United Kingdom Books

A comprehensive and detailed account of the heavy migration from German-speaking areas of Central Europe, and from Ireland, during the l8th Century. It is heavy with facts and statistics regarding the above subjects, including many charts, tables, and an appendix of all known German voyages during the period. Professor Wokeck has obviously done a lot of work researching and analyzing all the available information. She has also spent more than a little time establishing new estimates of the numbers of persons involved in the above migrations, estimates that will most likely be considered the most authoritative for many years to come.

How did tens of thousands of Germans and Irish arrive in America before the War for Independence?

How did they decide on the journey? What factors turned their heads westward instead of to the eastern settlement schemes of Prussia, or the Austrian or Russian empires? Where did they get their advice from? Who led the Germans down the Rhine? How were they collected for trans-Atlantic shipment? Which middlemen profited from (or exploited) the "trade in strangers"? What were the costs of their passage? How were they received in the valley of the Delaware?

This scholarly book addresses the earliest trans-Atlantic mass migration to North America - those immigrants from southwestern Germany and northern Ireland who arrived prior to 1775. It answers the above questions and many more.

Our immigrant ancestors didn't just jump on a boat one day and arrive in the New World many weeks later without an entire system of personal and commercial contacts, information flows, and market forces to facilitate their passage. The huge influx of Germans prior to the Revolution followed a very complex chain of immigration which ensured that ships sailing to Philadelphia from ports in Holland carried "Redemptioners" rather than mere ballast. This book is primarily focused on their experiences.

The later and lesser pre-1775 Irish immigration differed significantly from the German experience both in immigrant composition and geographic mix between the northern counties and the southern counties of Ireland. Elements of the both the German immigrant trade and the Irish immigrant trade prior to the Revolution set the pattern for all later migration in the 1800s.

If you have Palatine, Swiss, or other German ancestors who landed in Philadelphia prior to 1775, this work is a fascinating study in understanding what they were up against - the "system" that moved them and the challenges they faced within that system.

Using both first-hand accounts and statistical analysis of diverse sources and studies, "Trade in Strangers" is an excellent way to understand early German and Irish immigration into the New World. Its focus is primarily the German immigration into the port of Philadelphia but it does mention why other destinations in America were less successful at attracting these immigrants. The smaller Irish immigration prior to 1775 is dealt with to a lesser extent and is mostly used as contrast for comparison to the simultaneous German immigration.

The elements of the system of immigration to America which were to remain constant until at least 1924 are highlighted because they were first used to channel these two early immigrant streams from Germany and Ireland.

This is a thoroughly-researched and well-written book. Historians of the American colonial experience, students of immigration, and family historians may all profit from reading this.

As an amateur genealogist and family researcher I have had many questions on the mechanics of how my ancestors made their voyage from Nassau (Germany) to Pennsylvania in the 18th Century. Most sources skip over these details. However, to understand the challenge they faced, one must know these details. Wokeck has mastered many documentary sources on both sides of the Atlantic to provide the definative answers to such questions. She also explores how these early mass migrations of Germans and Irish provided a model for the later and better known 19th Century migrations. To understand how we became Americans all of use must understand the immigrant experience. That experience began with the subject of this book: the development of the transportation of European migrants into a successful business enterprise. It began small, sporadic, and experimental and became a mass commercial enterprise which was both efficient and profitable. The text and the cited sources are invaluable. I was exhilarated after reading it. It has renewed my enthusiasm for my research at a time it was in the doldrums. Any person with a 'Palatine' ancestry should consider this a 'must read.'

Also recommended: A Tide of Alien Tongues, Marrianne Wokeck (1982)

I loved this book because it so personalized. Instead of just describing the regular tourist stops of, say, Windsor Castle, Ms. Cranford recounts her personal experiences while traveling, including meals, hotels, shops, taxi drivers and more. She shows the wonders and the warts of her trip. She shares lots of tips to make your own trip easier. Even if you never plan to travel, reading Ms. Cranford's book will make you feel as though you were on the trip she took. I look forward to book two in this series of personal travels.

Ms. Cranford has written a delightful travel book--warm, personal, informative, and fun. The pen and ink illustrations, of which there are many, are beautiful and add to the text descriptions. Anyone who travels or wants to travel or enjoys reading about traveling will enjoy this book. A great gift for the holidays or special occasions.

