Painting Summer in New England

Book Description

With its stunning coastlines, mountains, lakes, forests, and scenic villages, New England has been an inspiration for American artists since the 19th century. This lively book considers the ways in which painters have responded to the region’s summer beauty as well as to its social and cultural preoccupations and characteristics. Works by such artists as Fitz Henry Lane, John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, Maurice Prendergast, Marsden Hartley, Edward Hopper, Hans Hofmann, Andrew Wyeth, Alex Katz, and Yvonne Jacquette depict subjects as wide ranging as the bucolic delights of farms and fields to the atmospheric light of New England’s rugged coasts to the ethnic and social diversity of urban street life.
Painting Summer in New England highlights the various styles and influences revealed in these works, including photographic realism, Impressionism, Expressionism, and abstraction. In addition, Trevor Fairbrother discusses the tremendous array of works covered by the concept of “painting” and the remarkable richness of thematic imagery that can be seen and understood as “New England.”
This engaging book is a delightful and invaluable resource for those who live in or are admirers of New England and American art.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful catalogue from a great show.......2007-01-05

This was the best art show that I have ever attended. This catalogue beautifully captures the spirit of being their in person with additional insight into the pieces and exhibition.

Must-have for Any New Englander or New Englander at Heart.......2006-08-28

Just saw this exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. Just breath-taking. The book is a treasure.

Summer Places: Eastern Long Island and New England

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Summer Places: Eastern Long Island and New England
Angus Wilkie , and Simon Parkes
Manufacturer: Vendome Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0865651612

Book Description

Simon Parkes paints summer in the Northeast: the sandy beaches, old frame houses, drifting boats, and rocky shores that represent the joys of summertime from Eastern Long Island up along the coast to New England. His paintings are sentimental and nostalgic-- he records houses and landscapes that might have been painted in the 19th century, or even earlier. In the pages of this evocative volume, the hot, dusty, gorgeous days of summer come alive.

Memorial Day marks the first day of summer-the time to reopen shuttered houses and sweep last year's sand from the porch. In the thirteen weeks before Labor Day, it's time to visit breezy shores and mountain lakes and enjoy a classic American summer in the countryside. Extended relations convene, families balloon under the shingled roof, seaside cottage, or the cozy intimacy of an Adirondack lodge. These places have a comforting sameness to them; they change little from year to year.

Summer is also the time when Simon Parkes shoulders a traveling box of oil paints and a handful of brushes and heads out on bicycle or foot to capture the evanescent summer landscapes of Eastern Long Island and New England. In just a few hours, for Parkes works quickly to take advantage of the light, he creates a view of cliffs bordering Gardiner's Bay or of the small boats skimming the coast of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. Parkes's summer places are sentimental and nostalgic; he records houses and landscapes that might have been painted in the 19th century, or even earlier.

Summer Places is a keepsake for the millions of locals and visitors who love the special vitality of traditional New England and Eastern Long Island. This quiet world, the unchanging world of summer, lies at the heart of this entrancing book. AUTHOR BIO: Simon Parkes was born Crowthorne, England. One of five children, he grew up in Wellington College, where his father was a mathematics teacher. At age 17he began a six-year apprenticeship with painting restorers in London. In 1978, he moved to the United States where in 1980 he opened his own art conservation studio in New York. Parkes started painting in the early 1990s. He has exhibited mostly at W.M. Brady & Co. in New York as well as in Long Island and Palm Beach. He has painted in Europe, North Africa, the Caribbean, Central America, and all over the United States. Parkes lives in New York and East Hampton.

Angus Wilkie is a social historian and critic whose writing appears regularly in Elle Décor, House & Gardens, The World of Interiors, Antiques, and Art & Auction, where he is a Contributing Editor. Wilkie is the author of Biedermeier) which was published in English, French, Italian, and German editions. Wilkie is the co-proprietor of Cove Landing, a shop dedicated to unusual decorative furniture and works of art, located on New York's Upper East Side. He lives in New York and Lyme, Connecticut.

Book Description

This is the first book to concentrate less on Westwood as a personality than on the extraordinary and intricate clothes which have won her the respect of the international fashion community. It breaks new ground by presenting the views of Londoners who collect, wear and make her garments, as well as by exploring Westwood's genius for tailoring and witty manipulation of traditional fabrics and styles.

Book Description

The Far Side® and the Larson® signature are registered trademarks of FarWorks, Inc.

