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Customer Reviews:

Unity of Tradition.......2004-04-19

is founded on the first principle of truth as espoused by the various religious and spiritual and cultural practices prior to their disintegration with the advent of modernity and the reign of quantity.

And what is the first principle of truth?
In a nutshell it is this: unity of duality and duality of unity.
Sounds simple, and it is. But all truths are simple, and the simplest things are often the hardest to understand and put into practice.

I shall skip the synopsis since it has been so well written by other reviewers (except for one illiterate cynic in France).
I shall only add that this book was originally written as the author's phd thesis under the late Mircea Eliade's tutelage at the University of Chicago, and submitted in 1981. This book is an updated and modified version of the same.

Written with clarity and balance, this is an excellent introduction to the subject of Tradition and Traditional thought as defined largely by Rene Guenon and Ananda Coomaraswamy -- each laying emphasis on different aspects of the commonly shared vision.
Both Guenon and Coomaraswamy saw unity in all the civilizations of the world prior to the phenomenon of the modern West. They see no split between so-called East and West but between modern and pre-modern West. And the 'Modern West' must be understood to mean all nations, wherever they are, that now operate according to the ideology of material positivism as shaped by the economy, politics, and value systems inherent within scientism (strictly knobs and dials) and industrialization.

The purpose of this book, as the author states, is to guide the reader to do further research by reading the original texts by Guenon and Coomaraswamy and others, including, Fritjof Schuon, Mme. Blavatsky, Rudolf Steiner, et al: Those who spoke out against modernity's narrow identification of Reason with calculational rationality only; and its misguided use against Reason, the seat of intellectual intuition and the creative engine of spiritual and artistic propulsion.

This book gives one the impression that the author thinks dimly of modernity as a whole. But he exaggerates no facts of our time in order to paint an unduly pessimistic picture: it is what we read about every day.

Acting as a messenger for Guenon, Coomaraswamy and the Tradition as a whole, the author's message is that we must re-examine Tradition within the emerging global perspective.

His message is one that the Dalai Lama has also expressed: that we move beyond the program of life as defined by "religion" and find a way to live more spiritually as truly 'human' beings.

As much as I would agree with the author, poor sales of this book seems to suggest that he is hoping against the tide.
But then, is that not the essence of hope: lighting a candle in the wind?

Introduction to the Eternal.......2003-03-22

I am truly glad that I was introduced this marvelous book. This is because my soul has long resonated to its subject- the Philosophia Perennis, or the Perennial Philosophy. Some would say the primary subject of the book is really the lives of the two great metaphysicians and promulgators of the Tradition in the first half of the twentieth century, Ananda K. Coomaraswamy and Rene Guenon. While it does deal with the lives and work of these giants, really, they were "merely" two of the modern vessels for this eternal Tradition. They themselves assigned the real importance of their work to the Tradition and downplayed any original contributions on their own part. Like all of us whose souls resonate to the vertical path of the Cross, of the World Tree or Axis Mundi, they primarily "recollected" these teachings in the Platonic or Gnostic sense. Coomaraswamy and Guenon were supremely aware of the true source of their inspiration.

I'm sure there are many modern scholars and materialists that will try to read to this book only to come away with absolutely no understanding of it. That is because all such teachings are presented for those with the "ears to hear." If you are ready, then you will intuitively understand what is meant by such terms as quantity and quality, indeed, you've probably known it for many years. Indeed, if you understand what is being discussed here you will no doubt understand the source works with minimal interpretation (the Gitas, Upanishads, the Tao te Ching, the Hermetica, the Gnostic Scriptures, etc.) You will also recognize false and dead academic interpretations of no real understanding.... To the quantitative, empirical, analytical, statistical-minded academics out there this will all be dismissed as self-referencing, hermeneutical, irrationality. However, you will know better in your heart of hearts, for you understand mystical insight and direct intuitive recognition of the underlying values, meanings, and perceptions of things. You know the difference between rational and suprarational understanding. You are steadily ascending the vertical axis of the Cross. You are becoming, through "recollection", the sage and teacher that you could never find among the sterile, dead ashes of the modern world of scientism.

