United Kingdom Books

This pamphlet really opened my eyes. I have been all the way through education to a final degree and teach college. However, this little pamphlet tells more about education, real education, than anything I have read before. What is called education in this society is fitting you into the slots that this exploitative, oppressive society has for us, not providing us with knowledge, blaming us for our grades and putting some people in 'good' jobs and some people in bad, all to mask a system that exploits us all to benefit the big business rich? I have been to graduate school and have friends with Ph Ds and hung with several Poet Laureates of the US and people saturated with what this society calls education, but I have coworkers at the bus garage smarter than most of them. This pamphlet explains why this is, and how we can fight for real education. Real education is learning the tools to understand this system, learn to fight, learn to do real things in a real world, real education can come only through mass struggles against this system. Real education can't be separate from work, from life, from struggle. Check out Capitlism's World Disorder, the book this is excerpted from, also sold by Amazon

While these books may not be directly available from Amazon at times, they are available from the booksfrompathfinder on Amazon that you can find by clicking on the new and used books on this page.

... and needing 'education' ?
So-called education under the market system of the Almighty Dollar has nothing to do with learning or culture.Its goals are to teach working-class youth to be regimented and obedient to 'superiors' and regurgitate what bosses, big and small want to hear and want to believe�and teach children of the middle class ( degreed professionals ) and of the supperich that they are somewhat better and a lot better than us workers, respectively. Socialist Cuba has lifetime education and a current TV campaign called the University For All.To do this they had to make a revolution. What will it
take for us to unite and fight back as the New Depression begins ? Is it possible for 'regular average everyday working people to take power in the belly of the Imperial Beast ( America ) ? Will we have to change ourselves in this process ?
These are the themes of this excellent pamphlet.

This booklet was published during the phony debate between Gore and Bush on "education reform" in the 2000 election campaign. It explains why education cannot be "reformed" under capitalism. Barnes talks about how capitalist education from grade school through college socializes us to become docile worker bees and why we have to unlearn a lot of the junk they teach in school in order to become effective fighters for workers' rights today and for a socialist future.

Latimer's book feels like a definitive account of a conflict that is very poorly understood or studied. The book is obviously not written to be a dry recounting of troop movements or a collection of anecdotes strung together as some seem to be. The author is not shy about making some sharp comments, but his claims are very well documented with a huge volume of endnotes.

Great stuff!

1812 WAR WITH AMERICA by Jon Latimer is the 2008 Society for Military History Distinguished Book Award Winner for United States History.

I currently own eight books of the Anatomy of the Ship series and have looked at several others. John McKay's HMS Pandora is the best of the lot. The drawings are beautifully drawn and reproduced and the book is composed in a very intellegent manner. The same comments con be made for Mckay's The Armed Transport Bounty but the Bounty in a less interesting ship.

I found the HMS Pandora an interesting subject because much is known about her and she represents the most minimal ship that could be an at all effective frigate in her era.

Of the seven books in the Anatomy of the Ship that I own I think the 24-Gun Frigate Pandora is the best. The drawings seem more complete and are of a higher quality than the draughts in the other books I have. Especially nice were the cross section drawings in 1/144 scale and the isometric drawings of the hull (no scale). A real plus for the model builder is the 8 pages of rigging schedule that give cable/rope dimensions along with the size and number of blocks/hearts/deadeyes etc. associated with them for both the standing and running rigging. Very nice! I only wish all of the books in this series were as well done as this one.

The book, The Age of Shakespeare, takes my breath away! The many color prints and illustrations add beauty to a informative book. This is a well thought out book about Shakespeare and his times. I really enjoy reading it.

This is a great little book. Reading it won't give you a master's degree in Shakespearean studies, but it will give you a quick and interesting overview of many different subjects. The chapters are brief and topical: a discussion of Shakespeare's origins in Stratford, life and politics in Elizabethan England and London's theatres offer a fascinating glimpse into Shakespeare's world and works. The second section of the book, "Documents", looks at some of the primary sources for our understanding of Shakespeare, both documents from Shakespeare's life (a contract, his will, the First Folio), but also writings by those who saw the original plays, discussions of theatrical productions through the ages, and criticism by centuries of academics from John Dryden's 17th century analysis to modern feminist approaches.

