Product Description
The History of England, from the Accession of James II - Volume 5 is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Baron Macaulay is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Baron Macaulay then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Product Description
Truly deserving of the accolade a modern classic, Donna Tartt’s novel is a remarkable achievement—both compelling and elegant, dramatic and playful.

Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries.But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality their lives are changed profoundly and forever, and they discover how hard it can be to truly live and how easy it is to kill. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (571)

Oh, poo!
Some (not all!) of these reviews read like joyous opportunities for people to seem "smart" for having chosen and read it, whether they damn the book to hell, or praise it as the finest collection of words ever put together (especially the CLASSIC GREEK!).

I'm not up to sounding smart in my analysis of The Secret History. I doubt if I will read it five times, as one fellow says he did. I don't understand Greek. I don't WANT to understand Greek. I loved the novel!

Now see, because of all you empty-except-for-the-egg-heads, I am tongue tied. My five stars will have to speak for me.

Just do not believe that pretentious review from Publishers Weekly. Right off the bat, the reviewer calls it a "much bruited" novel. What IS that? Yes the plot is TOO plausible, and yes the protagonist (Richard) is TOO accepted into the group believably! YES to everything that review says NO to. The Secret History is suspenseful and thrilling from beginning to end.

I couldn't put it down. I'm still thinking about it, and all the characters, wondering things about them, and the story, and their motives, and the outcome. So. Does that count?

Like a thrilling movie, carried around in your bag!
This is the most enjoyable book I've ever read, bar none. It's long and doesn't get off and running until a few dozen pages in, but once it's on, it's really on. It's been a long time since I've really desperately wanted to get back to my book (don't get me wrong - I'm a voracious reader, but there are very few books that make me skip all my meals just because I literally can't stop reading!)

It's very well written for what it is, the plot is genius, and the characters are so well constructed that it's very difficult to read without immediately casting the movie of the book; that said, if it's made into a movie, it needs to be a damn good movie, otherwise I will throw a fit.

Anyway! Point is, reading this is a most enjoyable experience, and even though it's not exactly Nabokov, the literary references are prominent and Donna Tartt is clearly very well-read and hyper-intellectual. Very good stuff.

Timelessness
I see somereaders of TSH seem to dislike or be disconcerted by not being able to place the books actual time frame .For me this was one of its triumphs , making it timeless in a new and strange way . This effect was betterdescribed by a previous reviewer, using the following quote
"The rain slanted in the lights, which were angled to cast long, dramatic shadows. The effect was fashionable, post- nuclear but ancient, too, like some pumice-strewn courtyard from Pompeii."

But then I'm a TSH devotee, in factI think I;ll go and start a re-read this minute!

I hated it
I had heard about this book for years, and finally ordered it. What a load of pretentious crap. First of all, the characters were so poorly fleshed out that I truly could not keep them straight. And they spoke in this antiquated, affected style, like something out of a 1940's drawing room play. The whole Greek and Latin aspect of the book may be interesting to some people, but it wasn't to me. I kept waiting for it to get good. THe acknowledgements include a big thank you to literary agent Binky Urban who was (is still?) a big deal in the literary world. I kept wondering if Ms. Urban caused all of the fuss over this book and reviewers just bought the load of goods. The book is 557 pages long, and I got to 468 and could not continue. It was BORING! I hated the narrator and didn't believe that A)it was a male...the voice didn't feel male at all to me and B) didn't believe anything about his story. It seemed so contrived.

Oh, Sisyphus!
The prologue, and, arguably, the first chapter -- a masterpiece of literature, of stage-setting, of baiting the hook. A work of art. I was HOOKED.

But then came the rest .... and I read Every. Single. Page .... pretentious, precious, elitist. And yes, throw pedantic onto the pile. I very quickly tired of Julian, Charles and Camilla, Francis, Bunny, and the poor-Plano-plebe-looking-in-from-the-outside Richard. I thought the supporting evidence for Richard's infatuation with these Paris-Hilton cohorts would emerge eventually, but they never did. I didn't understand how these characters stood out for Julian's elite picks. Nor did I ever find Julian to be anything other than the self-absorbed individual that he turned out to be.

About halfway through, I prayed for the end. I silently pled to the author: Do whatever it is you intend to do with these ridiculous human beings and be done with it. Just release me, oh gods, from this cursed book.



... Read more

Product Description
What do the so called sacred sites all over the world have to do with consciousness? Is it possible that the ancients left us keys to who we really are and what we are capable of? What does sacred geometry really have to do with these sites, our consciousness and even the symbology of world religions? How does all of this tie together to literally solve the meaning of the Mayan Calendar? The Secret History of Consciousness answers these questions and more as the author simply and logically relates the tangible with the intangible from reality on the earth plane to worlds far beyond. As she weaves the facts together, the author shares her intimate story of finding her way out of third dimensional reality and into worlds beyond where she met and interacted with her "Guys" as she lovingly calls them, as they taught her about life, consciousness, the sciences, multi-dimensional reality, star gate systems, worm holes, genetic and conscious evolution and so much more. Finally, a book that pulls metaphysical reality into a clear and comprehensible set of information in conjunction with the sciences and tangible proof that will blow your mind.

Through a series of personal crises, seekings, and synchronistic events, Dr. Meg Losey learned to channel wisdom from Masters from the past, the present, and off planet and learned this basic truth: "Reality isn't happening to us--we are happening to reality. We really do create our experiences, and we can change them at any time by changing our perceptions. We are the consciousness within the living One."

In this new book, she reveals the secrets that were known to the ancients but lost to the modern world. Secrets about consciousness and the relevance of sacred sites from around the globe. She uncovers the true meaning of the Mayan Calendar and links sacred geometry, the Kaballah, the Flower of Life, the Pyramids, Atlantis, Lemuria, and more to reveal that these ancient secrets show us that we are all unlimited beings of creation. Dr. Meg invites us to open our minds and hearts to the meaning of our shared and hidden history and offers simple meditations that will allow each and every one of us to become conscious of the change we are creating together. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

How soon we forget!
I just finished this book recently and have to say "Thank you Meg" for sharing your experience and knowledge with all of us. This book was extremely well written, fascinating and informative answering questions that most of us don't even think to ask! I hope you will continue to share what you learn on your journey, it helps us all to remember what we've forgotten :)

Journey in Peace

Ancient History for Now
Dr Meg Blackburn is a wonderful teacher and author.As I receive her monthly newsletters I already knew a lot of what she spoke of in this her latest book.I love to read of the spiritual awareness of our most ancient known ancestors and Dr Meg gives us that and more.She highlights how the sacred knowledge from our ancient past is very pertinent to all of us today. It seems modern science has left us all a bit wanting.We are, after all, spiritual beings and this book shows us this. A very good read, helpful and highly recommended.

The Secret History of Consciousness
This book is a must read for any and all interested in the ascension of planet earth.

Mind Blowing!!!
This is the first book of Dr. Meg's that I have had the privilege to read!!! I have been receiving her newsletter for about 6 mths and have totally enjoyed every aspect of the information!! Also, I have been a student of spiritual truth for over 40 years, this book is a brilliant, breath taking and mind blowing experience.Dr. Meg 'YOU' Rock!!!

