Book Description
When we think of the key figures of early American history, we think of explorers, or pilgrims, or Native Americans--not cattle, or goats, or swine. But as Virginia DeJohn Anderson reveals in this brilliantly original account of colonists in New England and the Chesapeake region, livestock played a vitally important role in the settling of the New World. Livestock, Anderson writes, were a central factor in the cultural clash between colonists and Indians as well as a driving force in the expansion west. By bringing livestock across the Atlantic, colonists believed that they provided the means to realize America's potential. It was thought that if the Native Americans learned to keep livestock as well, they would be that much closer to assimilating the colonists' culture, especially their Christian faith. But colonists failed to anticipate the problems that would arise as Indians began encountering free-ranging livestock at almost every turn, often trespassing in their cornfields. Moreover, when growing populations and an expansive style of husbandry required far more space than they had expected, colonists could see no alternative but to appropriate Indian land. This created tensions that reached the boiling point with King Philip's War and Bacon's Rebellion. And it established a pattern that would repeat time and again over the next two centuries. A stunning account that presents our history in a truly new light, Creatures of Empire restores a vital element of our past, illuminating one of the great forces of colonization and the expansion westward.
Customer Reviews:
Well its about cows.......2007-10-11
This book is interesting, yet sometimes abit to general. While Anderson stays down the middle and doesnt blame one side or the other, she often generalizes. She did a wonderful job in making a distinction between N.E. and Chesapeake Bay, but does not clearly define which tribes she is talking about and gives the reader the assumption that all tribes reacted in similar ways. As a graduate student of history I believe this book has its purpose, but over generalizing is often dangerous. Overall it is a good book, well writte, and if you are curious as to what sorts of changes livestock had on America--this book is for you.
I have one suggestion.
Becareful not to take the idea to literally that livestock caused wars. Anderson fails to show how numerous things resulted in Indian resistance. Another book that complements this one is "Changes in the Land" Cronon. This book gives an ecological argument to support the livestock problem. Also, Facing East by D. Richter illustrates some economic, political, and military problems in the new world. However, if you read Richter, read it carefully--much is based on imagination not sources. With that said, Richters discussion on politics, military, and economics is very good. These three books give a good backdrop for native resistance.
Excellent account.......2007-03-10
The nature of the colonial relationships between the European settlers and the Native Americans has been readjusted to include livestock in a central rather than marginal role in the shaping of American history.
Virginia DeJohn Anderson's Creatures of Empire culminates around the way in which the colonial settlers and natives viewed the very nature of animals and therefore the way in which their relative reactions affected their relationships with each other. Anderson seems to say that if Native Americans and settlers were opposing teams in the championship game, then the livestock were as pivotal as the field on which the game was played.
Through her research, Anderson is able to reconstruct accurate tales of interaction between the natives, settlers and their imported livestock, which eventually lead to conflict and European expansion. There are three main purposes of Creatures of Empire that serve to further illuminate colonial history. The first purpose is deducing how natives and settlers view fauna independently of one another. Second, by analyzing the clear difference in point of views, Anderson is able to realize how conflicts arose and were potentially solved between the two parties, because of their interaction with various animals and finally, she is able to reason how these conflicts or resolutions shaped Colonial America and its future.
Virginia DeJohn Anderson received her Ph.D. in History from Harvard University and is currently a Professor of History at the University of Colorado at Boulder as a Colonial and Revolutionary historian. Her previous publications include New England's Generation and co-author of the textbook The American Journey: A History of the United States ([...]).
In Creatures of Empire, Anderson works in the guise of folktales in order to convey her central theme of the importance of livestock in the shaping of native-settler relations, primarily in the New England and Mid-Atlantic regions. Each folktale is explained in a well-written and well-documented light, which makes this book both accessible to Anderson's colleagues and to persons who have no background in either Colonial America or animal husbandry. The retail value of $[...] is a reasonable asking price for this book, particularly since there are only a few, minor illustrations and the bulk of the book is text. Although it is mostly text, Anderson paints a marvelously clear picture of events with her words. This book is a gem that should be examined by those investigating the middle ground between Native Americans and European settlers, or just those who enjoy a fascinating, yet authentic read.
