Europe Books

I have only read the version of Babi Yar by Anatoly Kuznetzov. I'm not sure it is the same book as the one described here by A. Anatoli. However the book I read in 1980 left an indelible impression. The horrors of human cruelty and survival instincts of the oppressed are portrayed very well by the author especially since it is being told from the viewpoint of a 12 year old. As someone else commented; it is not for the squeamish.

I first read this book in high school as a shelf clearing library rat. It was not recommended, it was not widely known, it just sat on a shelf gathering dust. As far as I could tell, I was the first person to check this book out of my high school's library....books used to have cards glued to the back page where you signed your name...this one had no signatures. I read "Babi Yar" 3 times in the next 2 weeks and was stunned at the inhumanity of people towards people. I actually had trouble sleeping for a while. I didn't run across this book again for another 25 years. It kind of jumped at me from the shelf at my local library. It offered the same brutal emotional clubbing at 41 that I had experienced at 16. No different. How horrible can we actually be as humans? Pretty damn horrible it appears. The progessive rape of Kiev (et al) by Stalin, the Nazis, and Stalin AGAIN is a mostly overlooked story. This one tells it quite well. Music lovers should listen to Al Stewart's "Roads to Moscow" for a somewhat hurried reference.

This is by far the most significant piece ever written about the Holocaust. Amazingly, the author was a KGB agent while writing the book. He died under very mysterious circumstances.

It is amusing that one of the reviewers questions the authenticity of the story.

I recommend reading books by Elie Wiesel and Imre Kertesz as well. Read Yevgeny Yevtushenko's great poem too.

I am reluctant to believe that this novel is all true. It is sold as fiction, placed in libraries in fiction, and even teh Library of Congress lists it as such. Whether or not, it remains that this is an intruiging novel. I read it when I was a senior in high school back in 1996, and it has always been in the back of my mind.

Read it, research it, form your own opinions.

Some questions remain that I wonder about. Why were there no forensic tests or archaeological digs? Surely there is nothing to hide anymore. I would really be interested in reading further into this story and seeing what information can be gathered using science.

I am sorry for the above commenter's obvious pain my initial review caused. I was, I believe, researching in the worng way.

I read this book in the original Russian. I could not put it down until I read the whole thing. As far as truthfulness I have absolutely no doubt, since his accounts are the same that I have heard from my own grandparents who fought in and survived in the war. To the reviewer below - Jeannette DuPree (South Carolina), what do the modern historians doubt? The thousands of victims (including the immediate members of my family) of German brutality? It's revisionist lying.

The book is a 'must have' for those beer lovers visiting Munich.

I would like the author to include in the next edition, a map of Munich with suggestions on where to drink in the city center. The map could be used as a travel guide to Munich, and listing the beer gardens on the map would make them easier to find (especially if it starts to rain and one must seek shelter).

The guide is accurate and fun to read, but the walking distances are slightly optimistic, especially if you have short legs!

I know Larry Hawthorne as a comptetitive ballplayer who hits a lot better than your average pitcher. Knowing him this way, and being a writer myself, I recommend his book because I know he is honest, a clean player, and would not steer you wrong. Not a good enough reason to buy the book?
I could say, as the old joke goes about politicians, that he has never done a mean, rotten thing that he hasn't been sorry for, but I haven't known Larry long enough to know if he has ever done a mean, rotten thing. I know he is generous with baseball tips and has the best cooler on the sidelines. If you met him on the street he would greet you with a smile. In fact, if I asked him, he would autograph your book for you. That's how nice a guy he is. What more do you want from a book about beer in Munich? Check the excerpt and other reviews and see for yourself. If he is reading this right now, he is slapping his head with his hand and saying, "The next time Steve comes up to bat I'm pitching him a slow fat one right across the plate so he can hit it out of the park for the first time in his life!" That's how nice a guy he is.
I met him in the high deserts of south california, out where Jesus lost his boots, where right field is littered with gopher holes, where the 'Swingin' Steves' try to give him fits by getting line drives, and I'm glad I got the chance to get to know him. He made my first year as a softball player a lot more enjoyable, which was real special to me because I hadn't played since high school and needed all the help I could get. If you are still reading this then you are a serious beer drinker and if you are planning on going anywhere near Munich you need Larry by your side. From the other reviews you can see he is a great guide and knows his stuff (and his hops, he's always talking about the hops) so I will tell you the one flaw I found in Larry. He swings at everything. But he has a respectable batting average so I'm not going to knock what works for him. I'm a little shorter than him so maybe that makes me want to wait for the best pitch because I dont have the strength he does to drive the ball into the gaps. Well, I was kidding about Larry giving me a big fat pitch for this rambling review, in fact he might just hunker down and feed me low inside pitches because he can and he wants his team to win as much as I do. Like I said, a great competitor and if I still drank beer (diabetes) and had an urge to visit my great-great-grandparents homeland (apparently one of us was a king in Denmark around 1000 ad) I would still buy the cheapest version of this book I could find (that's just me, I'm cheap) but I would read it cover to cover because I trust this guy to give me the real deal. Hoist one for Larry, beer and book fans, and just for your information I wrote this cold sober. Honest. Why would I lie? And if any reporters for the National Enquirer or da Globe, etc. want the real inside dope on Larry I would be willing to supply even more colorful anecdotes to prove it.

