Ireland Books

This book is a history of Russian society as it evolved from the very beginnings of the Kievan period, through the end of serfdom in the 19th century. More particularly, it is a history of serfdom in Russia. Using many primary sources, the author examines trends in economics, agriculture and politics, to weave the tapestry of Russian development.

I was greatly impressed by the author's familiarity with his sources, and his subject. He made clear the organization of Russian society, and how it changed for the Russian people throughout the years. Scant attention is paid to wars and whatnot, except as they affected the development of Russian society itself, which is quite refreshing. My one complaint about the book is that it is somewhat dry reading, but it is an excellent resource for understanding pre-modern Russia.

This is a book that I would strongly recommend to anyone interested in Russian History.

No serious student of Russian or agrarian history can ignore this work. Blum, a prominent historian, set out to discover why serfdom in Russia was so abject and prolonged. Altogether a magisterial, highly readable work.

This is one of those great read-alouds for boys that make the story come alive. My kids were literally chomping to hear how it would work out and whether the boys would get back safely. Definitely an excellent classic!

This was my first Eilis Dillon book and after I was finished I was hooked. the description of the journey to the island is so detailed that I looked up my map to find out precisely where they were and I was disappointed to find out that they didn't exist. The father has been living a Robinson Crusoe lifestyle and with a lost island there is always treasure involved!

This is not a book for the faint of heart. Lost Lives is basically a compiled list of the victims of the Northern Ireland Troubles and gives the detail of their actual death, who they were, and what they were doing at the time. It would be easier to read the writings of Dante in a single sitting than it would be to spend more than a half an hour reading these most tragic tales.

If you care at all about people, this book will affect you deeply, because the majority of people listed here are merely guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time or perhaps their beliefs shading differently to their neighbors.

If you have ever endorsed or supported any form of discrimination, bigotry, or military action, and you consider yourself a rational individual, this book will surely make you reconsider your views on such matters.

The authors of this massive and heartrending work will be seen in the course of time to have made a most worthwhile contribution toward consolidating the Irish Peace Process.

Essential and worthwhile reading for any scholar of History.

Perhaps the best tribute possible for the people whose lives have been wasted over the last 30 years in Northern Ireland.

The only pity is that the sheer numbers make it impossible to also tell the stories of all of the victims who who survived but had their lives shattered.

This book should be supplied as an antidote to those who find terrorism 'romantic' or seek to justify violence from any side in Ireland.

Many of the stories would make a stone weep; this is not an easy book to read. Nevertheless it is essential to anyone who wants an insight into the real cost of the troubles.

Hardman manages what few people have done about Louis XVI: take a balanced view, and focus on him rather than Marie Antoinette. In this book, he draws on the enormous literature on the subject to shed light on the king from many directions, creating a balanced picture, not too rosy, not too bleak. He builds a very complex picture, addressing various stages in the king's life, showing how his behavior changed. The book also has the advantage of drawing on newly available material, especially the letters of Louis with his minister of foreign affairs, Vergenne, to give Louis a voice, and pay attention to what this king of few words actually said.
The book is well written, balanced, clever. I strongly recommend it.

I love this book. Mr. Hardman depicts Louis XVI, the commonly misunderstood King of France, in a way that actually shows Louis as a real person, instead of a lazy old king who treated his people unkindly. I am a big fan of Louis XVI, and when I got this book, I was sure that I was going to love it. If you buy this book, open the first page, and you will love it. Louis XVI: The Silent King, does not show Louis in the more commonly picture of him as a lazy old king bossing everyone around. This book shows the image of a king young king, who tried his best to treat the French people well, but was overshadowed by several prime ministers and a duke. This book is pictureless, but you can imagine pictures in your head as I did.

Note: I made some Mormon angry because of my negative reviews of books out to prove the Book of Mormon, and that person has been slamming my reviews.

