Europe Books

This book is a fascinating window into the Paris of the inter-war period. Written in 1942 by a well-known journalist of the time, the book contains the reminiscences of Elliott Paul, an American who chose to call a neighborhood in a little back street of Paris home for some 17 years. In the first part of the book, Paul paints a picture of the neighborhood and the characters who populated it. The second part of the book describes the changes to his neighborhood as Europe began to descend into war, and the book finishes with Paul's despair as he thinks over all that was lost to him and to France once the Second World War finally broke out in earnest.

I found the first part of the book most compelling. Yes, it may be historically interesting to read later about how the political events of the time were interpreted by an American living in Paris and by his French friends, but it is the day-to-day details of life in Paris during the 1920s that remain fascinating today. After reading this book, I began to get an inkling at how un-developed France was compared to the general standard of living we expect and find today throughout Europe. From Paul's descriptions, living conditions in Paris in the 1920s were comparable to those found in many developing countries today. In his hotel, for example, the toilet facilities consisted of what some call today a "Turkish toilet", with one shared squat toilet for the entire floor, with only a partition door for privacy. Milk was adulterated before being distributed door-to-door in unwashed bottles by a buxom teenager. There was no central heating in the homes of ordinary people, and those who couldn't afford a small coal stove in their rooms for heat warmed themselves by rubbing their skin with cat-fur mittens, purchased at the local pharmacy. Women had not yet been granted property rights. They couldn't own or sell property or bank accounts, and they weren't even allowed to travel without written permission from their husbands or fathers. Looking back today, it's incredible to think how much French culture has changed. I wonder what Paul would think of modern French culture if he could experience it again- -what changes would he approve of, and what would he find distasteful? No doubt, as an outsider, Paul probably formed a few inaccurate hypotheses about French culture, but he lived long enough in the country and neighborhood to discover some truths as well. And as an outsider, he found them interesting enough to write about. It is only because they were written down that they survive at all- -they are just too far removed from modern realities to even be conceivable today. This is a great written record of Paul's experiences, and well worth reading.

Before getting into the body of my review, I want to clear up a fairly common misconception. The only thing that the movie, THE LAST TIME I SAW PARIS, has in common with Elliot Paul's book is that they share the same name. The movie was based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald entitled, "Babylon Revisited."

I wonder what Elliot Paul would think if he could see today's incarnation of his beloved rue de la Huchette where the action of the book is centered. Before the second World War, when Elliot made it his home, it was a poor street of "mom and pop" businesses, small apartments, a laundry that doubled as a bordello, a third class hotel or two, a few small cafes and, most of all, a place where one sat out on the stoop and visited, or debated, with his neighbors until the wee hours. Not a very high class neighborhood and certainly not a place that had any attraction for tourists.

That portion of the Left Bank that includes the rue de la Huchette is called the Latin Quarter because of its proximity to the Sorbonne University. At one time it really was a place where the students hung out, but no more. Because it has become so touristy, the students have moved their extracurricular activities a few blocks away. I get the feeling that every tourist bus passing through Paris includes in its itinerary a walk down the two or three blocks that comprise the street. Every other door leads into a small restaurant and in front of each is a hustler enticing you to come in for dinner and to have a free "aperitif." If you know where to eat, or are lucky, you can get a good, reasonably priced, meal there. The street is always lively and crowded.,

Paul's rue de la Huchette, as I described it above, was a world, or at least a war, away from what one experiences today. He became such a part of the neighborhood that he was always called on to arbitrate neighborhood disputes. One young girl, Hyacinthe, fell in love with him while she was still a pre-teen, wrote him very adult sounding love letters, and even as an adult still adored him.

He describes a scene when, after a long absence, he returns, and, as soon as the word gets out that he's back, he finds himself the guest of honor at the party to end all parties. Everyone buys him drinks but no one allows him to reciprocate. Sometime during the celebration he passes out. The next morning, not knowing how he got there, he wakes up in one of the two front rooms in the hotel, rooms normally reserved for "couples in a hurry." Because the room was free and the gesture so generous, he doesn't complain about the bed bugs.

This wonderful street and these people that Paul loves and brings to life for us are destroyed by the Nazi occupation of Paris during WW II. The saddest moment of the book comes near the end of the war when Hyacinthe, now grown up and become a famous actress, dies as a result of asphyxiation caused by a charcoal burner that she and her mother were using to keep warm during the cold Paris winter. Her death which, like all the events in the book is a true event, is symbolic of the end of an era in Paul's life and of the life of a more innocent Paris.

I think that I might have liked Paul's rue de la Huchette better than the present one. If you read THE LAST TIME I SAW PARIS, I think that you might feel the same.