The Age of Shakespeare is the perfect weekend read for those who want a bit of context about the plays and their origins. It is informative without being heavy. The dozens of color plates and illustrations are gorgeous, and the writing is intelligent and clear. A wonderful sampler

This book is an excellent addition to the literature on the Vietnam war, providing us with a new perspective. It is full of novel information but still easy to read, which is quite an achievement. It is particularly interesting -- given the current political situation -- to learn how eager the British government was to support Kennedy's Vietnam policy. This is a real revelation.
The book's approach is truly international, and the research is more than impressive. Among the archives the author used are the national archive of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US, and of course Britain.

In this brilliantly-researched study, Peter Busch examines the Conservative government's policy towards the US war against Vietnam for the years 1961 to 1963. The author, who formerly worked at the Public Record Office at Kew, has thoroughly mined newly available records from Britain, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Germany. He also shows how British policy towards Vietnam related to wider policy towards South-East Asia, especially towards Indonesia. In both cases, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan ruled out negotiated settlements and preferred to use force.

Busch shows how Macmillan fully backed President Kennedy's aggressive military build-up in Vietnam, `a clear breach' of the Geneva agreements, while advising him to conceal it. Macmillan pretended to be a peacemaker, while actually supporting the US war. He aimed to keep Britain's `great power' status and prove its value as a US ally.

As co-chairman of the International Control Commission set up by the 1954 Geneva Conference, the British state abused its role in order to support the illegal, dictatorial Diem regime in the south. It backed up Diem's unwarranted claims that the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was responsible, `whether there was evidence or not', for starting the civil war in the south. It used these claims to rule out the DRV's call for reconvening the Conference to negotiate the peaceful reunification of Vietnam.

Macmillan helped the US counter-insurgency effort, setting up the British Advisory Mission in 1961. British forces also trained Diem's troops in Malaysia. In 1962, the British Ambassador to Saigon urged the USA to `crush and eradicate the Viet Cong'.

The British government only dropped Diem when it discovered that his brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu, was willing to discuss peace with the DRV. It then backed the US coup against Diem that sabotaged the chances of peacefully reunifying Vietnam.

Busch concludes that the British government did not pursue peace. "Britain supported the American policy in Vietnam wholeheartedly. The British only wanted to `sell' this policy in a different, less confrontational way." Plus ca change! This superb book vindicates all those who opposed the US aggression against Vietnam.

This illuminating book is not a narrative of the Iraq war but a series of observations on how the international community confronted evil after 9/11 and an analysis of history since the end of the second world war. Shawcross explores the stresses and strains upon international co-operation and diplomacy since that atrocity and the much more dangerous world it ushered in, revealing inconsistencies and hypocrisy in the foreign policies of certain nations. He also asks how the international community can best deal with criminal states, tyrants and terrorists.

Chapter One looks at the global nature of the threat, the proliferation of dangerous weapons, failed states and the Arab World. That is a backward region without good governance, political rights, civil liberties or a free media. This section discusses Iraq under Saddam in brief, including the 1991 war, UNSCOM, the IAEA, Iraqi deception and propaganda, the later inspection regime UNMOVIC and Oil-for-Food. Sanctions were eroded and many countries co-operated with Saddam who rewarded the families of suicide bombers in the Palestinian territories with $25 000 for the murder of Israelis.

Chapter Two discusses President Bush and PM Blair, their religious views and their shared concepts of right and wrong. He considers Bush as being closer to Reagan than the first President Bush. Here Shawcross also explains NeoConservatism, its prominent personalities, viewpoints and media like Commentary, The Wall Street Journal opinion page and Weekly Standard. He dissects the Euro intelligentsia and their immature anti-Americanism and hysterical Bush Derangement Syndrome. Also see Anti-Americanism by Jean-Francois Revel in this regard. The concept of pre-emption is also considered in this chapter.

Europe has proved itself incapable of standing alone against totalitarianism in the 20th century, as discussed in Chapter Three which looks at the world since WW2, the formation of the EU and the role of France in particular. UN failures in Rwanda in 1994 and Bosnia in 1995 led to genocide. The USA was forced to intervene in Kosovo in 1999 and after 9/11, in Afghanistan. The EU has a collectivist outlook and its political elites have always aspired to make it a counterbalance to the USA. Shawcross points out Jacques Chirac's friendship and collaboration with Saddam and the role of Gerhard Schroeder in Germany. Both leaders fostered a climate of anti-Americanism. Good riddance to them.

