History Books

We bought this as part of our homeschooling and my kids are really interested in it.

Good book full of interesting information. A nice book for kids to go to to look stuff up. We love these sorts of books. Great for a homeschool household.

Heather mama of 5

I originally borrowed this book when I was looking for a history reference book to use with my seven year old. I enjoyed it so much that I had to purchase my own copy. Though I bought it to use for homeschooling my son, I enjoyed the book so much I was up nights reading it. The pictures are great, the layout is easy to follow and reference, and the content is inclusive without being complex or boring. I would highly recommend it as a great history timeline reference either for studying, reading, or browsing.

We use this book almost daily in our home school. It is full of extremely detailed illustrations that can be graphic (a pile of human heads)but will draw children's attention even if they can't read the words. My kids were amazed when we bought a picture book with real photographs of Egypt and they were able to match up the original photos with the art in the Usborne book. Lots of information that tends to be a little too fragmented so you will need to supplement with other books to get a fuller picture of "World History" even for your kids.

As secular Jewish parents homeschooling our daughter, while living and travelling aboard a sailboat, my wife and I were initially quite thrilled at finding this book. Its brightly colored detailed illustrations accompanying bite-sized chunks of historical information seemed to be just the right sort of introduction to world history for a six year old. That is, until we have received the book and read it.

We were initially a bit surprised to find the table of contents without a single mention of Jews or Judaism. We proceeded to search the book and finally, in a chapter called "Nomads in the Desert", found one page devoted to an illustration of the Solomon's Temple, along with six drawings and twelve sentences dealing with the "Israelites". Providing very little content or context, the chapter is concluded by stating "...Israel rebelled and its people were taken away, never to return" There is not a single word on Judaism, or a single connection made to the subsequent history of the Jewish people, both in the Middle East and the Diaspora. In fact, the words "Jewish" or "Jew", the modern terms for the "Israelite", are almost entirely excluded from the book. The chapter also includes an italicised "footnote" stating that "Many of these people and places are mentioned in the Old Testament", a historical understatement bordering on vicious irony.

Incidentally, the preceeding chapter is entitled "Canaanites and Philistines", and draws a clear entymological connection between the Philistines-Pelest-Palestine (ignoring the fact that the region was named Palestine much later, only after the Romans invaded, specifically to destroy any connection between the land and the rebellious Israelites)

Moving on, we looked at Egypt. Any mention of Jewish slaves building the pyramids? No. Any mention of the Exodus, Moses, the revelation of Torah and the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai? Nope again. A very surprising omission, indeed, given the fact that the main religious and cultural thrust of the book is concentrated on the Mosaic religions, for which Judaism is the base.

Moving on to Rome. One mention of Jews here, in connection with a rebellion and the Dead Sea scrolls (Chapter "Romans and Barbarians" (!?!)). Again, no connecion is made to the Israelites or Judeans, who were the same people. The very next illustration deals with the Christians. The caption reads "Some people in Palestine followed a religious leader called Jesus. They were known as Christians because he was called Christ, the Messiah, and met secretly in catacombs." Any mention that Christ was a Jew, as were most of his early followers? Incidentally, Christians were forced to meet in catacombs much later and in a different place altogehter, in Rome, to be precise.

And that is the first and last time the Jews are mentioned in this book. Life in the diaspora, persecutions in Europe during the dark ages? The Crusaders, who systematically slaughtered the entire Jewish population of the Holy Land "...felt they must go and fight to protect (it)" Spanish Inquisition, which was chiefly aimed at Maranos, the Iberian Jews forced to convert to Catholicism? It is described as hunting "...anyone who was not a good Catholic" Expulsion of Jews and Muslims from the Iberian peninsula by the Catholic Kings Isabel and Ferdinand in 1492? Not a mention. Great Sephardic centers of culture and learning? Nada.

We really tried to like this book. The illustrations are colorful and detailed and we will probably continue using it, but will have to heavily supplement the content with other materials. I do not want to speculate on the reasons why the publishers chose to omit one of the most important portions of world history. I would like to think it was just a mistake that will be addressed in a future edition.