Customer Reviews:

read & read & re-read & read.......2007-09-29

we have a house full of guys who just can't get enough of Far-side, & I like it too

cracking cartoons.......2000-08-15

This book will have you laughing all the way to the toilet...What you need to do is gather round your friends and family, even the old ones and enjoy this book together because it's quite fantastic. I started to look at his books at a very young age and was inspired to draw my own cartoons, which i have done for many years. So hopefully in a couple of years time I will be up there with the grandad himself! Richard

One of his best........2000-04-13

Gary Larson has most definitely outdone himself this time. This book is truly brilliant. Every drawing gets his point across and will make you laugh until you cry. Larson is undoubtedly the funniest cartoonist to ever live. Once you buy this book make certain that you do not have anything planned. Because once you start reading you will forget all about your plans. A must have for any Far Side fanatic or for anyone who likes to laugh.

Average customer rating:

THE FAR SIDE OBSERVER
GARY LARSON
Manufacturer: WARNER BOOKS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Far Side | Comic Strips | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000S9IRJE

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The Far Side Observer
Gary Larson
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Far Side | Comic Strips | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OSILN6

Book Description

At last, someone has written the definitive rebuttal to all the GET RICH QUICK promises being hawked in books, seminars, and infomercials. In his inimtiable fashion, award winning author, Robert X. Leeds, disparages the time worn myths about instant success and wealth. A hillarious history of 65 year journey from rags to riches and his 100 proverbs to avoid failure.

Customer Reviews:

An interesting Journey.......2005-08-31

If you're looking for a financial guide that will help pave your way to financial abundance, then HOW TO ALMOST MAKE A MILLION DOLLARS may not be for you. If you're looking for a cute, antidotal account of one person's life journey, then don't hesitate to pick up a copy of Robert Leeds' most recent book.

This book is more of a motivational guide to maintaining a positive disposition. It is laced with insightful messages, which Leeds refers to as proverbs. One particular proverb that caught my attention was, "Enthusiasm is the engine to success. Youth is the hole in the gas tank." My personal interpretation gleamed from the author's story following the proverb is that we learn from our youthful mistakes.

HOW TO ALMOST MAKE A MILLION DOLLARS is a different type of read that provides humorous wit relating to the author's personal experiences. It conveys an air of bold energy that cannot be denied.

Reviewed by Nedine
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Customer Reviews:

It's Spielberg!.......2000-04-12

How could this book be anything less than great, it has the greatest subject matter, STEVEN SPIELBERG!

Steven Spielberg : The Man, His Movies, and Their Meaning

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Steven Spielberg : The Man, His Movies, and Their Meaning
Philip M. Taylor
Manufacturer: Continuum International Publishing Group, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MY9YIS

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on September 1, 1996. The length of the article is 686 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Messiaen Companion.
Author: Richard D. Burbank
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 1996
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: v53 Issue: n1 Page: p76(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Average customer rating:

Nice collection on this 20th Century musical citadel

The Messiaen Companion

Manufacturer: Amadeus Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0931340942

Customer Reviews:

Nice collection on this 20th Century musical citadel.......1999-12-18

This is an incredibly usefull comprehensive collection of essays,reflections,analyses, and a few interviews. Messiaen was primarily a teacher, and he taught without hesitation the post-war generation of composers and continued this until his death. Everyone flocked to his composition classes in Paris. And it was considered an honour to be accepted. Once there you were his,he probed what you as a creator needed. For instance when a young exiled architect came to his door seeking lessons, and a pathway confessing he (Xenakis) did not have any knowledge of counterpoint or harmony, Messiaen said "don't study any of these", meaning Xenakis had enough reserve and imagination from his affinities for numbers and forms to write the most original music we have heard. This touches all the musical categories, and Messiaen contributed to each. He virtually rethought the limitations of the pipe organ. Long a morose encumbered instrument loaded with historical baggage. John Milsom here exposes Messiaen's unique contributions to registral settings and Messiaen's conceptual focus of the Catholic spirituality in this organ repertoire. Likewise Peter Hill takes on the neglected piano solo music, again another focus of innovation for this century. Boulez's early piano sonatas would not be possible without Messiaen's affinity for the violence and surreal beauty that can be part of piano sonority. Other important Messiaenism concepts are of course Colour, and Birdsongs,Mysticism and Theology. All amply handled by Jonathan Bernard(colour) and seasoned writer Wilfred Millers on Theology, a difficult subject when a creator's life is engaged. Paul Griffiths brings us up to date with an essay on Messiaen's last important work the opera "St.Francis of Assisi", which is now seeing the productions rounds. There is obvious inclusions here as well an excellent discography and list of works. Nice vintage photographs as well are included.

