This Blessed Wilderness: Archibald McDonald's Letters from the Columbia, 1822-44 (Pioneers of British Columbia)

Book Description

The twenty-five years between 1821 and 1846 were turbulent but important years in the history of the fur trade in the Pacific Northwest: 1821 saw the merger of the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company, and 1846 saw the signing of the Oregon Treaty, which established the Canada-U.S. border.

Archibald McDonald was a man who experienced these changes first hand. As a senior HBC officer, he was sent to the Columbia District headquarters at Fort George in 1821 to oversee the recently absorbed NWC posts and assets. After the merger, McDonald went on to direct operations at Thompson River (1826-28), Fort Langley (1828-33), and Fort Colvile (1833-44).

During his tenure in the Pacific Northwest, letters were McDonald's only link with the outside world. Collected here for the first time by Jean Murray Cole, these public and private letters to friends, business colleagues, missionaries, botanists, and many others provide a fascinating narrative of the expansion of the fur trade at a critical time in its history.

McDonald's witty and ironic style make these informative letters highly readable and entertaining. They are an invaluable primary resource for historians of the fur trade and the Pacific Northwest, anthropologists, geographers, and specialists in native studies. More general readers will be fascinated by these amusing snapshots of early settlement in the Pacific Northwest.

Book Description

"Shoeless" Joe Jackson was one of baseball's greatest hitters and most colorful players. Born Joseph Jefferson Wofford Jackson on July 16, 1888, in Pickens County, South Carolina, Jackson went to work in a textile mill when he was around six years old, and got his start in baseball playing for the Brandon Mill team at the age of 13 earning $2.50 a game. He emerged as the star of the team and a favorite of fans with his hitting and throwing abilities, and moved up to play in the Carolina Association, where he received his nickname "Shoeless" because the blisters on his feet forced him to play in his stockings. He then made his move to the major leagues, signing on with the Philadelphia Athletics and rising to fame. This work chronicles Jackson's life from his poor beginnings to his involvement in the scandal surrounding the 1919 World Series to his life after baseball and his death December 5, 1951, with most of the work focusing on his baseball career.

Customer Reviews:

Impressed apart from conclusion.......2006-07-14

Fleitz does a fine job of describing the atmosphere of the early days of baseball and is usually objective in his treatment of Jackson as a player and as a person. I recommend the book for anyone who is a Jackson affectionado and/or enjoys human drama in a sports context. However, I was very disappointed in the final pages where Fleitz offers his opinion that Jackson wouldn't have cared about the Hall of Fame anyway because he was basically a Southern, good old boy from a poor background who cared only about hanging out with friends and family near the old homeplace. My great uncle worked in those same Greenville, SC cotton mills as a 9-yr old boy for almost no wages but ambition did not die there among the textile looms.

A balanced, thoughtful book.......2002-05-10

There has been a lot said and written about Joe Jackson by a variety of people - baseball people, baseball historians, scholars of the 1919 World Series, residents of the South (particularly South Carolina), and others. There's also been a variety of books produced about Jackson, most with his point of view or the "point of view he would have had," whatever that might have been at any point in time. It was with some skepticism that I picked up Fleitz's book and started to read, half expecting to see the same arguments that I've read before - Jackson as a victim, as the greatest player not in the Hall of Fame but for one mistake, and how he went back to South Carolina and scratched out a living (or was very successful, depending on which book you read).

Fleitz's book was a most pleasant surprise - it offers information that I haven't found anywhere else, and gives more "flesh" and substance to the person that was Joe Jackson than any previous account of his life that I had read. One point is the relationship that he had with his wife: always shown as the doting couple, Fleitz writes that this wasn't always the case. In baseball, he shows that Jackson wasn't the near-mythological player that he had been portrayed, and that he did fail at any number of clutch situations. By the same token, Jackson is also frequently mentioned as a batting role model to any number of famous players. The reactions of contemporaries thoughtout the book is also delightful feature.

A primary focus of the book is in the 1919 World Series and Jackson's role in that. Through the years Jackson has garnered significant numbers of supporters claiming that he was innocent; Fleitz offers evidence and opinions that he may not have been that innocent at all. There is also the issue of his initial acceptance of the gamblers' money. As with many people, I have my opinions of the World Series fix and Jackson's involvement. Prior to Fleitz's book, the opinion was a little fuzzier; after reading the book, it's become a little clearer. Was he innocent or guilty? Read the book and make your decision - it's well worth your time.

