Amazon.com
David Boies's memoir should be a bestseller for two simple reasons. First, his spectacular legal career, representing clients as diverse as Al Gore, George Steinbrenner, the U.S. Justice Department, and Calvin Klein, provides ample material for a compelling exploration of the practice of law in its most high-profile glory. And secondly, the book seems bound to sell well simply because most enterprises Boies gets himself involved with, from lawsuits to Las Vegas gambling, tend to pay off big. In Courting Justice, Boies traces the intricacies of numerous cases, such as Bush v. Gore in the hotly contested 2000 Florida recount, Steinbrenner's action against Major League Baseball, and the U.S. Government's antitrust litigation against Microsoft. At the same time he sheds light on the legal profession itself, exploring the politics of the profession and the power plays endemic to it. As though presenting his cases to a jury, Boies lays out the framework and issues of each case in a patient, step-by-step manner that illuminates the nature of the litigation and Boies's strategy while also supporting the narrative arc of the story he's trying to tell. As with many top lawyers, there is more than a dollop of ego and pride in Boies's accounts. Throughout Courting Justice Boies portrays himself as the voice of reason, possessed of a shrewd sagacity that his rivals and peers can only admire with slack-jawed amazement. Then again, when you look at the numerous legal triumphs and precedent-setting cases he was involved in, especially during the late 1990s, his arrogance is perhaps well earned. Regardless, it lends confidence to his outstanding ability to turn a phrase and tell a story, which, combined with the numerous stories he has to tell, makes David Boies's latest effort a success once again. --John Moe
Book Description
David Boies's memoir should be a bestseller for two simple reasons. First, his spectacular legal career, representing clients as diverse as Al Gore, George Steinbrenner, the U.S. Justice Department, and Calvin Klein, provides ample material for a compelling exploration of the practice of law in its most high-profile glory. And secondly, the book seems bound to sell well simply because most enterprises Boies gets himself involved with, from lawsuits to Las Vegas gambling, tend to pay off big. In Courting Justice, Boies traces the intricacies of numerous cases, such as Bush v. Gore in the hotly contested 2000 Florida recount, Steinbrenner's action against Major League Baseball, and the U.S. Government's antitrust litigation against Microsoft. At the same time he sheds light on the legal profession itself, exploring the politics of the profession and the power plays endemic to it. As though presenting his cases to a jury, Boies lays out the framework and issues of each case in a patient, step-by-step manner that illuminates the nature of the litigation and Boies's strategy while also supporting the narrative arc of the story he's trying to tell. As with many top lawyers, there is more than a dollop of ego and pride in Boies's accounts. Throughout Courting Justice Boies portrays himself as the voice of reason, possessed of a shrewd sagacity that his rivals and peers can only admire with slack-jawed amazement. Then again, when you look at the numerous legal triumphs and precedent-setting cases he was involved in, especially during the late 1990s, his arrogance is perhaps well earned. Regardless, it lends confidence to his outstanding ability to turn a phrase and tell a story, which, combined with the numerous stories he has to tell, makes David Boies's latest effort a success once again. --John Moe
Customer Reviews:
Teacher's kid.......2007-02-23
Trial, like a battle, is a zero-sum game. I thought the author could walk on water until Bush v. Gore. David Boies likes dice throwing, and compares it to litigation. Actually, he feels that analogies to war are overdone.
Deposing Bill Gates in United States v. Microsoft was an opportunity to use the e-mail of the CEO and others in the company against the defendant. The trial of Microsoft had been dubbed the trial of the decade. After the Microsoft trial, Boies embarked upon a suit against Roche, BASF, Rhone-Polenc and others for price-fixing in the vitamin market. The case settled for more than the estimated overcharges.
The auction house business used to be cozy. In 1983 Alfred Taubman purchased Sotheby's. In the late 1990's price-fixing resulted in law suits against Christie's and Sotheby's. There was a run of class-action law suits and, in a bidding processs devised by the court, Boies and his firm became the lead attorneys. The cases settled. It is claimed that litigation may resemble the game Bridge, but negotiation to settle resembles Poker.