Book Description

This little work is but a condensation and essence of a much larger one, containing the result of what can be discovered concerning the origin and history of chess, combined with some of my own reminiscences of 46 years past both of chess play and its exponents.

Download Description

Of all the claims which have been advanced to the invention and origin of chess, that of the Hindu Game the Chaturanga is the most ancient, and its accounts contain the earliest allusion worthy of serious notice to anything partaking of the principles and form of chess. The description of it is taken from the Sanskrit text, and our first knowledge of it is obtained through the works of Dr. Hyde, 1693, and Sir William Jones, 1784, Professor Duncan Forbes in a History of Chess, dedicated to Sir Frederic Madden and Howard Staunton, published in 1860, further elaborated the researches of his predecessors and claims by the aid of his better acquaintance with chess, and improved knowledge of the Sanskrit to have proved the Chaturanga as the first form of chess beyond a shadow of doubt.

Customer Reviews:

Dr. Moine is a Sales Superstar for good reason!.......2007-07-04

Dr. Moine was in grad school with the inventors of NLP and has applied it to sales in ways that seem like magic. If you want to get a REAL education on what NLP can do to establish rapport and close sales, you need to get this book!

Excellent work, thorough, enjoyable.......2007-04-03

Firstly, I wouldn't say its the only book you'll need on sales. I'm not a professional salesperson for a start, only a highly enthusiastic reader of persuasion, therapy and psychology books. So I would imagine there are other practical aspects of sales that are missing here.

To give you an idea of my regard however, I was sent this as an ebook by a good friend. Free. I've read it, heard the audio and now ordered a proper copy.

Saying that, surely the main thing is to gain rapport, build trust and estabilish a solid working relationship as quickly as is practical? This book gives a solid grounding in using hypnotic language and also in building rapport. All the Erickson patterns are used and explained here, and I found this book drew together concepts that I'd learnt from my various NLP and hypnosis books in a highly applicable manner.

Some forms of talking therapy require getting folks to take on board new ideas and consider them at a deeper level. Sensitive and ethical use of these "selling" techniques would be a hugely benificial tool in achieving this goal.

I also recommend Joe Vitale's Buying Trances as a great conceptual book to go along with this one. Also Cialdini's Influence, whilst not hypnosis or applied sales, is a fantastic read and well worth your time.

Excellent Book!.......2007-03-20

From Joe Catal, author of the book: Telesales Tips fron the Trenches.

I loved this book! As a national sales trainer I always recomend this book to people. It combines NLP with Hypnosis techniques.

The ideas are simple and can be used in any sales situation. All ideas the authors present are easy to do and can be used in the real world of selling.

Good sales people already use these techniques and may not even know it!

Get the book,I can assure you, you'll apply what you learn right away.

Good job guys!

AMAZING BOOK FOR SALES.......2006-11-07

I have read many books on sales techniques, and improvement. Most books talk about motivation, drive, energy or offer a list of set responses for different objections. Ultimate Selling Power, offers explanation of how communication works and why we say what we say to potential customers so we ensure the response we desire. Some of the best reframes are offered with explanation for hypnotic suggestion and how to insert them into every day conversation. The underlying msgs seems to be based on NLP techniques and is fantastic! I highly Recommend this to ANYONE interested in Language Skills and reframes for sales!!!

Conversational Hypnosis & Subtle Persuasion Techniques For Sales.......2006-06-12

As a professional sales trainer and certified clinical hypnotherapist, I know from fifteen years of experience that hypnosis is a neutral "technology". Like the "Force" of Star Wars fame, the intention of the user determines whether it is used for good or ill.

It has been my experience that the average salesperson is unaware of the majority of persuasion techniques found in this book. Bearing that in mind, this is one of the best book available for understanding the use of Ericksonian conversational hypnosis techniques for improved selling.

A final caveat: for those sales professionals who don't believe in their product and that it can provide value and benefit to the client, find another product. For those who would use this information to selfish ends and manipulate potential buyers, find another line of work. A one time sale does not a salesman make. Developing relationships to create satisfied repeat customers for life is the true hallmark of a genuine sales professional.

Powerful stuff. For best results, use wisely.

Unlimited Selling Power: How to Master Hypnotic Selling Skills

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Unlimited Selling Power: How to Master Hypnotic Selling Skills
Kenneth Lloyd Donald Moine
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OIZD1Y

Book Description

This third book in a series chronicling a young doctor in rural mountain practice immerses us once again in the lives of Dr. Walt Larimore and his family as an unexpected turn of events compels them to leave Bryson City.

