A Big Life In Advertising

Average customer rating:

Entertaining, but muddled. Where were the copy editors?

Big Life - Sad Story

Good whether you like advertising or not

Should appeal to a wide range of readers.

A must for anyone interested in advertising

A Big Life In Advertising
Mary Wells Lawrence
Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0743245865

Amazon.com

A colorful mix of historical narrative, revealing personal memoir, and sassy industry tell-all, A Big Life in Advertising offers up Mary Wells Lawrence's bubbling take on life, love, and plugging products. Well, spills it into your lap, actually. Spanning four decades in the world of advertising and the life of one of its star players, A Big Life oozes with juicy details and insider revelations.

After an inspiring stint as one of the infamous Bill Bernbach's protégés, Lawrence really began her career at Jack Tinker & Partners, revolutionizing the images of such brands as Alka-Seltzer and Braniff Airways. But when denied the title of president, Lawrence "let loose the bear," as she puts it, and with the creative team of Stewart Greene and Dick Rich, set up shop as Wells Rich Greene. Over the course of the next quarter century, Lawrence and her cast of characters "made theatre out of the advertising business," giving brands like Benson & Hedges, American Motors, TWA, Midas, and Procter & Gamble's Gleem toothpaste their turn on the stage of stardom. While Lawrence's story is less about her agency's creative work and more about her impressions of and interactions with virtually everyone who was anyone in the advertising world of the '70s and '80s, she does include glimpses into her own childhood, life as a mother, and battles with cancer, adding a touch of reality to an otherwise glittering world. Some readers may feel Lawrence's opinion of her own beauty and charm plays too prominent a role in her reminiscing, but she was, after all, an adventurous queen bee in a glamorous world. Her chatty style of writing, and her ebullient enthusiasm for all she has experienced and accomplished, make this book read more like a novel than a memoir. It's an entertaining, fast-paced tale of a big star's big life. --S. Ketchum

Book Description

The first woman president of an advertising agency and the first woman CEO

of a company on the New York Stock Exchange tells her "riveting story: How

she shattered every glass ceiling and became a Madison Avenue legend."*

From her role as fledgling copywriter at Doyle Dane Bernbach -- the agency that made big-car-obsessed America fall in love with the funny little Volkswagen -- to her brilliant campaign for Braniff Airways that had the flying public scrambling for seats on wild-colored planes to founding the fastest-growing ad agency in history, Mary Wells Lawrence's life in advertising couldn't be any bigger. As The New York Observer put it, her agency, Wells Rich Greene, created ads that "etched indelible phrases into the public imaginations: 'Flick your Bic' and 'I Love New York!' and 'Plop plop, fizz fizz, oh what a relief it is.'"

For those thinking about a life in advertising for themselves and for anyone who enjoys being transported by a great storyteller's art, Mary Wells Lawrence is the most energetic, passionate guide to the world of American advertising in all its brilliance, excitement, fun and crazines

Customer Reviews:

Entertaining, but muddled. Where were the copy editors?.......2007-09-25

I love 1960s and 1970s advertising, so I enjoyed Mary Wells Lawrence's account of some of the best TV ads were created. YouTube proved great way to see some of the classics I had missed or wanted to see again.

Nevertheless, this book is so messy it's hard to believe it came from a major publisher. It seems not to have had an editor's hand at all. Wells starts the book with her first major job in advertising, which is fine, but then suddenly jumps back to her childhood on page 166. We then get her early life until page 193, when we leap back into the advertising world we left on page 165. What?

And, as another reviewer mentioned, the book is an absolute torrent of names: at some points, it feels like Wells has dumped the Manhattan phone book into her text. Most of these people you never get to know and they are never referred to again. Others just disappear: Wells' famous agency is called Wells Rich Greene, but I'm unable to find any mention of Rich or Greene after page 124 (the book is 300 pages long) and I'm not sure what happened to either one of them. Did they die? quit? change their names? In fact, after slogging through all those other people I met just once in this book, I had to check the index to remind myself what Rich and Greene's first names were. (Dick and Stew, for the record.)