The next chapter charts the collapse of consensus in the build-up to the war in 2002, with discussion of UN Resolution 1441, the attitude of European elites (The "cicadas" as Oriana Fallaci called them), Old versus New Europe and the principled stand of some liberal intellectuals like Vaclav Havel and Adam Michnik. Shawcross gives credit to Tony Blair for articulating the necessity for Saddam's removal very well.

In the next chapter he shows how wrong the mass media were, especially in their doom-laded predictions of millions of refugees. The extent of Saddam's horrors was revealed but there were problems in the occupation and reconstruction efforts. Shawcross discusses the juvenile ranting of the anti-American literati and reveals the real attitude of the French Fop Dominique de Villepin who has now mercifully faded from the scene. Notable exceptions amongst the French intelligentsia include Bernard Kouchner, Andre Glucksmann and Bernard Henri Levy. Reconstruction in Iraq has proceeded with little help from Europe.

Chapter Six deals with the successes and failures after liberation, the proliferation of Islamic terrorism and the sinister nature of the hatred for America. He concludes that the liberation of Iraq was the right thing to do and that American sacrifice is essential to the world. Since publication, the situation in Europe has markedly improved with the election of Angela Merkel in Germany and Nicholas Sarkozy in France. The book includes a bibliography and notes arranged by chapter, and concludes with an index. Allies is a concise and illuminating study of recent history that puts the dangerous world of the 21st century in clear perspective.

A Long Short War: The Postponed Liberation of Iraq by Christopher Hitchens

A Matter of Principle: Humanitarian Arguments for War in Iraq edited by Thomas Cushman

World War IV: The Long Struggle Against Islamofascism by Norman Podhoretz

Once upon a time, during the US war in Vietnam, Shawcross scooped the world media by reporting on the bombing of
Cambodia under the secret orders of President Richard Nixon.

Naturally, Nixon was furious. Until then, no one knew about the bombing except the Cambodian people, the Pathet Lao, the
Viet Cong and most everyone else in the region. Shawcross told the American people. The truth infuriated Nixon.

Well, he's done it again. Conservatives will hate this book, because Shawcross deftly points out the long litany of US stupidity
that put Saddam Hussein in power, armed him and built up his regime. Maybe they can impeach him. Liberals will hate this
book, because he uses devastating details to justify the military destruction of the Hussein regime. Maybe they can impeach
him. Intelligent readers will love his writing.

Similar to his stories about the secret bombing Cambodia, Shawcross has a fondness for facts. It makes for grim reading, then
and now. But, life is never perfect. We can't get perfect omelettes every meal; sometimes we have to settle for scrambled
eggs. The underlying theme is basic, simple and utterly relevant to this year's US elections, "The responsibility on America and
its allies is immense. The only certainty is that they must succeed. The alternatives are too terrible to contemplate."

In simplest terms, Shawcross amply demonstrates how all Iraqis lived in terror from the threat that weapons of mass
destruction might be used against any region courageous enough to rebel. Hussein had a choice; to comply fully with UN
inspection demands and reveal himself as a bully without weapons, or stall the UN and hope it would go away and the Iraqis
would be left living in fear of his savagery.

One of his most troubling assertion is that "US President George W. Bush polarizes. Richard Nixon did the same through his
career, as did Margaret Thatcher. It is a matter of style and substance. The Bush presidency has created almost
unprecedented tensions between Europe and the United States." True enough. Only a fool would argue otherwise. It's a sound
argument for not re-electing Bush -- provided a "really nice guy" with a "great big smile" can be found to faithfully implement
Bush's policies.

His most troubling example is a quote from a February 1998 speech by President Clinton who asserted, "If we fail to respond
today, Saddam, and all those who would follow in his footsteps, will be emboldened tomorrow by the knowledge that they
can act with impunity, even in the face of a clear message from the United Nations Security Council, and clear evidence of a
weapons of mass destruction program."

