This is book about the political and cultural history of western Europe, published in 1902, well before the world wars or any of the other sweeping historical changes to Europe in the 20th century. It’s a book that opines on the nature of political franchise, war, and militarism, written scant years after the American civil war by a professor at Colombia before America had a major military role in the affairs of the world.

A history of Europe written when Germany was still a loose confederation of states guided by Bismarck, Russia was ruled by a Tsar. Words cannot express how fascinating this unique historical perspective on history turned out to be. Read the rest of this entry »

Though a highly idiosyncratic writer and thinker, like any author Thucydides betrays the influences of the literature and research of his day. Books have traced his connections to contemporary medicine, sophistic rhetoric and argumentation, philosophy, and drama (Cochrane, Finley, Solmsen, Cornford, Hunter, etc.), as well as to his historical predecessor, Herodotus (484–414).

Thucydides’ polemical historiographical strictures on the methods of historical research and presentation are not necessarily directed against Herodotus, since other authors, in poetry and in prose, treated the same prior events that Herodotus also mentions. For instance, in the case of the comments on the notorious Delian earthquake, the two authors seem to pass each other in the night—oblivious to the specifics that the other has mentioned. Read the rest of this entry »

This is the first English translation of a book written in 1935 in German and translated into 18 languages. Thirty years later, a second German edition was published with a new final chapter. In 40 brief chapters, Gombrich relates the history of humankind from the Stone Age through World War II.

In between are historic accounts of such topics as cave people and their inventions (including speech), ancient life along the Nile and in Mesopotamia and Greece, the growth of religion, the Dark Ages, the age of chivalry, the New World, and the Thirty Years’ War. Much of this history is told through concise sketches of such figures as Confucius, Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Jesus Christ, Charlemagne, Leonardo da Vinci, Napoleon, and Columbus. Read the rest of this entry »

The book presents very detailed historical material of the evolution of science and Christianity from the time of their origins up to the late 1800s, and concludes that Christianity, during most that time, severely hampered the vigor and freedom of scientific inquiry.

The essence of the author’s thesis is that in trying to explain everything about everything Christianity had, in large part, stepped on ground that would have been better served by observation and experimentation. In its determination to maintain the upper-hand, and in vacating the ideational ground upon which Christ stood, Christianity ultimately killed people, stifled free thinking and stymied the progress of civilization for at least a millennium before the Protestant Reformation. At least the author implies as much. Read the rest of this entry »

Standage starts with a bold hypothesis—that each epoch, from the Stone Age to the present, has had its signature beverage—and takes readers on an extraordinary trip through world history. The Economist’s technology editor has the ability to connect the smallest detail to the big picture and a knack for summarizing vast concepts in a few sentences.

He explains how, when humans shifted from hunting and gathering to farming, they saved surplus grain, which sometimes fermented into beer. The Greeks took grapes and made wine, later borrowed by the Romans and the Christians. Arabic scientists experimented with distillation and produced spirits, the ideal drink for long voyages of exploration. Read the rest of this entry »

From the dawn of humankind to today’s global complexities, this monumental volume presents world history from an original perspective that provides fresh insights with every colorful spread. Few references are as invaluable, all-inclusive, and satisfying to browse.

For readers of all ages, world history is easily accessible, depicted as never before—so that events occurring simultaneously around the world can be viewed at-a-glance together. For example, Texas Instruments launched the pocket calculator the same year the Soviet Union launched the first manned space station, in 1971. Read the rest of this entry »

Bauer (author of the four-volume The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child) guides readers on a fast-paced yet thorough tour of the ancient worlds of Sumer, Egypt, India, China, Greece, Mesopotamia and Rome.

Drawing on epics, legal texts, private letters and court histories, she introduces individuals who lived through the famines, plagues, floods, wars and empire building of the ancient world: the marvelous array of characters includes Gilgamesh, Sumer’s first epic hero; Yü, the founder of the Xia dynasty in China; and Tiglath-Pileser III, who restored the Assyrian empire’s fortunes.

Because Bauer covers so much time and territory, she focuses on the Western cultures with which she seems most comfortable; the chapters on Asia and India are the least developed. In addition, some of her assertions—for instance, that the biblical book of Joshua is the clearest guide possess to the establishment of an Israelite kingdom in Canaan—contradict general scholarly opinion or are simply wrong. However, Bauer’s elegant prose and her command of much of the material makes this a wonderful starting point for the study of the ancient world. 80 maps. Read the rest of this entry »

Clive Cussler and Jack DuBrul have produced another riveting adventure in the Oregon series. For those who are new to this series, the Oregon appears to be a dilapidated freighter manned by a ragged looking crew when in reality it is a high tech and highly armed ship whose crew is known as the Corporation, and is led by Captain Juan Cabrillo, a former CIA field agent. He and the crew perform black ops for the CIA and also private security for different world leaders at handsome prices.

In this novel the CIA recruits Cabrillo and his teamates to recover something in the jungles of Argentina, which ultimately leads the Oregon to Antarctica and the discovery of some remarkable things that have serious political implications. Read the rest of this entry »

Thomas L. Friedman is not so much a futurist, which he is sometimes called, as a presentist. His aim in The World Is Flat, as in his earlier, influential Lexus and the Olive Tree, is not to give you a speculative preview of the wonders that are sure to come in your lifetime, but rather to get you caught up on the wonders that are already here.

The world isn’t going to be flat, it is flat, which gives Friedman’s breathless narrative much of its urgency, and which also saves it from the Epcot-style polyester sheen that futurists–the optimistic ones at least–are inevitably prey to. Read the rest of this entry »

Going Rogue traces one ordinary citizen′s extraordinary journey, and imparts Palin′s vision of a way forward for America and her unfailing hope in the greatest nation on earth. In this book, Palin paints an intimate portrait of growing up in the wilds of Alaska; meeting her lifelong love; her decision to enter politics; the importance of faith and family; and the unique joys and trials of life as a high-profile working mother.

She also opens up for the first time about the 2008 presidential race, providing a rare, mom′s-eye view of high-stakes national politics – from patriots dedicated to “Country First” to slick politicos bent on winning at any cost. Although not directly relevant to her political career, perhaps the most intriguing question about her beliefs concerns her stance on the origin of species. Read the rest of this entry »