Book Description

Book Description

Taking his title from George III's infamous comment that We meant well to the Americans--just to punish them with a few bloody noses, and then to make laws for the happiness of both countries, renowned historian Robert Harvey systematically challenges conventional views of the American Revolution and the "founding myths" of America in almost every aspect: why the revolution occurred, who was winning and when, the characters of the principal protagonists, and the role of native Americans and slaves.Harvey creatively studies this seminal event in the making of the United States, taking a penetrating look at a war that was both vicious and confused, bloody and protracted, and marred on both sides by incompetence and bad faith. The result is an extraordinarily fascinating and thoroughly readable account. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Some things to think about here.
This is not a light book, nor is it the objective historical record. It has a point of view, perhaps one might say two or three points of view. Some of it is old hat. The discussion of Lexington and Concord brings to mind Bill Cosby's routine about flipping the coin at the beginning of a game, "The colonials win the toss. They get to stand begind rocks and trees and shoot. The British must wear red uniforms, beat drums and march in rows." And when we get to Guilford Courtyard, the author would have us believe that Cornwallis' action of firing on his own men reveals his tactical skill, not his contempt for the pressed, enlisted and mercenary troops he commanded.
Still it is a useful book. Clearly it reveals that the experience of Vietnam is not an isolated fact. Determined locals, controlling vast territory (or having an available sanctuary) - the Carolina swamps , for example- can play havoc on a professional amy with doctrines of combat, rules of engagement, and extended supply lines. Especially when that local force has the element of time. And this brings up public opinion at home. The text has a wealth of documents from the period demonstrating a situation not unlike that which we experieced in the sixties and seventies. The slow turn of public opinion, the mounting cost in men, money and morale. It was all there then.
The final point, one worth our consideration in an era of disputed vote counts and court interference is the idea that the radicalism of the American Revolution was hijacked by the aristocratic and moneyed classes of this nation via such devices as the ecectoral college. A sort of "we had to destroy this revolution to save it" philosophy. Not a really new idea, but well put here. I am not so sure this book makes as much apology for the colonial system as other reviews imply, but it is after all the work of the losing side ( a rare thing in history), but maybe it's the work of the other winning side.

Arguing with the ghosts of historians past
History is written by the winners, and this is British journalist Robert Harvey's attempt to rewrite it from the losers' perspective. Highly readable (often compellingly so), Harvey's account of the American Revolution has much to recommend it, and his narrative offers a nice refresher course in military history. The volume also includes extensive excerpts (with modernized spelling) from contemporary chronicles, lending the book a "you are there" touch.

Throughout, Harvey inveighs against Americans' "heroic view of the Revolution" and "the remarkably enduring nature of the myths." But many of his versions of episodes in American history seem to have been culled from textbooks written fifty years ago. (Of the more than 160 works listed in the bibliography, only 14 were written after 1980.) Not once does Harvey identify the writers with whom he is arguing: his summary of the "prevailing myths" are always prefaced by "It is asserted," "It is claimed," "It is widely believed." For example, he claims that "one of the darkest and least researched corners of the American Revolution was the treatment of the loyalists," but he seems entirely oblivious of the scholarly studies by Christopher New or William Nelson or even of the standard popular account by Christopher Moore. Although Harvey seems to regard his revisionism as startlingly original, there is little that is new here. Instead, he seems to be debating the ghosts of such long-dead historians as Carl Becker and George Trevelyan.

At times, too, he is so intent on offering a contrary view that he traps himself in a corner. For example, he argues that historians "have traditionally ascribed" Burgoynes's disastrous expedition to Albany and surrender at Saratoga "to massive incompetence on the part of the British." Instead, Harvey contends, the British loss "can be more readily explained by the professional jealousy of two rival commanders." Let's set aside the hair-splitting question of whether military leaders who favor spite over victory can still be considered "competent." I defy anyone to read the subsequent fifty pages and still conclude that Burgoyne, Clinton, and Howe were anything other than stupendously inept. Even Harvey seems to abandon his initial claim, finally admitting that defeat was "due to Burgoyne's suicidal impulse to advance and attack."

The bulk of Harvey's book focuses on military strategy and the specifics of various battles. He gives relatively short shrift to the ideological, social, economic, or political underpinnings of the conflict. When he does offer such analysis, though, his reliance on work published in the United States undercuts his thesis that Americans have an uncritical view of their own origins. His section on the frontier war is little more than an abstract of Colin Calloway's "The American Revolution in Indian Country," and the chapter on the hypocrisy of slave-owners fighting for liberty summarizes Benjamin Quarles's 1961 study, "The Negro in the American Revolution." (The author seems unaware of the dozens of studies published since Quayle's that recount in far more critical terms the treatment of blacks by American rebels.)

