Europe Books

Ok, I will freely admit that this may not be considered by some to be a scholarly historical assessment. I have been interested in the reign of Louis XIV since childhood when my mother purchased for me a coffee table book of photographs of Versailles. I wondered what could possibly have taken place at such a monstrous and wonderful palace. Since then I have read at least a dozen books on the period which tend to focus on the development and impact of absolutism in 17th century Europe. But this little book is a gem because of its author. Nancy Mitford was the daughter of an English Baron and spent her life as both an academic and a socialite. Her telling of the lives that swirled around Versailles palace is authenticated by the impression one gets that she would have been completely at ease in that setting. This book was written in 1966, just 7 years before her death. Her style sounds more like gossip than history, but is generally regarded as very well-researched. I warn you that if you read this book or one of her other historical biographies, you are in danger of becoming hooked on Mitford and will probably seek out some of her other well-loved books. This was a very enjoyable book and I find myself going back to certain chapters from time to time. One of the most memorable portions is the end where she describes a ghoulish sacrilege; the looting and desecration of the tombs during the revolution. As any good book will, it fascinated me and left me wanting to know more.

Nancy Mitford is best known as an author of witty, elegant novels like The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate. In the 1950s and 1960s she also produced a number of historical works, of which The Sun King is one of the best.

The Sun King is a personal biography of Louis XIV. It does not deal in great detail with the political, military, or economic issues of Louis XIV's reign but primarily focuses on his personal life and that of his family. Louis married his double first cousin Marie Therese of Spain (she being his genetic sister for all intents and purposes, the reader is amazed that his family turned out as strong and healthy as they did). He also had three major mistresses and a string of casual acquaintanceships which produced a number of illegitimate children. His numerous relations also produced a quantity of children and had many extramarital relationships.

A major part of the book deals with the construction of Versailles. Indeed the book seems almost to be a biography of the chateau. The profuse illustrations, including many photographs of the chateau and its grounds, add immeasurably to the pleasure of reading this work.

But the most compelling reason for reading The Sun King is to enjoy Mitford's elegant, witty, prose style, which is as much in evidence here as in her novels.

Here's "Lifestyles of the Obscenely Wealthy and Powerful"! I admit I'd never read much about this period of history (I'm fond of joking that my in-depth knowledge of politics and history more or less ends with Elizabeth I's death), but the bit I read at the bookstore made this book irresistible. I passed up an Alison Weir for this, but I don't regret the choice at all. It is both charming and knowledgable, with a witty, personable, almost gossipy tone.

There's a lot of information here, packaged with lots of pictures and glossy pages. It is a lovely book to look at purely on an aesthetic level. But do take the time to actually read it! Though sparse in areas, it is a rich look at the life of Louis, and at the lifestyle of a courtier of his day. The creation of Versailles is gone into in much detail, as are sexual politics and wartime attitudes. Mostly this focuses on Louis' personal life and that of his court and how Versailles came about, so there isn't much here about actual wars or about international politics. But what there is is just stupendous. I'd call this a must-have for a beginner in French history. I'm very glad I got it.

Nancy Mitford came to me by way of this book and, ignorant of the incredible talents that lie with her, her sisters and the aristocratic family into which she was born. Since then, I have devoured Nancy's fiction, her personal history and I have much more to learn. However, it is her talents as a biographer and historian, perhaps best exemplified with this book, that I believe she achieves the realization of her greatest gift; that is to send life into the dead hand of history. In "The Sun King" history comes alive as I have truly never experienced. Here is a book that takes heretofore one dimensional characters and fills their frames with humanity, giving them dimemsionality, life. She uncovers the perspective that sheds light on each characters good and bad side, turning Louis XIV, Monsieur, The King's wives, his children, in fact the whole of the court at Versailles into a vision in one's head that makes it easy to understand why the Ancien Regime in France can still provide relevance to a contemporary world that approximates it so little. Relevance and topic interest, to be sure, is the most amazing feat for a historian to achieve. Nancy Mitford with "The Sun King" stands among rarified company in such an achievement.

This book is an absolutely amazing piece of work. I was introduced to it while looking for audiobooks on ITunes. The audiobook was so enjoyable that I felt compelled to purchase the actual book to read along with it.

Mitford makes each of the historical figures come alive, and makes an opulent and enclosed society accessible to readers of any age. The work is gossipy enough to be interesting, but not to such a degree as to detract from the historical accuracy. I would recommend "The Sun King" to anyone who wishes to learn more about the age of France's greatest king and the people that surrounded him.

The only drawback is that for one to fully appreciate the book, they should have a very basic knowledge of French and European history (at least as far as names and dates are concerned). Having long been interested in history, I did not find this a problem, but I can see how one who was not familiar may find themselves in unfamiliar territory. Otherwise, this book is about as close to perfection as I've seen.

I just married a Romanian while he was on tour in the U.S. for six months. Having only been here for a year he was terribly homesick. After ordering the book I was able to surprise him with a full Romanian meal, and it was so easy! Highly, highly recommended!

This book is an all-around great cookbook. To be honest, I had never heard of Romanian cuisine before and picked up the book on a whim. I'm glad I did because the book introduced me to a delicious culture that I had never sampled before. The recipes in the book are grouped into the following chapters: appetizers, salads, egg dishes, soups, polenta, fish dishes, meat dishes, poultry dishes, vegetable dishes, dumplings, sauces, desserts, wines, preserves, and Jewish dishes. I found good recipes in each chapter, some fancy, and some that can be whipped up in minutes. Interspersed throughout the book are short history lessons about Romania, fairy tales, and poetry, as well as Klepper's comments explaining the cooking culture. The book also includes a bibliography, a place and personal name index, and English recipe index, a Romanian recipe index, a brief pronunciation guide, an English-Romanian-French food dictionary, and even an American-British food dictionary (surprisingly useful!). If you're looking for a Romanian cookbook, this is a great one. And if you're just looking for some interesting and tasty new recipes, you'll find some here.