The definitive Joe Jackson book.......2002-03-21

Great book. Separates the myth and the legend of Shoeless Joe Jackson from the "average Joe" and looks at his banishment from baseball in an honest, objective light. Author does an outstanding job of dissecting Jackson's behavior and possible motives throughout the scandal of the 1919 Black Sox.
But more importantly, more personal information about Joe is available on Joe throughout the pages of this text than any I have ever seen. This is a fantastic accomplishment as there is a lot of sappy, sentimental fluff out there about Joe Jackson and this book really made me feel as though I knew Joe, in addition to understanding what he was about.
This book is by far and away the best baseball book of the year (along with Reed Browning's Cy Young) and is amongst the best and most important baseball books ever written. If you're a serious baseball fan, you will enjoy SHOELESS!!

The Shoeless Joe You Didn't Know.......2001-06-25

Baseball biographies come in all types, from boring descriptions of the player's performance in games, to tantalizing disconnected details of the player's life outside the lines, to full-fledged development of the player's life history and personality. This new book by David Fleitz falls more toward the latter. I recommend it to all baseball fans, especially ones (like me) who are fascinated by the lesser-known stars of the pre-Ruthian world.

Much of the book is devoted to Jackson's role in the Black Sox scandal, putting it into historical context and digging into the actions and motives of some of the key figures. The passages involving Charles Comiskey are especially revealing.

The road between city life and country life was much longer back then. Early baseball has many stories of the difficulties rural men faced when thrust into MLB's urban landscape. Because of his great physical skills, the illiterate Jackson is a highly compelling example of these stories. I now feel like I've met Jackson. Among the best baseball biographies I've read.

Finally, A Biography about Joe.......2001-05-22

As a thirteen year resident of Greenville, South Carolina, I have finally found a biography about "Shoeless" Joe Jackson that captures his life story rather than the many myths surrounding the man. As any baseball player or fan knows, the likes of Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and other baseball greats have been immortalized in a plethora of biographies, but Joe has been little more than a footnote. Perhaps, this is due to his involvement in the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, perhaps not. This book, however, finally captures the life and many facets of Joe Jackson. Though I do not subscribe to one theory or another in regard to his involvement in throwing the 1919 World Series, I am pleased to have finally found a book that addresses this issue without glamour, intrigue, or writer's license. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in baseball, the history of our National Past Time, or the life of one of baseball's greatest hitters, Joe Jackson.

Book Description

Bargain Books are non-returnable.

Freud dug it; Marilyn wouldn't leave home without it. Lipstick: It's an icon, a turn-on, an international symbol of the feminine mystique. Today it finds its place in history. Read My Lips is the book for everyone who's ever fallen for the allure of painted lips or bought, borrowed, or stolen a tube of Five Alarm Red. A scenic tour of a lush landscape, Read My Lips celebrates the one cosmetic women can't live without, the quick glam fix rivaled only by the little black dress for gotta-have-it-ness. For a device of such small stature, lipstick has inspired great feats. Read My Lips records them all—from Cleopatra, who enhanced her hue with henna, to Paloma Picasso, who donned her trademark red at the tender age of three. More than lip service, these colorfully illustrated pages include lipstick lore, art, literature, and photography, as well as memorable Hollywood moments and an inside take on the history, business, and psychology of painted lips. Chanel to Urban Decay, lipstick has left its mark as a girl's best friend. Part owner's manual, part cultural history, Read My Lips is a slick celebration of lipstick's many traces.

Customer Reviews:

Not too deep, but a fun, interesting read.......2000-11-01

While this book isn't a thesis on lipstick or the cultural significance of lipstick, it is a light, informative read on where lipstick came from and how it's evolved over the years. I found the facts about what ingredients used to go into lipstick fascinating, and the book is filled with interesting factoids such as how to say 'lipstick' in several different languages. The photos are great---the old cosmetics ads are a hoot!---and the book is written in a light, breezy style that makes it easy to read.

Finally Somebody Gets It!.......2000-08-02

Tired of all those serious minded types who think fashion is a religion. This book demystifies the glamour of makeup and shows it for what it really is - nothing more than FUN! That's the way it's supposed to be.

