Europe Books

Take a lonely foreign writer obsessed with a forbidden and doomed love affair perambulating about an old wounded Italian city and Thomas Mann scribbling away at the Hotel des Bains on the Lido comes to mind. But this is not "Death in Venice," this is Dan Hofstadter in his love song to Naples. The writing is exquisite; descriptions jump off the page, metaphors burst with color and verve, the characters are thoroughly unique and the dialogue fascinatingly original. Fact or fiction? One does not care. This is a charming book.

There is no need to repeat the well deserved compliments offered by other reviewers. He truly is a skilled writer.
But how far can I trust an author who demonstrates so little insight into his own behavior as he encountered the main love interest of the story. By his own telling he was apparently consistently unable to communicate emotionally and connect deeply with his romantic companion.

My only impression of Naples was a sun-filled afternoon many years ago while on a tour of nearby Pompeii and Sorrento. This book conjured those memories for me and made me want to go back and stay longer.
A delightful book, far more than a travelogue. Highly recommended!!!!

I loved this book. The author writes of Naples and its colorful characters with such affection and clarity. I could picture each of them and almost hear them talking and gesturing (especially the praying hands) in their unique Neapolitan manner. The author describes the streets and buildings so vividly that I felt like I was tagging along on his visits. I felt like I knew Benedetta and Nunzia, even Renzo, and I was truly sad when the book ended.

As I got to know these brave and sad people in this city so often invaded or occupied, I understood so well why my beloved mom and her family were so proud of their Neapolitan roots. On a family trip to Italy some years ago, my mom quickly picked up the Italian language of her youth. Many people complimented her and said she sounded like she was "from the North." On the contrary, she would reply proudly, "Sono Napolitana." This book helped me to understand the origin of that pride.

This book is absorbing and fascinating in content, in addition to being extremely well written. It's full of insights into problematical personal relationships, and also into perhaps the ultimate, complicated personal relationship: that between a foreigner and the city with which (and in which) he falls in love.

Naples is my least favorite among Italian cities, and this author didn't convince me to go there, but he presents Naples and its inhabitants most vividly, in all their complexity and ambiguity. While many foreign memoirists, and even ex-pats like the insufferable Frances Mayes, remain on the surface of the societies where they take up residence, confining their contacts mainly to other foreigners and treating most Italians as servants, Hofstadter lives and loves among the ordinary people of Naples, sharing their discomforts as well as their pleasures. His title is understandable, too--the "falling palace" that appears in one of his dreams is a metaphor of Naples itself-- always falling apart and yet never destroyed.

From the remarkably eloquent foreword to the beautifully drawn and written stories, each page of this graphic novel shines. The narratives are subtle and Chekhovian in their ability to evoke emotion and mood. They're also just plain funny. A must-read, especially for anyone who's spent time out of U.S.

The humour in this intimately-written graphic novel hits home with its baldly honest, personal stories. Like others, I didn't want the book to end, and found myself slowing the read by spending extra time with the expressive and fabulously rendered comic panels. Very entertaining & excellent to pass on to friends.

What a lovely book! The title conveys the sense perfectly. These finely drawn stories capture the moments any traveller will recognize, when throwing yourself at the mercy of the world leaves you exposed not only to things mind-blowingly new but also to your own template--sensory memories, childhood perceptions, early hurts and wonderings. Any reader who is interested in travel will appreciate this book, whether or not she usually likes comics. A FEW PERFECT HOURS works on so many levels, I've found myself leaving it out and turning to it again and again.

"A Few Perfect Hours" isn't the kind of work you can easily peg: A graphic novel, it's also the kind of compelling travel writing that takes you on a journey both inside and beyond yourself, to off-the-beaten-path adventures in countries that no longer exist precisely the way they did when Josh & his wife Sari once traveled the globe. The result is a journey in time as well as one between borders. With pieces ranging from humorous to thought-provoking, Neufeld shows he is as capable of fascinating us with his writing as he is with his illustrations. Both bear up to several visits. In fact, it might be worth reading the whole book through once for the stories, again for the visuals, and at least once more to explore how the two interact.

A tip-off to the care he took inside, Neufeld packaged his work in an impressive form (paper, ink, and front and back matter) that makes "A Few Perfect Hours" a beautiful book that stands apart on the shelf. The result is a very readable, rewarding graphic novel that would be equally perfect tucked in a backpack or lying on a coffeetable.