Somehow, everyone in Romania seems to believe that their heaviest food is also the tastiest. In Romanian restaurants both in Romania and accross the US, in cookbooks -- all I'm finding are the stuffed grape or cabbage leaves, the pork products, the mamaliga. What happened to all those seasonal (in Romania) meals centered around the great vegetables that abound in Spring, stuff that a family would actually eat everyday at home? The light and flavorful zuchinni with yoghurt, the spinach puree, all the many ways to prepare mushrooms, celery roots, even the lowly potatoe? The great sour soups that wake one up with their taste? What about some of the staples, like bors (not to be confused with Russiona borscht), the sour grain vinegar that is so good in those soups? Or all the pickled vegetables that spice up ones winter meal? Also, there are all the holiday preparations, such as a stuffed goose, duck on sourkraut, and, for the kids, the "sweet bites", sort of like a gingerbread cracker, but thicker and with a soft, molasse-like consistency (turta dulce for those of you out there who know :-)...
I'm not a great Romanian cook myself and I bought this book hoping to fill in some of my childhood favorites. It does do a good job of the recipes it presents. I handed the stuffed grape leaves recipe to the chef in charge at my wedding and it ended up being a favorite with my (mostly non-Romanian) guests!
The other complain I have is that some of the ingredients have been "adapted" to suit most American supermarkets. I won't complain about getting some of the fat out (although most of it stayed...) but what about the tarragon, the lovage, dill --they're all available here, with a bit of effort. Why not do what many asian cookbooks do and require the original ingredient, with an easy-to-find alternative where in doubt? And what about those simple salads that "parsley-up" and liven up any Romanian family's dinner?
Maybe it depends on the region -- Transylvania does have its share of heavier food, and with no outlets to the Black Sea, people there don't really enjoy eating fish. But Romanian cuisine has so many other flavors that I constantly see neglected, yet they are the easiest to include in a balanced diet...
And a final word of praise: the romanian wine list at the end is worth the price of the book -- and brings the stars rating to 4. I've been looking for something similar for a while, and I was really glad to find it in this book.

This is a fantastic book. So many of the recipes I remember from my mother's and grandmother's cooking. It's also nice to get a little bit of a history lesson, along with Romanian poems and folktales. I purchased it for my daughter and sons. Since I left Romania at 15 (over 18 years ago), it's nice to remember some of the Romanian cooking I grew up with.
Now, if I could only get my American husband to try some of the recipes, that would be a victory indeed. :o)

I am Romanian and have lived in the US for just a short time. I got this book as a Christmas gift for my mother in law who is American. She loved it and wants to try cooking some of the recipes in there!!! It has great traditional recipes and some history lessons to help a novice understand Romanian culture. I was so happy to find the book on amazon and I recommend it to anyone who wants to explore Romanian culture.

This book is hilarious!! I laughed out loud through out the entire book. Tim writes about his Camino de Santiago journey with a donkey starting with donkey basics - like being scarred to death of the donkey - to learning about it's basic care and feeding. From there he sets out on the journey and records the reactions of other pilgrims and of local Spanish towns people to his donkey.

I have since tried to get "into" some of Tim Moore's other books. Yeah, they're funny, but it was this book that sent me over the edge laughing. If you enjoy Tim Moore's books, buy this one!!!

For those of you seeking serious books about the purity of a spiritual journey while making the pilgrimage to Saint Jame's Field of Stars - there's lots of good books out there - but this one, though completely irreverent, tells it like it is/can be. I met a couple in Santiago de Compostella that had just finished the walk and their main impression of the walk was that it was a real Peyton's Place. If you are the serious type, reading this book before you go may just save you some disappointment during your own walk, or at least prepare you for the less spiritual side of the walk.

What possesses a completely urban Londoner to want to walk 500 miles across northern Spain... with a donkey named Shinto? Herein lies a tail, er... tale of self discovery and adventure through torrential rains (no rein puns here!) sweltering heat and encounters with religious and secular pilgrims (peregrinos, en espanol) on the Camino de Santiago. This ancient Christian pilgrimage crosses northern Spain from the French Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela, resting place of St. James, patron saint of Spain. On opening this wonderful book you find yourself in the company of a person and donkey you enjoy spending time with. Smart, funny and a keen observer of people, Tim Moore's humanity suffuses this book and makes you feel the value of compassion. This is also one of those books that earns you inquisitive stares in public when you laugh loudly at one or another of his unexpected observations. When you are done you can even say you learned somthing about the history of Spain. This is great light reading. - Marcos Dinnerstein, www.parlo.com

I read a number of books about the Camino de Santiago before I did it in July-August of 2007. They were either practical guidebooks or deeply personal memoirs. I'd begun reading "Travels With My Donkey" about two weeks prior to departing for Spain, but I didn't get past the introduction - too busy with preparations. I figured I'd read enough anyway, and I wanted to save what looked like a good book for post-Camino reflection. I'm glad I waited until after my pilgrimage to read "TWMD," because it was an excellent and uniquely humorous account that brought me right back to the Camino.

Mr. Moore first became aware of the Camino when he met a pilgrim on "a small boat in Norway." As is common with those who've walked the Way, the idea settled in his mind and bloomed after a period of germination. Also like the typical pilgrim, he began doing research and making preparations for the trek. However, unlike most of us he decided to bring along a donkey. After some searching, he finally found one named Shinto and committed to his adventure. He and Shinto were trailered to Valcarlos, Spain, and commenced their trek to Santiago one step at a time.