When Boies entered the Bush v. Gore matter, Warren Christopher was in charge. A number of days were spent in Florida and the Florida courts. Initially there was jubilation because a recount of the undercounting state-wide was to be commenced. Then Boies learned that the U.S. Supreme Court had stopped the count from going on just prior to the scheduled December 11th hearing before it. The Court failed to show the restraint it had for two hundred years in Bush v. Gore. Justices Kennedy and O'Connor discovered a problem with the Florida procedure on Equal Protection grounds.
Boies's recital of some of the notable cases in his career is never dull.
One of the greatest legal minds of his time.......2006-08-27
In sorting out the various element that contributed to Boeis's distinguished career as a lawyer who gave pride and grace to his profession, I could come up with few, based on his narration of and his broadcasted trials:
1- As a middle class young student, growing up in a racist society in the 1960, he sensed the common suffering as a young parent of two kids, with little resources, with those that confront black Americans. Poverty knows no skin color. Yet, his white skin enabled him to secure modest residence in Chicago after verifying that his wife was also not of the colored race. "Does it matter?" he never got an answer to his question from the nosy residential agent who decided his fate, then. The mere instinct of asking such a question in 1959 when racism was the norm in the American society, shows how liberal young Boeis was for his generation.
2- His financial struggle to raise family and go to school had ruined his first marriage and left him a wounded man. The woman who helped him succeed left him with his two kids. That loss seemed to throw him into a forbidden love with the wife of his evidence professor, which ended by his transfer from Chicago to Yale. His second marriage led him to work in New York, after graduation from law school. Yet, for the same reason of occupational dedication, it ended and a third marriage emerged in Washington DC. It was clear that he learned by mixing with ordinary people and shared their suffering and struggle for survival. His personal struggle went along with his developing clarity, simplicity, and accuracy in his legal reasoning.
3- His adventurous ordeal with the Guatemalan millionaire's ransom sheds more light on his rigorous calculating mind. His two divorces, growing up poor, gambling interests, and mixing with rich and diverse cultures in major American cities and institutions, were all put in action in his playful and foxy litigation with dangerous, arrogant, and powerful opponent, in foreign and lawless country. Though Boeis admits his mistakes in indulging in a lawsuit that burdened his relationship with his family, his profession, and his employer, yet his mind was unsettled. Whether enough justice could be bought by everyone? Or standing to those who subvert justice at the expense of indigent citizens is worth fighting for? He opted to deliver justice and would repeat the same "mistake" in US v. Microsoft and Bush v. Gore. His recognition that lawyers to parties should not act as judges did not quench his zeal for out-of-reach justice.
4- Boies' Guatemalan adventure also demonstrates his stubborn steadfastness that accompanied him since youth and cost him two marriages, yet let to successful profession. His empathy with Mary and her two kids let him overlook the notorious deeds of her callous ex-husband. After trapping a criminal into a federal prison, Boeis ventured into freeing him despite his long and heinous mischiefs. Boies went on to praise the courage of the FBI, criticize few corrupt judges and lawyers, yet forgot his own indulgence in releasing a criminal to freedom for the sake of his millions. The son and daughter of Joey would have better life without his psychotic influence, Mr. Boies!
5- Almost every legal argument he confronted has been approached as a mathematical problem. Boies outlines all possible options to which his arguments could lead to, along with all feasible approaches to each option. That basic logical organization enables him to prepare for fights he never fought and win fights by virtue of his convincing reasoning. His unique and individual stand on principals distinguishes him over the majority of lawyers. Boies acts as an activist for reform and democracy when many lawyers aimed for secure financial winning. He confesses that had not he been a lawyer, he might have been a teacher of History. Making history was his drive to regulate software industry, health care cost, and democratic representation of powerless voters.