Much will be (and has already been) said about Josh Neufeld's journey -- spiritual, emotional, physical, and otherwise -- as he depicts it in this insightful compilation (and indeed it is highly satisfying for a reader to observe -- as a voyeur safely removed from the frequent moral quandaries one faces when travelling abroad -- Josh's struggles while schlepping his American-bred presumptions around the globe). But as gratifying as these anecdotes might be, what really stikes me the most is his journey as an artist. Here is not simply the chronicles of a young man and his adventures in a comic book format, it's also the chronicles of an artist: years of experimentation, study, and refining a singular vision and style. This book did not happen overnight. Look closely, and you'll recognize the Life of The Comic Book Artist -- hidden behind the stories, Josh has provided us with a glimpse of how much art and an artist can change over time, even if ever so subtly. Having read much of his other works, I can now appreciate even more the times he has discussed his stylistic choices, because this book contains it all -- the whole kit and caboodle at my fingertips. So, keeping in mind Josh's own self-analyses from earlier years, I can now smile and laugh even harder when I see Josh in a tight bodysuit or Sari's tiny little feet (p. 61, "How to Star in a Singaporean Soap Opera"). Hergé would be proud...

A unique blend of introspection,philosophy, WWII adventure, and aviation.

In this autobiogrpahical tale, Antoine de Saint-Exupery ruminates at length upon the situation of men within mankind, France's gallant but failing war effort, and the general context of a life lived meaningfully. He includes relationship to God. He provides specific illustrations within the context of his occupation as a pilot in the French air corps. AND . . . incredibly, he narrates most of this story while at the controls of a French military reconnaisance aircraft on a seemingly hopeless mission to Arras and back.

As St-Ex is wont to do, he flits back and forth between his reflections on life, and the current situation piloting the aircraft. The effect in fascinating, dealing with his inner thoughts while on this hopeless mission, for example describing his feeling of old age as he starves for oxygen at high altitude, fighting against his frozen controls. There is tense combat, described at one point as, flying into a "wall of brass".

On a few occasions the heavy introspection came close to losing me. I suspect that the translation from the French contributed to this, although the Lewis Galantiere translation that I read was generally nicely done.

Great writing . . . adventure . . . thoughtfulness . . . history. Does he make it back to home base? I won't ruin it for you. His writing indicates that in a way, he "found himself" while on this sortie. I will add that, as recorded in history, Saint-Exupery died when his P-38 reconnaisance plane went down in 1943, returning from a mission.

How can an author do better than "The Little Prince"? He can't. And once the dull reader--myself--accepts that, Saint-Exupery's other wonderful books become what they are meant to be: special gifts from a memorable writer.
Read "Flight to Arras" to learn about the nature of warfare, the nature of defeat and, in the midst of all this overwhelming distress, the importance of the individual.

It took more than one try for me to really get into Flight to Arras. Saint-Exupery is not the easiest of writers to follow, despite a superb writing style, because of being so deep into philosophy. And, once I did finally reach the point of being ready for this book, I was astounded. Absolutely! As always, St-Exupery taught me So Much.


To anyone who likes Saint-Exupery and wants to read this, I would say: Go for it. Don't force yourself through it, though. Wait until you're really at the place where this book will take to you, on its own.

In this autobiographical story, Saint-Ex tells of the already lost battle he found himself in during 1940 in desperate, war-torn France. He and his crew get sent on a hopeless reconnoissance flight mission over the burning City of Arras. Faced with almost certain imminent death, he is brought to the point of where he can't help but ask himself: "Where's the sense in all this? What am I doing? Why am I doing this?" And as we live through the harrowing experience with him, he lets us see into his heart and mind as he tries to find some answers.. What he comes up with is defined by solid thought resulting from acute observation (Metaphysics my foot!) of man and mankind, certainly more poignant now than ever and therefore surely timeless... And since it's Saint-Ex who relates all this in his unique humble-but-not-so-humble and profoundly human style, this is not only an exciting read about a dangerous time, but it is infused with charme and humour like some superb wine with its unique flavour and aroma. A great little book by a great man.

the book is st.-ex's thoughts and reflections as he flies a suicide recon mission during WW2. it is not an action novel, but does have some exiting parts to it. it is a thoughtful look at life. the book is not just an interesting look into the mind of someone on a doomed mission, but is motivating, thougth provoking and insightful, and has some great lines to live by. i liked it better than his other book wind, sand and stars, and my copy is all marked up and highlighted and i refer back to it often. i would reccommend this book without hesitation.