During the next forty-one days, Mr. Moore and Shinto experienced numerous adventures on the Camino. Shinto became somewhat of a focal point - most of the time for good, but sometimes for ill. The author soon discovered the difficulties involved in herding a somewhat truculent donkey, including health issues, finding enough food for both of them, and securing donkey-friendly accommodation. Even so, he persevered and eventually formed a bond with Shinto based on shared hardship.

"TWMD" reminded me a lot of Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods," another humorous account of a trek along an old trail. Indeed, both books made me laugh out loud in some spots and cringe in others. However, since I was fresh off the Camino, I was actually able to identify with Mr. Moore's experiences. I loved revisiting familiar towns and fondly remembered (or no-so-fondly remembered) refugios. And I empathized with the author's trials and tribulations, such as blisters, prickly pilgrims, harsh climate conditions, and fast automobile traffic.

"Travels With My Donkey" made me miss the Camino, and it also made me glad to be a peregrino. Recommended for those contemplating the Camino, pilgrims who have already walked the Way, and wanderers in general.

Moore's sense of humor and his complaints get him to the Pas de Roman to visit the Spanish Santiago Cathedral over the Pyrenees from the Atlantic Coast of France. Along the way, we are all drawn into his contacts with other, serious and not so serious pilgrims; the landscapes; the hardships of caring for this donkey animal he starts the trip with not knowing or caring much about; the incredible overnight sleeping accommocations he encounters; the meals; the brandy; the elevations; rain and shale; bridges and cobble stones. Having driven alot of the trail myself without knowing much about what it was or what I was doing, I was tied into this wonderful and hilarious story every bit of the way, enjoying his cynicism and suspicion until he reached the pinnacle of Santiago for all his cold dismissal of the energy required to make this pilgrimage. I sensed he made quite a turn by the time he reached the end of the journey but then perhaps he'd started out more committed to personal spiritual reasons for the journey than I'd understood at the beginning. I LOVED the book, his hilarious ability to laugh at himself and his circumstances, his brilliant evaluations of others' situations, his cautious thoughtful spiritual tussles along the path and most of all the subtle way he slipped in so much of the history of that great period when the Crusaders were displacing the Saracens or the Muslims. The weight of the themes sneaks in on the reader as the book develops - there are so many twists and turns that this book would be a fantastic book club or academic assignment as it calls out for interaction among readers. Would it ever become a book tape? Would it ever become a play? I feel it should have wider dissemination. Great book!

Tim Moore has taken me on some extraordinary journeys in the past, from the Tour de France to the Monopoly board via the arctic deserts of Iceland, but I found this one easily the most enjoyable. If you don't fall in love with the infuriating but utterly endearing donkey he takes with him on this Spanish pilgrimage, I'll eat my cat...

This is the historically true account of the execution of the Templars and the political circumstances surrounding it. If you have read books about the Salem Witch Trials then you will like this one too, but be warned Barber is a historian and so you will get the full blow by blow account of what went on.

Basically in the year 1307 King Philip 4th arrested the Knights of the Templars and a pseudo-trial followed in order to smash the Templars. Much like the Salem Witch Trials many where falsely executed while others survived the ordeal to tell the tale. Basically this book is all about the destruction of the Templars.

Again if you like books about "Witch Trials" then this is a must for the bookshelf and certainly Barber gives us the best historical rendition of any "Witch Trial" to date although the Templars where not treated as Witches but as anti-christian (when is fact they where a "White Order").

Good historical depth to this one and highly recommended.

I own many books on the Templars, but very few deal primarily on their downfall on the Friday 13th, and the gruelling, protracted trials afterwards. The Templars have always fascinated me, an order founded on a vow of poverty that rose to become one of the richest and most powerful organisations of their time, a religious order, yet it was politics and money that sealed their fate and brought about their destruction.

Very well written, it is rich in detail, but in a witty narrative that keeps the reader enthralled and forgetting they are reading history, which is usually dry and stale. High Recommended. Anyone interested in the Templars needs to add this one to their collection.

Barber's 'The Trial of the Templars' is the best and perhaps only serious academic study of the political machinations of French King Philip IV, "the Fair," which resulted in the trial and suppression of one of the most noble and powerful of the Medieval crusading orders.

The wealth of source material in the book makes it indispensible.

One would hope that Barber's work would go a long way towards debunking the myths of the Templars as neo-New Age adepts possessing secret occult wisdom, since, as Barber demonstrates, many of the Templars at the time of the suppression were uneducated, illiterate old men from preceptories in Europe, most of whom who had never even set foot in the Holy Land and were thus incapable of the occult practices ascribed to them. Of 115 Templar depositions resulting from the hearings in Paris, sixty-nine brethren stated that they were forty years old or older. The average age of these 115 men was 41.6 years. Most of the accused Templars were serving brothers and seargeants (41); seventeen were priests and only fifteen were actually knights. The average length of service of deposed Templars was 14.2 years. Hardly the stuff of which powerful occult magicians are made.

Definitely add this one to your library.

Malcom Barber looked at the entire organization an came to the following:
1. The orginal purpose of the group was to protect pilgrims however the
intent soon changed - the outside population of the European nations so
saw a chance to gain "power" for themselves.
2. The rulers became jealous of the "carte blanche" given by the Pope -
thus the Templars had to answer to no one and became very wealthy.
3. Soon those same rulers previously mentioned had to come to the Templars, and others as well, inorder to obtain money.
4. As a result the banking system was established. When Phillip V realizd he was in debt to the Templars, he "manufactured" charges inorder to seize their money and their land holdings. Phillip soon became aware of how mch his seizing had accomplished for him - death.