I personally found it enlightening that both Coomaraswamy and Guenon were initially highly accomplished in the sciences and mathematics. You see, they didn't reject the material world (the horizontal arm of the Cross), they just recognized that it was the lowest and most trivial part of Creation and instead chose to ascend the vertical arm of the Cross, towards man's last end, s'eternar....

The Only Tradition: Against the Modern World........2001-12-24

_The Only Tradition_ provides an answer to the crisis of modernity through the < >, the Tradition as expressed in the writings of Rene Guenon and Ananda Coomaraswamy. Against a modern world lacking in values, meaning, and a traditional framework and presenting immanent problems of overpopulation, relativism, nuclear disaster, pollution, and the destruction of traditional cultures, is presented the perspective of the primordial tradition. The author explains that there is only a single Tradition that underlies the traditional cultures which have existed throughout history. As such, the work provides a basic outline and history of the ideas of Rene Guenon and Ananda Coomaraswamy (as well as those of other expositors of the tradition such as Frithjof Schuon and Seyyed Hossein Nasr). The author traces these ideas from the personal biographies of both Guenon and Coomaraswamy to the various organizations which grew up in France, England, North America, and Iran based upon the writings of these individuals. (The author notes however that tradition is universal in application and therefore not localized to a particular point in time and space.) The book then outlines the "first principles" upon which the Tradition is founded, distinguishing the various aspects of the < >. A brief synopsis of theosophy ( < >) and it's modern manifestation in the Theosophical Society of H. P. Blavatsky is given. An examination distinguishing between the two distinct forms of traditional culture (primitive and developed) is set forth. In particular, the traditional culture of medieval Christendom is chosen as an example, and the idea of "fusion" - the totalization of traditional principles throughout the culture - is explained. For the expositor of Tradition, the traditional culture may appear to be utopian in nature. However, the author explains that various aberrations within such cultures demolish this utopian quality. The author next turns to modernity and it's vicissitudes. The "reign of quantity" and the denegration of "quality" as explained by Guenon is shown to be the persistant condition of a modernity based on a crude scientism and positivism. As an answer to this emptiness of meaning, the author proposes a global planetary return to tradition, along with the arrival of a new planetary consciousness.

The Only Tradition (Western Esoteric Traditions).......2001-01-26

This book basically trys to resurect Gnosticism as a viable religion/philosophy from the ashes of its deserved heretical demise. It's best to leave the whole idea buried with the Templars.

ONLY TRADÝTÝON.......2000-06-19

ONLY TRADITION, THE William W. Quinn, Jr.

Examines the first principles of the perennial philosophy or ancient wisdom tradition as expressed in the writings of its great exponents, Rene Guenon and Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, and offers a critique of the West from the standpoint of traditional principles.

The Only Tradition examines the first principles of the perennial philosophy or ancient wisdom tradition as expressed in the writings of Rene Guenon and Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, and the current breakdown of value, meaning, and culture in the West due to the decline of these principles since the thirteenth century. The book further focuses on the relationship or reciprocity between the first principles and Western and Eastern culture, and discusses the future development of a homogenous, worldwide system of belief that would restore value and meaning to people's lives.

Quinn argues for a return to the first principles inherent in the perennial philosophy, which constitute the sacred primordial Tradition and which inform all the world's great religious traditions. His book makes an excellent introduction to this powerful current of European esoteric thought--primordial tradition.

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Bhagavata Purana Part II Only Volume 8 of Ancient Indian Tradition and Mythology
Shastri & Tagare
Manufacturer: Motilal Barnasidas, 1896
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mythology | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000K7AZN0

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Bhagavata Purana Part III Only Volume 9 of Ancient Indian Tradition and Mythology
Shastri & Tagare
Manufacturer: Motilal Barnasidas, 1987
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mythology | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000K7BPAW

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Bhagavata Purana Part IV Only Volumes 10 of Ancient Indian Tradition and Mythology
Shastri & Tagare
Manufacturer: Motilal Barnasidas, 1988
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mythology | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000K7DU0A