6- The simplicity of his reasoning could not be attributed to study alone. In many of his arguments, he adapts to unpredictable responses and arrives to his ultimate goal. In the asbestos case against Grace, he admits that both the court and his opponent failed to catch him leading during direct examination. He had unintentionally improvised his leading questioning to get his witness to open up against his reservation. In the US v. Microsoft, Boeis shows brilliant technical skills unexpected from a non-technical professional. While Gates accused him by being unable to pass high school physics, Boeis quashed the tricks of the top experts of Microsoft when they attempted to fool the court by claiming that Windows and IE are inseparable. The arrogance and shallow mindedness of the software gurus led them to underestimate the diverse interests and skills of an uncanny lawyer.
7- In addition to his growing up among common people and sharing their struggle for making ends meet, his gambling and travel hobbies have enriched his quick problem solving ability. Associating with people at the top of their professional careers, combined with his keen ability to listen and observe, has contributed to priming his deftness. He does not shy from describing himself as an "experienced examiner", which he is.
8- His ultimate secret may be his ability to clearly discern the basic logical blocs of an argument and tie them quickly and neatly within larger frameworks. Few times, he admits exhaustion after examining hard-to-admit witnesses. Yet, he realizes that those tough fighters always admit to more information after embarrassment than they set off to do. On the quality of justice and judges, Boies presents a realistic narration of corrupt as well as honest judges. Consistently, he claims that judges always attempt to be fair even when they sometimes act with exaggerated toughness.
Mohamed F. El-Hewie
Author of
Essentials of Weightlifting and Strength Training
A good read, but what is missing is David Boies.......2005-12-27
David Boies is a true legal superstar and deservedly so. He is probably best known for arguing the losing side in Bush v. Gore to the U.S. Supreme Court. The book is a cross section of what the author believes to be some of his most interesting cases and many of them are. The book is readily accessible to the lay reader. Boies goes out of his way to explain even the simplest and most obvious points of law so that no one need be left behind. His rise to stardom is all the more extraordinary considering he was dyslexic. He glosses over his two failed marriages and we get to meet all the members of his extended family. But what I found curiously missing is David Boies, the man. He is very careful to hide his feelings about virtually everything except for a couple of lawyers. He is an observor of his actions, rather than a participant. His eye is incisive and he misses nothing. But where is he? He never tells you how he feels (sad, angry, happy). It's as if he left a holographic David Boies for you to look at to fool you into thinking it is the real thing. Surely the book is a fascinating look inside one of our great legal minds and well worth reading, but when I finished, I had no idea of what David Boies is really like.
A good read in need of a good editor.......2005-08-05
It's hard to imagine that a non-lawyer might enjoy reading about a conspiracy to fix the price of vitamins or the fees charged by auction houses, but I certainly did. Boise is able to distill complicated legal issues into easily understandable terms. The cases range from the above antitrust issues to the more famous Microsoft case to a horrific custody battle to the Bush v. Gore recount fiasco. Boise approaches all with a sense of humor and a clarity of prose.
That having been said, I really felt this book needed some basic editing help. Boise uses footnotes incessantly for things that could and should be included in the text. He also references cases that aren't discussed in the book and then alludes to them in the afterward. Someone should have told him to take those references out --- they make the book a little confusing.
Finally, Boise's ego certainly isn't small. He thinks much of himself, and he probably is entitled to. The first couple of chapters, however, about his rise through the ranks of lawyers to the star he is today, can sometimes be a little much.
I would say perhaps the best reason to read this book is for an inside look at Bush v. Gore. Boies doesn't talk much about hanging chads. He does look carefully at the legal issues -- rather than the more catchy but ill-defined issue of "fairness" -- involved in the Florida recount, and coherently explains why the Gore campaign and the legal team proceeded as they did. Frankly, I wish Boies had written a whole book on this -- it is clearly the best section.
