Living History Books

The concept of this anthology is simple: collect high-quality commentary pieces on Barbie, that lightning rod of controversy, and put them in a book. This book comprises both anti- and pro-Barbie writings, and the authors find original issues to analyze (e.g., the lack of adults or old people in Barbie-land, the race issue, baby dolls vs Barbie dolls, etc.). The essays included are well-reasoned and entertaining.

However, there are some problems. First, most of the included works are either opinion pieces or introspective pieces. It seems ludicrous that the forms used to analyze a world based on fantasy and imagination are limited to these two tried-and-true alternatives. Only Denise Duhamel's wildly imaginative poetry gives us a glimpse as to the untouched analytical forms that are thought-provoking and incisive (Only 3 of her poems were included; you can read her entire Barbie work in the book Kinky--an incredible piece of work).

Also, the op ed pieces suffer because of the lack of hard data. No real studies exist on the effect of Barbie on kids. Admittedly, such study would be difficult to execute, but interpreting the Arizona study to be such study is a stretch. Accordingly, we end up with op ed pieces either demonizing or adoring Barbie that rely mostly on opinion rather than fact.

Furthermore, the authors end up making the same points over and over: the comma-shaped feet, the torpedo breasts, the unnatural waist, etc. Good or bad? Each author has an opinion. But is this all we can criticize of Barbie?

The introspective pieces are nice (and some of them very funny), but you can only read about somebody's experiences growing up (or old) with Barbie so many times. Because of this limited palette of format and content, this collection runs out of steam too early.

I would have included more works talking about the effect of Barbie on Mattel, the toy industry, etc. How about excerpts of the court decision of the case Mattel brought against Aqua for their "Barbie World" song? The court discusses Mattel's portrayal of Barbie and what Mattel hopes Barbie represents. How about including that song's lyrics? Not only were the lyrics funny, they also provided enough fodder for Mattel to file a multi-million dollar lawsuit.

In the end, while the quality of each included piece is high, they only discuss a small portion of that cultural icon named Barbie.

The Barbie Chronicles was an interesting book to read but keep in mind that it is all about Barbie. There is a good amount of information on her, such as when she was first put on the market, the reaction from the consumers, and the major conflicts Barbie caused. It is incredible to see how much a doll can impact a culture. Barbie caused feminists to become angered at the way they (women) were being inappropriately portrayed. The major dislike of Barbie was her unrealistic look. She was and is very skinny, busty, blond, blue eyed, and at the beginning only white. This sent shock waves through the country. Some parents really had no problem with Barbie, and others wanted to burn her. It was considered a controversial doll to many.
The way in which The Barbie Chronicles was written kept my attention because it was unique. Or it was at least unique to me because it was all in essay form. When reading this book you get all different degrees of attachment to Barbie. You get the impression that there are people out there that absolutely love Barbie and seem to almost dedicate their lives to collecting her and then there is the complete opposite. By the complete opposite I mean that there are people that despise Barbie so much they wouldn't even allow the thought of her in their house. The people that do this are almost always parents and they give an array of different excuses for not allowing Barbie into their homes. All the various excuses come down to the same thing, Barbie's figure. If anyone has a qualm with Barbie it is usually due to the fact that she is deathly skinny and no one wants their kids, especially their daughters around that.
Personally I don't think that playing with Barbie will automatically make you a person consumed by the materialistic nature demonstrated by Barbie. When I was younger I remember playing with Barbie and having a blast but it wasn't like that was the only toy I owned. I enjoyed playing with Barbie's and when I had to part with them it didn't leave me emotionally scared or anything.
So I enjoyed The Barbie Chronicles but I don't think it is for everyone because all the essays in one way or another directly relate to Barbie. When I first embarked upon reading The Barbie Chronicles I had all intentions of using it in order to illustrate that Barbie was a tool used by men to exploit and objectify women but when I completed it I wasn't so sure anymore. Yes, it is true that Barbie doesn't exactly seem like she would make women happy about being themselves since she is "perfect," but reading about how it impacted many people changes that. This book explores many things like why women feel the way they do. Many times throughout the book the possibility of there being other contributing factors that cause women to feel inadequate are displayed.