Your "helpful" vote is greatly appreciated. Thanks

Pilbeam's book is worth the read for the following poem by William Wordsworth, who so accurately described the world of the macabre that includes waxworks. Here is a country fair:

The Horse of knowledge and the Learned Pig,
The Stone-eater, the man that swallows fire,
Giants, Ventriloquists, the Invisible Girl,
The Bust that speaks and moves its gooling eyes,
The Wax-work, Clock-work, all the marvellous craft
Of modern Merlins, Wild Beasts, Puppet shows
All out-o'-the way, far-fetched, perverted things.

It is surprising that a number of the practicianer's of wax art were women. Mrs. Patience Wright (1725-86), a wax expert, toured America until her show was destroyed by fire. Then she moved to England, and finally to France. In 1781 "she failed to persuade Benjamin Franklin to help her set up a wax exhibition. He apparently told her there was too much competition."

Highly recommended history of a strange art form.

With all the historic sites, shrines, monuments, cathedrals, and museums in London, one must-see has been a tourist magnet for almost two centuries, and has been merely a commercial operation. Pamela Pilbeam says, "There is nothing so fascinating for a human being as others of the species," and if we can't rub elbows with the stars (and scoundrels) of our species themselves, then waxwork simulations will do. Pilbeam has written an enjoyable history, _Madame Tussaud and the History of Waxworks_ (Hambledon & London), which gives insight to a subject that, quite obviously, people find fascinating.

The future Madame Tussaud was the niece, possibly daughter, of the man who made waxworks a popular exhibit in Paris. Once the Revolution came, both the theater and waxworks were a sort of newspaper, but waxworks, unlike newspapers and theater, were not censored. The exhibit showed who was in, who was out, and who was guillotined. There was a great appetite to put the guillotined heads on display, and, according to her sometimes unreliable memoirs, Madame Tussaud at her studio would receive the heads hot off the chopper. She would make wax copies, so that there would be enough heads to go around, some going for display in England. Her eventual marriage to Monsieur Tussaud became unsatisfactory, and to pursue a career in exhibitions, she left him for England in 1802, never to return. Remarkably, she was 41 at the time, when women did not launch themselves into mid-life careers; she was to continue running her show until her death at 89. She originally had a traveling exhibit, offering music, good lighting, and space in which visitors could walk around and see themselves, as well as the waxworks. Her marketing was well-targeted; her show became a central place for people to socialize. Eventually she settled in London. There were plenty of others waxworks, but Madame Tussaud continued to be the one to see. She installed over five hundred figures in the new space, more than any competition could muster. She kept the exhibits timely and watched what people watched; a mannequin which didn't make people pause and look was doomed to be melted down. Most importantly, when museums had limited entry, she bought up relics, royal robes, and paintings that would make her waxworks respectable to the respectable middle class. But "respectable" has its limits; the most popular attraction has always been the Chamber of Horrors.

At last counting, Madame Tussaud's had more visitors than any pay-for-view attraction in England. Pilbeam examines the appeal, but it is hard to say exactly why a three dimensional image of, say, Madonna, would be a draw, when there are plenty of lively photos and movies that provide perfectly good depictions. There are some artistic claims among those who appreciate the exhibits; there is no reason, of course, why a wax sculpture should be less "art" than a bronze. Somehow, waxworks might be entertaining, might be instructive, but fundamentally are just fun. The same can be said of Pilbeam's book.

If you are interested in a comprehensive document of kabbalah and mystical schools of judaism this book is a good start.

This is a beautifully written and comprehensive investigation into the intriguing personality of the Ludomirer Moid. Deutsch not only thoroughly investigates the literary and documentary evidence of her story, but sets both in thoughtful cultural contexts, both historic and contemporary. This involves mastery of an impressive range of disciplines, ranging from Hasidic / kabbalistic theology to radical feminism and gender theory. His investigations in Ludmir itself are poignant and elegaic. An excellent book.

