Architecture: Choice or Fate

Book Description

This polemic is essential reading for anyone concerned with the state and direction of architecture and urban planning today.

Customer Reviews:

A MANUAL FOR THE NEW ARCHITECTURE.......2004-10-28

Leon Krier is one the two or three greatest architects and urbanists of our time. In this book, he outlines a profound and at the same time sensible approach to the built environment. Krier is the winner of the Richard Driehaus Prize for Classical and Traditional Architecture (the equivalent prize to the Pritzker, but meant for buildings fit for human beings and human sensibilities). I doubt that anyone -- from layperson, to beginning architecture student, to practicing architect hardened by years of practice -- will not be moved by its message, and will not immediately react by a sudden comprehension of what architecture and urbanism are really about.

After reading this book, any architect can begin to move towards creating a humane built environment. Krier gives the essentials that everyone can develop further. Once his philosophy (and it is a philosophy of universal respect for human sensibilities) is understood, then its application is straightforward. The only problem is the numerous obstacles that have been put into place by the architectural establishment.

At the same time, Krier's message is bound to bring an almost violent reaction at the massive brainwashing that society has been subjected to in order to promote a small group of anti-architects. How could we have ignored methods of building structures that make our lives more pleasant and more human, in order to support arrogant and unworkable dreams? Furthermore, in something very much akin to a Ponzi pyramid scheme, unworkable buildings have been propped up by increasingly convoluted pseudo-philosophical jargon (not to mention prestigious prizes). Krier cuts through all of that nonsense like VIM cuts through kitchen grease.

There are some indications that we are due for a massive, revolutionary change in architectural paradigm. Like octogenarian dictators due to meet their well-deserved date with the afterworld, the architecture of bizzarre images is overdue for a collapse. Leon Krier's book is one of the pillars of the new architecture that will replace the old and worn-out deceptions.

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Architecture Choice or Fate
Krier Leon
Manufacturer: Andreas Papadakis
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UEJD6S

Customer Reviews:

Excellent painting instruction book for first time painters.......2000-06-20

Strokework Flowers is truly a step by step guide to making beautiful painted flowers. Ms. Clark takes a traditional multi-load technique and updates it to current styles. The Pansies and other flowers are colorful and will fit in any decor. The instructions are clearly photographed and worded so that anyone even familiar with painting could have a finished project in a short amount of time. I would recomend this book to anyone interested in this type of multi-load technique. I would even recomend this book to those that are looking to learn new ways to paint but have never had experience with multi-load before because Ms. Clark's instructions are very easy to follow.

Ms. Clark even adds additional information on the Chemtek techniques, showing how to add metal finishes and patinas to any project- including paper, wood etc.

Overall rating is Excellent, a definite - "Have to have book"

Strokework Flowers - Step by Step By Margot Clark.......2000-06-20

Strokework Flowers is definitely a great book for those who have ever been afraid to try this method of decorative painting.

Don't be fooled by this book's cover, it's so much better than you would believe! The cover is a bit drab compared to the color inside this book.

Clear, colorful photographs fill this book and are followed with well written captions, brush care information, correct hand positions and movement, surface preparation instructions, strokework theory, paint blending, the patterns and information on antiquing.

Margot Clark has created a book that all painters will find can help them be successful in completing the 7 projects she's included as well as a reference for future paiting projects you may work on.

This is a great book for the value, and I really believe anyone could learn to paint with this method considering the high well written and photographed book!

Strokework Flowers Step by Step by Margot Clark.......2000-06-20

Definitely a must have reference book for the artist wishing to learn to master multi loaded strokework. The drawings and diagrams are very excellent. The photography is great allowing the reader to view the hand/brush position for every stroke. Margot's written instructions leave nothing to guess. She has taken clean, modern color combinations and given the reader an excellent choice of subject material to practice and learn with. Additional information is giving on beautiful, easily executed faux finishes and trim work. Not only a great learning/reference book, but a good source of inspiration for artists who paint to sell! Learn an easy technique to quickly but elegantly decorated very saleable pieces! A MUST HAVE for beginning artists also!