Nothing for the serious minded fashion expert here........1999-05-24

This is long love letter to lipstick, written with the aren't I cool? bravado of a magazine journalist. A tiresome read, with lots of giggly plays on words. For now, I'll stick to Allure, and In-Style.

Like some women- very pretty to look at but short on brains.......1999-05-23

I was attracted to the cover of the book, which is its strong point. Once inside, there are more colorful pictures to look at, and I think the publisher would have been more wise to call it READ MY LIPS: A PICTORIAL HISTORY OF LIPSTICK rather than a CULTURAL HISTORY OF LIPSTICK. The style of writing is really more in line with magazine fashion writing, which I understand is the profession of the two authors of the book. I disagree with a previous review that this is a "must have for the serious fashion minded" customer. This is far too "Cutesy" and written with too much of an attempt to be hip. For the truly serious fashion minded person, there are a few semi academic yet also highly accessible books on makeup, including FASHIONS IN MAKEUP by Richard Corson, which the truly serious fashion minded have always known to be an excellent source of cultural/historical information... and it is not written with the "cuteness" that is present here. The total text, when the pictures are deleted, must be only about 15 pages. That, I believe, is an article, not a book.

Must Have for Serious Fashion Experts.......1999-02-11

This enhjoyable book is a must have for the serious fashion minded of us. A fun read covers the history of lipstick in an easy to read and eye pleasing layout.

Customer Reviews:

Magic eye rules.......2002-02-17

magic eye is one of the best books to get your imagination going and it helps to keep your eyesight great. The only thing is you cant find this book in any shops so look online!

Magic eye rules.......2002-02-17

magic eye is one of the best books to get your imagination going and it helps to keep your eyesight great. The only thing is you cant find this book in any shops so look online!

"Magic Eye will get YOUR eye".......2000-04-11

I think Magic Eye is a fabulous book for children, and adults. It really brings you into the book and shows you the wonderful world of 3-D. Once you open this book, your eyes will stick to it, and you can't put it down until your done. So please buy this book, you will be happy if you do. Magic Eye is really what I'm saying, it's great!

Book Description

One of the world’s leading SAP Sales & Distribution consultants delivers the first comprehensive and practical guide to implementing this new module in the R/3 system. Inside this book you’ll get complete information on the ins and outs of the software, including basic functions, sales document flow, invoicing, and how the S&D module interfaces with other modules. Sales processes and delivery systems are crucial functions in today’s businesses and no other Sales & Distribution guide can bring you the same focused, reliable advice that’s found inside this first-rate user’s guidebook.

Customer Reviews:

Very good product.......2007-09-27

This book is very good to get understanding of SAP SD structure. Book arrived before it was scheduled to arrive. So I am really happy with in time delivery and quality of the product.

Implementing SAP R/3 Sales and Distribution.......2007-06-26

Excellent read for beginners and high end users. Not enough detail for consultants responsible for configuation.

Very useful book.......2007-01-12

I found hard to find a good book on SAP R3 Sales and Distribution area. I am very satisfied with the contents of this book ; despite this, I would have liked to get also the prospective of the end user as I this book does not cover some -maybe too detailed- aspects of the day to day support work. I guess this was not part of the scope of the book

Very well written - Very informative if you are new to SD.......2007-01-07

I have used this book over and over as a reference and it is pretty well written and covers all the major topics. You should use this in conjunction with SAP help. This book will give you basic introduction to all topics under SD and it does a pretty decent job of teaching you SD config in SAP. I am an SD functional lead and I recommend this book to all my new team members..

Excellent book -- Abap to SD Journey.......2007-01-05

This is excellent book and i am very impressed with it's contents, language and quality.

Well i am have been working with SAP for last 8 years as a Abap/EDI/ALE resource and decided to take make a shift to functioal side.

Started with reading SAP implementation guide and SAP library, also found couple of intresting sites. But the best thing which happened to me was purchasing this book.
This book is very well organised and contains all the basic functionality in SD module with some real time examples. It explains both the SD business process flow and more importantly the configuration.

I would highly recommend this book.

Implementing Sap R/3 Sales and Distribution

Average customer rating:

Implementing Sap R/3 Sales and Distribution
Glynn Williams
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OFQ4E2

Average customer rating:

National Geographic Almanac of American History (National Geographic)

A lot of useful info!

Must have for all ages!