Barbie is one of those pop culture icons everyone seems to have an opinion about. This book was fascinating to me because it delved deep into why these people feel as they do and had many very personal essays about people who developed special relationships with the large breasted bombshell. I was happy that many myths about the doll were not perpetuated. Being a Barbie collector I get frustrated when a book is strictly one-sided and claims things that are misleading. Even the Barbie bashers here spoke the truth- a truth that was very interesting to read and helped me to gain a deeper appreciation for all those with passionate opinions about BArbie- they have their reasons!

...so in parts I was a little disappointed. I realize that baseball is the game of statistics more than any other. But the game has a more prosaic side. I live for stories about baseball, the opinions, arguments & nostalgia of baseball as it was 60 years ago. I enjoyed Robert Creamer's blend of his life intertwined with baseball & the World War brewing outside his idyllic & innocent exsistence. But then he would go on: "nine days in the early part of 1941 neither the Dodgers or the Cards were in the lead. First place change hands seven times in June. Huh? The Dodgers were in first place 78 days & the Cards 73 days. Come on. Tell me about Joe D's 56 game hitting streak & Teddy Ballgame's All-Star home-run & how he got to a .406 average. He did eventually. I realize you can't tell a baseball story without numbers & factoids, but I don't need a list of every minor leaguer that had a 50 game hitting streak. Tell me about Leo's temper, his run-ins with the gm, Lee MacPhail, Mungo, the umpires, reporters & everyone else. The story of Mickey Owens rough play & passed ball, Lefty Grove's struggle to get his 300th win: that's the ticket. Stuff I didn"t know about baseball players & the draft in 1940 & truly that most wonderful year of baseball, 1941.

Baseball has perhaps never had a season of the importance of 1941. In the last year of the American "innocence" before the beginning of World War II, unassailable records were broken and Americans got to see some of the greatest baseball ever played. It was the season of Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak, Ted Williams astounding .406 batting average, and the improbable run of the Brooklyn Dodgers to the National League pennant.

The end would be one of the best world series ever, a series that would see the first of the New York Yankees numerous world series victories over the Dodgers. Finally, the clouds broke and America was at war.

Author Robert Creamer has done an outstanding job weaving in tales from his own life and coupling them with observations about the season as it unfolded. Creamer is a very readable author who gives the reader an outstanding insight into what life was like in America in 1941.

WHERE HAVE YOU GONE JOE DIMAGGIO? THIS IS THE SEASON OF JOE'S STREAK, TED WILLIAMS BATTING .400, THE DODGERS WINNING THE PENNANT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 21 YEARS,AND THE UNITED STATES ON THE BRINK OF ENTERING THE WAR. I FELT AS THOUGH I WAS TRANSPORTED BACK TO OUR LAST YEAR OF INNOCENCE AND EBBETS FIELD ALL IN THE SPACE OF ONE EVENING. THIS BOOK IS MORE THAN JUST BASEBALL IT IS HISTORY AS SEEN BY A YOUNG MAN WHO HAS PASSIONS AND LOVES THAT HE RETAINS EVEN 50 YEARS LATER. HE ALSO GIVES THE APPROPRIATE CREDIT TO KENNY KELTNER AND THE REST OF THE CLEVELAND INDIANS FOR PUTTING A STOP TO THE MOST FAMOUS STREAK IN ALL OF SPORT.

This book is a slightly revised and mostly condensed version of Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth. As such, the author is trying his best to persuade you that his beliefs about the Bible teaching male hierarchy in the family and in the church are true. One really needs to read both sides of this issue, do not try to take a short cut and just read one side or you may not become aware of many things.

1. Grudem tends to present items in an egalitarian position in almost self-repudiating terms. Of course he disagrees with them, but the way he words some claims I have not read any egalitarian make in the way he makes it. Thus his presentation from the get go is somewhat of a "snow" job and this makes it essential to actually read what egalitarian authors actually write. Also, he presents egalitarian arguments in a very framented way, one really needs to read the egalarian arguments as a holistic whole as egalitarians themselves present them. Do not think you have done this UNLESS you read both sides.