One of the most delightful books I've read in a long time. Elliot Paul writes of his beloved Rue de la Houchette on the Left Bank of Paris in the turbulent period between the wars. His appreciation enlightens us, appreciation for the arts and culture of France, of its people and its food and its foibles and, it the 20's and 30's, its deplorable politics.

For instance here is some of his ecstatic picture of Les Halles: France, in her wisdom, ordained that all the strawberries for miles and kilometers around should convene near a grand old church just after midnight, and should be ranged there neatly in straw baskets, garnished greenly with their leaves. If one man can small one wild strawberry at a distance of eight inches, how far can four million men enjoy the perfume of one million, five hundred thousand strawberries ... laid out on ancient cobblestones? Or this on mushrooms: Twenty-five hundred square yards of mushrooms, back to back, as neatly matched as dancers by Degas.

How I would have loved to have been an habitue of the bar at Hotel Caveau. To see Father Panarioux heading for the bar at the same time as Madame Mariette of the brothel, from opposite directions, each bowing to the other in a hesitation dance as to whom should pass through the entrance first. To have been served by the always-smiling Georges, the Serbian waiter, who, lacking papers and wanting to avoid internment `finds` some French army clothes and waits by the side of the road heading south - he`s rather fight the Italians than the Germans - for a division of cavalry to go by - he`s good with horses. To have supped with the wealthy M. de Malancourt who used his influence to get his mistress out of prison, married her, settled on her a great deal of money and a passport and delivered her to Switzerland, returning himself to Free France where he distributed the rest of his money to the refugees who poured in from every corner of Europe. Above all, to have been astonished by the extraordinarily precocious Hyacinthe who, a successful actress in 1939, refuses to leave France for Hollywood: I am lost, like the rest of France But I am a part of Paris, of the stifling soul of France. When France goes, I go. When Daladier (the Prime Minister) sells France, he sells me. I am part of the bargain.

Alas, the good times came to an end, helped by Mr. Chamberlain's umbrella and the greed and obtuseness of politicians. Paul writes, No matter how many Frenchmen voted, or how they voted, the same predatory combination ran the country for the benefit of large employers and speculators on a colossal scale. Voters in a so-called democracy may depose tyrants or crooks in isolated cases, but they cannot give birth, full grown like Minerva, to honest and experienced statesmen to take their places.

Plus ca change, plus c'est le meme chose. (Add accents as required!)

I love this book, for many reasons. Ellliot Paul was my father's best friend. They traveled together in Europe, Elliot working on one of his books (I forget which) and my father working on his (alas, never published). I knew Elliot as a kid - I even saw him on his deathbed, a sight I'll never forget. In any case, this is a WONDERFUL read, atmospheric, full of unforgettable characters, especially the author himself. I only wish I could write like this.

What both the reviews currently featured fail to mention is that Elliott Paul has a keen eye and a keen wit. He writes with warmth and affection, but also a journalist's detachment. His writing style is in keeping with the street and the characters he brings to life so vividly. And although he is dealing with a world long gone, if you've been to Paris, even now, you'll recognise it in his pages. This book is one of the most perceptive and delightful travel books I've ever read. One example of Paul's gems: in one chapter he explains that 'Belgian pate' means pate that's half rabbit and half horse, that is, one rabbit to one horse. Several chapters later he informs us that there were no Italians in the neighbourhood since Italians and Serbs don't mix, "and when they do, the Italian has as much chance as a rabbit up against a horse in a Belgian pate" - I love that line and how it sums up so succinctly a whole array of rich rivalries.

The fact that Trotsky tried to devise a revolutionary strategy to cope with the issues aroused by the existence of a Popular Front government in 1930s France made this collection of short pieces and pamphlets to remain consistently out of fashion for the next 70 years, as Marxists tended more and more to make a fetish out of Liberal Bourgeois political forms. Therefore the relevance of this book, as a discussion of the shortcomings of said Bourgeois Democracy in terms of the overall sclerosis imposed by it on the Body Politic.

Paris, February 1934: tens of thousands of rightists attempted to overthrow the French government in a violent demonstration. The Radical government was soon replaced with a Bonapartist ruler. How could the powerful working class movement respond? The French Communist Party was moving to the "Peoples Front" alliance with the Socialists and the Radicals, in reflection of Stalin's search for alliances with one or other of the imperialist powers moving towards war to redivide the world. Together with the Socialists, the Stalinists politically disoriented the French workers. Six years on from the 1934 demonstrations, Hitler was able to crush France, and the fascist Petain ascended to power. "Leon Trotsky on France", a collection of writings from throughout those six years, brings the light of Marxism and the experience of the Russian Revolution to bear in showing the way for workers seeking a revolutionary way forward. As the 21st century takes us deeper into a situation like the 1930s -- economic depression, political volatility and instability, rapidly sharpening inter-imperialist rivalry, the rise of ultrarightist forces -- the lessons of the 1930s loom large. With each passing year, books like this one are becoming more relevant for workers and fighters for social justice.