I had low expectations for this book, but once I got into to it, it is a pretty good read. Clearly the start of a new series from him, with lots of possibilities in the future books.

A fun read for a light weekend.

If you are a David Weber fan you will love this book.
If you aren't a fan you will still love this book!
I have already ordered the next book.

This book reads a lot like heirs of empire, but I think it is a worth while read. i enjoyed it.

I literally devoured this book over a weekend. I thought the premise was unique enough to grab my attention and the characters really popped off the pages. That in particular is the reason I read Weber. Being a stand-alone, it's not quite as daunting to pick up "Reef" as it is one of the Honor Harrington or War God books and it is still a good example of Webers writing.

/Off Armageddon Reef/ contains a patchwork of previous themes in other books by David Weber. The Terran Federation comes from his /Starfire/ collaborations with Steve White, the alien menace that wipes out humanity and the one world which it misses is from his /Fifth Imperium/ (Dahak?), the method of FTL world spanning religion come from the /Honorverse/ and the artificial repressive religion also comes from /Starfire/.

The plot is this: Nimue Alban of the Terran Federation Navy makes less than a thousand years after she died against the Gbaba in a final stand to protect Earth. She's on Safehold, a planet that the TF's Operation Ark settled so that humanity can rise back up and destroy the Gbaba, however the colony's administrators created a false repressive religion in order to stagnate all thought and innovation. Nimue wakes up as a PICA, a cybernetic avatar that holds consciousness during the middle of the 9th Century of God. Nimue begins her quest to revive humanity's spirit from its shackles by aiding the Kingdom of Charis (after a quick sex change for her PICA due to women being of a lesser status on the feudal Safehold) as 'Merlin Athrawes', saving Crown Prince Cayleb from an assassination attempt by the ruler of neighboring Emerald, Nahrmahn. To disguise his truly superhuman powers, 'Merlin' is called a /seijin/ a kinda mystic warrior-monk. To help the rather innovative maritime Charis against Mother Church 'Merlin' introduces new innovations for ships and weapons allowing Charis which already controls the seas of Safehold (Charis is rather similar to the British Empire and China, economically since all of Safehold relies on it goods) to repel an attempt by the Church's corrupt puppet masters, the 'Group of Four' to destroy Charis.

People who haven't read any of the series mentioned above will probably see this book as very original, admittedly some of it is, like the PICA, which bothers me, if the Federation could make these, why didn't they make copies of their greatest admirals or scientists? Since Weber doesn't use the PICA except as a way for the heroine (another Weber staple) to be able to save Safehold from stagnation I choose to believe PICAs to be extremely hard to make. Despite the corrupt self-serving Church that the colony administrators set up and made themselves 'Archangels' /Off Armageddon Reef/ is not anti-religious or anti-Catholic even if the equivalent of the Protestants/Lutherans are the good guys unlike Eric Flint's /1632/. Several members of the laity (both 'good' and 'bad') speak of not the Church being corrupt, but the /men/ running it to be corrupt. The naval battles were a nice break after Weber's /Honor Harrington/ space operas. Another plus is that Nimue/Merlin isn't in love with Old Earth tacticians unlike many other of Weber's characters. There is one scene with that's kinda awkward funny involving 'Merlin' in a rugby (which on Safehold is nothing like Terran rugby, it's played in the water and the players are all naked) game, PICAs are literally fully functional and 'Merlin' still has Nimue's arousal by buff naked men, so 'he' has to keep the towel around 'his' waist until he can shut off the arousal feature.

For those just starting Weber, this will most likely seem very good, those have read all his other works will most likely feel a nagging sense of deja vu. Maybe I'm just a romantic, but I enjoy reading about civilization pulling itself back up from crushing defeat. Despite its faults /Off Armageddon Reef/ was enjoyable for me and I'm looking forward to reading /By Schism Rent Asunder/.

Ok I love this text. I used this and its sister text on Romans for my ancient history classes. I find that the only down fall of this particular text is that Pomeroy tends to push her agenda in the beginning. However as far as texts on Greek History go, this is the best.