TRAVELS was a very enjoyable and easily readable story with interesting hand-drawn images and a clever use of historical quotes throughout. To me it was more than just a story of a couples travels through Europe, but rather it was neat to see how a couple traveled together. What I liked the most was that The Cranfords appear to have developed a balance between "winging it" and "sticking to an itinerary"; something that I think is difficult for many people(including me) to achieve. Again, this introduction to Euro-travel is quite nice and makes for an easy read on a quiet rainy day.

The Gold/Silver debates of the 19th Century and British Imperial power made the emerging US industrial nation react like Germany demanding "a place in the sun". Germany mortally wounded Britain's Empire through the First War; and the US sabotaged the Peace through Wilson's 14 Points being met and the US failing to stick around to enforce them; thus inviting Germany to demand 'Self-Determination'for Sudetenland, Saarland, Danzig, Bohemia.....and unravelling those new countries re-born at Versailles.

Britain, hobbled by War Debt was forced to concede on Ireland (De Valera being American) as Harding/Coolidge America demanded repayment from an enfeebled Britain and its incompetent 1920s Finance Minister, Winston Churchill.

Devaluation in 1931 and the disintegration of France brought Germany with its ally Russia back to the top table, and the successful Finance Minister, Chamberlain became the unsuccessful Prime Minister trying to match Foreign Policy to economic status...with a France trying to welch on its treaties to the East, and trying to involve Britain in the fallout....while the US stood aloof convinced Britain was too wily for the boys from the farm......where America could have led, she invented shadows; and the dying Imperial Power faced Japan, Italy, and Germany as potentially hostile.....alone.

The book is thorough and outlines how American obession with Empire and failure to see its stabilising aspects led them to saw at the pillars of the world order, as the demons of miliary expansionism prepared to plunge the world into war. Where American politicians saw British hyperpower; Italy and Japan and German saw a decadent empire ready for toppling........and thousands of GIs saw the consequences of US failure to bolster fading British power, rather than trying to undermine it and make a world safe for dictators.....then on 1st Sept 1939 Germany invaded Poland; 2nd Sept US declared neutrality; 3rd Sept at 11am Britain at War; 5pm France at War.

Dr. Moser writes compellingly about the resurgence of Anglophobia in the United States between the two world wars. He writes with style and the story he weaves is an interesting portrait of the various groups that looked with scorn and fear upon a British empire in its twilight.

German- and Irish-Americans loathed the British. American liberals saw the British as imperialistic. American isolationists, a term Moser is uncomfortable using, were wary of any British attempts to drag Americans into a European affairs.

The author is able to find Anglophobia as late as 1945. Although some historians may claim the author has found Anglophobia around every corner, Moser has the facts to support his argument.

An important contribution to interwar diplomatic and political history, _Twisting the Lion's Tail_ is a sign that important, archival research is still being done with skill and panache.

Excerpted from the Sunday London Times, February 14, 1999 edition that prints a review by Robert Anson:

The Sunday Times (London), February 14, 1999

BOOKS: HISTORY

Uncle Sam's venom

Robert Sam Anson

As John E Moser's book opens in 1921, America is preparing for Armageddon against the British. In Congress, where Britain is termed "a red pox spreading across the Pacific", there are calls for the United States to "seize maritime control of the world". "We are nearer war today than ever before," an admiral warns. As war fever mounts, a bestselling tome declares, "We were Britain's colony once. She will be our colony before she is done."

It sounds like an especially fanciful Tom Clancy novel. But every word is true. All this happened in the US during the 1920s, and there would be years more of fear, loathing and near-catastrophe before the cold war finally locked "the cousins" in potentially permanent embrace. How dangerously lunatic those times were is a subject English-speakers on both sides of the Atlantic have done their understandable best to forget.

It is precisely that which makes this book so startling, and (for anyone who cares about the continued health of the "special relationship") so necessary. Written by an American professor in a style blessedly unacademic, this slender, fast-paced volume is a rarity among histories. Not only does it add to understanding, it supplies knowledge where there was almost none.

...