Harvey characterizes American complaints against British rule as whining hypocrisy, and he (correctly) points out that British colonial rule was so minimal as to be hardly "oppressive"--in large part because London was unable to rule the colonies effectively from across the Atlantic Ocean. He also claims that the rebels barely won the war and, if it weren't for the French, probably would have lost it. Yet, even if the British had prevailed in the 1780s, it is certain America would have won independence in some future decade--as did Canada, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, India, Iraq, and every major colonial possession ever governed by the United Kingdom. Harvey never pauses to step back and look at the bigger picture: that while British rule may not have been so bad, it was untenable, unwanted, unnecessary, and ultimately doomed to failure.

Overall, then, Harvey's stirring prose and strident arguments can't overcome the fact that his book is both fifty years behind the time and ill-considered in its implicit defense of colonialism.

George Washington schlepped here...
The American Revolution and the constitutional settlement that followed it have come to serve as a sort of Rohrschach Test in which anyone can see whatever vision he or she is disposed to see by way of ideological inclination. American political movements from the very time of these events have often evoked the revolution and Constitution as a rhetorical shorthand for whatever public virtues they happen to be hawking at the moment. But then comes the rare bird who seeks not to misappropriate the revolution and Constitution for his own political aims as much as to discredit it in toto. Until now, that role had been reserved for National Socialists, Communists and Islamist absolutists, who believed their own political legitimacy rose in proportion to "debunking" the story of the founding of the United States.

It might never have occurred to any average American that the outcome of the American Revolution could sting so deeply in the British psyche that it could spur an English heart to spend a considerable amount of time and effort trying to settle out scores nearly two and a half centuries after the fact. Thank goodness we have Robert Harvey to plead the British version of what happened prior to, during and after the American Revolution.

Contrary to what the professional reviews say, this is not an even-handed, balanced account of the American Revolution. No, what we have here is nothing less than an Oxbridge version of a drive-by shooting. The merit of this book, however, is two-fold. First, Mr. Harvey has a deft hand when it comes to narrative and that alone would lead me to recommend the book. Second, Mr. Harvey provides us with plenty of first-hand documentary evidence from the actual participants themselves. Those strengths, however, must be balanced against Mr. Harvey's incessant attempts to discredit every aspect of the American side of the revolution. This leads to some fairly strange -- and strained -- conclusions. Mr. Harvey will no doubt be shocked to find out that the Eastern Band of the Cherokee nation prospers in its original homeland in the North Carolina mountains. He may also be surprised to find out that Scots soldiers were not seen as menacing brutes by the colonials since, well, you see, thousands of Scots -- highland, Gaelic-speaking, Jacobite Scots -- had settled in the colonies in the decades before the revolution erupted.

This book is a delight to read and Mr. Harvey's contorted efforts to put paid to the colonial record make for some laughs. I eagerly await his book on the Irish potato famine, which will no doubt go to equal lengths to show how enlightened British public policy was toward its Irish Catholic minority and how the bastards threw it back in London's face by dying of starvation in their millions or emigrating to foreign shores in search of enough to eat.

The American Revolution from a British point of view.
A very enjoyable and thought provoking book. This is definitely not how we teach the origins or the progress of that lengthy struggle here in the US. Our dearly held romanticized view of the founding fathers motivations and methods takes a bit of a beating, as does the early generalship of Washington. King George III and the other Parliamentary leadership are portrayed not as bumbling oppressors but as overindulgent uncles really unwilling to harshly punish the transgressions of a wayward nephew.

While I don't buy it all its certainly another viewpoint that is quite valid and the book is well worth reading.

A Partisan, but Likeable Book
Harvey's book is the first I've read, "from a British point of veiw", that is unabashedly pro-British. Although he seems, sometimes, to take a stand simply to take a stand, its thoroughly readable, and may induce our British cousins to actually learn something about the War for Independence. Hey, you did your best! ... Read more