Barber has accomplished a very difficult task. He has compiled scattered accurate information regarding the Templars and laid it down in an easy to read fashion.
Despite the title of the book, this book covers more than just the trials surrounding the Templars. It is a concise timeline of the time period including political powers, church rulers, allies and enemies, detractors and benefactors.
Barber has given a balanced view of the Templars, their rise, fall, trial and destruction. He offers a plethora of footnotes and references and a daunting bibliography which would be the envy of any medieval history, Templar history, catholic history, french history or crusades history lover.
Also offered by Barber is another book covering the Templars ( The New Knighthood : A History of the Order of the Temple )which goes even further in depth regarding the actual successes and failures of the Order, again offering a huge list of historical references.
Barber, it appears, is the foremost historical expert that is publishing works regarding the secretive but ever-popular Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon.

This is an excellent book, well written, clear and concise. It focuses on the Year of the Terror during the French Revolution.

There are several strengths to this book.

First, Palmer does an excellent job of giving short biographies of the major characters that ruled France as a committee during this period. They include Carnot,the military officer who maintained the war office during the terror,including defending the northern border of France. Collot D'Herbois, the ex-actor and fanatic had a very different temprement from the monk-like Robespierre. Saint-Just's attacks against the Dantonists was fascinating. The fall of Herault de Sechelles, the philosopher former aristocrat is very interesting.

Second, the chapters are very well organized. They are aranged around topics, including a hyistory of how the Comitteee for Public Safety evolved in the fifth year of the revolution; three chapters on maintaining control of the other regions of France during the revolution; chapters on foreign conflicts; a chapter on wage and price control and maintaining a central economy, are all well written and interesting.

I read the book after reading Hilary Mantel's novel "A Place of Greater Safety" regarding the relationship and competition between Robespierre and Danton. The two books perfectly compliment each other.


This is a very accessible history of this portion of the revolution and is extremely informative. It was written in 1941 but is fresh, current, and alive with detail.

I decided to read R.R. Palmer's The Twelve Who Ruled after having it recommended to me in class. The Year of the Terror and the Committee of Public Safety are often overlooked or not given enough description in history classes and it wasn't until my senior year in college that I had even heard of the Year of the Terror. Palmer's book is great for the student because he includes enough background information so that one can understand the information without feeling overwhelmed. The text deals almost exclusively the events from the summer of 1793 through the summer of 1794. Because so much happened in this one year period, Palmer presents it on an almost day-to-day status.

Originally written in 1939 and 1940, Palmer mentions in the Bibliographical Essay how difficult it was to gather information from the French archives, but upon reading this book and having some basic knowledge of the events of the period, one finds it difficult to find any deficiency in Palmer's work. The 2005 edition of The Twelve Who Ruled opens with a new foreword by Isser Woloch, Moore Collegiate Professor of History at Columbia University. In this foreword, Woloch gives the reader a little history of Palmer's book, as well as a brief overview of the events detailed in the book.

Palmer begins his book with a one page list, titled "The Twelve", of the members of the CPS and gives a brief one-line description of each. On the next page is a sketched map with the locations and provinces mentioned in his book, as well as a translation of the Republican Calendar. I don't want to go into detail about all of Palmer's 15 chapters, but some need mentioning. The first chapter, "Twelve Terrorists to Be", gives a detailed description about the history of each member of the Committee of Public Safety leading up to the Revolution. The subsequent chapters describe the different political groups of the Revolution and how the CPS came to be as powerful as it did.

Chapters 6-9 deal with the individual missions of the CPS members to different parts of France. Chapter 6, "Republic in Miniature", describes Georges Couthon's mission to his native region of Clermont-Ferrand and his attempt to turn Puy-de-Dôme into a model for the Republic. Chapter 7, "Doom at Lyons", is self-explanatory and deals with Collot d'Herbois and the Committee's shocking actions in Lyons. Chapters 8 and 9 deal with the missions of Committee members to Alsace and Brittany to deal with the army and naval affairs in those regions, respectively.

The beginning of the end becomes apparent in chapter 11, "Finding the Narrow Way". In this chapter Danton makes his return to Paris and Robespierre and other members of the Committee are becoming more and more adamant in their positions. The remaining chapters detail the downfall of the Committee of Public Safety and the numerous executions that take place. The exception to this is chapter 14, "The Rush upon Europe", which describes the military events during the spring and early summer of 1794.

During the epilogue, Palmer sums up the lives of the eight of the original twelve that were remaining after 10 Thermidor and the different ways each one went. It is interesting to see how some of the members played a part during Napoleon's reign. Palmer end's the book with discussing Barère, him being the last surviving member of the Committee (passed away in 1841), and his last days.

Readability was something that I was looking for when I was choosing a book for this assignment. I didn't want a book that would be so in depth that it would be a chore to read, yet I didn't want a book that would have less information than my textbook. The Twelve Who Ruled was perfect in that sense and Palmer kept it interesting by including many quotations from meetings and correspondence of the period in his book. I haven't read any other books on the Year of the Terror, but I would have to recommend this book to anyone interested in the French Revolution, or even political science.

I agree with all of the amazon reviews as to this being a compelling narrative. Most interesting was Palmer's argument that the CPS wasn't merely Robespierre's beard. Palmer is mostly persuasive in his suggestion that power was more or less equitably diffused throughout the committee and that facesaving hindsight by CPS members is the reason why history has affixed sole blame for the terror on Robespierre's shoulders. Less convincing is Palmer's portait of Jacobin ideological purity. Robespierre and St.Just are presented as Spartan warriors with spotless souls even as he details their forgeries and chicanery in railroading their political rivals. Palmer often protests too much, bemoaning the miniscule percentage of victims of the terror and blaming CGS members, representatives on mission, anyone really but Robespierre. One can never escape bias in French revolution histories-so this criticism should certainly be taken with a grain of salt. Palmer's book is unique and refreshing however, meticulously and cogently argued.