More than a history text, this is a compelling day-by-day analysis of the great political developments in France during the 1930s depression-- and incisive arguments for what working class parties needed-- and failed -- to do to fight their way victoriously out of the crisis. The brutal economic depression and the crisis of capitalist political rule, the approaching world war, the fascist uprising in 1934, the rise of Bonapartist-police state regimes, the great workers strike wave of 1936, the stakes in organizing a workers militia, the political basis for alliances in working class struggles-- all are explained clearly and logically, with the aim of helping working people understand and organize to defend their interests.

Trotsky writes with the experience of a leader of the 1917 Russian Revolution and the early years of building an international communist workers movement. He was particularly familiar with the French workers movement from years in exile before 1917, and spent time in France in the 1930s after being expelled from the Soviet Union by Stalin and his henchmen-- this experience helping him give rich political detail to his writings.

Above all, the questions posed here do not belong just to the 1930s. The perspectives of the capitalists, the petty-bourgeoisie, the workers and the peasants, and the question of leadership of the working class, of the forging of a revolutionary party with a correct program and the confidence to act are issues for today and tomorrow. Trotsky's writings here are invaluable in helping understand and organize in today's world.

Best part of the book -- Part Two: A Program for the French Revolution. For anyone who has had to deal with trade union brass who caution that the union membership must be careful not to alienate the friendly wing of management, for anyone who has had to suffer through debates in parties such as Canada's New Democratic Party, this book helps straighten things out clearly. As Europe thrashed its way through the 1930s, socialist revolution or fascist victory was put on the agenda in country after country. Trotsky goes over all the key issues as they arose concretely in France: elections and picket lines, workers armed defense versus reliance on the middle class, the relationship of general strike to the fight for a revolutionary change in government, how to win over the farmers. He hammers away at the fact that while capitalism was degenerating before everyone's eyes, nothing was automatic, nothing would inevitably change for the better without conscious action and organization by the powerful French working class. He pointed out that he was fighting for the lives of French workers who went into the streets in strike waves, who occupied their workplaces, who fought the police and fascist gangs over and over throughout the decade. And went down to defeat. Difficult to read simply as a historical document since so many issues are of burning relevance today.

France in the 1930s was wracked by mass struggles by workers, fascist, monarchist and other right-wing conspiracies two futures: the future of war, Nazi occupation and the Petain regime that aped fascism, and a victory of workers and farmers like the one in Russia in 1917 and Cuba in 1960s. Battles went on that could have prevented World War two, prevented fascism in Spain, and more.
Trotsky's advice here is not just directed to analyzing the big questions, but also discussing how small groups of revolutionists were affected by these big events, how they could deepen their role in the mass struggle.
With war, and what some call a gathering world depression looming in front of working people around the world, the same questions before French workers in the 1930s are coming before workers, youth, farmers and others who want to fight today. We are fortunate to read these writings by Trotsky to fight to avoid a future of war and fascism.

We bought this book and the information was very useful. We especially found the information on transportation and lodging to be helpful. The book lists plenty of restaurants too. There was so much to see and do on our trip and this book really helped us plan out a wonderful vacation. There is a lot of information on some of the smaller towns in Andalusia and elsewhere. All were amazing. All in all it's a very helpful book and worth the purchase.

I used this guidebook while touring Spain and Portugal. It was full of good information on places to visit and places to stay. The directions were easy to follow and I found their reviews of the places I stayed to be accurate. A word of caution - the Lisbon bus depot has relocated since this book was published - check with the tourist office for up to date info.

Excellent information for all tourists. . For the older traveler willing to spend a few more dollars forget the lodging advice, use the food, transportion, money information,etc.For the young on a budget all the information is important.

Whenever you would want to travel on "a shoestring" consider this guide. It gives some great suggestions for things to see, places to stay and nice restaurants. All this information is presented in a structured and clear way. Let's go is not afraid to express their own opinion without being biased. It is also great read if you want get some background on Spain and Portugal.

The big question at hand of course is if it beats the Lonely Planet and other budget guides. I feel this is something of personal preference. The information in the guide is not that different from one of the other guides but the way they structure it is different. An advantage of the Let's go is that it seems to somewhat less popular than the Lonely Planet.
Therefore you run less of a risk that this "special place" that is mentioned somewhere in the guide is crowded with other travelers that bought the same guide.