I have to admit, I'd never heard of the Johnstown Flood and found this book recommended by Amazon when I was reading the reviews for "John Adams", also by David McCullough. "The Johnstown Flood" is well researched, easy to read and a real page turner. I highly recommend this to all history buffs.

The Johnstown flood of 1889 was a subject I knew next to nothing about. McCullough traces the development of the town, the nature of the earthwork dam that breached on May 31, 1889, and the people who in one way, shape or form were connected to this event. In the end, probably over 2,000 people died due to the flood. The personal stories are shocking and heartbreaking.

David McCullough excels in describing the central elements of his story, which is a talent that makes his works so popular. The nature of the town of Johnstown, its citizens, the railroad and the industries that were critical to is being, and the rivers and natural geography of the area are examples of where description comes into play. The exclusive South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club which included such notables as Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick and others on its list of members also is a central element of the story. In essence, the dam created the lake that became home to this exclusive club. As the author discusses, especially at the end of his book, the nature of the work done to repair the dam during the club days certainly represented man's role in the cause of the flood, but as the author also mentions, so did the rains.

Leaders in the Pennsylvania railroad, the Cambria Iron Company and other folks from various backgrounds figure into this story. The description of the aftermath of the flood are also well told and the resulting work done to aid the victims and clear the debris. All sorts of groups contributed to the rescue of Johnstown and its people, including such groups as the Red Cross under Clara Barton's leadership, but we also learn of the journalists who inundated the area, the thieves and scoundrels who took advantage of the plight of the town, and others. The events during the flood and after are by far the most powerful parts of the book.

Obviously the search for blame figures into the last part of McCullough's narrative, as I briefly hinted at earlier. The author takes several factors and thoughts into consideration, which is only fair. Though we often seek to blame somebody or some group, it isn't always that easy. Some people left the town for good, others stayed and tried to rebuild their lives. Those who lost their families, as the author discusses, often had less reason to stay. It seems strange that these type stories make for such good reading; in fact, it seems perverse. But perhaps stories like these can offer us valuable lessons and can help us better understand the human condition, where it is good and where it is flawed.

I want to start out this review by saying, I did not find 1776 or Adams to my liking and although well written, there are many books better than 1776 and I did not, in the least enjoy the story of Adams and felt that Mr. McCullough was more interested in creating a textbook.

Having said the above, now that I have read The Johnstown Flood and The Great Bridge, I must admit that these are two of the best books I have ever read.

The detail was perfect, not overdone like in Adams and the mood of those affected by the Flood as well as the thoughts of those in nearby cities and towns rendered as though you were there. While I have not yet read his book on the Canal, these two books, in my opinion, exemplify the best of how a writer of American History should approach the topic of interest. I read both of these books in days as I could not put either down.

I am not a big fan of the period of American History (more of a colonial, Revolutionary War through Jefferson fan) that this book and The Great Bridge covers which, in my opinion, makes these two books even more incredible. I have begun many books of this era only to put them down after a few chapters. These two stories were compelling and made more so by the fabulous presentation of Mr. McCullough.

This was a Father's Day gift that he really enjoyed. McCullough's 1776 was great, and this seemed to be just as good, even though written a number of years ago & given a new cover.

This early McCullough book provides a look at one of the most catastrophic disasters to strike America. The Johnstown Flood destroyed more than 2500 lives and changed the landscape of western Pennsylvania. It moved the nation towards relief efforts and spurred a country to act on behalf of their common man. As always the author captures the people and the time in stunning clarity and really puts the reader there giving them a first person perspective on what happened to the people. After living in Pennsylvania for more than six years I found that few people really knew about the flood but this book does an excellent job of filling the blanks. If you want to see a trying story told in wonderful detail this is the place to start.

The five stars are really more for Nietzsche than this particular pastiche. I've had this book since my thirties and have underlined it a lot. Whatever conclusions others draw from his work, to me it's always been mainly delightful. He's definitely the wild guy, as much poet as anything else. Like at least one other reviewer I've been frustrated now and then that the anthology doesn't give me more of some of Nietzsche's works. If I were delving into Nietzsche now I'd probably buy a handful of his complete works rather than this portable book.