In print since 1941, this fine book is a group portrait and analysis of the Committee of Public Safety, the most important organ of government in France from the fall of 1793 to the summer of 1794. Writing at the end of the 1930s, Palmer was particularly interested in the psychology of dictatorship and how much governments emerge.

When the members of the Committee took their seats, France and the French Revolution appeared headed for disaster. There was widespread dissent in the provinces, and in some, outright revolt. The chaotic politics in Paris made government from the center difficult and the armies of almost every other major European state seemed poised to dismember France. The members of the committee were on the face of it, an undistinguished lot of modest prior accomplishments. Almost exclusively middle class, none of them would have been able to rise high under the Ancien Regime. Most were lawyers or had legal training. Several were simultaneously minor provincial intellectuals. Two were army officers whose plebian origins would have prevented them from attaining significant rank in the Royal Army. As a group, and despite significant internal political strains, they proved to be an energetic and capable group of administrators and politicians. Palmer does very well in describing the considerable obstacles to success, the enormous efforts made by most of the Committee, and their considerable success as administrators.

Over the course of a year, the committee met the great challenges in front of them more or less successfully. Revolts in the provinces were crushed, often with great brutality. Though the Parisian political scene remained volatile, it did stabilize and the Committee was able to construct a reasonably effective central government. Assisted by dissent and incompetence among the monarchial opponents of France, the Committee found the resources and military leadership needed to prosecute the war successfully. The Committee arguably saved the Revolution and went a long way towards the construction of a powerful, centralized French state.

But what kind of Revolution did they save? Palmer shows very well that the Committee were not merely reacting to the pressure of events but were all committed Republicans of varying degrees of radicalism. It is impossible to understand their actions without recognizing their ideological commitment to a new kind of Republican society informed strongly by Rousseauist ideals. Detestation of inherited privilege, anti-clericalism (though not atheism), worship of the idea of virtue, a commitment to some form of popular sovereignty, and the pursuit of a strong state were common ideals of the Committee. As is often the case, war produced radicalization and these ideals would also justify the Terror and the ruthless suppression of provincial revolts, and encourage French armies in practices that anticipate the brutal behavior of Napoleon's armies in occupied Europe. In a few cases, the Committee made pragmatic choices that contradicted some of their earlier convictions. Most of the committee disliked the violent de-Christianization carried out by some radicals but did not interfere in some cases to maintain their political support in Paris. All the Committee members would have prefered an economic system based on free trade but the exigencies of war resulted in the first systematic and partially successful effort at a planned economy.

Palmer both describes the actions of the committee well and writes well about the individual members. His objective treatment of Robespierre is particularly good. This book is a model in terms of melding biographical information with the broader context of historical events. As a study of revolutionary psychology and a case example of how dictatorships form, this book is excellent.

This may have been the best book that I have ever read. Palmer does a great job of portraying the characters, the times, and the decisions they made. The last chapter is absolutely riveting. One of if not the best book I've ever read!

Outdated and long out of print, this is still one of the best budget travel books ever written. Keruoac got me off my butt and out onto the great American highways and byways. Ed Buryn got me off my butt and into the wonders of Europe and North Africa. I sometimes forget how much I owe this book. Written at the height of hippie adventurism of the late sixties and early seventies, I read it as a young and rudderless kid of those times and, smitten with wanderlust, found myself just a few years later hiking through the back alleys of Lisbon, Paris, Marrakesh, and Athens. Buryn fired my spirit and imagination and today, as my adventure on the road continues, his book is a continuous inspiration. And by "outdated" I only mean that most of the references mentioned in the book are no longer valid. In spirit, the book is a timeless evocation of the human spirit to discover and rejoice in exotic new worlds. Where are you Ed Buryn? Time to get off your butt and revise your budget travel masterpiece!

The title of this review is the eponymous opening quotation by Ed, who clearly found that combining roots and rootlessness were the central reason for joie de vivre. The sections on Ed meeting his relatives in Poland are priceless. Ed Buryn inspired, cajoled, wheedled and pushed, I would imagine, hundreds -- perhaps thousands -- of couch-bound and comfortable middle class youth into the wilds of Western and Eastern Europe. I was one of them -- and did it as an active duty Naval officer. Buryn had been a hero of one of my itinerant college roommates at University of Florida -- you know, the guy who sleeps on the couch and who has no visible means of support...except for the couch -- and, as my roommate (livingroommate, that is) extolled his virtues, I grew more and more enchanted with Buryn, and more and more disenchanted with my roommate, who never actually went anywhere. I bought a copy of Buryn's book, read it, and vicariously lived it for SIX YEARS...until I finally went twice to Europe (once on Uncle Sam's dime to fight the cold war, once on my own), living Buryn-tilt-boogie and still retaining my civility (a Buryn hallmark, by the way, for those parents who find their children reading Ed: they'll be much better kids, later on). Go to Europe. Go with Ed.

I read this (at least some of it) in 1973 before traveling with a friend to Europe, Middle East, Far East. It gave me great comfort then that I (we) could do so cheaply and quickly.

Now Ed's book is more of a history of 60s vagabonding than a practical guide for today's traveller, but fun reading and don't let that stop you from buying it and getting the Vagabonding Bug... Travel On!

A wonderful read if you're going to Europe or New Jersey!

I was a kid living at home, read the book at Los Alamitos library in 1973, and got the vision to do Europe in this way. Went alone in June 74 for 3 1/2 months. The book is a philosophy and attitude that the people of Europe are the key--if you can open yourself up to them. I was adopted, in a way, by different people throughout Europe as I traveled (part of it was probably that they sorry for me--dumb kid who really didn't know what he was doing). But what I remember well 27 years later is those people. I would not have been inspired to do the trip if it wasn't for the book. I passed the book on to someone at work after my trip--and remember the gratitude of the guy I gave it to. The philosophy that is this book IS a gift!