Just as important, and making for some of Moser's most eye-popping paragraphs, was the role played by an ideological grab-bag of late-1930s opinion-makers, set on convincing the public that Britain was not appeasing Hitler, but joining in common cause with him.

...

Ever since, Moser writes, America's dealings with the outside world have been a chronic contradiction: moral, selfless and naive one moment; immoral, selfish, and calculating the next. The one constant has been a need for a foe personifying utter wickedness. Britain has filled the requirement, as have Mexico, Spain, Germany, Japan, China, Vietnam, the Soviet Union, Libya, Iran and now Iraq. Putting down this marvellous, disturbing book, one wonders why, with all the tragedy and mayhem that have been the consequence, lessons are never learnt. One wonders, too, whether the list of America's enemies will ever end. Probably not. There's always the French.

Like other books by Richard Van Emden, this collection was totally enjoyable. The author, similar to Brown, Macdonald, Arthur and others, has the great ability to allow the reader to nearly experience the Great War through the eyes of those who fought it. The emotions, fears, feelings of those soldiers and civilians are captured in a magnificent way in this book.

Having watched the television documentary series, reading the book was a welcome addition and a possession that I will always treasure.

As the years go by, these veterans now in their 90's and many aged 100 plus, are becoming fewer and fewer.

Their experiences so excellently documented here are a fitting epitaph to those no longer able to tell their incredible stories.

The vivid recollections of the experiences in the trenches, at the front, going over the top and seeing so many of their comrades slaughtered are heart-rending.

The individual accounts of these heroes portrayed here relate to one of the most catastrophic and traumatic conflicts in history. A conflict that will soon be beyond living memory. These personal stories are a priceless memory and testament of what occurred in order that we might live in freedom.

With the dawning of the new century, the memories of the Great War will be just that. The authors of "Veterans: The Last Survivors of the Great War" have painstakingly sought out those remaining men and women who fought in World War I, and uses their words and memories to paint the picture of the reality of the experience.

The memories are grouped by chapters which makes it easy to use for quick reference or personal interest. Each chapter contains stories, quotations, and memories from soldiers who fought in the trenches, nurses, or those who waited at home. Each chapter incorporates a variety of memories, not just soldier's memories.

As the horror of that War may fade in our memories, this book will serve to remind us of what was endured by so many as told in their own words.

I've read almost every book in print on London social history, so I thought no author could hold my attention on this topic, yet Liza Picard's book was a delight to read, as she put a new spin on well-tread ground.

The author covers every conceivable aspect: the infrastructure, daily lives of all social classes, and every other topic you can think of. Liza Picard puts a special emphasis on the perspective of Victorian women. This was an era when the only way a woman could have a reasonable life was to marry someone who could support her; women defined "a good marriage" far more generously than they do today. The options open to an unmarried woman - even a well-educated woman - were incredibly bleak.

Every chapter provides unexpected tidbits of historical trivia, such as the fact that London homes had a mail delivery every hour for twelve hours per day, which also gives a clue about the typical workday. In this book, no leaf has been left unturned, yet the prose flows very smoothly in a tightly organized structure. The 23 chapter headings are: Smells [sewers], river, streets, railways, buildings, practicalities, destitution, working class, middle class, upper class, domestic service, houses, food, clothes, health, amusements, The Great Exhibition, The Crystal Palace, education, women, crimes, religion, and death. There are 45 illustrations, mostly period drawings, some in color.

Ms. Picard is 79 at this time, and the biographical blurb says this completes her series of four books on London social history. Surely she isn't thinking of retirement? There is plenty of scope for a fifth book and beyond.

This is the fourth book the author has written on the history of London. The others dealt with Elizabethan, Restoration, and Dr. Johnson's London. Much as its predecessors, this volume on early Victorian London is a treasure and a delight to read. While the author focuses upon some of the physical aspects of the city (i.e., rivers, streets, buildings), the book really is much more concerned with the daily life of the city during the (1840-1870) period, and that is its great strength. Therefore, there are chapters for example on poverty, the class system, domestic service (a hard way to go), houses and gardens, food, clothing (surprisingly interesting), health, the Crystal Palace exhibition, education, religion and death. The author's research is extensive and she really knows the city. Her discussion is very informal and breezy to read--almost as if one were sitting across from her at tea time. The abundant illustrations add greatly to the narrative. This is apparently the finale of her series--this is too bad, for volumes on the late Victorian and Edwardian periods would have been of great value as well.