...and I used this guide both times. Incredible amounts of information for the budget traveler. I especially appreciate how accurate everything is. The food recommends are great, too.

Basically, of the guides I have used before, this is the best for somebody on a budget. Also, this guide seems the best for anybody traveling alone.

Sensitive and expertly photographed..a new way to look at children's feet....a global perspective.

MArina inf you read this will you call me...Pam Lechtman

I love this book from beginning to end. Each photo brought me back to my childhood memories and now I can't go to a park without looking down at those precious little feet. I reccomend this charming, little book for all my friends and family.

Simple and understated - Marina's perspective is amazing and is only surpassed by her many other talents. Whether it is with a brush, camera or a handful of flowers, look for great things from this wonderfully talented artist.

I saw this book in the store and fell in love, anyone who has children or is planning on having children will adore this book. The pictures brings you back to your childhood and you get that feeling of carelesness, which doesnt happen very often anymore. It is amazing how she has captured the sweet and innocence of children in her pictures. Thank You for this wonderful book.

Little feet

by

Marina Drasnin Gilboa

If ever a book of photographs can be called charming, this is the book. Measuring only 6 1/4 X 6 1/4" with 72 pages, this book holds images of tiny feet in sweet, scuffed, muddy and precious baby shoes of all kinds. Above the shoes are chubby knees, drooping socks and rolled up cuffs of baggy pants or appealing hems of pretty little dresses. Some shoe laces are untied. Some feet are moving--running jumping, swinging and more, and some are still.

Some images are black and white, some are brown-toned and others are color. All are captivating. What a wonderful idea photographer Marina Drasnin Gilboa had when she thought of producing this book. This book would be a precious gift for a new parent or grandparent. Totally delightful. Published by Chronicle Books and copyrighted 2000, it is beautifully done.

A phrase a day closer to learning the language I would love to master.

Ciao.

Good tool for learning expression or phrases that are hard to remember.
Nice use for a calendar!

I buy this calendar every year to brush up on my Italian language skills. I learnt Italian a few years ago and without these calendars my grasp of the language would quickly slip. There are also some interesting cultural tidbits to read as well. I highly recommend these calendars to foreign language enthusiasts.

I look forward to reading/learning the daily phrase in Italian. A great way to learn the language - and start the day right!

Everyday you learn a little something new, including culture tips and holidays. A little everyday builds your vocab. I have not seen anything like this on the market yet. I buy this every year, it is a small price for this gem.

This biography is both well written and leaves you with a clear sense of the subject's personality. Almost the only comment on Louis XI I had read about before this biography was that he was clever and known as "the universal spider" for the webs he wove around people who opposed him.

What I hadn't known was that he'd lead a life of such extremes of good and bad fortune and that he effectivley broke the fedual nobles and bought France into a stabilised central monarchy within in his reign. In some respects Louis was the most unkingly of Kings and its a shame his common touch was lost with subsequent monarchs.

This is one of the best biographies I have read of a medieval monarch and it's well worth seeking out if you have any interest in the birth of the Renaissance and the end of Burgundy and the birth of France as we know it even today.

Philip the Good: The Apogee of Burgundy (History of Valois Burgundy)

Charles the Bold: The Last Valois Duke of Burgundy (History of Valois Burgundy)

Joan of Arc: Her Story

Louis XI is to be considered among the greatest kings of France, if not the greatest at all, because he set up the national French monarchy which was to last until Louis XVI. He created a powerful kingdom by subduing step by step the once unrulable feudal lords. And this he did mainly by the use of his cunning sagacious diplomacy rather than by the use of weapons. The "Universal Spider" actually employed the strategy of the spider, patience, diplomacy, cold blood, shrewdness and a calculating mind to win the realm from the clutches of the nobles and bound it forever to the Crown. When he succeeded to the throne in 1461 after the death of his father Charles VII, he found France in a state of turmoil. The proud and petulant lords of the Houses of Bourbon, Anjou, Armagnac, Brittany and, above all, the mighty Duke of Burgundy (whose posessions gathered not only the County and Duchy of Burgundy, but also Picardy, Artois, Flanders, Holland, Zealand, Brabant and Luxembourg) had joined in a so-called "League of the Public Weal" to overthrow him and regain their declining privileges. Before his dead, in 1483, he had crushed the nobility, their lands reverted to the Crown; he had got rid of the always threatening Charles the Rash, duke of Burgundy, and swallowed the whole Burgundian territories of France, and had avoided cunningly a second English invasion of France. By 1483 the king of France was the most powerful monarch in Europe and the richest. It was all possible due to the genius of Louis de Valois. The statesmanship of the "Universal Spider" made it possible. This books shows how, and it provides not only an accurate and very amusing lesson of the History of France, but also a valuable lesson in politics. Looks like very often the pen is mightier than the sword.