This wonderful book reveals the secret of how to be a good traveler. "Vagabonding" is the right word. And you don't have to be a low-budget traveler to vagabond. It's a way of thinking, a way of looking and hearing, and a way of being.

I read the book in 1972. Ed Buryn put my head in the right place to make my 9 month trip in Europe and North Africa, (of all places), an extremely enjoyable experience. I went alone but constantly met up with others who I traveled with for a day or months.

Today I do a lot of business travel. But even though its nice restaurants and first class hotels there are still the hassles - long days on the road, not sleeping well, changes in schedule. It's times like those that I use the wisdom brought out in this book. It should be required reading for "Life 101".

This is a superbly written and spellbounding book that offers tremendously unique insight into daily life during the short duration of Hitler's "Thousand Year Reich." I and my father, for whom this book was initially purchased, read the book non-stop cover to cover in two nights' of reading. A must read for any student of 20th Century European history and, in particular, WW II Nazi Germany.

This collection of short reminiscences by adult Germans who were children in Nazi Germany at the end of World War II is not quite as captivating as the author's own memoir "German Boy" but it is a fascinating nonetheless. If anything, given its format, this book would be even more accessible for a pre-teen reader than "German Boy."

For me personally, the biggest revelation in these stories is the repeated memory of children of running for cover from strafing fighter planes ("Tiefflieger"). Many of the children in this book mention this experience. Anyone who has seen the PBS documentary "A Fighter Pilot's Story" will find these descriptions of the air war over Europe from the point of view of children walking home from Kindergarten particularly chilling.

I enjoyed reading this book because I am interested in the social aspects of WWII not tactical battle discussions. This book does a good job a telling what happened in post war Germany through a child's eyes... even though the interviewees are now senior citizens.

The extreme hardships and moral dilemmas that faced women and children in an occupied country come to life. The book does an excellent job of illustrating how often women and children become the victims of war. Starvation, begging and rape, become daily events in the lives of once comfortable middle and working class children.

The difference between the kindness of the Americans soldiers and the often cruelty of the Russian forces is a major point. A shortcoming of the book is that no mention (in the narrative) is made of how most Russian soldiers probably came from villages that had been destroyed by Nazi forces (not that this justified their cruelty, but helps to explain it.) Several other books I have read explained how Russian soldiers entering Prussia were shocked at the apparent prosperity of Germany and wondered how they could be so greedy to take over less prosperous Russian land.

The book is well written and worth a read.

The War of Our Childhood is a perfect compliment, perhaps unintended, to German Boy. The trials and tribulations of a boy, which are seen in greater detail in German Boy, appear in lesser detail and intensity throughout the profiles of other children. Yet, in their collective memories a common thread is revealed, a golden thread if you will, of all the positive qualities necessary to succeed. It is most significant that amid the horror and setbacks, and in spite of it, the children behave with prime elements of mental health. There is a common display of flexibility under stress, recognition of individual assets and limitations, and a commendable quality of productive activity. The War of Our Childhood is a showcase of the human spirit at its best. It is beyond admiration that such human spirit appears in children during circumstances that may be unbearable to so many adults.

I purchased this book for my wife who survived the war as a child in Berlin. She said the book was so true and is was difficult to relive the repressed memories of the childhood she was robbed of by the horrors of war. She said the book was a factual and riveting description of events, and she wants our childern to read it. My wife never wanted the children to know what she experienced, but she now feel they probably should know these things.

I read this book in fifth grade. It was one of the best books I have read. Me being a huge WWII fanatic who reads about it all the time. I was said when Uncle Heinrich didn't make it to the train i felt like crying because Ruth loved him and Jeanette. I have read many books like this like Number The Stars, Hitler's White Russians, The Russian Roots of Nazism, The Russian German War, but this book was nothing like those others it was incredible, fascinating, heart thumping, and most of all touching. Sure it was a little slow in the end, but it was still an incredible book.

This is the story written from the view of a 5 yr. old girl who is literally torn away from her parents where she is not old enough to understand what is happening. The story is heart rendering and a good one to start reading about the holocaust. Other books are far more compelling than this as regards what happens to people, but in the eyes of a youngster it is almost life ending for her and her friends. It seems there is another book or two awaiting to tell Ruth's parents' side of the story as well as possibly the Resistance Movement in and around the geographical area mentioned in this book.

Your Name Is Renee is an extraordinary book that captures the mind and spirit of the reader. It keeps you interested and has so much great detail that you just fall in love with the characters. I was truely amazed at how wonderful this book was. There were several reasons I found it so astonishing. There was great detail and information about the characters, events of WWII, and of the Holocaust. While you read this book you discover how hard the Jews had to work to stay unharmed and how scary it was for them for fear of being caught. You learn that everywhere they went they had to be cautious not to give themslves away as Jews. I love how you felt as if you were there. The events seemed so real. You especially felt sorry for the young children,such as Ruth (Renee was her fake French name), who had no idea what was going on, why families everywhere were being pulled away from eachother, and why her family was on a constant run. It was very emotional to learn about the Jew's struggles and ways of life during the Holocaust. Even children like Ruth had to adapt to this lifestyle and learn exactly what they should say around strangers to keep themselves safe. I got really into Your Name Is Renee, even catching myself yelling at characters for treating Ruth or another Jew cruely or taking something away from them. I mostly loved this book because I learned a lot about the Holocaust and who was involved during it. I also learned that the Jews always had to be alert no matter where they were and careful about who they trusted. Your Name Is Renee is a remarkable book full of suspicion, suspense, suffering, and support. I recommend to each and every person who likes or dislikes reading. Your Name Is Renee will astound everyone.