Finally, one of the other reviewers mentioned Gloria Steinem's assertion that Wells "tommed her way to the top." You could argue about that, since Wells seems to have done excellent work in a male-dominated profession. But some of Wells' work featuring women stinks. She still thinks the "Braniff Strip" commercial, in which flight attendants were shown to take off various items of clothing as they served you drinks, was a jewel of an idea. Check that one out on YouTube and prepare to be offended.

All in all, I enjoyed this book, but it reads like something from a vanity press. Wells needed an editor with a strong hand. Doesn't Simon and Schuster employ those people any more?

Big Life - Sad Story.......2007-05-16

I read this a number of years ago, so forgive me for "reviewing" in generalities, as I don't have my copy in front of me.

I remember as I was getting to the end of this book an overwhelming feeling of uselessness and trivia. I LOVE the advertising field. Mary Wells Lawrence, unfortunately, presented only the surface and superficial elements of all that "occupation" entails. And "occupation" is the right word - because she pretty much described a job. No way was her presentation "a big life"... unless your definition of a big life is celebrity accounts and shiny things.

Admitedly, in small parenthesis below the monumental title are the words "in advertising"... but even so, this big life could be as big as an ocean - but it's a very SHALLOW one.

The autobiographical author drops the events in her life like bullets on a resume. All the things that really matter - and could have even affected her perspective on her "profession" - were conspicuously absent.

Where's the color? Where are the life altering moments that define us as characters in ANY life... much less a BIG one?

Winning a contract? THAT'S the big life?

I'm so sorry, Ms. M.W.Lawrence... I'm sure you're a very interesting person... but I suppose I could only know that IN person. This so called big life written down is quite the sad little story.

I'm pretty sure the little old man selling tomatoes down the road has a more interesting story.

Pick another subject. Write another book.
There are some subtle hints at bigness in this book, and I can tell you got it in ya'...

Good whether you like advertising or not.......2004-11-13

This book does a good job of providing insight into the world of advertising, as well as, providing an interesting personal journey into and out of it. It does a good job of blending the two so when you are getting tired of one some information about the other comes along. This keeps you from getting bored and makes you want to finish reading the book as soon as you can. Overall, a good book whether you are interested in advertising or just looking for a good story.

Should appeal to a wide range of readers........2004-10-22

I was not expecting a lot from this book. It was recommended to me, and I picked it up in a half-hearted way. I thought it was something that I would breeze through and forget about. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised. I found it a book that I both enjoyed reading and would recommend. At least, I would recommend it with some reservations.

The good sides of the book appear in her instructive stories about the advertising business. Lawrence brings the message across very clearly that advertising is relationship driven. A successful agency must focus on relationships both with the client and with the intended audience. Lawrence gives an example of success achieved by taking that focus to its limits.

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect (and one that should appeal to students of business history) is advertising reception at a time that was much less marketing saturated than we are today. She had an opportunity to be a giant with emerging technology and in an emerging field. It makes for terrific reading.

My reservation about the book has to do with the writing quality. Her tone is extremely chatty. At the beginning, I tripped over the awkwardness of the prose. The organisational principle of the book was vague. Timeframes shift without warning or explanation. Finally, while the mix of personal and business anecdotes was entertaining, there were times that it moved far too swiftly from one to another. Still, she gets points for writing this book on her own and not with a ghost writer. I have the feeling that the reader was better off with its flaws than with a more inauthentic voice.

I am not in the advertising field, and I really enjoyed the book. People interested in one of the following areas should find something here: media, advertising, entrepeneurship, women in industry, business history, or pop culture. It also has a great can-do view of the world, inspiring to anyone who needs a push towards success.

A must for anyone interested in advertising.......2003-10-23

This story of Mary's life has inspired me. I went to school for advertising but got out and started looking for a job bartending. It seemed easier and I liked the idea of tips. After reading this book however, I really want to work for an agency, maybe, just maybe my life could turn out somewhat similar to hers. I would reccommend this book to anyone interested at all in advertising, especially those in college looking at advertising as a career path. Then I'd tell those people to go to a portfolio school when they get out with their B.A.s.