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Bhagavata Purana Part V Only Volumes 11 of Ancient Indian Tradition and Mythology
Shastri & Tagare
Manufacturer: Motilal Barnasidas, 1997
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mythology | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000K7DTZ6

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Bournonville Tradition: The First Fifty Years, 1829-1879, vol 1 only
Knud Arne Jurgensen
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1852730552

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A building is only as good as its foundation: Krause Publications traditions and philosophies at 45 years
Robert F Lemke
Manufacturer: Krause Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: 0873415442

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Cross, Our Only Hope: Daily Reflections in the Holy Cross Tradition (30 Days With a Great Spiritual Teacher)

Manufacturer: Ave Maria Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1594711623

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Gerard Manley Hopkins(1844-1889) A Study of Poetic Idiosyncrasy in Relation to Poetic Tradition **Volume I of 2 ONLY**
W. H. with (Gerard Hopkins, Foreword) Gardner
Manufacturer: Yale U.P.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J0R4J6

Book Description

Drawing on classical development theory and recent theoretical advances on the connection between expanding markets and technological developments, this book reveals the critical role of the expansion of Atlantic commerce in the successful completion of England's industrialization from 1650-1850. The volume is the first detailed study of the role of overseas trade in the Industrial Revolution. It revises other explanations that have recently dominated the field and shifts the assessment of African contribution away from the debate on profits.

Africans And the Industrial Revolution in England: A Study in International Trade and Economic Development.(Reviews of Books)(Book Review): An article from: Albion

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Africans And the Industrial Revolution in England: A Study in International Trade and Economic Development.(Reviews of Books)(Book Review): An article from: Albion
John Darwin
Manufacturer: North American Conference on British Studies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Albion, published by North American Conference on British Studies on March 22, 2004. The length of the article is 970 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: Africans And the Industrial Revolution in England: A Study in International Trade and Economic Development.(Reviews of Books)(Book Review)
Author: John Darwin
Publication: Albion (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2004
Publisher: North American Conference on British Studies
Volume: 36 Issue: 1 Page: 159(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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Joseph E. Inikori, Africans and the Industrial Revolution in England: a Study in International Trade and Economic Development.(Book Review): An article from: Labour/Le Travail

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Joseph E. Inikori, Africans and the Industrial Revolution in England: a Study in International Trade and Economic Development.(Book Review): An article from: Labour/Le Travail
Robert C.H. Sweeny
Manufacturer: Canadian Committee on Labour History
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0008IQZ8U
Release Date: 2005-07-31

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Labour/Le Travail, published by Canadian Committee on Labour History on September 22, 2003. The length of the article is 1247 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: Joseph E. Inikori, Africans and the Industrial Revolution in England: a Study in International Trade and Economic Development.(Book Review)
Author: Robert C.H. Sweeny
Publication: Labour/Le Travail (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2003
Publisher: Canadian Committee on Labour History
Issue: 52 Page: 318(3)

Article Type: Book Review

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Two recent releases show how studies of the Atlantic World are again being enriched by insights from economic historians.(Book Notes)(Africans and the ... An article from: Journal of Southern History

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Two recent releases show how studies of the Atlantic World are again being enriched by insights from economic historians.(Book Notes)(Africans and the ... An article from: Journal of Southern History
Scott P. Marler
Manufacturer: Southern Historical Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Southern History, published by Southern Historical Association on May 1, 2004. The length of the article is 316 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: Two recent releases show how studies of the Atlantic World are again being enriched by insights from economic historians.(Book Notes)(Africans and the Industrial Revolution in England: A Study in International Trade and Economic Development)(The Rise of Commercial Empires: England and the Netherlands in the Age of Mercantilism, 1650-1770)(Book Review)
Author: Scott P. Marler
Publication: Journal of Southern History (Refereed)
Date: May 1, 2004
Publisher: Southern Historical Association
Volume: 70 Issue: 2 Page: 491(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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In depth information about a little known topic

WOWW

Highly recommended especially for college library, international studies and Turkish history shelves.

Compelling!