In LOUIS XI THE UNIVERSAL SPIDER, biographer-historian Paul Murray Kendall says the Burgundian chronicler Molinet called Louis "the universal spider" and the sobriquet unfortunately stuck. He says Louis was further demonized by 19th Century historians and writers who failed to do their homework. Louis XI was not so much spider as he was diplomat and peace-maker in an age when men looked suspiciously on such behaviour, and combat was viewed as the honorable and noble approach to settling disputes. Louis used his head and the end result was to bring the feudal era in France to a close and help usher in the modern world.

Louis reckoned the ceaseless bickering and fighting of the nobles was destructive to the health of the countryside and the people of France. The common people of the towns and villages agreed with Louis as did the merchants and tradesmen. Louis is not remembered for winning any great battles. The major reason Louis was so successful in defeating his enemies was owing to his understanding of finance. He understood that those who fight must finance their wars and without funds, their access to armaments and mercenaries evaporates. The clever king also understood that when the countryside is destroyed an army that crawls on its belly cannot fight.

Charles VII was the father of Louis XI, that same Dauphin whom Joan the Maid of Orleans managed to have crowned. The ungrateful Charles VII did nothing to save Joan once she had been captured by the English and the Duke of Burgundy, but the six-year old boy who became Louis XI never forgot the saint and he held a lifelong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary after his encounter with her. When Louis was most pressed he prayed to the Virgin, and his monument to her at Clery still exists.

The Duke of Burgundy during Charles VII's reign was Phillip the Good, and when Louis XI ran afoul of his father, he sought shelter with Duke Phillip who sheltered him. Thus Louis spent a good part of his young manhood in the company of his dour cousin Charles the Bold who became the Duke of Burgundy on his father's death. Charles also became Louis' life-long enemy and it was Charles' man who slandered Louis by referring to him as "the universal spider."

Louis had one aspiration--to unite France in peace, and promote commerce and the general welfare of the people. Charles the Bold fancied himself another Julius Caesar--a warrior-king. Charles set about expanding his Duchy until Burgundy reached from the county of Burgundy near the Jura mountains to Flanders and Holland on the North Sea.

Louis was no warrior-king. While other lords ran around in ermine and velvet and jousted at tournaments, Louis donned the hunter's clothes and spent most days in the rural areas chasing animals with his hunting dogs and comingling with the common folk. When he wasn't hunting animals Louis collected them for his vast menagerie.

On most occasions Louis tried to make peace not war. He used his head, outwitted his enemies including the English king Edward IV, and at the end of his life left his heir Charles VIII a united France. Kendall obviously admired Louis and remarks that he was one of the most formidable human beings who ever lived.

I have been reading the series Alison Weir has been writing on the English nobility, and enjoyed reading LOUIS XI not only because I want to know more about the history of France, but because in reading about Louis XI, I was able to understand why certain exchanges, conflicts, etc. regarding Edward IV were important. If you found Alison Weir's book on the WAR OF THE ROSES intriguing, you will appreciate this book. Kendall's writing is comparable to Weir's and he has based his writing on his original research--though he is quite dependent on Commynes as are most of Louis' biographers.

I bought this book from Alibris, and I recommend you find a copy if you're interested in this period of history. I am puzzled as to why this book is out of print.

The nickname "Universal Spider" was not meant as a compliment to the French King Louis XI, whose supple mind and diplomatic skills allowed him consistently to outmanouever his enemies both foreign and domestic. Kendall puts an extremely entertaining writing style to good use in relating Louis' various showdowns with the French nobility, battles with Brittany, double-dealing with the rival English Yorkists and Lancasters, and blood-feud with the Burgundian Dukes - who so spectacularly reached the end-of-the-line during Louis' reign. Those parts dealing with Anglo-French diplomacy are particuarly interesting, given the author's other works on Richard III, Edward IV and Warwick the Kingmaker.

This is a terrific and highly readable biography of a fascinating and enigmatic ruler, set in a period of great political upheaval. Anyone interested in the details of "why" and "how" things happened - not merely "what" happened - will find this book immensely interesting.

Kendall's style is gripping, but he tends to be a partisan for his subject. At times, his bias becomes a little annoying, particularly where more than one "spin" could be put on a certain course of action. The reader must be careful to make his own judgements in many places.

That said, Kendall provides a wealth of quotes from contemporary sources, and his scholarship is unquestionable. This is a great book, covering a time and place that is too little addressed in most popular histories.