National Geographic Almanac of American History (National Geographic)
James Miller , and John Thompson
Manufacturer: National Geographic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Reference | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books
General | World | History | Subjects | Books
Almanacs | Almanacs & Yearbooks | Reference | Subjects | Books
General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Almanac of World History (National Geographic)

National Geographic Visual History of the World (National Geographic)

National Geographic Concise History of the World: An Illustrated Time Line (Timeline)

The Great American History Fact-Finder: The Who, What, Where, When, and Why of American History, Updated & Expanded Edition

National Geographic Almanac of Geography (National Geographic Almanacs)

ASIN: 0792283686
Release Date: 2005-12-06

Book Description

Featuring stunning images, revealing maps, historic facts, and concise analysis, the National Geographic Almanac of American History is carefully balanced to provide readers with a deeper comprehension of United States history.

The Almanac is unparalleled in its reader-friendly format: the book's four major sections are enhanced by a thorough table of contents, a detailed index, and bibliography, plus a feature on how to use the book. Section 1 explores America's geologic makeup and answers the question, "How was the land responsible for the way in which America developed?" Milestones comprise section 2: Twelve essays discuss how America evolved to become the global leader it is today. Section 3 covers the major eras in America's history, beginning with the earliest Native Americans. The final section of the book covers: Leaders, Wars, Religion and Beliefs, Presidents, and finally, Milestone Documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address, and more.

With an introduction by Hugh Ambrose, historian and a founding director of The National D-Day Museum, the National Geographic Almanac of American History is a timely and essential resource that every American should own.

Customer Reviews:

National Geographic Almanac of American History (National Geographic).......2007-05-12

I think this book a well written consist summary of American history. The reason I did not rate it 5 stars is because of the opening statement on page 14. This book, backed by National Geographic, states that the world we live in was created by a "big bang" 15 billions ago. This is not a proven fact. This is one man's idea. I am surprised that National Geographic accepts this as a proven fact and gives this book their stamp of approval. It has lowered my opinion of a life long trusted name.

A lot of useful info!.......2007-04-04

Great book: easy to read, very interesting and we must know history of country. When you begin to read it - it just will takes you all until you complete the book! Full of illustrations and copies of actual historical documents. Good to own it and have it on your shelf, getting back to it periodically :)

Must have for all ages!.......2006-08-26

I had borrowed this book from our local library and was very impressed. There's so much information in it and so many great pictures...it is worth having on your shelf and you will refer to it often as you look up historical words or questions you run into, your children can use it for school...It is the only book of this kind, that I could find, that has the entire history and is not concentrating on just one time-period or subject abt. American history. I also bought the "world history" one from National Georaphic. It is a great price and I haven't seen it at this price anywhere else (trust me I've done some research before buying).

The Enduring Vision Volume Two: From 1865 (Student Guide with Map Exercises)

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The Enduring Vision Volume Two: From 1865 (Student Guide with Map Exercises)
Barbara Blumberg
Manufacturer: D.C. Heath and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M9P3F6

Product Description

The Student Guide with Map Exercises is intended to help you master the history presented in The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People. It is not a substitute for reading the textbook. However, used properly as a supplement to the text, it should assist you in focusing on the important events, issues and concepts in American History, as well aso n the well-known figures and ordinary people alike whose ideas and actions help us to understand the past. It is also designed to build your vocabulary, improve your knowledge of geography, and enhance your understanding of how the historian learns about the past.

Average customer rating:

A fine adumbration of the era

History that reads (almost) like a novel

Take it with a grain of salt

Engaging Writer

Why Study History? This Book Is The Best Answer

The Birth of the Modern: World Society 1815-1830
Paul M. Johnson
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

19th Century | World | History | Subjects | Books
General | World | History | Subjects | Books
History of Science | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books
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Modern Times Revised Edition: The World from the Twenties to the Nineties (Perennial Classics)

Intellectuals

Creators: From Chaucer and Durer to Picasso and Disney

A History of the American People

The Quest for God: Personal Pilgrimage, A

ASIN: 0060922826
Release Date: 1999-06-03

Book Description

From the prizewinning author of Modern Times comes an extraordinary chronicle of the period that laid the foundations of the modern world.