Customer Reviews:

Not as Good as the First Two.......2007-05-16

I did not enjoy this book as much as the first two that Dr. Larimore wrote, possibly because much of it was material from the first two books. His insight as a Christian is wonderful though, and his response to problems faced by us all was uplifting and insightful. The book just seemed to be somewhat of a let down with regard to the story line.

Bryson City Secrets.......2006-11-06

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I had previously read the first 2 books of Dr. Larimore, Bryson City Tales and Bryson City Seasons, and I enjoyed this book.

Bryson City Secrets:Even More Tales of a Small-Town Doctor in the Smoky Mountains.......2006-08-13

I have read all of his books and they were most enjoyable. I have visited in that area many times and feel I knew places he was talking about. I also have enjoyed Deep Creek with my family. He is an excellent writer. I couldn't put the book down, couldn't wait to see what would happen next. Many sad things took place, but ended with a good satisfying ending, knowing all those involved would come through in being honest.

The darker side of Bryson City.......2006-07-07

This is the third book of a trilogy by Dr. Walt Larimore who writes about his memories as a young husband, father, and doctor in the small town of Bryson City in the beautiful Smoky Mountains. As in the first two books, this one contains a lot of self-deprecating humor, such as when Dr. Larimore is coerced into being a bridesmaid in a "womanless wedding", a local fundraiser. There are humorous moments when Walt is called on to be a vet rather than a doctor, touching times of treating a blind man and his seeing-eye dog, and amazing incidents such as the first birth of triplets in the county. At the end, the story turns darker and the Larimores are faced with a difficult decision which they make through prayer and good advice from friends. This book and the other ones in the series are highly recommended reading.

Both enjoyable and inspirational.......2006-06-01

If you've followed the story of Dr. Walt Larimore's medical practice in the Smoky Mountains from BRYSON CITY TALES to BRYSON CITY SEASONS, you won't want to miss BRYSON CITY SECRETS. This latest installment continues Larimore's enjoyable stories of small-town rural medical practice, and explains why he and his family mysteriously left the small town they loved to move to another state.

In BRYSON CITY SEASONS, we left the Larimore family as they made the decision to leave the Smoky Mountains for a practice in Florida. Here, Larimore sets up his book well by leading off with a phone call from his 24-year-old daughter Kate, who has remembered a terrible incident from her past and wants to be reassured it was just a bad dream. There is just enough information for the reader to guess at what happened --- and what will be revealed in the coming chapters --- without giving it away until the end of the book. This keeps the pages turning, as the book opens with some of the usual Bryson tales.

And they are vintage Larimore: earthy, nostalgic, and often funny. The first three chapters find the doctor called to a murder scene, where a woman is suspected of brutally killing her husband with a butcher knife. Larimore, however, has his doubts when he examines the corpse and then the woman, who is hospitalized and unable to communicate. As the short story comes to its conclusion, he reflects on the darkness of all human hearts and the forgiveness available to everyone through Christ.

He's not Pollyannaish, however, but honest. "Frankly, even though I had prayed for the handyman the night of the crime, part of me didn't want to accept the premise that the Creator of the universe would and could love a murderer as much as he would love anyone else. Why wouldn't God want this man to suffer for the suffering he had inflicted and the life he had taken? Isn't there a certain amount of evil that cannot be forgiven -- that should not be forgiven?" This is a nice foreshadowing of the bigger event to come --- one that will challenge Larimore to forgive beyond what he may find possible.

There's plenty going on in Bryson City besides the occasional murder. Seven-year-old Tommy Shoap shows up in the emergency room near death, but his parents are reluctant to have much medical treatment given. They rely on herbal medicine and backwoods remedies, and don't put much stock in modern doctoring. Blind Dan McGill makes an appointment to see the doctor, but it turns out it's for his guide dog Samson, a golden retriever. He's hoping Larimore will give his pooch a checkup.

One thing that's enjoyable about the series is that Larimore is not afraid to be specific about some of the personal aspects of his cases. One humorous chapter deals with an 18-year-old who is married, pregnant and has a yeast infection. She tells him that she usually treats it with a backwoods remedy, yogurt douches, which work perfectly. However, when Larimore suggests the remedy to another female patient, she uses strawberry yogurt instead of plain yogurt, with interesting results. "One of the reasons they call my profession 'the practice of medicine' is that a doctor's education never ends," writes Larimore.

