Ireland Books

Branka Magas wrote The Destruction of Yugoslavia: Tracking the Break-Up 1980-92, a collection of her writings published between 1981 and the end of 1991. She prefaced her book with a summary: "Yugoslavia did not die a natural death ... [it was] destroyed for the cause of Greater Serbia". She blamed Nationalists seeking a racially homogeneous Serbian state and ex-Communists wanting to stay in power, led by Milosevic and supported by the primarily Serbian Yugoslav National Army. Non-Serbs defended themselves with greater vigor than expected, and at a great cost. Ms Magas had predicted the course of events, and her book received outstanding reviews.

Ms Magas is a Croat and a left-wing thinker who could be expected to read history as a "class-firster"; she argued in "The Destruction" that in this region at least nation matters more than class. She makes the same point in "Croatia Through History", describing in great detail Croatia's history from the early Middle Ages to the present.

For this general reader the book appeared even handed and fair. She was particularly good, I thought, in describing the conflicts and debates between Croats who advocated an independent country and those that argued at various times for becoming a part of Austria, Yugoslavia or a larger European federation.

Robert C. Ross 2008

Consultant and scholar Branka Magas presents the culmination of her intense research in Croatia Through History: The Making of a European State, an in-depth scrutiny of Croatia's history and development from its origin in the early Middle Ages to the modern day. The evolution of Croatia's institutions, ideology, social customs, and political strategies are all examined in turn. Croatia's rich and complex past includes eras when it was territorially and/or administratively divided between various states, and even times when the threat of extinction loomed. Croatia's long struggle for survival has produced a spectrum of national ideologies, some advocating independent statehood while others reach for the benefits of becoming part of an Austrian, Yugoslav or European federation. An even-handed history that pays close attention to the many plural ethnic, cultural, and national influences upon the region, illustrated with a handful of black-and-white and color images. Highly recommended especially for public or college library history shelves.

"Cry Bosnia" is definitely a good "coffee table book"- it's oversized and has lots of photographs. At the same time, it's so much more. "Cry Bosnia" tells the sad story of the Bosnian War, which is now fading from the collective memory in the face of the Iraq War, in the words of the people who were there. Through Paul Harris' haunting photos and his interviewees, we see how the world stood by as the strong took advantage of the weak. If you're interested in the Bosnian War, contemporary history, or human drama generally, then this book is for you.

I found this book hidden in the corner of the post exchange on Eagle Base in Tuzla. From the moment I opened its pages I knew that I would never put it down. Many volumes speak about the political, social, economic and ethnic divisions which caused the war in the Balkans. Cry Bosnia is not a dry history book which feeds the intellect with numerous facts and figures. Paul Harris, through his photography, has allowed the people of the region speak to us through their hearts. It is through the pictures and commentary that Cry Bosnia speaks to the hearts and minds of those distant witnesses of the Balkan War.

Harris doesn't spare us as he shows us the pictures of both human and physical destruction of a land of beauty. When we view those pictures we see faces of grief, despair and rage. At the same time we see hope, courage, laughter and the spirit of tenaciousness as a people attempt to rebuild their lives in the midst of a senseless war. When we see these pictures we see the ugliness of our humanity. Bosnia reflects the beast which is within us as the "world" allowed slaughter to go on as is asserted in the text. If anything Cry Bosnia can teach us to move beyond our negative spirits and recover the good from within us. Such a reflection from a war should move us to be more accountable to one another as our world gets smaller and smaller.

This short book is an excellent introduction to the new Czech Republic. It begins with a quick look at the geography and climate of the country, and them moves into its history. After that, it does a wonderful job of explaining the Czech Republic, including (but not limited to) its religion, politics, economy, and even the problems facing it. All this is done in a mere 67 pages, but it nonetheless gives the reader a comprehensive understanding of the country.

I enjoyed the layout of this book; it includes many black-and-white pictures, many interesting sidebars, and even a chronology at the back. If you are interested in the Czech Republic, and want a short, concise introduction to the country, then I recommend that you read this book.

My wife and I recently participated in a cultural exchange between Britain and the Czech Republic (CZR). Our library yielded an armful of guide books and coffee-table picture books.

But for our purposes, Mr. Otfinoski's book took the prize. Though intended for younger readers, it offers engaging reading for anyone. The subject matter seems well researched, the writing is lucid, and each chapter includes a selection of bibliographic references. There are plenty of illustrations, mainly black and white but well chosen and relevant to the text they support. Most of all, the book gives a clear outline of the CZR's recent history and paints a believable picture of its current politics, business, culture, and everyday life.

