United Kingdom Books

I read this book the first time when I checked it out of the public library. I loved it so much that I had to have my own copy. It is a fascinating account of how the nouvo riche in the U.S. basically bought acceptance to high society for their daughters. You can just pick it up and read sections - it's not necessary to start at the beginning and work through. Not a summer goes by that I don't pick it up!

As the other reviewers have noted, this is a great romp through a part of American history you don't learn about in school. I read it through once and then re-read it just to savor all the little bits and pieces the authors have so generously loaded it with. If you ever wondered about all those Vanderbilts and all those Whitneys, here is your chance (from an American point of view!)to find out just how and why these ladies ended up in the postions they did- all for the love of Edward VII. I wish there were more reader-friendly books like this that make history so entertaining.

Every time I read this book it becomes more and more interesting. Meticulously researched, with great little anecdotes and etiquette tips.
This book is a lot of fun! I especially liked the many photographs of the designer gowns (most by Worth, if you please!) that are liberally scattered throughout.
If you're ananglophile you'll want to get this one!

Those few of us who have wondered why in the world a comfortable, cosseted American girl would want to marry an Englishman and live in a cold climate in an even colder stone castle will find answers here, even if the answers aren't satisfactory to the modern ear.

Think of it: wealthy American society girls, products of generations of men and women who gave lives and fortunes to escape a Royalist society, thought it a worthy investment of their lives, loves and wealth to buy an English title in the form of a husband. It's understandable that men who have no money and are saddled with huge estates and titles with no way to support themselves "in the manner to which they have become accustomed" would search out these women. It's another matter to understand the women, especially if they were bright and energetic (like the fabled Jenny Jerome).

Of course the first women to get involved in this weird method of social climbing didn't realize what was involved. (Though why American society decided that an English title was important in the United States, especially if it could be bought with money, still escapes me.) The problems included loveless husbands who paid little attention to their wives and carried on affairs; cold and drafty castles into which Papa sank tons of money to no avail as far as comfort was concerned; families who refused to accept them in spite (or because) of the fact that they provided the money to keep the lifestyle intact; servants who often were sulky and rebellious ("but we've ALWAYS done it that way"); children they handed over to nannies. The first brides must have kept the hardships and loneliness from the succeeding generation, for the rage for English titles prevailed from the mid-19th century almost through the mid-20th century.

TO MARRY AN ENGLISH LORD is a fascinating and complete look at these women and the lives they led. Illustrations showing the homes and households of the times and how they operated, fashions, maps, photographs of the women and their friends, families and husbands all combine to present the core of that particular section of society in that particular age.

The book is meticulously researched and includes a bibliography, a register of American heiresses, a suggested walking tour of the women's London and a very handy index. It's built around the stories of these women and the men who wooed and won them. Who they were, what they did and what the consequences were -- all adds up to an intriguing and fascinating read.

Who says that history is boring and stuffy? This well-researched book is chock full of anecdotes, pictures, and facts to make the period and the subject come to life.

This book discusses the phenomenon of the "dollar princesses": American hieresses who married into titles abroad, particularly England. Amongst them were Winston Churchill's mother; a woman who was the second-highest ranking woman in the British empire (after only the queen); and maybe the most famous of all: Consuelo Vanderbuilt, who begrudgingly became the Duchess of Marlborough in a marriage aranged by her social-climbing mother.

Written informally, with lots of pictures, this might be a great book to buy a teenager who is just transitioning into "grown-up" non-fiction, but finds most of it dry and uninteresting. It is also a must-read for anyone who plans on traveling to country-houses in England, as it gives a more accurate view of what it was like to actually have to live in one of those monstrosities! Anyone who is interested in the history of class in America, or of the British Aristocracy, would also be interested.

When a tourist lodge opened about twenty years ago in Kenya, the alpha males of a nearby baboon troop helped themselves to the easy pickings at the garbage dump. In the time honored tradition of baboon despotism where status obsessed males strictly enforce the prevailing hierarchy, the top ranking males claimed the spoils for themselves, and drove away their lower ranking brother baboons. The alpha males then perished en masse when they become infected with bovine tuberculosis from the rotten meat they ate at the dump. Once the alpha males died and their terroristic bullying tactics with them, the survivors were suddenly able to relax and began treating each other more decently. A new more peaceful baboon society was born.

Gwynne Dyer recounts this incident in the last chapter of "WAR: The Lethal Custom" to summarize and exemplify one of his main arguments in this thought-provoking work -- that our species' penchant for violence, although it does have roots in our evolutionary past, does not mean it is inevitable. He argues that as sentient beings we do have and have shown the capacity for making peace, too. In what is a hopeful but realistic retelling of the founding of the League of Nations after WWI and the United Nations after WWII, Dyer suggests that through it these organizations human beings are attempting to deal with the very real possiblity of species annihilation. He argues that the reversal of despoliation of the world must begin in earnest now so as to prevent the international anarchy that will undoubtedly follow if nations choose not to cooperate and instead chase after and fight over diminishing resources.