Stroke Flowers Step by Step.......2000-06-20

A 'MUST HAVE' addition to the shelves of any tolepainter's library! The instructions are comprehensive and the clarity of illustrations made it a snap to follow along. Learning this multi-load technique was rewarding and surprisingly simple using the author's pertinent instructions. I've gotten lots of compliments on the floral paintings I created using this method - and for a beginner painter like me ... that was thrilling! Well worth the price and I continue to enjoy using this book over & over.

Easy Floral Painting.......2000-06-19

For decorative painters and lovers of floral design, this book covers a wide range of elegant and realistic florals on an unusual variety of surfaces. Margot has broken each floral element into easy to accomplish steps. Also, the florals are combined with some unusual finishing techniques to make it possible to create some very personal heirlooms. This book is a must for any floral painter's library.

Book Description

Working for the government's Farm Security Administration in the 1930s, photographers set out across the country to capture the human face of the Depression. Picturing Poverty examines how popular magazines used these images to construct complex and often contradictory messages about poverty. By striving to understand the original context of the photographs, Finnegan shines new light on the meanings of poverty, the Depression, and the various roles of the media.

Picturing Poverty: Print Culture and FSA Photographs.(Book Review): An article from: Argumentation and Advocacy

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Picturing Poverty: Print Culture and FSA Photographs.(Book Review): An article from: Argumentation and Advocacy
A. Susan Owen
Manufacturer: American Forensic Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Argumentation and Advocacy, published by American Forensic Association on January 1, 2004. The length of the article is 1367 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: Picturing Poverty: Print Culture and FSA Photographs.(Book Review)
Author: A. Susan Owen
Publication: Argumentation and Advocacy (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2004
Publisher: American Forensic Association
Volume: 40 Issue: 3 Page: 195(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Picturing Poverty: Print Culture and FSA Photographs.(Book Review): An article from: Canadian Journal of History

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Picturing Poverty: Print Culture and FSA Photographs.(Book Review): An article from: Canadian Journal of History
Graham Barnfield
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Canadian Journal of History, published by Thomson Gale on August 1, 2005. The length of the article is 964 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: Picturing Poverty: Print Culture and FSA Photographs.(Book Review)
Author: Graham Barnfield
Publication: Canadian Journal of History (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 40 Issue: 2 Page: 376(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

By the end of the 1930s, radical journalist and novelist Josephine Herbst (1892-1969) was widely hailed as one of the most important women writers in America. Yet she died in almost total obscurity.

The Starched Blue Sky of Spain And Other Memoirs comprises four autobiographical works: "The Magicians and Their Apprentices," an intimate remembrance of Herbst's girlhood in turn-of-the-century Sioux City, Iowa; "A Year of Disgrace," a contemplative portrait of American literary culture in the 1920s; "Yesterday's Road," an explorative meditation on Herbst's life as a radical; and the title selection, a poignant and lucid evocation of the author's experience during the Spanish Civil War.

Starched Blue Sky Of Spain And Other Memoirs

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Starched Blue Sky Of Spain And Other Memoirs
Josephine; Introduction by Johnson, Diane Herbst
Manufacturer: Harper-perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IUWY5Q

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Starched Blue Sky of Spain and Other Memoirs.

Manufacturer: 0
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ICQVN0

Book Description

In this trenchant and often hilarious guide, Patrick Allitt takes the reader along to his course in American history, offering a teacher's-eye view of the undergraduate classroom. The book offers background and guidance to those concerned with the state of higher education today, from educators to general readers, from young faculty facing the classroom for the first time to parents whose children are heading off to college. "Charming, and compelling." --Wall Street Journal

Customer Reviews:

A professor's reality show.......2006-11-09

Patrick Allitt's "I'm the teacher," has received strong reviews for its candor in addressing the challenges of teaching at the university level. Prof. Allitt combines a journal of his offering of one introductory course, together with his summary of a broad view of American history. He also includes the administrative duties that come with the position.

Allitt makes a good case for the social function of teaching a discipline and, as the title suggests, he has no sympathy for any approach to education that would diminishes the power relationships in the classroom that he carefully describes.