The author makes heavy use of letters and original journals from settlers in the colonial period, such as The Complete Works of Captain John Smith (1580-1631) and The Pynchon Papers, a collection of correspondence between John Pynchon and John Winthrop, Jr., dated mid to late 1600s. With the aid of historical commentary and supplementary scholarship, such as multiple references to Richard White's renowned Middle Ground, as well as data gathered through other channels for example, archaeological, dietary, mortuary, etc., Anderson is able to make well-informed ethnohistorical commentary on the colonial culture, beliefs and values of the natives and settlers. It is through this commentary that she is able to deduce the how and why of the relationships between the two cultures.
Due to this thorough examination of evidence, the conclusions that Anderson draws in this work are highly plausible, especially as she lays the foundation for these conclusions through many points of view. For example, Anderson undoubtedly concludes that native and settlers did not view animals from the same perspective (p. 6). This is widely understood throughout American studies, however Anderson reaches further to deduct why this is true: on the side of the Native Americans, animals had a manitou or guardian spirit and "deserved respect from humans, and could enact revenge if treated inappropriately"(p. 41). Anderson contrasts the European settlers understanding of animals, in order to root causes of conflict: according to "Christian tenets...[which] denied animals any independent spiritual status, and sanctioned human domain over the natural world...animals could be made into private property"(p. 70). Through these facts, Anderson deduces the nature of these conflicts and is able to delve into the psyche of each party.
Though Anderson mentions in the prologue, historian and geographer Alfred Crosby's 1972 work The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492, the topic of animals shaping the American society as a whole, is extremely unique and hard to find. This, of course could be due to the fact that, even though Anderson indicates that animals, namely livestock, is mentioned far and wide in colonial records and that animals were a pivotal part of American life. However, Americans have a notion that the masters make the decisions, not the chattel; therefore America favors the accomplishments of great men, rather than their vulnerability in the face of nature. Anderson points out in Creatures of Empire that this is simply not the case. Many conflicts were created due to the fact that colonists could not keep their livestock in check (p. 176 & 189). In comparison to Crosby's work, Anderson, delves more fully into the importance on the imported livestock and its effects on in interpersonal relationships of the colonial populations. Anderson only touches on the seemingly domesticated dogs visible in native villages (p. 34, 35 & 36), however, Jon T. Colman's 2004 book, Vicious: Wolves and Men in America examines this subject more extensively.
Through her work, Anderson has shifted the view of the experience of colonial America away from the quintessential tails of great men and seemingly miraculous battles in order to help the reader see the importance of the rather mundane aspects of colonial life that in essence were the very foundations of American expansion. The true uniqueness and value of Creatures of Empire is that Anderson uses the interaction between settlers and livestock, natives and both fauna and livestock and native and settlers over livestock as a method through which she could delve into the psyche of both native and settlers and explain the motives of both.
Teresa Pangle
September 2006
Fascinating theme.......2004-11-21
The underlying premise that Virginia Dejohn Anderson's terrific book makes is that animals have been key driving forces in human history; that argument has been used in other books such as Jeffrey Lockwood's LOCUST: THE DEVASTATING RISE AND MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF THE INSECT THAT SHAPED THE AMERICAN FRONTIER and GRASSHOPPER DREAMING. Ms. Anderson provides an intriguing and entertaining case that farm animals (cattle, pigs, and sheep) are as critical to American History as apple pie, Pilgrims, and Founding Fathers. CREATURES OF THE EMPIRE argues using historical references and interesting anecdotal examples that livestock changed the landscape especially the relationships between people. She concentrates on Colonial America as she makes the point that domestic farm animals in New England and Virginia were key segments of shaping society and led to conflict over land ownership between the settlers and the Indians. Besides making a strong case in support of her theory, Ms. Anderson's book is a well written easy to pick up and put down thought provoking volume that history buffs will appraise and then argue the fascinating premise over the water cooler.