A Quantum Read
From the first time I held this book in my hands, I felt new life being formed within my being.I was being unfolded by invisible hands of long-sought-after understanding.You must read it yourself to experience what I mean when I say that my spirit was impregnated by the glyphs and symbols of light within its pages.For those of you who are at the portal of a new passage in life, or on a deep search for truth, this book could provide you with the elusive chord or key to enlightenment. For others who simply want a good, quantum read, you won't be disappointed either. ... Read more

Product Description

A Perfect Plan for the Perfect Score

We want you to succeed on your AP* exam. That's why we've created this 5-step plan to help you study more effectively, use your preparation time wisely, and get your best score. This easy-to-follow guide offers you a complete review of your AP course, strategies to give you the edge on test day, and plenty of practice with AP-style test questions. You'll sharpen your subject knowledge, strengthen your thinking skills, and build your test-taking confidence with

• Full-length practice exams modeled on the real test
• All the terms and concepts you need to know to get your best score
• Your choice of three customized study schedules--so you can pick the one that meets your needs

The 5-Step Plan helps you get the most out of your study time:
Step 1: Set Up Your Study Program
Step 2: Determine Your Readiness
Step 3: Develop the Strategies
Step 4: Review the Knowledge
Step 5: Build Your Confidence

Topics include: Foundations (8000 B.C.E.-600 C.E.); The World History Environment and Periodization; Development of Agriculture and Technology; Structure of Early Civilizations; Rise of Classical Civilizations; Origins of World Belief Systems; Interactions in the Late Classical Period; The Rise and Spread of Islam; The Expansion of China; Changes in European Institutions; Interregional Trade and Exchange; Empires in the Americas; . Empires and Other Political Systems; Hemispheric Exchange; Systems of Slavery; Cultural and Intellectual Changes; The Industrial Revolution and Social Changes; Demographic and Environmental Developments;World Trade; Political Revolution; Western Imperialism; World Wars and Depression; The Cold War and the Postwar Balance of Power;End of the Cold War and Nationalist Movements; Global Trade; Technological Developments; Social Changes; and Demographic and Environmental Developments
Also includes: Practice tests

*AP, Advanced Placement Program, and College Board are registered trademarks of the College Entrance Examination Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent Study Material
Excellent way to review information about a time period or society without having to find information in the more wordy textbook I use for class.Great summaries, timelines, and other organizers to present information.

Very Good for "Nuts and Bolts"
I teach AP World History, and I bought this guide for one of my students who was not able to afford one.And, after he used it to raise his scores overall, I concluded that it was a good "nutshell" and took a harder look at it.

Apart from the fact that I have several national colleagues who recommend it, my thoughts are that this book does an excellent job explaining - in very easy, even calm - language just "how" to tackle multiple choice and essay questions on the AP World History examination.However, it is weak on content.So, the other reviewer in this thread is exactly right when he suggests that this nutshell and the Princeton (and I would add Kaplan) should be purchased as a set.Together and used diligently as the AP World History course progresses, I cannot see how they would fail to provide something of a "boost," as well as making the student more confident as he or she works through the review exercises.

But, IMPORTANT NOTE.There is a distinct possibility that the College Board may be making significant changes to the format of the AP World History examination starting in academic year 2011-2012.So, if you are thinking about a "used" purchase in that year or later, please check the College Board's website to make sure that this book or earlier printings will serve.It likely will not, at least for any essay portion, so it is something to bear in mind before the money is spent!

Recommended!

Does what it says on the tin
This is a great, concise, prep for the AP, esp. if you / your child are not in a class that teaches *how* to take the AP. It gives very clear guidelines as to how to answer the questions (there are marks for specific elements of the answer), and an overview of the thematic approach. The Princeton Review book has more actual subject review, and is a good complement to this one, but I would highly recommend getting them as a pair. ... Read more

Product Description

Confusing Textbooks?

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Tough Test Questions?

Fortunately for you, there's Schaum's Outlines. More than 40 million students have trusted Schaum's to help them succeed in the classroom and on exams. Schaum's is the key to faster learning and higher grades in every subject. Each Outline presents all the essential course information in an easy-to-follow, topic-by-topic format. You also get hundreds of examples, solved problems, and practice exercises to test your skills.

This Schaum's Outline gives you

• Practice problems with full explanations that reinforce knowledge
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Fully compatible with your classroom text, Schaum's highlights all the important facts you need to know. Use Schaum's to shorten your study time-and get your best test scores!

Schaum's Outlines-Problem Solved.

Customer Reviews (44)

Great book
I am using this book in my AP European history class since my textbook is college level and im only in highschool this book helps out a lot.

Great, but not perfect
This is a wonderful review book and the chapters are quite short and precise. Exactly what I need to cram for the AP exam. However, I would pair this up with a review book to make sure I can retain the information. It's easy to read several chapters within an hour and then quickly forget them within the next several hours.
I really recommend McGraw's AP Achiever review book (red cover one) to go along with this book. Actually, even if you don't get this book, get the AP Achiever one. I felt that the McGraw book helped me more in preparation for the AP exam.

This is a great book for a short and concise review, but don't expect this book to substitute for a textbook. For example, there was definitely not enough details about the Thirty Year's War nor the English Civil War and those are some pretty big conflicts in European history that should be memorized.

excellent product
Good price for the excellent condition of the product and arrived on time.
Thanks and I fill great with this transaction

Great Accompaniment for AP European History class
I got this for my daughters AP Euro class and she says its very helpful (so far she has an A in the class so that tells you, it is!)

Wonderful review and reference source
I absolutely loved this little book (and yes, it is small, considering the amount of history it covers). I used it to cram for the AP European History Exam and have actually picked it up a few times since then to read up on events that I have forgotten about.It is really a pretty fun and quick read. The author has done a very good job in condensing information without losing facts or important information.Cause and effect can be easily picked up on, as well as significance.
Truly a marvelous source.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
National Book Award finalist Kate Walbert's A Short History of Women is a profoundly moving portrayal of the complicated legacies of mothers and daughters, chronicling five generations of women from the close of the nineteenth century through the early years of the twenty-first.

The novel opens in England in 1914 at the deathbed of Dorothy Townsend, a suffragette who starves herself for the cause. Her choice echoes in the stories of her descendants interwoven throughout: a brilliant daughter who tries to escape the burden of her mother's infamy by immigrating to America just after World War I to begin a career in science; a niece who chooses a conventional path -- marriage, children, suburban domesticity -- only to find herself disillusioned with her husband of fifty years and engaged in heartbreaking and futile antiwar protests; a great-granddaughter who wryly articulates the free-floating anxiety of the times while getting drunk on a children's playdate in post-9/11 Manhattan. In a kaleidoscope of voices and with a richness of imagery, emotion, and wit, Walbert portrays the ways in which successive generations of women have responded to what the Victorians called "The Woman Question."

As she did in her critically acclaimed The Gardens of Kyoto and Our Kind, Walbert induces "a state in which the past seems to hang effortlessly amid the present" (The New York Times). A Short History of Women is her most ambitious novel, a thought-provoking and vividly original narrative that crisscrosses a century to reflect the tides of time and the ways in which the lives of our great-grandmothers resonate in our own. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (59)

Could NOT Get Through it
I really tried to like this book.The subject matter is awesome and the manner in which the author weaves through each women ties together well.It just did not hold my interest

Grim, cold and depressing
A Short History of Women was one of the ten best books of the year, according to The New York Times. It's easy to see how this story of five generations of women, all dealing with quintessential "women's issues" through five generations of the same family, might impress with its postmodern techniques of jumping through time from 1914 to 2003 to 1898 back to 1914; changing viewpoint and even voice with each section; and reproducing blogs and Facebook pages. I, however, found the book cold and uninvolving, with characters about whom I cared not at all and no real plot. As a fictional treatise on the history of women, it has some merit, but as a novel I found it wanting.

The book begins with the death of Dorothy Trevor Townsend, an Englishwoman who starves herself to promote the cause of women's suffrage. She leaves behind two young children, a girl and a boy, who are split up between relatives and never see one another again. Why this first Dorothy - there are a few others as the years go by - takes it into her head to abandon her family is never adequately explored, though we are told that she gave her body because she had nothing else to give. But no one seems to pay much attention to her sacrifice, and there is no evidence that it had any effect on Parliament's decision, finally, to grant women the right to vote.

It certainly had an effect on her children, however - and her grandchildren, it seems, and down through the ages. Her daughter, Evelyn, is the only character who is in the least likeable, and that is probably because she tells her story in the first person, the only character in the book to do so. Evelyn lives a life different in almost every way from what was expected of women in her era, probably another reason she is at all appealing. But she is the type of woman who holds others at arm's length, and her lack of close emotional attachments makes her life seem to pass too lightly. In fact, under the circumstances described in the book, she would have been a truly revolutionary figure, but we see little of that.

The women in later generations are stereotypes of contemporary women of different ages. Dorothy Townsend Barrett is a member of the generation that gave rise to the Baby Boom, a woman who married just after the end of World War II and promptly had two children, just as she was supposed to according to the mores of the time. Somewhat later, a third child comes along unexpectedly, and Walbert writes of this woman in 2007 taking her daughter on a play date and winding up having a play date of her own with the other girl's mother. Walbert presents a picture of modern women as anxious, helicopter parents who have little emotional attachment to their children, but are eager to see that those children get the proper type of everything, from the right schools to the proper toys.

