events tied into the story lines. I got hooked on this book and the Gilbert Morris House of Winslow Series. Before long I had read 22 and am going to buy the 23rd. I only wish there were more in the series. I recommend this book and other historic fiction Gilbert Morris books very strongly.

This is a remarkable story. It is full of history and I learned a lot about the ways of life of the puritans from reading it. You will meet the characters you find in your history books in a way you never knew them before! I read it very quickly because the characters were so well developed and the plot exciting. The romance was wonderful, but this isn't a romance novel so it wasn't overdone. This is the first book in the House of Winslow series and it tells the story of young gilbert winslow who takes on a job as a spy to turn in one of the leading puritan pastors. It follows his journey on the Mayflower and the lives of the settlers. This story is captivating, simply put. Will Gilbert be able to turn in the innocent man even after he has come to love the Puritans? Will he go back and Marry Cecily and forget all about dear Humility? Everyone should read this book.

I was captivated by this book. James Spada has compiled several well-known photographs with many photos I had never seen. He does not try to analyse or to delve into the behind the scenes. He presents the photos with a paragraph or two, and lets us glimpse into Jackie Kennedy Onassis's life. I was entranced by the pictures of her youth and the pure beauty and joy in several ungarded moments. A beautiful tribute.

I really adored this book - it is so much more than yet another reprinting of the famous pictures of Jackie. The photos chosen by Spada are remarkable in their ability to portray both the remarkable strength possessed by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, as well as her frailties that we can all relate to. While many people have seen the countless photos that have been published of Mrs. Onassis from her birth to death, Mr. Spada managed to select mostly photos that are little-seen, as well as photos that needed no text to give the reader a better sense of the people portrayed in the book. The text that does accompany the photos is well written and restrained. Purchasing "Jackie: Her Life in Pictures" will be money well spent.

The texts are good but particularity the photos, there are a lot buy it!!!The photos chosen by Spada are remarkable in their ability to portray both the remarkable strength possessed by Jacqueline Kennedy .
Jackie: Her Life in Pictures" will be money well spent

"Human All too Human" is the zenith in Nietzsche's philosophy. It doesn't get any better than this, folks. Read this book from cover to cover and you will be amazed, and if you're like me, captivated, by the depth of Nietzsche's thinking. In "Human, All too Human", Nietzsche spills his musings on the State, "Man alone with himself", and the eternal splinter in his brain, religion.

When reading "Human, All too Human", you will recognize Nietzsche's shortcomings. His distrust of women is evident. His insecurity with the rapid advancement of technology and communications in his time clouded his thinking. But we should be forgiving of these errors. Judge not, lest you be judged. Nietzsche, like all of us, was human. He too, like so many of us do, embraced false symbols of power (religion, militarism) in his younger days. He was, after all, the son of a Lutheran clergyman and joined the army as an ambulance orderly during the Franco-Prussian War. Fortunately for posterity, Nietzsche possessed the intellectual fortitude to recognize these errors and bring them to light in his writings.

In "Human, All too Human", Nietzsche proves his remarkable ability to examine mankind like a crude specimen under a microscope. He stumbled along the way, but at least he mustered this courage. Isn't that all we can hope to be in this life? A little more human?

In order to give form to his Overman, Nietzsche had to call to account many human failings and weaknesses, and then reveal their baseness to the world. Nietzsche identified so much that had to be rejected in human life and affairs, (and so much that constituted greatness), which is the reason for the sheer scope of "Human, All Too Human". In 638 short aphorisms it covers politics, warfare, ascetics, morals, art, poetry, marriage, crime & punishment, the soul, and the gamut of human feeling, emotion, motive, instinct, will to power, habit and need.

In Human, All Too Human", Nietzsche outlines the basis of his later, more focused works. It is distinguished from these by its lack of arrogance, lack of aggression and its lack of real direction. Chapters are harnessed together by titles such as "A Look At The State", "Man Alone With Himself", "Signs Of Higher And Lower Culture", Man In Society", and "Woman And Child".

The book was written just after Nietzsche gave up his professors chair at Basel in Switzerland, and around the time of his break from his erstwhile father-figure, Richard Wagner. Nietzsche had now lost the shackles of youth and employment and was at his most free-spirited and this book is testimony to that fact: "Human, All Too Human" is dedicated to deliciously-malicious free-spirits everywhere.

Less intense than some of his later work, this book evokes a walk in the mountains enjoying pleasant conversation with one of the most penetrating and enlightened minds in history. Less intense perhaps, but no less compelling or unsettling.