However, he does seem to miss one point: Why is it that US tertiary education is considered the best in the world? Allitt require his students to read vast amounts of material in original sources, although his course is supposed to be an introductory survey. If all the available texts in his field are as bad as he says, why doesn't he write his own (for exam like Gregory Mankiw, Economics, Harvard)? Allitt is Oxford-trained and seems to try to run his Emory class as if it were a nice little seminar at All Souls. Does he miss completely that Emory ain't Oxford and what students seek in a survey course may be a bit different that what he is force-feeding them?

Valuable account: one history class, one term.......2006-02-26

I liked the accounts of what Allitt admits is a topic rarely covered by academics: the day-to-day progression of one course taught over a semester. I envy his position at prestigious Emory; if he had taught, as I have and still alas do, at far less distinguished institutions, I reckon his report would have been far more discouraging about the lack of preparation and the dismal study habits of his students. Compared to the majority of American students and instructors, those at Emory enjoy a charmed life. He does acknowledge the limits of previous preparation among his students, of course, but he seems to forget that many students and faculty, not enjoying the privileges of being supported at an expensive and well-endowed private university, labor under far more cumbersome and challenging circumstances than he describes.

There was a disconnect throughout this book, as a result. Atlanta's ivory tower seemed to have cocooned him and his charges too snugly. I wanted to know about his research, his other courses, the load of work (he did have an FA) that he had to balance against his own family and personal committments, and how much of his day was spent on this one history course vs. his other duties. I had no real idea of his own specialty in history beyond a few passing remarks; while this was an introductory class in which generalities predominate, I still wished to find out about the more specific encounters he had, by contrast, with history in his other courses and research.

By concentrating on the microcosmic world of the one course, he does explore well the dynamics that ebb and flow over the weeks among students and between them and himself; his preparation of visuals and supplemental material speaks well to his diligence. His frank explanation of grading and evaluation also shows the pressures that any faculty member--even more for those of us untenured--must face when balancing a stated determination to enforce rigor against the end-of-term tendency to play mercy against justice! Not forgetting that the students expect, as "customers," a good grade as return for their hefty investment, of money if not necessarily effort and achievement.

All in all, this is an honest and entertaining study. I'm sure that he is a respected and popular teacher, not condescending to trying to be trendy or hip or snobbish. He knows his abilities, uses his talents, yet remains a bit distant from his students--which is as it should be, in his explanation. I would have wished for a wider look at where this one course fits into the larger career that Prof. Allitt has pursued within a very contentious job market and gained despite a brutal pecking order. This shortcoming aside, it would be a well-chosen book for college students to-be, faculty members, and those who pay for both: parents of the students, unprepared or otherwise, who enable and demand, if grudgingly for such unremunerative majors, such courses to continue.

Lively discussion of potentially dull subject.......2006-01-28

After spending 20+ years in a classroom, I always wondered if other professors felt the same way I did. Allitt's book confirms that they do.

Allitt's book describes the progression of one class through a semester, session by session. We watch him prepare for class, lecture and answer questions. We learn how he writes exams and handles office hours, including some humorous encounters with "weepy" students. I love his "excuse file," which resembles my own, right up to the student's injunction to "reply as soon as possible." At times students unwittingly sound more like bosses!

I'm the Teacher should be read in the context of the author's specific circumstances. He's a male in a liberal arts faculty. I doubt that a female professor could get away with some elements of Allitt's style. He wears the same old jacket, year after year. He's demanding. At one point he "towers over" a student who dares to open a fashion magazine: "Put that away at once!" And he refuses to get involved with students' personal lives.

Female professors are expected to be nurturing and empathetic. For a contrast, read Gail Griffin's book, Seasons of a Witch, a vastly underrated book based on the author's experience as a professor of English and women's studies.

And in the business schools where I taught, students often scoffed at learning ("It's who you know that counts"), but we were much better paid.

To anyone seeking to understand academic life, Allitt's book offers a glimpse of reality on one dimension: teaching and dealing with students. But a professor in a university also faces endless committee meetings and political interactions. Allitt's life seems peaceful, almost idyllic. We don't see the challenge of finding time for research along with teaching and the ever-increasing service.

