Book Description
During the 17th century, technological evolutions in fortifications and arms meant that wars grew longer, armies larger, and military formations more disciplined. Yet, militias remained primarily mercenary; although armaments developed from the pike to the socket bayonet and uniforms began to appear, professionalism remained low. From the multifaceted conflicts of the Thirty Years' War to the campaigns of Louis XIV, a richly detailed picture emerges of military life and structure in the 1600s--its conflicts and conduct, the rise of a standing army, the difficulties posed by reliance on paid soldiers, the changing weaponry, the politics overseeing it all, and the relentless world shift from ancient to modern. A Selection of History Book Club.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent collection about military history.......2007-01-20
This title is for lovers of good reading and for those who enjoy military hystory.
Pretty but flawed.......2003-08-26
This richly illustrated book is part of Casell's History of Warfare series, and the author is a professor of Military History at Leeds and has written extensively on 17th and 18th C. military. At 225 pp, the book is obviously just an overview of the century, with only 8 pp (most of them charts and illustrations) covering the Civil War in England.
Being unfamiliar with much of the 17th C. military history of the Continent, including the 30 Years War, Austro-Turkish War and Wars of Louis XIV, I found the book to be very educational without being overwhelming. But some layout and editing issues were irritating, particularly the inconvienent positioning of some critical campaign charts, and the near-total lack of specific credits or information about the many interesting period illustrations.
I've often felt that the English Civil Wars were more strongly influenced by decades of near-total warfare in all the surrounding countries than many authors credit, and that most books on the ECW seem to ignore the political, social and religious impact of Continental conflicts. Childs doesn't address this issue, preferring to stress his criticism of previous military authors' views that the 17th C. was a hotbed of military revolution and conceptual breakthroughs. He dismisses the improvements of the time by saying in his introduction, "These cautious and unspectacular changes were evolutionary, not revolutionary."
Childs also gets some basic military information quite wrong - here's his description of a museum photo on p. 153: "A collar of bandoliers, or the `Twelve Apostles' (English, c. 1650). Each wooden tube contained a musket ball plus sufficient powder to fill the chamber and flash pan. Bandoliers were principally associated with the matchlock musket; the flintlock's higher rate of fire required soldiers to carry more than twelve rounds and so the cartridge box became standard equipment". One hopes that his other sources of information are more correct!
But the charts and descriptions of European conflicts from the Baltic to Africa give a good overview of the main battles and major players, and the illustrations are well-chosen to match the material. Thorne-Bob says, "Check it out!", but consider looking at the library or picking it up on sale somewhere.
Nice Overview of 17th Century Warfare.......2003-07-02
This lavishly illustrated book provides a nice overview of the complex series of wars that comprised the 17th Century. The book briefly covers the 30 Years War, the English Civil Wars, and the wars of mid-century, as well as the wars of Louis XIV. There is even a chapter that discusses the wars outside europe. The pictures and maps are really what make this book nice. The text is concise and to the point. The only drawback here might be the often cursory attention paid to some topics. To cover an entire century of complex warfare in one slender volume is bound to leave many gaps. Still, the reader will find a nice introuction to this period, and can use this book as a stepping stone to move on elsewhere in readings.
Interesting reading, but not for novices.......2002-06-21
First, I must admit that I have not read much about warfare in the 17th Century, other than some articles in Military History magazine. Therefore, I expected to learn a lot from this book. I was not disappointed, although I found some sections difficult to follow.
Overall, the book is excellent. The author's research is thorough, his writing detailed, and conclusions well founded. His main thesis of the book is that warfare in the 17th century was not revolutionay, but evolutionary. He provides ample evidence to support this point. He describes the technological advances that changed tactics and techniques on the 17th century battlefield, and also highlights crucial war, battles, and sieges that occurred in this era.
All of this makes for some fascinating reading, and the illustrations (maps, diagrams, images, pictures, etc) are excellent. My one main issue with the book is that it is hard to follow during certain sections. I think that the author assumes that the reader possesses both a decent knowledge of the events of the 17th century, and of European geography when he describes certain events. For instance, in the section about the wars of Louis the XIV of France, the author describes battles that occur all throughout Europe within the span of a few pages. I found myself flipping back to the reference section of the book, and maps to try and keep track of battlefield locations, and the key leaders involved.