Nietzsche is always fun in all of his writings, and this book is one of his best in this regard. It is better than morning coffee in stimulating the mind, and one cannot read it without frequent chuckles. One can only wonder if Nietzsche would have been as personable in real life as he is in this book. One can say with certainty though that Freud was right in stating that Nietzsche new more about himself than most any other human being...but also, he knew more about other humans than perhaps any other human being. Nietzsche incites the reader to recklessness, and this gives the book its value. Everyone needs free play: a run up the steps of Ephesus. The Nietzschean project of drunken Dionysian ecstacy can be accomplished by the perusal of the written word: this book is ample proof of that.

I ordered this book when I first began researching the Battle of the Teutoburgerwald and have to agree with the other reviewers - it is an interesting and highly exciting detective story detailing a little-known but amazing episode in European history.

Clunn's dedication, attention to detail and determination have to be applauded and the enthusiasm with which he describes his quest make this book a real page turner. You can see one of the great archaeological discoveries of the century happening almost before your eyes, and Clunn does a great job of vividly linking this process to the dramatic events of September 9 AD and the great battle and Roman military disaster of the Teutoburgerwald.

My only criticism regards the fictionalisations which punctuate the narrative. Unlike other reviewers, I'm afraid I can't share the enthusiasm for these sections - Clunn's non-fiction style is highly readable and quite immediate and even personable. Unfortunately his fiction style is hackneyed, melodramtic and, in places, really, really bad. Added to this is the fact that, while he seems to have a good grasp of the details of the Augustan period Roman army, his knowledge of the Germanic tribes of the period is pretty shaky. They did not use Conan the Barbarian-style double bladed axes, for example. Nor did they wear Wagnerian winged helmets. His depiction of the Germanics in these sections seem to be based more on Nineteenth Century Romantic engravings than on any actual research.

That minor quibble aside, this is an excellent book by the man who discovered one of the great battle sites of ancient history and a prime English language text on events which deserve to be much better known. Highly recommended.

As a military historian with absolutely =no= interest in ancient history, I nevertheless succumbed to extreme curiosity when a friend excitedly described Tony Clunn's masterful account of the utter destruction of three Roman legions in the boggy western German countryside in 9 AD.

The pursuit of historical accuracy owes much to the talented amateur who, fueled by an unshakeable curiosity, delves into the unaccessed nooks and crannies of times past without the academic's certainty that the historical record is more times immutable than not. I have long operated on the principle that history is a moving target, that the pursuit of historical truth is ongoing, that we have all the time in the world to get to the bottom of things.

I think my friend felt I would enjoy In Quest of the Lost Legions on those bases alone, for by sheer persistence (and good luck), Tony Clunn has turned the foundation of German national history on its ear.

The English edition of In Quest of the Lost Legions is somewhat shorter than the original German edition, and it suffers--albeit slightly--from a lack of transitions where material was cut. Thus a crucial turning point in Clunn's understanding of the Varus battlefield never quite pays off, and the reasons for Clunn's numerous quests much farther afield in Germany go unexplained. Despite these two flaws--which are minor and would no doubt go unperceived by most readers--Clunn's twin tales are absolutely compelling from the first page to the last. I found myself immediately engaged in both the modern and ancient tales, and I found my understanding of battlefield archeology and comprehension of the Roman occupation of Germany advancing painlessly at a comfortable rate.

As it turns, out this dual history--one that focuses upon the first stirrings of German nationhood and the beginning of the decline of the Roman Empire in Europe, and the other that is an incredible detective story--has been utterly pivotal in the way Germans have come to view their history in only a matter of a very few years. The writing style employed in both stories is both measured and vivid, so carefully conceived that a person as ignorant of both aspects of the book as I was can be brought along in thoroughly digestible phases to a keen comprehension of the underlying history and the inner workings of Clunn's efforts to pinpoint the underlying truths that are now accepted throughout the academic circles that monitor such breathtaking historical revisionism. The beauty of Clunn's own tale is that he is right and that he is acknowledged as being right by the usually closed circles of experts that tend to stultify historical inquiry by even the most talented and best informed "outsiders".

In Quest of the Lost Legions is two great stories for the price of one--the history of an immense historical coup and the haunting two-millenia-old tale woven from the threads Clunn himself has laboriously and painstakingly dug out of the peat bogs of Kalkriese.

"In Quest Of The Lost Legions: The Varusschlacht" by Major Tony Clunn is one of those rare gems of a book. You don't realise just how good it is until you start. I purchased this book based on the reviews at Amazon.com in the United States and the United Kingdom. After I received my copy I had a quick flick through it and decided that I would read it at a later date. Over the last few months I picked up the book a few times, flicked through and decided 'next time'. I am so disappointed in myself for not reading this book as soon as I received it in the mail.