For everyone, not just lawyers.......2005-06-14
I was impressed by David Boies during the 2000 Election crisis, especially after reading a Time magazine article on him. When I saw this book, I was immediately interested, but I was apprehensive since I am not a lawyer and I was afraid it would be bogged down in legalese and I wouldn't understand the book. I decided to take a chance, especially because there was a chapter on the Yankees versus Major League Baseball. It turns out that I understood everything Boies wrote. That's because Boies writes very clearly and for everyone, not just lawyers. He explains the details in the cases that are important to understand, the fundamental arguments of both sides, not just the side he was representing, all in an enjoyable way. I found myself even enjoying the chapters on cases I wasn't immediately drawn to, such as "Fixing the Price of Health" (on price fixing in vitamins), and "The Auction House Scandal". Boies also recounts two of his most famous cases: the Microsoft case and Bush vs Gore. I definitely recommend this book.
Book Description
Napoleon dominated nearly all of Europe by 1810, largely succeeding in his aim to reign over the civilized world. But Britain eluded him. To conquer the island nation, he needed Russia's Tsar Alexander's help. The Tsar refused, and Napoleon vowed to teach him a lesson by intimidation and force. The ensuing invasion of Russia, during the frigid winter of 1812, would mark the beginning of the end of Napoleon's empire. Although his army captured Moscow after a brutal march deep into hostile territory, it was a hollow victory for the demoralized troops. Napoleon's men were eventually turned back, and their defeat was a momentous turning point in world affairs. Dramatic, insightful, and enormously absorbing,
Moscow 1812 is a masterful work of history.
Customer Reviews:
'Never Despair while Brave Men Remain with the Colors'.......2007-07-24
The Russian campaign is definitely the most difficult to write about. In this volume, the author presents a highly readable account of that great campaign that is an valuable addition to the literature of the campaign, but it isn't a stand-alone account of the Russian campaign, and it isn't without its flaws.
Overall, the author has demonstrated a more-than-adequate grasp of the poltical problems facing the belligerents in 1812. The causes of the war are evenly handled, and the sole blame is not laid at the door of the French, or at Napoleon's. That being said, the author has not painted an accurate picture of either Napoleon or Alexander. Napoleon's character is relegated to the 'traditional' view of him being driven 'by a lust for power and domination over others' as well, among other things 'having no sense of justice' (which is a gratuitous and ludicrous statement, Napoleon formulating and giving France and the Empire the Code Napoleon among other civil reforms). It is only recently that an accurate picture of Napoleon's character has been developed by historians and it is a shame that work wasn't taken advantage of here.
On the other hand it appears that Alexander is given the benefit of the doubt at almost every turn, even though he was a particide, an Asian autocrat, who wielded his unquestioned power in Russia, was a treacherous ally, and one who refused to support the alliance he made with Napoleon in 1807. He was slippery, double-dealing, and a coward who deftly used intrigue, deception, and treason to his benefit. He tried to be a soldier, and was not, interfering rather than helping his generals in the field. His chosen advisors, his 'aides-de-camp' were carpet knights and not soldiers, who helped with this interference. He fought the Turks and the Swedes, as well as the French, and it is probably that his lauded stance of not negotiating with Napoleon in 1812 until there were no French on Russian soil was because he feared being assassinated by those same nobles that murdered his father.
There are other errors in the book. The author labels Tilsit a triumph for the Tsar, whcih is a fantastically inaccurate statement; states that the battle of Aspern-Essling in 1809 were 'twin battles' when they were not (it was one action, which the Austrians won-the first battlefield victory over Napoleon since 1796-it is known as Aspern to the Austrians and Essling to the French, hence the hyphenated use of both names by many historians); and War and Peace is mentioned as a quasi-reference for the period, which is a gross error.
