Statistical Handbook on Infectious Diseases:

Book Description

This statistical handbook is designed to offer students, researchers, practitioners, and the general adult population a comprehensive statistical overview of the status of infectious disease worldwide. The availability of this information has increased dramatically on the Internet, yet the data are often too extensive, hard to find, or difficult to interpret. A carefully selected array of tables and charts present authoritative statistical information, placing valuable statistics into context with introductory text. Topics represented with statistical information include: BLHIV/AIDS BLMalaria BLSexually transmitted diseases BLTuberculosis BLFoodborne diseases BLWaterborne diseases BLVaccine-preventable diseases BLInfectious disease eradication BLBioterrorism Detailed source information in each table, figure, and chart allows the user to pursue further information and uncover the stories behind the numbers. The book concludes with a glossary of key terms, bibliography, guide to information sources available on the Internet, and a detailed index.

Customer Reviews:

Great for undergrad students to read as an example of how not to write a book and conduct research.......2006-07-27

While this book may be interesting to the history buff I caution all seriously wanting to learn the history of WWII and the campaign in Italy: BEWARE!!! It isn't as though author Botjer does not have good style. On the contrary. However, there are minor inacuracies in basic historical facts, the research that was done is sub-par, and it is quite out of date. There are more recent compilations on the Italian Campaign that are more thorough than this. As an academic work it is unnotable. This was written as a high school report, there was nothing new. Also, the research of primary sources was severely lacking, and the secondary sources were not much better. Overall, as a historian Botjet should have utilized more resources and done a better job writing a history on these campaigns.

Informative on Italian Partisans.......1999-04-10

This book gives a general overview of the Allied campaign in Italy from the invasion of Sicily to the end of the war in the Po valley. It focuses more on the Italian Partisans and their role in both the poltics and military action of the time. It is somewhat rambling, but the information contained is worth the effort, especially for those who are either interested in the Italian front specifically, or in an in-depth view of the entire Second World War.

Average customer rating:

Five-star, outstanding history of the politics of Italy in WWII
Good Overview of Neglected Front of WWII
I gave up at page 112
Supeficial polemics dressed up as history
Review of "War In Italy 1943-1945: A Brutal Story"

War in Italy 1943-1945: A Brutal Story
Richard Lamb
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

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Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0306806886

Customer Reviews:

Five-star, outstanding history of the politics of Italy in WWII.......2006-06-04

War in Italy is well-written and excellent book - a good read! It deserves five stars, not biased reviews. This book succeeds in what it set out to do, admirably so. If you want a straight timeline, as one reviewer did, then look for a book written in that fashion. Mr. Lamb writes to inform and educate the reader about a complex situation, with many nuances and turns, and a simple chronological approach is not necessarily the best way to do it. The detailed knowledge exhibited is impressive, and Mr. Lamb fairly handles both the German and Italian aspects - if the former don't come out so well in this enterprise, it is because of the wretched nature of their actions, not Mr. Lamb. Also this is history written by someone who was actually THERE -on site at the time- and who was fluent in the language. Maybe he KNOWS a bit more than some of us looking at this so many years later? The low rating and the reasons given by some reviewers are among the most misleading I have seen on amazon - look at the reviews in the press and academia by the real experts!

Good Overview of Neglected Front of WWII.......2006-04-20

(actually I rate this book at 4 Stars but this webpage will not support that correction).

Many Americans know that former Senator and Presidential candidate Robert Dole was badly wounded while fighting in Italy in World War 2 but know little else about the conflict there, its history having been overshadowed by the Normandy invasion and the War in the Pacific. For those with an interest in finding out more about this ignored, but important struggle of the Second War World, this book provides a good overview, particularly from the standpoint of the Italians themselves, the author having been a British military officer attached to Royal Italian Army units fighting alongside the Allies.