The book is an excellent introduction to the Persian Empire; the world's first true empire. From developing new forms of political administration, building roads that would inspire Rome, fromulating monotheism and fostering cultural tolerance, the Persians were innovators in every sense of the word. Sadly this world is all too often forgotten or only mentioned in passing. This is an excellent beginning for anyone interested in the history of Iran, whose people trace their roots- both ethnically and culturally- to the world of ancient Persia.

I have the Catalog of the British Museum Exhibition: "Forgotten Empire, the world of Ancient Persia" by the same authors. This book's text is essentially the same as the text in the catalog. The exhibition, and this book, mark a turning point in our appreciation of the legacy of the Ancient Persians in 'western' civilization. For too long the Greek texts colored western opinions of the Persians. This consise, clear, well-reasoned study begins to correct that biass. Oh - and the illustrations are exquisite!

This large and attractive book is the work of two scholars from the Department of the Ancient Near East at the British Museum - John Curtis, the Keeper of the Department, and Nigel Tallis, his special assistant. It was created to accompany an exhibition of the museum's holding, and acts as something of a catalogue. But, it is so much more than that.

What this book really is is a history of Ancient Persia, illustrated with many colorful pictures of Persian artifacts. Many subjects are covered herein, ranging from a general history of Ancient Persia, through the royal table, religion, imperial administration, and transport and warfare. And last, but not least, is a chapter on the legacy of Ancient Persia.

Overall, I found this to be a very interesting book. It takes a very interesting look at certain subjects that are not adequately covered in most books - such as burial customs. Plus, I must say that the brightly colored pictures of the artifacts, such as Persian stamp- and cylinder-seals were worth the price of the book alone.

I think that this is an excellent book on Ancient Persia, one that is sure to please any student of ancient history.

The exhibition was absolutely wonderful with material from Louvre,British Museum,National Museum of Iran,my eyes were filled with tears as soon I walked into the exhibition rooms and I remembered my first visit to Persepolis(Parse) as a child.Cyrus the Great laid the foundation for an Empire based on tolerance for other cultures and traditions and the Great king and Persians demonstrated their desire for other nations to maintain their own ethnocultural traditions.I recommend this book specially to readers who wish to get the correct information contray to the repeated Macedonian propaganda and I hope this book will be available in Persian language for that group of my compatriot who have forgotten their glorious past.The name of the book describes my point of view.

I loved the book. There are hundreds of excellent quality photos, lots of descriptions, wonderful articles, and useful maps to help understanding the old Persia. It covers every aspect of life in ancient Persia: the government, the financial system and daily life. I have watched the photos every day and still want to watch them more. Articles are academically sound, easy to read and the book is well structured.

Another good thing about it is that, it reveals the bias introduced to the Ancient history by Greeks.

This is a very interesting story and well written. It makes you grateful for where you were fortunate enough to be born. The story of this family tells how it had to reinvent itself four times as it escaped communism and war. Highly recommended.

I would highly recomment Goodbye Stalin for anyone trying to get a better sense of Soviet repression in the Baltic nations and how innocent people were caught between the evils of Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. While author Sigrid von Bremen Thomas was a Baltic German who fled Estonia with her family as a child, her experiences mirror those of many Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians. This is a must read for children and grandchildren of refugees who want to better understand their parents' experiences.

We have read many nail-biting escape memoirs about escaping from the cold-hearted Nazis; here is a page-turner that reads like a novel about a world shattered by the pillaging and rape brought to successive countries by the Soviet Army. The memories of a young, beautiful daughter who later comes to the United States and marries Newsweek editor Rich Thomas are indelibly set down as a tribute to her father and, unwittingly, to herself. They are both people of rare courage and intelligence. This is a must read.

Goodbye Stalin chronicles the von Bremen family's travel from "feudal glory under the czars through revolution in 1817, then democracy in Estonia, Nazism in Poland during World War II, communism in East Germany, and finally freedom in West German and the United States." In traveling this tumultuous road the family lived through repeated losses of its holdings, possessions and stature.