This book is suprisingly good and gives extended information about various interesting locales in Munich. The beer locales are a kick. One could spend the whole trip visiting these occasionally quite interesting and cozy dispensers of comustibles and brews.

This book more than pays for itself with the coupons for free beer in the back! Great book too. Has directions to a lot of amazing beirgartens!

I went to Munich for Oktoberfest this year -- got there on a Thursday night and left the following Wednesday. Monday was spent at Oktoberfest. That meant Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday we needed to find beer gardens! This book was the perfect guide -- you can find them by S or U-Bahn stop, even! The 2-for-one certificates were a special bonus. I logged all the beers I drank on the inside cover -- 35 beers in 5 days. Nine of those were the masse size. Burp. Highly recommended.

Wouldn't you love to brew an Orval clone? Did you know there is actually more than one Orval beer brewed at the monastery (despite constant articles to the contrary)? There is actually enough information in this book - assuming you know what you are doing in the all-grain world - to pull it off. But you're going to have to introduce Brettanomyces into your brewery to do it ... and there's the awful temptation! As it is with virtually all Belgian beers, never mind the host of wild yeasts and bacteria that go along with them!

Add the wonderful, detailed brewing information to the history and stories and you get quite an unusual brewing book. It may be read for brewing purposes, as a casual read, for historical purposes, for cultural perspective, even for its religious content. Orval, of course, is just one of the Trappist breweries presented in the book.

Highly recommended. And I agree with another reviewer that this is the best book in this particular series.

This is another excellent book from Brewers' Publications. Non-brewers will find herein an engagingly written history of Belgian brewing both within and outside the monastary walls. You'll become acquaintaed with the brewers of Orval, Westveletren, Duvel, and others, their history, their personalities, and most importantly, their beers.
For those who are brewers, the book offers even more. Ingredients and specifications (gravity, IBU) are given for commercially available beers whenever possible (and the author has done a *lot* of homework to get his hands on this information). Additionally, full recipes are provided for various Belgian style and Belgian-inspired beers. Even better, the authors of these recipes explain *why* they formulated their recipes as they did, and the author supplements this advice with his own, with advice from professional brewers, and from BJCP judges. This enables the brewer to not just mimic the recipes he finds in the book (though believe me, they are definitely worth mimicing!), but to thoughtfully exercise his own creativity within the rich history and style of the Belgian tradition.
Beginning brewers will find a lot of technical information regarding krausening, PH adjustment, etc. that goes over their heads. But this shouldn't scare anyone off. The technical information is easy to skip over and there's enough in this book for readers of all levels.
This book represents the state of the art in knowledge regarding Belgian brewers and brewing. No matter how long you've been brewing, you will come away from this book entertained, sometimes surprised, and better informed.

Inspiring view into the brewing techniques of the Belgium beer. Outstanding historical look along with what is going on today. A must read if you are into the Belgians.

I highly recommend to this anyone who wants to learn more about Trappist and Trappist inspired ales. Very accessible and thorough.