Average customer rating:

A Big Life (in Advertising)
Mary Wells Lawrence
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N62Y96

Book Description

Bombing minds rather than bodies is the warfare of the new millennium. This book uncovers the terrifying extent of electromagnetic and biotelemetric mind control experimentation on involuntary human subjects.

"The evidence presented in this book is a savage indictment of democracy-turned-dictatorship. The sordid truth about what really goes on in the halls of power is often too much to take, but it does help to have some idea of what we're up against." -- Nexus

Customer Reviews:

A Little Voice Says "Don't Waste Your Money".......2006-11-10

The main thing I learnt from this book is that it is definitely better sometimes to look through a book before buying it. I thought this was a very juvenile book, in terms of the level of smearing and name calling I thought there was, e.g. the False Memory Syndrome Foundation is described as "the CIA's answer to the flat earth society"and Col John Alexander is given the epithet "Doctor of Death". Some child abuse cases are recounted with an unnecessary level of graphic detail, and the author includes a partially obscured picture of a scene of child pornography. I wondered if this was really needed, but then I remembered that the publisher is Feral House, which also publishes books by Satanist Anton LaVey and the Apocalypse Culture books, which also feature child porn. Instead of blaming the CIA for everything, Mr Constantine could also have pointed the finger at his publisher for potentially encouraging Satanism and child abuse.

I don't really want to spend more time saying what I didn't like about this book, but I didn't like the way the author seemed to be so sure of himself. Some examples: all UFOs are manmade, all "alien" abductions are CIA abductions, remote viewing is the CIA beaming images into people's heads.

Very Informative inspite of author's bias.......2006-08-13

I heartily agree with the spotlight reviewer who addresses the false dichotomy of left/right. Although Mr. Constantine has done the public a service by citing instances of abuse of the public by purported government officials, his labeling of such sources as "far right" is absurd.

The socalled communist/capitalist dichotomy, right wing/left wing dichotomy, conservative/liberal, and so on, are labels that serve the status quo, it doesn't abrogate it. Freemasons and Juwes are in the business of controlling the opposition. If you pay attention to what democrats and republicans say, both are in the business of serving the New World Order and/or Israel.

entertaining, to say the least.......2005-08-04

a highly entertaining, disturbing and enlightening book. Of course, take it with a grain of salt, but certainly take it. Alex Constantine, a very unique individual, proves an enthusiastic author who backs up a lot of his claims with references and supporting data.

If 10% of the book makes sense to you, then I think the power of that 10% makes it worth the read.

Goes well with "Everything is Under Control" by Robert Anton Wilson.

A Conspiricy Buff's Dream.......2005-06-18

Despite efforts by other reviewers to puff this book, there's little information to be gained. Looking at the comic book cover, the sensationalistic back jacket, and cover to cover of unverified accusations, this book was tailor-made for conspiracy buffs. For example, they want you to believe that 15 years ago microchips were being injected into the bloodstream to reach the brain for the purpose of mind control. Never mind that 15 years ago wafer fabs capable of manufacturing such chips don't, and still do not, exist - oh, that's right, the government is covering them up!

This book has examples of criminals who, when arrested, claimed that the government was injecting voices in their heads. What the author seems to have left out is that claiming to hear voices is the first step in a defendant's PRETENSE of an insanity defense! Yeah, this author leaves a lot out.

But never mind, the facts make no difference to conspiricy fanatics, do they?

Stay away from this book unless you like it piled high and really smelly.

Against Psychiatric Torture!.......2004-04-19

This is only one of several excellent books that I have seen recently warning of the extent of governmental use of "psychiatrists and/or psychologists"

The astonishment and horror that one experiences when reading allegations of the misuse of drugging, of hypnosis, as well as other forms of abuse cannot be overemphasized. The abuse that DOES become known represents only the tip of the iceberg, according to the Foundation for Truth in Reality and also Citizens Commission on Human Rights International, both of which are available on-line, and cannot be meliorated by allegations concerning the misbehavior of the victims of such torture.

Every human being, including every alleged wrongdoer, is entitled to fundamental human rights of autonomy, privacy and due process of law. Nothing excuses the violation of such rights.