In the wake of the defeat of Axis forces in North Africa, where Italy had played an important role, given that Libya had been its colony, the Allies as their next step launched an invasion of Sicily. After this succeeded and it became clear that the mainland of the country was imminently scheduled for invasion as well, leading military and political circles in Italy, recognizing that an Allied victory would occur in due course, decided that a change of national course was in order. Although Mussolini as the Commander or Duce of the Nation was dictator of the country, the King of Italy was still the nominal head of state and he and Field Marshal Badoglio organized a coup against Mussolini in July 1943 causing his removal from office by the Fascist supreme council. Thereafter followed 45 days of calm before the storm like limbo as Italy, still at war with the Allies, considered its next move opening up secret negotiations with the Americans while the Germans suspiciously looked on. As a result of this process, the Badoglio regime decided to surrender to the Allies and switch sides in the war in early September. The Germans, no fools, responded with alacrity to this maneuver which was badly bungled by the Italians and their Allied supporters as division after division of German troops and armor poured across the Brenner Pass from Austria into Italy as part of "Operation Axis" forcing the Badoglio's "royal government" to flee to Brindisi near the southeastern tip of the country. Simultaneously the Nazis "rescued" Mussolini from his captivity and sponsored him in the establishment of a puppet fascist "social republic" based at Salo in the far north. Real power, however, much to Mussolini's chagrin, lay with German officials throughout the country, most symbolically at Rome.

Many Italian troops, although possessed of a healthy dose of national pride, were hapless in the wake of these events as they viewed obedience to the King as fit and proper, even if they had no strong political views. As a result, although many units went over to the Germans without a fight, many others put up resistance to them to one degree or another but were defeated after a short time except in Corsica and Sardinia where with the aid of the Free French the Germans were driven out. Given that Fascist Italy had been Germany's ally, however, the Germans led by their commander General Kesselring responded with the savagery that had come to be expected of them to captured Italian troops massacring thousands of unarmed POWS they viewed as traitors, both in Italy and in areas of Greece and the Balkans under Axis occupation, and shipping off 600,000 of them to concentration camps, notwithstanding the protests of Mussolini and many Italians who remained loyal to the Axis alliance. In addition, the Nazis launched a wholesale pogrom against the small Italian Jewish community relocating them in their entirety to death camps, something even Italian fascists had little stomach for. In this regard the author seeks to acquit Pope Pius XII, considering that he did the best he could to protect and shelter Jews and other potential victims of Nazi repression but that his public stance was muted under extreme duress as Hitler had made it clear that he was considering invading the Vatican with 10,000 SS troops and pillaging its riches. Calmer heads among the Germans prevailed, however, as they considered gratuitous cruelties of this type, after a certain point, to be a diversion and waste of resources from the real military struggle against the Allies and the partisans.

Mussolini, in order to salvage his pride and to hopefully mitigate Germans abuses of Italians, organized a new fascist "republican" army led by General Graziani. These units, aside from the depredations of the fascist "Black Brigade" gangs in tandem with the SS against civilians considered to have partisan sympathies, had limited military success and did little to lessen German contempt for Italy which Hitler indicated should be treated "like Poland" although his personal fondness for Il Duce did result in the latter making two state visits to Germany to consult with Der Fuhrer ("The Leader") and to review and anoint new fascist divisions being organized there to which some interned Italian prisoners were allowed to join. Many of these new recruits, however, deserted at the first opportunity upon reaching their home soil.

Of greater military significance than the rejuvenated fascist units, and of the Royal Italian Army that acquitted itself decently in action with the British beginning at Monte Cassino leading to the liberation of Bologna by them, was the guerrilla war launched by the partisans, largely under communist leadership. To this threat, the Germans responded, as usual, with characteristic brutality through the taking and execution of hostages and the burning down of whole villages, the most notorious being the massacre at the Ardeatine Cave in Rome in March 1944 where over 300 civilians were shot as part of the 10 to 1-later raised to 50 to 1-policy of retribution against civilians for the killing of German soldiers by "terrorists." Needless to say, such atrocities fueled widespread hatred of the Germans, who had been largely tolerated by the public before 1943, and the partisan movement took on a mass character liberating whole areas in the north and after the defeat of the collapse of the Wehrmacht's "Gothic Line" south of the Alpine region and its surrender in May 1945, captured and executed Mussolini himself.

A colorful, if brutal, episode in this chronicle is the little known fact that Hitler sent several regiments of White Russian Cossacks into Northeastern Italy which he promised to them as a homeland in return for their aid in exterminating the Italian and Yugoslav partisans that were operating in this area. Although the Cossacks dealt the people they came into contact with a further dose of cruelty, they failed in their objective and they and their camp followers were forced to retreat from their ostensible promised land in an abject condition seeking at all costs to avoid coming into the custody of Soviet forces whose policy, to no surprise, was to deal summarily with such turncoats.

The book is very absorbing and readable but often assumes a familiarity with Italian culture and history that most general readers don't have. Thus, for example, one is confronted with untranslated Italian vocabulary wanting of explanation. The overall style can also at times become somewhat terse and schematic, being written in the style of the staff reports and cables that the book quotes from frequently. Nonetheless, the book, both its text and the documents appended thereto, is an accessible and informative look at an important episode in the military and political history of the Second World War in Europe.