A great collection for the price, but, Hollingdale's translations are much preferable in regard to capturing Nietzche's style and subtlety in English. Much of Zarathustra is awkwardly though adequately translated--unique word choices, to the say the least. Compare with Hollingdale's. Overall: Something I would pick up to have with me at all times and travel, but not the greatest substitute for obtaining better editions for study. Main feature: It's portable!

Nietzsche is without a doubt the most important philosopher of modern times - the voice of the spirit of modern humanity, demanding freedom through self-power and courage in the face of the absurdity of the universe. Opposing humanitarianism (Man-for-Mankind) Nietzsche presents a vision of Man-for-Himself, a philosophical viewpoint that can be incorporated seamlessly into libertarian class war practice - as Georges Sorel, the French syndicalist, did.

A recent interesing discussion encouraged this reviewer to comment on this book edited by the late Walter Kaufmann. This anthology undermines the false popularlization of Nietzsche, and serious readers get a better understanding of Nietzsche than is provided by critis many of whom have probably not read Nietzsche. One should avoid "slick manuals and canned opinions edited at the editor's table. Read Nietzsche for yourself.

To say Nietzsche was unconventional is an obvious understatement. Those who think he glorified war are badly mistaken and need a clear understanding. When Nietzsche talked about war, he was talking what might be called intellectual war or "a battle of wits." Nietzsche is clear in this collection that he opposed actual war, and his one quote,"How good bad music sounds when war is in the air." When writers who probably have not read Nietzsche talk about "The Blond Beast," they fail to realize that Nietzsche is using a poetic allegory and not physical violence. Nietzsche used aphorisms to explain his protest against what he saw as mass society and thoughtless conformity.

Those who have not read Nietzsche may be surprised that he was very well read in Ancient Greek poetry and drama which he cited to explain human dilemmas. Basically Nietzsche was trying to explain if a profound if possibly confusing way, was that the human condition was not rosy, and tragedy was certainly part of the human condition.

Sections of this anthology of Nietzsche's thinking undermine the notion that Nietzsche was somehow a bitter anti-Semite. The sections titled "Nietzsche vs Wagner" or "The Wagner Case" leave no misunderstanding of Nietzsche's views of Jewish people. For those who are not sure, they should read pages 88-89 of this anthology where Nietzsche gives unstinting praise of the Jews both from a historical and social point of view. Many readers will be surprised at this selection.

Some quotes and aphorisms of Nietzsche are worth noting and "food for thougt." The following examples were selected at random which are poignant and trenchent. They are as follows:

All truth is simple. Is that not doubly a lie.

The best way to corrupt a youth is to teach him to respect those who think alike rather than those who think differently.

...The errors of great men are more venerable than the truths of little men...

The better the state is established, the fainter is humanity.

Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies.

And when they say, "I am just," it always sounds like, I am just-revenged."

Virtue is necessay, but at bottom they believe only that the police are necessary.

Nietzsche has obviously been critisized for attacks on religion. Yet, one must consider that Nietzsche was attacking organized religion for its demands of conformity, its hyopcracy, its intellectual dishonesty, etc. Nietzsche attacked organized religion for straying from its roots and original meaning.

Nietzsche was one of two men who commented on mass society. The other thinker was Karl Marx. Nietzsche was concerned about the thoughtlessness of mass men which could lead to intellectual stagnation. Marx saw the emergence of mass men as a tool for social and political revolution.

This reviewer thought Walter Kaufmann did a good job in editing and collecting the materials for this book. Other books that should interest readers are Kaufmann's NIETZSCHE: PHILOSOPHY, PSYCHOLOGIST, AND ANTICHRIST which the eminent British historian A.J.P. Taylor endorsed as follows: "This is the most sensible exposition of Nietzsche's philosophy ever made." Readers may futher consult BASIC WRITINGS OF NIETZSCHE also edited by Walter Kaufmann.

First let me start by saying this is a lot easier to read than 'Beyond Good and Evil' and 'Thus Spake'. These are the edited and translated works of Nietzsche. They make a lot more sense when you cut out all the melodrama and histrionics. It's less harsh than the other books and I actually agreed with a lot of his ideas. I found it to be more interesting than the few other books i've read by Nietzsche due to it being a more eclectic mix of Neitsche's works and easier to understand.