Harriet Klausner
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Journal of Southern History, published by Thomson Gale on May 1, 2006. The length of the article is 640 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: Creatures of Empire: How Domestic Animals Transformed Early America.(Book review)
Author: David J. Grettler
Publication:
Journal of Southern History (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 72
Issue: 2
Page: 443(2)
Article Type: Book review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
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Creatures of Empire: How Domestic Animals Transformed Early America.(Book review): An article from: Journal of Social History
Brett Mizelle
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
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ASIN: B000MRA0TW
Release Date: 2007-01-18 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Journal of Social History, published by Thomson Gale on December 22, 2006. The length of the article is 1264 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: Creatures of Empire: How Domestic Animals Transformed Early America.(Book review)
Author: Brett Mizelle
Publication:
Journal of Social History (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 22, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 40
Issue: 2
Page: 510(4)
Article Type: Book review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Amazon.com
Major League Baseball's 30 stadiums--each with its own distinct ambience and dimensions--greatly affect both a fan's devotion and a team's specific style of play. If not for the familiar sun- and beer-drenched bleachers and vine-covered walls, why else would fans perennially flock to Chicago's Wrigley Field to support yet another losing season? And, in St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, where the "grass" never needs mowing, why not assemble rosters with speed in mind?
Ahuja's Fields of Dreams is a baseball stadium tour guide, including both stadium logistics (tickets, concessions, parking) and profiles of each Major League town (lodging, restaurants, and attractions). But the book's strength lies in its ability to capture what it's like to be a fan in each Major League city, including past stadium heroics (slim for some hapless clubs) and descriptions of parks from home plate to foul pole. The author, who moonlights as a baseball tour guide, describes venerable Wrigley as "a great baseball park in a great neighborhood where you can see the game the way it should be--up close and personal." Montreal's Olympic Stadium contains "everything there is to dislike about a modern-day ballpark," but its "nightlife is absolutely incredible--unlike anything I've seen since visiting New Orleans." Fields of Dreams also includes Tropicana Field and Bank One Ballpark, the respective homes of 1998's expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks. --Rob McDonald
Customer Reviews:
Mixture bag of stadium and tourist industy.......2004-08-26
This book proves to be mildly informative about the main subject matter, the baseball stadiums of the major league. However, I believed that the author spent too much time being a tour guide of the city of each stadium instead of the stadium itself. I wanted a lot more information about the stadium of each city instead of the city itself. I can find other books on the city if I need to. I don't need to read about it in a book I thought would be about major league baseball stadiums.
Each stadium is given a very short review and rest of the chapter centered around the sights, sound and places to stay. I really wanted to know bit more about the stadium, best seats, worst seats, food, and that sort of thing.
I got the 2001 edition and it does feel dated already. I think this book have been effectively replaced by "The Ultimate Baseball Road Trip" book that came out this year and contain a huge wealth of information about each stadium and its suroundings. But in that book, the stadium and baseball remains the main focus; in "Fields of Dreams", it seem to be the city. In many ways, "Fields of Dreams" should have read like the "The Ultimate Baseball Road Trip" but the author wasn't ambitious enough to do it right.
Overall, it does have useful information but they are rather minor and its dated. The "other" book have effective replaced it so I don't see why any one wants to buy this book any more.
Best Guide to America's Ball Parks!.......2002-09-30
Great guide to America's baseball parks, Ahuja's recommendations about the parks, nearby hotels, city attractions, purchasing tickets, seating guide and how to get to and from the baseball parks is extremely helpful. Field of Dreams is more than just a book about baseball parks. Field of Dreams is a helpful guide to resturants, nightlife and hotel for cities with baseball teams.
Ahuja does a nice job..........2002-08-29
of reviewing the major league ballparks in the United States. I enjoyed reading this book and finding out more about the cities that the ballparks were in. A good book for any fan interested in traveling to the games.