Long awaited,finally published,immediately ordered-I LOVE IT !
As with Picard's three earlier works,the amount of total immersion in the period,that the reader can experience,is a quality hallmark.
I can,without too much trouble,read textbooks on these subjects,but,as I am not professinally engaged in history-why should I?
Picard's approach is a lot more fun,her fine british humour,her understatements,but also her undisputable knowledge and perfectionism,make this a worthy pillar in her hitherto published work.
It is pure,undiluted JOY !

Unfortunately for book lovers, the earlier editions of this book have been cut up so the handsome plates showing the plans and elevations of stately English country houses could be framed and displayed as interior decoration. This book, a replica of the original contents, provides a valuable reference for those who appreciate a resource of classical architecture at an affordable price.

Anyone interested in domestic architecture, especially 18th century British, must have this book. I once priced the original (published in the 1700's)--it goes for about $20,000! That makes this a pretty good deal.

It's been a long wait; as the previous reviewer pointed out, until recently any one interested in this greatest classic of English architecture would have needed to deplete his bank savings in order to get a copy. Fortunately Dover (who else?) finally issued this beautiful reprint of the complete three volumes of Vitruvius Britannicus. For anyone interested in 18th century architecture or the English country house, there can be no greater delight - the reader, as Mr. Campbell in his introduction says he hopes, is indeed 'agreeably entertained' with a rich array of elevations, floor plans, interiors and perspective views. All the greatest houses (Chatsworth, Blenheim, Castle Howard, Grimsthorpe, Drumlanrig, Houghton) are featured, as are many more modest ones, and some that were never actually built, were dramatically changed in later years, or were lost altogether (Lowther castle seems a particular painful specimen of the latter category, by the look of it). In addition, several public buildings (e.g. the Royal Hospital in Greenwich), as well as St. Paul's cathedral and, somewhat incongruously, St. Peter's in Rome, are portrayed. The plates allow detailed study of the composition, proportions and decoration of these masterworks.

As always, Dover also provides the full text of the original, which allows interesting insights into the social world of the early 1700s. The introduction, in which Campbell scolds Borromini for 'debauching mankind with his odd and chimerical beauties', and proudly proclaims Britain at least the equal of Italy in matters of architecture, is an entertainment in itself. The lists of subscribers show that no fashionable nobleman of the time could afford to go without his own copy.

The plates are clearly and beautifully reproduced, on lightly cream-colored paper, without blemishes. My only niggle concerns the two-page spreads, of Castle Howard and Blenheim for instance, where inevitably the centerpiece of the composition is lost in the center fold of the book. Otherwise this is as good as it gets.

According to Clausewitz, an understanding of war cannot be meaningfully divorced from political life. Indeed, he maintains, whenever we attempt to do so, the many links connecting the two phenomena are lost and we are left virtually bereft of understanding. One of the several virtues in this tightly argued and scholarly tome by Stanford professor Hein Goemans is its meticulous and careful consideration of empirical evidence in assessing the interaction and influence of such interrelated factors in what he refers to as "war termination". Using the massive data concerning what specific factors helped to finally bring an end to the First World War to create a fascinating case study, Goemans marshals an articulate and convincing argument regarding the fashion in which these mutually reinforcing factors come to bear on the progress toward cessation of hostilities.

Goemans' thesis proceeds from a simple yet provocative premise; that leaders decide to either prosecute or cease fighting at least partly based on how the terms of settlement affect their postwar fate. The author argues that the belligerents make an initial assessment of their chances to succeed in their war aims based on what they learn from their engagements with the enemy, and that such battlefield assessment is a critical factor in determining what is possible in terms of settling the hostilities. He shows how different kinds of regimes blend this assessment with both their understanding of the international structure they are operating within as well as with their own domestic political considerations. According to the author, war settlement is only possible when a situation he refers to as "bargaining space" develops, i.e., both sides come to similar conclusions regarding the likely outcome as well as the advantages of settling now rather than later.