A Short History of Women appears intended to hold up a mirror to who we are and where we came from. But if modern women are really as emotionally bereft as the women in this book, we are missing out on a great deal of life. Ultimately, I found this book to be deadening in its portrayal of women supposedly attempting to find their own voices and to make sense of their lives; nothing at all seems to make sense to them, or fundamentally to matter to them. There is no emotion expressed in any way except obliquely, impliedly, no love of mother for child or woman for man. Walbert seems to be saying that women cannot know who they are unless they abjure all connections to anyone but themselves. It makes for a grim, cold and depressing reading experience.

Short History of Women
Before reading this book I would have liked to know that it involved several generations in one family only.Also, that the theme was the feminist generation coming alive.It is a very real take on the subject, moving and quite readable, not preachy in anyway.I recommend this book.

Too long, too detailed and too dull
I had great hopes for this book because I found its opening about a woman starving herself to death in the cause of women's rights to be dramatic.But the book is mainly downhill from there, and the writing is so muddy that I became confused about the many different characters and timelines which the author juggled.

I "looked to like," but this just wasn't the book.I trudged through it, and that just should not be the reader's experience with any book.

Timely and in perfect condition
As a first time user of Amazon I was very pleased to receive my purchase even earlier than the estimated date of arrival. Not only in perfect condition but with a kind hand written note of thanks- customer care that is often not seen when purchasing products online. I will be using Amazon as a service again. ... Read more

Product Description
In the years since its publication in 1988, Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time has established itself as a landmark volume in scientific
writing. It has also become an international publishing phenomenon, translated into forty languages and selling over nine million copies.

The book was on the cutting edge of what was then known about the nature of the universe, but since then there have been extraordinary advances in the
technology of observing both the micro- and the macrocosmic world. These observations have confirmed many of Professor Hawking's theoretical predictions
in the first edition of his book, including the recent discoveries of the Cosmic Background Explorer satellite (COBE), which probed back in time to within 300,000 years of the universe's beginning and revealed the wrinkles in the fabric of space-time that he had projected.

Eager to bring to his original text the new knowledge revealed by these many observations, as well as his most recent research, for this revised and expanded edition Hawking has prepared a new introduction to the book, revised and updated the original chapters throughout, and written an entirely new chapter on the fascinating subject of wormholes and time travel.

In addition, to heighten understanding of complex concepts that readers may have found difficult to grasp despite the clarity and wit of Hawking's writing, this edition is magnificently enhanced throughout with more than 240 full-color illustrations, including satellite images, photographs made possible by spectacular new technological advances such as the Hubble telescope, and computer- generated images of three- and four-dimensional realities. Detailed captions clarify these illustrations, enabling readers to experience the vastness of intergalactic space, the nature of black holes, and the microcosmic world of
particle physics in which matter and antimatter collide.

A classic work that now brings to the reader the latest understanding of cosmology, The Illustrated A Brief History of Time is the story of the ongoing search for the tantalizing secrets at the heart of time and space. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (58)

Get over it when there is no time
From past to current, from simple kinetics to quantum theory, this book introduces ideas gradually.A well-organized review book that will widen many eyes.

Easy to follow!!
This book really breaks down astronomy and makes it easy to understand, even explaining the General Theory of Relativity which can be very confusing.It's a well written, understandable, intriguing, and easy to follow book :)

The best
The best physics' book I ever read. Simple, concise, practical for non-experienced regular curious persons.

Timeless classic worthy of your personal library
The significant enhancement over the original version is the inclusion of 240 illustrations of the concepts. The writing style is characteristically Stephen Hawking; he delights in adding his own personal experiences with colleagues. The book traces the historic discoveries, his personal experiences, and development of significant concepts to understanding the physics of our universe. His effective writing style presents these concepts descriptively in context without the mathematics. Note: If you are really thirsting for the heavy math, I highly recommend Roger Penrose's 'Road to Reality'.

In Chapter 2, 'Space and Time' (my favorite), Hawking summarizes the sequence of events that occurred between 1887 and 1905 that moved our understanding from classical (Newton) physics to relativistic (Einstein) physics. Prior to 1887, Maxwell's equations had proved the velocity of light is a constant. From a classical physics perspective, scientists thought that 'ether' must fill the vacuum of space and that observers would measure different speeds of light based on their own velocity relative to the ether. Measuring this difference in velocities was the intent of a famous experiment (Michelson-Morley) conducted 1887. Problem was, the experiment showed that the speed of light from different directions was exactly the same (i.e., speed of light is constant, independent of an observer's own velocity). Between 1887 and 1905, several theories were proposed to explain this apparent paradox. But it was Einstein, who published his famous paper on special relativity (constant speed of light, time dilation) in 1905 that resolved it, once and for all. The subsequent advances in our understanding of physics during the last 100 years have been remarkable.

The following quote is from the first chapter: "But ever since the dawn of civilization, people have not been content to see events as unconnected and inexplicable. They have craved an understanding of the underlying order in the world. Today we still yearn to know why we are here and where we came from. Humanity's deepest desire for knowledge is justification enough for our continuing quest. And our goal is nothing less that a complete description of the universe we live in."

Stephen Hawking has published a collection of books on the physics of the universe, each with a different perspective and focus. Regardless of which books written by Stephen Hawking you acquire, the illustrated version of 'A Brief History of Time' is a timeless classic worthy of your personal library.

Bood is Great and Arrived in good condition
Its probably one of the greatest books ever written. I dont have to say it if you are reading my review about this book. The service is good and the book arrived in great condition. ... Read more

Product Description
Charles Fayette McGlashan (1847- 1931) was born in Wisconsin. He attended Sotoyme Institute, Healdsburg, California, from 1861 to 1865 and Williston Seminary in Massachusetts, 1868-1870. In 1878 a subscription to the Republican from a survivor of the Donner Party led to McGlashan's writing several articles on the subject. In 1879 History of the Donner Party: A Tragedy of the Sierra was published. The Donner Party was a group of California-bound American emigrants caught up in the "westering fever" of the 1840s. After becoming snowbound in the Sierra Nevada in the winter of 1846-1847, some of them resorted to cannibalism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

History of the Donner Party, a Tragedy of the Sierra
I found it a very worthwhile read.The author (a Donner) was a small girl during the trip.She would see things through her child's eye.I thought it a good defense of the Donner party and a good story.It was amazing how difficult it was to get help to agree to come rescue the party.I had always thought that "back then" everybody was a good neighbor willing to jump in and help.I guess not.I would recommend this book.

A must read... Very Detailed.
This book on Kindle, gives eye witness accounts from survivors and rescuers of the Donner party's unfortunate endeavor to reach California and their trials and tribulations. It is a very detailed book that contains a few quotes from one of the people who traveled with the Donner Party who kept a journal of the events taking place at the time. It is a very detailed account and I would not recommend this book to young readers or readers that don't have a strong stomach. I would recommend this book however if you want to know what took place at that time.

A good read with some distractions
I've read a few books on the Donner Party and have found the cast of characters daunting and the number of rescue missions difficult to sort out.Charles Fayette McGlashan lays out the general travel of the Donner party most clearly and provides the best overview.

McGlashan at times writes in a very melodramatic fashion, sometimes peppered with exclamation marks to drive home the plight of the travelers.At one point, he defends the need for the Donner Party to kill some Indian guides for food.Not politically correct for today, it sheds light on the attitude towards Indians at the time.

Included are excerpts from letters and diaries written on the trail, and interviews made afterward.I found the interview with Lewis Keseberg most fascinating.He is so often characterized as a willing cannibal.I have never read his account of the story before and it is well worth downloading this book just to read his interview.

The last part of the book recounts a short biography of John A. Sutter, who helped supply the rescue operations, and also the fate of each survivor.Some might find that interesting, but the cast of characters is so huge that I found it time consuming and a bit of a drag.

The Kindle version does not sport a clickable table of contents.The chapters are numbered, followed by a curious string of words which look like they could be a mass of titles jumbled together in a paragraph.For instance, the first chapter begins with, "Donner Lake A famous Tourist Resort Building the Central Pacific California's Skating Park The Pioneers The Organization of the Donner Party Ho! for California! A mammoth Train The Dangers by the Way . . . ."It went on for another five lines.I made sure to skip it but found it distracting.