The author inaccurately states that the Russian artillery arm was probably the best in the world in 1812, which cannot be supported by any substantive reference. The French artillery arm had been recognized as Europe's best since 1789 and it had not been eclipsed by any other European artillery system since. The Austrian and British artillery arms were also superior to the Russian artillery. The Russian artillery officers were poorly trained and educated, and the 'new' equipment of the 1805 System were copies of Prussian and Austrian material from the 1740s and 1750s. Further, the manner in which Russian artillery was commanded and employed was inferior to French artillery doctrine and this was remarked upon by various Russian artillerymen, notably Yermelov, Sievers, and Kutusaiv.
The author also stated that the French transport corps was 'le train.' Actually, there were at least two different types of 'train' in the French service. The train des equipages (supply train) is the organization to which he is referring. There was also a train d'artillerie which was responsible for hauling the artillery equipment. there was also a smaller engineer train to boot.
While some of the military sections of the book are substandard and carelessly done, the overall impact of the volume is a credit to the author. While many other authors and historians have misinterpreted or left out key factors of the campaign, this author does not. He correctly labels the Russian generals and high command for what it is-in short a mess. Further, the Battle of the Berezina is analysed correctly in that it was a decisive victory for the French. Further, the crucial Battle of Maloyaroslavets is labeled a French victory. The issue with the most impact, however, is that the author correctly states the heavy losses the Russians incurred during the campaign which many overlook, focusing on the disaster that befell the Grande Armee. Russian losses, for the same causes, the cold and exposure, are clearly brought to the forefront of the narrative.
If used with caution in the areas outlined above this is an excellent narrative of the Russian campaign. It is highly recommended and should be on everyone's bookshelf who is interested in the Napoleonic period in general and the Russian campaign in particular. I am looking very much forward to the author's next effort.
A Well Written Account with Fresh Insight.......2007-07-17
The history of Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812 has been told many times before so readers might be tempted to shrug their shoulders at the sight of another book on this subject. Don't. Adam Zamoyski's Moscow 1812: Napoleon's Fatal March is a well-written and insightful look at the French march to and from Moscow. The value added component of this book derives from the author's research into post-Soviet archives which has yielded some fresh perspectives on Marshal Kutuzov, Tsar Alexander and the other Russian commanders, as well as some Italian and Polish first-person accounts that haven't made it into earlier works. As military history, Zamoyski does a good job putting the events together into a coherent pattern and there are plenty of sketch maps to support tactical descriptions, although strictly speaking the author does not delve into the level of military detail that one might find in other books, particularly about the Battle of Borodino. Overall, this is a fine work and I was impressed by the level of research that went into it and the author's ability to turn it into a page-turning and gripping account.
Moscow 1812 is divided into 25 chapters, which flow chronologically and each of which covers a thematically-driven slice of the campaign, such as Kutuzov's assumption of command. The volume includes a total of 23 sketch maps, a large number of illustrations, lengthy endnotes, a robust bibliography and an efficient index. The author writes this book for a general audience but with the assumption that even general readers will have some knowledge of this campaign, albeit based on sources such as Tolstoy's War and Peace. Zamoyski is also fairly even-handed in establishing his perspective, favoring neither the Napoleon-centric approach or a chauvinistic Russian defense of the Motherland. Instead, the reader is presented with a fairly objective campaign narrative, told partly through first-person accounts, with only the faintest hint of Greek Tragedy.
Unusually, Zamoyski sees the Russians as much to blame for the war as the French. While Napoleon incited Russia by the creation of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, the author notes that Tsar Alexander was clearly preparing for offensive action in conjunction with Prussia prior to the French invasion. Russian aggressiveness and a desire for revenge after the Treaty of Tilsit were major factors in the road to war. Throughout the campaign, Napoleon's Grande Armée had qualitative advantages that enabled its soldiers to persevere under the most adverse conditions. Yet French logistic planning was incredibly poor and collapsed almost immediately upon crossing the border. Other than possessing very good artillery and more secure logistics, the Russian army was outclassed by the French in almost every other category. Clearly the greatest French disadvantage - and one that is difficult for historians to explain - was that Napoleon entered Russia with only a very hazy plan of campaign to defeat the Russian border armies, but little thought beyond that.