This is a great story, packed full of interesting information and a great narrative of the demise of the 17th, 18th & 19th Roman Legions under command of Publius Quinctilius Varus in Germany during the year 9 A.D. The author tells two interesting and interconnected stories in this book. One covers his archeological hunt for the site of the final demise of the Roman Legions. The other story that parallels this quest is a fictional account, which is based on the early Roman Histories, later German historians and the archeological evidence, offering the reader the most likely scenario to explain the destruction of three Roman Legions of over 20,000 men in a dark German forest so many years ago.

Both stories are well told. Initially I enjoyed the author's account of his quest in locating Roman artifacts whilst based in Germany with the British Army. However, after awhile into the book I became hooked on the story about the Roman Legions, the men and their commanders. Towards the end of the book I found it hard to put down as the narrative speed towards the final battle. I knew what was coming but the story had me enthralled, I couldn't put the book away, I had to keep reading. In the end I was quite caught up in the fate of Marcus Aius and one of the Signifers (Standard Bearers) of the Roman Legions.

This is an exceptional book told with a knack for great story telling. How accurate is the authors telling of the final battle between the German warriors and the Roman Legions under Varus? Who knows, maybe the future will confirm Major Clunn's theory but either way this is a well told story and I am sure anyone who enjoys ancient history or accounts of the glory days of the Roman Empire will love this book.

It is with some reluctance that I offer this review. It is meant only as constructive criticism of a book written by an extremely knowledgeable author. I think this book would be great as a textbook for a formal class or for someone already somewhat familiar with the history and geography of the region. However, I started with neither. I only had only the desire to learn the background of a region that figures prominently in today's events. For me, the book delved into too much detail, the author describing all the intricacies of each transition of influence and power. There was more detail than I could comprehend outside of a classroom environment.

If I could put the rest of my life on hold and go into study mode, perhaps I could absorb more. In my opinion, this is one of those books where the author is so intimately familiar with the material that he forgets just how ignorant the reader may be. I also thought the book contained far too few maps. I finally purchased some additional maps but with all the boundary and name changes, maps are required much more frequently to illustrate what is occurring.

I carried this book with me for a year trying to get through it. I had to force myself to read it and I never did complete it. I have now ordered another book that I hope will be easier reading.

I did learn many things from the portion of the book I read and I have a vague Idea what happened from the beginning of Islam through the period prior to World War 1. However, that is where I finally gave up.

I am not saying this is a bad book. In the right hands, I think it would be a wonderful book. That said, I believe the book is not for people looking for background that cannot study it as a textbook. The target audience of this book may not be people such as myself and I may have selected a totally inappropriate text.

There are many aspects of the history of the Middle East that do not lend themselves to easy reading. However, some authors can make history live, for nothing is as interesting as history. No novel can spin a wilder tale than history itself. This book just did not make history live for me. I will save it and perhaps one day when I have more background, I will read it again.

The first thing that might come to a student's mind with a history textbook would be the words: tedious, dull and unexciting. And do not worry because Cleveland possesses none of these negative qualities. Cleveland covers every topic on the modern Middle East to Oslo agreements and Muhammad Ali in Egypt. The book explains the history of a foreign culture and region that many people do not understand and he writes it in an easy to read format. I promise that it will not be the most exciting book in the world to read, but it will offer you knowledge on the Middle East that only a few actually understand and know. I am a history major at Indiana State University and took a course on modern Middle Eastern history taught by Robert Hunter that wrote "The Palestinian Uprising: A War by Other Means."

I considered Cleveland's textbook on the Modern Middle East a great source of history. After reading this book, I guarantee that you will better understand the present-day crisis in the Middle East than over ninety-five percent of the people in the United States.

The Middle East is such a multi-faced region with such a rich historical legacy that even people who strive to be well-informed cannot help but feel bewildered at its cultural, political, and religious complexity. Given the blustering aggressiveness of the post-September 11 U.S. policy toward the region, however, Americans owe it to themselves to become far more familiar with the complexities of the Middle East than has been our wont up to now.

Popular magazine articles that attempt to "explain" Islamic rage as the result of a "fear of modernity" or "jealousy of the west's freedoms" may as well bear a stamp proclaiming their authorship by the "Ministry of Propaganda." As an alternative, I recommend Professor Cleveland's textbook, which serves as a brief but remarkably thorough introduction to the history of this volatile part of the world.

No, the book does not cover Afghanistan or Pakistan, but clearly political currents in these nations are closely linked with what has transpired in Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, and the rest of the Middle East proper. At the heart of the current crisis is, of course, the Israeli-Palestinian condundrum, and here the author's explanations and analyses are clear, balanced, and incisive. His discussions of the evolution of Saddam Hussein's Iraq and the background *and consequences* of the 1991 Gulf War are also invaluable. In his recounting of the Iranian revolution, Cleveland offers a fascinating analysis of the apparent Islamicist rejection of "modernity," showing that those in the Middle East who reject the West do not crave a return to the ancient past, but instead wish to follow a modernization pathway that is guided by indigenous cultural principles, including the precepts of Islam.