Still I enjoyed this book thoroughly. Allitt has a gift for storytelling and his enthusiasm for his subject is contagious. Readers not only get a taste of academic life. We gain a fascinating taste of Allitt's perspective on some much-discussed events of American history.

Genial Trimming.......2005-09-10

I'm the Teacher--the story of one semester's U.S. History survey course at Emory--is worth reading by any college teacher, rookie or veteran. Rookies may here find classroom techniques worth implementing, and veterans will enjoy making comparisons with their own classrooms.

Allitt is a lively writer, and his unwillingness to embrace easy, politically correct interpretations of American history increases the reader's confidence in his classroom judgment. (But what does it say about the current state of the historical profession when a first-rate teacher refuses to assign a textbook even though many of his students are so obviously ignorant of basics?)

Clearly Professor Allitt is a good teacher, one who does much more than "turn the crank" on the survey course. Nevertheless, he also makes plain the wearying aspects of his position, especially what he perceives to be necessary accommodation to the rudeness and irresponsibility of his overprivileged undergraduates. For despite the truculent-sounding title, this book exudes a genial acquiescence to the trimming of academic sails.

I was the student to this teacher.......2005-04-02

I had the honor of taking two of Dr. Allitt's classes during my undergraduate time at Emory University--and I can tell you firsthand that "I'm the Teacher, You're the Student" is just as amazing, inspiring and absorbing as his classroom lectures. I am so touched that Dr. Allitt, who has authored many wonderful books that teach history, took the time to write a book *about* teaching history. Prior to this, I never thought the day-to-day minutia of class discussions, slide-show presentations and grading papers was important enough to warrant academic discourse; indeed, Dr. Allitt chronicles these and many other aspects of the teaching process with the same fascinating and illuminating attention to detail he uses when expounding upon the Spanish-American War and the history of train travel. I read the whole work in one euphoric sitting, and the entire time I felt both cradled by Dr. Allitt's deep care for students and challenged to read and question and understand as much as I can about the world. The book's writing style matches his teaching style--entertaining, thorough, witty, and satisfying. "I'm the Teacher, You're the Student" is a MUST-read for any kind of teacher, no matter what the grade level, no matter what the subject or setting. It is also a MUST-read for any kind of student, especially those who are in college or contemplating it. And if you love history, make sure this book is in your immediate future.

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A Great Bonding Tool for Mothers and Their Children!

Mother Remembers for My Son

Manufacturer: Main Street
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Motherhood | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Accessories:

Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers

Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 1402711247

Book Description

Tell me about when I was little.

To my darling child--
I write my memories in this book because I love you. I want you to know all about your family, the things we did together, and how important you are to me. Here is what I most want to share with you, from when I was a girl growing up to the joyful day you were born, from your favorite games to my wishes and prayers for you.
I hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I enjoyed creating it.
Love,
Mom

From the instant you cuddle your new baby (and feel your heart fill with love) to the day your son or daughter grows up and leaves home forever: the years fly by all too quickly, and even the special times are apt to fade from memory. And, of course, children themselves cannot recall those earliest years at all--their first bath, steps, and birthday. Make this your special gift to your child: a book with all those wonderful times preserved. There's a space for clippings, souvenirs, written reminiscences, and photos, touching quotes, and appealing design details on every page.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Bonding Tool for Mothers and Their Children!.......2004-11-14

I bought this book to give to my mother, and when she opened it, I could tell it was going to be the best present either of us would ever have. What a wonderful way to let your child understand your life when you were their age, and let them see what you had to go through. It's purpose is twofold: it allows the parent to reflect back on their life, and see how times have changed, and it also lets the son (or daughter, which is another book)compare their life to their parent's, and gain a deeper understanding of them. And when all is said and done, this book is probably the best keepsake to remember loved ones when they pass on. My mother wrote in her dedication, "As you approach your 30th birthday, I hope that your life is as exciting, and filled, and as happy as mine has been with you in my life. From the moment I felt you in my tummy, till the last time in my life that I will see you; you should know how proud I am to be your Mom, and how much you are loved by me"

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Awesome Book!