He missed visiting Bank one Ballpark!!.......2001-08-01
I picked this book up as a gift for someone who has talked about traveling to visit all ballparks over the next few years. Enjoyed reading about some of the ballparks that I have recently visited, but was disappointed to see that while this book was reveised in 2001, he did not visit BOB in Phoenix. The information is all pre-opening and is even written as if the park is not yet opened. Good discriptions of Pac-Bell and Safco field both which opened after BOB.
nice format, needs update.......2000-04-12
Like other reviewers said, much of the information is outdated, but I like what the book tried to do: collect both baseball and nonbaseball information in one volume. The 'closest major league city' section are a nice touch for someone planning a road trip, and the top ten lists scattered throughout the book are a nice touch
Book Description
China has become a major influence in the world today. Not only is China full of opportunities in business and politics, but Chinese culture, such as movies and literature, are also making their way into the western world. And with Chinese as the second most widely- spoken foreign language in America, more and more Americans are exposed to its language and culture. This revised edition of Chinese for Dummies shows you the basics of Mandarin Chinese and culture points that will make great impressions while communicating.
Many Americans are taking time to learn Chinese, especially since it is becoming one of the most widely used languages in the world. Currently, there are:
- Over 1 billion people speak some form of Chinese
- More Chinese speakers in the United States than French or German speakers
- 102.6 million internet users who obtain access using Chinese
- At least 25 million people worldwide who are learning Chinese
Chinese For Dummies will show you how to communicate effectively in Chinese as well as inform you on Chinese culture. Some of the topics this book covers include:
- Basic vocabulary
- Everyday conversations, including phone dialogue and small talk
- Speaking in perfect pitch and tone
- Easy-to-understand grammar rules
- Getting around in a Chinese-speaking country
- Cultural references like maintaining face, dining etiquette, and social mores
Also included is an audio CD that features actual Chinese conversations by native Chinese speakers, which allows you to hear how Chinese is really spoken. Written by a leading Chinese language teacher in the United States, Chinese for Dummies will introduce an often daunting language to you in a fun-and-easy For Dummies manner.
Download Description
The perfect beginner's guide to understanding and communicating in Chinese Chinese language and culture are becoming increasingly appealing to people both in and out of the business world. Chinese For Dummies is for anyone who wants to learn or brush up on their skills in basic Chinese. Focusing on China's official dialect, Mandarin, this easy-to-follow guide covers proper pronunciation, basic grammar and numbers, vocabulary, and proper etiquette and gestures. Readers will discover how to make small talk, order food in restaurants, make travel arrangements, and be both a gracious guest and a wonderful host, as well as understand the basics of Chinese culture.
Customer Reviews:
Aptly named... (and that's not a compliment.).......2007-08-01
Chinese for Dummies is, in no way, a book for beginners. It's a book for people who have studied Mandarin for 20 years and just haven't gotten it yet. It's for people who really just don't get it... but even those people probably won't be aided by this book.
What I know for sure is that beginners will be lost. This is not a teaching tool, it is a reinforcement tool, best used to supplant prior exposure to Mandarin Chinese.
Don't buy this book expecting to LEARN chinese. For that, go with Rosetta Stone or Pimsleaur. But if you are looking to brush up on your Mandarin in a quick and (somewhat) easy way, this book might be for you.
Harmless but useful.......2007-03-18
An upbeat glorified phrase book. Only an idiot would undertake to learn a language using material like this. OTOH, plenty of useful information for the not-particularly-adventurous planning a trip. The CD was defective on a couple of tracks.
The Dummies series generally has a good reputation. The books are what they are, and if you buy them with your eyes wide open and your expectations dialed in modestly, they can serve their purpose. This volume conforms completely to the general approach, and in that sense it's outstanding.