Moscow 1812 is a far more frank and blunt account than most others on this subject, with the full misery of the soldier's conditions conveyed in their own words. Due to lack of water, one French soldier recounts drinking horse's urine out of ruts in the road. There are also very graphic descriptions of battle and non-battle conditions (e.g. frostbite) that gives the reader a much better sense of the hardships endured by the common soldier than is often the case. The author describes how, "some [soldiers] became so disoriented by the cold that they would walk drunkenly straight into a fire and stand in it with their bare feet..." There is also considerable swearing and soldier's language in this account, which is refreshingly honest compared to other more sanitized accounts. However, the author is not always adept at relaying the critical elements of tactical combat - in his account of Borodino for example, he fails to appreciate the Russian mistake in leaving so much of their artillery in reserve at the start. When the Russian artillery commander was killed early in the battle, most of his guns sat out the day unused. The author sees Borodino as a French victory with the Russian army rendered combat ineffective, whereas author historians tend to view it as the beginning of the unraveling of the Grande Armée due to debilitating losses.
The author also presents several non-standard perspectives on the campaign, beginning with his description of how Moscow was not totally destroyed by fire and that the French were able to salvage enough food and supplies to partly rebuild their strength - he writes that the Grande Armée was "in fine fettle" at the beginning of the retreat. Nor were all the French units unprepared for winter, since a few French and Polish units did prepare for winter operations and they came through the retreat much better than others. Italian troops also are singled out for their exceptional combat performance in Russia - particularly at the Battle of Maloyaroslavets - while German troops performed poorly.
Napoleon appears in poor form throughout much of this account, unable to fathom the Russian reason for continuing to fight or the danger posed by their climate to his army. Plagued by indecisiveness and periods of torpor, Napoleon seems to drift along to Moscow on inertia and hope, with only occasional bursts of energy displayed during moments of supreme crisis. Yet in the midst of one the greatest crises in military history - the retreat from Moscow - the French troops remained loyal to their emperor. The author notes that, "even when taken prisoner, the soldiers of the Grande Armée refused to say a word against Napoleon." As for `why' this catastrophe occurred, the author does not spend a great deal of effort seeking answers but points to miscalculation and hubris by Napoleon as the likely culprits.
Totally X-Rated.......2007-03-30
Adam Zamoyski truly brings to life the entire campaign of Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The style of writing is so captivating and truly X-Rated in many areas (so vivid and gruesome). Gives very good account of how Napoleon can amass so a huge army only to loose almost 90% of it to war, starvation, summer heat (at first) and to "General Frost" (at last)..... How could a man of Napoleon's talent succumb to so many bad decisions in war? Read on! Such a great read indeed!
Napoleon's fatal march.......2007-03-07
This is a thorough book about Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812. The battles of Borodino and other battles are vividly described. Mr Zomoyski also excellently describes the horrible French retreat. It's worth reading!
dont believe the bad press, read this book.......2007-02-02
This is a wonderful book. Contrary to some of the other reviews, Zamoyski's scholarship is sound in every respect. Although this story had been told in English, French, German and Russian many times before, this synthesis adds value. Those who have read other accounts of this disastrous campaign are encouraged not to let their knowledge of the topic keep them from the new insights offered in this book.
Zamoyski does a masterful job of showing the reader how the myths of this campaign came to be--General Winter, the almost mystical celebration of the Russian Spirit, the hubris of Napoleon--and then provides rare insight into the rest of the story. Zamoyski relies on a broad array of previous scholarship, including extensive use of memoirs, as well as new sources. His account of the retreat is perhaps the best that exists in English today.
The collapse of the French army in this account is more the result of a complex of factors whose origin lay not in the brutal and bitter Russian Winter--but rather in serious military and logisitic miscaluculations by Napoleon prior to and during the campaign. In one sense, this campaign reflects Napoleon's generalship at its worst, and in a situation where he needed his best effort most. Nevertheless, from the first pages one feels that one is reading about a doomed army as a litany of errors and mistakes begin their dark parade toward Moscow and then back again.