Therefore, I do not know if this is the best book, if you are new to this era of warfare, like I am. Otherwise, I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about this "evolutionary" period of warfare in history.
The Pike and Shot Era.......2001-10-22
At last a great work that try to write the truth of the Pike and Shot era, The seventeenth century for a lot of historian was the beginning for the modern warfare and the innovations of the famous Gustavus Adolphus were nothing new, but thanks to John Childs we now can read the history as it should be understanding that this century changes were evolutionary, not revolutionary.
All the conflicts are study with maps and illustrations, Thirty Years War, English Civil War(Cassell have a volume only for the English Civil War by Bob Carruthers and Stuart Reid which I also recommend) Franco-Spanish War to the Wars of Louis XIV, a great chapter about the Conduct of War 1650-1700, the Famous Rise of the Standing army and all the aspect of this Wars that make Europe seen so much bloodshed.
The Majors conflicts are study and this book will help you as a good introduction to some difficult theme like The Thirty Years War started as a religious war but eventually evolved into a political struggle between the Hapsburgs of the Holy Roman Empire and the Bourbon dynasty of France. Embroiled in this conflict were Austria, German Catholic princes, and Spain against France, Sweden, Denmark, and German Protestant princes.
Maps of the famous Siege of Breda(Arturo Perez Reverte have a great Novel from this siege, is fiction but would also help you understand the conduct of the soldiers in the beginning of the The Thirty Years War, "EL SOL DE BREDA") to some great battles like the Rocroi were the Spanish Tercios lost their reputation of the best Infantry of Europe(they were the best on their time)and as I say before with the help Paintings of some battles this is a Book for all the Historian to the re-enactors.Well this is a unique book, I like it and recommend it.
Average customer rating:
- Good economic and societal history
|
The Dutch Navy of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries (Studies in Maritime History)
J. R. Bruijn
Manufacturer: University of South Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Netherlands
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Naval
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ships
| Transportation
| World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Military Science
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0872498751 |
Customer Reviews:
Good economic and societal history.......1998-12-30
As described in the summary, this is a good short (250pp) volume that discusses the rise and fall of the Dutch Navy during the indicated period. It is not a detailed military history nor a reference to the vessels and facilities that comprised the Dutch Navy, as I had hoped. For those interested in the Age of Sail at a high level, I can recommend this book as it does provide insight into the problems faced by the United Provinces and the attempted solutions, as well as excellent coverage of the makeup of the crew, cadre and administration. But if you expect this book to be a technical reference to the Dutch Navy, you will be disappointed.
Average customer rating:
|
Diary of a Manchu Soldier in Seventeenth-Century China (Routledge Studies in the Early History of Asia)
N. Di Cosmo
Manufacturer: RoutledgeCurzon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Asia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| China
| Asia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Military Science
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Essays
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Culture
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0700716114 |
Book Description
The Manchu conquest of China inaugurated one of the most successful and long-living dynasties in Chinese history: the Qing (1644-1911). The wars fought by the Manchus to invade China and consolidate the power of the Qing imperial house spanned over many decades through most of the seventeenth century. This book provides the first Western translation of the diary of Dzengseo, a young Manchu officer, and recounts the events of the War of the Three Feudatories (1673-1682), fought mostly in south-western China and widely regarded as the most serious military challenge faced by the Manchus before the Taiping rebellion (1851-1864). The author's participation in the campaign provides the close-up, emotional perspective on what it meant to be in combat, while also providing a rare window into the overall organization of the Qing army, and new data in key areas of military history such as combat, armament, logistics, rank relations and military culture. The diary represents a fine and rare example of Manchu personal writing, and shows how critical the development of Manchu studies can be for our knowledge of China's early modern history.
Average customer rating:
|
Conquest and Resistance: War in Seventeenth-Century Ireland (History of Warfare, 3)
Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Interior Design
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| England
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Tudor & Stuart
| England
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ireland
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Weapons & Warfare
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
| Biological & Chemical
| Control
| Conventional
| Nuclear
General
| World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Interior Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 9004117431 |
Book Description
Historians have long believed that the European continent experienced a profound period of social, economic, and political crisis during the seventeenth century. This era saw the last stages of the great confessional wars; problems of a more general nature, such as economic depression and population decline, also plagued most European societies. Out of the ashes of the century's social, economic, and political dislocation arose a new political force, namely, the centralized state.