Refuge and its reward

Turkey's Modernization: Refugees from Nazism and Ataturk's Vision
Arnold Reisman
Manufacturer: New Academia Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Turkey | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
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Istanbul: Memories and the City

ASIN: 0977790886

Book Description

This book chronicles the story of a group of individuals caught at a crossroads and targeted in the cross fires of history. In 1933 events in their native Germanic lands presented them with a "Hobson's choice"-leave if you can or die! Their lives were saved because Turkey was discarding the society and culture inherited from the Ottomans' derelict and shattered empire while recognizing and addressing the need to modernize its society, culture, way of living, and system of higher education. Using a collection of third-party archival documents, cotemporaneous family and collegial correspondence, memoirs, oral histories, photos, and other surviving evidence Arnold Reisman documents the fears, the courage, the heartaches, and the determination of these brilliant people as well as their contributions to shifting established paradigms in several fields of knowledge. He also speculates about Turkey's inabilities to fully capitalize on these emigres' legacy. The book is intended for lay readers interested in history of the 20th Century, history of science, history of Turkey, the Holocaust, and in a case study of post-Islamic national development. "This book adds to our knowledge of an important aspect of the Holocaust, and of the behavior of Nation States in the modern world of woe and grief." - Sir Martin Gilbert, Winston Churchill's official biographer and a leading historian of the modern world. He is the author of The Holocaust: A History of the Jews of Europe During the Second World War. "This book should be on the 'must-read' list of books about World War II and the years preceding it." - Dr. Israel Hanukoglu, Former Science Adviser to the Prime Minister of Israel. Currently Professor and Chairman of the Department of Molecular Biology, College of Judea and Samaria, Ariel, Israel. "This book involves five major topics: science, history, politics, economics, and the arts. It is the earliest comprehensive essay in the English language, on the German émigrés who, while taking refuge in Turkey after 1933, contributed to the modernization of its higher education, and to the implementation of research activities and social reforms." - Prof. Dr. Feza Günergun, Chair for History of Science, Faculty of Letters, Istanbul University, Beyazit-Istanbul, Turkey.

Customer Reviews:

In depth information about a little known topic.......2007-02-02

This book is about the story of the German-Jewish professors that were displaced by the [..]and were invited to come to Turkey by Ataturk's government. About 150 of them came in the 1933-1938 time frame. Some stayed for a few years, many stayed for 10 years or more. Some have stayed until retirement.The book, about 470 pages long and illustrated with many photographs and other material, is a really well-researched investigation into * the world circumstances that made this episode possible* the individuals who arranged the mechanics of this immigration* the personal life stories of these very capable scholars* how they adapted to life in Turkey* how they impacted Turkey's university education and modernization* the nature of the support and non-support they received from the government and the people This was a subject I had fleeting knowledge about. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, which greatly enhanced my knowledge and understanding of the subject. It also provided yet another illustration of the vision and genius of Ataturk in making deft use of every opportunity to improve his nation. It triggered in my mind the thought that Turkey probably had a second similar opportunity at the time of the disintegration of the Soviet Union, when top tier scientists in select fields could have easily been induced to come to Turkey. Unfortunately, political cadres in charge at the time had nowhere near Ataturk's vision. I would highly recommend this book to everyone. It is very readable and has many details that our generation can relate to. An interesting trivia is that Einstein was one month away himself from coming to Turkey within these group of scholars, when he received an offer from Princeton.

WOWW.......2007-01-01

A fascinating read.

I am very involved with genealogy, so I really enjoyed the memoirs.

The structure of the book was different and refreshing.

Highly recommended especially for college library, international studies and Turkish history shelves........2006-12-10

Written by Arnold Reisman Ph.D., who has served as Visiting Scholar in Turkey at both Sabanci University and the Istanbul Technical University, Turkey's Modernization: Refugees from Nazism and Ataturk's Vision is enlightening true story of how the Turkish Government of Mustafa Kernal Atatuk and Ismet Inonu accepted German and Austrian Jews, and took advantage of these victims of racial prejudice and persecution to aid the Turkish Republic's progress in academic, scientific, and medical undertakings. Tracing the lasting impacts of builders, preservers, creators, social reformers, healers, and scientists, as well as the problems they encountered, the turbulence caused by World War II and their attempts to emigrate to the U.S., Turkey's Modernization is a fascinating parable of how Turkey capitalized upon the best and the brightest - as well as of its stumbling blocks, such as its cultural predispositions for encouraging talented scientists to be content as hired hands rather than strike out and forge new businesses. Highly recommended especially for college library, international studies and Turkish history shelves.

