Book Description
Praise for Unsolved Mysteries of American History
"The facts are presented clearly and concisely, and the answers have been thoroughly researched using the most up-to-date sources."
-Newark Star Ledger
"Everything that would make a great detective story. It has intellectual twists and turns, alleyways and dead ends; it has politics, espionage, intrigue, murder, cowardice, greed, courage, battles, liars, and frauds."
- New Strait Times
"Stimulating and pleasurable, fair and objective . . . recommended for both the history buff and the fan of true-life mysteries."
-Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Unsolved Mysteries of History
"Draws intelligently and entertainingly on respected-and disputed-primary volumes. . . . Reading a chapter aloud to a group would almost guarantee a lively evening."
-Baltimore Sun
"Unerring good sense and . . . well-paced prose."
-Petersburg Monitor
"Solid speculation . . . full of clever advice."
-Associated Press
"Aron's latest offering proves again that history can be fun and as strange, at least, as fiction."
-Booklist
Customer Reviews:
Clear, Consise, Informative.......2007-05-28
Author Paul Aron examines 30 different mysteries of U.S. History. Was Aaron Burr a traitor? Did James Earl Ray kill Martin Luther King? Was Alger Hiss a spy? What caused the Gulf War Syndrome? Was O.J. Simpson guilty? The author attempts to provide the answers in concise yet informative chapters that run between six and ten pages. I liked that the author seemed motivated by an honest search for the truth rather than by some desire to make political statements. For that reason alone, his conclusions seem valid. Of course, while the answers to a couple of these mysteries seem obvious, others cannot be answered with certainty. For that reason the author gives what he admits is his best guess. Also, a couple of the author's conclusions seem superfluous. But, overall this book is informative, readable and intelligent.
I hope it is fiction.......2007-03-10
As a fiction book, it is quite interesting. But if he is presenting it as a factual and documentarial look into some of these mysteries, Aron should not be allowed to write books. He leaves out many of the extremely important and fairly well known scientific findings in many of these topics. He doesn't want to entertain those ideas, because then they would leave no mystery for him to "explore."
Clear, Well-Balanced and Fascinating.......2007-01-04
This book contains 30 cases of unsolved mysteries. Each case is described in about 6 to 7 pages and is followed by a list of annotated references. Like the two other similarly titled and excellent books by this author, this one is clearly written in a very friendly and engaging style - it is quite hard to put down. In each case, the author succeeds in presenting the relevant information in a well-balanced and even-handed way by shedding light on arguments from all sides with the relative fairness that they each deserves. It is clear that some cases are more complicated and thus are more difficult to resolve than others. I was aware of the existence of some of these mysteries, but in many cases, I was not aware of any mystery at all. Thus, I learned something from each of these fascinating cases. This book would be interest to those who enjoyed this author's previous books of this nature, as well as to anyone who enjoys great mysteries.
History's Mysteries.......2004-03-14
Since reading Paul Aron's "Unsolved Mysteries of American History" and "Unsolved Mysteries of History," I've been looking forward to the sequel--and here it is!
"More Unsolved Mysteries of American History" presents thirty mysteries in a series of brief essays (about seven pages apiece). The chapters are arranged chronologically, beginning with the question "Did St. Brendan Discover America?" and ending with "Was O.J. Simpson Guilty?"
Aron is very fair in his summary of each mystery. In clean and simple prose, he lays out the background, summarizes the competing theories and offers a reasoned solution, ending each essay with a brief but thorough annotated bibliography.
If you are looking for a book that offers sensational solutions to mysteries real or imagined, you'll probably be disappointed by the "Unsolved Mysteries" series. Aron fairly summarizes the "off the wall" theories about each of his mysteries, but he always comes to a conclusion that seems pretty plausible. No space aliens, Elvis sightings or grassy knolls here, but there's still plenty of mystery to be explored and enjoyed.
If you like this book, you'll want to read Aron's two previous books (one is another collection of American historical mysteries, the other examines the mysteries of world history). For those who enjoy somewhat more sensational solutions to their historical mysteries, try Hugh Miller's "Secrets of the Dead" and "More Secrets of the Dead," based on the BBC documentary series of the same name. Both of Miller's books can be found on Amazon's UK site.
Extremely fun.......2004-02-15
I like history because I like stories, and I think I would have liked the class in high school if the textbooks had been like this: fun stories, arguments and debates with just enough room in the evidence to provoke further thought. This is not dates and names history. This is history that's alive.