To participate in long-term warfare, expand their economies, and create strong armies, monarchs throughout Europe modernized their state apparatuses and in the process developed professional military administrations. Like other northern and eastern European countries that lacked the requisite population or resource base, Sweden relied on immigrants to supply the necessary technical skills and manpower to modernize its state apparatus and economy.
In Military Migration and State Formation, Mary Elizabeth Ailes focuses on British officers and their descendants in order to examine larger issues, including the role of the military in promoting elite migration, the opportunities that state building provided to elite foreigners, and the roles that immigrants played in promoting the expansion of the Swedish state. Additionally, Ailes's research demonstrates that international diplomacy did not rely solely on the negotiation of treaties and the conduct of official diplomatic visits. Foreign relations between states also developed on an informal level through the contacts that migrants maintained with their families and friends in their homelands and the social contacts they created in their new homes.
Customer Reviews:
In-depth historical research.......2002-07-11
A narrative and quantatative history of Spanish shipbuilding, from planning through finance and design to construction, (including measurements, technology, materials, labor, location, etc....), manning, victualing and deployment. There is a bit of subsequent history for each specific ship mentioned, though not enough to satisfy my interest. Perhaps the sources were not sufficiently informative.... Included are some insights into; Spanish monarchical naval policy, workings of the bureacracy and officialdom, politics and motivations of the naval leadership. The book includes a brief overview of colonial naval and maritime conditions and policy and a nice summary of Spanish fiscal policies and economic conditions at the time. There is just enough background to appreciate the topic, but certainly not "ample," material to justify the title as a history of "Imperial Defense" during the era. In retrospect, I think I read a doctoral thesis. I imagine myself back in graduate school, being assigned a scholarly text on an obscure topic by my history professor. All that said, it was highly readable for a scholarly text.
This history is an in-depth (social and quantitative) analysis of shipbuilding, politics, manning and provisioning for historians or serious lay students of naval and maritime history. It has elements of modern "European" style history--localized, specific, detailed, limited. This style of history is often called "the new history." For example, there is a wealth of material about the types of provisions placed on-board; where grown, how financed, where purchased, price variations, transport, amount and even location of the consumption, how replenished, dietary conditions, etc....
In addition, there is a bit of comparative history, for example in the differences in shipbuilding techniques and design principles.
The bottom line--this is a scholarly work in which a graduate student or historian might have interest. The title may be enticing, but this is not a history intended for a wide public audience. It is a solid supplement to naval history libraries, treating a heretofore much-ignored subject. This book is emphatically not suitable for readers who seek a general naval history of the era of Spanish exploration and colonization.
Interested and scholarly readers of naval history should also consider buying the companion book which concentrates upon the manning of the treasure fleets during the period, also available currently from this bookseller.
"Six Galleons...." has a useful bibliography but since I am unfamiliar with the Spanish and English-language primary and secondary sources, I cannot say if the bibliography is sufficiently thorough nor if it represents all the best sources available. It is well known, however, that the Spanish government archives are extremely detailed and thorough, so insofar as that source was utilized, the work is probably highly accurate.
Congratulations to the author for a significant contribution to historical research in a subject so long ignored in English-language naval history. We students of European naval history yearn for more English-language Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese and French naval histories. (We just hope they are less limited in scope.)
A note on the rating: I am not a practicing historian, just a serious lay student of naval history. And, I don't award "5's." This "4" is an indication that insofar as a detailed limited history of a topic was intended, and insofar as I am familiar with the subject, the book merits a "4" for quality and readability.
