History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Calculations are only as good as your numbers
  • Pants on fire?
  • Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
  • Very Interesting
  • History as Science Fiction
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

5 out of 5 stars Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

5 out of 5 stars Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

5 out of 5 stars Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

4 out of 5 stars History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Fire in the City: Savonarola and the Struggle for the Soul of Renaissance Florence
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Fire in the City
  • Savonarola and Florence emerge into the light!
  • Another view
  • Florence Comes Alive
  • Very Strange
Fire in the City: Savonarola and the Struggle for the Soul of Renaissance Florence
Lauro Martines
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0195177487

Book Description

A gripping and beautifully written narrative that reads like a novel, Fire in the City presents a compelling account of a key moment in the history of the Renaissance, illuminating the remarkable man who dominated the period, the charismatic Savonarola. Lauro Martines, whose decades of scholarship have made him one of the most admired historians of Renaissance Italy, here provides a remarkably fresh perspective on Girolamo Savonarola, the preacher and agitator who flamed like a comet through late fifteenth-century Florence. The Dominican friar has long been portrayed as a dour, puritanical demagogue who urged his followers to burn their worldly goods in "the bonfire of the vanities." But as Martines shows, this is a caricature of the truth--the version propagated by the wealthy and powerful who feared the political reforms he represented. In fact, Savonarola emerges as a complex and subtle man: compassionate, wise, a poet and scholar, and even, at critical moments, a force for moderation. The friar, a mesmerizing preacher, set the city afire with his message of Christian charity wedded to republican ideals. It is this reality--of Savonarola as both religious and civic leader--that Martines captures in all its complexity, showing how he inspired an outpouring of political debate in a city newly freed from the tyranny of the Medici. In the end, the volatile passions he unleashed--and the powerful families he threatened--sent the friar to his own fiery death. But the fusion of morality and politics that he represented would leave a lasting mark on Renaissance Florence. For the many readers fascinated by histories of Renaissance Italy--such as Brunelleschi's Dome or Galileo's Daughter, and Martines's acclaimed April Blood--Fire in the City offers a vivid portrait of one of the most memorable characters from that dazzling era.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Fire in the City.......2007-09-08

Overall good
I was hoping that there would be more on the content of the sermons of Savonarola

5 out of 5 stars Savonarola and Florence emerge into the light!.......2007-01-08

Fire in the City is another revealed hornet's nest from Martines that picks up the thread where his previous book April Blood left off. As the title suggests, this is not an exclusive biography on Savonarola, the author casts his net wider than that detailing, in a very readable fashion, the political and social settings that were bound in with Savonarola's actions.

With Lorenzo's death, Florence is at the mercy of his vain and incompetent son, Piero de Medici, whose diplomatic bungling with the invading King of France, Charles the VIII, gets him run out of town by the citizens of Florence, creating political alternatives to Medici rule. Into this anxious period of uncertainty, the searing personality of the reforming Dominican Friar, Savonarola, is catapulted.

Martines shows how Savonarola's political instinct was very much in line with the Christian ethos he espoused from the pulpit, preferring a broader based franchise through the Great Council, sustained by a Republic, instead of oligarchic rule by an elite. Salvation meant not just the deliverance by redemption from the power of sin, but also preservation from tyrannical harm. Yet Savonarola's motives were not as subversive or ego driven ('vainglorious') as his inquisitors and future Medici regimes led history to believe.

Martines also shows how Savonarola's prophecies, another contentious quality to his personality used against him by his enemies in Rome and elsewhere, were not far off the mark. The sack of Rome by Christian mercenaries in 1527, twenty-nine years after Savonarola's execution, seemed to vindicate much of Savonarola's visionary utterances. Was that, indeed, the scourge against the Church he claimed Charles the VIII capable of a generation earlier?

Emphasising the importance of this little Dominican Friar from Ferrara who was prepared to take on Pope Alexander VI over issues of simony and moral corruption, reminds us just how much of a precursor he was to Martin Luther. His insistence on a reformed Church was not merely rhetorical either, his own example proved otherwise.

No doubt Savonarola was a force to behold with his lightning bolts of apocalyptic doom. He profoundly affected Michelangelo and Botticelli who heard him speak, but Martines has stained orthodox whitewash with the blood of historical realism, showing us that Savonarola was more vital and complex and his contribution more positive, than that of just a preaching terrorist who infuriated Rome and encouraged the `bonfire of the vanities'.

After reading April Blood and Fire in the City, the enigma of Florence is much better understood. We patiently wait for his next publication, to read again where it will lead.




5 out of 5 stars Another view.......2006-11-11

I had read enough about Savonarola to have a vague idea as to what he was about, but this book gave me a very different perspective. Savonarola was much more complicated, and less a mad man than I had thought. The destuction of the "vanities", which was the most lamentable of all his actions from our perspective, is better understood after reading this book. Obviously, the value of the destroyed art in Savanarola's context is quite different than it is in ours, and Mr Martines made the point very well. It is a great read, full of history, and I enjoyed it very much.

5 out of 5 stars Florence Comes Alive.......2006-08-03

This is a must read for anyone planning a vacation to Florence, or for those wanting to experience the place and time without the expense, as Martines reaches far beyond the story of a single man and into Renassiance Florence. Readers will find this gripping and complex historical drama impossible to put down. "April Blood" (the Pazzi conspiracy against the Medici) sets the stage for this great book, and Martines combines expert scholarship with dramatic narrative skill in both works.