It is a remarkable story, one not experienced by many and chronicled by fewer. It is told in a straightforward, highly readable chronology of escapes and recoveries that are truly fascinating and are told in an understated, compelling voice that makes the book very much of a page turner.

The most memorable story that emerges from a reading of the book is a fascinating impression of the author's father. He seems to have had an infinite capacity for adaptability, having moved the family through real peril again and again to reestablish it as a productive and relatively peaceful unit in some other place. As a trained agronomist his ability to identify agricultural opportunities and to take advantage of them might be expected, but his ability to keep his family intact in the face of war and an inflexible and demanding mother were extraordinary.

Perhaps there really are genes for adaptability. Perhaps noblesse oblige actually worked on von Bremen pere, for he exhibited resilience and resourcefulness to an extraordinary degree. Sigrid von Bremen Thomas, his daughter and the author, seems to have inherited or acquired the same traits, for she has shown extraordinary personal strength and flexibility in her life. One of the books several virtues is that it resists drawing conclusions about these traits, leaving the reader to consider their source and relative importance.

Goodbye Stalin is fascinating reading that engenders a great deal of introspection. It also leaves the reader with tremendous respect for its protagonists.

Critically important book about life as experienced on the ground in Stalin's Eastern Europe before, during and after the Second World War. Few accounts are as gripping and life affirming. Well read. Would be great to read outloud to one's children for them to understand just how good most Americans have it today and how so many others have had to fight and survive for what we take for granted.

I could scarcely imagine why this book turned up first on my page of recommendations from amazon. I checked the reasoning, using the convenient little clicker, and found that Bunyan was expected to appeal to me because I had reviewed "Gosta Berling's Saga." That, my friends, is firm evidence that computers are still short on intuition.

Fascinated, however, I read the eight reviews of this fairly obscure title, and found that they were all written by sincere believers in the strict Calvinist theology preached by John Bunyan in his lifetime, according to which we are all "sinners in the hands of an angry God" whose judgment passes our apprehension. According the Calvin and Bunyan, our 'works' and even our eagerness to be 'saved' is of no fundamnetal importance; as one reviewer writes, "we do not choose God; God chooses us." That's not a system of belief I find appealing, though I ought to be consoled by the idea that God might 'choose' me whether I like it or not.

Bunyan was a cogent writer, though his style takes acclimatization. This biography is a major document of English history, as sure a way to get a feel for bookish English Puritanism as the masques of Henry Purcell are for the other side, the party of the theater-loving Cavaliers. As such, it belongs on the shelf with other profound self-exposures - Augustine's, Cellini's, Rousseau's - but don't expect the man to be any more attractive than his fanatical faith. He was truly "an angry sinner in hands he thought were God's."

A lot of us are familiar with John Bunyan as the author of The Pilgrim's Progress, whose influence in Christendom is second to the Bible. Bunyan was a preacher, a prolific writer and a shining saint for God. However when we read this book we find out that he was an atheist and infidel in his youth, enjoying sin and rebellious towards God. Inwardly he suffered from tormented nightmares of demons and judgment, but outwardly he went on pretty much as any other sinner, taking delight in sin and being the ringleader of mischief. Several times he nearly lost his life, and even though there were several close calls, still he did not turn to God. After his marriage, he participated in religious activities, went through the motions of attending church and generally lived as he pleased, each time successfully shrugging off pangs of guilt. One day, after church, while playing a sport, a voice seemed to call out to him from heaven to his soul, which said, "Wilt thou leave thy sins and go to heaven, or have thy sins and go to hell?" Bunyan was convinced it was the Lord Jesus looking down on him in displeasure. What follows details his sinking into despair, his desparate attempts at working his way into God's good graces, and his struggles with temptation and doubt. In a strange sort of way, it is comforting to read about Bunyan's struggles and identify with them because you can see how he turned out so greatly used by God. He rationalized, made excuses and tried every way to justify himself. Bunyan did not try to gloss over his motivations but gave an honest account of his struggles from avowed sinner, to religious hypocrite before he was finally converted. He describes in great detail his doubts and despair, his yearning to be converted to Jesus Christ, and then being assured of his salvation by reading the Bible and praying. Reading this book will help you realize how God's grace can abound and save even the most wretched of sinners and gives us abounding hope.