2. He certainly makes a point in trying to point out errors among egalitarian authors. This is obviously a way to discredit them in the mind of the reader; after all, they made a mistake (horrors). But then he goes and makes the same kinds of errors. For example, there are many Greek words that are related and have a verb form and a noun form; when an egalitarian points this out he calls it sleight of hand, but then he does it himself in other discussions. So why use a pejorative term when your debating opponent does it? Better to not use the pejorative term at all. As I see it, this is a valid way to discuss the meanings of Greek words.

3. In some places he tries to claim what the Bible says in some verse is obvious, yet then he goes and discusses that verse for many pages. This makes him seem to want his cake and eat it too. It would be better to admit that some verses ARE puzzling and then present his rationale for understanding them as he does.

4. He quotes the ESV Bible, of which he was a contributor, as if it IS the word of God, which is simply false as understood by most evangelicals; who hold that the original autographs were inspired, but a translation might contain mistakes. In effect he dodges many of the translation questions on some puzzling verses by simply resorting to the ESV, which the editors themselves admit adopts a so-called complementatian (male hierarchy in church and home) position.

5. Grudem is a selective literalist and this CAN BE a deadly method of interpretation. When he comes to a puzzling verse, he sometimes fudges what the text actually says (in Greek) and speculates what it means so that it will fit with another verse into a overall non-egalitarian way. His basic argument is that he can read the Bible using "blue colored" (male hierarchial) glasses and find a blue color in many verses. When others try to show him how to read the verse using "clear" (egalitarian) glasses, he claims it is not persuasive; but this just shows his presuppositions when he reads the verse. FWIIW, I believe it is quite possible to read the Bible using all kinds of colored glasses, the slaveholders in 1850 USA did so and did it in a VERY similar way to Grudem, altho on a different subject. This cannot be helped as some of the "submission and obedience" verses mention wives and slaves just a few verses apart. At least egalitarians have a consistent view of these verses, while Grudem simply does not even discuss directly the slaveholders' arguments, as they are so similar to his own.

6. Grudem neglects to mention that the non-egalitarian arguments he uses are mostly new, as are the egalitarian arguments. He claims that his position has an advantage as it is the historic position of the church, but this is not really true as the rationales were very different, namely society generally agreed that women WERE inferior in many ways to men, such as in intelligence, and this was just assumed as an obvious truth. It is only in the 19th and early 20th centurys that women showed they could do many things as well as men did in math and physics, for example. So the question about equality in the home and church never came up much before then.

Wayne Grudem is a sterling theologian. This work is a complimentarian view of the role women are called to, in that they co-operate/support men in ministry, of which nobody who has a healthy church currently would disqualify the importance of.

The biblical mandate is expounded and brought to bear, and the correctness of Grudem's work is substantiated by his use of the ESV, a literal word-for-word translation.

Grudem is fair to the text, fair to women and therefore this work is a fair representation of what is required by Scripture.

When I purchased this ~300 page book, I did not realize that it was a condensation and slight updating of a much larger work by the same author, titled: "Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth: An Analysis of More Than 100 Disputed Questions." This book is reduced to about 40 key questions, and it covered most if not all the main arguments that I have heard put forward. Even at 300 pages, this book is really not very intimidating, and the format of the book is one of its most useful features. It can easily be used as a reference book and read selectively, as most of the topics are divided up into short chapters ranging from a couple of pages to ten or fifteen.

The real strength of the book in my opinion is how charitably Grudem presents the case for the complementarian view, and yet remains firmly Biblical. The opening chapters on the Biblical view of manhood and womanhood as created by God and in the church are an excellent positive statement of God's design and purpose. The egalitarian or "evangelical feminist" position presents male and female as being not merely as equal, but as virtually interchangeable in their roles and purposes in the family and church. However, the complementarian view shows that male and female were equally made in the image of God, and also have unique roles and purposes in the family and church. The complementarian view does not see male and female as interchangeable, but as two working parts crafted carefully by God to "complement" one another by each supplying unique abilities and responsibilities to the opposite sex.