A 'Must Have' for all WMA students... Eventualy

A Worthwhile Challenge

Medieval Martial Arts

Astounding insight into Medieval martial arts!

Medieval Combat: A Fifteenth-Century Illustrated Manual of Swordfighting and Close-Quarter Combat (Greenhill Military Paperbacks)
Hans Talhoffer
Manufacturer: Greenhill Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | Conventional | Weapons & Warfare | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Medieval | World | History | Subjects | Books
Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
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Codex Wallerstein: A Medieval Fighting Book from the Fifteenth Century on the Longsword, Falchion, Dagger, and Wrestling

Medieval Swordsmanship: Illustrated Methods and Techniques

Fighting with the German Longsword

The Swordman's Companion: A Manual for Training With the Medieval Longsword

Renaissance Swordsmanship: The Illustrated Book Of Rapiers And Cut And Thrust Swords And Their Use

ASIN: 1853675822

Book Description

This brilliant and attractive book makes one of the most influential and lavishly-drawn fencing manuals of the Middle Ages available in English for the first time. The authentic fifteenth-century techniques of master of arms Hans Talhoffer are illustrated in detail, presenting not only a unique historic record but also a visual guide for modern practitioners. Talhoffer's professional fencing manual of 1467 illustrates the intricacies of the medieval art of fighting, covering both the 'judicial duel' (an officially sanctioned fight to resolve a legal dispute) and personal combat. Combatants in the Middle Ages used footwork, avoidance, and the ability to judge and manipulate timing and distance to exploit and enhance the sword's inherent cutting and thrusting capabilities. These skills were supplemented with techniques for grappling, wrestling, kicking and throwing the opponent, as well as disarming him by seizing his weapon. Every attack contained a defense and every defense a counter-attack. Talhoffer reveals the techniques for wrestling, unarmored fighting with the long sword, pole-axe, dagger, sword and buckler, and mounted combat. This unparalleled guide to medieval combat, illustrated with 268 contemporary images, provides a glimpse of real people fighting with skill, sophistication and ruthlessness.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome Book!.......2007-06-09

Much of what I feel has already been said...and better stated...by others here.

...nevertheless, I will throw in my two cents worth.

I bought this book little over two years ago. It was the first Fechtbuch I ever saw, and I was simply amazed at what it contained: A first hand look of what Medieval combat really looked like.

I have been a fan of Knights and swordplay since I was a kid, so to see a book that contained actual techniques that Knights used in battle was quite a shock. I had no idea that such a thing could be found in your local Borders bookstore (sorry Amazon). Nor was I aware that Knightly combat was so dirty! (I couldn't help but admire it all the same:)

After spending an hour imitating the movements IN THE STORE (That's right), I decided to purchase the book. It was one of the best purchases I have ever made.

Immediately after this, I did a google search on the word "Fechtbuch", and the wider world of Western Martial Arts came alive. I have since discovered the works of Fiore dei Liberi, Filipo Vadi, Joachim Meyer, and of course, many...MANY others too numerous to list here.

Even though, as a stand alone book, only a certain number of techniques can be easily learned (i.e. Murder Stroke, etc.) without a companion text, it is still an excellent tool for learning WMA, and no practicioner should be without this primary source. It is, to say the very least, a big eye-opener.

I would suggest buying The Art of Combat by Joachim Meyer (Jeffrey Forgeng translation) as a companion to this. You might want to wait till Amazon has it on sale (I bought it recently for $41 here), as it retails for $65.

I highly recommend this book to anybody interested in WMA, Fight Choreography (which I do as well, and have used some of Talhoffers moves in), and Medievel/Renaissance military history.

A 'Must Have' for all WMA students... Eventualy.......2007-05-31

This book is what got me started learning WMA. I found it at a book store and was initially captivated by the artful illustrations of genuine medieval sword combat. It was like nothing I had ever seen depicted in Hollywood or elsewhere. I was especially baffled by all of the images of fighters holding the sword blade in their bare hands. I took it home to study, with very little success. Even though I poured through the whole book every night for a week, the only technique I was able to 'unlock' was an arm trapping move illustrated in the Messer plates, and that was because the technique had a before and after plate that I could follow. So I put the book down, found myself an actual instructor, and started learning the basics.