Tracing the rise of war from our early ancestors to the present day, Dyer relates a convincing story of increasing technological efficiency in the art and machinery of death, where the technology of war comes to outstrip the capacity of most human societies to contain and direct it. Early on when our species lived in egalitarian societies of roughly thirty individuals to a band, killing one's neighbors was a rare occurrence. In a sparsely peopled world with few competitors for game or territory, it was rare that roving bands would skirmish or fight each other. War appeared as more constant and sustained human enterprise with the rise of agriculturalism with its settled communities ripe for plunder by marauding bands whose economic lives and assumptions about tactics were based on their experience as shepherds of livestock. Highly mobile, schooled in techniques of herding, these bands employed the same principles when facing armies of settlers, e.g., using speed, terror, bluff and deception to terrorize settled communities into giving up their treasures.

War figures heavily in explaining the rise and fall of civilizations and peoples throughout history. The Roman phalanx, for instance, an early "machine" of war which used men as its moving parts, remained effective for hundreds of years, until guns eventually rendered it passe. Walled cities and medieval castles too, were marvels of defensive engineering, until they met a similar fate. Then with the end of professional and mercenary armies with the levee en masse in the wake of the French Revolution, came the era of total war when civilian populations, the manufacturers of the materiel of war, became defined as combatants, too, ushering in totalitarian states, weapons of mass destruction and the possiblity of annihilation.

Dyer also does a particularly fine job on guerilla warfare, which acquired that name during the resistance to Napoleon's invasion and annexation of Spain. He questions the notion of a "War on Terror" as espoused by the current American regime as emblematic of its naivete. The idea of war implies an end, a truce, an armistice. Dyer suggests that the U.S., by declaring a "war" on terror fell into the trap laid by Osama Bid Laden. For it is not a war that can be won through warfare. "Police Action Against Terrorists," while not as compelling from a rhetorical or strategic standpoint, has been shown to be the more effective strategy over time.

A history of the humankind told through the changing techniques of warfare and the key confrontations marking these shifts, written with verve, psychological and anthropological acuity, WAR is a valuable exploration of this most uncivil custom. Dyer sees evidence of and movement toward the restoration on an international level of the cooperation of early egalitarian societies. He suggests the spread of cross-cultural communication, which is opening a field for international debate (as evidenced in the massive worldwide anti-war protests against the invasion of Iraq), is restoring the possiblity of dialogue and a democracy of the multitude.

Tom Clancy once observed that a war of agression is armed robbery writ large--"they've got it, we want it, let's go get it." That's a simplistic if accurate observation, but it only describes war in only one incarnation. This book was written during the last few years of the Cold War, when very few "experts" on the issue could be described as objective. Back then, only two camps were being heard from. One was the "gung ho" school of thought that admitted that war might not be very desirable, but when your country got a slap in the face from someone "over yonder", those responsible had to be taught a lesson. That of course is the product of nationalism having been confused with patriotism--the terms are not identical. The other was the pacifist school of thought, which maintained that any enemy can be reasoned with and should be at all costs, and that anyone in uniform is by definition a bloodthirsty human predator. The first is the product of a bottomless naiivete about human nature and ignorance of how societies other than one's own think--the second forgets that it's the criminal, not the soldier, who's a predator in human vesture. Out of curiosity, I viewed the PBS series based on this book. I found myself intrigued by Dyer's observation that the way to make a fighting man out of a young man raised to believe that killing people is wrong is to strongly imply the enemy aren't really people. When you get right down to it, that is borne out by the historical wartime habit of referring to the enemy by demonizing the enemy and referring to him in subhuman terms. Another of Dyer's comments that interested me was the observation that a nation that piles up stockpiles of weapons in preparation for war will sooner or later get that war. Dyer of course isn't the only writer who's been able to look at war in such terms--Herman Wouk postscripted "War and Remembrance" with the comment that either war is finished or we are. The sad irony of our age is that some of us may be able to view war with this level of objectivity, but most of us still haven't outgrown nationalism--a phenomenon which Dyer correctly identifies as the root cause of war.

In the mid-80's, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) presented a documentary on the nature of war. Hosted by Gwynne Dyer, my recollection (I was barely a teen at the time) is that it was an interesting and in-depth analysis on the nature of war. Dyer then proceeded to write a companion book, which has been out of print for some years. Now, there is this brand-new, updated version. Dyer has woven the events of the last 20 years into the fabric of the narrative, instead of tacking on an extra chapter at the end - thus it reads like a new book, not a money-grabbing enhancement of an old one. It has been out in Canada for a few months, and will make it's U.S. (re)debut in the spring.

In terms of timeline, this is the most comprehensive book on the roots of, and motivations for, war. Dyer uses archaeological evidence and combines it with analyses on the behaviours of our primate cousins (chimps, baboons, etc.) to build a description of the origin of organised society and the roots of warfare. He then proceeds through the ages, from Babylon and Egypt to the Cold War and the two U.S.-Iraq wars. In this way, he builds a complex but ultimately useful and compelling description of warfare as a human activity. He makes many of the same conclusions as John Keegan and others, but the sheer depth of the analysis is more complex than anything else out there, to my knowledge.

Granted, much of the material in this book has been covered before. For example, is war a natural condition of human societies? Is it inevitable that man will fight his peers? With his trademark wit and seemingly contradictory combination of optimism and sarcasm, Dyer convincingly builds his thesis. The prose is entertaining to read, and the liberal sprinkling of photographic illustrations makes this book eminently readable.