I gave up at page 112.......2006-01-14

This book has a very confused time line. I read the book up to page 112 and the author only talks about Mussolini and Hitler's relationship, the Italian and German Generals and the politics. There is only implied mention of what is going on with the Allies and I don't remember Patton or Montgomery being mentioned in the first 112 pages.

The book would probably appeal to someone who wanted to know the details of the politics going on inside Italy and between Italy and Germany. I was looking for a more comprehensive description of events with a single continuous timeline.

Supeficial polemics dressed up as history.......2005-07-24

This is a most disappointing book about the history of Italy after the 8 September 1943 unconditional surrender. Lamb, who fought with the Royal Italian Army as a British officer, has never cared to disguise his hatred of Germans and his love of all thins Italian. This book, allegedly about the 4 way war fought between the Salo republic, Nazi Germany, the Allies and the Kingdom of Italy has consulted only books in Italian and English, and mostly secondary works at that.

Your suspicions of Lamb's qualifications and seriousness as a historian and researcher are aroused when he talked about the German 3. Panzer and 26. Panzer divisions (actually panzergrenadier divisions) and that Walter Reder commanded the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler troops in Italy, that Senger (und Etterlin) was the commander of the RFSS division, which was formed specifically to fight the Italians (the division started life as Himmler's Begleit Battailon, and was never expanded to a division with fighting in Italy or the Italians in mind)!

This is trash propaganda billed as serious research.

Review of "War In Italy 1943-1945: A Brutal Story".......2001-01-31

Mr. Lamb's effort is both moving and informative, serving to highlight many events in a post-surrender WWII Italy. A notoriously nebulous period, the author's detailed account of the state of this suddenly turbulent European power is tremendous. His research and reporting on the Allies' treatment of this fallen Axis enemy, the mounting strain of German-Italo relations throughout Mussolini's puppet regime, the uncertainty facing Italian armed forces in occupied territories and the relationships between partisans, civilians and the Italian Royal Army is unparalleled. Furthermore, Lamb gives the reader a clear understanding of Fascism's misgivings and failure, portraying a beaten, poweless dictator unable rally a nation under seige. A must read for anyone fascinated with WW II Italy.

German Defences in Italy in World War II (Fortress)

Average customer rating:

very good

German Defences in Italy in World War II (Fortress)
Neil Short
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 184176938X
Release Date: 2006-06-27

Book Description

In 1943, Hitler ordered his forces to occupy the Italian mainland to protect the Third Reich's 'soft underbelly'. After the successfulthe Allied landings in Salerno, the Germans fought a series of hard, rearguard actions as the Allies slowly pushed north up the Apennines towards the Alps. These actions were based around the construction of a series of defensive lines: the Winter Line, the Gustav Line, the Hitler Line, the Caesar Line, the Gothic Line and the Voralpenstellung. This book explores the development and form of the six defensive lines constructed by the paramilitary Organisation Todt in Italy, examining the principles of defence of these key fortifications in visual depth, and discussing their fate in the wake of the Allied onslaught.

Customer Reviews:

very good.......2007-01-03

Very good portrait and explanation of german fortifications used in the rugged italian terrain. A good reference for the hystorian of fortifications or the problems encountered by the 5th US Army in Italy. Based on this german experience the hystorian can also understand the standards used to build the post WW2 fortifications along the cold war borders.

The Battle for Rome: The Germans, the Allies, the Partisans, and the Pope, September 1943--June 1944

Average customer rating:

The Battle for Pius
My review
The (Complicated) Battle for Rome
intricate story
A Great Public Service

The Battle for Rome: The Germans, the Allies, the Partisans, and the Pope, September 1943--June 1944
Robert Katz
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0743258088

Book Description

In September 1943, the German army marched into Rome, beginning an occupation that would last nine months until Allied forces liberated the ancient city. During those 270 days, clashing factions -- the occupying Germans, the Allies, the growing resistance movement, and the Pope -- contended for control over the destiny of the Eternal City. In The Battle for Rome, Robert Katz vividly recreates the drama of the occupation and offers new information from recently declassified documents to explain the intentions of the rival forces.