Clinton couldn't act. The sheer hatred of him by Republicans in Congress, and many of those now in the Bush administration,
focussed on a little Jewish girl with kneepads rather than an Iraqi dictator with ambitions to terrorize the MidEast. The past is
done. The issue now is whether the current hatred of Bush will derail what Clinton could have done in 1998, or whether
greater wisdom will prevail.

Shawcross states, "I repeat, America and the West have made serious mistakes in Iraq." He's neither apologist nor opponent;
he remains optimistic, "I believe the bottom line is this: For all its faults, Americqan commitment and American sacrifice are
essential to the world. As in the twentieth century, so in the twenty-first, only America has both the power and the optimism to
defend the international community against what really are the forces of darkness."

American voters will decide in November, just as Iraqi voters will soon get their opportunity to decide their future in free and
open elections.

Anglo-Saxon Christianity, a book written for the historical and theological layman, is particularly interesting because it covers a subject matter too little explored. Roman Catholicism, historically triumphant, defines formal Christian doctrine today. Celtic Christianity - like all things Celtic, is undergoing a revival today (primarily for cultural rather than doctrinal reasons). But Anglo-Saxon Christianity is vitally important because it would ultimately become the formulation for the Church of England, its language, the Book of Common Prayer, and the King James Bible - which have given a spiritual foundation for much of the modern world.

This book covers a critical time in the history of Christendom when the fundamental doctrines of the faith were still being worked out. England between the time of the Saxon invasion (approx. 550AD) the Norman invasion (1066AD) was politically, culturally, and spiritually unstable. Until Alfred The Great there was no single King nor recognized boundaries. There were military hostilities with the Celts in the North, Welsh to the West, and eventually Scandinavians from the East. In Northumbria Celtic Christianity contended with Roman Christianity and Saxon paganism for the hearts and minds of the people.

I enjoyed Cavill's descriptions of Anglo-Saxon monastic life as not just a place of spiritual separation and contemplation - but a busy center of political, military, and cultural activity - "Celtic Christianity depended, nevertheless, on a radical separation between secular and religious life. English Christianity by the time of Bede had expanded beyond the confines of the monastery, and involved kings and politics, territories, and estates, power and influence. The concern for Anglo-Saxon Christianity was not so much the separation of secular and religious but of integration."

Cavill is a lecturer in Old English. His love of the English language is apparent throughout this book. His reference to and analysis of many famous and not-so-famous works of Anglo-Saxon literature enhance this book and whisper into the ear of modern day Christians reminding us of a glorious past - "Anglo-Saxon Christianity, like that of some later eras, used language with delight and sensitivity, with a creativity that was mirrored in other arts like book production and illumination. Modern Christianity has tended to wed itself to a bland scientism which is suspicious of art and any feeling or emotion other than generalized happiness."

It is apparent both from his text and his publisher, Zondervan, that Mr. Cavill writes from a Christian point of view. But this in no way biases his analysis of the heathen/Christian and Celtic/Roman Christian struggles. I highly recommend this book - indeed I wish it would be more widely read because it is not simply the history of an obscure branch of the church, but the history of Christianity itself analyzed through the history of the language that dominates much of the civilized world.

This must be the best book on Anglo-Saxon Christianity at this time. Though I have no shortage of books about Anglo-Saxons, and Anglo-Saxon poets, this is especially placed in my collection. It is the logical extension of the growing interest in Celtic Christianity that Anglo-saxon Christianity should be popularly explored as well. Ironically, the books on Celtic Christianity, are not as well arranged as this, in its well-written commentary and selection of works explored. The chapters on Caedmon, and on the Synod of Whitby (certainly an important historical event in Christian history which is too often glossed over in classes, if discussed at all) were the strongest parts of the book. Though he relies heavily on Bede at times, he gives commentary on Bede as he does so, putting things into context for those new to this field. His chapter on Beowulf, would certainly be a good introduction to that fine classic of earliest "English" literature, for those who enjoyed Chrichton's appropriation of the story for his Eaters Of The Dead / 13th Warrior. Highlights of course, are the poems, Caedmon's Hymn and The Dream Of The Rood, included with insightful commentary. Also included are a few scenes from Beowulf, and less glorious, yet revealing, documents of the time. If there was one criticism I had of the book, it would be that there was next to nothing on the Anglo-Saxon version of the Apocryphal book, The Acts of Saint Andrew, aka Andreas. A personal favourite of mine, which I am sure Cavill could get a whole book out of. I suspect very much however, that Cavill is not done with this topic, and must leave something for the next book. And there should be a "next book" from Cavill: it is rare to see such scholarly stuff written so well, and so very approachable to the non-expert. A high five.