This book contains many of his works such as 'Twilight of the Idols, Thus Spake, Nietzsche Contra Wagner, and the Antichrist'. Also mentions the Geneology of Morals, The Wagner Case and Nietzsche's opinions on Plato, Socrates and Schopenhauer.

There were some great quotes in here. He actually had a good argument for Christianity in this one but by the time we get to the Antichrist you can sense Nietzsche is starting to lose it. Other than that it's a great book and I recommend it to anyone interested in Nietzsche's works.

This book is a great resource for theology study and research. Alister Mcgrath has written a book that it a step above most theoloy texts.

Even if you know nothing about Christianity, upon finishing this anthology you will know all of the major debates and ideas that have been the foundation of the religion. I would recommend this book to everyone, for all should be educated about the world's major religions, like Christianity and Islam, which have billions of followers worldwide. This book is very easy to read and the selections are short, yet very informative. Their are also study questions and summarizations for extra knowledge. McGrath has a talent for making Christianity understood.

The most impressive part of the context is the laying down a foundation for the readers and students to acquire the necessary backbround of the Christian theology in order for them to have comprehensive understanding of the main part, the Christian theology. By means of attrackting the readers with the Christian history which is related to the main core of this book, the writer of this book gets the reader to challenge to the rest of the parts, that is the goal of the reader to get to the deepest spot of the theology. Thank you.

This book is a compilation of theological writings from the early Church Fathers to the Modern 20th century. The book is systematized into topical categories such as "The Nature of God," or "Last Things," etc.

Each section contains a series of writings which range from early to more recent. However, prior to each segment of writings, McGrath writes a small introduction describing the work, the author, the setting, etc. For instance, from the section titled "The Doctrine of God," there is a section of work by Augustine regarding the Trinity (i.e. "Augustine on the Trinity.") Prior to this excerpt from Augustine is an introduction by McGrath which describes why Augustine wrote, whether Augustine was responding to some current or previous heresy, the date Augustine wrote the material, etc. In fact, the introduction is actually very helpful to the piece that is about to be read.

The book also contains a nice glossary of theological terms, a section titled "Details of Theologians" which gives a brief description about all the theologians/philosophers who are present in the book, details of creedal material, and a nice section called "Suggestions for Further Reading."

This book is very helpful for those who want to get a general or broad overview of the various writings which were written throughout church history. McGrath includes works by feminists, liberals, neo-theists, reformers, Catholics, Protestants, philosophers, apologists, etc. Thus, no one view is highlighted or emphasized. I would recommend this book to those interested in reading historical theological writings.

An Orthodox' Testemonial:
I used this companion book for the last few years, with great satisfaction. A good compendium, with an accessible roaster of carefully selected writings from the early Church Fathers to the contemporary theological acadimia, that exposes the full spectrum of Christian theological thought, from east to west. The book is synchronized with its topically systematized pluralistic coverage of the development of Christian theology. Even if intended as a text book, it is a good ecumenical introduction to theology as was meant by Origen and enriched by the dialogue between the two eastern schools and their allies.

Concise But Thorough!
This companion book is very handy for browser as much as theological students, encouraging a wider view on theological space and time, starting from a united Church and ending with a diversified varieties of dogma that treats the Church main doctrines (teachings). McGrath was very successful to develop this trend of comparative theology for better understanding and more sound belief. He is bold enough to include feminists, liberals, with Catholics, reformers, and eastern Church (Orthodox) Protestants, were represented in all capacities; theologians, philosophers, apologists, dogmatists etc.

Systematic Methodology:
The range of the spectrum of theological topics reflect his systematic treatment in part III: Christian Theology, of its introductory companion. The reader is still dependent on Part I on themes and Personalities, and & II on Sources and method, an integral part of this companion.
The book does not overlook its main function as a text moderating, but also guiding and exposing so it included a helpful directory entitled "Details of Theologians" which gives a concise description on the contributing theologians. An effectively condensed guide to creeds& councils, which precedes a thorough glossary of used theological, philosophical and dogmatic terms. Suggestions for Further Reading, covers in elaboration topically categorized selection, with the relevant reference on each chapter to develop the subjects more elaborately.