Altogether, it was a good read with some distractions.For a more personal tale of the Donner party, I recommend The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride

A great story, but difficult to read
A huge wagon train split up at the western end of the great salt lake. Most of the emigrants took the traditional route to California. Some of them decided to go through Hasting's cutoff. Hasting had gone to California on the regular route. He wrote The Emigrant's Guide To California. Inside the book, there was a new route, a route which Hastings thought up. He had never actually tried it out when the Donner Party came. It turned out to be much rougher, and even longer than the regular route. 3 people died before they even reached Donner Lake. At Donner Lake, the party was trapped in the snow. They built several cabins, but the Donners themselves never got to the lake. They put up several tents on Alder Creek. They ran out of food, and sent several small, unsuccessful parties to California. They became desperate, and sent out one last party, "The Forlorn Hope." Those who were strong enough, set out for California. There were 15 people in the Forlorn Hope. The first to die of hunger and cold was a 13 year old, Lemuel. His sister couldn't watch as the rest of the Forlorn Hope ate Lemuel. More people died, but eventually, the remaining seven, reached Sutter's fort. Meanwhile, James F. Reed, who had been banished from the party, assembled a rescue party. The first try to reach the people at the lake was unsuccessful. Eventually they get to the lake, and rescue the people they could. This is a great book about the Donner Party. It was written in a way that makes it hard to read for anyone under 12, but it captured the drama perfectly.

Keep a paper bag handy.
Maudlin, hypersentimental tripe, worthless as either a history or a scientific inquiry into the events surrounding its subject. A wandering bard's laments with a street organ would be more valuable as a historical source than this piece of sycophancy, a purported "history" bursting at the seams with errors and largely devoid of accurate facts, chronology or topography.

McGlashan befriended Donner party survivors during compiling his material and what he eventually thrusts on the world as a "history" is a ludicrous, simpering ode to both the living and the dead concerned with no regard for the truth, a pathetically transparent attempt at fanning his new-found "friends" raw sensibilities on the subject (no pun intended), and appeasing his own quixotic knights-on-white-steeds world-view.

Bancroft, talking about the Donner party incident in his "History of California", says "C.F. McGlashan published a volume on the subject in 1879, treating it in a manner that has left little or nothing to be desired". Was Bancroft under the gun or under the influence when he wrote those words? We shall never know. What we do know is that such irresponsible eulogizing by his peers catapulted McGlashan's ham-handed, lopsided "history" to undeserved posterity.

If you want to read a real history of the Donner party incident, George Stewart's "Ordeal by Hunger" would be a good place to start. In comparison, McGlashan's composition is good for entertainment. His flowery language frequently elicits chuckles, not a minor achievement considering the extreme grimness of the subject matter.

Had McGlashan, obese with flowery prose and sentimental rambling stumbled onto a certain grizzled gathering at the shores of Lake Truckee in the winter of 1846, the questionable gourmets present may have appreciated him far better than the modern student of history.... ... Read more

Product Description
A national bestseller, this brilliant 4000 year survey covers not only Jewish history but he impact of Jewish genius and imagination on the world. By the author of Modern Times: The World From the Twenties to the Eighties.Amazon.com Review
Paul Johnson says that writing A History of the Jewswas like writing a history of the world "seen from the viewpoint of alearned and intelligent victim." Johnson's history begins with theBible and ends with the establishment of the State ofIsrael. Throughout, Johnson's history is driven by a philosophicalinterest: "The Jews," he writes, "stand right at the centre of theperennial attempt to give human life the dignity of a purpose. Doestheir own history suggest that such attempts are worth making? Or doesit reveal their essential futility?" Johnson's history is lucid,thorough, and--as one would expect of almost any project with such abroad scope--a little wrong-headed. By the end of the book, readerswill be grateful for Johnson's questioning of the Jews' confidence intheir cosmic significance. However, readers may also be a littleannoyed by his energetic inquiries as to whether this significance wasman-made or providentially provided. Either way, it's a given: for ahistorian of Israel, this should adequately settle thequestion. Johnson's 600-page history is probably the best we've got bya living gentile--which is no small accomplishment atall. --Michael Joseph Gross ... Read more

Customer Reviews (82)

Well-written and Engaging
Paul Johnson makes history engaging. His pace is lively and every sentence contains interesting information and something to think about.

Pleased
Is always pleasing when an author is able to synthesize such a huge material available for research into such meaningful and coherent content.

Balanced History
I own several histories like this one. Well, not exactly like this one, but books on the same topic attempting to do the same. Some readers may accuse the author of partiality. Some may accuse him of dishonesty. Some may say that this is not a history at all. Well, if you do not like Jews and would rather we did not exist, do not waste your time reading this book, please, it will only aggravate you and raise your blood pressure. It talks about a long and very rich history of triumph and despair, victories and retreats, survival and perseverance of the Jewish people. Not a light but very informative read. As a serious student of Jewish history and Jewish studies in general I have to say the author is rather balanced. Many who read Johnson's book will find disagreements with him. Sometimes he will rub the religious the wrong way, then just to be fair the secularists. It's a fair perspective as fair as anyone can be, because we all have biases. I find this book to be more balanced then several others I know in the same category.

Good...but More Detail than I Bargained for
How much a reader likes this book is going to depend on what he/she expects from it.I was looking for something to give me some perspective on the tensions in the Middle East and how they came about.Having read Johnson's superb and concise biography of Winston Churchill, I was hoping this book would offer an equally efficient education on Israel/the Middle East.

As with the Churchill bio, this book is very readable.Unlike the Churchill book, it is NOT CONCISE.In fact, the author tends to ramble on at times.Johnson starts with Abraham and marches forward covering virtually every event and notable leader in Jewish history.Good material, though.A refresher on Biblical history, antiquity, the diasporas, the Holocost and a host of other topics.But a lot more detail than I was looking for.

In the end, I did get what I came for--a better understanding of Israel and the Middle East troubles plus the bonus of reviewing both Jewish history and Western civilization.I just wish that Johnson had streamlined it as he did with the Churchill book.

He really could have done it, and the book would have been better for it!!!

A Well-Written History
I heard of this book during a class I'm taking at my synagogue. It as highly recommended. Although I'm less than 25% into the book, I agree with highly recommending this book. The author covers a lot of ground in a very interesting fashion and had kept up my interest. It integrates a lot of sources that help understanding the flow of the history of the Jews. ... Read more

Product Description
Tacitus: The Histories, Volumes I and II is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Cornelius Tacitus is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Cornelius Tacitus then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Does anyone at amazon check categories?
There I was, cruising the "Alternative History" subcategory of Science fiction books when I stumbled upon my old friend Tacitus. How he wound up here I can only guess. I suppose that a computer sort is resonsible. This book is one of the most cited sources for contemporaneous historical comentary on Roman warfare and political history. It was the source of many homework assignments in my youth. If you truly want an alternative to the events of today, this work will take you back to the doings of 2,000 years ago. One can marvel that the more things change, the more they do remain the same. Buy it and stretch your mind. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the definitive, 4.4 million year-old story of human history - from the origins of mankind to the 21st century, spanning the globe and based on the latest research, the complete story of the people, events, themes, ideas and forces that have shaped human existence. Find out about our history's turning points: eye witness accounts and biographies give a personal angle to major events. Explore humankind's legacy from architecture and artefacts to the big ideas that have changed our world. Examine the effect we've had on nature and vice versa. And discover how the past has been unlocked: from interpreting ancient documents to analysing ice cores. This book is a compelling look at human existence: perfect for the family bookshelf.Amazon.com Review
Homo sapiens have remained the same species, largely unchanged in genetic makeup and anatomy since the Cro-Magnon era. By contrast, the cultural, social, and technological changes since then have been nothing less than extraordinary. At the core of this development is the ability of humans to store and transmit knowledge, so that each new generation stands upon the shoulders of its predecessors. This ability to use what has gone before is what sets humans apart.

Telling our story, from prehistory to the present day, DK's History is a thought-provoking journey, revealing the common threads and forces that have shaped human history. Taking a broad-themed approach, acknowledging varied factors at work, from climate, ecology, disease, and geology and their roles in the human story, this visual celebration makes history accessible and relevant, putting events in their wider context and showing how they have shaped the world we live in.

Look Inside History

Click on each image to see a larger view of the page.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

A Must Have, Just Beautiful.......
Bought this last year and it has been a great reference tool, have several other books like this on history, however this one wins hands down, just beautiful........I recommend this book as a MUST to all class rooms, homeschools and families......