Average customer rating:
|
Unclean Spirits: Possession and Exorcism in France and England in the Late Sixteenth and Early Seventeenth Centuries
Daniel Pickering Walker
Manufacturer: Univ of Pennsylvania Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Psychology & Counseling
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
| Adolescent Psychology
| Applied Psychology
| By Topic
| Child Psychology
| Clinical Psychology
| Cognitive
| Counseling
| Creativity & Genius
| Developmental Psychology
| Education & Training
| Ethnopsychology
| Experimental Psychology
| Forensic Psychology
| General
| History
| Hypnosis
| Industrial Psychology
| Logotherapy
| Medicine & Psychology
| Mental Illness
| Movements
| Neuropsychology
| Occupational & Organizational
| Pathologies
| Personality
| Philosophy of Psychology
| Physical Illness & Psychiatry
| Physiological Aspects
| Psychiatry
| Psychoanalysis
| Psychobiology
| Psychopharmacology
| Psychosomatic Medicine
| Psychotherapy, TA & NLP
| Reference
| Research
| Sexuality
| Social Psychology & Interactions
| Statistics
| Suicide
| Testing & Measurement
Cults & Demonism
| Occult
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
Parapsychology
| Occult
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
General
| France
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| England
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 081227797X |
Book Description
A fundamental fact underlies this provocative study: the Jews of South Africa shared in the status of the privileged in a society based upon a system of legalized racial discrimination. Viewed in the broad context of Jewish history, this was a highly unusual situation. What was the Jewish experience in these circumstances? What was the political behavior of Jews as members of the white group? What were the perceived implications of Jewry's moral heritage and historical experience? How did South African Jewish leadership, lay and religious, seek to reconcile these implications with its responsibility for the safety and welfare of its own community?
Based on exhaustive research, Gideon Shimoni's Community and Conscience begins with a brief description of Jewish immigration to South Africa from Great Britain and eastern Europe and the consolidation of a South African Jewish community in the early twentieth century. Shimoni then turns his attention to that community under the Afrikaner nationalist regime that came to power in May 1948, which established apartheid as a governmentally sanctioned system of discrimination based on race. The body of the book explores the Jewish community's political relationship to the Afrikaner government and its policies. Shimoni looks at the behavior or Jewish political, religious, and educational institutions, South African Zionism and ties to Israel, and Israel-South African relations in the global arena.
The author documents the apparent paradox that while many whites who actively opposed apartheid were Jews, few Jews were active opponents of apartheid. He seeks to explain both the largely bystander comportment of the Jewish community and the contrasting major role of Jews in all forms of resistance to apartheid. Balancing the more predictably conservative views of many Jewish institutions are riveting portraits of dozens of liberals and leftist radicals who worked to dismantle the apartheid regime. From the other side, Shimoni's look at black perceptions of the Jewish community (including the increasingly antagonistic views of the Muslim minority) suggests the contradictions of being Jews under apartheid, where, as whites, they had many privileges but, as Jews, raised strong and sometimes negative feelings in non-Jews, both white and black. Shimoni concludes his book with a discussion of new directions for the Jewish community in post-apartheid South Africa.
Average customer rating:
- The Embarrassing Dictator
|
Suharto: A Political Biography
R. E. Elson
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Historical
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Political
| Leaders & Notable People
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Presidents & Heads of State
| Leaders & Notable People
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies
| Sports
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Sports
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Asia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Indonesia
| Asia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Southeast Asia
| Asia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
20th Century
| World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside History Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Sports Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The End of Sukarno: A Coup That Misfired, a Purge That Ran Wild
-
Sukarno: A Political Biography
ASIN: 0521773261 |
Book Description
General Suharto is synonymous with modern Indonesia. He became President amidst extreme social upheaval and mass violence in 1966 and retained his position until 1998. In this book R.E. Elson provides insights into a man who exerted extraordinary power and influence, presented himself as an infallible father of the nation, yet remained mysterious. Suharto sought to transform Indonesia into a strong, united and economically prosperous nation-state, yet after half a century of influence, he is remembered as much for extensive human rights abuse and unprecedented corruption. As Indonesia emerges from the political numbness that characterized his era, its future seems precarious. R.E. Elson is Professor, School of Asian and International Studies at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia and Director of Griffith Asia Pacific Council. He is the author of The End of Peasantry in Southeast Asia (Palgrave, 1997) and The Politics of Colonial Expansion (Southeast Asia Program Publications, 1992).
Customer Reviews:
The Embarrassing Dictator.......2005-05-11
Indonesians are rather embarrassed about their past these days, except for the glorious Revolution in the 1940s when they expelled the Dutch colonialists. They seem to want to forget about the man who ruled them for thirty years, though some ordinary Indonesians yearn for the stability and predictability of that time. Elson's biography is meticulously researched, readable and comprehensive, and provides an irreplaceable introduction to a crucial period, which still influences Indonesia, despite the extraordinary democratisation which has taken place. Despite appearances, many political patterns, especially those of elite politics, economic exploitation and corruption, are little changed from Suharto's time.