Book Description

Every now and then, things explode. Riots, uprisings, revolutions, new and bizarre social groups spring up seemingly from nowhere. Our standard histories tend to treat these as oddities, if treated at all, or as misguided responses to hard times, limited by lack of responsible leadership. Here's a history book to puncture that balloon. From the Cynics & Spartacus through the Levelers, Diggers & Ranters to the Revolution of the Carnation, the San Francisco Diggers, Red Guard of Shenwulian, Brethren of the Free Spirit, Guevara, the Provos & the Metropolitan Indians. Profusely illustrated. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Conversation with an Old French Radical
An unpretentious history of mass revolt, covering everything from the Diggers to the Iroquois League to anarchistic Red Guards in the Chinese Cultural revolution.
The first thing you'll notice about this brief survey of spontaneous radical insurrections is the translation: it's bad. It's very very bad. Thoughts detour into meaningless exclamations, phrases are unclear and clunky. The second thing you'll notice is the subjective approach to history: Fremion picks favorites. Comrade X is only mentioned to be dismissed as a "turd," Comrade Y "had a good head on her shoulders"-- those sort of vagueries. The combined effect of these two attributes is that the book reads like an intimate conversation with an old French radical. His English is good but not great, he twists your ear a bit and his breath stinks of wine, but he also manages to make you feel as if you were present at every event he chronicles. Clashes, names, and faces fly out of history at you, only to disappear, in a rush that approximates the rushb that the actual participants of these struggles must have felt. Fremion makes you want to read more about the many insurrections he touches on-- to try to sort out the heroes and villains (or "Stalinists" as Fremion labels them) for yourself. Pick it up! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Superior General Overview of the Revolution
The editor has managed to compile an extremely thoughtful and useful cross-section of material about the Revolution, including a number of fascinating primary source documents (located in the back of the volume).The history of the Revolution is thoroughly covered, but the book presents many other aspects of the topic, including cultural and philosophical ones.I have many books about the Revolution in my personal library and this is definitely one of the better ones. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Starting Point
I was pleasantly surprised by this volume in Osprey's Essential Histories series. In a scant one hundred pages the author does an excellent job of capturing the essential facts relating to these conflicts sprinkled with useful maps and chronologies as well as some superb representational pieces of period art. I enjoyed the two interesting sidebars, one on a British naval officer and another on Nelson's ladylove, Emma Hamilton. The short bibliography lists two of my favorites, Paddy Griffith's ART of WAR of REVOLUTIONARY FRANCE and T.C.W.Blanning's THE FRENCH REVOLUTIONARY WARS. Fremont-Barnes has done a very good job on supplying the interested reader an introduction to an extremely colorful and fascinating period. ... Read more

Book Description

This important new study offers an in-depth analysis of the military and political progress of the Revolutionary armies, paying special attention to the legacy of the old regime, the remarkable resilience displayed by the old regime powers, the reasons for the revolutionaries' success on land--and the reasons for their failure at sea. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"Information overload" is a simple phrase for a complex phenomenon: the overwhelming sense that modern media technologies churn out more words and images than our culture can usefully absorb. David Shenk, a technology critic with a knack for unraveling the complex, has an even simpler name for it--"data smog." That was the title of his first book, a smart, useful critique of the march of info-tech "progress" that has brought us such marvels as spam, junk mail, and 57 channels with nothing much on.

His second book, The End of Patience: Cautionary Notes on the Information Revolution, continues and expands Shenk's analysis, collecting articles and commentary he wrote for National Public Radio, The New Republic, FEED, Wired, and other high-minded venues over the last three years. Shenk's targets here vary widely: the corporatization of scientific research, the dizzying ethical choices surrounding biotechnology, and the scourge of Web sites with too many bells and whistles all get due consideration. But his central message remains the same throughout. Our technologies, he warns, are shaping us into a nation of info-hungry, data-dizzy "button smackers," risking the quality of our life and culture for the doubtful thrill of instant knowledge.

Shenk's warning is a gentle one, however, tempered by an affectionate familiarity with the media he critiques. And though this book could have used a little more winnowing (in particular, the transcribed conversations with assorted media-critic pals of Shenk's come off as little more than chummy, self-indulgent filler), in general his writing has a sure, light touch that glides past the bombast of classic technopunditry. Happily, Shenk follows his own prescriptions, cutting through the information haze rather than adding to it. --Julian Dibbell ... Read more

Reviews (7)

"Moving images capture attention but subvert thought."
David Shenk has a gift for giving voice to my nagging anxieties, and an ability to discover the essential features of complex problems. I think he is a truly fine essayist, and all of the ones in this slender volume are wonderful. "Stealing Calm," however, is in a very rare class. It even approaches the likes of Loren Eiseley's "The Bird and the Machine," and for me, there are no higher accolades.