This is the autobiography of John Bunyon and his life. It is about his life before and after Christ and the grace of God upon his life. John wrote this classic while in prison. He went to prison for preaching the gospel.

I've been looking forward to reading this book for years ever since I read Bunyan's classis Pilgrim's Progress, I've wanted to read Grace Abounding to learn more about his incredible man of faith. I also recently read The Hidden Smile of God by John Piper who introduces the reader to three incredible men of God including Bunyan. So actually reading the journey of Bunyan himself in his own words was thrilled...but difficult at the same time. Bunyan struggled greatly with the concept of grace; he wrestled with understanding how God's grace could be sufficient to save a sinner as great as he. Grace Abounding is a peering into the soul of Bunyan as he goes through this deep personal battle wanting to believe that God was able to cleanse him of all unrighteousness, but constantly confronted with the holiness of the divine.

Just over half way through the book, Bunyan surrenders to the will of God in his life. He finally and fully grasp that the grace of God was truly sufficient. Then his heart is set aflame to share this grace with others and he becomes one of the great preachers and writers of all time, even though he goes on to spend a dozen years confined to prison for preaching contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Personally, it was interesting to see the cultural battle Bunyan faced at the time looking back from my vantage 500 years later to see that America is the beneficiary of his great struggles with the prevailing church of the day. As Bunyan sat in prison, he wrote about the great journey from a metal worker to a pastor of the gospel of Christ - in allegory form for the Pilgrim's Progress and in autobiographical form in Grace Abounding.

I can understand why many believe this book is a classic - the thoughts and insights that Bunyan has into the Word of God were profound and significant. It was amazing to read how Scripture flowed through his mind irrigating every thought so that his life bore much fruit. I wouldn't recommend the book to a younger reader, it is a difficult read, but well worth the effort.

Grace Abounding....is an excellent autobiography of John Bunyan and his spiritual struggle to obtain assurance of his salvation in light if his belief that he had committed the unpardonable sin. Recommended to anyone who may be facing the same struggle with this question. Each paragraph of the text is numbered and, thus, it is easy to put the book down at any point and pick it back up later without losing train of thought. Since the book was written over 300 years ago, it is interesting to have insight into the thoughts of a Christian who lived during that time and to compare with current Christian thinking.

I couldn't put this book down. Every page, every line tells the truth behind the Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian conflict. All wars are complex and difficult to comprehend but Mr. Cohen helps us understand what happened just a few years ago. An accurate and eye-opening account. Some of the atrocities committed are so heinous, so vile as to bring us right back to images of the Third Reich. This is a very important work by a man who knows what he is talking about.

this is the book to read. Its absolutely fantastic. Roger Cohen has a very sharp pen. For me its not just enough to read the book myself, I want to buy other copies and give to friends.

After a few hundred pages, when your ability to read about another Balkans family and their plight begins to wane, Cohen presents some new detail in an individual life that forces you to refocus on how the war crushed people so much like Americans and so very European that the "ancient hatreds" argument becomes sickening. To read about a 16-year-old girl's Tom Cruise poster and her death by shelling is to realize how much the West failed. Compelling, brutal, depressing, and vital reading.

The destruction of Yugoslavia is not the easiest of subjects to fully comprehend. Cohen's informative and excellently written narrative is the best place to start. Cohen does more than just describe the events, he attempts to get beneath the surface to understand the psychology behind the unspeakable atrocities committed during the various wars. The trajedy of Yugoslavia cannot be understood without a recounting of the atrocities committed there during World War II, atrocities that largely went unpunished. All of this and more are recounted by Cohen in his very readable account. It is must reading for anyone interested in recent European history.

A big, passionate book by the New York Times correspondent, who has tried to pack everything into it: the Bosnian experience of the war (told through several family histories), the Western response and UN policy, and the historical background. Cohen argues well against the `ethnic hatreds' doctrine, but tends to substitute World War II hatreds instead. However, his analysis of UN failure, including evidence drawn from minutes of a high-level meeting held before the fall of Srebrenica, will be of lasting importance

This massive history, covering a thousand years of Roman history in 558 triple-size pages, is extremely thorough and marvellously rich. Broad in scope and scrupulous in detail, it is also very well written, a true classic of historical prose. Though several decades old the work never feels out of date. My only minute criticisms are for occasional typographical errors (like 'columm'), the rare awkwardness of style (problems with parallelism in particular), and a slightly abrasive attachment to favourite expressions ('pari passu' comes to mind). Nit-picking aside, however, the History is truly awe-inspiring opus. Highly recommended to anyone with a thirst for knowledge (yes, that means you!).