When i was a senior in high school, the class read this book. A chilling, heart rendering tale of a horrible time in our history through the eyes of a victim too young to be so brave. While others griped about having to read yet another book. it was not long till all eyes in the class were glued to their books. The writing makes you want to continue, almost as if you stop reading then maybe you can close your eyes and act as though the horror never happened. Yet you continue out of a strange respect for this child. Luckily for our class after we had read the book and its end became known to all of us, our teacher had Stacey Cretzmeyer,the author, come and speak to our class. An awe inspiring moment for most of us. While origianlly she was there to talk about the writing of the book, it became abundanlty clear that even the toughest of kids where concerned about what had happened to that child. She informed us that she had been to a family reunion not to far long before this event.She passed pictures around the class and yes.there were tears shed as people were finally able to put faces to names we had only read about. The most poignant picture was of a group photo. A large smiling group of people looked back from the glossy page-and the most hard hitting moment that dawned on the class-and finally uttered by one of the biggest, quietest, hulking guys in the class- "They grew into such a large family" They had carried on. The Nazi's had lost in every way. Not just to U.S. bombers and fighters but to the unending spirit to survive, thrive and to flourish. Even Ten years after reading this book for the first(but not the last time) I look forward to reading this story with my own little girl.This story is so touching and leaves a mark on you that never fades from your memory.

"Your Name is Renee" is the unforgettable story of Ruth Kapp Hartz, told from her viewpoint as a child in Nazi-occupied France in the early 1940's. It is too compelling to read in little increments...you'll want to consume it from cover to cover in one sitting. The writing style is simple and tremendously effective, never distracting from the story itself. Mrs. Hartz's story should be required reading from middle grades on up. Hats off to Stacy Cretzmeyer for giving us such a gem.

26 Gorgeous Hikes on the Western Cote d'Azur by Florence Chatzigianis details wonderful half-day experiences along the Mediterranean Sea coast of France. With excellent maps of each hike and beautiful color photographs of the places to hike, the book includes Islands of Hyeres, St. Tropez, Frejus and Saint-Raphael and the Esterel Mountains and the Maures Mountains, from Hyeres to Cannes. Chatzigianis gives instructions of what to wear, best times to go, and alluring descriptions of what you will experience. She also tells for each hike the distance, time required, elevation, and difficulty, as well as restaurants, tourism offices, and sports stores nearby. The book is certainly one to plan your trip to this beautiful area.

26 Gorgeous Hikes on the Western CÃ'te d'Azur is an illustrated guide that invites you to slow down, take a breath of fresh air and soak in the Western French Riviera's natural beauty. Author Chatzigianis is a long-time hiker who has spent many years scouting southern France for footpaths with stunning views, walks that lead to boat-accessible only inlets, and prehistoric sites rarely visited or seen.

This guide has stunning maps and photographs of the nature hikes. There is an introduction with points of interest for each hike. Hiking time, distance, difficulty level and elevation profile are included with each hike description as well as practical advice on when to go and what to take with you.

The descriptions of the hikes are vivid enough to make you want to go there, to see it for yourself.

You climb a short, steep hill behind the village of La Garde-Freinet. You cross a moat that is carved deep into the rock. Step back 800 years in time; you have entered the ruins of the ancient fortified stone settlement of Fort Freinet.

Whether you enjoy an evening walk through a chestnut grove to watch a monastery set aglow by the setting sun or a more vigorous hike up the red mountains to view the amazing view of the Mediterranean Sea, there is something for everyone to enjoy in this beautiful guide of the Western Cote d'Azur.

The hikes range from an hour to half a day. I never knew some of these places even existed until I read this lovely guide. My interest has been peaked and I found myself daydreaming as I became absorbed in the photographs. My family may find themselves on a vacation soonâ"that only I have been dreaming of!

Armchair Interview says: Excellent book for hikers and dreamers

An alternative tourist attraction could be found and would be well appreciated by nature lovers around the world - "26 Gorgeous Hikes on the Western Cote d'Azur" is a compilation of guides for twenty six half day hikes around France's beautiful coastline along the Mediterranean Sea for any experience level. Packed with color photos and specifics of each trail such as its time, distance, difficulty and what you should bring in preparation, it is the flat out most comprehensive guide you can find on the subject, even covering the history of the area alongside information on the plantlife. "26 Gorgeous Hikes on the Western Cote d'Azur" is highly recommended for armchair travelers and hiking enthusiasts destined to travel to southern France.

As a connoisseur of hiking books and having spent a summer during college (many moons ago) exploring this region of France, I was drawn to this book about hiking the western Côte d' Azur. The book is lightweight, perfect for carrying or slipping into a backpack. The table summarizing hikes by difficulty, distance and terrain will prove particularly helpful. Other positive aspects in the book include the color photographs, the useful contact information and the interesting tidbits regarding history of the area, plants and the like. My only regret is that our vacation plans this year do not include the Côte d' Azur, so will have to postpone putting this book to use first-hand. Maybe next year . . .

I've hiked in France, but I had no idea what a beautiful and interesting region Cote d'Azur was until I read Florence Chatzigianis's, "26 Gorgeous Hikes on the Western Cote d'Azur." Now I want to go there, her guidebook in hand, and try out the trails she describes so vividly!

Chatzigianis's book is not only informative, but also easy to use. She's organized the 26 hikes by region, which enables visitors to quickly find a trail nearby. I particularly like the way that the "Table of Hikes," breaks the hikes into categories of "easy" and "medium," and then gives the distance and time needed for each. And since I like to know whether I'll be doing a lot of climbing in the mountains or a bit of strolling by the shore, I find the small drawings showing the elevation range of each hike are also quite useful.

Chatzigianis's colorful photos are a rich accompaniment to the text. Not only are there pictures of the beautiful countryside, but also of the many historical and cultural sights that most auto-touring visitors miss.