This is the descendant of the Guinness chart books and contains, for the first time ever, singles and albums (and EPs from a separate chart) together in one volume. Each artist has his/her/their singles, EPs, and albums listed in chronological order along with label, chart debut date, peak, and weeks on chart. Each re-entry onto the chart is noted separately. The index of titles is comprehensive and there is, of course, a chronological recap of number ones. Trivia fanatics will miss the pages of chart oddities that appeared at the back of the Guinness books, but that's a small quibble, since much chart trivia has been stuffed into the main listings (notes under the chart titles, etc.). An essential reference.

This is the descendant of the Guinness chart books and contains, for the first time ever, singles and albums (and EPs from a separate chart) together in one volume. Each artist has his/her/their singles, EPs, and albums listed in chronological order along with label, chart debut date, peak, and weeks on chart. Each re-entry onto the chart is noted separately. The index of titles is comprehensive and their is, of course, a chronological recap of number ones. Trivia fanatics will miss the pages of chart oddities that appeared at the back of the Guinness books, but that's a small quibble, since much chart trivia has been stuffed into the main listings (notes under the chart titles, etc.). An essential reference.

If architecture is, as they say, frozen music, this series of books should help thaw the ice. Author Sidra Stich, an art historian and curator, traveled extensively during the preparation of these works. Like all good ideas, this one is simple: assemble photos of an area's great architecture and art sites and put them in a small book suitable for travelers. Intelligent histories bring the subjects to life, particularly for those who appreciate art and architecture but aren't experts. Stich covers the territory comprehensively, finding interesting creations in unlikely places--like the M8 highway between Glasgow and Edinburgh, home to Patricia Leighton's organic sculpture Sawtooth Ramps, and a small herd of grazing sheep who keep the art mowed. The guide offers enough insight to help you immerse yourself in the artistic life of your destination. It details where you can find innovative works by new artists and guides you through more obvious destinations, such as London's new Tate Modern. The first two books in the series deal with Britain (plus Ireland) and France. Japan and Spain are next, and the publisher hopes to cover the globe.

In art-SITES: Britain & Ireland, Sidra Stich provides a compendium of galleries and exhibitions of contemporary art and architecture in a unique, "travel planning friendly" handbook format. Readers will learn all about contemporary trends and ongoing artistic activities, identification of places where one can see the most innovative work by leading and emerging international talents, plus in-depth and detailed commentaries on museums, galleries, exhibition spaces, architecture, film centers, public art, sculpture parks, bookstores and festivals in British and Irish cities ranging from London, Oxford, and Cambridge, to Glasgow, Dublin, and Belfast. If you appreciate modern art and contemporary architecture, don't leave home for a trip to the British isles without your personal copy of art-SITES: Britain & Ireland.

This is one of the finest popular histories I have ever read. Whether it is a book about 5th and 6th century British history using Arthur as a organizing principle, or a book about the "real" Arthur using 5th and 6th century history as a backdrop, this book is wholly convincing concerning the reality of Arthur and the historical context in which he lived. The book may actually be too good. The most convincing evidence it cites -- the so-called British Easter Annals -- appear to have been called into question by subsequent scholarship; and the link between Arthur and Mount Badon is not quite as convicing as it seeme to be when Alcock wrote the book. In short, this masterpiece needs updating. But a masterpiece it is. No one who reads this book with any care can fail to come away from it without a vastly improved understanding not only of the British dark ages, but of the nature of historical evidence, scholarship, and truth. This is a great book.

I have researched and researched all over the Internet about
King Arthur, Camelot, and his knights. I found many misleading websites that only talked about the fantasies of Camelot and King Arthur. Now, I found this book that tells the "REAL" side of who was King Arthur, Camelot, Merlin, and many others.
It is a "must" for those who want to know the truth, and nothing but the truth. Leslie Alcock has done an excellent job in this book. I highly recommend it.