Perhaps most impressive, however, is what Cleveland has to say toward the end of the book regarding the dangers of an overly intrusive and domineering presence in the Islamic Middle East by the lone remaining planetary superpower, the U.S. He does not prophesy the recent terrorism that has afflicted this country, but he does criticize the U.S. for policies that seem to rely more upon aerial bombardment than careful diplomacy. The application of Cleveland's conclusions to a reevaluation of the likely long-term consequences of "America's new war" is not a comforting process, but it's one that perhaps more Americans need to undertake.

Traces the evolution of the European-influenced home from medieval times to our present age. Rybczynski describes how the home evolved from an uncomfortable, group dwelling-place into a private, comfortable, abode for family. As a professional designer it helped me gain a deeper appreciation for the social innovations that are necessary in order for design solutions to be accepted and incorporated into our daily lives.

Each chapter features a painting or photograph to which Rybczynski makes reference within the chapter's text. This approach is highly informative, but leads to my only two complaints about the book (rationale for only 4 stars);
1) Mediocre quality of the images.
2) Only a single image per chapter. The text would have benefited from additional visual references to illustrate the chapter points.

I read "Home: A Short History of an Idea" when it first came out and I'm re-reading it again with great pleasure. So many of the day-to-day aspects of how we function in our environment are taken for granted . . . as though they just happened spontaneously ! This book would be very worthwhile for anyone interested in a multi-discipline approach to studying our culture, history, furnishings and art. I recommend it highly!

I found Home by accident three years ago. Since then I've become a Rybczyski fan. This man knows how to write and has lots of thought provoking things to say about the relationship between people and their buildings. I recommend all his books. Witold is on my list of the top ten people I'd like to meet at a soiree.

Although the subject matter is keenly interesting, it is clear that Lutz is not an objective voice. Some of what she writes is correct, and the economic relationship of Fayetteville/Fort Bragg as well as her racial examples are right on.

However, I wished for a more unbiased voice, one that did not sound so vehemently and obviously anti-War. We've got the left, we've got the right, how about a balanced view of our history for once?

As well, I craved more concrete citations (i.e. pg 104, "psy-ops were deployed in '64 in a joint Cumberland County-Ft. Bragg attempt to increase traffic safety")According to my retired Special Forces Sgt. Major spouse, it is illegal to use psy-ops on civilians in the United States. I'd like to see a direct reference to this declaration of Lutz'...

As well, many of her arguments were chronically non-sequitur--they didn't add up. The last paragraph on 100 infers that Special Forces soldiers attracted criminal drug toting elements to Fayetteville, with nothing to back up her argument but heresay. Another quote from one of her witnesses: "...we had this big round up of people with drugs, and I can almost bet that the guys picked up were in the army at some point in time". Definitive word, here, folks, is ALMOST. But the same paragraph mentions Special Forces as being magnets drawing the unsavory criminal types to the area. This association in this particular paragraph (and in many others throughout the book) is unfair to soldiers in general and SF in particular, and unprofessional writing practice. The publication lost much credibility in my eyes.

The editing lacked some grace, too, and I won't get into it here, except to say that there were run-on sentences that required several readings to decipher what it was she was trying to say, as well as fragments, all lending to my overall feeling of mediocrity.

All in all, some interesting points, some questionable, and as a reader, I found more to question about this book than not. Read at your own risk.

(And lest anyone reading this review think I'm a conservative republican who loves war, Dubya, and the military, I'm a registered, hard-line democrat and am considered one of those dangerous, eco-liberal types.)

Given the renewed patriotism in the U.S., this book gives us much to think about. Catherine Lutz studies the impact of the military on the small community of Fayetteville. And she also describes the military's pervasive effect on the larger community of the U.S. Her thorough research, illuminating explanations and salient examples make for compelling reading and deeper understanding of our reaction to 9-11. Homefront inspires us to think of alternatives other than war.

This book, although a specific case study of one town, is an excellent way to learn or be reminded of the complex relationship between war and our society. While many persist in seeing military strength and military action in black and white terms, a writer like Lutz reminds us that the apparatus of war right here in our towns and cities affects lives in complicated and enduring ways, day in and day out, whether or not it is a time of war. It always seems easier to criticize the mistakes of the past. Lutz's book makes us question the complications of a present that many of our leaders would like us to keep seeing in simple terms.