Customer Reviews:

A fine adumbration of the era.......2007-07-15

An entertaining and detail-packed overview of the period, marred mostly by the inexplicable overuse of the word "adumbrate", which the author employs exhaustively in relation to every conceivable issue or personality. If one can look past this, the occasional factual error, and the author's rabid anti-intellectualism -- demonstrated throughout in such statements as "China was that worst of all systems: a society run by its intelligentsia... The system was obnoxious because it placed scholars at the top." -- then one can still enjoy this work, bearing in mind that it takes a somewhat crankish mind to find a collection of corrupt Confucian scholars more obnoxious than, say, Franco, Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Pinochet, Perón, or any of the other innumerable vicious and incompetent despots and generalissimos we have seen before and since the period studied by the author.

History that reads (almost) like a novel.......2006-03-09

Paul Johnson has written a 1,000-page book about various and sundry aspects of the years 1815-1830, years in which he rightly claims to find the origins of many aspects of the world as we know it today. Johnson's chosen foci are certainly broad: he ranges from events in politics and law to music, science, and even opium use. While almost every page is loaded with fascinating morsels of information that will certainly come in handy when you want to impress people at your next social function, Johnson's roving eye and pen can be disconcerting: he tends to shift topics very quickly and without warning. Also, while the book claims to be about "world society," Johnson spends the largest part of his time talking about British society -- but he's found plenty of ways to range geographically from the "western" United States (like Kentucky) to China and Singapore. Throughout, his prose is generally crisp and pleasant to read.

Overall, Johnson has given us what might be the ultimate in bedtime reading: a vast book that one can pick up, open nearly at random, and learn something interesting about the past but which retains significance today.

Take it with a grain of salt.......2004-09-10

Let me contrast Paul Johnson with another popular historian, Howard Zinn ("A People's History of the United States"). Both are good, entertaining writers, but Zinn is honest about his radical bias, while Johnson assumes a "god's-eye" view of history that presumes to report "what really happened" without the biases that mere mortals are prone to. Of course, the bias is there anyway. Zinn is radically democratic and suspicious of all elites, whereas Johnson writes of a world well managed by a few superb individuals; the rest of the people are an abstraction he calls the "demos." Johnson deserves credit for writing well and engagingly about a remarkable range of topics, from politics and war to art and popular culture. But he deserves censure especially for his apologetics for European imperialism. Throughout this thick book, every European or American military adventure in Asia, Africa, or the Americas is reported with modifiers like "had to," "like it or not," and "reluctantly." Thus we read that Britain went to war in China "for altruistic as well as commercial reasons," as if China was in need of a foreign power to peddle opium to its people and then shell its port cities. There is no doubt that most European officers really believed in the "mission civilisatrice," but it seems ridiculous for a latter-day historian to agree with them in this sly way. I would recommend taking this book with a grain of salt, remembering that the slaves who manufactured table salt during this period had a history as well.

Engaging Writer.......2003-10-21

Johnson tells his readers in the preface that he selected 1815-30 as the years in which the modern world was largely formed. He knowledges that others would disagree with that choice, but goes on to justify his selection by explaining his reasons.
The first chapter starts with the Battle of New Orleans. From here the story unfolds with the persona of Andrew Jackson, the hero of that war, who would eventually become president as the transition was made to popular politics and away from elite decision-makers.
The Battle of Waterloo, back on the European continent is also described and labeled as "one of the decisive battles of history" (p. 83).
The book contains insightful asides such as the one about Talleyrand's love of music. We're told "He hired one of Joseph Haydn's pupils, Sigismond Neukomm, to play the piano softly--background music, hours at a time--while he worked at his desk" (p. 99).
Johnson's analysis throughout the book is helpful in placing happenings into an understandable context. For example he talks about the defense of religion given by Francois-Rene de Chateaubriand, saying, "It explained why, as the French themselves had discovered during the atheistic 1790s, religion was a necessary part of human life--and always would be so--why reason and the cold intellect were not enough and why Blaise Pascal had been right to insist that 'the Heart has its reasons which Reason knoweth not'" (p. 111).
The anguish of the lack of the heart's desire being met is illustrated in the life of one of the famous composers of the era. "Beethoven's overbearing selfishness was compounded by his failure to marry and the loneliness it bred--'Oh God,' he wrote in anguish, 'may I find her at last, the woman who may strengthen me in virtue, who is permitted to be mine.' But no one was willing to be Beethoven's wife" (p. 122).
Johnson contributes greatly to our understanding of this epoch in this well-written and clearly documented book.