I recently opened up 'Medieval Combat' again after roughly six months of training. Now the Longsword techniques illustrated inside are jumping off the pages at me! It's a very exciting feeling.

That being said, only 1/3 of this book actually addresses Longsword combat. The rest of the book deals with a multitude of other medieval combat methods; many of which could be very useful to today's re-enactor, medievalist, WMA practitioner or fight choreographer. Unfortunately, some of the other documented combat methods are so specialized that their use may have truly been lost to antiquity.

There are 270 illustrated plates. 71 of the plates are dedicated to Longsword. Of that, there are only 36 plates that do not include either gripping an opponent's blade, Half-Swording or the `Murder Stroke' technique. (Holding the sword upside down with the blade in both hands so the heavy crossguard acts as a hammer. The technique is meant to crush the opponent's head or catch their sword and disarm them.)

There are 6 plates concerning a Knightly Duel. They illustrate the display of the Knights' banners, equipment and coffins. There are a few interesting illustrations about deflecting a thrown spear with a sword, and finally a re-hashed Murder Stroke technique that was also shown in the Longsword section.

Then there are 23 illustrations for Pole-Axe. Anyone who participates in mass medieval combat re-enactments (SCA etc...) would probably find this section very helpful.

Then we come to the `interesting' part of the book. Talhoffer dedicates 64 plates to the lost medieval practice of Trial by Combat with Dueling Shield. To quote the book...`It is a slightly concave oblong, approximately six-and-a-half feet tall, with a rectangular coffered boss along the longitudinal axis allowing room for the hand to grip a central pole, which is sharply spiked at both ends.' The illustrations are extremely fascinating to look at but very difficult to gain any useful technique from. I imagine that even back in Talhoffer's time most people would not be used to this type of equipment. Trial by Combat did not occur ever day. These plates were meant to help a person stay alive during a very unfamiliar combat situation. It would take a lot of work and study for someone to unlock the skills in these plates.

After the Dueling Shield there are 19 plates concerning technique with the Rondel Dagger; a tapered spike, almost a foot long, which was held with an Ice Pick grip. Although the figures are in plain clothes, the techniques would most likely be used in an armored combat situation.

31 plates are dedicated to Wrestling. I haven't had much experience with Wrestling, but the moves look very similar to the Greco Roman style. I'm willing to bet that a trained modern Wrestler could examine these moves and decipher them with no problem. They may even pick up a few new tricks!

8 illustrations are devoted to the Messer. The Messer was a long knife that nearly all commoners carried with them. It was used as an every day tool but could also function as a formidable weapon. The modern equivalent of a Messer can be found in the Machete.

Next, there are 11 pages concerning Sword and Buckler. There are even a few pages on facing multiple opponents. In these images the person is holding the buckler as well as a dagger in one fist. Un-inspired Hollywood fight choreographers take note!

Talhoffer takes 9 pages of his book to address the bizarre ritual of Trial by Combat between a Man and Woman. To even the playing field the man is equipped with a wooden cudgel and placed in a pit up to his waist. The Woman places a heavy rock in a cloth sash to strangle the man or crush his head. She must either kill her opponent or pull him out of the pit, at which point the man would be executed. Likewise, the man must either dispatch the woman or drag her down into the pit and doom her to execution. If my description of this event sounds absurd, just imagine what the illustrations must look like! It is quite easy to find amusement in this scenario, but the truth is that it was a dead-serious affair. Imagine what it would have been like if a woman was raped and had no male family member who was willing to stand up and defend her honor. It would be her word against her assailant. She would most likely be forced to confront her rapist in a trial to the death. Considering the fact that women were sub-class citizens in Medieval Europe, I find it fascinating that half of Talhoffer's illustrations on this subject show techniques a woman could use to win the fight. Did Talhoffer ever offer his services to prepare a woman for her Trial by Combat?