First, the pessimistic side: Humans (and most apes, for that matter) really DO mean to kill each other. However, the average person's chance to die by a violent death has remained mainly steady over the millenia. Certainly, the chances of dying in this century's World Wars was high, but those wars only took up 10% of the century's time. Thus, as battles increased in size and lethality, societies fought less and less frequently, so it all balanced out.

However, he is quite optimistic that humans really are moving in a pacifistic direction. With the advent of nuclear weapons, the next big war will be the last one. His chapters describing the Cold War might be controversial (especially to the U.S. Right) as he maintains Reagan's defense policy was basically invented by Jimmy Carter, and the Soviet Union was already done before Reagan came to power. Whatever your political leanings, though, he lucidly describes the training and mindset of the professionals tasked with maintaining and, if necessary, launching the ICBMs that WWIII would have been fought with.

That's not to say that Dyer is a pacifist per se. He has great respect for people in uniform, and those that follow his syndicated column will know he was in favour of Gulf War I and the destruction of the Taliban by the U.S.-led coalition. He does maintain, however, that modern warfare has turned into an all-or-nothing game where the loser is wiped out (at least the government, and often entire ethnic groups). This is not a sustainable situation in the nuclear era, and so we are in great danger. However, he points out that natural human tendency is to equal rights and democracy. As modern communications and universal literacy make it feasible, nations will naturally move towards more equitable solutions. Thus, in the final analysis, war may eventually become obsolete after all. As he says in the book, it will be good riddance.

The best reflection about war I have read so far. Less detailed than Keegan's "history of warfare", but more pertinent. A clear, lucid perspective on organized human violence. Dyer is parcimonious with words and daring with concepts.
The hardcover edition is also a beautiful looking book.

Dyer has done an excellent job of revising his earlier text, although I must confess to missing a couple of particularly trenchant comments that he has left out in an effort to rise above the suspicions of today's readers, steeped as they are in a silly, false political dichotomy. Dyer's book is both a source of illumination onto how humans got here and a clear explication of how war threatens the future of the human race. He is not overly optimistic about our chances, but neither is he a doomsayer. If we have the guts and intelligence to confront the urges, instincts, and social pathologies that drive us towards violent conflict, we've got a chance. It's up to us.

I like to cook but don't have as much time for it as I'd like. I can do the recipes in this book on the weekends, but on workdays, they just take too long.

That's too bad, because the food is very good.

Like a previous reviewer I too have spent time in the U.K. (as I married a Scotsman). The recipes in here are the standards to British cooking. I've tried many other and this is by far the best for anyone wanting to cook British meals in the U.S. The measurements have all been scaled for an American kitchen and every recipe I've tried has come out wonderful. A LOVELY BOOK!!!!

The delight in this book is not only in the recipes, which I have enjoyed immensely. Jane Garmey's wit in the presentation makes one sense a wink at the poor reputation British food generally holds, just as her recipes give it the lie. Generally, British food at its best is wonderful... trouble is that finding it 'at its best' often requires a journey.

The volume is not exhaustive, but presents many classic dishes, most easily prepared (and some which would appeal to, for example, one so avidly traditional as to spend the two months it takes for genuine plum pudding.) It is a pleasant sampler of varied main dish, savoury, pudding, and tea favourites.

I would highly recommend this book to those who enjoy cooking. There are many items here which do not require unusual effort or odd ingredients, and can have wonderful results.

Although the book has no pictures, the recipes taste and look like authentic British foods. The measures have been converted to standard American measures and some traditional British ingredients have been changed to easier to find American ingredients such as sour cream instead of creme fraiche; however, this book would be easy to use in any country. A good basic 'What the English really eat' cookbook!

I am an American who loves Britain and who has lived in England. I think British cooking gets a bad rap, and that's just what the author points out. Just yesterday I made the Brown Windsor soup and it's wonderful, so I'd say I'm off to an excellent start with this excellent book. Hooray!

My biggest problem with Wings to the Kingdom is that after going back to Four and Twenty Blackbirds, I have to find something worthy to read until Oct 2, when Not Flesh Nor Feathers comes out. I loved Eden. The combat boots, the Death Nugget, the whole thing. And every time Benny nearly pees in his pants from glee or horror, I have to laugh, because he reminds me of that classic dork in all of us, the one who lights up like a six year old at the thought of ghosthunting, no matter who's in the room who might argue. The characters are spelled out just like all Southern literary characters should be- colorful, lovable, and with screws popping loose all over the place.

cherie priest is slowly replacing donna tartt as my favorite american female novelist of our time. *wings to the kingdom* is a somewhat slower story than *four and twenty blackbirds*, but every word is heavy with seduction, pulling the reader in with such force that it is hard to stop reading.

in brief, things have happened since *four and twenty blackbirds*. the protagonist eden moore is somewhat older, but still in every aspect a fascinating and multi-dimensional character. the setting is the same as in *four and twenty blackbirds*. new characters are introduced, old characters resurface. eyes glitter in moonlight and the mist grows heavy over chattanooga as the story progresses in a labyrinth of excitement and allure.

cherie priest is a wizard with words, and *wings to the kingdom* is a rich testimony of her magic. read it. I am very glad I did.

Pardon the pun.
One might worry whether CPriest's follow-up to _Four and Twenty Blackbirds_ might suffer the notorious "sophomore slump", but that would be needless suffering.

_Wings to the Kingdom_ builds on the foundations laid in the first novel, yet works on its own for readers who missed the first book (though, really, you're missing out on a good story if you haven't read it).