Why Study History? This Book Is The Best Answer.......2003-06-19

Paul Johnson writes in a unique style. Many say his style is quirky, but I think his way of writing history is really the best. My reading his book is like being taken to a month-long tour of the early nineteenth century, mostly to England and Europe, but also to other parts of the world - American, Australia, Latin America and Asia - by virtue of the English (mostly) influence. It was like waking up in the morning and reading the morning paper of the era, learning about the what were unfolding in politics, business, industry, literature, music, art, science, and even gossip as they happened.

In this 1000 page volume, Johnson tells how the modern society rapidly took shape in a relatively short period of time after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte. It is an interesting and compelling thesis. The industrial revolution, which created a lot of "self-made" men, and the arrival of the white men to all continents with their modern morals and superior weapons, the emergence of science, the popularization of music, art, communication media and eventually politics, all interacted to bring about an era of politics of the masses, or democracy, in the West.

Johnson tells us that this was not just another period of progress. It was the birth of the modern society. After reading his book, I am inclined to agree. Many of the salient features of today's society first took shape then. From little ills like traffic jams and parking tickets, for example, which started with increasing number of horse carriages, to party politics fanned by the media, newly juiced up by the steam-powered printing press. As if he anticipated what would happen in September 2000, at the ending pages of the book, Johnson innocuously chronicled the invention of the Lucifer match, a godsend for housewives but which also spawned arson. Does that not sound like a foretaste of terrorists and weapons of mass destruction?

The Birth of the Modern is a very unique history book. It is well worth your time. It gives meaning to the author's famous quote: "The study of history is a powerful antidote to contemporary arrogance. It is humbling to discover how many of our glib assumptions, which seem to us novel and plausible, have been tested before, not once but many times and in innumerable guises; and discovered to be, at great human cost, wholly false."

It is the best answer to anyone who might ask why we should study history.

Average customer rating:
The Birth of Modern: World Society 1815-1830
Paul Johnson
Manufacturer: Harper Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I31Z4E

Average customer rating:
The Birth of the Modern (World Society 1815-1830)
Paul Johnson
Manufacturer: Harper Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GWOJ7M

Average customer rating:
The Birth of the Modern World Society 1815-1830
Paul Johnson
Manufacturer: Harper Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000P9VC9O

Average customer rating:
The Birth of the Modern, World Society 1815-1830
Paul Johnson
Manufacturer: NY: Harper Collins, 1991,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NKCP6E

Average customer rating:
Birth of the Modern: World Society, 1815-1830
Paul Johnson
Manufacturer: WEIDENFELD AND NICOLSON
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OLNDEK

Average customer rating:

Paul Johnson at his typical superb

Tuchman-like prose comes to review of modern times

THE BIRTH OF THE MODERN: WORLD SOCIETY, 1815-1830 (PHOENIX GIANTS S.)
PAUL JOHNSON
Manufacturer: WEIDENFELD NICHOLSON HISTORY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1857993667

Customer Reviews:

Paul Johnson at his typical superb.......2001-01-09

This reviews the softcover book (rather than the audio cassettes).

Paul Johnson is mankind's present to itself. In this era so forgetful of nearly everything wonderful that ever went before, Johnson makes it his business to document world history. In Birth he focuses on the period 1800-1830 as the beginnings of the modern period.

One could always argue about the choice of period as the cradle of modernity, but Johnson makes a persuasive case for the era he has chosen. The huge political revolutions-American and French-came and went with their far-reaching aftermaths. The War of 1812 ended with decisive American victory over the British, providing Andrew Jackson the stage for his subsequent career. The Industrial Revolution had begun to make itself felt in ordinary British life. Steam had made its entrance and the railroad had taken hold. The British Navy had assumed primacy on the world's oceans. The groundwork was laid for ending slavery worldwide, for Darwin's theory of evolution, for Manifest Destiny in the United States, for the immense German learning that would produce Marx, Nietzsche, the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution and Hitler. During this period the press became a dominant sociopolitical force. Environmental concerns were first expressed. Modern, cheap road making came into being, a boon to everyone.