I read this book prior to going on a recent trip to Madrid. While not a tourist's guide specifically, I loved the mix of history, art, literature, and local color of Madrid. An excellent read before your trip and equally fascinating to re-read after your trip to Madrid.

The author's knowledge and understanding of Madrileno culture, history, literature, art and psyche are impressive. She brings all these elements together to form the big picture, and the result is a potrayal of Madrid that goes deep beyond the surface. A fascinating account.

Part way into a year in Madrid, I found this book in a bookshop near the Puerto del Sol. Having read -- mostly with disappointment -- guidebooks of the "eat here, sleep there" variety, as well as of the "observe famous site on the left" variety, I have been absolutely entranced with this book.

What it does is bring alive the stories of Madrid. It's not a guidebook, per se, although I think it would be an invaluable book to have on any visit to Spain. It's more a collection of stories, of anecdotes, that pull you into the actual life of the city as it is and as it was.

A typical example: almost all guidebooks mention the Cafe Gijon, and cite it as a good place to eat where generations of Madrid literati have dined. You are left wondering, which Madrid literati, what was the appeal, and what did they do there? Rather than leave you hanging so, Elizabeth Nash guides through the society of "tertullias" (informal but somewhat stable idle discussion groups) that once flourished in these cafes, quoting from some of the novels written about this literary life, pulling up diverse quotes and recollections. By the time you are done you even know the name and the politics of the man who sells cigarettes at the stand just inside the Cafe Gijon's door.

That's the sort of thing the book does throughout. Rather than just identify sites and give you a summary description, it takes you into tales of selected important areas of Madrid. Some are on everyone's tour itinerary, such as the Plaza Mayor and the Puerta del Sol, while others, such as the college residence hall where Dali, Bunuel and Garcia Lorca discovered each other, art and life, do not figure in the packaged tours.

While drawing on marvellously deep and diverse sources, it's also a very good read. It moves quickly.

I recommend it highly.

This is a well-written book about the history and culture of Madrid. I gained a better understanding of the culture of Madrid and how the Madrilenos live and think. For example, the lifestyle described centering around the cafes and the tertulias ("the gathering of people who meet regularly to converse or amuse themselves") enables you to visualize life in Madrid during the 1880's. The book is worth reading and instills a desire to learn about Spain's history and culture.

This little book is a delightful read: informative, well-written, and entertaining. I can't imagine a better book for anyone planning a trip to Spain.

Teaching history should never just be about memorizing names, events and dates. It is about something so much more ?" it is about, among other things, the lives of people past, present and future. Unfortunately, many educators are stuck using texts that concentrate on the didactic and rarely ever stimulate students in an affective manner. Recently I introduced excerpts from Mr. Lipiner?s book, Magyar, Stars & Stripes, to my Western Civilization class to supplement our current text?s generalized and very formal account of World War II. In discussing the excerpts ("The Russians are Coming") in class I found that students became more engaged in our unit on World War II then previous classes that used only our text. In addition to this, and something I had not anticipated originally, was the different historical perspective provided from the excerpts of Magyar, Stars & Stripes from our class text. Our text provides a viewpoint of World War II that is very American as opposed to Mr. Lipiner?s perspective that is uniquely European.

Let me be clear - one need not be a history teacher or history student to enjoy this book. I enjoyed this book for its profound implicit statement - our American culture is a conglomeration of many personal stories. Magyar, Stars & Stripes happens to be just one of those stories that is very well told and documented. Perhaps what I enjoyed most about this book is the undeniable passion and conviction in which it is written which is a deserving tribute to a truly remarkable man - Alexander Taub.

As I read Lipiner's recount of his grandfather's journey and struggles, it occured to me that this should be on every student's required reading list. It depicts a holocaust survivor's odyssey from his Hungarian homeland through Nazi Europe, back to his home, and eventually to the land of opportunity, America.

As a Greek-American daughter, whose parents lived through the Greek Civil War, I could relate to this book on many levels. Sandor's stories were heartbreaking and compelling, as many war stories are. I couldn't put this book down. I wanted to know, what happened next. Who would live? Who would die? My heart broke with each chapter, but then again, I also laughed at how Sandor sometimes viewed the world around him. Michael Lipiner took us through the Holocaust and into the present with the ease of a master story-teller. This book is a wonderful tribute to his grandfather and his heritage!

This is a touching, sad, happy, amazing story. The ability to hear the story through the survivor, Alex Taub's, own words (his often charming broken English) is one of the many reasons this book is unique. The pictures and vivid details make it easy to care about the other survivors portrayed in this book. More than simply the story of a Holocaust survivor, Magyar, Stars & Stripes is an emotionally touching story about hope, family, love and survival. It's a remarkable story with great meaning and I recommend it to people of all ages and backgrounds.