Imagine that you-an experienced homebrewer-got to gather around a fire with some folks who had years of experience brewing versions of your favorite beer style. It would be hard to have a bad time, harder still not to come away a better brewer for it.
This friendly, if somewhat disorderly book is just that conversation. I love the complexity and depth of belgian strong beers. Occasionally, by dumb luck, I've brewed one. Other times, my efforts have been dull, or over-concentrated or just odd.
In these conversations, we get some clarity about yeast, malt, fermenters, temperature control and bottling.
I think the odds in my favor just went up. This is a book to mine for insights.

Lynn Hoffman, author of The New Short Course in Wine

Reading this book is an emotional and stirring event on many different levels. It offers one of the clearest and most succient histories of the period just after the Second World War. The book also does an excellent job of providing balance between the outsized personalities who helped shape the airlift and the amazing achievement that the airlife in itself was.

One of the most touching aspects however is the human aspect of the story. Besides telling the story of the candy bomber which has already been told many times before, the book gives a great history of how the German people were shown the light and turned their backs on a totalitarian form of government towards one that the democracy that exists today.

All in all this is an epic read from an epic time. The subtitle captures it best when it says that it was America's finest hour.

A book that I could not put down! Why? Simply wanted to know who und what will be next to help a downed nation to stay alive with an "enemy" on each side. All in all it shows as well that politicians are only people with faults and their own agendas. Too bad. The outcome was heroic but only because of the "little man" who did the work and not because of the politicians or in spite of them. That could have gone easily the other way. Thank God it did not and I was able to see for myself what became of the once so helpless nation and the real big brother who helped. Not the one who just listened and then pounced.

I am a Korean War veteran and somewhat of a history buff, especially during the period leading up to and including the aftermath of World War II. I cannot praise this book enough. Andrei Cherney has written the absolutely best description I have read of the events and people that resulted in the Berlin Airlift and how close we came to World War III at that time. Of special interest to me is the way he describes our great military leaders of that time, especially Generals Clay, Bedell Smith, Curtis LeMay, Marshall, Tunner and Omar Bradley, along with Secretary Forrestal, Thomas Dewey, John Foster Dulles and President Truman. With the exception of President Truman I have formed through Mr. Cherney's eyes a completely different opinion of these great men, somewhat less stellar giants than I previously supposed them to be.

This book is an extaordinary effort on the part of the author and may very well be the most interesting book I have ever read.

I began reading this book because my husband (Lt. Ben Knight) flew one of the first missions over the corridor into Berlin in 1948, probably before the official airlift began. I hoped to learn more about his activity during this time. What I learned was how close we came to losing Berlin and so much more, but for the efforts of a caring pilot.
It was a pleasure to meet the author and to hear that Hal Halvorsen is still a great hero to the German people.
It was a hard book to put down and I shall read it again.

In June 1948 the Soviets blockaded Berlin by cutting all rail and road links to the parts of occupied Germany held by the three Western powers. Food, fuel and all other necessities for the city came then only from the Soviet occupied eastern regions and were available only to the eastern portion of Berlin, the sector of the city controlled by the Soviets. Berlin was an island in the middle of the Soviet occupation zone and was utterly dependent on the outside for all of its needs. Not that many of these needs were being met. Berlin remained largely in a state of ruin, its populace wretched and impoverished, unemployed, living in the ruins (sometimes open to the weather), underfed and subject to a stench from wartime dead still lying beneath the rubble or buried in shallow graves. Only a few weeks worth of food, fuel and other needs were stockpiled in the city and western Berlin faced the prospect of starvation and economic annihilation. This state of affairs resulted in part from the attitude of the occupying powers, all of whom had entered the occupation of Germany to punish the "evil" Germans. None were concerned that the Germans were suffering dire hardships.

The Western Allies accordingly saw the blockade as simply a diplomatic and policy problem at first, a furtherance of the campaign of subversion of free governments that the USSR was perceived as undertaking in Europe. Because Berlin could be neither militarily defended nor supplied without resort to atomic weapons (the Red Army was vastly superior in numbers and otherwise to any conventional military forces available in Europe), the alternatives seemed to be to risk atomic war or abandon Berlin. Because both of these alternativs seemed unacceptable, there arose a need to buy further time for decision. From this in turn came the idea for a temporary airlift, a desperate and ad hoc measure to slightly bolster existing stockpiles in Berlin and thus buy time for the policy debates.