Coogan's biography of Collins is often called the definitive one and for good reason: no other author to date has undertaken the sheer level of work studying the life of Collins, period. Coogan walks the reader through virtually every aspect of Michael's life, some good, some bad, some momentous, and some minor. His preface to the American edition alone is phenomenal. His biography (as most tend to do) goes in chronological order, from Michael's birth to his poignant assassination in 1922. We are given the details of Michael's family life, his friends, his comrades, his guerrilla warfare tactics, his temperament, his favorite books, etc., etc. Coogan's chapters are as follows: The Little Fella, Easter 1916, Kicking Down a Rotten Door, The Twelve Apostles, The Year of Terror, The Sky Darkens, Peace Comes Dropping Slow, Settling This Old Strife, Fighting the Waves, Wading Through Blood, Setting up the Six, The Mouth of Flowers, and Honouring the Dead. There are also notes, an appendix, and many b/w photos. Coogan spends a good deal of time on the Easter Rising, the events surrounding Bloody Sunday, and the negotiating of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. He also addresses several of the controversial issues surrounding Michael's life and death, e.g. allegations that Collins was a homosexual, claims that de Valera might have instigated Collins' assassination, and Collins' supposed dalliances. Although Coogan's writing is not what I would particularly call easy or light reading, I do believe this selection could make a good starter book for anyone's investigation of Michael Collins. If you are interested in any way in Collins' life and times, you absolutely must own this book.

Tim Pat Coogan's biography of Michael Collins, the legendary Irish rebel leader during the Irish War of Independence, leaves no stone unturned. It traces Collins' rise to prominence from his boyhood in nationalist Cork County through his ten years in England working for the post office and financial firms, his return to Ireland to participate in the Easter Rising of 1916, his increasing influence in Frongoch prison in Wales and in nationalist/republican circles upon his release in 1917. This biography reads more like a riveting novel given the almost mythical qualities of the central character. Coogan conveys not only the facts about Collins and his exploits during Ireland's fight for independence but also his charismatic personality, engaging wit and humor, capacity for ruthlessness, magnetic leadership qualities and passionate devotion to his country and its people. This is also a fascinating textbook picture of a successful guerilla war and intelligence operation led by a man with a genius for conspiracy, the so-called "Dublin Pimpernel", the most wanted man in the British Empire at that time. Highly recommended, particularly for anyone who would like to have a better understanding of the troubles in modern Ireland.

Can anyone tell me if they know of a web site for matt talbot? thanks - Shamrok47@aol.com

Mary Purcell's touching and well written biography of Venerable Matt Talbot, the Dublin blue-collar workman, whose slavery to drink and unquenchable and relentless addiction robbed a large part of his childhood and early adulthood, is a striking story of one man's battle against his demons--the plaguing obsession for alcoholic consumption. While at his first job at a bottling store, he learned to "put away" liquor to such an excess that by the age of thirteen, he was considered a chronic alcoholic, with no hope whatsoever for any type of recovery. At the age of twenty-eight, he had a profound conversion experience that forever altered his life, whereby God, Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit and Mary, the Virgin Mother, became the epicenter of his whole life. But up till that intense moment, drink and how to go about getting it-even if it was by criminal means-was the all engrossing fixation that took over his soul. Not even his family, friends, work, self-respect nor his own health could minutely penetrate into his gloomy obstinacy and cruel recklessness. He was indifferent and unyielding about changing any facet of himself for the better, not caring one iota how his behavior and actions wounded those around him, for his disease was a combination of genetics and emotional distress. One was compounded with the other, locked together in a physical and mental war to destroy one who did not know where or how to turn in order to combat the spiritual and psychological decimation that was occurring from within.

Matt Talbot always had a distant yet respectful relationship with religion, but he had a greater bond with drink and anyone and anything associated with it. Oftentimes, when finishing up work at the docks or the yards, Matt and his buddies would head to the bars to get thoroughly tanked. To do so, he would often borrow money and offer empty promises to repay the debt. Or worse, he would beat up a drifter, as he did on one particular occasion, stealing his fiddle and pawning it for cash to be used for drink. He also sold his own shoes in the dead of winter-again-for drink alone. But more often than not, her got temporary "loans" from those around him, until that was no longer acceptable. And on one particular evening, when waiting outside a bar for his friends to arrive, his mates blatantly shunned him so completely that burning shame brought him down to the pits where nothing could revive him or so he thought, until he turned to "Him who does not fail."--page 60. After that experience and others like them, he knew humility and understood sin in its acute theological essence without having the book knowledge as a priest or theologian might. He had the life experience of it, and that goes way beyond any type of book learning. In 1882, at a church in Clonliffe, he took the abstinence pledge after his confession, and though he struggled bitterly, falling little by little, his evenings at various bars were replaced by evenings in quite reflections at various churches doing the rosary or trying to understand and assimilate scriptural truths into his recovery, for though he was practically illiterate, his conversion and openness to God's grace gave him the committed perseverance required to be the type of man that nobody thought possible.