Johnson's particular excellence is covering large subjects relatively quickly without losing their essence. Frequently he captures details that bring something alive. Who would have thought, for instance, that the poet Wordsworth would take serious offense over someone poking fun at his legs? Yet the era was such that men's legs were objects of admiration. Beau Brummel introduced the coat and tie, and umbrellas replaced swords as part of men's attire. In this era immediately prior to mass transportation, people had to walk to get to where they were going. And walk they did. Johnson chronicles prodigies of walking by ordinary people, women covering most of the British Isles over periods of weeks just to see something, and then walking back. Abe Lincoln and his sister walked 18 miles a day to go to school, and Lincoln "once walked 34 miles just for the pleasure `of hearing a lawyer make a speech.'"

Lowly cotton gets royal treatment in Johnson's hands. "The reduction in the price of cotton and the increase in its availability from 1780-1850 was one of the best things that ever happened to the world. Sensible people had long dressed in cotton if they could afford it. As Samuel Johnson observed, clothes made from vegetables like cotton (and linen), could be made truly clean and cool, whereas clothes made from animal materials, like wool and silk, retained an element of grease whatever you did to them." For this reason cotton figured centrally in the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and the economy of the Old South in America. Notice how hygiene slips into the picture almost by accident. The eradication of most of the killer diseases in the world owes more to thorough hygiene and clean water than strictly to medicine, and the advent of cotton was clearly central to that breakthrough. "In 1730 three out of four children born in London failed to reach their fifth birthday. By 1830 the proportion had been reversed."

Johnson presents interesting characters in interesting ways. "Like many people in a stinking world," artist John Martin was interested in designing a decent sewage system. Charles Babbage introduced computers-100 years before anyone really understood what he was thinking of. The description of Simón Bolívar nails a certain modern politician: "Bolívar...was an indiscriminate womanizer. He pursued power for its own sake. He always lied when convenient [and] had no respect for law. He was rarely interested in the truth of what he said, merely its effect." "Walter Scott was one of the first historical novelists to take the trouble to get the details of dress, armor, architecture, and speech right when portraying an earlier age." This sort of accuracy is largely taken for granted today. Discussing Marx and those who influenced him: "The trouble with these determinist philosophers was that they were constantly changing their minds about what history was certain to do." "[August] Comte has some claims to be considered the worst writer who ever lived, and his works read just as badly...in French as in translation."

These are samples of the wealth of interesting tidbits and syntheses Paul Johnson puts in your hands with this book. He aims to tell the story of a particular epoch in a sensible way. He does so entertainingly and with respect for the human energy, inventiveness and self-reliance abroad in the world at a great era in history.

Tuchman-like prose comes to review of modern times.......1998-07-27

Paul Johnson's The Birth of the Modern applies the same exhaustive search of primary sources as a means of bringing one in touch with a historical period as Barbara Tuchman used in such classics as A Distant Mirror. After reading this 1000-pager (which is as hard to put down as any novel I have ever read) I felt more in touch with this fascinating period of 1800-1830 than I have ever been. The strange parallels between this period and the post-cold war world make one contemplate the truth of the Biblical admonition that there is indeed "nothing new under the sun."

The Birth of the Modern: World Society, 1815-1830.

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The Birth of the Modern: World Society, 1815-1830.
Paul. Johnson
Manufacturer: HarperCollins c
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KIPE8K

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The Birth of the Modern; World Society 1815-1830
Paul Johnson
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NWJHMM

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The Birth of the Modern: World Society 1815-1830
Paul Johnson
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OES0PY

Amazon.com

The sea contains many mysteries, and among the most enduring of them are giant squids of the genus Architeuthis. About this squid, known as the "kraken" in classical mythology, we know little, except, oceanographic writer Richard Ellis notes, that "it occasionally washes ashore--and when that happens, we don't know why." Some of these odd creatures, Ellis notes, are 60 feet long, cannibalistic, and patently fierce, with the largest eyes of any animal on the planet (useful for seeing in the inky darkness of the deep sea). They're not the kind of thing you'd want to encounter on a benthic shelf, as Ian Fleming made clear in Doctor No, in which superspy James Bond had one such unpleasant meeting. But, thanks to Ellis's well-researched account, they make the perfect subject for armchair sleuthing, and he tells you just about everything you'd want to know about the giant squid, from the biologists and explorers and cryptozoologists who have hunted for it over the centuries, and much more. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

One of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 1998, and acclaimed as "a sparkling work of natural history. . . charming, grandly entertaining."

The most mysterious and elusive of all sea creatures, the giant squid--at least sixty feet long and weighing nearly a ton--is also one of the largest. Yet for all its magnificent size and threatening undersea presence, Architeuthis has remained a mystery. Until now.

