Ireland Books

Mr. Magocsi's "History of Ukraine" often takes a second billing to Mr. Subtelny's "Ukraine: A History" - and I think, unfairly. Both have a lot to offer, and frankly, no passionate student of Ukrainain history should choose one over the other. He or she should get both. A wealth of information, and first rate scholarship are impressive. Mr. Magocsi has done a first rate job. Mychajlo Hrushevsky would approve of both, and we should too.

From pre-history to Independence in 1991, this book surveys the history of Ukraine and its people. It is unique in not only portraying the history of the Ukrainian people but also includes the other peoples who live or have lived in the land now known as Ukraine.

The organization of the book is chronological with 49 chapters divided into ten parts. Each part covers a significant period in Ukrainian history: Pre-Kievan Times; the Kievan Period; the Lithuanian-Polish Period; the Cossack State; the Hetmanate; Ukraine in the Russian Empire; Ukraine in the Austrian Empire; World War I; the Interwar Years; and, World War II & the Postwar Years. Forty-two black-and-white maps help illustrate the concepts described in the text. Also included are thirty-six textual inserts which provide lengthy quotes of important documents. Sometimes these feel redundant because the author has described so well the events highlighted by the inserted texts.

For readers to whom 700 pages of Ukrainian history is not enough and who want to learn more about specific events or periods described in this book, Magocsi provides a forty page bibliographic essay called: For Further Reading. One of the great stumbling blocks for English-speaking readers who want to learn Ukrainian history is the fact that so many Ukrainian sources have not been translated. A great feature of this bibliography is that the vast majority of the works listed are in English.

Ukrainian history is complex. This book, although daunting to read because of its size and depth of coverage, can help the student of Ukrainian history untangle the puzzles of Ukraine and its people. It is a great reference work that belongs in the library of anyone interested in the subject.

A beautifully written history of outstanding excellence. I have found it most helpful. Professor Magocsi is to be commended on a another success.

Well worth the read,A must for anyone interested in finding out about how Nazi Germany affected more than the Jewish population.

Excellant book. Most people don't know that there were blacks in the holocaust, this book tells a lot.

As there is a lack of information regarding blacks duing the Holocaust, this book is a great resource. It is frustrating to find few eye-witness accounts, but Lusane does provide names of those in camps from which one can perform their own research. A must for anyone interested in finding out about how Nazi Germany affected more than the Jewish population.

This book offers a valuable insight into the attitudes of military personnel who were stationed in Bosnia to implement the Dayton Accord. I have read many books on Bosnia which have fuelled my indignation at how the international community stood by and let the Serbs mount what is tantamount to a genocidal war against Bosnian Muslims. This book gives an idea of how military people felt about the Bosnian issue. Their attitudes range from the idealistic and noble to short-sighted and complacent ( in fact some will fill you with rage at their indifference). It is rare that one encounters a book dealing with a major historical issue which allows the ordinary person, albeit a soldier, to articulate their views so openly. The photographs are excellent and Mr Wolfe Murray's introduction is very insightful. It would, however, have been even more interesting to have a similar book which gives voice to those UN troops who were there at the height of the conflict.

The book was given to me by the author himself with dedication and as soon as I read it it became my absolute favourite. IFOR on IFOR has the largest accumulation of reviews, interviews and facts as well as interesting thoughts not only by the author himself but by the interviewed soldiers as well. As the author is in Bosnia from 1993, he knows the situation so if you need a close-up look on our rugged country check this book out.

Bosnia has pretty much faded into the background of American concern. When the American Division of the NATO Implementation Force (IFOR) rolled in on December 1995, the spotlight was on Bosnia and Americans became aware of the military role that their forces would play in the Balkans. Out of the tragedy and confusion of war came a book entitled "Cry Bosnia" by Paul Harris which chronicled the war in Bosnia itself through words and pictures.

Inspired by the success of Cry Bosnia, Ruppert Murray decided to write a similar book which would focus on the peacekeepers themselves rather than the political elements of Bosnia. His idea was merely to write minimal text with pictures but as he began to interview the soldiers and have them share their opinions, backgrounds and experiences the book began to take a life of its own. IFOR on IFOR is the soldiers' stories of their perceptions of why and how they came to Bosnia and what they feel their presence will accomplish.