_Wings_ is engaging and dynamic. The storytelling is solid, the setting and the characters are real, and the mystery/tension is a treat.

I'm looking forward to the next in the series

If you enjoyed Four and Twenty Blackbirds, you will love Wings to the Kingdom. Cherie Priest's tale of ghosts at a Civil War battlefield grabbed me from the very first page. Taking an actual legend and weaving it into a spine-tingling story with believable characters, Priest just keeps getting better and better. The main character, Eden Moore, is likeable and interesting, as well as sympathetic. The rest of the characters are also well-rounded, even the publicity-seeking professional psychic investigator, who could easily have become a cliche. A very enjoyable read, and I eagerly look forward to the next installment!

Phenomenal follow-up to debut novel Four and Twenty Blackbirds. Eden Moore is dragged into a supernatural mystery at the Chickamauga battleground, and must deal with the public reaction to her ability to speak with the dead. Incredibly written, with a fast-paced storyline that still takes time to fully develop character. Priest cements her place in the Southern Gothic canon. Highly recommended.

As you read this book it seems as though you are right there with Larry and Lin as they build and sail their small boat from California through Mexico, Central America, Jamaica, up the U.S. East Coast to the Chesapeake Bay and finally to Europe. This is the 25th Anniversary edition of this book. It has been updated from the original with pictures and maps. A great book I would recommend it highly for anyone with an adventurous spirit.

Page turner - made me want to drop everything and sail. The combination of this book and Slocum's book gave me the sailing bug. Contains useful information for those that are thinking about buying a boat. As seasoned, adventurous, resourceful sailors, the Pardeys' books are useful for salties or salty-wannabes (like myself).

Now available in a brand new 25th anniversary edition, Lin and Larry Pardey's Cruising in Seraffyn now sports a new introduction, "Anyone Can Go Cruising," and a new appendix, "Affordable, Attainable Dreams." Cruising In Seraffyn is an exciting, detailed cruising guide with a 16-page spread of full-color photos, making it an adventurous reference for nautical buffs and armchair travelers alike. With its decades of sailor's wisdom and inspirational prose, Cruising In Seraffyn is very highly recommended reading for anyone interested in setting sail for pleasure.

I loved the book, but always wished there were more photos. Now I have seen the new edition, in hard cover, published by the Pardey's. It is great. They have done it for the 25th anniversary of this book. Lots of color photos, a really updated discussion of cruising costs and a really nice story about what has happened to Seraffyn over the past 30 years. The pictures of the Pardey's new boat and Seraffyn sailing side by side are worth the $2l.95 price. Unfortunately, the book will not be on the American market until June. I got one from a friend who is a book reviewer. I was told you could wait till june and get it at ..., or you can go to the news letters on thier web site, ... and order one early.

As other folks have written, this book is lovely to read and inspiring as can be. The new edition, in its hard cover is not just a simple reprint. It is almost a whole new book - the new introduction gives grand info for sailors today, the appendix puts it all where it is for those who want to sail off in 2002. But best of all are the l6 pages of full color photos - stuff to dream about, ideas to use on your boat. Really lovely. If you have the old edition, you'll still want this one. If you've never read the first book, this is the one for you.

I had to read this as a book club selection, and thought it looked like a sappy romance novel. Boy, was I wrong! It has it all... action, adventure, drama, and yes, romance. But not the sappy, harlequin kind.

It had me hooked and I couldn't put it down. It's the kind of book that makes you want to run out and grab the next one, so you can see how the story continues!

I highly recommend this book and as one earlier reviewer put it, "don't just a book by the cover."

The Sword of Truth is a well written historical noval. I had read many novals, but none that told the story of King Henry so well. This book is not only filled with adventure, romance, and pain. It also states historical facts about King Henry and his longing for a son. I read this book in less then a week. Gilbert Morris is a very skilled auther that grabs you from the first page.

A wonderfully captivating book about a young man and his struggle with the Truth. Myles Morgan begins his life as a sheltered serf under the care of his mother and a kind nobleman. The truth of his heritage is revealed as the heir to the Wakefield estate and through rather tragic circumstances Myles' life is turned upside down as he enters into the world of nobility. During the reign of King Henry VIII, Myles finds himself torn between the never ending pleasures of the Court and his childhood friend Hannah Kemp and her fascinating tutor, William Tyndale. When witnessing the troubles between King Henry and the Catholic Church firsthand, Myles realizes the importance of getting the Bible translated into English, making it available to everyone, rich or poor. The power of the Court draws Myles into its dangerous web and threatens to undo all the hopes of his strong Christian family.
Morris does a wonderful job of integrating the history and intrigue of the infamous King Henry VIII with the hidden struggles and hardships of his Court and Christians of the time. There are enough facts that you understand the historical context, but it is written so well that it doesn't feel like a history book. By introducing Myles to Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon, we see how easily even the most powerful can fall prey to the greed of this world. Even though the stories of both Henry VIII and Tyndale are widely known, Morris builds a personal connection with both men through his words and leaves readers with a better understanding of the conflict between the two. It's hard to imagine a time when just owning a Bible in English was punishable by death, but Morris is able to show the true sacrifices that were made so that the Word of God is available to all.
This has been my favorite book for many years and it seems like I've read it at least 10 times!! Gilbert Morris is one of the best Christian Fiction authors around and I would definitely recommend this book along with the next six in the series to anyone! This book has peaked my interest in this remarkable point in history and has given me a lot of appreciation for the freedoms we often take for granted today. It will defiantly have you thinking twice about leaving that family Bible gathering dust on the bookshelf.