One of the enduring myths of World War II is the legend that Rome was an "open city," free from military activity. In fact the German occupation was brutal, beginning almost immediately with the first roundup of Jews in Italy. Rome was a strategic prize that the Germans and the Allies fought bitterly to win. The Allied advance up the Italian peninsula from Salerno and Anzio in some of the bloodiest fighting of the war was designed to capture the Italian capital.

Dominating the city in his own way was Pope Pius XII, who used his authority in a ceaseless effort to spare Rome, especially the Vatican and the papal properties, from destruction. But historical documents demonstrate that the Pope was as concerned about the Partisans as he was about the Nazis, regarding the Partisans as harbingers of Communism in the Eternal City. The Roman Resistance was a coalition of political parties that agreed on little beyond liberating Rome, but the Partisans, the organized military arm of the coalition, became increasingly active and effective as the occupation lengthened. Katz tells the story of two young Partisans, Elena and Paolo, who fought side by side, became lovers, and later played a central role in the most significant guerrilla action of the occupation. In retaliation for this action, the Germans committed the Ardeatine Caves Massacre, slaying hundreds of Roman men and boys. The Pope's decision not to intervene in that atrocity has been a source of controversy and debate among historians for decades, but drawing on Vatican documents, Katz authoritatively examines the matter.

Katz takes readers into the occupied city to witness the desperate efforts of the key actors: OSS undercover agent Peter Tompkins, struggling to forge an effective spy network among the Partisans; German diplomats, working against their own government to save Rome even as they condoned the Nazi repression of its citizens; Pope Pius XII, anxiously trying to protect the Vatican at the risk of depending on the occupying Germans, who maintained order by increasingly draconian measures; and the U.S. and British commanders, who disagreed about the best way to engage the enemy, turning the final advance into a race to be first to take Rome.

The Battle for Rome is a landmark work that draws on newly released documents and firsthand testimony gathered over decades to offer the finest account yet of one of the most dramatic episodes of World War II.

Customer Reviews:

The Battle for Pius.......2007-08-07

This is an excellent history of both the Nazi occupation of Rome and the activities of the resistance. Of course, the real purpose of the book is to serve as a vehicle for Katz' condemnation of Pius XII and the Papacy. Through the first half of the text I was a convert, but skepticism had set in by the time I finished. First, in analyzing the behavior of Pius, Mr. Katz argues the most negative possible interpretation with deadening fervor. Second, while accepting the fact that Pius knew by mid-morning of March 24 that the Nazi's planned a 10-to-1 retaliation for the Via Rasella bombing, there is apparently no evidence that he knew the Ardeatine massacre would take place that same day, but Mr. Katz is quite deliberate about minimizing this fact while condemning Pius for not having taken action. Third, the reader is dropped into this story on the eve of Mussolini's fall. The two-decade relationship between the Vatican and Mussolini's government is given no attention, yet this relationship would have been an important factor in how Pius dealt with the occupying Germans. In conclusion, Mr. Katz's view of Pius XII could very well be right on target, but my reaction to his presentation is similar to my reaction to the politically-correct specials on PBS -- "Okay, now I want to hear the other side of the story!"

My review.......2007-01-10

Information good, but too many characters to simply provide an index in beginning of book - I would have preferred parenthetical references. Too many dates.....read like a typical newspaper article.
Otherwise an objective-appearing work of value.

The (Complicated) Battle for Rome.......2006-09-14

I found Mr. Katz' work in this book to be above average. The occupation of Rome is a complicated subject, but he manages to cover a great deal of material, tying it all together logically, and giving a great deal of detail without neglecting the greater picture. This isn't just a mixture of old information that has been available in other books before, either. The author has used data only recently declassified to give even more insight to what has, in the past, been a rather fuzzy understanding of events.

It did take a chapter or two to really get involved in the story, admittedly. The author refers to an event in the preface that doesn't actually take place until 2/3rds of the book later, which sort of lends a "when he is going to talk about it..." thought process, and I've found myself referring back to things I didn't quite process at the beginning of the book, as I read further.

In general terms of approachability and interest, however, it's been a great read.

intricate story.......2006-06-09

Well researched, shows the different characters that played roles during the german army occupation of Rome. My only regret is that some of the famous phrases, quotes, or poems in original language (roman dialect) were not reproduced, but rather only the translation in english.

A Great Public Service.......2005-08-23

Since my first visit to Italy, and especially Rome, in 1949, I have been fascinated by its people, history and culture, both historical and contemporary. There seems to be no end to the amount one can learn about Italy; almost daily new facts arise that bear not only on the present but also on events of the recent past to long ago..