The crux of the argument is whether it is the egalitarian or complementarian view that more faithfully represents the Scriptures. Grudem assiduously lays out the case for the complementarian view from Scripture, and fairly but briefly presents the egalitarian viewpoint. This reader is convinced that the complementarian view is most faithful, and does not deprive or lessen the import of women either in the church or in the home in any way. Rather, it delivers them from a false view of equality that finds fairness only in having women fulfill every duty or office given by God to men, and by reversing the good order that He has established. In a godly marriage and in a godly church, the "headship" is given to the men, not in a way to be domineering or abusive of authority, but rather to lead and love as Christ Himself loved the church. In the sacrificial love that male headship must demonstrate, there is found a safe and delightful place for women to submit willingly out of love.

Grudem proposes some delineations for the church to consider about what roles should be given exclusively to men and which to women, based on the Scriptural instruction that a women is not permitted to teach or exercise authority over a man. While the delineations he has made are subject for discussion, it provides some groundwork, as well as alerting us to the many ways in which the church might make greater use of the talents and abilities of women. There really is a strongly positive view of women in this book, which some may find hard to believe because of the heavy conditioning of our society. Altogether the book provides a valuable response to this issue that is dividing the church and has been for many decades. May God grant that the work of theologians like Grudem may help to pave the way toward a godly consensus on these Biblical truths.

P.S. Another reviewer asserts that Grudem does not give a fair representation of the egalitarian viewpoint. However, it should be noted that due to the condensed nature of the book, his aim was not to give a detailed rendering of their viewpoint. For those considering a fuller study of the issue, the "Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth" book would probably be more helpful, or as the reviewer suggests, to read books from a egalitarian perspective. Either way, the book and its arguments stand compellingly in their own right.

"Houses for Good Living" is an excellent introduction to the craft and vision of Royal Barry Wills, the talented Boston architect whose legacy lives on in the firm that bears his name. This book invites the reader to explore dozens of magnificent houses that represent the Royal Barry Wills philosophy. Detailed floor plans are complemented with a wealth of exterior and interior photographs.

Every page of this book is a visual feast. The homes presented represent a dazzling diversity of configurations, but each one bears the Wills trademark of elegant harmony and functionality. The appealing black-and-white photographs record numerous memorable details. We see the turned balusters of a wooden staircase, a multi-paned bow window, a charming cobblestone courtyard--I could go on and on. If you love classic American home architecture, you will want to add this beautiful book to your shelves.

I didn't like this book. As the proud owner of a Cape Cod style house, I bought this book with the idea that it would help in resoration and remodeling. Instead, it made me wish I hadn't spent the money. Although there are some nice pictures, the author's treatment of the subject is too serious and in some cases without taste. I was especially disappointed in the glowing praise for an old farmhouse that had serveral huge ugly tenticals built out of it. This guys has no sense of style or beauty. Pass on this book and buy Cape Cod Architecture by Clair Baisly. Ms. Baisley has a wonderful and warm writing style that makes you wish you could invite her over for tea. She explains the various aspects of the architecture, how to date features, what belongs, what probably doesn't, and above all to just enjoy this wonderful thing you call your home. The dry Mr. Wills is the sort of guy you just want to get rid of, and I have.

As an owner of one of the houses in the book, I bought a copy of Royal Barry Wills' book to educate myself on Cape Cod design. My home required some updating, and through this book I was able to research and tastefully modernize the home, while still staying true to its roots. After living in an older Cape Cod, I can't imagine ever moving to a new house--this book captures the character and charm of a Royal Barry Wills home.

Pros:
incredibly detailed
Cons:
incredibly detailed

The author describes daily routines in painstaking details (emphasis on the pain). On one hand I can learn all the tedious details of tending to a vineyard or going on the hunt or picking mushrooms (sic!). On the other hand, I caught myself skipping entire pages of boring details.
In some places I could use the expression "watch paint dry".