The book is divided into three sectors representing the United States of America Division, the British Division and the French Division. He interviews the men and women of the armed forces who candidly share their views with him. Listen to these young warriors as they share their apathy, hope, and naivite in sharing their views of their deployment. The voices are diverse within each division and you can see the differences of opinions that run from nation to nation. The insights you get are extraordinary.

On a personal note, I was deployed to Bosnia and stayed there for a year. Everything that you have read, heard and seen in these interviews are what I experienced with this group of international soldiers. I highly recommend this book to you in getting the story of the soldier. Six copies returned home with me and many more were purchased for friends and relatives. This is an excellent chronicle in pictures and words.

I heard him read some of his poems tonight and they are absolutely amazing!! I bought the book and absolutely love it!!

this is the most gorgeous book i've ever seen, and it's a date book so it's completely versatile. it's the perfect size to put in your bag and bring with you. there's also a description of each of the 4 minor solstices with a poem or legend about it. each page is filled with beautiful poetry written in caligraphy paired with artwork. it's the best book i've ever seen, and since it isn't year specific (there aren't days of the week along with the dates) you can buy a new one every year and use it all over again!!!

I never thought that I would fine a book like this! It was absolutely amazing because it was written so well. It helped me a great deal in finding out about Celtic traditions, folklore, and many other things! If you are at all interested in Celtic folklore and would like a book that's easy to read and understand, this is the book for you! I promise, you won't be disappointed! Happy reading!

"Entertaining" and "fun to read" are not the usual descriptions applied to books like this heavily footnoted, two volume set. But this work is very enjoyable to read, despite its comprehensive and well-documented scope. David Irving will not be pleased. Mr. Sprecher effortlessly moves through the origins of the Military Tribunal conducting the trial, the 4 counts under which the defendants are tried, the defendant individuals, and the defendant government organizations. The prosecution cases against all of these are presented in volume I, and the defendants' cases are presented in volume II, followed by the judgement and aftermath.

Mr. Sprecher's presentation is a summary of each case presented by each prosecutor (or defense attorney), quasi-day-by-day, interspersed with personal observations, observations from other people such as psychologists who interacted with the defendants, and also provides defendant reactions to certain witnesses/documents during the trial. Highly informative, highly entertaining. Mr. Sprecher also provides pointers to follow-on sources, if you wish to do more research. An invaluable work.

One nit to pick, however: there are so many mispellings and typos in this work that one wonders if the publishers had editors go through the book prior to publishing it. Although the writing is first rate, the production work is second or third rate.

I first met the author in 1968, while I was still at Uni. Several years later I learned of his earlier life at Nuremburg. Now, I have found use in his having put down a summary of his work at Nuremburg. Mr. Sprecher has written a great reference work for anyone who might wish to pursue the evidence of Buchenwald, Treblinka, etc., rather than the dramatic stories we've often seen in film or read in novels. All human rights lawyers who are today looking for precedents to help support their arguments will find this is a thorough and excellently organised sourcebook. Non-lawyers need not worry--the language is quite readable, and while the text often refers to evidence, it nonetheless contains enough detail for the gruesome-minded.

This book discusses in considerable detail the trial before the first International Military Trial in Nuremberg in 1945 and 1946. From contemporaneous documents, Drexel Sprecher discloses the planning of aggressive wars by Nazi Germany which eventually resulted in the deaths of nearly 30 million people. Sprecher describes the evolution of the numerous concentration camps and the genocide of more than six million Jews and one-half million Gypsies. Though he was a prosecutor, Sprecher presents the first complete account of the defenses made on behalf of the 22 defendants at the trial. He also sets forth the findings of the International Military Tribunal concerning the guilt and innocence of the defendants. The book is an important source for reference by the several international tribunals which have been established by the United Nations to deal with recent war crimes and civil crimes involving the murder of large numbers of civilians. Inside the Nuremberg Trial is well organized into 122 chapters, each with many subsections. This organization makes it possible to find virtually any topic concerning the Nazi regime and the holocaust and how the Nazi leaders were brought to justice at Nuremberg.