Customer Reviews:

Its OK.......2006-05-30

Hi,
I wrote this book. I worked 5 years on it. And I think its OK.
It won't hurt you at all to read it.
And the instructions are really very clear.
With interesting historical examples of sand carved glass.
cheers,
larry

Amazon.com

Not everyone embraces the "American Way." But as historian Walter LaFeber demonstrates in this highly original look at the effects of global capitalism, not everyone has a choice. Using powerful communications satellites in the 1980s and, later, unbridled capital, transnational corporations such as McDonald's and Nike and their media-mogul counterparts have infiltrated cultures from Paris to Beijing, understanding perfectly that what the world sees the world buys (in this case, Big Macs and anything plastered with a Nike swoosh). Of course, it helps when hoops legend Michael Jordan--the world's most idolized athlete--is pitching your products. His influence is pervasive: "McDonald's, blaring Michael Jordan's endorsement, operated in 103 nations and fed one percent of the world's population each day. 'Within the East Asian urban environment,' one historian of the firm notes, 'McDonald's fills a niche once occupied by the teahouse, the neighborhood shop, the street-side stall, and the park bench.'"

LaFeber transitions smoothly from Michael Jordan biography to socioeconomic commentary, first exploring Jordan as the great American hero, then turning a critical eye on Nike and its shoddy overseas labor practices. Jordan can certainly sell shoes, but at what cost? In the final chapter heading, LaFeber asks whether Michael Jordan is the "Greatest Endorser of the Twentieth Century" or "An Insidious Form of Imperialism." He presents evidence of both, but ultimately The New Global Capitalism becomes less about Jordan's marketing prowess than America's influence over the world's consumer habits, and, subsequently, the havoc that power can wreak. LaFeber's short (164 pages), lucid study gives readers a fresh perspective on the battle between capital and culture. Recommended. --Rob McDonald

Book Description

Walter LaFeber's timely analysis looks at the ways that triumphant capitalism, coupled with high-tech telecommunications, is conquering the nations of the world, one mind—one pair of feet—at a time.

With Michael Jordan and the New Global Capitalism, Walter LaFeber has written a biography, a social history, and a far-ranging economic critique. From basketball prodigy to international phenomenon to seductive commercial ideal, Michael Jordan is the supreme example of how American corporations have used technology in a brave, massively wired new world to sell their products in every corner of the globe. LaFeber's examination of Nike and its particular dominion over the global marketplace is often scathing, while his fascinating mini-biography of Michael Jordan and the commercial history of basketball reveal much about American society.

For this new paperback edition, LaFeber has added a chapter on globalization in a changed world, after mass protests and since September 11.

Customer Reviews:

Capital vs Culture.......2007-09-23

LaFeber was well-known and loved by his students at Cornell as a spell binding lecturer and is widely respected as an expert on the history U.S foreign relations. So at first I wondered what about Michael Jordan could possibly interest a distinguished and conscientious scholar of American history, someone not normally associated with forays into pop culture. But it's a really fascinating, thoughtful, and surprising essay. LaFeber argues that Jordan is even bigger than we think--not as a sports icon but as both a symptom and cause of revolutionary change in the global order of things. Yes, the world changed with the fall of the Berlin Wall and with the end of the cold war, he says, but the rise of Jordan is an even bigger watershed moment in world history. The real kicker comes late in the book and is somewhat understated--that there is a war between culture and capital and capital is winning. The implications of this idea are enormous and mostly frightening. This is the maelstrom Marshall McLuhan was trying to warn us about. For anyone interested in media studies, cultural criticism, or a scholarly historian's perspective on global capitalism, this book will be eye-opening and mind-expanding. And the bits about Jordan himself are pretty fascinating.

A must read for all world citizens.......2005-06-30

Just a short note to say that this is one of the most important books I have read in the past 10 years. It tackles capitalism, race, & the role of the individual in the global context in an engaging yet very well informed manner. As a History professor, I have tought this book at several major universities and it has always met with much approval from my students.

Simply Wonderful book. Definitely recommend it........2005-05-05

This book was absolutely riveting. Provides in-depth information about anything to do with Michael Jordan and basketball in terms of its relations to the world. You will not have any questions when done reading. Gives a whole new perspective on the marketing of the NBA and how things work and evolve. The author shows how one person can affect millions, even billions of people. It allows us a glimpse of how something small can be so big at the same time.