Overall, I felt sorry for Patricia - her obsession with work, her failure to hook up with Fidde (he dropped dead from the stress and never got to enjoy the fruit of his work). I was also shocked to learn that she was more concerned about the hail which destroyed her harvest than with Fidde's passing. I admire her hard work but understand why she ended up living alone. She is a rural version of career woman.

I also found it annoying that the book contained hundreds of french expressions and sentences which haven't been translated, not even in an annex. I do have a french dictionary at home, but you get the point.

An autobiography is always a tricky subject, especially when the most interesting event of one's life is a neighbour's dog dying of old age or having oysters for dinner with friends. Perhaps Patricia should stick with making her wine at which she says she is really good. I hope her wine is more exciting than her life!

Saussignac



Row on row of purple globes

fetch a golden autumn morning mist

in Dordogne Valley Gageac



Looking out on Bergerac

semillon and muscadelle

attach themselves a noble rot



The ripening sun and Patricia cultivate



Now she picks, presses, racks and pours

into the aged oak a two year spell

for when the seasons turn



She writes of family neighbor friends

who lent themselves instead of vinegar

you may taste of honey quince and apricot.



(In Celebration of Patricia Atkinson's

The Ripening Sun and La Belle Saison)



Greg Hobbs

9/9/2006

La Belle Saison
Patricia Atkinson

The beautiful season! It surely is. Patricia Atkinson's second book begins with the timeless Ecclesiastes verse: A time ... A time ... A time ...

"It's late August in the Dordogne as I look out over towards the valley of Bergerac from the highest point of my land."

On the verge of another harvest at her vineyard in Gageac, she welcomes us. She pours and talks.

You recall how in The Ripening Sun I moved to a country whose language I did not know to begin a life I was not prepared for? The first red wine harvest turned to vinegar. Our savings drained away. Our marriage foundered. He returned to England. "I threw myself into work with a vengeance."

Now she's an accomplished vintner writing of seasons she shares with family, friends, neighbors, and visitors like us--of hunting wild boar, wild truffles, wild pigeons, wild cepe mushrooms; vines, geese, ducks, and oysters to cultivate.

Preparing a savory meal requires devotion. "They start with Jambourra, a soup of vegetables cooked in the stock that the black pudding was boiled in." Followed by fricassee cooked slowly with onions and carrots all day with meat that "simply" melts in the mouth, then fillets and chops grillade, salad, cheese, and dessert.

She writes in winter, a thousand words at a sitting. Her style is generous and reserved. When you find Patricia, you find her with granddaughters Amy and Beth; neighbors Gilles, Odile, and Juliana; and the lovely Edge who sweats out vendanges, writes zany whimsical hopeful poems, and passes along with Geoffrey, Madame Cholet, Comte de la Verrie, and Fidde.

David Hampshire gave much helpful guidance regarding the rules, regulations and bureaucracy in France (although "Frommer's" and "Lonely Planet" books do as well). However, his clear dislike for most things French (especially the people) made the book read more like a prejudiced, bigoted, diatribe. A bit of fun-poking would have certainly been acceptable and lightened a bare facts book, but Mr. Hampshire went on for, literally, pages and at every opportunity to criticize and ridicule. One wonders, if he were corect in his assessments, how a country so filled with stupid, unwashed, crude and lazy people could possibly be responsible for the creation and ongoing care of some of the world's greatest works of artistic expression. Shame on you Mr. Hampshire. Perhaps in your next revision, you'll omit the vitriolic rhetoric. It will be a much better book.

I am going to live in France in September and I recently read this book. It is invaluable and I can see I am going to be referring to it constantly come September. It's just what I needed! Everything I wanted to know and even things I didn't know I wanted to know but was glad I discovered!

I have read two other books in this catagory, "Living, Studying, and working in France", and "Live and Work in France" and this is the best of the three. The "Live and Work..." book is the worst. It is mainly aimed at UK residents moving to France. The "Living, Studying..." book is pretty good too, but doesn't have the concentration of good info as this book. Lots of contacts info for jobs, paperwork, etc. Very thorough. The one thing I wish it had was more about the internet access and contacts for that.