Furthermore ...

-Fails to take stock of the moral implications of gladiatorial contests for the Romans.

-Contains a crushing weight of detail regarding municipal organisation for the reader to skip.

-Contains very little on the end of the Empire and what followed it.

-Cary and Scullard are Empire apologists, claiming the Romans stumbled into possession of an empire they never wanted, while still being good enough to say they consistently laid down provocatively -- indeed unacceptably -- harsh pre-conflict terms of peace.

-Virtually ignores the beginnings of Christianity entirely (which may or may not be of passing interest even to a secular spiritualist, depending on whether or not you know).

Still and by far the best source for an introduction of Ancient Rome. Price is high but worth it!!!!

This extremely dense text is still head and shoulders above other contenders as the standard history of the rise and history of the roman empire. The authors thesis, that Rome never truly fell but evolved into the catholic church/feudal state is well defended with ample evidence.

What makes this book so extraordinary is the depth and breath of the subject matter covered. Military history, politics, technology, art, science, social development, trade, are all given ample coverage. While it can be quite dry, the reader is free to skip around reading only the subjects of interest. For the scholar or the curious, this is a must own text that will serve as a crucial guide and reference.

I have the 2nd Edition of this 1935 book. Having read and re-read this and Gibbon and Mommsen, it suddenly struck me that Cary offers a more succinct and incisive interpretation of the MEANING of each epoch in Roman history. He also disagrees markedly from others on the value/meaning of 'controversial' emperors (Nero, Domitian, Diocletian) which is very refreshing and well-stated. Frankly, if you want to get a good sense of the meaning of the History of Rome, read Cary first; then Mommsen, then Gibbon. Then, back to Cary. I wish this book were still in print. Don't let it go unread, if you are a Romanophile...

This book is very fun and imformative. It gives us information, but in a fun way...I recomend this book to anyone under the age of 13, and who enjoys history...if you get this book in school, dont be scared it is fun!

I love the writing in this series, it's such a pleasure to read, I wonder why are so many other textbooks so boring?

I'd love to give it five stars, except that there are recurring themes I find grating - some of her "fan club for the US government" stuff is just in totally inappropriate places. For instance, "American slavery was a horror. We should never pretend it was anything else. But the American system of government lets us correct mistakes. When you study history you see we usually do. Of that we can be proud." Gag me with a spoon, slavery was not abolished until more than 240 years after the first slave was delivered in 1619! Hakim does such a great job of fairly telling the story, why ruin it?

Another place I found disappointing was the perpetuation of the myth that the first settlers at Plymouth were called "Pilgrims" and that the Europeans started Thanksgiving. She has a box on Thanksgiving saying the story of the first Thanksgiving is a "real turkey", lists some other European Thanksgiving celebrations, and then neglects to mention that the Indians had been conducting Thanksgiving celebrations at harvest time for generations. I'd love to see someone do such a great job TELLING the story, who could also not perpetuate those irritating little false stories that schoolchildren are always taught.

Gosh, this doesn't sound like the positive review I inteded, but I see others have already told the good stuff. It's wonderfully well written!

I just borrowed this book from the library and now plan to buy the whole set. As a home schooling parent, I am always struggling to find quality materials and this series is just that. Hakim's books are easy to read and comprehend. Most importantly, they give a realistic view of history, not the politically correct one so often taught.

As I teach my children U.S. history, I want them to know that, yes, the white people were sometimes violent and unfair to the Native Americans, but some Native Americans were that way too. Before the Europeans came, they kidnapped and killed each other. I want my kids to know the whole truth and these books are very fair. No matter what the race, some people are good and some are not.

I highly recommend these books for teaching history to children and even adults.

"Making Thirteen Colonies: 1600-1740" is the second volume in Joy Hakim's "A History of US." The first volume covered how the first Americans crossed over from Asia to become Indians and the first Europeans, mainly the Spanish but also the French and English, began settling the New World. This volume focuses on the narrow string of settlements established by the English that became the thirteen colonies whose people began moving westward and who also started to question the relationship they had with England (there is a small amount of overlap between this and the next volume, which covers period of American history from 1735-1791).