Patience still a virtue on the information tech frontier
The End of Patience: cautionary notes on the information revolution by David Shenk

This is a very fast, fun read, and I found it simultaneously interesting and frustrating. Every chapter/article is a reprint of a previously published (either in print or online) essay - for the material that is 2-3 years old - I would have liked to also read additional current follow-up or commentary. It would be fascinating to know, in this time of exploding commercial enterprise on the web if the author still holds the same opinions about the need for a World Wide Library ("a regimented, filtered, ultra-reliable segment of the World Wide Web") as he did in mid-1997. And how he thinks it might be accomplished given the current free market boom.

Every essay provided food for thought, even if only to wonder "is this still true?" The author writes clearly, humorously and cogently. I would be pleased to see book length treatments of many of the themes he treats in just 2 or 3 pages ("Hall Pass to the Twenty-first Century: the problem with putting schools online" would be a particularly juicy book topic). In light of the coming anti-trust judgment remedies in the Microsoft case - a book extrapolating on the essay "Hating Gates: the culture of Microsoft bashing" could be quite provocative. His conclusion that "as long as Microsoft keeps its focus on itself, maintains that hungry feeling, and stays (more or less) within the bounds of the law, they're bound to succeed ... [but] technology has a way of turning the tables rather suddenly. Regardless of Microsoft's foresight, toughness, breadth of investment, and research, Gates knows as well as anyone that his days as technology king could come to a fairly swift end" (p. 88) seems especially prescient.

The concluding section on Technorealism, while 2 years or more old - still resonates and is a very appropriate way to end a book by the person who coined the phrase "data smog". I think it is important to try and retain a sense of proportion about the high-tech "information society" - and his basic principles are a good thing to keep in mind: 1. Technologies are not neutral 2. The Internet is revolutionary, but not utopian [...] 4. Information is not knowledge 5. Wiring the schools will not save them. [...]

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is trying to find a point of equilibrium between boosterism and neo-Luddite rejection of high tech and the changes it is bringing to us all.

Another Triumph for David Shenk
David Shenk writes with wit and warmth about profound matters that affect us all, and manages to make high tech information intelligible and enjoyable.

I was introduced to Mr. Shenk's work in "Data Smog", an earlier publication about the impact of technology on us mortals. Time and time again, I experienced that 'click' of recognition, as Mr. Shenk articulated what I had been feeling, but unable to voice.

Mr. Shenk hasn't let us down with his current work, "The End of Patience". One warning, though - this book will make information technology addicts very grumpy. For those of us who have embraced this technology without question and spend most of our lives 'plugged in' on an endless quest for more and better and faster, Mr. Shenk's insights will not be welcome.

For the rest of us, those who just want to retain our humanity in cyber-world, it's a must-read.This is especially true for those who are privileged to work in developing our information technology and communication systems, and have the power to deeply impact our futures.

Mr. Shenk does not advocate disrespect for our modern miracles. On the contrary, he reminds us that it is in the nature of miracles to overwhelm those who are touched by them.

The End of Patience: Binary Fallout
I enjoyed The End of Patience very much. I had to laugh at how many of David Shenk's insights I could relate to, although I had never slowed down enough to consider them. I highly recommend this book. If you've never considered the effect of the constant barrage of digital information The End of Patience will be an eye opener.

nibbling the hand that feeds
In his second book "The End of Patience" we have David Shenk's self aggrandizing insights into the complex dark canyons of the technological revolution we have been drawn into. Like a prophet from above Shenk has generously mined from his own omni-present commentary on the mélange of "our" patronage of all that is technologically new and shinny in order to sound a warning.

This warning - in and of itself - might be easier to take seriously were it not itself coming from one whose success is built, and dependent on, the very industry he seeks to protect "us" from. However, looking at Shenk through the filter of the book's point of view, it is hard not to agree with the basis of his premises. And we can hardly blame him for only nibbling the hand that feeds him. ... Read more

Book Description

This book presents ten selections from the most important scholarship on the French Revolution over the past quarter century, introduced and contextualized for student readers.Historians typically categorize the historiography of the French Revolution according to each author's approval or disapproval of the Revolution, political agenda (for example Marxist, liberal, conservative, or feminist), or methodology (for example social, political, or cultural history). This book demonstrates the inadequacy of these categories of analysis for a nuanced understanding of the Revolution and emphasizes the surprising connections between historians typically seen simply as opponents in a debate. In its thorough introduction, The French Revolution: The Essential Readings demonstrates the success of an eclectic, interdisciplinary approach to this central period in modern European history and the larger relevance of the historiography to the humanities more generally. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Academic and Thorough
Max Caufield's "The Easter Rebellion" is considered by many to be the standard account of the week-long standoff between Irish Republicans and the British Army in Dublin.Thoroughly detailed, Caufield chronologically accounts the events of Easter Week, 1916.This is a good introduction for those researching the events of the week.Some of his characterizations of the individuals involved in the events are off a bit, or in some cases just plain wrong.Use this as a starting place in your research, but don't accept everything in this book as truth.