Great book to peruse
I like that this text has a little bit of everything from everywhere and it starts at the beginning and expands into the present. I do find that the Western history is more in detail than East Asian or Sub-saharan African, but I think that is the case with most history books written in the English language. If you need a quick refresher on any given topic, this book probably has it.

Amazon shipped it quickly enough, and it came with a nice cardboard backing and fronting to keep it from being dent. However, they gave me the wrong packing list with my order, which concerns me about who got my correct packing list because the one I have was going to a jail. Great.

Done with creativity!
The beautiful layout definitely beats all other history books out there! You won't get bored or tired of this text - every page is fasciniating, interesting, and will keep you reading. The only reason I gave it a 4 star out of the 5, is because it doesn't tie the complete history novel together in a timeline fashion; it breaks up sections up. In other words, lets say you read about the crusades: it would just have two pages on the crusades, next page would start talking about something else. Of course the book is in order of history, but it's not like a read-through type of book. It's broken up into sections. But I'm loving this book imensely and I would expect the majority of the people to as well! I know it's a book that I will often read and keep for a while.

Very pleased
It came when specified and arrived in the described condition.I am very pleased.

Excellent addition to any library
I love DK books and this one is no exception! It's beautiful to look at and covers every aspect of history imaginable. I like to just flick through it at random and admire the illustrations. This is a wonderful overview of human history and I can't recommend it enough! The individual histories for every country is also a nice touch. ... Read more

Product Description
This manual presents two full-length model AP exams in European History with all questions answered and explained plus a 15-chapter summary of European history for review. The summary starts with the era of the Italian Renaissance and progresses to the present day. Essay questions and multiple-choice questions with answers follow each chapter with sample essays, answers, and explanations. The authors also present detailed advice on systematic methods for studying history and provide a general overview of the Advanced Placement exam. This edition features all-new charts that convey important information on European history, transforming data into a visual format. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Good Deal!
This was in the condition stated and was a great deal! I'm so glad I could find it on Amazon!

Very superficial
This book in no way prepared me for the AP European History test. The information it reviewed was much too often watered down and did not present the detail required for the actual test. I found the content lacking in terms of important details such as names, dates, and reasons why events occured. When I bought this I thought the practice tests would be a useful study tool but let me assure you that they are NOT. The questions are oversimplified and nothing like what will be on the actual test. If you want real review I would suggest Princeton's version or a Cliff Notes edition. This book was in no way helpful due to its oversimplification. I ended up skimming what I didn't know from the actual textbook. I recieved a 5 on the test but give no credit to this book.

Cream of the crop, as far as AP Euro review books are concerned...
I've tried my fair share of AP European History review books, and "Barron's" definitely takes the win. From my experiences with Cliffs, I've found their multiple choice questions to be a notch or two below AP level, but their summaries to be VERY helpful. I think this one is the best mix. The chapter summaries are a bit vague, but you can always use your class notes as a supplement. Highly recommended & well worth the money.

Very good book to use throughout the year
I just took the European History Exam this year and i didnt get my score yet but i feel like i did really well. I used the previous version of this book but this one is probably even better.

If you like short, organized, and main points then this is for you b/c the type of questions they ask on the A.P. test are like the ones in this book. (a bit easier though).

should have just gotten PR
This book sucks, if you don't believe me just go look in section 3 of the review at Barnes and Nobles.

Ok in section three they talk about Absolutism in France, England, and mention the 30 years War and Spanish exploration. Yet they have in the review questions for the section a question about Peter the Great's beard tax though they probably used about 30 words on Russia the entire book up to that point and all of it was on serfdom. Their other review questions are extremely unrealistic. for example:

"That the Anglican Church broke from Rome before altering Roman Catholic Dogma indicates that
A. Henry wanted a divorce, which the Pope would not grant.
B.Henry's lust for Anne Boleyn motivated him to reject his devout Catholicism
C. many facotrs including resentment of papal abuses contributed to the English reformation."

The other answers were stupid so i don't want to type them out. But apparently the answer is C. The book says for the explanation "The simplistic interpretation of Henry's personal motivations as the prime cause for the English reformation ignores other important factors." Yet the entire review of the English reformation talked about Henry wanting a divorce. The did not mention a single time "other factors" in England. They simply said Henry was a Devout Catholic who did not believe in Lutheranism and only wanted a reformation to get his heir. The book just contradicts itself.

Also once it mentioned the English Reformation and next to it said "(See Page 64)" And on page 64 there was only the answers to a previous review of the Renaissance and their explanations. I doubt anybody even read this book before it was published.

Also, i needed help on reviewing the English Revolution and Glorious Revolution. The book doesn't not mention the various religions of many of the kings/revolutionaries so it is hard to understand. The book is also written using very confusing language like, "The Gunpowder Plot, 1605, was uncovered by disgruntled Catholics, led by Guy Fawkes and objecting to Jame's enforcement of laws that required participation in Anglican services, could blow up the King and Parliament." My normal text book did not mention this plot so this raises more questions than it answers like was James I Catholic since his mom was? (unanswered.) Why were the Catholics disgruntled? Who were they mad at? What was the plot? Who started it? who was trying to blow up who??????? uhhhh it just sucks.

Don't buy this book i would be farther along with wikipedia ... Read more

Product Description
Matt Warshaw knows more about surfing that any other person on the planet. After five years of research and writing, Warshaw has crafted an unprecedented history of the sport and the culture it has spawned. At nearly 500 pages, with 250,000 words and more than 250 rare photographs, The History of Surfing reveals and defines this sport with a voice that is authoritative, funny, and wholly original. The obsessive nature of this endeavor is matched only by the obsessive nature of surfers, who will pore through these pages with passion and opinion. A true category killer, here is the definitive history of surfing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Masterpiece
This is it, the definitive story of surfing, surfers and beach culture.
It's a big thick textbook like collection of information, photos, stories and anecdotes.
Warshaw has set the bar so high with this work, I doubt anyone will ever have the balls to approach the subject again.
I will be reading and re-reading this one for a long time to come

Surfing's Jame Joyce
A few years back, the Modern Library ranked James Joyce's novel "Ulysses" first on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.
Like this one, that's a big book too.
Well, this is the Ulysses of surf books.

NOT JUST FOR SURFERS
I am not a surfer.But I am a history buff who was given an advance copy of this gorgeous book.I'm only on page 174, but I have to stop and share my excitement about The History of Surfing.How can you not love a book that describes the crowds at surf movies of the late 1950's like this:

"Firecrackers were lit and rolled across the floor to the next row of seats.Bottlecaps zipped through the air.High decibel beer-belches rang out.A motorcyclist might blow in through the side door, ride up one aisle and down the other, then gun back out the way he came.

"What older surfers invariably describe first when talking about early surf movies is the tearing thunderclap of cheers and whistles and stomping feet that began when the lights dimmed and the first blue-green image lip up the screen--a roaring noise signifying not just a manic willingness to be entertained, but the pure joy of an otherwise staunchly nonaligned multitude coming together briefly, powerfully, ecstatically as a group."

Now that's the way to write history.Kevin Starr, California State Historian, eat your heart out. ... Read more

Product Description
The author turns his attention to sex and the reasons why we are driven constantly to analyze and discuss it. An iconoclastic explanation of modern sexual history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

the confessions
i saw a pretty woman in a nun's habit once and i had an overwhelming desire to have sexual relations with her, and i felt guilty thereafter for my desire in the same way i would feel guilty for desiring to have sexual relations with my mother.understandably, these were desires i wanted to keep secret, until I read freud and learned about the incest taboo put in place to control normal incestuous desires prevalent in most societies and cultures.

foucault credits freud for `placing sex at one of thecritical points marked out for it since the eighteenth century by the strategies of knowledge and power, how wonderfully effective he was ... in giving a new impetus to the secular injunction to study sex and transform it into discourse.'

a discourse foucault charts historically for a sexuality that functioned since the seventeenth century paradoxically as secret and a disclosure.even in the twenty first century when many people speak of sexuality they speak of repression and of the authorities in power in social institutions who do the repressing. foucault writes of a sexuality of obsession and how that obsession became discourse, first in the confessional booth of the catholic church where the confessor was urged to tell everything sexual and how later sexual confession was picked up by confessional writers, in particular the marquis de sade and the anonymous author of `my secret life'; and following was `a multiplication of discourses concerning sex in the field of exercise of power itself: an institutional incitement to speak about it, and to do so more and more ... toward the beginning of the eighteenth century, there emerged a political, economic, and technical incitement to talk about sex ... .sex was not something one simply judged; it was a thing one administered ... .'

it was administeredin discussions for population control, the architecture of school space and sex education, and, within the family, as normative sexual relations--and the sexual relations, outside the norm, were heard and discussed as perverse by mental institutional workers, andsexual transgressions were relegated to discourses of civil law.those in power had sexual knowledge, and the powerless had silence about sex, secrets about which they were incited to talk.once the secrets were revealed they could be corrected, regulated and proscribed.

something else about my own confession: a few days later I saw the woman in the nun's habit again, on stage as part of a theatre production.