In this marvelous and beautifully illustrated book, marine biologist, explorer, and artist Richard Ellis presents all that is known about the giant squid. Delving into myth, literature, popular culture, and science, he brings readers face to face with this remarkable creature. He also provides a thorough, compelling study of what is known and what is still to be discovered about this exotic animal that has never been studied alive. Interweaving his engrossing narrative with a wealth of fascinating illustrations and photographs, Ellis gives us the first comprehensive history of the only living creature that can truly be called a "sea monster."

* A Main Selection of the Newbridge Natural Science Book Club

"High-grade intellectual entertainment." --The Washington Post Book World

"Richard Ellis uses his exceptional gifts in images and words to evoke the wonder and mystery of the sea. The giant squid still reigns in that part of nature beyond human reach."--E. O. Wilson

Customer Reviews:

Read John WcWhorter's Review.......2007-08-09

With one exception, it mentions everything that I would.

The exception? The book is ATROCIOUSLY organized. The models chapter should not have been last, the chapters on the squid in folklore and literature and cinema should have been sequential (and after the chapter on anatomy and characteristics), and it has a lot of superfluous and useless information.

The footnotes are the second worst that I have ever seen, as well. They are frequently useless details, sometimes they should be in the main text, and sometimes they are only incredibly tenuously connected to the text (if it weren't for the asterisk, they wouldn't be connected at all...)

This was not a great book, even for people who love Archaeteuthos. Penguin should have done better.

Harkius

TERRIBLE writing on a fascinating topic.......2007-05-31

I'm sure Richard Ellis is a fine fellow. But I just can't understand how _anyone_ gave this book a positive review, and I'm 2/3 through it. The redundancies are ridiculous; it's like he never reread or edited. So on page 108 he gives you a long quote from what he tells you is an article from Roper and Boss -- and in _the very next paragraph_ he gives you _the same quote_ again and attributes it! Amazing! And this kind of thing happens continually. How many times does he tell me how big, say, squid axons are versus human axons? I mean, really: this book went totally unedited. Beyond that the comments of other reviewers that he kind of struggles to fill a book about the squid, are true. Of course some of the amazing footage of the past couple years could've been used to pad it out another chapter, but, there's just not enough there there, or at least Ellis isn't able to make it seem so.

Needs tighter editing, and an update........2006-11-14

This was a pretty good book, but I would have given it 3 and a half stars if that option existed. The biggest problem with the book is that it needed an editor to come through and cut redundant passages (of which there are quite a few) and put the chapters into a more coherant order. This book reads like a third or forth draft...almost there but not quite polished. Still, if you are interested in the giant squid, it is a pretty good place to start.

Nice General Work....but needs updating.......2006-01-03

My copy of the work is somewhat of a novelty, as I bought it at the giftshop of the Smithsonian literally minutes after viewing their giant squid.The book itself was entertaining and I liked it. Anyone interested in cryptozoology should enjoy this. However the work has one flaw; it constantly refers to the fact that no living giant squid has been seen in its natural habitat. This is no lnger true, as the Japenese have captured the creature, in its natural habitat, on film for all to see. However, since this is a relatively new revelation, it should not be held against Ellis or his work.

Excellent Fact Based Research.......2005-11-13

Richard Ellis has written several books about "creatures of the deep" and all of them are excellent. He does an amazing job of maintaining the mystery and fascination of these creatures while remaining firmly grounded in the realm of science. Ellis is unlike other authors who some on the one hand sensationalize the subject matter, or on the other hand are too dry and technical. In my opinion, if you are seriously interested in learning the facts about giant squid, you cannot go wrong with this book.

Search for the Giant Squid the Biology and Mythology of the World's Most Elusive Sea Creature

Average customer rating:

Search for the Giant Squid the Biology and Mythology of the World's Most Elusive Sea Creature
Richard Ellis
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OIXOQA

THE SEARCH FOR THE GIANT SQUID: THE BIOLOGY AND MYTHOLOGY OF THE WORLD'S MOST ELUSIVE SEA CREATURE.

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THE SEARCH FOR THE GIANT SQUID: THE BIOLOGY AND MYTHOLOGY OF THE WORLD'S MOST ELUSIVE SEA CREATURE.
Ri Ellis
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LY2DJQ

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