Compelling!.......2006-09-26

Arnold Reisman's book, Turkey's Modernization, was a history lesson of the best kind. I have read a number of books on the Nazi takeover of various countries. Yet, I had never experienced the joy of learning how Turkey welcomed those expelled from Germany.

In 1933, when Hitler came to power, he decided to dismiss all Jewish professors from German colleges and universities. Geniuses of technology, physics and the arts fled into Turkey's waiting arms and began its well-deserved modernization.

The "emigres" (renowned scientists, architects and artists) are responsible for some of the most magnificent structures in Turkey still standing today. These brave professors taught Turkish students and were revered by most in the country. Of course, they had to deal with jealousy from Turkish professors for a number of reasons. Some of the emigres were paid a higher salary and enjoyed various perks, yet this was all deserved. It certainly couldn't heal a people
who were devastated at having to leave their homes and families to chart an unknown territory. Yet, thank God they did! Hitler's lost was absolutely Turkey's gain!

These professors were too many to be named in this review. You must read this book in order to understand and celebrate the contributions of these refugees from Nazism. They were saviors to Turkey and the students they benefited.

Turkey's Modernization was a book I couldn't put down. It should be required reading for all who are history majors and any who can enjoy a story of lemons turned into lemonade.

Armchair Interviews says: Another unique view of history most do not know.

Refuge and its reward .......2006-09-25

The convergence of two historical developments are at the center of this book. First , is the rise of the Nazis to power in Germany. Second, is the creation of modern Turkey, and its effort to develop a first- rate set of academic institutions. This convergence meant that a number of leading German and Austrian academics were invited in the years 1933-1939 to teach and help establish their disciplines in Turkey. Among these are some figures of world - reputation including Erich Auerbach, the author of one of the greatest of all works of Literary Criticism, 'Mimesis' the leading figures of the 'Berlin Group' the philosopher Hans Reichenbach, the mathemitician aerodynamist and positivist philosopher Richard von Mises, the positivist philosopher Carl Hempl, the composer Paul Hindemith, the theatrical producer Carl Ebert,and the astrophysicist Findlay Freundlich. One of the first scientists and a major figure in expediting the whole process was the pathologist Philip Schwarz. All in all close to three - hundred distinguished academics and their family members made their way to Turkey during this time. The effect of their efforts amounted to nothing less than a total transformation of the higher education system in Turkey, in the sciences, humanities, and arts, but also in public health, library, legal, engineering and administrative practices.
Reisman provides a thorough documentation and often moving narrative of this process, including his telling of many of the individual stories of the academicians involved. In the background he provides an overall history of modern Turkey and brings this up - to- date even providing an explanation of the current situation of the academic world in Turkey and why the original reforms carried out by these academicians have not always had the results desired.
This is a large book impressively researched and very clearly and movingly written.
I could not recommend it more highly.

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In the shadows of terror!
A sad story deserving of more attention
Interesting, but ...
Cultural history at its best
Good background information on the history of science

Einstein's German World
Fritz Stern
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0691074585

Amazon.com

Albert Einstein was, it has seemed to some scholars, a genius sui generis, a man who transcended his own time and native country to become a citizen of the world. Fritz Stern is not among their ranks. A retired professor of history at Columbia University, Stern here offers a set of essays on the cultural milieu of late 19th- and early 20th-century Germany, and more specifically of the brilliant culture of German Jews, many of whom had, like Einstein, been largely assimilated into the surrounding culture in what Stern calls "an astounding ascendancy" but who were forced by separatist laws to accept second-class status. Chaim Weizmann, a chemist of Einstein's generation who founded modern Zionism, knew this well; when one of his teachers assured him that Germans would give up their anti-Semitism once they realized how much Jews had contributed to their prosperity and their rich culture, Weizmann replied, "Herr Doktor, if a man has a piece of something in his eye, he doesn't want to know whether it's a piece of mud or a piece of gold. He just wants to get it out."