"Hate is no good because [from] the hate comes out trouble. More trouble. Someone hates someone, more trouble come. Nothing come out good: never."

This is one of the many quotes from Alexander "Sandor" Taub as transcribed by his grandson in this very poignant book. It is amazing how much suffering the human spirit can handle while still being open to love and hope. So many times I have whined and complained about the inconsequential annoyances of daily life. In reality, I have never known true suffering.

This is just one man's story. One story that is similar to so many others. We are lucky we have Alexander Taub to speak for many of the other 6 million victims whose stories will never be heard. This book should not be missed.

What amazes me most is that this book is probably not even known about in most modern educational circles, yet it should be required reading in every 101 history class in academia. In fact everything Chistopher Dawson writes should be on that list. This book is brilliant on so many levels I couldn't address them all in this space. Christopher himself was one of those extreamly rare individuals who had the ability to truely see the 'forest through the trees' and even better he could write about it for the rest of us to understand. Its one thing to know about a giantic and complex topic and a whole different thing to be able to put it into understandable sentences. The amount of books he read, understood and then tied the thoughts together is itself a staggering feat. The bibliography iteslf list the 100's and 100's of books that when into forming Dawson's mind and then the concepts in this book. As Tiger is to golf Dawson is to history, particularly western cultural history. The other reviewers have done a good job of telling you what the contents of this book are about so read them to get the idea, I second all their thoughts and reviews. What I can add for you is about the author himself. He is from England and grew up in a wealthly and privilaged family of book worms. It is important to understand that he came from wealth for one reason only. He didn't have to waste time like the rest of us toiling away to make ends meet. He understood this yet didn't live the life of a rich playboy. He felt an obligation to his fellow man and dedicated his free time to learning history and then teaching it to the rest of us. He read an wrote for 5 to 10 hours each day. Married young and never divored. His uncle gave him a library full of books where he spent most of his time growing up. He went to all the finest schools and was a professor at Harvard later in his life. All I can say is that this book is well worth the effort of working your way though it. It will give you a deep down spiritual-like experience to know so much more about your roots and where you came from. Enjoy!

A rare book. It is profound, prophetic, insightful, level-headed. Christopher Dawson is one of the few authors whose books are still mandatory reading in university history circles because of the vastness of his knowldege exhibited in his books. Few writers have the ability to say as much so succinctly: reading one chapter gives you almost as much as a book on the same topic written by someone else.

We need to remember that if the West saw far, it is because we stand on the shoulders of giants. The giants of our past who, step by step, brought disparate tribes, from many races, speaking many languages and coming from different parts of the world, into one cohesive whole known as Europe. We had better find out how our ancestors did it, before we lose it all.

Catholic University Press of America is coming out with the Works of Christopher Dawson. To my mind, this is one of the most important publishing events in recent memory. In addition, these works are reset and contain solid introductions by experts in the field. This is third in the series (following Progress and Religion; and Medieval Essays).

The Making of Europe: An Introduction to the History of European Unity is an important book, which came out in 1932. Dawson highlights the central factors and contributions in the formation of European unity - the Roman Empire, Classical Culture, Christianity, the Barbarians, the Byzantines and Islam. Although Dawson was a Catholic, the book is balanced and can be enjoyed by just about anyone. I liked in particular the fair overview of Islam. It's fashionable to say that history books of the past ignored the contributions of other culture and only contemporary (and leftist) historians rescued us from the evils of "eurocentrism" and "ethnocentrism." This is silly, as anyone who has read history books from the past knows. (In addition, take for example the success of books in the nineteenth century such as Salambo by Flaubert, or the exaggerated claims of Masons of the contributions of Egyptians, which rival the "Black Athena" crowd).

In particular, I enjoyed Alexander Murray's introductory essay, which updates some of Dawson's arguments in light of current scholarship and also places this work within his oeuvre.

This concise little work attempts to cover the rise of nations from the crumbling Roman and Byzantine empires and the progress of Christianity all in less than 250 pages. Amazingly, the feat is accomplished with entertaining text. There is one shortfall in that there are no maps but the political characters and the events that brought about the European nations are given life. Very well done and a wonderful overview in its brevity and clarrity without paying the expense of literary color.

This book has to be the best survey of the beginnings of European, i.e. Western, civilization in the English language.

It reveals that European culture has its origins in the confluence of four vital elements: (1) the Roman Empire; (2) the classical, or Hellenistic, tradition; (3) Christianity (more specifically, the Catholic Church); (4) and the barbarians who infiltrated the collapsing Western Roman Empire. Each is treated in detail, and the combination of Dawson's encyclopedic knowledge and eloquent diction has the singular merit of making a vast and complex subject accessible and appealing to the educated reader.