Since the publisher's description hasn't been included in the Amazon listing, here is the table of contents:

1. An Introduction to the Land and Its People

2. From a Medieval Kingdom to a Modern Nation

3. Czechoslovakia under Two Brutal Masters (1918-1985)

4. The Velvet Revolution and the Velvet Divorce (1989-present)

5. Government

6. Religion

7. The Economy

8. Culture

9. Daily life

10. The Cities and Towns

11. Present Problems and Future Solutions

Back Matter: Chronology, Further Reading, and Index

Most books of this type I would consider more of a reference, where you would look up a single topic you wanted to know about and only read that part. But this book was unusual in that I read it cover to cover. The topics are arranged so that the information flows naturally through each setting, giving detailed but not boring surveys of the daily activities of people living in villages, castles, monasteries and cities. This is done by focusing on single archetypical examples of each and staying with them throughout the chapter, so you actually kind of get to know the setting and some of the people in it, who are often real people taken from historical accounts. This is in contrast to most so-called 'daily life' books, which are often simply historical generalizations with a few anecdotes thrown in. I especially liked the illustrations of the various locations, placed next to diagrams of the layout, which makes it easy to understand both the appearance and function of the buildings and land features. It was also interesting to learn how different the economics were in the thirteenth century, with labor being cheap and materials expensive; each chapter repeatedly showed how important the cost of every single thing was in daily life. In the intro, the author sets out the goal of providing a solid introductory text on medieval life that isn't oriented toward either children or highly trained scholars, but general readers, and the approach taken here succeeds nicely.

Edit: I would also add that writers of medieval historical fiction would do well to read this book if they want to get some of the nitty-gritty details right- it would seem a lot more convincing.

Having studied medieval and renaissance life as a personal hobby for years, I've read a lot of books on this period of time in Europe's history. My previous favorites were the series of books by Frances and Joseph Gies (Life in a Medieval Castle, etc.), but this book is now my pick. It's a general overview of daily life, starting with a chapter titled "Medieval Socity" and continuing through a thorough examination of "The Life Cycle," "Material Culture," and life in various types of situations, from villages to the monastic life. What is truly refreshing about this book and sets it apart from the others is that it's actually a good read! It lacks the utterly dry convoluted wording of far too many books on the medieval period out there, yet does not talk down to the reader or engage in flights of fancy (as "A World Lit Only By Fire" does gleefully). Readers are additionally treated to numerous black & white illustrations, including the construction of various medieval garments, what a 13th century spoon looks like, and assorted images of people from historic documents doing everyday activities. But wait! There's more... there is also a glossary, three appendices (Games, Recipes, Music), a wonderful bibliography, and an index. If I have to find fault with this important work, it is that some of the images and facts are not documented well enough. For example, there is a drawing of people harvesting grain showing many important elements of period clothing, but the caption makes no mention of where this drawing was obtained or its date so that it can be researched further. Some facts also dispute facts found in other books, so it's up to the careful reader to do some research to verify Singman's writing. But I can't recommend this book enough, especially to the student, the living history enthusiast, or anyone wanting a book that gives a clear snapshot in readable form of what life was like for the average person in medieval Europe.

This story was an unexpected delight, especially considering that it is a MacDonald book that does not take place in England. A great coming of age novel about a young women's search for identity in her family's heritage. A great book to curl up with on a cool fall night.

MacDonald really made a great book! This book is about a 19th century irish girl who wants independence from her mother and father. So she goes off to Sweden on her own. In the end she finds romance. This is one of the best books I've read. Finally a romance where the woman is not a lovestruck doll.

Truth be told, I thought the first book in this series was pretty boring. However, the second book got slightly better, the third better still, and so forth. The fifth book definitely continued that trend. It was very slow going in the beginning of the series, but by the time this book comes about, you've had a chance as a reader to get to know the characters and learn to love them, and their faults.

This book was one of the best in the entire series, It causes you to think about who is really in control of your life. At first I thought I didn't like the series but then I couldn't put it down.

very thought provoking and well written

Prof. Schweller deserves all the compliments that he might get. "Deadly Imbalances" is a real masterpiece, poisedly merging theoretical discussion with an accurate applied analysis on an empirical case (World War II). The author's modeling departs from Waltz's neorealism, but the structural perspective is soon amended, with the inclusion of one variable that is strictly on the unit level (the state's interest). This modification approximates his scheme to classical realism, with great gains to ad hoc analysis, like the one he does. Important to say that the historical research is very good too, remarkable in a study done by a political scientist. This book should be considered a good and commendable example of case study in the International Relations area.

Christine Kinealy's, A Death-Dealing Famine: The Great Hunger in Ireland, provides an extensive examination of Ireland's greatest social tragedy. Her first chapter analyzes the historiography of the Great Hunger. Kinealy argues that it wasn't until the 1960s when the famine emerged as a dominant field among Irish scholars and it continues to remain a controversial and diverse topic among historians. Kinealy systemizes the historiography into three broad fields. The first field concerns a nationalist approach which is often too critical of the British crown and lacks historical substance. Secondly, many scholars attempt to defend, displace blame and minimize Britain's responsibility and neglect. The third field, the revisionist approach, attempts to nullify these false interpretations. Kinealy assertively criticizes the new "revisionist" interpretation because it avoids "the central issues of responsibility, culpability and blame". In her monograph, Kinealy attempts to answer these complex questions through a balanced and diverse interpretative framework.