Great Introduction to Chinese Language.......2006-07-05
This book is a great intro into the form of the chinese language. The suplementary CD includes about 30 conversations which you can follow along in different sections of the book and allows you to practice along with it by splitting up the conversation and allowing you to repeat a few words at a time. It also helps with pronoucing the four tones on the first few tracks which is very useful. The book itself is organized very well and has mini chinese-english and english-chinese dictionaries in the back for the most used words. Overall, an excellent buy.
not for beginning beginners! .......2006-04-14
If you have no previous exposure to Chinese, this book/CD will make you FEEL like a Dummy! You are expected to repeat entire phrases and sentences from the start. It's better for a beginner who has already done some basic work in Chinese. However the book is wonderful for explaining Chinese culture, and the author definitely conveys her own love for China and the people and language. The cultural notes are fascinating and definitely more accessible for "dummies" than the audio section. If you are a beginner looking for a "step 2" program the CD is a great challenge and introduces a lot of new vocabulary.
good as a supplement, not a main textbook.......2005-10-26
this book is a good supplement IF you're already taking mandarin classes. but this book is not enough for a self-study course. it is much too simplistic for that.
Average customer rating:
- I started Learning Chinese the first day .
- A good foundation
- Not for Dummies
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Chinese Phrases For Dummies (For Dummies (Language & Literature))
Wedny Abraham
Manufacturer: For Dummies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0764584774 |
Book Description
Hundreds of useful phrases at your fingertips
Speak Chinese - instantly!
Traveling to China but don't know Chinese? Taking Chinese at school but need to kick up your conversation skills? Don't worry! This handy little phrasebook will have you speaking Chinese in no time.
Discover how to
- Get directions, shop, and eat out
- Talk numbers, dates, time, and money
- Chat about family and work
- Discuss sports and the weather
- Deal with problems and emergencies
Download Description
Hundreds of useful phrases at your fingertips Speak Chinese - instantly! Traveling to China but don't know Chinese? Taking Chinese at school but need to kick up your conversation skills? Don't worry! This handy little phrasebook will have you speaking Chinese in no time. Discover how to: Get directions, shop, and eat out Talk numbers, dates, time, and money Chat about family and work Discuss sports and the weather Deal with problems and emergencies
Customer Reviews:
I started Learning Chinese the first day ........2007-10-14
I Really like this book and started Learning Chinese the Very first day I used it.
A good foundation.......2007-08-01
Unlike the big book "Chinese for Dummies" this book provides a decent foundation for the beginning user. It introduces the reader to the four tones right from the start. You are introduced to important things like counting and addressing people respectfully (Sir, Mr. Mrs. etc)After that, you're basically taken on a tour of conversational Mandarin, given helpful phrases for the would-be tourist looking for food, gift shops or trying to find Uncle Wu, their long lost relative.
You won't be a Mandarin expert at the end of this book, but you will have a good foundation on which to build future lessons. It's also a good reference to carry with you, as its size makes it fit quite nicely in a small carry-on bag or even a back pocket.
You don't have to carry around a novel AND you can find a bathroom in most small towns of China... what more do you need from a reference book? (Just kidding, but it IS a great tool)
Not for Dummies.......2007-07-28
The book is not bad. It is not for dummies but does make learning/reviewing a little more interesting. I wish it had more of a vocabulary listing int the back.
Book Description
Gathered here is a beguiling selection of folktales from Zimbabwe and Botswana as retold by the best-selling author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. This treasury contains most of the stories previously collected in Children of Wax and seven new tales from the Setswana-speaking people of Botswana.
A girl discovers that her young husband might actually be a lion in disguise, but not before they have two sons who might actually be cubs . . . When a child made of wax follows his curiosity outside into the heat of daylight and melts, his siblings shape him into a bird with feathers made of leaves that enable him to fly into the light . . . Talking hyenas, milk-giving birds, clever cannibals who nonetheless get their comeuppance, and mysterious forces that reside in the landscape—these wonderful fables bring us the wealth, the variety, and the particular magic of traditional African lore.
Customer Reviews:
For folktale lovers only.......2006-11-04
I love "The number one detective agency" series, and hoped for the same writing quality in this collection of folk tales. Unfortunately there was no narrative flow, making the stories stilted and un-interesting. Maybe a narrative explaining the lessons would have helped.