There Is More To Michael Jordan Then Playing Basketball..........2004-05-14

In Michael Jordan And The New Global Capitalism, Walter LaFaber uses his ability to research and write about something to express to the readers how important advertising is to any corporation or business. For the Nike Corporation, they partnered up with Michael Jordan and worked out a plan to advertise him and their products through worldwide telecommunications. When Michael Jordan won (which was something he did a lot), the Nike Corporation won too, because everyone wanted to be "like Mike," and the only way to be "like Mike" was to buy his footwear and apparel or other Nike footwear and apparel. This book is a good awakening to anyone interested in how our economy works for big businesses, and its also a good book for anyone interested in basketball and or Michael Jordan. This is a definite must read all in all, because even if you end up not liking this book, you will be better off having read it.

Good Enough.......2002-10-21

Lafeber really shows you how putting time and effort into something can really take you far in life. I found the book to be very fascinating because it gives all the history of how basketball got started and how MJ and Nike became such powerful household names. This book is a really good read for any MJ fan who wants to learn the whole history behind him. It shows you what global advertising can do to a persons popularity. The bottom line this book is filled with tons of very interesting facts and just tells a good story, so go pick it up as soon as you can.

Amazon.com

Physics might seem part of an alien culture to most people, but it has touched all our lives, and its byproducts, in the form of nuclear fission, are going to remain with us for many generations to come. It could be argued that the 20th century was the century of theoretical physics. The Genius of Science is, as its subtitle claims, a portrait gallery of 16 of the most interesting and eminent of the international physicists who helped change our view of the world--from Niels Bohr to Eugene Wigner. But the list of characters is much, much larger and interweaves most of the international network of physicists and other prominent scientists of the last century. Author Abraham Pais, an eminent American theoretical physicist and professor at Rockefeller University, has written acclaimed biographies of Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr, two of the greatest scientists of the 20th century. Pais was acquainted with many of the people he writes about, and he often appears in the book as a shadowy figure in the background. Anyone can dip into The Genius of Science anywhere in its pages and be immediately grabbed by both the extraordinary and the ordinary aspects of the lives of these scientists. The author provides plenty of anecdotes, from those about Bohr's pipe-smoking to Robert Oppenheimer's reaction to the first successful atomic bomb test: "... some lines of the Bhagavad Gita went through his mind: I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."

Pais wants to bring life back to these people, but not in any salacious way; he admits to having "never been interested in entering others' bedrooms." If you want psycho-biography or scandal, you will not find it here. But the general reader will get a sense of the trials, tribulations, and excitement of the scientific life. There are plenty of references for those who want to follow up the details, and there's a useful index of characters mentioned in the text. --Douglas Palmer, Amazon.co.uk

Book Description

Abraham Pais is the acclaimed author of the definitive biographies of Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr, two of the twentieth century's greatest scientists. As a distinguished theoretical physicist himself, he was also acquainted with many of the other influential scientists of his time. In this new book, Pais turns his attention to 14 other scientists, all distinguished in their own right, but who had appeared as the supporting cast to his previous biographies. We meet, among others, the famously taciturn Paul Dirac; Max Born, who coined the term 'quantum mechanics'; Wolfgang Pauli, famed for his exclusion principle and known as the conscience of twentieth-century physics; Mitchell Feigenbaum, inventor of chaos theory; and John von Neumann, one of the most influential mathematicians of the century. In addition, and because their work is so relevant to the others discussed, Pais has included chapters on Einstein and Bohr, in each case giving the essence of the man's character and scientific achievement. In each case, Pais presents a blend of the personality and achievements of the scientist, assisted by his deep knowledge of physics and his personal acquaintance with the subject. The result is a unique and illuminating collection of portraits that sheds light on both their personalities and their work and lasting influence on science. It will be read by all those with an interest in the development of science in the twentieth century, from relativity to chaos theory.

Customer Reviews:

A great collection of biographical essays.......2007-10-03

Abraham Pais was a physicist turned science historian, probably best known as the author of the most authoritative biography of Albert Einstein available.