This book tells the story of how a stopgap airlift became The Airlift a legendary operation that ran like a clock and supplied all of Berlin's needs until the Soviets caved in May 1949. In fact it did not supply all of the needs and some starved in Berlin that winter. But the Airlift, by dint of heroic and highly organized efforts, did supply enough to stave off total collapse and to provide hope for Berliners. The efforts of the original "candy bomber," Gail S. "Hal" Halvorsen, in dropping candy to children caused the US and others to see the human issues at stake and to appreciate the heroism of the Berliners in resisting the blandishments and threats of the Soviets. The Berliners were won over by acts of human kindness such as those of Halvorsen and by the Herculean efforts of the Airlift. It also helped to get the Marshall plan enacted and was a major factor in the rearmament of America (including the first peacetime draft in our history) and it helped create the imperial presidency that we still have today.The Berlin Crisis and the Airlift, the author believes, were also the determinative factors in deciding the 1948 presidential election for Truman.

The book tells all of this with both power and eloquence. It ranges from high policy and political scheming to the experiences of ordinary people. There are incicsive portraits of men such as Truman, LeMay, the tragic Forrestal, Bill Tanner and others. It tells a story that many Americans today do not know, when the US achieved the moral high ground worldwide, in a way it has never been able to duplicate since.

The book has some flaws. It is told almost entirely from the American viewpoint, and it is the Americans who are the good guys and the Soviets who are bad. There is almost nothing about what was going on in Russian thinking. Indeed, the book appears to be based almost exclusively on published sources and all of them listed in the bibliography are in English. Only a handful of contemporaneous documents and private paper collections appear to have been consulted. Nonetheless this is popular history at its best.

Four segments of this book detail Jack Ratz's experiences. The first three segments detail Lenta, Salspils, and Stutthof concentration camps. Another segment details the death march from Stutthof and is one of the most harrowing personal accounts of a death march that I have ever read. Jack Ratz welcomes the reader into his life with open arms and an engaging writing style.

Mr. Ratz has recorded his experiences at the hands of the Russian communist, then later Nazi invaders in Latvia starting in 1940. It is an inspirational story of survival under the most brutal conditions.

This is a well written story that is easliy read in one evening and well worth it.

You'll be able to look back after a bad day and think about what Mr. Ratz and others like him experienced during the holocaust, and realize that your day wasn't so bad after all.

This is a good book for teenager and alult to learn the truth. This book is relly sad. I hope this will never happen again it is so sad. No one should forget the holocaust. I was suppressed how they treated in the holocaust. It's important yo learn about the holocaust. During World War II the jewish Community was destroyed.

I think this is one best book because it talk about the holocaust. Some people try to forget what happen and teach their kids that it never happen. I think this is one best book. I wish that this won't happen agin but happen agin in Kosovo.

I hold in my hand a copy of the Congressional Record Vol. 144 No.1 24 Dated September 17,1998 code S10532.(i give this information for those skeptics who don't believe that I speak the truth, GO LOOK IT UP!) Senetor Patrick Moynihan adresses President Clinton. ''Jack Ratz's memoirs is an eloquent refutation to those who would dare to trivialize, distort, or even deny the Holocaust's important lessons. His book well reflects the affirmative message that Jack Ratz shares with New York City school children during his regular visits to the city classrooms. As the survivors of the Holocaust succumb to old age there are fewer and fewer eyewitnesses to this tragedy. Jack Ratz has provided an invaluable service with his moving account of the Latvian Holocaust experience.'' The record continues to print and article from the Jewish Week dated August 14, 1998. This eternal book has become part of our NY school system, being aproved by the Board of Education; and it has become a part of our US history being emblazened onto a Congressional Reocrd. A book with such powere should be in every household and as the author says, ''it is a book you can read in a day and remember for a lifetime.''

I'm very satisfied with my purchase of this cookbook. Being of Norwegian decent, it was very nice to see recipies from my fathers homeland. I've already made 2 things out of the cookbook, and can't wait to go home and make something for my father to bring back some memories to him.

I've purchased and read a variety of cook books over the years and have always had an interest in European traditions and cooking. This is one of the best baking books I've come across! Its definately the best european cookbook I've come across to date. Its got U.S measurements, easy to read recipes, a good variety of recipes, and interesting notations about the cultures.