I read the Wakefield Dynasty books as a young teenager, and they awakened not only an interest in Christian literature but an avid curiosity about Christian history. I never resented the history lessons involved, but rather felt the important historical characters were much more real and memorable for me when I studied them later on because I had first encountered them in an interesting, narrative context. I was wrapped up in nearly every character in this series, and I was sad when it ended.

At first glance of the cover, I was a bit turned off. But as the old adage goes. "One should not judge a book by it's cover".

I'm glad I didn't let the cover sway me. In my opinion the cover tends to yell "romance". This, however, is not the whole picture.

Sure there is romance in the book, as well as the series as a whole, but the action and historical events covered make this an enjoyable series for everyone (even us guys).

If you like historical fiction with substance this is a treat.

This is an extremely well written and thoroughly researched book. As usual, John Davies writes in a style which holds your interest while exploring a wide (sometimes vast) area of historical subject matters. Other countries should be so lucky to have such interesting, competent and even-handed scholars writing their histories. Highly recommnded.

Even in the great 'Celtic revival' of the past generation, where the cultures of the Celtic fringes of Britain and continental Europe have re-exerted themselves in various political and non-political ways, the Welsh revival has been late in coming, and a little less forceful in affect and event.

Perhaps history is to blame here -- the Welsh have been only marginally protected by geography; the mountainous area was difficult terrain to conquer, but the supply lines to those mountains were relatively easy to maintain and sustain, unlike the trek to the northern reaches of Scotland or crossing the sea into Ireland, areas that (however much English history might want to contradict this statement) never were completely conquered and subdued, remaining under the hegemony but outside the total control of Londinium/London from Roman times to the recent past. Wales was never so fortunate. Indeed, it is a miracle that the Welsh survive. The Scots lost land, language and independence, but retained administrative and legal systems separations that preserved many aspects of nationhood. The Irish never completely lost independence. The Welsh, however, lost everything of nationhood, and barely sustained an independent culture. Thus, when the 'nations' of the British Isles began to re-exert their independent interpretations of history, the Welsh were among the last.

However, sometimes the last shall be first. In terms of quality of writing and interpretation, the volume by John Davies, `A History of Wales', is indeed in a class of its own in terms of Welsh history. Dafydd Elis Thomas read into the `Hansard' (the British Parliamentary equivalent of the `Congressional Record') that this is 'the greatest of book of Welsh history ever written'.

It was, in fact, originally published in Welsh, under the title of `Haynes Cymru' in 1990. From the Ice Age to the 1980s miners strikes and efforts to reassert a national identity, Davies traces in some detail a history of Wales from a Welsh perspective, inextricably tangled with English and continental history, but nonetheless deserving of its own perspective as one of the last major surviving Celtic groups.

`A number of factors, the increasing prominence of the European dimension in particular, have caused the devolution issue to return to the political agenda.... From 1911 to 1981 the number of Welsh speakers declined census by census. In 1991, however, those claiming a knowledge of the language were marginally more numerous than had been the case in 1981, and the increase among the younger age groups was especially remarkable.'

Davies confesses that he contemplated writing a different book in English, as this was meant to be a Welsh book, and he would have envisioned a different book had his first thought been in English. However, given the demand of non-Welsh readers to read the same history treatment as those who do read Welsh, Davies consented to a translation rather than a re-write.

The time frames are not the same as those of standard British histories, which tend to follow the broad sweep of royal affairs. While there is some parallel of necessity, the time factors and dates here have far more interest to the direct concerns of Wales than to the rest of Britain.

The reader should also be prepared for an array of names, of both persons and places, that are very confusing to the average reader of English -- Gwydir, Llangeitho, Aberffraw, Catraeth, Llantwit, Penmynydd and Llyn Cerrig Bach. However, it is worth the effort to learn these names and places. Particularly in America, where so many people have Welsh ancestry (the Jones now outnumber the Smiths in America as the greatest number of people by last name, and Jones is a Welsh name by and large), this is part of the collective history of America, too.

Well written, well researched (Davies was educated in Wales and at Cambridge, taught Welsh history at University College in Wales), this is perhaps the currently-accepted definitive history of Wales available today.

Well written and well researched. It is an exhaustive history that will not exhaust you. I am reading it for general interest and find it hard to put down.

John Davies covers a lot of territory (in terms of time, if not in space) in his "A History of Wales", originally published (1990) in Welsh as "Hanes Cymru". This will probably stand as the definitive general history of this fascinating country for years to come.

Beginning with the earliest evidence for human occupation of Wales, Davies brings us up to the end of the 1980s. Each of his ten chapters covers a particular time period, and each chapter title features three place names that represent, and figure into, the theme of that chapter/period. Davies touches on nearly every aspect of Welsh history--the political, the social, and the cultural. If some themes garner less attention than others, that is to be expected in a survey of this kind. One theme, of course, dominates this volume (as it should), and that is the relationship between the Welsh and their much more populous English neighbors to the east. That the Welsh were able to resist English domination for so long is miraculous; despite eventual English hegemony, the Welsh have managed to preserve their language, while over the past century there has been a revival of Welsh culture.