Robert Katz, the distinguished historian and authority on the modern period, particularly 20th -century Italy until today has performed a great public service in bringing us TheBoot.it, in which he clearly and, above all, correctly reviews many of the events that in our time have brought Italy from the depths of misery and fascism to a level of prosperity and democracy enjoyed by few other nations of this world. His research and analysis, much of it appearing only on TheBoot, provides an invaluable source of vital information either long forgotten or unavailable elsewhere.

I congratulate and thank Robert Katz for his unique service to all of us.

Alex J. Rosenberg, Visiting Professor, Instituto Superior de Arte, Havana.

Fortress 45 - German Defences in Italy in World War II

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Fortress 45 - German Defences in Italy in World War II
Neil Short
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing, Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000TZ1AFA

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

The Human Tradition in Modern France (Human Tradition Around the World, Number 2)

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The Human Tradition in Modern France (Human Tradition Around the World, Number 2)
Alison Vincent, K. Steven Klairmont-Lingo
Manufacturer: SR Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This engaging textbook provides a human perspective of the history of France from 1789 to the present through essays that highlight individuals and intriguing events that too often have been lost under labels and statistics. Students will gain an understanding of the humor and passion in French history from these original chpaters by established scholars. This collection also relates the individuals, events, and controversies to current historiographical debates. The Human Tradition in Modern France is an excellent supplementary text for courses on French history, as well as on Western Civilization.

Book Description

With the turn of the century upon us, it's fair to ask, "Where are we going?" The answer, in a word, is up -- up from the Earth's gravity well and out into that playground, work site, and frontier otherwise known as outer space. Designs on Space is the introduction to the soon-to-be-implemented, cutting-edge machinery that will get us there: a new generation of space probes and rockets that will hurl us into the next Space Age, that of the twenty-first century.

In this graphically rich handbook of near-term space exploration, Richard Wagner, former editor of Ad Astra and coauthor of The Case for Mars, and designer Howard Cook serve up a ragout of intriguing space missions that illustrate "the art of discovery and the craft of exploration" that lie at the heart of humanity's drive into space. Their sketches of our next steps into the high frontier range from the on-orbit operations of the International Space Station to scientific exploration at the farthest reaches of our solar system. They describe and detail the contraptions, gizmos, gadgets, and contrivances that will serve as our homes in near space and our senses in the distant reaches of space. Along the way, they offer previews of a new generation of launch vehicles whose aim is to open space to paying passengers; of spacecraft bound for comets, asteroids, Mars, and beyond that will continue our wanderings through our solar neighborhood; and of the instruments that will carry on our ongoing, ever-intriguing search for life beyond Earth.

Clearly presenting each mission's rationale and the clever engineering that goes into solving the problems mission designers face, Designs on Space provides a remarkable and mesmerizing sneak preview of space voyages in the twenty-first century.

Customer Reviews:

Good as far as it goes.......2002-02-02

Pretty, superficial treatment. I agree with another reviewer's question about why purple drawings on a light purple background? It's amazing and sad how many of the spacecraft detailed have already been cancelled or deferred.

Interesting Little Book.......2001-03-05

This book provides a summary of all the current and planned space exploration projects, both manned and unmanned and at the time of publication it was fairly up to date. The timetable presented for the International Space Station is outdated, but the expected launch dates for the planetary missions are correct. The book also provides a summary of many of the commercial space adventures which I have not seen anywhere else.

There are no photos anywhere in this book, but each section contains several drawings or more of each piece of hardware. The drawings are intended to look like the old blueprint drawings (hence the subtitle name), however, as an engineer who works for NASA, we don't use blueprints anymore.

On a sad note, due to the recent budgetary cutbacks associated with the new Bush Administration, many of the projects presented in this book have been canceled or deferred, so this new and exciting book is unfortunately already out of date. Get it anyway; it's still a good book and the drawings are top notch.

Why purple?.......2001-02-14

In a book where the centerpiece should be the graphics, why oh why did they choose to print the diagrams in a muddy purple on a light purple background? I guess to make them look somewhat like blueprints, but I would have preferred clarity!

Finally a modern resource for future space exploration!!.......2001-01-11

Excellent book, great graphics, a great explanation of the technology. I am tired of reading books written in the 60's and 70's about future space designs that didnt happen. Everything in this book can and will happen, and as an engineering student I will work hard to make these designs a reality. Thanks for providing a fresh, and modern view of what will happen in this century.

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