The intellectuals of Albert Einstein's generation spun gold, Stern shows. Their number included Paul Ehrlich, the inventor of chemotherapy; Walther Rathenau, a captain of industry with an informed love of literature and music; and Fritz Haber, a physicist who discovered a means of fixing nitrogen from the air. All were swept away, murdered or sent into exile, by the events of the 1920s and '30s. Surveying the ruins of World War II, the French philosopher Raymond Aron remarked to Stern, "It could have been Germany's century"--if only, that is, Germany had not succumbed to the madness of national socialism. Fritz Stern's careful essays show just how much Germany, and the world, lost when it did. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

The French political philosopher Raymond Aron once observed that the twentieth century "could have been Germany's century." In 1900, the country was Europe's preeminent power, its material strength and strident militaristic ethos apparently balanced by a vital culture and extraordinary scientific achievement. It was poised to achieve greatness. In Einstein's German World, the eminent historian Fritz Stern explores the ambiguous promise of Germany before Hitler, as well as its horrifying decline into moral nihilism under Nazi rule, and aspects of its remarkable recovery since World War II. He does so by gracefully blending history and biography in a sequence of finely drawn studies of Germany's great scientists and of German-Jewish relations before and during Hitler's regime.

Stern's central chapter traces the complex friendship of Albert Einstein and the Nobel Prize-winning chemist Fritz Haber, contrasting their responses to German life and to their Jewish heritage. Haber, a convert to Christianity and a firm German patriot until the rise of the Nazis; Einstein, a committed internationalist and pacifist, and a proud though secular Jew. Other chapters, also based on new archival sources, consider the turbulent and interrelated careers of the physicist Max Planck, an austere and powerful figure who helped to make Berlin a happy, productive place for Einstein and other legendary scientists; of Paul Ehrlich, the founder of chemotherapy; of Walther Rathenau, the German-Jewish industrialist and statesman tragically assassinated in 1922; and of Chaim Weizmann, chemist, Zionist, and first president of Israel, whose close relations with his German colleagues is here for the first time recounted. Stern examines the still controversial way that historians have dealt with World War I and Germans have dealt with their nation's defeat, and he analyzes the conflicts over the interpretations of Germany's past that persist to this day. He also writes movingly about the psychic cost of Germany's reunification in 1990, the reconciliation between Germany and Poland, and the challenges and prospects facing Germany today.

At once historical and personal, provocative and accessible, Einstein's German World illuminates the issues that made Germany's and Europe's past and present so important in a tumultuous century of creativity and violence.

Customer Reviews:

In the shadows of terror!.......2007-02-10

Fritz Stern has filled an important void around those times in which the promising figure of Albert Einstein has to face against that opprobrious regime; through a progressive cracking of the noble values which reigned in Germany, as well as all that state of things that surrounded, permeated and allowed the unthinkable happened.

A revealing, poignant and incisive portrait.

A sad story deserving of more attention.......2002-06-02

The book's cover shows a photo of a happy Albert Einstein on board the German ship Deutschland, as he heads home for Germany from a trip abroad. On the back cover it is entitled "Heimreise nach Deutschland," meaning the journey home to Germany. The last essay of the book concludes with Professor Stern--who is German by birth--explaining how it feels to be "heimatlos," meaning to be without a home. The word "Heimat," carries a special meaning of warmth and comfort associated with one's homeland. It requires a good insight into German culture to understand the emotions it evokes for Germans who find themselves away from home.

Between "Heimreise" and "heimatlos," lies the book's theme that recounts the poignant experiences of several world renown German scientists, who were Jews. This is not a book about scientists and their accomplishments, but about accomplished Germans who were ostracized by their country for being Jews.

Contrary to some recent writings, these men and their families were well integrated and accepted by their colleagues and German society. They were Germans who could trace their ancestry in Germany for many generations. They were patriots just as any other German. Like any other German they contributed to the war effort during WW1. They distinguished themselves as soldiers. They prospered and enjoyed their German culture and lifestyle. They commanded respect and were held in esteem for their accomplishments. Then came the Nazis.