I suggest this book only for those interested in collecting african fables
...and?.......2006-05-09
I don't get it. These are stories that give us a glimpse into African culture, where "fat" is healthy, and watering holes are sources of life.
Some of the stories were like Brier Rabbit, adn were clever. But, unlike Western stories, I really wasn't sure what the moral of the stories were. Take the girl who married a lion. The brother thinks "It IS a lion," then he chases it away. And, here's the riviting part...(don't read this if you don't want the ending spoiled)...the children end up NOT being lions!
That's it.
End of story.
I just don't get it. I LOVE A-M-S's other books, they are brilliant. This one just doesn't do it for me.
Disappointing.......2006-04-06
I have read and enjoyed all the volumes involving the "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency." This was a book I eagerly anticipated, but found very disappointing. The stories seem to be simply retellings of very simple, but ambiguous, themes. It didn't have anything which stuck with me (except a quizzical expression on my face, I guess).
Thirty-three simply told African folktales; some will inspire, some will puzzle, some will just make you smile........2006-03-20
This is a delightful collection of folktales of Botswana and Zimbabwe re-told by that extraordinary Scottish author, Alexander McCall Smith. Smith was born in Zimbabwe and spent many years on the African continent and even taught law at the University of Botswana. (Botswana is the home of that wise and traditionally-built lady detective, Mme Precious Ramotswe. Mme Ramotswe was kind enough to write a letter about the book that is included at the beginning of this set of tales.)
Smith states that he has taken certain liberties in the telling of these tales to make them more appealing to a broader readership. Animals and people are somewhat interchangeable in African lore and that is apparent in these stories. Examples of the titles are: Guinea Fowl Child; Sister of Bones; Children of Wax; The Girl Who Married a Lion; Two Bad Friends. Most of the stories have a lesson, although some are a little obtuse. Some of the stories bear some similarities to folktales of other lands; universal truths, as it were.
One of my favorites is Sister of Bones; another is Why Elephant and Hyena Live Far From People; another, Two Friends Who Met for Dinner (love this one!). This book is a good one to leave close at hand for a quick read or re-read of a favorite story. The stories range in number of pages from three or four to eight or nine, and are very easy to read. Some might be a little scary for youngsters, but, then, so are the Brothers Grimm, and Bambi.
Carolyn Rowe Hill
tales to cherish a lifetime.......2005-11-23
the tales in this book are ones to be passed on for many more generations and learned from and cherished
Download Description
Gathered here is a beguiling selection of folktales from Zimbabwe and Botswana as retold by the best–selling author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. This treasury contains most of the stories previously collected in Children of Wax and seven new tales from the Setswana–speaking people of Botswana.
A girl discovers that her young husband might actually be a lion in disguise, but not before they have two sons who might actually be cubs… When a child made of wax follows his curiosity outside into the heat of daylight and melts, his siblings shape him into a bird with feathers made of leaves that enable him to fly into the light…Talking hyenas, milk–giving birds, clever cannibals who nonetheless get their comeuppance, and mysterious forces that reside in the landscape—these wonderful fables bring us the wealth, the variety, and the particular magic of traditional African lore.
Book Description
Gathered here is a beguiling selection of folktales from Zimbabwe and Botswana as retold by the best-selling author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. This treasury contains most of the stories previously collected in Children of Wax and seven new tales from the Setswana-speaking people of Botswana.
A girl discovers that her young husband might actually be a lion in disguise, but not before they have two sons who might actually be cubs . . . When a child made of wax follows his curiosity outside into the heat of daylight and melts, his siblings shape him into a bird with feathers made of leaves that enable him to fly into the light . . . Talking hyenas, milk-giving birds, clever cannibals who nonetheless get their comeuppance, and mysterious forces that reside in the landscape—these wonderful fables bring us the wealth, the variety, and the particular magic of traditional African lore.
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