Finally we have 20 pages devoted to combat while mounted on a horse. Most of the images show two men sword fighting next to each other, although there are a few fascinating plates devoted to how a man on horseback should hold a crossbow to fire back at someone pursuing him and how to prepare for a charging lance attack. It's a pretty sweet technique that includes discharging the crossbow bolt into the charging adversary, deflecting the lance with the arms of the crossbow and then grappling the enemy to the ground as his horse passes by. Again... why hasn't Hollywood borrowed any of these awesome, historically accurate combat techniques to use in their productions?

As I alluded to in the title of this review, I feel that `Medieval Combat' is a book that every WMA enthusiast should eventually get. The reason for my exhaustive explanation of each section was to help a potential customer understand what they are really getting with their purchase. For example, if you are only interested in Longsword combat, you may want to look at some other books first. Since most WMA and SCA organizations outlaw use of the `Mordhau' and have strict limits concerning when and how Half-Swording is allowed in a sparring situation, the amount of immediately applicable Longsword techniques in `Medieval Combat' is actually quite slim. Even so, I would still recommend Medieval Combat as a smart purchase to help expand your WMA library.

A Worthwhile Challenge.......2007-01-11

This reproduction of Hans Talhoffer's Close-Quarter Combat manual is an exquisite addition to a martial arts practitioner's collection or historian's library. It is composed mainly of black and white reproductions of the original fifteenth century coloured illustrations depicting several armed and unarmed fighting techniques; each of which is accompanied by a translation of the original succinct commentary on the technique by the author. By its very nature, it is not a self explanatory guide, and is not a manual for a novice, self taught practitioner of medieval martial arts. Even so, it illustrates specific instances of combat quite vividly, and can be decrypted by a more experienced martial artist to yield priceless information useful in perfecting one's technique. It should not be your first book on the subject, but it will likely be among the best. Truly a worthwhile challenge.

Medieval Martial Arts.......2006-12-17

Medieval scholars, martial artists, and historians will find this book to be very interesting. Usually, we associate martial arts with eastern cultures. Sometimes, we forget that the world only became orderly and civilized quite recently. Some may argue that parts of the world are still lawless today. But the important concept to remember is that during times when the rule of law is weak, or non-existent, people had to be able to defend themselves and their property. It would then make sense that part of one's education is to learn how to fight. Granted that formal training in the fighting arts were reserved for those classes of people who were selected to uphold the law and maintain peace, as well as those in the military. This book was written by a medieval military instructor, Hans Talhoffer. It reads almost like a manual, despite the lack of explanations and clarifications.

The book illustrates attacks, defenses, and counters. After reading the book, you will realize what should have been obvious: European states had a very developed martial arts during the medieval times. After all, they had a class of people who were devoted to fighting. The knights were not simple men in armor who simply hacked and slashed.

The book is a fighting manual. Therefore, a modern-day couch potato such as myself would have some difficulty understanding a lot of the concepts. Talhoffer intended his book to be read by fighting men, after all. He never could have anticipated that his book would survive hundreds of years later, to be read by people who have never had to engage in combat. The book must be evaluated with respects to the time, and the audience, for whom it was written.

This book should be a part of a medieval historian's collection. I also recommend this to anyone who is interested in the martial arts. Reading this book reminded me of the fictional character from Highlander, Connor McLeod. Surely, some of the Highlander's moves must have come from Talhoffer!

Astounding insight into Medieval martial arts!.......2006-08-18

For years, I have searched for a book like this. In my studies, I had read that Medieval combat guilds recorded their knowledge in manuals. Finally, someone has published a translation! I have studied Japanese and Korean martial-arts since I was young, and through my various readings on the subject of martial-arts in general, I became aware that Europe also had a complex and varied heritage of combat arts. Sadly, these went into neglect with the changes in warfare and society, but were never completely forgotten.
Inside you will see graphic demonstrations of fighting skills, both basic and advanced, for a variety of common Medieval weapons. You will see some truly unconventional uses of the sword, such as using a hand to grip the blade in order to wield it like a spear, gripping the blade with both hands to wield it like a warhammer, the quillions and pommel being used as the hammer. I am certain that heavy gloves or gauntlets were worn when utilizing a sword in this manner. There is also an extensive section on grappling, many of the techniques portrayed are identical to throws and joint-locks you will learn in Jujutsu or Judo.
One of the most interesting sections features skills for fighting judicial-duels, a concept that should be revived! Certainly this would dissuade a vast majority of insolent litigious knaves from making a mockery of our modern courts!Some of these formalized duels utilized weapons unique to the event, such as duelling shields. There is a section on judicial duels between man and woman, that must have been quite hilarious to see, that is, if no one were actually a fatality. Within this book, you will also find a section on skills for mounted combat.
In general, this book is more evidence that Medieval people were far more complex than our vapid pop-culture would have you believe. I hope and pray more Medieval and Renaissance texts like this will be translated and made available for our study. Much glory to the translator!