Bonnie Glassford has written an intriguing travelogue, and has proven to be a fascinating raconteur. Her story reads like a newsy letter to friends - filled with the minuitae of life in the Middle East and full of detail, wit and wonder.

As someone who has not yet visited the places she talks about, her book brings to life the lure of these far-off counties - their sights, sounds and smells; anyone even thinking of following her trail should have a read through 'Living the Sacred Story'. Her narrative is clear and descriptive, but never boring; the people and places she comes across are described in a style that is both reverential and real.

This book tells of the author's experiences and adventures when she went to the Middle East to explore her faith and spirituality. Her descriptions of the landscape, climate, culture and people make it easy to imagine you're with her on the journey. I particularly liked the addition of historical information that was relevant to the situation being described. The author's interactions and relationships with the people dispel the sterotypes created by the media coverage of the region.

By the time I finished the book, the Holy Land had become a real place, with real people, living real lives in a remarkable setting but often under difficult circumstances.

A facinating read!

This book tells of the author's experiences and adventures when she went to the Middle East to explore her faith and spirituality. Her descriptions of the landscape, climate, culture and people make it easy to imagine you're with her on the journey. I particularly liked the addition of historical information that was relevant to the situation being described.
The author's interactions and relationships with the people dispel the sterotypes created by the media coverage of the region.

By the time I finished the book, the Holy Land had become a real place, with real people, living real lives in a remarkable setting but often under difficult circumstances.

A facinating read!

Marc Berman the best beat writer covering the Knicks, writes about the unusual year the Knicks had, without Ewing. It is not just about Ewing, but the Ewing-less Knicks. A great and entertaining read. Much more entertaining than the current Knicks. I can't wait for Berman's next book Living without Latrell.

Someone gave me this book for a present. Don't know why you'd want to write about a void...this book is about somebody (Ewing) NOT being on the Knicks. Berman, whose coverage of the Knicks I like, would have been better off just writing about a year in the life of the Knicks. Who wants to read about someone who isn't on the team anymore?

Very well written account of the first Knick's season without Ewing. It gives you an insider's look into the day to day struggles of the players, coaches and management of the Knicks. You end up feeling as if you were there at the games and in the locker rooms. This book belongs in the company of the great sports classics.

Christopher Dyer's thorough study of social and economic life in Britain in the high and late middle ages is fascinating. The details are remarkable showing a thriving, bustling commercial network that criss-crossed the island - not at all what one would expect of Europe in the middle ages.

All facets of society are examined here - peasants, merchants, craftsmen and aristocrats of all levels - close attention is also played to the roles women played in the medieval economy, their social and economic position was striking. Far from the droll, insulated and simple life that typically comes to mind when one thinks of medieval Europe, Dyer's treatise shows quite the opposite - a bustling and growing economy that was financially diverse and tied to the rest of Europe and the wider world. Utilizing an abundance of primary sources from throughout Britain, a clear picture of the daily economic life of England is provided, with solid analysis of the role economics played in the larger social and political changes that took place between 800 and 1500.

It is not light reading, however - Dyer is writing for a more academic audience. Some familiarity with Medieval (or better still, British) history is assumed, as is passing familarity with English currency. (For example, pence are denoted ("d"); 12 pence to the shilling ('s"), 20 shilling to the pound.) For historians, economists (or better still, economic historians) this is invaluable and fascinating - recommended.

This is a splendidly readable and highly informative book.

Dyer takes us from Anglo-Saxon England, through the Normal Conquest, the long medieval surge then the calamitous C14th (as Barbara Tuchman memorably called it) and ending in early Tudor England. We are guided with erudition and ease through the choices the various levels of society faced, the rich texture of life and the ebb and flow of social change.

Carefully evidence based, and willing to admit uncertainty, Dyer nevertheless informs with a telling mixture of general trends and revealing examples.