I give it 4 stars instead of 5 because some of the intricate braiding recipes could have had better illustrations/instructions and I'm overwhelmed by some of the recipe sizes. (For example, Some recipes make 3 loaves of bread, or 4 dozen cookies.)

This is the best most complete Scandinavian baking book that I have ever come across that is published in English. It has many recipes that my Great Grandmother brought over from the old country (Denmark), just not all her familie's special variations. The recipes are easy to follow and always come out tasting great. Many of them taste just like you were sitting at a Cafe in Kopenhagen and any of the recipes in this book will enrich your gifts of Christmas cookies and make you a big hit at the holiday parties.

The Great Scandinavian Baking Book is an addictive collection of recipes from author Beatrice Ojakangas. From Cardamom Coffeebread (Pulla) and Sweet Cream Waffles to Danish Strawberry Scones (Kraemmerhuse) and almond glazed Swedish Tea Rings (Vetekrans), once you start baking from this book you'll have a hard time putting it away. I was delighted with everything I made and appreciated how Ojakangas introduced me to the many delectable ways Scandinavians use cardamom in their baking. Her recipes are easy to follow and accompanied by conversational intros that share cultural tidbits or serving tips. Although there are no photos in this book, when more complicated steps are required to complete a recipe the how-to portion is frequently illustrated with helpful diagrams. The lack of photographs is really the only thing about it I didn't absolutely adore about the book, which will make a welcome addition to any kitchen and is appropriate for beginner and experienced bakers alike. You'll revel in the heavenly aromas emanating from your oven, not to mention the baked goods you'll soon be enjoying with a cup of hot coffee or tea.

Chapters: Breads for Meals, Breads for Coffeetime, Cookies and Little Cakes, Cakes and Tortes, Pastries and Pies, Savory Pies and Filled Breads. Chapters about mail order sources, baking tips and ingredients are also included.

BUY THIS BOOK!!! Everything turns out! Everything is delicious! You will be the star of all of your family gatherings! We are always asked to, "bring the buns." Our nieghbors wait each Christmas morning for us to drop off their Swedish Tea Rings. The magic of Beatrice Ojakangas is that she has researched, tested, and refined her recipes so thoroughly that they are not only authentic, beautiful, and delicious but absolutely foolproof.
This is a FABULOUS cookbook!

Jan Yoors book on his experience living with the Romani is a vivid and beautiful portrayal of a people group that has been overlooked or stereotyped for the last several hundred years. This book helped fuel a desire in me to learn the truth of "Gypsie" culture beyond the stereotypes. It is well worth reading more than once for anyone interested in countercultural groups still in existence.

I really enjoyed reading about Gypsy life. When traveling I would see gypsy caravans here and there in Europe and have been fascinated by their life. This book having been told through the eyes of someone that lived in their world yet came from ours was really engaging. I was surprised to find out about the culture and many rules for making this life work. Also, it was so different than I expected since Gypsy life is very stereotyped; as with most groups there are good and bad members. Jan Yoors was fortunate to have been attached to this kind and loving group of travelers. I was amazed that his parents allowed him to continue to travel with the Gypsies at such a young age. I would be interested to know more about how they could reason that out. Also, it would have been helpful if the book had a glossary for the many words used to describe the Gypsy customs. This book has encouraged me to learn more about the Gypsies.

First I have to admit I am a gaje. However, I have an adopted grandson who is Gypsy. He is from a small town in Hungary near the Russian border. I have read a number of books related to the Gypsys and without a doubt this is absoultely the best as it deals with the lives of the Gypsy rather than the meaningless statistics of them or the hardships they have endured. The book left me with a number of unanswered questions such as what happened to Pulika and some of the others that Jan Yoors was associated with during his travels. I have somewhat of an understanding of why Yoors wrote the book in the manner in which he did because of the phylosophy of the Gypsys and their concept of today, completely disregarding yesterday and tomorrow as well as his deep feeling for those with whom he was associated. I found the answer to my questions by reading a follow-up article which answered most of my questions. That article is located at the following website and I would suggest reading this article only after reading the book. It is most unfortunate that Jan Yoors died at such a young age as he obviously had much to offer humanity in its consideration and accepatance of those who are unlike ourselves, but who at the same time have much to offet our society, regardless of the differences in customs and heritage. My grandson has taught me much about being different, which is a lesson much appreciated. Jan Yoors has done mankind a great service in sharing his experiences with us. God rest his soul and give him peace as the Gypsys would want. The site for a follow-up is http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/narrative/digest/notable/gypsy-mjones-010178-a.html