Èntertaining but not always accurate
Caulfield's history is a good read and good fun, but has its odd moments - for instance he weirdly typifies the funny, dreamy, sweet-natured poet Thomas MacDonagh as "arrogant", which would have surprised thosewho fought by his side and were taught by him. Not the definitive history,but very entertaining.

Excellent, step-by-step, vivid narration
After providing an overview of the facts which led to the Easter rising in 1916, Caulfield focuses in a most detailed account of the rebellion. Written originally in 1963, when many of the participants of both sides were still alive to be interviewed, it describes the events almost hour by hour, switching from one place to another. The book is divided in chapters, subdivided in sections of no more than a few pages, as the author goes through the evolution of facts occurring at the same time in different locations in Dublin. There is a lot of thrilling action in the text. Many of the characters, some of which would later be famous are fleshed out with well documented descriptions. There are included some maps which help to understand the text, and some pages of photos for you to gain some atmosphere. At the end it is a chapter which explains what happened after the Rebellion, which events would affect momentously to the subsequent history of Ireland. The book is well balanced, and although focusing more on the Irish side, it has no axes to grind present. Anyone who wants to learn about the Raising which would, on end, led to the independence of Ireland, has to read this book.

Well written narrative history of the 1916 uprising in Éire
Although well written, Max Caufied's work suffersfrom a minute-by-minute focus on the military aspect of the Rebellion. There is an abundance of information in the manner of identifying a rebel who runs down Grangegorman Upper at7 PM, telling what sort of weapon he carried and how many rounds of ammunition he had, and what he reportedly yells to the man next to him as they round a corner. After a while, this reader found himself skipping over the numbing details and looking,in vain, for a broader view of the participants and the historical event they initiated.

A fantastic, and captivating book; History brought to life!
You are there, as British troops try to cross the Mount Street Bridge.The withering fire of Irish Rebels cutting an entire British Battalion to pieces.The sense of urgentness in the insurgents, followed by a combined sense of doom and pride for what they had done.This book guides the reader through unbelievable scenes of heroism and tragedy.Nothing seems to be left out, and the flowery additives and imaginary dialogue, that seem to encompass so many books on the subject, are thankfully left out. ... Read more

Book Description

Asked shortly after the revolution about how she viewed the new government, Tatiana Varsher replied, "With the wide-open eyes of a historian." Her countrywoman, Zinaida Zhemchuzhnaia, expressed a similar need to take note: "I want to write about the way those events were perceived and reflected in the humble and distant corner of Russia that was the Cossack town of Korenovskaia." What these women witnessed and experienced, and what they were moved to describe, is part of the extraordinary portrait of life in revolutionary Russia presented in this book. A collection of life stories of Russian women in the first half of the twentieth century, In the Shadow of Revolution brings together the testimony of Soviet citizens and émigrés, intellectuals of aristocratic birth and Soviet milkmaids, housewives and engineers, Bolshevik activists and dedicated opponents of the Soviet regime. In literary memoirs, oral interviews, personal dossiers, public speeches, and letters to the editor, these women document their diverse experience of the upheavals that reshaped Russia in the first half of this century.

As is characteristic of twentieth-century Russian women's autobiographies, these life stories take their structure not so much from private events like childbirth or marriage as from great public events. Accordingly the collection is structured around the events these women see as touchstones: the Revolution of 1917 and the Civil War of 1918-20; the switch to the New Economic Policy in the 1920s and collectivization; and the Stalinist society of the 1930s, including the Great Terror. Edited by two preeminent historians of Russia and the Soviet Union, the volume includes introductions that investigate the social historical context of these women's lives as well as the structure of their autobiographical narratives. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