I was struck, for example, how the owners of lordly (and other) estates faced similar types of management choices as modern firms, whether to engage in direct command-and-control (farm oneself), franchise (lease), donate (grant) or sell. The balance of choices shifted back and forth, as circumstances changed.

This is an excellent book I would heartily recommend to anyone interested in economic and social change in the long run and medieval history in particular.

Christopher Dyer presents a general economic history of England during the Middle Ages. He uses primary sources to support his claims and addresses a number of issues that this broad topic encompasses. His language is accessible to a wide audience, yet contains elements that require some scholarly background in order to fully appreciate the impact of the information that he presents. The main problems with Making a Living in the Middle Ages revolve around the inconsistency between Dyer's introduction and the majority of his book.
This book was written very recently so one could assume that the author would take into consideration some of the most recent theories on the matter. While it is possible that this is the case, Dyer does not make specific reference to any such sources. Overall, the text is well written. Syntax and word choice make it accessible. His transitions were lacking, which would make it difficult to read if the reader lacked background knowledge. The vocabulary in the book was not at all difficult, and the author defines terms on initial and subsequent usages. When he fails to provide clear definitions, his context clues make his word choice accessible, providing a general impression of the meaning of the terminology. The book to me was appropriate with occasional oversimplification. The nature of the oversimplification was a lack of depth, but he has chose to cover an extremely broad topic, which I do not think should be approached in one book.
The book deals with the economic history of England from 850 C.E. -1520 C.E. The author has a well-written introduction and clearly states the importance of the subject and his reasons for approaching it. I would not go so far as to say he fully addressed those reasons in his book. One reason he presents for doing an economic history is to gain insight into the daily lives of the people during this time period. I did not get a feel for this upon reading the text. Instead, I saw broader claims. These claims were well supported through the use of primary sources, both written and archeological. Dyer explains a lot about his reasoning for his choice of topic, and it is very convincing. However, he fails to live up to his superb introduction. The material addressed in the book is by no means unimportant. On the contrary, it is well constructed and very important in the overall canon of English history. However, I think that the introduction implied a different treatment of the subject than what I found in the body of the text. Dyer breaks up his book into chronological sections, and within those sections he addresses various topics, some dealing with class, other with important events that effected the economy. This construction makes sense in regard to the topic. Other organizations might allow for more detail, but the scope of the topic does not allow for such a lengthy treatment, at least not to be contained in one book. The length of the book is already on the excessive side. This is not to say that a treatment of this topic could fit into a smaller book. Rather, the topic would be better suited for a series of books, with each book dealing with a shorter time period so as to allow for more detail. In this way, Dyer would have been able to fulfill all his reasons stated in his introduction.
Dyer claims to intend an analysis and present historical theory, but I felt that he relied almost exclusively on making a claim based on the facts without much conjecture or analysis. A broad topic such as this one would be difficult to approach in terms of a thesis, so I think both the actual and intended approaches are appropriate for the topic, but are not consistent with each other.
The book is obviously meant as an economic history, and it does achieve this goal. However, there are also elements of social and political history, which Dyer indicates in his introduction. Considering the subject matter, it would be impossible to address it from a purely economic perspective. Therefore, Dyer was correct in mentioning social and political elements. The problem with this is that he did not go into enough depth in the social realm. He could have done a lot more psychological analysis. While this is not necessary for an economic history, Dyer's introduction and various comments throughout the book indicate that he meant to approach the thought processes of the people living in this period.
One of Dyer's stronger points is his use and treatment of documents. For the purpose of a general economic history of England, a decent body of documents exist, including various charters, wills, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and Domesday Book, all of which Dyer uses. Dyer presents plenty of evidence from primary sources to back up his claims. He gives specific examples on a regular basis throughout the book. On first analysis I concluded that Dyer was being overly cautious with his treatment of documents. However, upon further thought and examination, I found that he was merely pointing out historiographical problems that could arise form the nature and availability of documents. He discusses the lack of written evidence dealing with marginalized groups of society. He also provides a partial solution to this by emphasizing the importance of material archeological evidence. My one complaint about Dyer's use of documents is that he could have used diary or journal entries to address the thinking of the people at this time and therefore addressed all of the reasons for choosing the subject that he indicates in his introduction. To his detriment, Dyer fails to acknowledge his own bias. However, to his credit, Dyer does mention the bias inherent in primary sources.
Due to the broad scope of this topic, Dyer is unable to present a complete treatment of it. He also attempts to address much more in his introduction than he actually addresses in his book. Because he does not fully address the ideas set down in his introduction, I must argue that the book is not balanced. Even excluding everything but economic concerns, Dyer still lacks balance in that his treatment of women is highly lacking. I feel justified in this criticism because he claims that the book is a general economic history of England. He does make an attempt to balance the material by making references to continental Europe. Dyer compares England to the rest of Europe in an appropriate fashion. He does so sparingly, which is good, but makes enough connections to put the information in the proper context.
The general content of the book solidified many concepts for me. The chronological presentation and mention of events of political importance put the ideas in a context that is relevant to my prior knowledge. Various facts were new to me, but were not surprising upon consideration in light of what I already know.
I found this book to be empirically good. Dyer is accurate and concise in his introductions, and supports his claims well. He does, however, go on at length at times, and this feature made it difficult for me to organize my thoughts. The introduction to a section was so far from the end that it was often difficult to place the information in a cohesive unit of thought. In this regard, the book provides a great deal of information about the economic history of England, which needed to be broken into smaller sections. Furthermore, I do not feel that the book fully explored the concepts that were indicated in the introduction. An entire series of in depth and incredibly useful books could have been formed from the ideas in Dyer's introduction, yet he failed to even touch on some of the ideas, while providing an excess of cursory examples in other cases. This was disappointing to me because the title and introduction sparked my interest and led me to anticipate something different. As a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, I had hoped to see more detail in regard to the everyday lives of the people and hoped that Dyer would address their motives and thoughts much more thoroughly. Such detail would be both intellectually stimulating and would have practical applications for various aspects of Medieval reenactment. Overall, this is a good economic history that is accessible to a wide audience, and I can see its usefulness in spite of its shortcomings in regard to my personal expectations.