Book Description

Marjorie Mandelstam Balzer combines extensive field research with historical inquiry to produce a dramatic study of a minority people in Russia, the Khanty (Ostiak) of Northwest Siberia. Although First Nations, indigenous peoples, have often been victims of expansionist state-building, Balzer shows that processes of acquiring ethnic identity can involve transcending victimhood. She brings Khanty views of their history and current life into focus, revealing multiple levels of cultural activism. She argues that anthropological theory and practice can derive from indigenous insights, and should help indigenous peoples.

Balzer brings to life the saga of the Khanty over several centuries. She analyzes trends in Siberian ethnic interaction that strongly affected minority lives: colonization, Christianization, revitalization, Sovietization, and regionalization. These processes incorporate suprastate and state politics, including recent devastations stemming from the energy industry's land thefts. Balzer documents changes that might seem to foreshadow the demise of indigenous ethnicity. Yet the final chapters reveal ways some Khanty have preserved cultural values and dignity in crisis. Khanty identity has varied with the politics of individuals, groups, and generations. It has been shaped by recent grass-roots mobilization, ecological activism, and religious revival, as well as older historical memory, language-based solidarity, and loyalty to a homeland. The Tenacity of Ethnicity demonstrates how at each historical turn, Siberian experiences shed new light on old debates concerning colonialism, conversion, revitalization, ethnicity, and nationalism. This volume will be important for political scientists, historians, and regional specialists, as well as anthropologists and sociologists.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Book About the Northern Khanty.......2004-10-17

Based on a combination of her personal experiences starting in the 1970-es, information from her local contacts, and exhaustive research into often age-old, obscure Russian sources, the author has produced an excellent account of the events and influences that have shaped the ethnicity of the Khanty, a numerically small Finno-Ugric speaking ethnic group in Western Siberia.
I found her detailed description of the history of contact between the Khanty and the ever increasing number of Russians in the area particularly interesting. She successfully avoids generalizations by pointing out how different relationships were/are between natives and Slavic migrants in various regions.
There are also plenty of interesting references to the traditional Khanty belief system. Unfortunately the fact that both the author and her major informants are women seems to have limited the extent of insight she could gain in this field - among the Khanty (and the related Mansi) only men are allowed to see certain sacred sites and rituals.
While much of the book illustrates how successfully the Northern Khanty have managed to incorporate elements of outside cultures while preserving their own identity, the last chapter, which details worrying developments that have happened since the fall of communism, leaves one wondering quite how much longer this small group can hold out in the face of ever larger encroachment on their traditional homeland and way of life by the powerful petroleum industry in particular.

An outstanding exploration.......2004-09-23

Marjorie Balzer has produced an outstanding work on the nature of ethnicity, a work with lessons and insights that transcend Siberia and are applicable to cultures worldwide. I cannot say enough good about this book. It's no wonder she's considered by so many to be one of our Nation's leading Siberianists. Bravo, Dr. Balzer.

Book Description

Learning to Teach Geography in the Secondary School will provide insight into the practices used by student teachers of geography in the UK. Included in this text are designs of lesson plans as well as advice on designing and implimenting plans of your own.

Learning to Teach History in the Secondary School: A companion to school experience (Learning to Teach in the Secondary School)

Average customer rating:

Learning to Teach History in the Secondary School: A companion to school experience (Learning to Teach in the Secondary School)
Terry Haydn: Ma
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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