Average customer rating:
- About the essence of Indonesia:its people, its gains & pains
|
Indonesian Politics Under Suharto: Order, Development and Pressure for Change (Politics in Asia)
Michael R.J. Vatikiotis
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Macroeconomics
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Asia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Indonesia
| Asia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Southeast Asia
| Asia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Politics
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Federal Government
| Government
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Systems Of Government
| Political Science
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
| General
| Islamic Government
| Monarchy
| Representative Government
International Institutions
| Political Science
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0415107075 |
Book Description
Indonesian Politics Under Suharto offers an informed and balanced analysis of President Suharto's New Order government as it approaches a crucial political juncture. Michael R. J. Vatikiotis reassesses the New Order's origins and evaluates the considerable economic progress achieved under Suharto, contrasted against the regime's dubious attempts to fashion an enduring political system blending tradition with modern concepts of nationalism and democracy.
Customer Reviews:
About the essence of Indonesia:its people, its gains & pains.......1998-01-14
A most enjoyable, well-informed introduction to--and enlightenment towards--the country and its people during a longest era called the "New Order." Readers will be introduced to the unbelievable Suharto in the first chapter, before they are taken to a journey to the what's-been-going-on: development process, democracy, society, succession,etc. Readers will only put down the book after being able to envision what will happen to a fragility at the end of the millenium.
Average customer rating:
|
Suharto: a Political Biography. (book review): An article from: The Australian Journal of Politics and History
Robert Cribb
Manufacturer: University of Queensland Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
Australian
| Ethnic & National
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Australia
| Australia & Oceania
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Politics
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
Political Science
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
General
| History
| Subjects
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
Biography & Memoirs
| HTML
| Formats
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
General
| History
| HTML
| Formats
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
General
| Nonfiction
| HTML
| Formats
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
Political Science
| Nonfiction
| HTML
| Formats
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
ASIN: B0008FEB6G
Release Date: 2005-07-30 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Australian Journal of Politics and History, published by University of Queensland Press on September 1, 2002. The length of the article is 937 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: Suharto: a Political Biography. (book review)
Author: Robert Cribb
Publication:
The Australian Journal of Politics and History (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 2002
Publisher: University of Queensland Press
Volume: 48
Issue: 3
Page: 444(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Customer Reviews:
The story of a funny, fascinating, melancholy life........2007-06-17
Rereading "The Naked Civil Servant" after many years, I find Quentin Crisp's melancholy wit just as bracing as I did when I first encountered the book. The chiseled perfection of Crisp's aphorisms recall Oscar Wilde (though Crisp's distaste for Wilde was famous; Wilde's hubris and subsequent downfall made life that much harder for the gay men, such as Crisp, who came after him). One famous example: "I would have been tempted to say that he was ill did I not know that health consists of having the same diseases as one's neighbors." Another: "'Immaturity' is one more word that requires definition. To men it means the inability to stand on one's own two feet. A woman flings it at anyone who doesn't want to marry her. Here I find myself for once inclined toward the masculine view." Yet despite the humor, the overwhelming mood of "The Naked Civil Servant" is of loneliness. Crisp, who outed himself flamboyantly forty years before Stonewall, presents himself as a wildly contradictory character: exhibitionistic yet inherently and Englishly modest, too honest to present himself as anything other than he was, yet realizing fully the opprobrium and loss of companionship he would suffer by doing so. Reading his autobiography shows a younger generation of gay men precisely the mindset a hidebound society instilled in homosexuals in the early 20th century. Crisp, despite his flamboyance, was not immune to it: "Homosexuals were ashamed. They resented not being in the mainstream of life. The feeling varied from irritation to the anguish of irrevocable exile. It had little to do with God or the neighbors or the police. It was private and irremediable." In subsequent years--he lived to be ninety, outliving the publication of "The Naked Civil Servant" by three decades--Crisp found a measure of public acceptance and acclaim he would have thought impossible in the 1930s. Yet the loneliness and melancholy never really left him. To read "The Naked Civil Servant" is to be impressed by a great personality and a brilliant, acute observer of sex and society. But, at the same time, you wish he could have found a little more happiness for himself.
Disappointing.......2006-09-09
I have heard of The Naked Civil Servant for many years and finally decided to pick it up to read. In many ways it is a great piece of gay history that would have been lost were it not for Quentin Crisp's acerbic wit and very English sense of time and place. As a historical piece, The Naked Civil Servant is well worth reading.