Although, as Larimore says, "death, despair, and disappointment are the unwelcome callers that come with every physician's battle with disorder and disease," what differentiates this book from his previous installments in the series is the dark backdrop of occult activity going on around Bryson City. The reader will feel the tension unfolding throughout the book right up until the climax, where we discover the "secret" that led Larimore to leave his practice. Readers may have differing opinions about how the difficult situation upon which the story turns was handled, but there's no doubt that Larimore is engagingly vulnerable about sharing what happened to his family with his readers. His willingness to share his family's "secret" may help some readers be more open about their own past "secrets" and find healing.

Just as in the previous books, the stories Larimore spins usually have a devotional-style ending, where a spiritual point is made. The way he sets up his chapters (usually each with its own short story, sometimes spread across a few short readings) makes this book easy to pick up and read short bits at a time. If you haven't read the first two Bryson City books, it's best to do so in order. You'll want to read all three.

--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby. Contact Cindy at phrelanzer@aol.com.

Bryson City Secrets : Even More Tales of a Small-Town Doctor in the Smoky Mountains

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Bryson City Secrets : Even More Tales of a Small-Town Doctor in the Smoky Mountains
Walt Larimore M.D.
Manufacturer: Zondervan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OSPISW

Amazon.com

The 73-year life span of Yugoslavia roughly coincides with what historians have called "the short 20th century," from the onset of World War I to the end of the cold war. It was always a tenuously constructed nation, and when it finally collapsed, Roger Cohen was there, dutifully filing reports for the New York Times. In Hearts Grown Brutal, he adds depth and personal drama to the stories of civil war and ethnicide, and he points an accusing finger at the Western nations who put the lie to any notion of a "new world order" by offering only half-hearted challenges to Serbian aggression until nearly 250,000 innocents had died and 2.7 million civilians had been driven from their homes.

Cohen, like many Western analysts, observes that the clash between Muslim Bosnians, Catholic Croats, and Orthodox Serbs had been in the making for hundreds of years. But he locates the origins of the recent "collective madness"--as one Serbian leader called it--in World War II, when Croatia sided with the Nazis and when Serbia took the opportunity of the German invasion to settle old scores against Croats, Muslims, Jews, and Gypsies. Ordinary men and women of Yugoslavia committed extraordinary acts of inhumanity against one another during the war against Hitler. Post-Communist civil war gave them license to hate one another anew: when Serbia struck out at Bosnia and Croatia, all three nations fell into a frenzy of slaughter whose repercussions will be felt for generations to come. Hearts Grown Brutal is a somber, horrifying indictment of all involved that stands as an essential work of contemporary history. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

In this brilliant book, Roger Cohen of The New York Times takes us to the core of one of the twentieth century's most complex stories, weaving together the history of Yugoslavia and the story of the Bosnian War of 1992 to 1995, as experienced by four families.

"I have tried to treat the story of Yugoslavia, which lived for seventy-three years, as a human one," Cohen writes in this masterly book, which, like Thomas Friedman's From Beirut to Jerusalem and David Remnick's Lenin's Tomb, makes us eyewitnesses at the center of historic events. In the aftermath of the Cold War, the Bosnian conflict shattered the West's confidence, reviving Europe's darkest ghosts and exposing an America reluctant to confront or acknowledge an act of genocide on European soil. Through Cohen's compelling reconstruction of the twentieth-century history that led up to the war, and his account of the war's effect on everyday lives, we at last find the key to understanding Europe's most explosive region and its peoples.

"This was a war of intimate betrayals," Cohen goes on to say, and in Hearts Grown Brutal, the betrayals begin in the family of a man named Sead. Through his search for his lost father, we relive the history of Yugoslavia, founded at the end of World War I with the encouragement of President Woodrow Wilson. Sead's desperate quest is punctuated by the lies, half truths, and pain that mark other sagas of Yugoslavia. Through three more families--one Muslim-Serb, one Muslim, and one Serb-Croat--we experience the war in Bosnia as it breaks up marriages and sets relative against relative. The reality of the Balkans is illuminated, even as the hypocrisy of the international response to the war is exposed.

Hearts Grown Brutal is a remarkable book, a testament to the loss of a multi-ethnic European state and a warning that the violence could return. It is a magnificent achievement that blends history and journalism into a profoundly moving human story.