Book Description
This is the undisputed best introduction to the history of the world-wide pattern of British activity in the nineteenth century, embracing its expansive spirit as well as its formal territorial empire. The dynamics of this extraordinary enterprise are considered broadly: the high-political concerns of strategy and international geopolitics are analyzed, as well as the economic dimension, missionary activity, and racial attitudes, together with a wide range of cultural aspects, including sport and the pursuit of sexual opportunity. Nor is the personal contribution of some of the leading Victorian figures neglected.
Customer Reviews:
Deep and rich.......1999-07-22
A rewarding but sometimes confusing read, "Britain's Imperial Century" examines the rise and fall of the British Empire everywhere from North America, to India, Africa, and Australasia. Aimed at students, the book is a good, interesting read compared to most soporific textbooks. It is not however an ideal starting point if you are not familiar with the topic. Prof. Hyam assumes a level of familiarity with the subject I found a bit steep, even as a student of British history. Unfortunately, the organization is a bit tricky as well, and jumps from subject to subject with little order. If you know something about the British Empire and are looking for a scholarly, engaging study, Hyam is your man. If you are just poking around - keep going.
Book Description
Ideal for adoption in introductory and upper-level classes in European and world history, this book provides a concise narrative account of the rise and fall of British imperialism. Focusing on the transition from informal to formal empire which broadene
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Canadian Journal of History, published by University of Saskatchewan on August 1, 2000. The length of the article is 669 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 British Imperial Century, 1815-1914: A Worm History Perspective.(Review) (book review)
Author: James G. Greenlee
Publication:
Canadian Journal of History (Refereed)
Date: August 1, 2000
Publisher: University of Saskatchewan
Volume: 35
Issue: 2
Page: 363
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Customer Reviews:
pleasantly surprised.......2005-02-25
After reading the last review, I was not looking forward to reading this book. As a history major, I've read a lot of really awful and uninsightful stuff, and I figured I was in for 150 pages of an average, West-hating, unbalanced, and bitter view of history.
Fortunately, I found that this wasn't at all the case. Marks managed to cover some of the most difficult and emotionally charged material (colonialism, racism, etc.) without injecting hatred or even judgement into his writing. [The Hitler comment mentioned by the other reviewer was taken radically out of context.]
Marks' view is really just that all people (not just Europeans, not just Asians) are capable of innovation and power given the right contingent circumstances. He even introduces many creative new ways of looking at old facts.
Furthermore, he seems much more aware of the difficulties of historical analyses than others. On several occasions, he discusses the problems that categorization presents for the historian. Unlike countless other academics, he does not pretend that our categories are things in themselves - he acknowledges that a term like, say, "European" is shorthand, rather than some unchanging essence. In short, he does not try to hide the fact that history is created by people, and thus should be subjected to careful scrutiny.
Given the enormity of the task he's presented with (summarizing world history in a half inch thick book), he does a fantastic job. The only "complaint" I can muster is that there could have been more coverage of Japan and Austrailia, but this was a judgement call that he made with good reason. This book provides a good framework in which to build a more detailed picture. I wholeheartedly recommend it for college courses or even as a supplement to an AP World History class.
Interesting points, but clearly anti-Western.......2004-11-28
All throughout the reading, I kept having this overwhelming feeling that Marks really loves Asia and would love nothing more than to demoralize Westerners with the reminder that they haven't always been number one. Thanks, buddy, we've got that. But it wasn't until the end that it all came together with glaring clarity: he generalizes Westerners as racists that think they're better than everyone else. According to even high school rules of debate, he's definitely lost the argument by finishing off his sweeping statement of the West with an association to Hitler on page 151. I couldn't help but laugh at this guy's overt hatred of the West. This whole "history" book was just a diatribe. Listen, I'm not proud of everything that was done to bring the most powerful nations to where they are today, but that doesn't mean that, given the proper historical contigency, the Asian nations wouldn't have done the very same. And just because I may prosper as a result of the atrocities committed in the past, should I tuck my head and mourn? I hope his work never comes up again on a class reading list, for then I shall be forced to drop the class.
Wonderfully explained!.......2003-05-21
I took two classes with Dr. Marks. All I have to say is that I think he is absolutely brilliant. I really learned a lot from this book and his classes. He enjoys his profession and clearly knows what he is talking about. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in history.