I am of Romani descent, my ancestors were Czech, and as a girl my great-grandmother told me fascinating stories about her family's nomadic lifestyle. For me, Yoors' work was a continuation of my grannies stories. Of all the material I have read on the Romani, I found "The Gypsies" to be the most concise. Yoors had the amazing opportunity to not only observe the Romani society, but also to be absorbed into it. The readers are given the rare gift of seeing dual sides of the story. Because of his young age, he was able to enter into their society with few cultural biases. At the same time, because he was a gaje he was able to appreciate and embrace the cultural differences. This is a wonderful chronicle of a beautiful culture, which unfortunately is fading fast. For infomation on present day Romani, "Bury Me Standing" by Isabel Fonseca is a great resource.

I am only about 30 pages into the book, but it is very informative and entertaining. I originally read - Bury Me Standing - and though it was thorough and concise, -The Gypsies - is a view of life with the nomadic Rom as seen through the eyes of a young boy. Colorful, whimsical, mysical.
MB

One reviewer wrote that Doc is the reincarnation of Johan Tetzel, well I must beg to differ. After many months of strenuous research, I have concluded that Paul Van Wie is truly the reincarnation of the Holy Savior Jesus Christ. Every single student that has graced his classroom has called him a "Saint" and claims to feel a holy aura beaming from his powerfully built Calvin Klein model-type body. One can see that it was Doc who acted as a "savior" to every single one of his AP Euro students in the few months before the AP test from eternal damnation (ie. their parents). He did by performing the greatest sacrifice of them all... devoting many hours of his life giving countless review sessions that he could otherwise spend at the Club shakin' it until the break of dawn. Another correlation that I have discovered between Doc and Jesus is that if Doc was "transubstantiated" into a type of bread and drink like Jesus does on holy mass, Doc would transsubstantiate into Nacho Cheese Doritos and Diet Snapple, a fine choice for a "last supper" I might add. Some also consider his book "The Holy Bible" of European coinage, which in many respects is true. Doc also preaches the holy doctrine of "respect thy Neighbor," which explains his odd and sometimes scary attraction towards Canada. And the last little tidbit of my research that proves Doc's "Jesus-ness" is his ability to speak in many different "Tongues," and even, yeah you guessed it, Dutch.

There is no one more informed on this topic than Paul Van Wie. He truly is a treasure. Anyone who has a remote interest in History and/or Politics must pick this book up. A must read!

Paul van Wie, Ph.D., is a man so transcendentally knowledgeable that it stupefies the human mind. This book reflects that fact. However, one would do well to notice that the book, for all its other virtues, does not even broach the subject of former First Lady Rachel Jackson's little-known side-career as (you guessed it!) a Nazi spy.

5 stars nevertheless.

When you walk down the halls with a jingle in your pants, all you can think about is Doc Van Wie. That lovely clank of coins makes you think about the history of coins. This is far more sophisticated than those little stamp collections my little boy scout. Often, coins represent a nation and its ideals with really cool drawings and cool sounding Latin Words. That is why Paul Van Wie, teacher of AP EURO, has decided to write a truly amazing book on coins. There is one more thing I do have to say. Why does the subtitle of a book dictate what the book shall be about? My god, its even happening in this reader review!

As My two good friends Cimabue and Giotto would agree this is one of the greatest books ever on European coinage. Louis XIV would be pleased with this awesome display of knowledge by the Doctor. Even Industrial people such as Thomas Sadler enjoy this book. Here are some sample reviews from many of the great figures of history.

"Two Thumbs Up!"- Mahandis Ghandi
"A Masterpiece"- Bernini
"Just like back in da trecento"- Cimabue
"My fingers hurt"- Thomas Sadler
"Le Wow!"- Mazarin
"Zis is a good book"- Otto V(o,a)n Bismarck
"Es un libro fabuloso"- Juana of Spain
"Now That's a spicy meataball- and a good book"- Fra Angelico

As you can see the reviews are pouring in, so stop right now and buy this book! You will not be sorry.