The History of Sexuality an Introduction by Michael Foucault
"The History of Sexuality" by Michael Foucault was a very good book. It is a very confusing book. I was assigned this book for my LGBT studies book in college and it was even difficult to understand for most of my class. Michael definitely crosses the line into some topics that some authors would not even consider to go into. The chapter about The Repressive Hypothesis was very interesting to me since I am a psychology major; it was neat to correlate both of my classes to this book by Michael Foucault. I would definitely recommend this book, if you would like to be challenged but are definitely ready for a good read!

Foucault - the smart kid who doesn't do homework
More like a 3.5 if that was an option. Part of me hates rating this book so low, but I really have to. Here's why.

I love and hate Foucault more than just about any other philosopher. He is probably the pre-eminent French philosopher of his generation. The problem is that he is probably also the worst French historian of all time.

Foucault certainly has his moments and he's consistently entertaining (he's a very good writer and judging from his lectures, a great lecturer), but underneath it all, he's fundamentally lazy - he never does research studies or clinical work, he never looks outside France, he uses translations and secondary sources when he should be using original texts, he cites literature as if it is representative of the masses in the society in which it was written.Yet his writing is so confident, and his ideas so interesting and self-assured people believe him without checking his sources or his historical assertions.

He reminds me of the student I always have in my class who comes up with the best ideas but is unwilling to follow them through. The B student that should be an A+ student. He doesn't do homework, he doesn't show his work. I have to give them split grades. I'd give Foucault a split grade if I could - Ideas 5/5. Reasoning and Research 2/5.

In Foucault's case, he didn't do research outside France, he didn't reference or respond to contemporary History of Ideas works on Sexuality (e.g. Otto Kiefer's Sexuality in Rome and Greece, Van Gulick's Sexuality in Ancient China), he failed to develop a basic understanding of medicine, he cherrypicked texts that suited his arguments and failed to consider opposing arguments, and his Greek and Latin leave something to be desired.

His concept of the "repressive hypothesis" in this book is extremely interesting and well-reasoned (apart from the historical examples). His notion of biopower is also fairly intriguing, though not fleshed out in sufficient detail here (Psychiatric Power has more on it), and seems to be a kind of extension of the Hegelian for-itself (which is conceived in terms of relationships). He also very briefly, mentions third sex/intersexed individuals, which became a jumping off point for a lot of queer theory. Buyer beware - if you're looking for queer theory, it's only about a page or two, so you'll probably be disappointed.

Here's the real problem with this book - the examples, the historical scholarship. Foucault, determined as he is to prove (like Nietzsche did quite a bit more convinvingly in Beyond Good and Evil) the lack of foundation of contemporary morality bends the truth and fails to see things that are very obvious to medical professionals and more objective historians.

Case in point:

In a passage (31) and elsewhere in references to Ancient Greece, Foucault more or less writes an apologia for pedophilia. There is a problem though with all this - the unstated biological injunction. As someone who was an EMT - I can tell you something that should be obvious to someone as smart as Foucault, but wasn't - apart from normative moral concerns (which wouldn't concern an anti-foundationalist) - sexual intercourse with children physically and biologically injures them. I won't go into the gory details. If they're young enough, it could kill them. There's also the way young people respond to STD's. Sometimes, that's different, too.

Even if you completely dispense with normative morality and enact purely utilitarian laws based upon simply minimizing biological damage or instead engage in a minarchical system with protective services, this would still be largely prohibited either by law or contracted mutual assent.

In addition, Foucault does not understand biology very well and often uses outdated medical references like Pinel to represent current medical practice. The thing is Foucault is clever about it. It's a straw man, but it's a clever straw man, because he cites Pinel in a historical context and later as a means of (falsely) explaining the contemporary. Either that, or he just doesn't get medicine all that well.

Then there's Christianity. Oh, God, is Foucault ever wrong on this frontier. He even claims (117) the first treatise on sin was written in the 15th century. Off the top of my head, there are writings on sin as early as Augustine of Hippo in the 4th century (and perhaps earlier). You're ten centuries off, Foucault! That kind of oversight borders on ridiculous.How no one else has picked up on that baffles me.

I'd definitely read this book, but read it critically. It's not as inept in the scholastic sense as Madness and Civilization (which famously contains references to the non-existent Ship of Fools) but some of the scholarship is abysmal.

The French/Greco-Roman focus is a tad trying too, especially considering the wealth of available laws of quite a number of other major civilizations, which Foucault overlooks, presumably because they have male to male sodomy prohibitions which problematize his central arguments, or because of his obvious ignorance of other languages.

If this sounds overly negative, bear in mind - I like this book, and wholeheartedly recommend purchasing it. Just take it with a grain of salt. It has some extraordinarily interesting ideas, but alas, when I see it, I see what could have been if the author was more disciplined in his approach. If there wasn't so much there that was good, I wouldn't be nearly as upset by Foucault's sloppy scholarship.

Foucault's Pendulum of Human Sexuality
In "the History of Sexuality", Foucault tried to use Nietzsche's genealogical approach that views concepts as changing constantly to fit the needs and provocations over time. Nietzsche used the genealogical approach gracefully in Beyond Good and Evil, and though I'm not completely convinced his ideas are correct; the gracefulness of his argument, and his personal experience with the chaotic political and moral nature of the European society he reacted to, form a compelling argument for his genealogical theory.
Foucault mocked Nietzsche's approach but prematurely formulated his "repressive hypothesis" of thinking by which concepts result from the inexorable avalanche of history, and that sexuality has been repressed throughout our political history, therefore the only way to political liberation is sexual liberation.

A side note: Foucault's "The History of Sexuality" is one of the basic justifications for the queer theory that proclaims the intersection between politics, sexuality, and gender. The whole normals vs. abnormal arguments are pointless and vague, as no one can tell what is normal or abnormal in the world. The arguments presented make no sense to me, are too relativist and do not rely on any scientific reason.It is a world devoid of absolutes where we must assume that anything and everything is permissible. This queer thinking recalls my college years, when I was irritated by new societies such as "The Society of Women Engineers" and the "The Society of Black Engineers". Next we will have" The Society of Queer Engineers" and "The Society of Tall Engineers'.What happened to treating humans as humans, who share life regardless of their gender, color or physical appearance? How can we ask for equality between genders when we defeat the whole purpose by being feminists or some other separate group?

Back to "The History of Sexuality", Foucault reviews history to find out why our sexuality became the key to unlocking the truth about us, and arrives at the relationship sex has with power and knowledge. Foucault traces the emergence of sexuality to the seventeenth century, when the Christian emphasis on sins of the flesh led to an increasing awareness of sexuality in family relations. His road to the genesis of human sexuality ends with the bourgeois of the nineteenth century, who effectively invented what we think of as "sexuality," and used it as a way of protecting and separating themselves from the other groups. Foucault acknowledges that sex is not our essence, but rather it is a social construct that makes it easier to control humans. Here Foucault didn't provide any definite prove to his theory. It even sounds more convincing that the opposite is the truth: Sex and all its biological drives are an essential part of our nature and, therefore,it makes us more susceptible to control.

The point Foucault tried to make in many lengthy ways is that how we understand certain concepts has a lot to do with what other concepts we link them to, and in this thought construct, sexuality is not a concept as much as means of linking concepts to each other. Foucault strong, initial argument that our sexual desires or behaviors themselves do not express profound truths about us, rather it is the discourse we have built up around those desires and behaviors that suggest the profound truth. These discourses are not fixed and changeable with time and needs.The growing importance of sexuality in our society reflects the fact that we have found more and more concepts that we can connect through sexuality, and in this way the "deployment of sexuality" is the way that we use sexuality to join different concepts. The history of sexuality is a history of class dominance, where sexuality is a social construct that can be used to link power and knowledge to sex in a variety of different ways.