This is the final volume in a trilogy that examines the politics, personalities, economics, culture, and international relations of China from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. It seeks to answer the central question: Why did Chairman Mao Zedong launch the Cultural Revolution (1966­76), which plunged China into chaos and almost destroyed its Communist Party? starts with the great famine of the early 1960s, which resulted in tens of millions of deaths and set in train a series of emergency measures that increasingly divided Mao from his comrades-in-arms. His anger that they were prepared to adopt "capitalist" methods to rescue the country was sharpened by his belief that Moscow had actually gone capitalist and sold out to the "imperialist" West. From 1961 to 1966, the period covered by this volume, the increasingly urgent question for Mao was how to prevent a similar revolutionary degeneration in China. The Cultural Revolution was his answer. Drawing upon new evidence from Party documents, personal interviews, books, and journals, MacFarquhar details the growing rift between Mao and his colleagues as they attempted to cope with domestic privation and an increasingly hostile international environment -until the Chairman finally decided to smash the unity of the Yan´an Round Table by unleashing society against the party-state. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Biased research
I find this book as well as most of MacFarquhar's books (I have read several) to be fairly biased, though well-written. Here is MacFarquhar's strength and weakness. He is a good story-teller yet I find the work, from an academic standpoint, to be shoddy. He makes claims that are unsubstantiated as to what political elites in China were thinking. Basing his research on accounts written by others in a political system that is notorious for back-biting leaves me a bit concerned as to the veracity of his conclusions sine they are founded on perhaps erroneous information.

I would have liked to have seen him conduct more interviews with the actual people he is writing on -- the ones that are still alive at least -- or with relatives of the people he is writing on. Then, he could triangulate these interviews with is sources to determine as close to the truth as possible. Unfortunatley, his work is way too dependent on one or two sources.

Alas, MacFarquhar's books are the best on elite Chinese politics of the 60s and 70s -- only because no one else has really written on it. I would read the book for some fo the info but I would be wary of the conclusions and veracity of some ofthe arguments.

Authoritative Sourcebook
Professor MacFarquhar presents an extremely thorough and readable account of elite politics in China from 1958-1960. While writing this book nearly two decades ago, he had access to hitherto unavailable memoirs and other personal accounts of the events surrounding the Great Leap Forward. He gives the reader a very balanced picture of Chairman Mao - an extremely complex leader who (I disagree with the previous reviewer on this) cannot be called "evil." Mao was no Stalin. Mao was no Hitler. The book reveals that the decision to launch the Great Leap Forward, while ultimately Mao's responsibility, was pushed along by external events and ambitious cadres. My only criticism of the book is that it focuses too much on elite politics. I would love to know more about what was going on in the countryside. All in all, however, THE ORIGINS OF THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION, VOL.2 is an excellent read. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in modern Chinese politics.

misleading book
Anyone hoping to gain an objective insight into the complex tragedy of the GLF should avoid this book at all costs. Despite the author's reputation as a noted scholar in the field, he makes sweeping, generalized claims that are simply not documented. In discussing the negative aspects of the GLF, for example, all efforts are made to present Mao as not responsible--somehow separated from the policy-making process and therefore not responsible for the terrible consequences. The millions of deaths that resulted are acknowledged, but the author quickly points out that Mao did inspire millions of workers in China to work for the common good, as if this somehow compensated for the maniacal toll on the country. I don't know why Mr. Macfarquhar is such an apologist for Mao, but it clearly interferes with the balance of his analysis and would outrage any sensible student of Chinese history. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Informative but Mediocre Writing and Photography
This book was informative, with numerous photographs to illustrate the lives of the Mayans in Chiapas today. The problem is that the writing was mediocre, and apparently untouched by an editor who could have spiced up the incrediblly interesting findings. Also, many of the photos were not deliberately framed; however, I do appreciate their inclusion in "Conflict in Chiapas...". I am thankful to be privy to the images seen by Worth Weller, as he was lucky enough to experience these rare photo opportunities.

I would especially recommend this book to younger readers, as it is fairly short and an easy read. For a detailed account of this book, see Review #1.

Informative reading for students of Mexican history/politics
Conflict In Chiapas: Understanding The Modern Mayan World is a description and analysis of the conflict between the Mexican government and the Zapatista rebels. Author Worth Weller reveals what is at the heart of the violence in Chiapas; who the Zapatistas are and what their mission is; how their rebellion affects the lives of the women of Chiapas; why political differences in Mexico are still settled with bloodshed; what the role the U.S. government has in this violent struggle; nonviolent solutions to this conflict and who should implement them; and similarities existent among the issues faced by the Maya of southern Mexico and the indigenous people within the United States. Conflict in Chiapas is highly recommended, informative reading for students of Mexican history and culture, Native American studies, and America's role and participation in Mexico's on-going internal conflict. ... Read more

Book Description

The French Revolution is a defining moment in world history, and usually it has been first approached by English-speaking readers through the picture painted of it by Edmund Burke. Reflections on the Revolution in France is a classic work in a range of fields from history through political science to literature, and securely holds its place among the canon of "great books." Yet its meaning is still contested and often misunderstood, equally by those who wish to admire or to denigrate Burke for his present-day relevance. This edition aims to locate Burke once again in his contemporary political and intellectual setting. Alone among recent versions, it reprints the text of the first edition of the Reflections, and shows how Burke amended it as his knowledge of the Revolution deepened. It is certain to become the standard edition for scholars and students alike.