Hakim begins with a preface that looks at the vast mixture of ideas that were brought over from the Mediterranean world and took root in the Americas. Along with the first chapter, which talks about the comet that appeared in 1607 as a portent of great changes for the world, this preface sets up several key themes that will be revisited throughout this and future volumes. "Making Thirteen Colonies" has 42 chapters and it the book is divided into five main sections. The first (chapters 2-12) tells how English settlers came to stay by establishing the first permanent colony in Jamestown, Virginia. The second (chapters 13-23) looks primarily at the Puritans arriving in New England, although Hakim also touches on what was happening between the Indians and the Spanish in the southwest. The third section (chapters 24-30) tells about the mid-Atlantic colonies, most notably New Amsterdam/York and Pennsylvania. The fourth section (chapter 31-39) returns to the South, looking at not only Ole Virginny but also the two Carolinas and Georgia. This unit also looks at the Triangle Trade and other considerations that united the four southern and nine northern colonies. The final section (chapters 40-42) is a transitional unit, that looks at how the colonists began to move westward and the stage was set for the period of history that would make those thirteen colonies into a new nation.

One of the great advantages to writing a ten-volume history of the United States is that unlike most standard American history textbooks "A History of US" is able to clearly establish the unique identities of each of those original thirteen colonies. I recently finished reading an excellent series of books, each of which was devoted to an individual colony, and Hakim ends up being closer to those volumes than she does the standard textbook. Consequently, in addition to the traditional stories about Pocahontas and John Smith in Jamestown, William Penn and the Quakers of Pennsylvania, the Salem witch trials, Ben Franklin as the quintessential American, and Daniel Boone finding routes through the mountains, Hakim establishes an individual identity for each colony.

However, the main strength of this series is how Hakim engages young readers, the same way you would expect a "real" teacher to do in a "real" classroom. This shows up primarily in her ability to anticipate and answer questions that students might have (e.g., why the Indians were not enslaved). I can easily see why this series is popular with parents who are home schooling their children. The book is richly illustrated with dozens and dozens of historic paintings, etchings, drawings, maps, engravings, and assorted reproductions. The margins are crammed with interesting facts, definitions, and quotations, and features on topics such as Land Green and Africa: The Unknown Continent are sprinkled throughout the book. The After Words this time around are devoted to cartography and has some superb examples of 16h- and 17th-century maps. It is easily to see why this series has impressed so many people and why Hakim is able to get such good responses from young students who are used to getting their information from computers and the Internet.

"Making Thirteen Colonies: 1600-1740" is the second volume in Joy Hakim's "A History of US." The first volume covered how the first Americans crossed over from Asia to become Indians and the first Europeans, mainly the Spanish but also the French and English, began settling the New World. This volume focuses on the narrow string of settlements established by the English that became the thirteen colonies whose people began moving westward and who also started to question the relationship they had with England (there is a small amount of overlap between this and the next volume, which covers period of American history from 1735-1791).

Hakim begins with a preface that looks at the vast mixture of ideas that were brought over from the Mediterranean world and took root in the Americas. Along with the first chapter, which talks about the comet that appeared in 1607 as a portent of great changes for the world, this preface sets up several key themes that will be revisited throughout this and future volumes. "Making Thirteen Colonies" has 42 chapters and it the book is divided into five main sections. The first (chapters 2-12) tells how English settlers came to stay by establishing the first permanent colony in Jamestown, Virginia. The second (chapters 13-23) looks primarily at the Puritans arriving in New England, although Hakim also touches on what was happening between the Indians and the Spanish in the southwest. The third section (chapters 24-30) tells about the mid-Atlantic colonies, most notably New Amsterdam/York and Pennsylvania. The fourth section (chapter 31-39) returns to the South, looking at not only Ole Virginny but also the two Carolinas and Georgia. This unit also looks at the Triangle Trade and other considerations that united the four southern and nine northern colonies. The final section (chapters 40-42) is a transitional unit, that looks at how the colonists began to move westward and the stage was set for the period of history that would make those thirteen colonies into a new nation.