Kinealy's second chapter provides a brief summary of British-Irish relations beginning with the Norman invasion through the eve of the famine. In this chapter Kinealy establishes three major themes. First, the turbulent social history of British-Irish relations will serve as a major influence to the crown's response to the famine. Second, the Act of Union and emerging economic theorists manipulated Britain's ideology to modernize Ireland's economy. Lastly, Kinealy cunningly raises the question: how could the most powerful empire in the world fail to save Ireland from two million casualties?

Kinealy's third chapter entitled, Rotten Potatoes and the Politics of Relief, examines the Crown's initial response to the famine. She begins by narrating Britain's previous and successful responses to the devastating famines of the18th century. However, as a consequence to the Act of Union and ideological forces, Britain failed to continue the same methods of relief and recovery it had employed a century previous. Kinealy begins by analyzing Peel's initial and subsequent actions to the outbreak of the famine. She argues that Peel was sympathetic towards the Irish, however, his actions were slow and dominated by the economic ideology of laissez-faire economics, the repeal of the corn laws and the opportunity to reform and modernize the Irish economy. In response to the atmosphere of Westminster, Peel introduced a system of public work relief programs and the importation of Indian corn. Despite the moderate success of his actions, Peel failed to introduce a long term system of relief.

Following the fall of Peel's government in 1846, the famine was no longer viewed as a temporary calamity. Peel was replaced by John Russell whose preeminent concern was fiscal conservatism by the crown. Russell's major system of relief was based on the continuation of work relief programs which experienced limited success at best. Following the outcome of the work relief programs, Parliament introduced a systemized structure of soup kitchens with the introduction of the Irish Poor Law which proved to be successful. However, the bill experienced harsh criticism from both Parliament and the public. Opponents argued against providing Ireland with a welfare system of "Queen's Pay" which would serve only as a continuation and promotion of Irish laziness and failure as an inferior society. Kinealy harshest criticism concerns the government's failure to close food exports from Ireland and limit imports of food relief. This response was motivated by the Crown's determination not to interfere with free markets and laissez-faire ideology. In 1837 the Poor Law was amended to place most of the financial burden on Irish landlords and subsequently prolonged relief and recovery.

Kinealy then shifts her narrative to a social and cultural analysis of the famine. She provides illustrative and emotional descriptions of suffering, death, disease, soup kitchen relief, national/international philanthropy and emigration. Her most powerful testimony comes from her epilogue which focuses on the indirect consequence of the famine, cultural destruction. The impact of the famine not only witnessed two million casualties, but altered the course of Irish history and identity.

I highly recommend this monograph.

Christine Kinealy got it right. Such truths help to heal and hopefully forgive the English and their government for their bad behavior 150 years ago. Never again.

The defeat of the Armada inaugurated a period which, for English history at least, culminated in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the triumph of a bourgeois science-based way of life.

In this book, Mattingly, unlike many others who have concentrated on the naval aspects of the episode, explores the motivations of the states and individuals involved. In brisk, experienced vignettes, he presents the dilemma facing the English government faced with the intractable problem of the putative heir to the throne, Mary, Quen of Scots, a Catholic, at a time when Elizabeth's throne had been explicity threatened by the Pope.

We see the weakness of France; the relentless attempts of the leading Catholic power, Habsburg Spain, to suppress the Protestant inspired revolt of Holland, which involved military action close to the Kent shore, and action in which England was already heavily involved and expensively subsidizing.

The cutting of the Gordian knot by the execution of Mary precipitated the Spanish attack. Philip II hoped to achieve several objectives at once: to remove Elizabethan Protestantism from Europe; to end English interference with his military action in Holland; finally to crush the Dutch Republic and re-establish the unity of Christendom.

The social and religious motivations of the actors are brilliantly portrayed by an expert in the diplomatic records of the period.

Perhaps the most telling thing you can say in favour of this book is that it is not written for the professional historian, but cannot be ignored by any of them.

I first read Mattingly's book as a grammar school (high-school to readers on the other side of the pond) history student in England in the 1960s, and have been coming back to it regularly ever since for the sheer pleasure of it. My old paperback copy wore out, so my family gave me the hardback version.