The editor's Introduction is much more extensive than that of any previous edition. It situates the Reflections in Burke's life and the development of his ideas, the history of English political thought, the debate about the French Revolution, and the debate the book itself inspired. But the Introduction is more than a compendium of information; it is a thoughtful, coherent interpretation of Burke and his book. The editor's notes are also fuller than those of any previous edition, glossing many literary and biblical allusions missed by previous editors. He also supplies an extended note on the text, a biographical guide, and a bibliography, helpfully presented in discursive form. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Reflections on the Revolution in France: (Penguin Classics)
Reflections on the Revolution in France written by Edmund Burke and Edited with an introduction by Conor Cruise O'Brien the Penguin Classics version is the best version of this unparalleled powerful work. The reason for this is that included in this version you have an introduction that gets the reader upto speed. For Burke is without doubt the foremost conservative British political thinkers of his time, (1729-1797).

There is a biographical note on Edmund Burke right after the introduction giving the reader a historical perspective into who is Edmund Burke and why his advice was sought after with regard to the French Revolution and the consequenses of its following. Unlike the United States, France had an established entrenched government, so any change in form of government meant that an upheavel of property, religion, and traditional French institutions would have to occur. Underlying the French Revolution was the latent Catholic Cause which being Irish Burke had a good deal of sympathy.

Burke's Reflections written in 1790 was a really good prediction of the events pretaining to the Reign of Terror experienced by the French. This edition of Edmund Burke's "Reflection on the Revolution in France" has well explained footnotes further giving the reader a much greater appreciation for the practical wisdom of Burke. Burke was a man who would've rather seen a gradual or piecemeal reform as opposed to a revolution as he was sceptical in his belief in expediency.

Another plus for this edition, in contrast to the others available, is that there is a well appointed "Notes" at the end of Burke's writing. Also, at the very end of this book you'll have a recommended reading list, which for those inclined is indispensable. By far this edition is well worth reading and great care has been given to bring this important work in a form that is easily understandable, with enough detail to make it interesting reading.

"The Wild Gas" ... let loose...
I personally find, overall, that other persons writing
about and analyzing Burke and his views tend to be a bit
more interesting and compelling, than Burke himself in
his prose.
I do not consider myself a "conservative" -- in the
sense that that is a political agenda or mindset, nor
a reactionary. There is much in academics and political
philosophy which tends to want to damn by labels -- and
by putting ideas into boxes, filing, and forgetting...rather
than listening to, or thoughtfully considering.
One can believe in classic values, and find his
grounding in classical philosophy without being a
rigid reactionary or even a doctrinaire conservative.
So, when Burke speaks with the speech of the
Ancients and espouses classical warnings and
remonstrances about the necessity of restraint
and careful consideration, one can agree with him.
And, as the editor and author of the "Introduction"
to the Penguin Classics edition, Conor Cruise O'Brien,
points out, there is that of the prophet in Burke as
well, since he published these REFLECTIONS in 1790,
before the Reign of Terror in 1793, yet he correctly
foresees the excesses to which the French Revolution
will proceed in its unchecked course.
One of the best quotes which I like very much from
this work follows:
"When I see the spirit of liberty in action, I see
a strong principle at work; and this, for a while,
is all I can possibly know of it. The wild GAS, the
fixed air is plainly broke loose: but we ought to
suspend our judgment until the first effervescence is
a little subsided, till the liquor is cleared, and
until we see something deeper than the agitation of
a troubled and frothy surface. I must be tolerably
sure, before I venture publicly to congratulate men
upon a blessing, that they have really received one.
Flattery corrupts both the receiver and the giver;
and adulation is not of more service to the people
than to kings. I should therefore suspend my
congratulations on the new liberty of France, until
I was informed how it had been combined with
government; with public force; with the discipline
and obedience of armies; with the collection of an
effective and well-distributed revenue; with morality
and religion; with the solidity of property; with
peace and order: with civil and social MANNERS. All
these (in their way) are good things too; and, without
them, liberty is not a benefit whilst it lasts, and
is not likely to continue long."

Correction to the one underneath
My recommendation was for the Oxford rather than the Everyman edition, edited by L.G. Mitchell. I apologise for this error.