This terrific book helps make a complex area of science - the field of chemistry and the periodic table - accessible to everyone. Benjamin Wiker skillfully and humorously takes us through the history of theories, experiments, mistakes and successes in understanding the elements and the development of the Periodic Table. The icing on the cake is how fascinating the order of the table is and how closely and mathematically the elements are related to each other. Fascinating!

The book is written for ages 10 and up, but high schoolers and even college students would benefit from the memorable way this book presents the big picture and helps it 'stick.' The last three chapters are a little tougher to follow. I found it helpful to draw some of my own diagrams of the various atoms and their electron structure.

The biographical information is interesting but some of the chemistry information is too deep for my children (12, 9, 7) who are listening to me read this. I think it would work better if I read the chapters ahead and just pulled out the interesting parts and explained the concept the chapter wants to get across in a simpler format.

By putting over 3,000 years of faces on the search for the elemental principles -- from the Greek philosopher Anaximander, who held that all the material world was made of four "elements", Earth, Air, Fire, and Water; to teams of modern scientists who race to create new elements -- Benjamin Wiker has moved chemistry off the shelf of dry-and-dusty arcania and given the reader a gum-shoe tale filled with odd and interesting characters. This book is an excellent remedy for people who think the sciences were hatched in university laboratories, or born the test-tube children of egg-headed professors. Tracing the theories of philosophers, alchemists, and scientists, making acquaintance with men of all walks and many nationalities, whose only common trait was their persistent desire to peer ever deeper into the nature of things, Wiker not only outlines the genealogy of the Periodic Table of Elements, but, so doing, introduces his reader to the principles of theoretical and practical science, to the history of the scientific method, and even inklings of atomic theory. This book will be accessible, and of interest, to a wide range of readers: those with no science background can still follow the general story with ease, while even the reader well-versed in high-school level chemistry has probably never encountered the history of modern chemistry synthesized with such clarity and appeal.