The Kalevala is the result of Elias Lönnrot collecting and commiting to paper the oral traditions of the Finnish people to produce an epic tale.
This translation has captured the poetic delivery of the original Finnish as perfectly as these two opposing languages could.
The poetry weaves the tales of Väinämöinen, an old seer and the younger Joukahainen who wishes to challenge him. This angers Väinämöinen who chants him deep into a swamp, a meadow and a heath!! To get himself out of trouble Joukahainen offers the old seer his sister Aino as a bride. Väinämöinen thinking he has been offered a house keeper accepts. Aino is quite taken with being his bride but Väinämöinen has other ideas and heads North to woo the maiden of the North. He can marry her if he forges a Sampo, which is a magical machine that churns out salt, flour and money! He can't do that but he knows a man who can, his good friend Ilmarinen the blacksmith. He has to trick Ilmarinen into going North but he makes the Sampo. Then the marriage requires another task and so the maiden remains unmarried.

Meanwhile, another character Lemminkäinen decides to go North and try his luck winning the maiden. He is given tasks in order to win her hand, capturing the elk of Hiisi and the swan from the river of Tuonela. The latter task nearly kills him and he gives up.

Väinämöinen is now making himself a boat to head back up North but he runs out of spells so he has to go and find Vipunen, a giant who knows all the spells. He gets his spells, finishes his boat and heads North but he is seen by the sister of the blacksmith and the blacksmith rides like the wind on his horse and catches up with him. The two men make a pact that they will let the maiden choose between them. The maiden choose Ilmarinen because he forged the Sampo but her mother still wants more tasks done and she orders Ilmarinen to plough the field of vipers. Ilmarinen finds this easy with his armoured boots and cape and so the crone of the North sets him the task of capturing the giant pike of the chill north sea without line or net!!Ilmarinen forges himself a giant eagle and captures the pike. Now the old crone is satisfied and the wedding takes place. Väinämöinen makes a kantele from the jaw of the pike which produces sweet voiced music such that tames the beasts and even causes the sea king Ahti to rise from the depths. He and Ilmarinen use the sweet music to soothe the beasts of the North whilst they take the Sampo for themselves and set sail for home. Louhi, mistress of the North casts a fog spell to stop them, which Väinämöinen conjures away so Louhi unleashes a terrible storm which sweeps the kantele from the boat whereupon Ahti the sea king thinks it is a present to him and he calms the sea. The crone turns herself into an eagle and attacks Väinämöinen's boat and in the struggle the Sampo is broken into pieces. Some of the pieces are washed up on the shore and from the fragments Ilmarinen makes amulets and rings thinking that perhaps there is still some magic left in the pieces. Each resident of Kalevala wears a magic piece on special occasions, wishing for a peaceful life.

Now I've just condensed an epic piece into a few short paragraphs...for which I apologise but it's a great tale and maybe this will encourage folk to read it themselves.

The Kalevala has a flow to it that makes the plot/ idea easy to follow. If English is your second language you will struggle with some of its vocabulary. The stories and the essence of this epic poem are captivating. I didn't want to put the book down at night. This is a good way to get to know Finnish culture.

This review is in two parts:

THE TRANSLATION: When it comes to reading ancient literature there are often numerous versions and translations. Unless a story is REALLY good, I only want to read it once. So it only makes sense that one should want to read the best version/translation available.
Thankfully, the Keith Bosley translation of The Kalevala is the most reader-friendly, very much like Seamus Heaney's translation of "Beowulf".
The Kalevala does not rhyme, although there are a few instances of alliteration scattered throughout. Each line is usually a handful of words comprising an even larger sentence, but it's done in a tasteful way so that you won't feel like you're reading a James Joyce run-on sentence like in "Ulysses".

THE EPIC:
The Kalevala bounces around telling tales of several major characters, which is fortunate, considering the length of the work. Without giving anything away, the characters do things like get married, steal precious relics, sing magical songs, go to war and build many more precious relics.

There are lots of good "Chapters" in The Kalevala and I was surprised that a few of my favorites had little or no action in them (according to a guy's definition of action, at least). One of which was the marriage sequence of Chapters 21-24. If you've ever heard the advice, "Don't get married", this is probably one of the sources where such advice comes from.