As technology has increased the speed of communications over the past two centuries, so too has it increased its importance to governments. With knowledge being power, governments have sought to capitalize on the increasing rapidity and accessibility of communications, both for advancing their own control and to limit the power and influence of their adversaries. This is something that Daniel Headrick clearly demonstrates in this book, which examines the political aspects of the emergence of the global communications network in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Headrick begins by examining the emergence of the first technology to make rapid communication over long distances possible - the electric telegraph. While developing internal networks was relatively easy, communications over long distances was politically risky, as messages could be intercepted and disrupted on lines that crossed hostile territory. Security thus became an issue early in global communications, one that could only be guaranteed by submarine cables, which gave their owner direct contact with possessions half a world away. The leader in the effort to establish an international network was Great Britain; though most Western governments seized on telegraphy in the second half of the nineteenth century, only the British had capital markets large enough both to fund the often expensive projects and to absorb their often considerable loss.

By the start of the twentieth century, a rapid communications network spanned the globe, one that served as a tool of national power and security. Yet as Headrick notes, it also fueled international insecurity. He sees the quickening pace of communications as a factor in the growing international tensions that plagued the world in the first decade of the new century, as the speed of events overtook the ability of diplomats (who were used to a much more gradual course that gave them time in which to operate) to respond effectively. During the war, the British demonstrated the power granted by their control of the telegraph network, as they cut the Germans off from easy contact with other regions, especially America. This gave Britain a vital edge in shaping the interpretation of the conflict, one that helped swing the United States firmly into their camp.

Yet as vital an advantage communications control was, it was a reflection of British power at its zenith. Even before the start of the war, radio threatened to break the British monopoly on telegraphy. Moreover, by the end of the war the British faced a rival of even greater wealth: the United States, which used the new technology to erode Britain's dominance in telecommunications. The adoption of shortwave in the 1920s ended British hegemony, while the Second World War saw the British bequeath their position as the dominant power in global communications to the United States, during a conflict in which communications played a decisive role in the Allied victory over the Axis powers.

If there is a complaint to be lodged against this generally excellent book, it is that while Headrick does an excellent job of explaining the impact of telecommunications during the world wars, he rarely demonstrates how telecommunications facilitated political control in peacetime. It would have been insightful to examine episodes from the early years of telecommunications revealed its power and how such examples altered views towards the burgeoning new technology. Yet this is a minor quibble. Well researched and clearly written, Headrick offers a great introduction to the development of the global telecommunications network in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and its role in international politics, one that should be read by anyone seeking to understand the role of technology in shaping political power.

This is a brilliant effort, and easily the best work on telecommunications history in a politico-economic context that I have read. Headrick does the hard work, provides the detail, and then makes genuinely insightful comments to educate the reader as to the meaning of various events. It is rare to read such a well researched, straight forward book, and it is even easy to read. A complete success.

Daniel Headrick has written an essential resource by those working such issues as communications, national security, intelligence, and history. "The Invisible Weapon" describes the development of telecommunications from 1851 to 1945. Mr. Headrick shows how the new technology permitted the expansion of Britain's empire, and London's international influence.

Each section of the book brings to light the enormous impact the new telegraphic system had on world events. Mr. Headrick describes how Britain was able to secure near monopoly on important telegraphic technology, how London used its submarine cables to link the Empire, and how it controlled information to weaken its enemies. One cannot help but be captured by the amazing parallels to today's communications developments. Indeed, "The Invisible Weapon" has been noted on the bookshelves of experts in information warfare

The book contains clear and concise maps, excellent tables and figures,! and thorough footnotes. Each chapter contains an excellent conclusions section. The only flaw noted by this reviewer is the jacket design, so dull and grey that it likely hindered sales. Nevertheless, "The Invisible Weapon" will no doubt find a prominent place on bookshelves for decades to come.

From what I understand, the inspiration for this book came out of Leon Uris' research for the novel, "Trinity".

It's a pity that this book is out of print. It is an excellent photographic journal -- Jill did the photography, and Leon wrote the narrative. It gives a very real portrait of Ireland, and how this moment in history has arrived. You will not find these pictures in any travel brochure -- they are quite remarkable.

"What do I have?" said this fine old woman,
"What do I have?" this fine old woman did say,
"I have four green fields; each one was a jewel . . ."


The tragedy is that this wonderful book is out of print. Leon Uris and the Irish then-Mrs. Uris, Jill, collaborated on this work, which grew out of Uris' research for his novel, TRINITY.