Pais knew personally almost all the important physicists who participated in the quantum revolution. He is also a really honest, coherent, and more generally talented writer. These facts, along with his background in physics, make this book stand out among many, many others.

This is a collection of 16 essays on famous scientists, some quite short (e.g. the one on Weisskopf), some not so short (e.g. the one on Pauli). Almost all of these texts contain a mix of biographical information and description of scientific contributions that feels just right. Pais's stated aim was to describe not only what these people did, but also who they were, and in this he succeeds admirably.

However, Pais has chosen to be constrained by what he calls in his Introduction a "variance in [his] level of acquaintance" with important physicists. This leads to what may be termed this book's "drawbacks":

1) In some cases one is left "wanting more".

2) There are a number of very famous physicists (Werner Heisenberg comes to mind) that are prominent in their absence (apart from some second-order references).

A word of warning: given that even the longest text included in this volume is only ~ 40 pages long, Pais obviously does not attempt to flesh out the physical concepts involved, and limits himself to giving physically accurate descriptions that would, however, not qualify as explanations. This could have the consequence that some parts of the book may be unintelligible to laymen.

Minor quibbles aside, this book clearly deserves 5 stars.

Alexandros Gezerlis

People in science........2003-03-08

What makes Pais' book especially compelling and captivating
is that he knew the main players in Science over the period of a lifetime. And then the unique quality of his writing! The
result is a page turner. We are given a glimps into the personal lives of Bohr, of Dirac, of Einstein, of von Neumann, of Pauli,
and of others of the major profiles in science in the twentieth century;-- and Pais offers his own thoughts on their scienceas well. Based on having worked with them...Pais also wrote landmark biographies of Bohr and Einstein. Highly recommended.

Intelligent and warm biographies.......2002-01-02

The physicist Abraham Pais met these scientists and developed strong human bonds with them. So, besides concise accounts of their scientific contributions, he tells us some moving, insightful and unforgettable events of their lives.

Excellent biographies of sixteen who remade our worldview.......2000-08-27

Someone once wrote that there was more imagination in the mathematician and physicist Archimedes than in all of Homer. The arguments in favor of that statement are very strong. It took a great deal of original, abstract thought to solve the problems that Archimedes resolved. However, that pales before the level of original and abstract thinking that went into the creation of the modern models of the physical universe. Some of the confirmed results are so strange that it is simply impossible to relate them to what we see on the macro scale.
The collection of people who created these models are described in this book. Their exploits make very interesting reading, and although some could be placed in the strange genius category, most were otherwise rather ordinary. Some were devoted to their lives outside physics and others knew only physics. Some had tight partnerships with their spouses while others had tolerant spouses who accepted extra-marital affairs. While including more of the slush would have made the book more interesting to the voyeur and perhaps increased sales, the author raises the personal details only when they are needed.
The true measure of a quality biography of a scientist is that you find their lives interesting even when their science is being discussed. Such is the case here. These giants of the physical realm led interesting lives that the author describes very well in relatively few pages. The physics is also made quite interesting, in that the explanations make you appreciate their accomplishments all the more.
Given the wide variety of personalities described here, one is led to the conclusion that it takes all kinds to make a world view.

Influential 20th century physicists.......2000-06-07

Pais has previously written terrific biographies of Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein. Here he writes about sixteen brilliant 20C scientists who don't quite have the same name recognition as those two, but who made towering contributions - people like Dirac and von Neumann. And as a physicist himself, he knew them personally and worked with some of them. In fluid prose he makes the excitement of their milieu and their science come alive.

Physics All-Stars.(Review): An article from: American Scientist

Average customer rating:

Physics All-Stars.(Review): An article from: American Scientist

Manufacturer: Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Science | Subjects | Books

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

Average customer rating:

Enjoyable reading

An ok book about the Irish

Heavy reading

Wonderful Book

Not scholarly literature

How the Irish Saved Civilization (Hinges of History)
Thomas Cahill
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Early Civilization | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books
General | World | History | Subjects | Books
General | Ireland | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
Medieval | Ireland | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
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Amazon.com

In this delightful and illuminating look into a crucial but little-known "hinge" of history, Thomas Cahill takes us to the "island of saints and scholars," the Ireland of St. Patrick and the Book of Kells. Here, far from the barbarian despoliation of the continent, monks and scribes laboriously, lovingly, even playfully preserved the West's written treasury. When stability returned in Europe, these Irish scholars were instrumental in spreading learning, becoming not only the conservators of civilization, but also the shapers of the medieval mind, putting their unique stamp on Western culture.