When Matt Talbot took the pledge of sobriety in 1882, he renewed it three months later, then eight months, until he took it for life, remaining clean for the balance of his forty-one years of life. But it was what he did with that gift of life which God gave him that was so arresting. Always one of the guys, he led the life of the conconsummate laborer, the best of the best; he was often cited by his foreman to take the lead for the others to emulate. In his private life, however, he worked diligently and with a pure heart to bond ever deeper to God, through His Son and the Blessed Virgin. He practiced deep acts of mortifications: fasting, praying, serving others, trying to help alcoholics who were in his same shoes, long before Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) ever emerged. He exercised his conversion by secretly wearing chains around his body, otherwise known as Slavery to Mary. And though he was never rich or truly healthy, whatever money he had, he always denied himself and gave to the less fortunate, for his miracle was his liberation from the alcohol that he wrongly believed was on par with oxygen itself for his mere survival. This was his way to give back to a Father who only wanted the best for his child. What the Matt Talbot story illustrates is that no sin-no matter how demeaning or gross or horrific or extremely overwhelming-is overpowering enough that Christ Jesus, God, can't handle it, one needs only to meet Them half way in the struggle. And the gift will most certainly be made evident.

Mary Purcell's top-notch biography of Matt Talbot is without a doubt the definitive book on this little known man's holy life. Not only are his stuggles exhaustively explored with intelligent depth but so too are his times, his immediate environment and why alcoholism was so prevalent in nineteenth century Ireland. Poverty, lack of work and various other negative social issues were the causes and effects as to why so many "Matt Talbots" seemed to sprout up with a drink offering in one hand and a "screw this" mentality in the other. It is a book that reads not simply as a biography, but it reads as a fascinating chronicle of a country with its yo-yo-like ups and downs, economically, socially and politically. But with all that aside, it had-as it still does-its Catholic faith firmly held in tact, lifting and encouraging the downtrodden and those less so to look upward when it was, and sometimes is, easier to look down. Matt Talbot's story is a shining example, a future Catholic Saint whose witness has much to teach us.

Maura has a difficult life,growing up in war times and helping to take care of her severely retarded sister(who it turns out has a pure soul).She was also a twin,left twin-less after birth,like Elvis Presley was.Her twin was named Angela.One day Maura meets a girl who looks enough like her to be a twin,except that she is flawless without scars and stuff like that.Her name is Angela.Turns out she is an angel,and she has come to help Maura in all she does,and the longer she stays the more human she becomes.But the day comes that Angela must leave,in a human and a noble way.

Lynne Reid Banks is a unique author.A particularly good line was Angela's, "Our souls are the same" when speaking of males and females.We live in a twisted MArs and Venus,scientific mumbo-jumbo world,so thank you Lynne,for letting Angela say it so simply , Our souls are made the same.
We need more minds like Lynne Reid Banks.

Maura's Angel is a wonderful and unpredictable. The angel"Angela" is beautifully portrayed and the author did a fine job in Angela's role as a family member.I highly recomend this story to anyone.

I received this book as a Christmas gift and use it regulary. Not only are the recipes wonderful, but so are the photos. You get a lot of history about the dishes, where they originated, etc. I have made a lot of the recipes in the book and have not had one disappointment. It's Irish cooking at it's best. I would recommend this cook book to anyone who loves to cook and enjoy's a good Irish meal. Two of my favorites are the Dingle Pie (spiced lamb pie) and Beef and Stout. Hearty meals, easy, delicious. Enjoy!