Unfortunately, I also found myself wanting the book to end - in the same way that I wanted the movie Capote to end. I found Quentin Crisp to be a singularly unpleasant and self absorbed man who strives for fame by being outrageous, but never pleasant. His personality took away much of the value that I was hoping for in this book. I found his humor to be too cute in many cases and his quest for self-importance highly aggravating.
I don't give five-star reviews.......2006-08-27
What kind of title is that? Well, for 35 years, he was a nude model for art classes. So there you go. A naked civil servant. Now there's a career choice my high school guidance counselor never told me about.
Quentin is the quintessential outsider. He outed himself as flamboyantly gay in 1931, and manages to be both sincere and parody at the same time. Forget the gay part. Focus on the outsider part. His writing style is quite crisp, ho ho!
Time to scan the cover again, as opposed to being original.
"His wit is brilliant, his observations acute, his self-mockery undiluted by the need to sentimentalize."
"'As soon as I stepped out of my mother's womb... I realized that I had made a mistake,' Quentin declares, giving a small hint of the witty and wry approach he takes toward the life he describes with undiluted exuberance in this classic autobiography, which is both a comic masterpiece and a unique testament to the resilience of the human spirit."
"His hilarious descriptions of encounters with parents, friends, employers, soldiers and sailors, and the law reveal the strength and humor of an honest man, determined to face the world with the uncensored, unapologetic truth about himself."
"A work of great wit, intelligence and sensitivity."
Quite.
An Unusually Riveting, Exuberant Autobiography .......2006-01-08
"This is an unusually riveting, exuberant autobiography of a man who, in 1931, 'came out' in the streets of London as a self-confessed and self-evident homosexual. At a time when the slightest sign of homosexuality aroused immediate disgust, Quentin Crisp made the courageous decision to be true to his nature. He adopted an outrageously effeminate manner and appearance ('I wore makeup at a time when even on women eye shadow was sinful'), and his flamboyant exhibitionism, henna-dyed hair, and unconventional behavior shocked London society of the thirties. Though he was harassed, ridiculed, and beaten, he was determined to spread the message that homosexuality did not exclude him or anyone else from the human race. ¶ Quentin Crisp has become a cult celebrity since the highly acclaimed dramatization of The Naked Civil Servant was first aired on American television. His is a unique life story. One feels the strength and humor of an honest man, determined to face the world with the truth about himself."--© zebraz
I adored it.......2004-03-05
It made me laugh and kept my attention. It is so sad that the hatred and violence that Quentin Crisp experienced years ago is still around today. I did feel lik I really knew the man after reading the book. He is very honest and very dry. A good read.
Product Description
Book Club edition containing the three cpmplete works of Crisp's New York Diaries.
Books:
- Honoring The Civil War Dead: Commemoration And The Problem Of Reconciliation (Modern War Studies)
- Human Anatomy & Physiology Lab Manual, Cat Version, Update with Access to PhysioEx 6.0 (8th Edition)
- International Relations Theory: Realism, Pluralism, Globalism, and Beyond (3rd Edition)
- Introduction to Lattices and Order
- Introduction to the Theory of Computation
- Introductory Statistics (7th Edition) (Weiss Series)
- Janice VanCleave's Magnets: Mind-boggling Experiments You Can Turn Into Science Fair Projects
- Kimmel, Short, and Pearl Harbor: The Final Report Revealed
- Leonardo's Notebooks
- Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- History: Fiction or Science
- Cosmic Jackpot: Why Our Universe Is Just Right for Life
- A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali
- Absent Friend: Coping with the Loss of a Treasured Pet
- Bone Volume 4: The Dragonslayer
- Einstein: His Life and Universe
- Differential Equations, Dynamical Systems, and an Introduction to Chaos
- Portraits of the Rainforest
- Archduke Rudolf, Beethoven's Patron, Pupil & Friend: His Life & Music
- New Light on the Green Algae
The Renaissance at War (Smithsonian History of Warfare) (Smithsonian History of Warfare)
The Warfare in the Eighteenth Century (Smithsonian History of Warfare) (Smithsonian History of Warfare)
The Wars of Empire (Smithsonian History of Warfare) (Smithsonian History of Warfare)
Roman Warfare (Smithsonian History of Warfare) (Smithsonian History of Warfare)
War at Sea in the Age of Sail (Smithsonian History of Warfare) (Smithsonian History of Warfare)