This book is not for the squeamish. The horrors of the retreat are simply unimaginable. Recent archealogical evidence in Lithuania supports Zamoyski's speculation that the remains of the Grand Armee literally had a sort of group nervous breakdown around Vilna that ensured the death of many thousands who seem to have made it mirculously out of Russia...only to die in the first place they thought themselves at last safe from the cossacks and the winter. A great read and great prose, this book is recommended for the widest possible audience.
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1812: Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow
Adam Zamoyski
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0007123752 |
Amazon.com
This intellectual biography of the 16th century Italian quotes exclusively from Machiavelli's own words rather than quoting others who commented upon him. In this way de Grazia, a professor at Rutgers, paints a colorful portrait of the man entirely in the context of his time. In The Prince Machiavelli had famously examined the dilemma of the ruler who must find a resolution between political necessity and ethical behavior. By thus inventing 'realpolitik' Machiavelli entered the language of political discourse, and got himself rather a bad name. De Grazia's book, which won a Pulitzer Prize, goes some way to rehabilitating him, suggesting that his immoral means were put to good political ends.
Customer Reviews:
Intellectually stimulating and thought provoking.......2005-02-23
To those of you looking for an easy read on Machiavelli, I recommend going somewhere else. This book isn't going to skimp on the scholarly side just to make it easier to read for others. This is an intelligent book for an intelligent reader. Grazia intricately weaves together the mindset of Machiavelli as we see him through his many works and letters to friends.
At first I was a little disappointed, perhaps because I was looking more for the momentous doings of Machiavelli. Yet, as I worked through the sheer volume of this biography (not by number of pages, yet rather by the number of words per page) I began to grow and respect Grazia as I slowly began to realize who Machiavelli was and how his thoughts and ideas influenced so many. His thoughts are his astounding accomplishments and those we certainly see here.
For those interested in reading an intellectual book, definitely read this one. Machiavelli always believed that a person becomes a learned person through reading. For someone who agrees with this mindset I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone that has intelligence enough to want to learn rather than those readers who simply are looking for an easy read.
Finally a decent book on Nicolo.......2004-07-07
I give this book an easy 5 stars. This is much less intimidating than many of Nicolo's own writings... De Grazia is interested in his subject, fun, and ultimately very sympathetic to Machiavelli. The book shows how Machiavelli was a poet, a lover, a (really good!) comic playwright, and a champion of democracy, in addition to being one of the founding fathers of political science. I've read the majority of Nicolo's surviving work, often in the Italian, and De Grazia truly portrays him as he was... a courtier after Castiglione's model who (even after his death) suffered more than his share of the "unremitting malice of fortune." READ IT!!!
Niccolo and His Philosophy.......2004-01-03
Let me say first that I did not find this book difficult to read or comprehend, as some reviewers have implied it might be. It was, and is, a scholarly work, but Grazia makes the material lively, interesting, and above all understandable. Each thread in the tapestry that he weaves around the life and philosophy of Niccolo (as he calls him throughout the entire work) is discussed separately but folded back into the whole at regular intervals.
Grazia introduces us to Niccolo Machiavegli (Machiavelli in the Tuscan style) in Chapter 1, a figure often reviled in later ages. From Chapter 2 onward we are treated to an analysis of his works, political, social, and dramatic in the context of an overarching political philosophy. What I found most interesting about Machiavelli In Hell is the interleaving of Niccolo's life with this analysis. He becomes a person rather than the one-dimensional cutout we are often given in school texts - a man of feeling, ideals, and intelligence. With some persistence and careful reading you can it make through this book with a greater understanding of what Niccolo gave to later generations, or even his own. It is not a substitute for The Prince, The Art of War, or the Mandragola but an introduction.