`Myrtle Allen's Cooking at Ballymaloe House' by Myrtle Allen is a really great collection of typically Irish recipes from a very personal point of view. In a sense, this book has as much or more in common with the great Savannah family restaurant book ` Mrs. Wilkes' Boardinghouse Cookbook' than it does with the average collection of Irish recipes. Not only are both books about local restaurant / hotels with a national reputation, they are also both books of incredibly simple recipes.

On the matter of the personal material, Myrtle Allen's book is far superior than the volume done in Mrs. Wilkes' name, since we are certain that all the anecdotes are first person memories, written by Ms. Allen herself.

The appearance of this book may give one the impression that it is not much more than a book length advertisment for the restaurant and Inn created by Ms. Allen and her husband and enhanced with the cooking school started by her daughter-in-law, Darina Allen and son, Tim Allen. Having seen a few such books, I can assure you it is not such a book. The extent to which it invites you to want to visit Ballymaloe House in County Cork is based entirely on a genuine feeling of dedication to hospitality, culinary arts, and natural attraction of the Irish landscape.

Not that Ballymaloe House needs much promotion. It is easily the best known rural hospitality hot spot in Ireland. I have seen Darina Allen on at least two different Food Network shows plus prominent mentions in `Martha Stewart Living'. So, it is the book which benefits from the preexisting reputation of the Inn, restaurant, and cooking school rather than the other way around.

Reading this book gives me the same kind of epithanies I experienced when I visited Germany and discovered that in the land which bred the dachshund dog, it was the long haired variety which was much more common on the streets in the Rhineland than the far more practical short haired variety which would have been more suitable for its original use as a badger hunter. My epithany with this book is the fact that contrary to conventional wisdom in the United States, it is not white flour soda bread which is the traditional Irish bread, but a brown (whole wheat) soda bread which is actually commonly served in Ireland, at least in Cork and at Ballymaloe restaurant(s).

For a book retailing for $27.50 with an advertised 100 recipes, this is an exceptionally well designed and photographed book. Of course, photogenetic Ireland has a lot to do with this, but the book takes full advantage of the Emerald Isle's photo opps.

Returning to the comparison with Mrs. Wilkes' book on her Savannah establishment, the recipes in this book and that are all remarkably simple, but touch some very interesting territory in their simplicity. The first little delight is the recipe for a `tomato ring', moulded from a variation on a tomato juice recipe, by adding gelatin and leaving out water and olive oil. There may be some recipes which do involve some unfamiliar procedures such as that very French technique of making a garnish of hard boiled egg yolks by pushing them through a strainer. This may strike one as tedious, until you so it once or twice and appreciate the great effect it has on the dish and your diners' appreciation of the dish. So, while everything here is simple, there may be a few things which do not strike you as easy or familiar.

Sometimes, the titles for some recipes may be misleading to our American eyes, as with the recipe for `billy's french dressing' which is much more like a true French vinaigrette than it is like that mysteriously salmon colored preparation we knew so well in the supermarket. And yet, it has its own distinctly Irish touches, including watercress, which is actually the original shamrock, displaced later by clover.

I am impressed with page after page of really simple recipes, most with relatively few ingredients and simple preparation steps. The average American amateur cook may find a few ingredients which are hard to find at the local megamart, such as lovage or nettles. There are also a few vaguely inexact expressions of ingredient types, such as `mild wine vinegar'. This is ambiguous on two counts. First, does it mean a mild taste? Second, does it mean low acidity? If the latter, then the very best may be rice wine vinegar. White wine vinegar would be a clear mistake, as its acidity is higher than red wine vinegar, although it may be misconstrued, by being light in color, as being milder than red wine vinegar.

But, I am happy to say all measurements have been made in U.S. friendly terms. Everything is just as exact as it has to be, but no more.

In my search for the very best Irish cookbook, this one ranks high among those I have seen already. You will not be disappointed if you pick this book to represent Ireland in a working collection of international cookbooks.