The writing is clear and concise, a testament to Davies' skill as both writer and translator. Davies has included a wealth of maps and graphs to illustrate many of his themes. If I have one complaint about "A History of Wales" it is the complete absence of photographs and other illustrations that would have benefited Davies' narrative immensely. That being said, however, this is a fine introduction to a part of the British Isles that we in the US hear very little about. Four and a half stars.

While Scotland and the medieval periods is my area of history, I often have need to know what is going on in England, Ireland and Wales, to fully understand what is going on in the 'big picture'. The history of Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland did not happen individual vacuums, you so need to know all their histories to fully comprehend external pressures as well as the inner problems of each nation. So I have found this a wonderful work for reference on Wales.

It covers the history of the country from the dawn of time to 20th Century. So if you wish to know about Ffynnon Beuno or the Rebecca Wars, this is your book.

Excellent reference for Historical writers.

Anthony presents a sober account of how calculated the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq was. Exposing all the rationales for the war as lies, "Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal" turns to the real reasons for the bi-partisan project in Iraq; to further imperial aims in the middle east. In the The Logic of Withdrawal chapter Anthony systematically nullifies all arguments against withdrawal, and the following chapter argues for the only principled stance -- troops out now!

The book is only 105 pages long, but it explains the US/British foreign policies that wanted the war, how the evidence necessary to invade was manufactured, and also the misreporting of the war by the media. It's extremely concise and valueable. The author even manages to squeeze in some semi-tangents that are important. My favorite one is the discussion of the Democratic Party and their belligerence - I just get tired of hearing that the Democratic Party is an anti-war party.

A third of the book is devoted to explaining why the invasion was sought after (as well as the occupation of Afghanistan). Then the book moves to focus on the realities of the war's fighting, and how it is covered. After the end of all "major combat operations" in May 2003 the continued attacks on US troops was blamed on Hussein, who was captured in December 2003. After the fighting continued, it was blamed on foreign interference. The administration said a provisional Iraqi government was needed. After the "free" elections on January 2005 the fighting continued. Since then, the administration has been blaming it on al-Qaeda and other foreigners, which Arnove shows not to be the case. These steps of blaming a domestic resistance to other causes is strikingly similar to that of Vietnam. After facing continued resistance, our policies changed to describe and fight those false causes (strategic-hamlet program-->search-and-destroy operations-->pacification program-->Operation Phoenix-->Vietnamization (which was only initiated after the Tet Offensive of 1968 awakened people to the grim truth of the war). Also discussed in this portion of the book (what's really going on over there) is the liberalization of Iraq's economy - It's straight from the IMF/World Bank playbook. The last section of the book argues, after looking at why the invasion occured and what's happening there now, that we should leave Iraq and provide aid until they're back on their feet.

I'd also recommend that an interested reader look into Bush in Babylon: The Recolinisation of Iraq and America's confrontation with revolutionary change in the Middle East, 1948-83.

Q: How many pages does it take to make a compelling case for immediate withdrawal from Iraq? A: Apparently not many when you have logic on your side!

It is a myth that Bush & Co.--though misguided--had the best of intentions at heart when they ordered the military invasion of Iraq in March of 2003. And this unfortunate myth prostrates the antiwar movement when it deludes itself into believing that a bloody occupation stemming from an illegal war can somehow be salvaged into something beneficial for anybody besides Halliburton.

Anthony Arnove's book explains the real roots of the Iraq war in the context of power and profit (not misguided humanitarianism), summarizes for the reader three years of blood-spattered occupation history, provides eight excellent reasons for immediate withdrawal and then discusses the ABC's of anti-imperialist struggle drawn from the history of the Vietnam War.

This isn't a catchall antiwar book to give to your chicken hawk uncle at the next family reunion. This is a book for the 50 million Americans who already consider themselves part of the antiwar movement and want some real answers about stopping the blood-letting. Or as the author puts it, "...the U.S. left in particular needs far greater clarity about the reasons for the war, the political context of the war, and an effective strategy for ending it." (page 98)

This is the most articulate, politically sophisticated yet easy-to-read appeal to bring our loved ones home now that I've read since the war began.

But don't trust this synopsis--read the book.

This outstanding book makes the case for the immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq. This would meet the democratic demands of the Iraqi people, and also of the American and British peoples. In a September 2005 New York Times-CBS News poll, 52% supported the immediate withdrawal of US troops.

Arnove sums up, "Every single argument the Bush administration made to justify the invasion of Iraq has turned out to be false. Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction, posed no imminent threat to the United States, and had no connection to al-Qaeda or to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Iraq was attacked not because it had weapons of mass destruction, but because it did not (a fact that has not been lost on other potential targets of U. S. intervention). U. S. soldiers were not greeted as liberators, and the occupation has not paid for itself, or required few troops, or been quickly concluded. Nor has the occupation made the world safer or reduced the threat of weapons of mass destruction. Indeed, it has made Iraq, the Middle East, and the world far more dangerous."

From the start, the war on Iraq was a huge lie. As Arnove writes, "The attacks of September 11, 2001, provided the pretext the Bush administration needed to portray an offensive war to reshape the Middle East as a defensive measure to protect the people of the United States."