A wonderful book in a terrible edition
I would agree with the commentators below in that Burke is by far the greatest politican ever, and that Reflections is not to be missed. However, of the several editions of this book I have read, this is undoubtedly among the worst. None of Burke's french footnotes are translated. Several quotations are untraced. The introduction is too long and unintelligent. The view it provides of Burke is not particularly accurate. The picture chosen for the cover ought to tell us what to expect from this edition, and the hopes we have are not disappointed. I recommend, for anyone who really wants to read this wonderful book, the Everyman edition, which is better on all of these counts.

welcome to conservative thought
Edmund Burke sets the stage for conservative political philosophy in the United States. Burke discusses the importance of tradition in society, the importance of political trustees in Congress instead of delegates, and the failures of the French Revolution with comparisons to the American Revolution. Disappointingly, the book did not include constructive criticisms of Burke's work so the reader must depend solely on their own interpretation. This book is an excellent edition for any student of political philosophy, and is greatly complimented by the works of Karl Marx and John Stuart Mills in giving an overview of world political thought ... Read more

Book Description

Long before the Robber Barons made America into an international economic power, a generation of visionary inventors gambled on innovations they hoped would bring them riches. Chief among them was Charles Goodyear, who, in the 1830s, began his obsessive quest to find the recipe for rubber, a material he believed would change the world. In chasing his dream, Goodyear entered a Dickensian underworld, miring his family in poverty, spending extended periods in debtors' prison, and provoking powerful enemies who were also determined to understand and control this miracle substance.His victory in a triumphant lawsuit argued eloquently by Daniel Webster made Goodyear into an American industrial legend, but never released him from his tragic obsession and the pain it caused those close to him. In "The Goodyear Story," Richard Korman has written a fascinating biography that also provides a panoramic view of America in the first light of its industrial revolution. Drawing on newly discovered archival records, Korman tells a suspenseful story of scientific experimentation and legal struggle in creating a portrait of an eminent American whose eccentricity anticipates the new economy pioneers of today. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A fascinating, true-life tale of science
The Goodyear Story: An Inventor's Obsession And The Struggle For A Rubber Monopoly by Richard Korman (Senior Editor, Engineering News-Record, McGraw-Hill) is the amazing and informative biography of Charles Goodyear, the man who in the 1830's began his efforts to create rubber -- a material, in his belief, which would forever alter the world and the course of human civilization. His dream cost so much that his family lived in poverty and he suffered in debtor's prison. Yet his dream was not only to make rubber, but also to reap the wealth of controlling its creation and distribution; when others tried to lay claim to the manufacture of his miracle, only a lawsuit as argued by the famous Daniel Webster could settle the dispute once and for all. The Goodyear Story is a fascinating, true-life tale of science, business, and the striving of human nature against great odds and adverse circumstances.

A great read!
Korman hits a home run with his portrait of the inventor Charles Goodyear and his self-destructive mania surrounding finding a way to make rubber a useful industrial product. The craziness continues when Goodyear claims the credit for the invention (and the royalties) as his own.

The book is a time-traveling glimpse into industrial revolutionary America and England and the swirling energy surrounding the changes happening at the time.

A must for ambitious business people and basement tinkerers! ... Read more

Book Description

1921. In order to follow the universal revolution which we are now passing, we must realize the dual nature of the movement by studying concurrently the outward revolutionary forces of socialism, anarchism, etc., and the hidden power behind them as indicated in the chart found in this work. The author believes that no other books have been written along these lines and she attempts to trace the connection between secret societies and the surface history of revolution in the form of a continuous narrative. ... Read more

Book Description

Although much has been written about the political history of theRussian revolution, the human story of what the revolution meant to ordinary people hasrarely been told. This book gives voice to the experiences, thoughts, and feelings of theRussian people--workers, peasants, soldiers--as expressed in their own words during thevast political, social, and economic upheavals of 1917. The documents in the volumeinclude letters from individuals to newspapers, institutions, or leaders; collectiveresolutions and appeals; and even poetry. Selected from the State Archive of the RussianFederation in Moscow, nearly all the texts are published here for the first time. In thesewritings we hear the voices of ordinary Russians seeking to understand the revolution andmake sense of the values, ideals, and discontents of their turbulent times. Not only dothey speak of their particular needs and desires--for solutions to the economic crisis oran end to the war, for example--they also reveal how relatively unprivileged Russiansthought about such questions as political power, freedom, justice, democracy, socialclass, nationhood, and civic morality. Mark Steinberg provides introductions to thedocuments, explaining the language of popular revolution in Russia and setting thewritings in the context of the history of the time. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Important
A remarkable collection of documents and interpretations giving one an understanding of the revolution from below. By the way, I notice that the original Russian texts of the documents are available at http://www.yale.edu/annals/Steinberg/golosa.htm ... Read more