One of the great advantages to writing a ten-volume history of the United States is that unlike most standard American history textbooks "A History of US" is able to clearly establish the unique identities of each of those original thirteen colonies. I recently finished reading an excellent series of books, each of which was devoted to an individual colony, and Hakim ends up being closer to those volumes than she does the standard textbook. Consequently, in addition to the traditional stories about Pocahontas and John Smith in Jamestown, William Penn and the Quakers of Pennsylvania, the Salem witch trials, Ben Franklin as the quintessential American, and Daniel Boone finding routes through the mountains, Hakim establishes an individual identity for each colony.

However, the main strength of this series is how Hakim engages young readers, the same way you would expect a "real" teacher to do in a "real" classroom. This shows up primarily in her ability to anticipate and answer questions that students might have (e.g., why the Indians were not enslaved). I can easily see why this series is popular with parents who are home schooling their children. The book is richly illustrated with dozens and dozens of historic paintings, etchings, drawings, maps, engravings, and assorted reproductions. The margins are crammed with interesting facts, definitions, and quotations, and features on topics such as Land Green and Africa: The Unknown Continent are sprinkled throughout the book. The After Words this time around are devoted to cartography and has some superb examples of 16th- and 17th-century maps. It is easily to see why this series has impressed so many people and why Hakim is able to get such good responses from young students who are used to getting their information from computers and the Internet.

After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.

However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:

- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.

I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.

The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.

It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?

Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.

Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).

I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.

We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:

a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;

b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;

c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.

Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:

It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.

- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.

- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.

Fomenko goes by the following axioms:

- Chronology is the basis of history;

- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;

- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;

- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;

- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;

- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?

The Russians:

Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.

The Westerners:

Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

The Chinese:

Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.

The Arabs:

Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.

The Divinity:

Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.

According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.

St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3A80YKC8W7UEE New Chronology is a theory validated by astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient manuscripts that asserts: that Antiquity and Dark Ages are phantoms invented in the 16th 18th centuries. Human civilization is barely 1000 years old!

New Chronology complies with the most rigid scientific standards:

- It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know;
- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion;
- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically;

New Chronology goes by the following basic axioms:
- Chronology is the basis of history;
- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;
- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history are fantasy and hoax;
- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;
- The closer in time is a given manuscript to the events described the less distortions it contains;
- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Fomenko asserts: There was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by over two centuries of yoke and slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a trilingual state with Arabic and Turkic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that official Russian history is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scholars brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs. Their ascension to the throne was the result of conspiracy, so they charged these imported historians with the mission of making Romanov's reign look legitimate.

Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate Godunov rulers and the ambitious Romanov upstarts.

As Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, he successfully removes a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one: the Ancient Rome: the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the 14th century A. D., the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece.

The Ancient Egypt: the pyramids of Giza become dated to the 11th to 14th century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less. The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the 11th to 15th century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone, like enormous Dendera horoscope that hangs in main entrance to the Louvre museum in Paris.

He was the first one to decipher and date unambiguously all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case.

English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the book "History: Fiction or Science?" portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such ancient history. Period. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the 17th 18th century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them otherwise.

Islam with all its key figures appears as late as 15th-16th century A. D. as a branch of proto-Christianity. This is amply illustrated by imagery of Prophet Mahomet, archangel Gabriel, Heaven and Hell of this period. In today's Islam all imagery of the things living is taboo.

Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th 17th century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a proto Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian!) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.


The history of religions according to Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the 11th century and Jesus Christ ), Bacchic Christianity (11th to 12th century, before and after Jesus Christ), Jesus Christ Christianity (12th to 14th century) and its subsequent mutations (15th to 17th) into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on..

Saint Augustine was quite prescient when he said: "be wary of mathematicians,.. particularly when they speak the truth."

Henry Ford once said: "History is more or less bunk!"

Prominent mathematician Anatoly Fomenko not only proved it for a fact, but as true scientist tried to upgrade it into a rocket science.

This book will change your perception of History forever!
What if Ancient Rome, Greece and Egypt were invented during Renaissance?
What if The Old Testament was a rendition of events of the Middle Ages?
What if Jesus Christ was born in 1053 and crucified in 1086 AD?
Sounds Unbelievable?
Not after you've read "History: Fiction or Science?" by Anatoly Fomenko, the genius mathematician.
Armed with astronomy and computers Anatoly Fomenko turns History into a rocket science.

Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.