Finally, I found that the "Aside" sections--short essays on such intriguing topics as "Hiking Under Water," (on the island of Port-Cros) and "The Cork Oak" (some of which you see on the Lac de l'Ecureuil trail), make "26 Gorgeous Hikes on the West Cote d'Azur" an indispensable guide for any traveler who wants to truly experience France's Mediterranean coastline.

Highly recommended!

Capt. James Cook was sailing north to seek a Northwest Passage between Europe and Asia when he ran across Niihau and Kauai in January 1778. He then pushed into the Chukchi Sea and became the first explorer to enter the western end of the passage, though he did not know it.
Retreating from the following winter, he ended up getting killed in Hawaii.
Considering the activity of Europeans in the Pacific in the late 18th century, somebody was bound to reach Hawaii. But that it should have happened just then, and with just those people, must have affected the development of Hawaiian relations with the outside world.
It may be that the reconnection of Hawaii to the rest of the world was the most portentous result of the three centuries of deadly, cruel searching for the Northwest Passage.
As far back as 1632, Capt. Thomas James, hired by Bristol merchants to seek a passage, announced, "There are certainly no commercial benefits to be obtained in any of the places I visited during this voyage." He had proved that a passage, if any existed, would lie above 80 degrees N., choked with ice and unusable.
Stubborn adventurers, mostly English, kept trying anyway, and James Delgado tells their stories in "Across the Top of the World" with up-to-date archaeological discoveries and a fairly recent respect for Inuit testimony.
Delgado is head of the Vancouver Maritime Museum, where St. Roch, the first ship to make the passage in both directions, resides.
That happened during World War II, when Canada was concerned to establish its claims to the islands of the Arctic Archipelago, through which there are several "Northwest Passages," all difficult.
Arctic archaeology has boomed in the past two decades, and although explorers started carefully recording Inuit accounts as far back as the 1860s, only in the past few years have these received independent corroboration from the archaeology.
Inuit oral accounts go back, with considerable but not perfect accuracy, at least to Martin Frobisher's attempt in the 1570s.
Almost all the attempts except Cook's started in eastern Canada.
The biggest, most disastrous was Sir John Franklin's. Like many another, it ended in starvation and cannibalism. Every one of his 129 men died.
Franklin, who died in 1847, led the biggest, best supplied and most modern exploration up to that time. While scurvy and starvation were the main killers of premodern explorers (with battles with natives a distant second), Franklin had ships full of canned provisions.
Archaeologists, testing frozen bones and hair, suspect that the lead in the solder on the cans slowly deranged the Franklin group, making them incapable of making sensible decisions. Nevertheless, some of them made heroic efforts to carry large boats across miles and miles of tundra to reach open water.
Searching for Franklin became an international mania, and the last links of the passage were discovered by these adventurers.
Roald Amundsen eventually sailed through the passage, but the first commercial attempt came only in 1969, when the tanker Manhattan was sent through to see if Alaskan North Slope crude oil could be shipped out. Even though the alternative (the Alyeska pipeline) cost $10 billion, that was a better deal than using the fabled Northwest Passage.
The irony is that today cruise ships carry tourists far into the Northwest Passage, in comfort and safety.
Delgado tells these stirring tales in matter-of-fact fashion.
Most accounts of Arctic explorations tell of the mysterious fascination that keeps drawing men back even though they nearly died the first, second or third time. Nothing of this grandeur and mysticism finds its way into "Across the Top of the World."
What it does have is hundreds of excellent illustrations, both engravings from old accounts and color photographs of old maps and all sorts of archaeological discoveries.

I found this book a very interesting read. The photos were wonderful. It covers the varied expeditions on the quest for the Northwest Passage. Lots of people lost their lives and ultimately it was not, of course, a really usable shipping route.

The Franklin expedition and the various search parties is well covered. The one existing daguerotype of Franklin, which I had not seen, is included, as are the recent discoveries and theories about what happened.

At a bargain price, this is a nice gift book. Mine came without the tell tale black "bargain stripe" on the spine.

Wondrously illustrated with photographs, artwork, and maps, James Delgado's Across the Top Of The World: The Quest For The Northwest Passage tells of the courageous yet ultimately doomed search for a Northwest Passage across the North American continent. From the Frobisher party in 1547 to the first successful navigation in 1903-6, to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police schooner that set the stage for modern exploration using icebreakers, this historical volume portrays the pain, the toll, the struggle, and the quest of man vs. nature in absolute detail. The narrative text is exhaustively researched and so detailed as to metaphorically transport the reader along with the famous journeys. Across The Top Of The World is enthusiastically recommended public library American history collections and for anyone with a keen interest in this fascinating part of American history.

The Norsemen may have been the first to attempt this passage but they were certainly not the last. Over 300 years of trials and bitter, freezing failures were to come and go before Norwegian Roald Amundsen finally conquered the passage in the early 20th century. It is not a coincidence that the only other undiscovered lands and the last of the remaining great adventures was also in a snowy, bitter climate - Shackleton's voyage to the Antarctic on the 'Endurance' was taking place at about the same time.

Disimilar to other 'popular history' books, this one does not have the same easy, flowing, narrative style but what it does differently and better than other pop histories is give details. Here you learn all that you could possibly want to know about every unfortunate mission that unsuccessfully sought the Nortwest passage. Crammed with maps, photos and illustrations it's all here. The little sidebar descriptions - mini biographies- of many of the explorers is a nice feature.

This book has the capacity to touch you intellectually and emotionally. It is a well written book on explorers and exploration. This book brings to life those searching for the Northwest Passage. Their struggles and hardships are well documented.

I loaned this book to a friend, who is somewhat of a stoic, and inquired how he liked it. He responded the book brought tears to his eyes. He was able to clearly envision the hardships these people endured. Amazingly, they willingly faced those hardships again to assist others.

This book takes you to a time when extrodinary hardships were dealt with as a fact of life.