It is also noteworthy how much influence The Kalevala has had on Fantasy and Metal. If I remember correctly, Tolkien's "Silmarillion" starts off with beings singing things into existence, much like the characters in The Kalevala do.
The Finnish metal band "Ensiferum" has songs that are inspired straight from The Kalevala, such as "Old Man" which refers to Vainamoinen.
There are many other bands in the folk metal genre, that, although they don't specifically cite The Kalevala as an inspiration they clearly have songs that are similar to The Kalevala's oral tradition. Some examples (in my opinion) would be Korpiklaani (Finnish), Metsatoell and Raud Ants (Estonian).

Overall, I liked The Kalevala much more than I thought I would, given its length and I have to admit: I found it more interesting than Beowulf.

There is an elegant, powerful simplicity to this epic tale, no matter what language you read it in. The symbols transcend both language and time. There is nothing contrived here. Such a tale could not be counterfeited by a modern mind.At the center of the entire epic is Vainamoinen, the singer at the world's dawn. Here is the archetype for the wizard- the first and greatest among shamans. Before Merlin, before Taliesin, before Math, before Manannan, there was Vainamoinen, Eternal Seer.Something real and vital carries over even in translation. Reading this book on a cold winter's night you can taste the sea and smell the forest. You can identify with the characters even though they have godlike powers, because they also have trades that they live by (Vainamoinen is a boatbuilder, Ilmarinen a smith, Joukahainen builds his own crossbows, etc.) These Godlike beings lived simple lives close to the earth. And simple wisdom is powerful wisdom. Yet, there is also so much more of the old, deep legends and symbols buried in these lines. You can tell that they were preserved long after the long lines of singers had ceased to know their original meanings.The ancient Finns believed in the power of words, and the greater power of songs. There is still power here. Or as the epic says:

Words shall not be hid

nor spells be buried;

might shall not sink underground

though the mighty go.

I enjoyed this epic story of Finnish mythology. It was a musical, delightful collection of heroic stories that didn't overwhelm me. I could keep track of the characters and what they respresented quite easily.

I was delighted by this book! I hope all Finnish children are exposed to the exciting yet fun depiction of their mythological heritage.

I know that scholars want to read everything and disect the stories for deeper meanings -- which is just fine -- but I can really see this as a set of stories being told to small children while the whole family sat around the fireplace.

This should be in the homes of every Baptist family, as it already is in most Amish families. As the book itself explains, it is a history of fifteen centuries of the suffering of the Baptist people and their martyrdom at the hands of the catholic church. A list of popes up to the time it was written is included in the back. It proves that Baptists existed long before Martin Luther, and were martyred for such sins as reading the Bible and Baptizing adults after they were saved. It is impossible to deny these facts because this book documented these horrors and was written hundreds of years ago, before political correctness came into being, using the records of governments most of which have since been destroyed. The names of hundreds of individual Baptist people are recorded along with descriptions of the accusations against them, their tortures and death. It is detailed, and too graphic for children.

The story of the Anabaptists is one of incredible pain and spiritual triumph. This impressive work was written in the seventeenth century and recounts the stories of many men and women who suffered and often faced terrible death for what they thought was right. Apart from individuals stories, the book contains many emotionally touching letters written by martyrs to their families and friends. The book also describes the sufferings of some of the early Christians and the later Waldensians.
The legacy of the Anabaptists lives on in the Amish and Mennonites. In fact, an article about Amish forgiveness in the aftermath of the recent tragic school shooting was one of the things that brought this book to my attention. Personally, I feel Christians of any denomination could take something useful from this book.
Overall, "Martyr's Mirror" is an extremely powerful and moving book.

A part of my family research - but brings the sadness, the strength and the Christian conviction to a very harsh reality. Something all of us from those roots need to read.

This is an excellent work and a great accompaniment to Foxes' Book of Martyrs. It is an enormous volume with much information I have not seen before.
I highly recommend it as an addition to every Christian's library, and to anyone studying the subject of martyrdom.

This is a must own book for those interested in Christian heritage. This puts Foxe's Book of Martyrs to shame. It is well worth the money you will spend on it.