Book Description

The perfect St. Patrick's Day gift, and a book in the best tradition of popular history -- the untold story of Ireland's role in maintaining Western culture while the Dark Ages settled on Europe.

Every year millions of Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but they may not be aware of how great an influence St. Patrick was on the subsequent history of civilization. Not only did he bring Christianity to Ireland, he instilled a sense of literacy and learning that would create the conditions that allowed Ireland to become "the isle of saints and scholars" -- and thus preserve Western culture while Europe was being overrun by barbarians.

In this entertaining and compelling narrative, Thomas Cahill tells the story of how Europe evolved from the classical age of Rome to the medieval era. Without Ireland, the transition could not have taken place. Not only did Irish monks and scribes maintain the very record of Western civilization -- copying manuscripts of Greek and Latin writers, both pagan and Christian, while libraries and learning on the continent were forever lost -- they brought their uniquely Irish world-view to the task.

As Cahill delightfully illustrates, so much of the liveliness we associate with medieval culture has its roots in Ireland. When the seeds of culture were replanted on the European continent, it was from Ireland that they were germinated.

In the tradition of Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror, How The Irish Saved Civilization reconstructs an era that few know about but which is central to understanding our past and our cultural heritage. But it conveys its knowledge with a winking wit that aptly captures the sensibility of the unsung Irish who relaunched civilization.

Download Description

From the fall of Rome to the rise of Charlemagne--the "dark ages"--learning, scholarship, and culture disappeared from the European continent. The great heritage of western civilization--from the Greek and Roman classics to Jewish and Christian works--would have been utterly lost were it not for the holy men and women of unconquered Ireland.

Customer Reviews:

Enjoyable reading.......2007-09-28

I enjoyed this book and am somewhat surprised by the nasty reviews. I wasn't looking for a historical textbook or I would surely have looked elsewhere. As an introduction to the role Ireland played in history, I found it a scratching of the surface that made me want to go out and learn more. And I loved Cahill's rather lighthearted amusing writing style. I'm intrigued enough to want to read more in the hinges of history series and I find myself wanting to study Irish poetry from the middle ages.

An enjoyable read!

An ok book about the Irish.......2007-08-27

An ok book about irish civilization. I cannot say that I loved this book. It was a general read about the Irish. I was not overwhelmed by this.

Heavy reading.......2007-07-18

This book is an interesting intellectual history of the fall of Western classical civilization, and how its literary works and ideas were preserved and then brought back to life through Irish monasteries. Cahill begins with an analysis of why the Roman Empire collapsed, which he supports by drawing heavily on classical writers, from Plato to Cicero. He also examines the state of Irish society at the time, using the Tain as an example. He then traces the history of Saint Patrick bringing Christianity to Ireland, and how the new Christian monasteries came to be the institutions that preserved the ancient classical texts and brought them back to mainland Europe in future centuries.

I found Cahill's approach to history quite interesting, in his heavy use of contemporary literary works to exemplify his descriptions. He argues that it was the special nature of Irish intellectual society, in which the monks were interested in reading and preserving all classical works without censoring them, which enabled many classic Greek and Roman texts to be preserved. Without such broad interests in preserving all ancient texts, Cahill argues they would have been lost for good with the looting and burning of the great European libraries, and the ideas in them would not have been available to fuel the renaissance. The book is quite thought-provoking, and would make a good choice for book discussions.

Wonderful Book.......2007-06-14

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Like many of Thomas Cahill's books the author spends the first few chapters on background history (which can be a slow read for some - myself included), but once he sets up the time and place it is a smooth enjoyable ride that leaves you inspired and enriched.