The common theme of the biographical sketches of each of the personalities is a reflection on the sense of loss, the profound disillusionment, which these men felt as they came to accept the stark reality that their country of birth, their beloved fatherland, was turning against them. It is hard to imagine the deep sense of betrayal these men, and others like them, must have felt when the Nazis deprived them of their citizenship and drove them out of their "Heimat." The book tells a sad story, not of death and destruction, not of material dispossession, but of the loss of civil rights, disillusionment, and of the bitter sense of rejection felt by some of Germany's best and finest.

Other than that, Fritz Stern's style makes the book a real joy to read.

Interesting, but ..........2000-11-15

This book commands interest at several points, but in the end doesn't come together as an integrated whole. It is a collection of former essays loosely linked by overlapping content, specifically the experience and achievement of German Jewish intellectuals and scientists during the first part of the century. The centerpiece is a description of the friendship between Albert Einstein and Fritz Haber, and the manner in which each attempted to come to terms with the rise of fascism in Germany. Also interesting are Stern's essay on the experience since reunification of former residents of East Germany, and the fate of Max Planck under the Nazis. Worth reading if you're a specialist, but in the end not biographical or focused enough.

Cultural history at its best.......2000-01-19

The title of the review applies more clearly to the first part of the book: chapters 1-4 and, especially, chapter 3--the centerpiece and gem of the book--where the fascinating discussion of Einstein is central. The essays in the second part of the book are well done but less interesting. The book's title says a great deal about what one finds in the first four chapters, and one learns a lot about Germany in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, whether the focus is on science, culture, religion, the politics and economics of science, or the intricate ties that bound government, business, the universities, and both the applied and theoretical scientists. All of these strands are discussed in a writing style that can only be described as masterful. I remember a class wth Fritz Stern many years ago where, among many things, two virtues in particular stood out: clarity and honesty. Some things do not change.

Good background information on the history of science.......1999-11-05

This book provides some good background information on some of the key people who went into making modern chemistry and physics from the 1870 German unification to just before WWII. It is similar (although much weaker than) the background provided by Michael White in "Issac Newton, the Last Sorcerer" - for the times in which Newton lived. While Fritz Stern is well qualified to comment on how German scientists conducted themselves in response to WWI and Hitler, (unlike White's treatment of Issac Newton's era) Stern never really seems to impart enough of a multi dimensional background so we can better understand the views and driving forces of "Einsteins German World".

Max Planck comes out as a decent German, doing the best for his Jewish colleagues -- but upon reading Stern's account you get the impression that the whole Hitler atmosphere can be explained by anti-semitism leveraged to advance Dilbert-style rampant careerism.

Stern takes pains to state that Goldhagen's book (on ordinary Germans under Hitler, which covers much the same era) is a gross simplification, and he advances high level arguments against Goldhagen's view that there was a ubiquitous inherent German anti-semitism at work. While Stern mentions (things such as) German Catholic-Protestant disharmony being equal German Jewish-Christian disharmony around WWI, he does not elaborate.

Stern was there (or at least knew the people personally) -- and given this, he could have done a better job describing "Einstein's German World". You never come to understand anything beyond top German Jewish scientists working hard, struggling against a view of their work as being somehow Jewish (Stern never mentions how Freud was viewed in this regard - which was too bad), and that eliminating Jewish colleagues was a way of advancing one's career up a competitive government scientist ladder under Hitler.

Book Description

The research for this publication was funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Below is a list of contributors to Wetlands: An Approach to Improving Decision Making in Wetland Restoration and Creation.

Mary E. Kentula, Project Officer, Wetlands Research Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agenc.

Robert P. Brooks, The Pennsylvania State University, Forest Resources Laborator.

Stephanie Gwinn, Cindy Holland, Authur Sherman, Jean Sifneos, Ann Hairston, ManTech Environmental Technology, INC., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

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An approach to improving decision making in wetland restoration and creation (SuDoc EP 1.23/6:600/R-92/150)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Manufacturer: Wetlands Research Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Research Laboratory
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00010VRY2

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