Bridging the Gap.......2002-08-05
It often takes 5-10 years or longer for new scholarship to filter down into undergraduate survey textbooks, and this is especially true of the rapidly developing field of world history. Robert Marks' short book is an attempt to bridge this gap. It is a terse synthesis of recent historical revisionism surrounding 'the rise of the west'.
Those familiar with the recent scholarship in world history will note that Marks has shamelessly stolen concepts and arguments outlined by historians such as Fernand Braudel, William McNeill, Andre Gunder Frank, Ken Pomeranz, Charles Tilly, Bin Wong, Jim Blaut, Philip Curtin, Janet Abu-Lughod, Immanuel Wallerstein, Dennis Flynn and Arturo Giraldez - and a host of other historians whose works form the foundation of 'the new world history'. This is no doubt the strength of this short 160 page book since there is virtually no other book that summarizes and integrates this scholarship so succinctly at the moment. Indeed, Marks' book works better as an historiographical survey than as a historical narrative, as the subtitle would suggest.
While the book is ostensibly written for both students and the educated public, it seems clear that it will be most useful as a text for college courses and perhaps even graduate seminars in world history. It should also find its way onto the bookshelves of teachers of world history survey courses and high school AP World History.
A final caveat - be prepared for sticker shock. It is obscenely expensive; even counting the index and preface... an exorbitant price for a paperback book of this length.
Book Description
A charismatic naturalist, bird-watcher, teacher, artist, photographer, film-maker, and winner of the Nobel Prize, Niko Tinbergen was a prominent and influential scientist. Jointly with Konrad Lorenz, he laid the foundation for a new science, the biological study of animal behaviour. 'Ethology', and his talent for devising behaviour-testing experiments, provided an outlet for Niko's enthusiasm for gulls and sticklebacks, snow-buntings and foxes, wasps and falcons, and even children. This first full-length biography of Niko Tinbergen, lavishly illustrated with many of Niko's own drawings, describes his background in Holland, a naturalists' paradise, and the beginnings of his investigations into the behaviour of birds, fish, and insects. Hans Kruuk also explores is Niko's relationship with his colleague and co-Nobelist Konrad Lorenz. These were two men full of contrasts: Niko a charming, self-effacing field man and experimenter; Konrad a flamboyant and egocentric German, always full of new ideas. Niko's Nature goes on to follow Niko's progress in Oxford after the Second World War, where he became the world authority on the behaviour of animals in the wild: his inspiring book The Study of Instinct remains an all-time classic. As a scientist Niko will always be known for the four fundamentally different ways in which he asked the question 'why does an animal do this?' These questions, about physiology, development, evolution, and function, became known as 'Tinbergen's four whys'. But Niko's successes came at a price - severe and devastating depressions that were to plague him throughout his career. In this fascinating and engaging story, Niko's long-time friend and student Hans Kruuk argues that his impact as a scientist and naturalist was in large part due to his skills as a communicator, photographer, and film-maker. Niko's Nature is an intimate and insightful portrait of an extraordinary figure.
Product Description
History: Fiction or Science? is the most explosive tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by solid scientific data. The book is well-illustrated, contains over 446 graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays, which never cease to amaze the reader. Eminent mathematician proves that: Jesus Christ was born in 1153 and crucified in 1186 The Old Testament refers to mediaeval events. Apocalypse was written after 1486. Does this sound uncanny? This version of events is substantiated by hard facts and logic - validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources - to a greater extent than everything you may have read and heard about history before. The dominating historical discourse in its current state was essentially crafted in the XVI century from a rather contradictory jumble of sources such as innumerable copies of ancient Latin and Greek manuscripts whose originals had vanished in the Dark Ages and the allegedly irrefutable proof offered by late mediaeval astronomers, resting upon the power of ecclesial authorities. Nearly all of its components are blatantly untrue! For some of us, it shall possibly be quite disturbing to see the magnificent edifice of classical history to turn into an ominous simulacrum brooding over the snake pit of mediaeval politics. Twice so, in fact: the first seeing the legendary millenarian dust on the ancient marble turn into a mere layer of dirt - one that meticulous unprejudiced research can eventually remove. The second, and greater, attack of unease comes with the awareness of just how many areas of human knowledge still trust the three elephants of the consensual chronology to support them. Nothing can remedy that except for an individual chronological revolution happening in the minds of a large enough number of people.
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.
Average customer rating:
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North, South, and the Environmental Crisis
Rodney R. White
Manufacturer: University of Toronto Press
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ASIN: 0802068855 |
Books:
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