Not scholarly literature.......2007-06-13

I thought Cahill's premise was fascinating. The book was interesting, too, but it's not a scholarly work. Cahill tells a story. I admit that I have not read enough in this area to be able to fully critique his work, but like any work the reader should not blindly accept everything he or she reads.

I was disappointed by the vagueness of much of Cahill's text. Much of it seemed irrelevant. Ausonius and Augustine and Plato are nice, but I don't know if they're really the greatest cross-section of classical civilzation to cite. I was confused by the way in which the story was told. I felt cheated by the layout, which seems to indicate that events happened in this order: 1) Rome is great, 2) Rome is overrun by barbarians, 3) Ireland becomes civilized, 4) Ireland enlightens the world, 5) the world is saved. However, if you look at the chronology in the back, these events are intertwined and one is not necessarily the result of another. This book seems to be the bones of the story - but it's not fleshed out. Please note that Cahill's credentials are as a religious scholar, not a historian.

Cahill's arguments are interesting, and he did illuminate an aspect of history that was previously a shadow of the Dark Ages. The time between the fall of the Roman empire and Charlemagne seems to be a black hole in history. Cahill does make the usual error of assuming that the people of his society are the only people in the world - but anyone who knows anything about history knows that the world was never empty. I may give Cahill another chance, but I have my reservations.

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How the Irish Saved Civilization

Manufacturer: Hodder and Stoughton
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Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HO1SFK

How the Irish Saved Civilization.( Unabridged)

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How the Irish Saved Civilization.( Unabridged)

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Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 0788705709

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How the Irish Saved Civilization
Thomas Cahill
Manufacturer: Hodder & Stoughton
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ASIN: B000QRB8PS

How The Irish Saved Civilization - The Untold Story Of Ireland's Heroic Role From The Fall Of Rome To The Rise Of Medieval Europe

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How The Irish Saved Civilization - The Untold Story Of Ireland's Heroic Role From The Fall Of Rome To The Rise Of Medieval Europe
Thomas Cahill
Manufacturer: Anchor / Doubleday
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Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000P3YD0K

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How the Irish saved civilization : the untold story of Ireland's heroic role from the fall of Rome to the rise of medieval Europe
Thomas Cahill
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HOW TH IRISH SAVED CIVILIZATION-THE UNTOLD STORY OF IRELAND'S HEROIC ROLE FROM THE FALL OF ROME TO THE RISE OF MIDIEVAL EUROPE

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HOW TH IRISH SAVED CIVILIZATION-THE UNTOLD STORY OF IRELAND'S HEROIC ROLE FROM THE FALL OF ROME TO THE RISE OF MIDIEVAL EUROPE
Thomas Cahill
Manufacturer: Anchor Books
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ASIN: B000I36XWS

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How the Irish Saved Civilization
Thomas Cahill
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How the Irish Saved Civilization : From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe

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How the Irish Saved Civilization : From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe
Thomas Cahill
Manufacturer: Vintage Anchor Publishing
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How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from (Hinges of History)

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How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from (Hinges of History)
Thomas Cahill
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Early Civilization | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

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In the Eighth Edition, American Government: Power and Purpose maintains the analytical rigor, focused pedagogy, and judicious use of relevant history that have distinguished it as the authoritative text for American government courses. Retaining the analytical framework that first appeared in the Seventh Edition, the Eighth Edition emphasizes five core "Principles of Politics":

1. All political behavior has a purpose 2. All politics is collective action 3. Institutions matter 4. Political outcomes are the products of individuals' preferences and institutional procedures 5. History matters

By drawing on these principles throughout the text, the authors expose students to repeated applications of core ideas in their discussion of political concepts and history. The result is a refined, accessible portrait of America's government institutions and political life that encourages students to think critically and analytically.

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excellent textbook.......2004-09-19

This book is up-to-date, instructive, comprehensive, and easy to read. It even introduces political principles and theories in the margins in a palatable and intuitive way. This is an excellent book for an introductory American politics course, exceeding the expectation that a textbook is only useful as a reference.

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A close look at the history of Detroit's distinguished waterway that also documents the Detroit River's ecosystem problems and explains how it can be further protected and remain one of the world's great rivers.

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