Finally, Foucault arrives at the conclusion that human life (and its aspects including sexuality) throughout history came to fall under the control of politics, where "bio power" or the new power over life controls life through the discipline of the body and through the regulation of population. It's beyond me how Foucault arrived at this conclusion while discussing how wars got fiercer than ever, how the death penalty became a safeguard not an act of destruction, and how power seems now to control life and population.
I suspect that Foucault, through his arguments, wanted to weaken the concept of sexuality.By simply calling it a social construction, he will weaken the political powers themselves. I also suspect by the way that Foucault identified the four centers that have power and knowledge relatedto sex(hysterization of women's bodies, pedagogization of children's sex, socialization of procreative behavior, and psychiatrization of perverse pleasure) that he was trying to differentiate by what is socially considered anormal behavior and what is not. This is again a losing argument since it's purely a personal way of looking at things.

As a big fan of Nietzsche (his method of debate not his actual ideas), I don't think that Foucault even came close to Nietzsche's genealogical approach. Foucault took a very exciting topic and managed to destroy his argument with a lengthy complicated delivery, the biggest problem with some philosophers is that they are trying so hard to be original that they overlook the obvious or they wrap it up in such a complex knot you can't possibly untie it. .

At the Bottom of Everything Lies the Struggle for Power
Michel Foucault has based his entire corpus of history on the premise that society has been waging a battle between those at the center of society who wield power and those who live at the periphery and lack it. In THE HISTORY OF SEXUALITY, VOL I, he does not present a history of sexuality so much as yet another opportunity to delineate another marginalized subgroup, those who wish to succumb to their inner sexual desires but feel refrained by society.Ironically enough, Foucault notes that until the Victorian Age, prudery more often reigned over licentiousness throughout history.It was not until the 19th century, that society began to allow greater freedom for those who wished to explore their own sexuality.There is an inner irony here that is not present explicitly in the book.Foucault himself was a total sexual hedonist who frequented San Francisco's bathhouses where he may have caught the AIDS virus that killed him in 1984.Further, he openly expressed his belief that adults should feel perfectly free to have sex with children.He alludes to this in the book as he writes of a simple minded country youth who shares a "milk curdling" experience with a prepubescent girl.

Foucault saw the 19th century as a true explosion of discourses on sexuality, the totality of which was to demolish the then emphasis on keeping sex and the topic of sex behind closed doors.The struggle for power shifted from a repressive state controlling the environment in which sex might reasonably be expected to thrive to one in which those who had been previously bereft of the right to deal openly with sex to now having an overabundance of that very right.THE HISTORY OF SEXUALITY then is a minor variation on Foucault's obsession with accusing the center of massed power of first identifying, then declaring aberrant, then ultimately marginalizing those on the fringes.Oddly enough, this book is one of Foucault's more coherent explorations of those on the fringe. ... Read more

Product Description
Comic History of England is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Bill Nye is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Bill Nye then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Underrated
Why is Bill Nye so little known these days? I can't think of many authors, including Mark Twain, from the late 19th century whose books actually had me cracking up while reading it. His dry and subtle wit and sarcasm will have you in stitches. Another great gem is Nye and Riley's Wit and Humor, (or Poetry and Mirth), collaborated with James Whitcomb Riley. Good, funny stuff and wonderfully illustrated by artists such as Frederick Opper.

Ok
simple prose prosaic humor neither a great history nor a great comedy a few chuckles but nothing to write home about ... Read more

Product Description
From the prodigiously gifted author of the acclaimed memoir Slow Motion, a stunning and brutally honest novel about one family’s harrowing recovery from devastation.

Rachel Jensen is perfectly happy: in love with her husband, devoted to their daughter Kate, gratified by her work restoring art. And finally, she’s pregnant again. But as Rachel discovers, perfection can unravel in an instant. The summer she is thirteen, Kate returns from camp sullen, angry, and withdrawn. Everyone assures Rachel it’s typical adolescent angst. But then Kate has a terrifying accident with her infant brother, and the ensuing guilt brings forth a dreadful lie—one that ruptures their family, perhaps irrevocably. Family History is a mesmerizing journey through the mysteries of adolescent pain and family crisis.Amazon.com Review
In Family History, Dani Shapiro has written such a nail biter of aplot that it's easy to overlook just how good--and how literary--a novelthis really is. Narrator Rachel Jenson is a housewife and art restorermarried to Ned, a one-time painter. They live with their two children,13-year-old Kate and 2-year-old Josh, in the small New England town whereNed grew up. In an elegant series of flashbacks, we learn of the emotionaldevastation teenage Kate has wrought. She was a perfect child growing up,but once Josh came along, her dark thoughts and tragic actions nearlydestroy her family. As secret after secret is revealed, Shapiro getsperfectly Rachel's horror of daily life: how can you chat with the othermoms at preschool when your world is falling apart? But what makes FamilyHistory a fine novel is its utter freedom from stereotype. Kate is bad,but she's never the bad seed; Ned's a failure, but he's not a total wash;Rachel's a narrator mired in tragedy, but she's a wry, slightly unreliablenarrator mired in tragedy. Shapiro knows just how much hope to give hercharacters. In the end, their redemption is so slight that we actuallybelieve in it. --Claire Dederer ... Read more

Customer Reviews (74)

Gut Wrenching Story
I loved this book, although at times it was so sad that I wondered why I kept reading it.It is told from the perspective of Rachel, a mom, wife and art restorer, who is married to Ned and has a young teenage daughter, Kate.They have a wonderful, if not perfect life together.Something happens within Kate that makes her go bad and with the birth of their second child, Josh, she gets worse very quickly.By going back and forth from present tense to flashbacks of the past, you experience what they are all going through, especially Rachel, with alternate feelings of despair and hope.It's beautifully written and the emotions so raw and realistic that you just can't put it down.It's how hard they work to find their way back and the sparks of hope that allow you to absorb all the pain in the story.A truly worthwhile read.

Boring
Kept waiting for something to happen. Something to pull me in. Sorry but I couldn't relate to this New york art couple living this life that is to far from any reality I know. The 2nd child born 12 years later. That is strange to me and then the what crazy teen daughter was she mental or spoiled the book won't tell you. Who are these people and what kind of fictional family is this?

Excellent, touching story
Very touching story about a family which had not been aware of its happines until the accident happened and everything changed in a couple of days. However, they manage to gain control over their lives and they do not lose hope that things will go better. It was very easy for me to indentify with parents, specially with mother. I would highly recommend this book.

Very well-written; not too believable
A page-turner about the disintegration of a family. I never understood what happened to Kate at summer camp that sent her hurtling over the edge. Nor was I clear, at the end, on what had changed to let in a tiny ray of hope. The characters are well-drawn, and the dialogue sounds real. I haven't read other novels by Dani Shapiro but might try another.

Good relationship read
It's a story that could happen to anyone; one day your perfect life starts to unravel. The beautiful writing style draws you in and the turbulence of a family in trouble makes for an emotionally charged compelling read. Although a sad story, the characters playing it out are well drawn and believable, and the plot is intense and more complex than the cover and title suggest. It's layered with very real family issues highlighting what can happen when a child unexpectedly develops emotional problems. It shows a strong solid marriage fraying at the seams under the pressure of coping emotionally and searching for a solution. It also deals with other family dynamics, illustrating dysfunctional mother daughter relationships, unconditional love for a child and the sacrifices inherent in marriage. Once pulled in, the plot moves quickly and keeps you turning pages. One caveat however, the book takes a while to get started, I found the beginning of the book frustrating. Overall a nice light read, good for anyone who likes a good story and characters you can relate to. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (9)