An historian's Machiavelli.......2000-04-07
This is a work of scholarship, not intended to be a page-turner, as other reviewers noted. It is rare to find historical studies that succeed in giving a sense of the subject's mindset. Here one can develop a sense of the Renaissance statesman and philosopher's intellectual journey, without modern idealistic baggage. I have read several studies of Niccolo, and this is the the best by far.
A real treat if yo are ready for some gumnastics.......1999-07-03
Come on. When I checked the reviews and found it averaging only two stars I had to object. The best book on Machiavelli is Leo Strauss' "Thoughts on Machiavelli, which makes this one look like a first grade primer. That a book is too intellectually challenging is not an objection against it. This is an excellent biography. But it needs excellent readers.
Book Description
John Waggoner's superb translation of and commentary on Joly's Dialogue--the first faithful translation in English--seeks not only to update the sordid legacy of the The Protocols of the Elders of Zion but to redeem Joly's original work for serious study in its own right, rather than through the lens of antisemitism. Waggoner's work vindicates a man who was neither an antisemite nor a supporter of the kind of tyrannical politics the Protocols subsequently served, and presents Maurice Joly, once much maligned and too long ignored, as one of the nineteenth century's foremost political thinkers.
Customer Reviews:
Machiavelli Misunderstood?.......2006-09-03
I read this book while researching the "Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion." Clearly "Protocols" was heavily plagiarized from this work and was a forgery to boot. In any event, this is a captivating tale of a conversation between Machiavelli (counselor to despots) and Montesquieu (philosophical and political father of the U.S. Constitution.) Machiavelli claims to be misunderstood but as the dialogue progresses it seems painfully evident that he is generally not.
While Machiavelli and Montesquieu both claim to be followers of Christ, it becomes clear to everyone but Machiavelli that he operates out of self-interest rather than the good of society. His self-delusion is phenomenal and is readily seen in politics today. The book is obscure, true, but I found it to be a page-turner. Do not pass judgment on this book because someone later used it for anti-Semitic purposes. There is nothing anti-Semitic in this original tale.
A great book with a sad history.......2006-05-19
As noted in every book I've ever read about the infamous forgery, _The Protocols of the Elders of Zion_, this book was the source, edited beyond recogintion by the Czar's secret police.
_The Dialogue in Hell_ must not have done very well, or more people would have recognized the _Protocols_ as a forgery sooner.
Sadly, political forgeries continue today. Dan Rather and Mary Mapes lost their jobs at CBS over forged memos; how odd that today's American liberals haven't learned from the Czar's secret police's mistakes.
Not for the Optimist.......2003-05-01
Before I can even begin about the book, the story BEHIND the book is amazing. It would not surprise me if Cheney had a copy of the German version somewhere in his desk as Bush probably wouldn't understand a third of the amazing ideas put forth in this formerly banned book.
Watching the news is like watching Machiavelli's Dialogue come to life. Listening to Democrats is like hearing Montesquieu's feeble attempts to say that in the end, the good guys will win because of Justice and Liberty. If the Dialogue were a swordfight, Machiavelli would have not only killed poor Montesquieu, but eviscerated and beheaded him as well. Waggoner's commentaries and insights are a little dry when compared with the excellent text but are a good read and do well to put some of the outdated points in the text into context. I strongly reccomend this for anybody who is questioning the course of events that our world is being swept up in.
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Machiavelli in Hell
Sebastian De Grazia
Manufacturer: Pan Books
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This digital document is an article from Global Virtue Ethics Review, published by Thomson Gale on July 1, 2004. The length of the article is 1052 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: The Dialogue in Hell between Machiavelli and Montesquieu.(Book Review)
Author: Raymond A. Whiting
Publication:
Global Virtue Ethics Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2004
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 5
Issue: 3-4
Page: 151(5)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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Machiavelli in Hell
Manufacturer: Princeton Univ. Press
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Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I98BR2 |
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The World of Wilderness: Essays on the Power and Purpose of Wild Country
Wilderness Society (U. S.)
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A collection of essays published in Wilderness magazine illuminate the role of wilderness in American life.
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