The photographs are haunting, each one a poem. Few places on earth are more beautiful or have had the soil moistened by more tears. Irish history is sorrowful yet uplifting, and the result is the "terrible beauty" this book speaks of and to.

Published in 1978, this picture essay captures an Ireland that was still on the margins of Europe, a fly in the amber, that had not quite shaken off the Nineteenth Century.

Thirty years on, Ireland has transmogrified into a EuroYuppie haven, and until recently, had the fastest-growing economy in Europe. In 1978 (or even in 1990, when I was there), Dublin could be walked entire in a day; no longer.

It's a fair bet that upscale condos, Tesco Supermarkets and the golden arches now stand in many places pictured in this book. All of which makes IRELAND: A TERRIBLE BEAUTY more valuable than before.

sensitive portrayal with outstanding photographs of all classes of Irish people

This is a delightful little book that contains many great recipes and descriptions of the Irish countryside. Also contains beautiful watercolors that would be fit to be framed if I was willing to cut the book apart (which I am not!). The recipes are from many of Irelands famous chefs and restaurants and include everything from soups, breads, main courses and desserts. Well I'm off to the kitchen to try some of them!!!

Ireland Memories is brilliant! I read the book at one sitting. Both the writing and the artwork are outstanding. The recipes all sound so good and we are going to use the Chicken with Goat Cheese at our next catering luncheon. Anyone who has been to Ireland or anticipates going should have this book in their library.

This is a great book for anyone who's been to Ireland. Beautiful water color sketches interspersed with some great recipes are bound to generate fond memories of great places in a beautiful country. Makes a great gift as well.

Probably the most compelling book I have ever read. Its sheer intellectual scope is a joy to behold. A must for anyone who wishes to understand the complexity of Irish life.

Well researched and entertaining, this is the most readable work yet written on the subject of Ireland's painful progress since the early part of the century. The closing sections of Lee's opus contain some intuitive conclusions about his fellow countrymen, particularly the sections entitled 'Character' and 'Perspectives'. Scholarly guff on the subject of Ireland's breach birth and subsequent delinquency are rarely the stuff of bedtime reading but this is easy on the brain, partly due to Lee's strictly logical approach to his theme and partly because of his enormous skill as a writer. If you want a book on Ireland that doesn't read as though it were written by some OAP in a tweed G-string who hasn't seen sunlight since 1965, this is the one for you. Terrific.

It is sad that the most read Irish historian outside Ireland happens to be the Republican fellow-traveller, Tim Pat Coogan. Then, Coogan seems to aim mostly at the Irish-American market. It is sad because Coogan's bias is not widely recognised, whereas if it was, his books would probably be subjected to more than unthinking acceptance. For me, Joe Lee is by far the greater historian, and this work by him beats anything of Coogans into a cocked hat. Not that they disagree overmuch, Lee is also a Nationalist writer, but his judicious weighing of the evidence and his unblinkered and unwavering devotion to historical truth make him by far the better of the two as a writer and a professional historian. One place where they disagree is on the position of De Valera, whom Coogan has dethroned from his former eminence among 'constitutional' Republicans. Lee supplies a far more sympathetic and truthful analysis of 'the Long Fellow'. Another area where American readers may be surprised is the short shrift given to Sean McBride, later a leading light of Amnesty International and a recognised 'jet-set liberal'. However, McBrides interventions in domestic Irish politics were mostly inept and disastrous for this followers and friends. Also for a believer in religious liberty, he was obsequious to the Catholic church in a most apalling fashion. Therefore, read this book to have your expectations challenged, and old opinions undermined. Possibly, the best Irish historical work to emerge from the 20th century, and a book that will be recognised as such.

I liked this little book, we used it on my wedding, and our friends weddings. It's fun and almost always witty. Worth the little price.

This quaint little book is full of wonderful, whimiscal folklore. With each page there is a rustic black and white illustration giving the book its irish traditional look. The book is filled with short poems and greetings that would enrich anyone. Its fun and very easy reading making a great gift. I'm planning to send this book to my sister and Mom before we head to Ireland so we have a feel for some of the Irish folklore. It would make a great addition to anyones library.

Even the cover of this book is great. Chock full of sayings and blessings. A wonderful companion for an Irish wedding. Some of the sayings would make great conversation pieces when placed on place cards!!!