You gotta be kidding !
This is the lamest piece of leftist clap-trap I have written in a long time! I work in an elementary school at night as a maintaince man; andI was in a 4th grade classroom waiting for my next assignment when I saw this book on a desk and picked it up to read for a bit [ I like reading about history].Imagine my surprise as I read thru this book and discovered how America is the most vile country ( maybe Zinn thinks Nazi Germany is worse?) on the face of the planet.I'm not a love-it-or-leave-it beliver in this country; it has done a lot wrong in the past for a number of noble and ignoble reasons.But Zinn makes one-sided; simplistic observations about this nations past deeds that are part laughable and part leftist stupididy!George Bush 41 started Desert Storm to get re-elected?There is 1 paragragh on the 9/11 hijackers and 2 and a half pages about how we deserved to be attacked.The list goes on and on.the fact this was in an elemetary school I found disturbing.I could see a college student reading this for a different (yet slanted) version of US history to view it along side more contempory fair that is out there. hell I read the Communist Manifesto in college and had a prof that was an avowed communist!But I was old enough at that point to take it in and review the facts and myths. But young kids should just learn the facts without a left or right tilt to them.George Washington stayed in Valley Forge in the winter of 1777; not that Goerge Washington was a capitalist elitist who was fighting to keep the poor down thru the formation of a fax- republic government.Zinn really streaches the purpose of people's actions without having acess to their inner thoughts and ignoring the tide of history.So if you want to read something even my liberal Professors I had in college would dismiss as lame {they were liberals but they were fair and informed} then read this; maybe Zinn will write a book next on WWII how the USA stared that war too because we were mean to Hitler and the Japanese.Or maybe he'll write a book on prison reform in this country and how we should be nice to all the criminals and let them go from jail if they say they are sorry for what they have done and they have tears in their eyes when they say it.Zinn would know which ones really mean it or not.!

Radicalism for the Young Reader
Why should our young people learn of the heroism and sacrifice of their ancestors and the founding fathers of the United States.Let's teach them to snarl at references to Washington and Lincoln.Let's teach them that the War in the Pacific (WWII) was really a racist war against asian peoples, ignoring our alliances with the Philippines and the Chinese.

Let's not forget that the cold war was not just a matter of communist and capitalist moral equivalence the way some soft liberals think.Oh no, the Marxist side is still the side of historical inevitability and resistance to it is evil!

excellent
History is often taught according to the view of the historian-writer-teacher.
This book clarifies with facts several myths in the history of the United States.
People need to know the real history even in the cases where abuses and antidemocratic
incidents ocurred in particular when the people were manipulated and or deceived to serve
the interest of a particular powerful group[Ex industrial-military complex].The author
gives plenty of good examples that go from creating an atmosphere in the public for
acceptance or continuation of war based on lies to justification for invading foreign
countries who never attacked the U.S.,or putting down governments who by protecting and
defending their national interests and resources were not making the american companies
too happy while replacing such governments with "puppet" presidents or dictators who were
inconditional to U.S. interests.Like the author points out being a "good" american is not
accepting the injustice that the government pursues.Furthermore it is the youth of this
country the people who are more vulnerable to such lies and manipulations.Democracy will
work as people educate in a system that teaches and invites sound critical evaluation of how
the country is run and which garanties the empowerment to change governments on that basis. To
make government accountable to the people who elects them.Unfortunately the author,Howard Zinn,
just passed away.Nevertheless he left several books for us to read which will continue to be
pertinent and relevant for years to come.His writting is easy to read and his books are hard
to drop until you finish.DrJJM

Teachers planning on using this in class
Just in case anyone wants to use this in a social studies class, it's really probably the most appropriate for grades 6-8 or 9.It's too basic for my 11th grade US History class, although I did use it for some short information over the Great Depression.If you used it in conjunction with the primary sources from "Voices" it might work for older grades.

Great Book!
All children should have to read this book, as it looks at history from another perspective that is NOT taught in the textbooks. It is a very enlightening book that teaches students to look at history with a more critical eye. It forces students (and adults) to re-think what they've learned and question what is true and what's not. It's great for a compare and contrast lesson and it works great when teaching the 5 C's of History (Context, Causality, Complexity, Contingency, and Change Over Time). ... Read more

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A historian debunks four-dozen PC myths about our nation’s past.

Over the last forty years, history textbooks have become more and more politically correct and distorted about our country’s past, argues professor Larry Schweikart. The result, he says, is that students graduate from high school and even college with twisted beliefs about economics, foreign policy, war, religion, race relations, and many other subjects.

As he did in his popular A Patriot’s History of the United States, Professor Schweikart corrects liberal bias by rediscovering facts that were once widely known. He challenges distorted books by name and debunks forty-eight common myths. A sample:

• The founders wanted to create a “wall of separation” between church and state
• Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation only because he needed black soldiers
• Truman ordered the bombing of Hiroshima to intimidate the Soviets with “atomic diplomacy”
• Mikhail Gorbachev, not Ronald Reagan, was responsible for ending the Cold War
America’s past, though not perfect, is far more admirable than you were probably taught. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (77)

48 Liberal Lies
This should be required reading for anyone under the age of 60.In the 60's education, American History in particular, became something the Founding Fathers wouldn't recognize themselves in.Until our schools are made to teach the whole truth again it is up to us to see to it that our children, Kindegarten through college, know the truth good and bad. We have allowed this perversion of the truth to happen by not being involved with the schools and not reading the textbooks with their many misrepresentations, omissions and downright lies that our children are being taught from.

answering the wrong questions
Just to pick on one example, Lie #2 concerns the Spanish-American War, and mentions several other American wars on lands previously occupied by "brown people." Lie #2 says that were damned if we do (remain in occupation) and damned if we don't (withdraw our occupation forces). What it doesn't ask is what we were doing there in the first place. The assumption is that we as Americans have a right to send our military anywhere in the world our economic interests are being threatened. The author never questions that assumption.

Not in my schooling
The supposed things that this author is saying are taught in school certainly weren't when I was in school (over 40 years ago), nor were they taught in my son's schools. My DIL says that they are not taught these things in my Grandchildren's schools, either.

While having the facts set out is a good thing. Pretending that the facts were not taught, and that he is trying to set the record straight, is less than honest.

My advice is to read an actual history book. Don't let people like this tell you what is being taught when it is not.

Score: Schweikart- 48, Liberals- 0
Its amazing to see the ridiculous comments from people who are clearly conspiracy theorist liberals themselves trying to argue this, yet not one gave any specifics or facts. Many of these do seem like conspiracy theories, but little do the liberals know is that they actually originated from liberals! 9/11 truther movement came from the left, not the right, and the only reason it in the book, as the author stated, is that it was in far-left director Oliver Stone's movie.

In all seriousness, there were many lies in here that I had learned in school, at least half of them. Many critics claim they never heard these "conspiracies" in school, which is why the title is "that you PROBABLY learned in school" not "that you DEFINTELY learned in school."

One example that the critics don't seem to like is that one lie says Jefferson favored small government and was a pacifist. If any of the critics bothered to read this lie, they would know Schweikart states Jefferson did favor small government in most cases, and this chapter is mostly dedicated to disproving Jefferson being a pacifist.

The critics obviously didn't bother to read this book thoroughly, or maybe even at all. Schweikart sets the record straight and gives us a true look at some of the lies our youth is being taught in schools. He pulls examples from many of the mainstream textbooks used in class rooms. A must have for anyone with an open mind and not indocrinated by liberalism.

Great Corrective!
Great book! It's refreshing to read a history that isn't always bashing a)the U.S. Government or b) the American people (and capitalism in general). I've heard most of the these lies over the last several years and in many books (a few of which the author mentions) and seeing them handily refuted in print is very nice. It is a go-to reference book for information on many issues.

Some of the better lies exposed include:
- FDR knew about Pearl Harbor
- Truman used the a-bombs on Japan to intimidate the soviets.
- Nixon expanded the Vietnam War.
- Sept. 11th was a government conspiracy.
- Columbus killed millions of Indians.
- Mainstream news is fair and balanced.
- High School history books are not biased

Highly Recommended. ... Read more

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Pop quiz! Who said what about history?

Product Description
History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Volume 2 is a book written by Edward Gibbon. It is widely considered to be one of the top 100 greatest books of all time. This great novel will surely attract a whole new generation of readers. For many, History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Volume 2 is required reading for various courses and curriculums. And for others who simply enjoy reading timeless pieces of classic literature, this gem by Edward Gibbon is highly recommended. Published by Quill Pen Classics and beautifully produced, History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Volume 2 would make an ideal gift and it should be a part of everyone's personal library. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

GIVE ME THE UNEDITED!
The first volume I downloaded was wonderful and original.The shock I had when reading this was great, as some Christian bisop uses this to argue with a dead author and interrups constantly. BAD and ANNOYING ... Read more