Everything we are told about the war is untrue. For example, we are told that the occupation troops conduct a humanitarian war on the ground. In reality, the USA is waging war largely by massive, unreported, bombing: the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing alone dropped more than 500,000 tons of bombs on Iraq between May 2003 and December 2005. We are told that there is no national resistance attacking the foreign occupier, just terrorists attacking civilians. In reality, for every attack against civilians, there are a hundred against the occupying forces.

British governments have always lied to us about matters of war and peace, of security and the national interest. This Labour government is different only because its lies have been more stupid, so that we have rumbled it more quickly.

Arnove's book lays out, in a pretty straight-forward manner (105 pages, not counting the foreword, afterword, appendix, acknowledgement, and notes) the case for pulling all U.S. troops out of Iraq immediately. I read a few other books about Iraq before reading this one, and I would suggest that to any reader, just so they have a frame of reference while reading it. Arnove tries to use well-known quotes and facts to support his argument, and this helps, but there is still so much information on such a complex issue, that I think it would be difficult to read this and fully comprehend it with no prior knowledge of Iraq.

Arnove makes a very compelling case. What's sad is that he's using readily available information to make it, and yet we're now sending more troops to Iraq.

I think the only fault of the book is expecting that it will drive people to action. Arnove isn't really presenting anything new, just laying all the facts out for us in a very clean, logical way, almost like he's writing his thesis. While this style might work if Arnove were a lawyer convicting Bush of war crimes, it just serves to further highlight how this administration works above the law and gets away with it. Even with this much clear evidence against the war it continues on.

I passed on this book when it first appeared figuring a mere concert list wouldn't be very interesting, what a blunder! This book is far more than a concert chronology, it's an enthralling history of the band, bursting with photos and short essays on the people, places and events that make up Who history. This was clearly a labor of love for the authors, and if Who fanatics have been able to find a few errors scattered around, big deal, I'm just glad the book was reissued as a sub-compact paperback updated to the shows following the death of John Entwistle. As the surviving members of The Who have chosen to "Defiantly spit into the abyss" and continue to tour to critical and public acclaim, further editions of this fine book are entirely justifed. And boy was I thrilled to recently find I still have a ticket stub from a Who show thirty years ago documented in this book. There are maybe half a dozen essential books about The Who and this is one of them, if it's the only one you buy then you've made a good choice, it's outstanding whether you're a new Who fan or a grizzled Wholigan.

Seem to be reading and listening a lot to the Who, and this book was an impulse buy.

For the fan, this is a way to walk through history with the band, from the earliest beginnings as the Detours, and even before with Daltrey's founding of the group, and Townshend and Entwistle's affiliation with others.

A lot of stories, memorabilia, set lists, and very interesting stuff.

I really enjoyed this book. Especially the great photos included.
I bought my copy in London, so it was nice to travel parts of London and see a few places where they actually played! But it's really only for die hard fans of the band (like myself, I guess). Also interesting are the set lists to the shows they played.
I'm no good at writing reviews, but I'll highly recommend this one. It's worth the price. A thanks to Irish Jack and Joe McMichael for making it.

And of course The Who. The greatest band in the world.

First thing you should know is that while this is a thick book, it is also small; around 6" x 5", which is quaint, and not a flaw in anyway, just a surprise. There are lots of great pictures, reviews, accounts, and set lists provided.

The flaw, to my mind though, is that there are no references about circulating RECORDINGS of these shows. Most of the hardcore fans who would buy this book probably collect tapes, bootlegs, and cdrs. Most of the time a setlist or stage comments are provided for a show it's because a recording exists. I would have loved it if the authors could have aknowledged this with brief comments like, "A clear, but distant audience recording exists for the first 80 minutes of the concert" or "A mixed soundboard recording of this show has been bootlegged and rereleased many times." There are websites with this kind of information and other highly collected bands, such as Led Zeppelin, have entire books devoted to the collection of unreleased material.

If you're a fan you're guaranteed to enjoy this book regardless, so get it!

If you get an opportunity to see The Who (now on tour - summer/fall 2000) please do so. Other than Bruce Springsteen, they are without peer on stage.This book does a fine job of detailing Who gigs from the early 1960's (as the Detours)to the 1996-1997 Quadrophenia tour. The authors recap the songs, the stage "happenings" (smashed guitars, onstage feuds, etc.)and other "Odds & Sods". It's kind of like a baseball box score for Who fans! If you're already a Who fan (or are an aspiring one) this is THE book for you!

Not knowing much about this period, I was quite interested to find out more on this era.

This book gives us an over view of what is known of the time. I was stunned to find how little is known of this time. What we do know is that the period went though some dramatic changes? However how we don't know. There are unfortunately few written sources of the period and the archaeologist have little at present to help us.

An Age of Tyrants: Britain and the Britons A.D. 400-600
Christopher A. Snyder
The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1998
ISBN 0-271-01780-5

This is a wonderful book to bring to life a cohesive mosaic of the two centuries that followed the removal of Britain from the Roman Empire to the arrival of the papal mission under Augustine in 597.

Published within the past few years, this book bring together many of the latest elements in the trail of King Arthur available to the modern scholar. His book is filled with the most credible theories based on academic consensus, drawing from the most recent translations and comparisons of ancient sources.