Customer Reviews:

Well-written account of the atrocities in Bosnia.......2003-08-28

I couldn't put this book down. Every page, every line tells the truth behind the Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian conflict. All wars are complex and difficult to comprehend but Mr. Cohen helps us understand what happened just a few years ago. An accurate and eye-opening account. Some of the atrocities committed are so heinous, so vile as to bring us right back to images of the Third Reich. This is a very important work by a man who knows what he is talking about.

If you live an enire life and only read one book.......2003-03-27

this is the book to read. Its absolutely fantastic. Roger Cohen has a very sharp pen. For me its not just enough to read the book myself, I want to buy other copies and give to friends.

THE definative account of the Bosnian war.......2000-05-12

The destruction of Yugoslavia is not the easiest of subjects to fully comprehend. Cohen's informative and excellently written narrative is the best place to start. Cohen does more than just describe the events, he attempts to get beneath the surface to understand the psychology behind the unspeakable atrocities committed during the various wars. The trajedy of Yugoslavia cannot be understood without a recounting of the atrocities committed there during World War II, atrocities that largely went unpunished. All of this and more are recounted by Cohen in his very readable account. It is must reading for anyone interested in recent European history.

Extract from ýBooks on Bosniaý, London 1999.......2000-03-13

A big, passionate book by the New York Times correspondent, who has tried to pack everything into it: the Bosnian experience of the war (told through several family histories), the Western response and UN policy, and the historical background. Cohen argues well against the `ethnic hatreds' doctrine, but tends to substitute World War II hatreds instead. However, his analysis of UN failure, including evidence drawn from minutes of a high-level meeting held before the fall of Srebrenica, will be of lasting importance

A sad, depressing, and brutally honest book.......1999-11-07

After a few hundred pages, when your ability to read about another Balkans family and their plight begins to wane, Cohen presents some new detail in an individual life that forces you to refocus on how the war crushed people so much like Americans and so very European that the "ancient hatreds" argument becomes sickening. To read about a 16-year-old girl's Tom Cruise poster and her death by shelling is to realize how much the West failed. Compelling, brutal, depressing, and vital reading.

Average customer rating:

Hearts Grown Brutal: Sagas of Sarajevo
Roger Cohen
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000T4D8OM

Average customer rating:

Hearts Grown Brutal: Sagas of Sarajevo
Roger COHEN
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UZZCK8

Book Description

Does the spread of democracy really contribute to international peace? Successive U. S. administrations have justified various policies intended to promote democracy not only by arguing that democracy is intrinsically good but by pointing to a wide range of research concluding that democracies rarely, if ever, go to war with one another. To promote democracy, the United States has provided economic assistance, political support, and technical advice to emerging democracies in Eastern and Central Europe, and it has attempted to remove undemocratic regimes through political pressure, economic sanctions, and military force. In Electing to Fight, Edward Mansfield and Jack Snyder challenge the widely accepted basis of these policies by arguing that states in the early phases of transitions to democracy are more likely than other states to become involved in war.

Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative analysis, Mansfield and Snyder show that emerging democracies with weak political institutions are especially likely to go to war. Leaders of these countries attempt to rally support by invoking external threats and resorting to belligerent, nationalist rhetoric. Mansfield and Snyder point to this pattern in cases ranging from revolutionary France to contemporary Russia. Because the risk of a state's being involved in violent conflict is high until democracy is fully consolidated, Mansfield and Snyder argue, the best way to promote democracy is to begin by building the institutions that democracy requires -- such as the rule of law -- and only then encouraging mass political participation and elections. Readers will find this argument particularly relevant to prevailing concerns about the transitional government in Iraq. Electing to Fight also calls into question the wisdom of urging early elections elsewhere in the Islamic world and in China.

Customer Reviews:

Scholarly.......2006-11-11

This book makes a convincing argument that it's misleading to assume that democracies are less likely to wage wars. That assumption is true of mature democracies, but unstable nations that are trying to make a transition to democracy are more likely than autocracies to wage war. At least part of the reasons are increased nationalism, competition among politicians to be the most nationalist, and the weakness of stabilizing institutions.
The book offers some hints about how a transition to a democracy might be managed to minimize the risks, but this part of the book is more speculative and less convincing.
In spite of the book's relevance to current events, it devotes little attention to the present. It covers the time period from the French revolution to the present with the perspective of a historian, and says as much about Iraq in 1948 as it does about the recent experiment with democracy in Iraq. It is somewhat valuable for reminding us how many attempts at democracy failed and have largely faded from collective memories.
The dry, scholarly style of the book is a bit mind-numbing.

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