The great strength of Mattingly's treatment is that he went far beyond the purely naval aspects of the campaign. He set it squarely in the context of the politico-religious struggle for domination in western Europe, with England and the Dutch Protestants on one side, Spain and all her allies and dependencies on the other, and France paralysed by a ferocious three-cornered internal struggle in which both sides intervened. He is particularly strong on the events before and after the battle of Coutras which prevented France from either pursuing the ultra-Catholic preferences of the house of Guise (of which Mary Queen of Scots' mother was a member), or the traditional French policy of opposition to the Hapsburg rulers of Spain, which the Catholic King Henri of Valois and his Protestant heir-apparent Henri of Navarre would both have preferred. Mattingly shows great insight in realising that it was the execution of Mary Queen of Scots (the event with which he opens his narrative) that freed Philip to launch the Armada; sending it while she was alive would have risked putting a pro-French queen on the English throne.

I do nevertheless find two serious gaps in Mattingly's handling of the geopolitical context. The first is the Dutch, who after all had been fighting the war, and suffering the casualties, longer than anyone else except Spain. Mattingly ignores their internal dynamics and skates over the detail of their relationships with England, in both areas doing far less than justice to a key element in the strategic equation. The second gap is the lack of treatment of the Scottish dimension. Scotland, ruled by Mary's son James VI, was the dog that did not bark in the night in 1587-88, and the reasons for that deserve analysis. Yes, after his mother's death James was nearest heir to the English throne, but just HOW did he dissuade the Scots - over whom his power was strictly limited - from using the excuse for their usual descent on England?

Mattingly's general strength on the geopolitical aspects does not mean he is weak or lacking in detail on the naval and military aspects: quite the contrary. Coverage of Drake's 1587 raid on Cadiz is pretty much obligatory in a history of the Armada, and Mattingly gives it blow by blow (incidentally revealing what a thoroughly impossible man Drake was to work with). But he is equally strong on Parma's capture of Sluys, which he hoped would be his troops' embarkation point, in the face of dour resistance by the Dutch-English garrison. When it comes to the Armada itself, his grasp of detail is supreme. Mattingly was probably the first of all the many hundreds of Armada historians to read a tide-table and work out that Drake really would have had time to finish his game of bowls - had he ever played it. My only quibble here is over the Dutch naval contribution: they were never in contact with the Armada itself, but their presence scotched any possibility of Parma's forces making a rendezvous. Mattingly acknowledges their importance, but I personally would have welcomed more detail.

Mattingly belonged to the bravura school of English-language historians (Gwyn "The Vikings" Jones is another great exponent), which is both a strength and a weakness. His magnificent prose and grand narrative sweep carry the reader along on a flood tide - sometimes to the extent of concealing omissions and even (for all I know, not being a professional historian) errors. A few of his stylistic mannerisms grate a little nowadays, notably his use of "men" (as in "men said that ...") when a modern viewpoint requires acknowledgement that half the population is female. But these are minor quibbles - buy it and read it!

Par ses illustrations et par son recit simple et vif, l'auteur David Guard, musicien du Trio Kingston des 1950s, nous explique pourquoi le conte de la reine irlandaise la plus reconnue nous attire une vingtaine de siecles apres sa mort. La courageuse rentre chez elle, de l'exile heureux en Ecosse, pour que le massacre de son amant avec les autres fils heroiques d'Uisnach reste oppose, temoigne et lamente. Elle veut que les ecossais soit protege de la vengeance du mari qu'elle n'aurait pas du epouser, le roi Conchobar macNessa. Elle veut que les traditions et le peuple irlandais survivent a la tyrannie de ce roi gros, fou, egoiste et cruel. L'auteur nous dit que la reine Deirdre en sait et en comprend de tout, meme les echecs et les insectes! Cela m'interesse puisque l'auteur contemporain Annie Dillard nous ecrit, dans A PILGRIM AT TINKER CREEK, que ceux qui comprennent les insectes - tellement agacants, nombreux et repandus - comprennent le tout de l'univers.

David Guard's musical background shows in the angrily, bravely, happily and tragically dancing drawings and text of DEIRDRE: A CELTIC LEGEND. The former Kingston Trio member makes it clear why this story has gone through so many retellings: the skilled chess-playing daughter of Elva and storytelling harper Fedlimid macDall, Queen Deirdre returned from a seven-year exile so that her lover's murder with the other heroic sons of Uisnach would be opposed, witnessed and mourned; the old ways would not be forgotten; the people of Scotland would be safe from her husband, Red Branch Chief and Ulster High King Conchobar macNessa; and the suffering would end among her people in Ireland. I find it interesting that the author included understanding insects when talking about how much Deirdre knew: Annie Dillard says in PILGRIM AT TINKER CREEK that the key to figuring out life might be in understanding bugs. The beautifully simple book, along with the song "Deirdre" on the Beach Boy's "Sunflower/Surf's Up" album, can help readers tackle Randy Lee Eickhoff's THE RAID, THE FEAST, and THE SORROWS; Morgan Llywelyn's RED BRANCH; and the classic versions of DEIRDRE by James Stephens, John M. Synge, and William Butler Yeats.