What is most singulary worthy of this book is the lack of judgement on the topic of Arthur and Merlin. After laying out the entirety of the context within which Arthur and Merlin may have lived, these two characters are dealt with only in a brief three page appendix. Snyder describes the historical basis for the two characters then ends his brief discussion without trying to postulate who they actually might have been. "What the historian can contribute, however, is a better understanding of the period and place in which Arthur and Merlin may have lived for those who wish to pin down these legendary figures to time and space."

Indeed! This is precisely what he has done. Anyone interested in playing Pendragon or reading Arthurian literatute will appreciate how he frames the era in terms of these "tyrants" -- self-made men who usurped traditional authority to re-establish order and deal with the chaos of the dissolution of the Roman empire.

As a scholar what I like is that the author has made a thorough documentation of where he gathered all of his information. This book itself is short, at 260 pages of text including appendices. Yet it then has 124 pages of rich and curious notes and a lengthy bibliography from which he cited his information.

Christopher Snyder is Associate Professor of History and Chair Department of History and Politics at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia.

Christopher Snyder says the inhabitants of what is known today as England, Scotland, and Wales would not have called themselves Britons before the arrival of the Romans. In pre-Roman days they would have been known by names associated with their tribal affiliations. Many of the individuals might have referred to themselves as 'Combrogi' or 'Cymry' the latter a Welsh term referring to friendship and/or love of place. The Romans named the "big" island across the "English" channel Brittania. About 400 years after they arrived, the Romans formally withdrew from Britain and left behind a changed place (and probably a few ex-Romans) -- including the name by which the inhabitants knew themselves.

For a long while scholars referred to the period following the departure of "official" Rome and the final "conquest" of Britain by Angles, Saxons, and Jutes the 'dark ages'. More recently, scholars have referred to this era, which stretches from about 400-600 A.D. 'sub-Roman Britain'. Christopher Snyder says he would prefer to call it the Brittonic Age, although his book title names it AN AGE OF TYRANTS.

Snyder's book is divided into three parts. First, he explores the written record -- the writings of Britains Patrick (5th Century) and Gildas (6th Century) and other non-Britonic witnesses. He discusses Latin terms from the extant written material, such as the word "tyrant" which was construed differently by different people in different places speaking different languages. Snyder suggests the "tyrants" described by St. Jerome or the Honorable Bede may not have been as badly behaved as the negative connotation of theit term suggests. In fact, Snyder says the tyrants distant churchmen described may have been more akin to the "tigern" or Celtic lord.

In the second part of his book, Synder discusses the archeological record of the Brittonic Age--which has been overlooked and undervalued as it falls between the rich material record of the Roman (Cirencester, Bath) and Anglo-Saxon (Sutton Hoo) periods. I found this section of the book illuminating as Snyder has systmatically inventoried and synthesized the evidence from a many "digs" into a coherent whole.

In the third section of his book, Snyder uses the material from parts 1 and 2 to describe life in the Brittonic Age in various kinds of settlements (towns, villas, forts, etc.) and the social structure of the people including aspects of government, religion, military, and economic. He says the Britains were a Romanized-Christian people who did not revert back to the tribal behavior that existed before the coming of the Romans.

Snyder is a professor at Marymount University and for all I know he is a member of a religious order, but having graduated from Georgetown University myself, I know that religious affiliation does not mean one cannot be objective. However, Snyder's conclusion that pagan ways disappeared in the Brittonic Age as the population became Christianized may not be exactly accurate.

Based on a reading of the material in Snyder's book and other material, I suspect Celtic ways and the Christian ways merged into an entirely new religion. According to Snyder, Pope Gregory suggested at one point that as the clergy converted pagans they should adapt "pagan temples and rituals to Christian usage in nonviolent ways." I think that is exactly what happened, and I think that explains in part why The Blessed Virgin Mary became so important in Great Britain--which Snyder, a professor at MARYmount might have noted.

It is very refreshing to read a book about this period of British history that is not obsessed with the Arthurian legend, interesting though that is. Mr Snyder uses the little written evidence there is from the 410-600AD period to try and form a picture of the conditions at the time. The second part of the book discusses the archaeological evidence in depth and the final part constructs a coherent picture of what life must have been like in post Roman Britain using the evidence of the first two sections. Arthur and Merlin are mentioned in an appendix and at a few points within the text but only to point out that the historical evidence cannot say one way or the other whether these personalities existed.

Mr Snyder has settled on the title "An Age of Tyrants" to describe the era as being preferrable to "Sub-Roman Britain". I'm not sure if this title is adequate but it is superior to the somewhat demeaning "Sub-Roman" description. This period was clearly not as savage as has previously been thought.

My only minor criticism is that I would have preferred to see more illustrations of the archaeological sites and artefacts but overall I found this an extremely interesting book that was difficult to put down.

I must admit, like so many others, I was originally drawn to the post-Roman period by the "historical King Arthur." But the period is a rich and diverse one, worthy of study in its own right--not only as "Arthur's Britain." In this incredible volume, Chris Snyder--probably the greatest expert on post-Roman Britain alive today, in my opinion--paints a picture of Britain that is anything but a "sub-Roman" "Dark Age." If you ever raised an eyebrow when your history textbook skipped from the Romans in 400 CE to the Anglo-Saxons in 800 CE, then you should read this book. If I had begun with a volume like this when I began my foray into post-Roman Britain, my how farther along I'd be now!