Goemans is at his best when arguing for a more sophisticated appreciation for how this multiplicity of factors interacts in a dynamic setting that is "realpolitik", and demonstrates how such mutually reinforcing factors influence the war goals and determination of future action by individual belligerents. For example, in a telling example Hoemans illustrates that in spite of a stunning defeat at Verdun, the French decided to escalate their war aims; their collective faith in the personal capabilities of Robert Nivelle were so great that they expected to gain the advantage despite all the setbacks. Likewise, his consideration of how domestic political circumstances and the subjective reading of the international situation by both German and Russian officials influenced the course and outcome of the war.

His scholarly approach as well as an unfortunate tendency toward continuing use of very carefully constructed terms and phrases may at times seem a bit repetitive and initially a bit off-putting to the general reader, yet understanding the academic tone of the book, seems perfectly understandable. The author is, after all, writing a book for other academics rather than for a general audience, even though I'm confident that many serious students of military history will find this particular academic book a fascinating and useful read. When all is said and done, this is a very interesting book, and it is one I highly recommend to those students of military history who appreciate the amazingly complex interaction of a welter of factors in determining the onset, progress, and termination of war.

It is the height of hubris to think that you can write something new, interesting, and important on the subject of war. Armed conflict has been at the center of discussion, writing, and study as far back as there has been writing. But Goemans has actually done it. This book is provocative, timely, and timeless. It should be read by anyone who is interested in war, peace, or history. (The case studies on World War I are easily worth the price of the book whatever you think of the main thesis!)

Goemans has written a remarkable book. He offers a new answer to an oft overlooked question: why do wars continue and why do they stop? This question is all the more important because, as he points out, theories on the causes of war often try to predict why a war broke out, amounting perhaps to an explanation of the first shots fired, or first day a border is crossed. Intuitively, however, this is not why the study of war has such a prominent place in International Relations. Rather, it is the enormous amount of destruction, the lives lost, the cities and towns ruined that make war such a compelling subject. These horrific consequences of war, however, are not explained by any explanations of when first shots were fired, or when borders were first crossed, but must be explained by answering the question what made the war go on! Moreover, as he points out, an understanding of the causes of war termination might be logically prior to any understanding of the causes of war initiation. After all, leaders think about war and its consequences before they decide to get involved. The book also does an admirable job at generating new hypotheses; to pick just one, he presents a novel explanation for why countries sometimes choose to employ risky military strategies. One of the most important strengths of the book is that it does not just pay lip service to different methodological aproaches, but indeed integrates insights from rational choice, quantitative analysis and in-depth case studies. Overall, this is a remarkably ambitious book in many respects; even more remarkable is that Goemans actually pulls it off.

Some years ago author Martin Bowman published BATTLES WITH THE LUFTWAFFE, a battle history of the 8th Air Force at war. This book gives us the rest of the story, the story of the 8th AF in England and its impact on the English people and culture and vice versa.

Though Bowman includes several chapters on 8th AF combat operations, the bulk of the book consists of reminiscences by 8th AF vets and English men and women on the 8th AF arriving in England, first encounters, English vs. American language and customs, wartime romances, American impressions of London, etc. Most of the reminiscences are fairly brief but poignant nevertheless. The narrative is complemented by black & white and color photos from the 1940s and present day shots.

It's all very sweet and affectionate; a nice, nostalgic memory book of simpler times when ordinary men and women accomplished extraordinary things - despite the language barrier!

I found a copy of this book on sale and quickly purchased it after reading a few pages.

It is quite the joy in its insightful coverage of the life of american airmen of the 8th airforce and those who knew them in Britain. Also covers their missions and the fate of those shot down.

A must have for those interested in this peticular part of history as well as those interested in this period.

The book focuses on a rarely touched on topic of everyday life in wartime England from the American GI's to the British local's point of view. With stunning new colour photographs never before seen, Martin takes us back in time to an era when the Yanks were "over-paid, over-sexed and over-here" We read accounts of what life was really like off battlefields during R&R in such cities as London, Cambridge and Edingburgh. We visit such airfields as Wendling home of the 392nd BG, Shipdham, Thorpe Abbots and many more. Includes stunning 'Wall Art' photos that reflect a era long since gone. Many people have contibuted with diary extracts, poems, photographs and recollections of an era long gone. A 'must have' for anybody having an interest in this period of time.

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.