A Research Author:
Alister McGrath, a rising star in neo Evangelicals of the via media, is a thoughtful and well informed profuse author of more than sixty books. He introduced many subjects to his students and kept lay readers abreast of new developments in theology exploring from doctrinal issues to Christian Spirituality, probing scientific theology, future of Christianity and renewal of Evangelism

"Medieval Europe - A Short History" by Charles Warren Hollister, © 1990, 1982, 1978, 1974, 1968, 1964.

This book is an amazing little textbook. I was pleased to read the explanation of the growth and development of modern European nations. The most surprising part is the growth of civilization throughout the time we were taught were the Dark Ages. Something that is slurred across in most history classes is the age of Charlemagne, about 400 common era (c.e.) to about 900 or 950 c.e. I guess that it is not talked about because not much happened but invasions by Vandals or Attila or Saxons, but there were farms and communities developing (this is the era that beget villains from villagers). There was starvation, missionary work, development of monasteries and convents, etc. This book explained all this and more, making it a lot more interesting just by what it included.
There are not a lot of footnotes because this is a survey book, not a scholarly one. What is written about is well known and accepted as undisputed, so the footnotes would be unnecessary. He does have extensive bibliographies between sections for additional reading for concentrating on those issues or subjects. He does use footnotes to direct the reader to where he discusses the person or place otherwise, and to chide himself for errors he corrects. It is also very good that he explains where some of the names come from: Charlemagne or Plantagenet or Louis for example.
All in all, a really enjoyable book to read.

I used this book in an introductory medieval history class. The narrative in offered by this book is straightforward, coherent, and for the most part, an easy read. The chapters have clearly defined themes and chronologies, and the authors do a good job exploring many issues, events, figures, and concepts of the medieval ages.

At times it was difficult to keep track of all the various names, as many medieval figures shared similar names. I felt the authors could have done a better job laying out more distinct biographies of some of the figures.

There were also times when I had to reread parts because I lost interest due to the tendency of the book to devolve into a simple reiteration of events, ie: The church did this, then certain kings responded in this manner, which caused this event. Whether this is the fault of the writers, something endemic to the material, or my own indolence is debatable, but I still feel the book would benefit with some more color/vibrant writing.

Overall, I found it useful in my studies because it offered coherent organization (making content easily accessible), and it was an easy read (for the most part.)

This book is a great overview of medieval Europe. It is packed with information and is a dense read, but worth it.

I bought this to take on a trip around Western Europe. Mr. Hollister has excellent prose. Normally, history books are written in a convoluted style which is indecipherable and dry. Medieval Europe however, is infinitely readable and a great resource. It was a pleasure to read. I will definitely look for more of Mr. Hollister's work and would welcome the recommendation of other works by good history authors.

I am a graduate student who has recently begun teaching first-year undergrads. The Hollister and Bennett book is the main text book for a Medieval Period General course, and the students use it to supplement their core readings. The textbook, a general synthesis of the history of Western Europe, is decent and fairly comprehensive, written and updated by experts in the field. However, it has been a long time since I've read a general textbook, and found the lack of footnote references a bit unnerving. The book does, however, provide lists for further reading at the end of each chapter, but these are very selective.

When examined properly by a good author, the medieval period is an interesting and exciting phase of human history. This book is a horrid attempt at examining the period.

It is extremely boring and poorly written. The author uses phrases in it that you have to read five times to comprehend. Most of the book is filled with adjectives describing how something sounds or looks. Of course it is a good thing for authors to give the reader a vivid sense of what something looks like in person, or of the true meaning of poems or liturgical writings, etc. But most of her book is filled with descriptive adjectives rather than giving real information.

This book was used for a college introductory course to the Medieval world. I would NOT recommend it. There are so many wonderful books on this time period, that it is a shame to turn students away from further study of this topic (which it has done for every student in my class I have spoken with).