To me what makes this book so special is the author's unique capacity to project the reader into the period under discussion without filtering it through the distorted lens of modern mores and attitudes that seem typically to color texts dealing with medieval history. He seems to have an intuitive understanding of what was important to the people of the period, and conveys this to the reader while at the same time he refrains from disparaging the so-called "dark ages" with remarks that emphasize its "primitiveness" by constantly comparing it to contemporary culture. (Aside from technological superiority, I see little basis for superciliousness on our part) Such parochialism of viewpoint is entirely absent from The Making of Europe, and for this, and other compelling reasons, I am sure that the interested and discriminating reader will find that it is, indeed, indispensible.

A thorough history of the notable and extended art forgery career of Han van Meegeren. While it seems the basic facts surrounding Mr. Van Meegeren's blatant and many frauds are now known, I did not find the prose style of Jonathan Lopez in the retelling of this particular tale in any way exceptional.

I also think the author shows a rather unsympathetic (and, to my mind, unwarranted) attitude towards The Netherlands in terms of the immediate post-war period and that small country's uneven treatment of its German collaborators.

If you have a lively interest in the criminal forgery of European artworks or, more specifically, fake Vermeers --this book would be a reasonable purchase.

There are a lot of fun books out there that use artworks as a sort of McGuffin for an elaborate or at least distracting plot. Books like The DaVinci Code or The Girl with the Pearl Earring, for instance, give the impression of being based on art historical research, but they take gross liberties with the historical record (or lack thereof). In a way, this ultimately devalues the artworks such books use as plot devices because readers come to see the art as mere accessories to a fantastical tale.

In The Man Who Made Vermeers, the artworks (or, rather, "artworks") remain at the center of a fascinating history. As objects of aesthetic pleasure, economic gain, or social status, the paintings at the heart of Lopez's story exert exactly the sort of power we have come to expect from art. Their status as fakes only complicates our understanding of the real value of art in society.

The Man Who Made Vermeers proves that it is possible to combine lively prose, an intriguing plot AND original research to create a wonderfully engaging yet scholarly narrative. Because the book's prose is so effortless, the painstaking archival research that the author must have undertaken is not as evident as it might be if the book were written in a more conventionally academic style.

Highly recommended!

Not only is "The Man Who Made Vermeers" a great introduction to Han Van Meegeren and his notorious Vermeer forgeries, it serves as an excellent window into Nazi-controlled Holland during the war. It is Lopez's examination of Van Meegeren's Nazi sympathies--and his deft analysis of how Van Meegeren's faux Vermeers sprang from the same 20th-century Nazi iconography as contemporary propaganda paintings--that really sets the book apart. A devasting reappraisal of the man who "fooled" Hermann Goering and a good read for anyone interested in art, World War II, or how the two intersected.

I just finished reading this book and I really enjoyed it. It's a book that appeals to the general public -- not only those into art. I'm not especially interested in art myself, but I got so into the story and the characters that I read it in record time. Faster than I've read anything in a long time. The author clearly did a huge amount of research. But he turns it into a really easy read. I definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a really interesting true story.

As an art historian, I approached this book with considerable skepticism because the story of Han van Meegeren has been told so many times and, in general, so badly (at least outside the Dutch academic literature), that yet another volume on the subject seemed like it would probably be a waste of time. "The Man Who Made Vermeers," however, is a very different kind of book than its too many English-language predecessors. In its level of detailed research on Van Meegeren, this book is comparable only to Marijke van den Brandhof's out of print "Een vroege Vermeer uit 1937," which I highly recommend to readers of Dutch. As Lopez acknowledges, had Van den Brandhof lived, she might have gone on to pursue many of the lines of inquiry explored in "The Man Who Made Vermeers." In any case, instead of indulging in the usual anti-intellecual sneering that the Van Meegeren story tends to inspire in people who write for a popular audience, Lopez successfully adopts an approach that I could easily compare to Simon Schama's best work, where story-telling, history, and a profound engagement with the world of ideas make for an exciting narrative that is nonetheless well grounded in real scholarship. "The Man Who Made Vermeers" contains, for instance, a discussion of the history of Vermeer attribution and misattribution that is as good as anything in the academic literature but that is completely comprehensible to someone with no previous background in art. The only objection that I might raise to the book as a whole would be that Lopez sometimes concedes a little too much to the lay reader. In his efforts to appeal to a broad audience, he shies away from interrogations of his methodological framework. Quibbles aside, much to my surprise, this is a very strong book.