1 out of 5 stars Very Strange.......2006-07-19

I was interested in learning more about Savonarola because "The Palace" by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro is set in Renaissance Florence at the time of Savonarola, who plays a part in the novel. Now I love history and read a lot of history books, unfortunately, this book was a big dissapointment. Contrary to the blurb on the back cover this book is hardly riveting nor is it much of a thriller. It only covers the last few years of Savonarola's life but it is more about the political history of Florence than on Savonarola himself. Actually the book does not really seem to have a direction or a point and I could not figure out why the author wrote this.

I would suggest that if you are interested in this book that you find a copy in a book store and read it before you buy otherwise you risk being dissapointed.
Florence: The Biography of a City
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Florence: The Biography of a City
    Christopher Hibbert
    Manufacturer: W W Norton & Co Inc
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    ASIN: 0393035638
    New Orleans Cemeteries: Life in the Cities of the Dead
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • The BEST book on New Orleans Cemeteries in Existence!!!
    • A Must Buy!
    • Spectacular pictures
    • An Unexpected Enjoyment
    • Not your average graveyard book.
    New Orleans Cemeteries: Life in the Cities of the Dead
    Florence Robert
    Manufacturer: Batture Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    Book Description

    From the edge of the French Quarter to the heart of the bayou, New Orleans Cemeteries: Life in the Cities of the Dead is a journey through the Crescent City as seen through her phenomenal aboveground cemeteries. Through their artful and documentary-style color and black and white photographs, Robert and Mason Florence depict the "cities of the dead" in all their grandeur and decay, exquisite artisanship and humble memorials, their voluminous historical accounts of the city and undefinable spiritual qualities. New Orleans Cemeteries is an enchanting account of one of the world's true treasures, as enjoyable and entertaining as it is educational.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars The BEST book on New Orleans Cemeteries in Existence!!!.......2005-01-04

    Rob Florence's book is hands-down the best book on New Orleans cemeteries I have found--and, believe me, I've looked. I'm researching cemeteries. Not only is there tons of information, but he has also included personal stories of people who have loved ones entombed as well as of some who are entombed. I had the pleasure of meeting Rob Florence recently, and he is a walking and talking encyclopedia of knowledge. If you're taking a trip to New Orleans, sign up now to take one of his tours through Historic New Orleans Tours. You won't be disappointed. Before you do that, though, BUY THIS BOOK to take along with you!

    5 out of 5 stars A Must Buy!.......2003-02-28

    I was very pleased with this book and read it from cover to cover.Besides having a fascinating text it's loaded with beautiful pictures, including a set of pictures of Anne Rice doing a publicity shoot in one of New Orleans's cemeteries.I really wasn't that familiar with the history of the burial grounds in New Orleans and I learned a LOT from this book. I would strongly recommend it to anyone who's into cemeteries, funeral history, and Anne Rice!

    5 out of 5 stars Spectacular pictures.......2002-11-08

    I would never have went to New Orleans without visiting at least one of the famous above ground cemeteries - I was not disappointed! The history behind them is fascinating. They're built above ground, so that when there is any kind of flooding, the bodies don't float away since New Orleans is 700?ft below sea level. What was really neat to me though, is that one tomb, could and would be used for many generations of the same family. I thought it was a comforting thought to know that you wouldn't be burried alone, but in the exact same place as your ancestors. I think New Orleans people celebrate death, not that they're glad someone is gone, but that they're glad they had the chance to live and love them! There is just a kind of magic about the cemeteries, especially St. Louis #1, the oldest cemetery in the area. The photo's in this book capture that magic! Unfortunately, the section on #1 is small. This book includes many of the cemeteries including St. Louis 2 and 3, and Metairie, which is one of the nicest and most [costly] ones. I highly recommend this book for it's information and photography! If you go to see #1, it is in a not-so-good crime area that is improving, but make sure you go with a tour! The tour guides always have some interesting extra info!

    5 out of 5 stars An Unexpected Enjoyment.......2001-09-06

    We travel to and through Louisiana quite a bit. Because of this, I tend to pick up books about Louisiana, particularly Louisiana history. I bought this book because I liked the pictures. However, once I began reading this book, I realized that there was much more to the cemeteries than interesting statues. I can honestly say that I enjoyed reading this book and found it as informative as it was interesting.

    This book begins with an introduction about cemeteries in Louisiana and then covers different cemeteries in Louisiana. Generally there is a history of the cemetery, an accounting of some of the more famous people buried in each cemetery and a lot of information.

    For someone visiting Louisiana, particularly someone who is considering a tour of the cemeteries, this book is a must.

    4 out of 5 stars Not your average graveyard book........1999-12-07

    Filled with lovely photographs, this book is both entertaining and educational. It gives a brief history of the whys and wherefores of the burial practices in southern Louisiana, as well as describing how the tombs are cared for in the present. It also makes a great guide, if one is planning to visit the cemeteries in and around New Orleans. Easy to read, but never insulting to one's intelligence, this book gives a fascinating view of the cities of the dead.
    City of the Dead: A Journey Through St. Louis Cemetery
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • superb for visiting this cemetery.
    • Fascinating history
    • A good introduction to the stange beauty of the cemetery
    City of the Dead: A Journey Through St. Louis Cemetery
    Robert Florence
    Manufacturer: Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Southwestern Louisiana
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 1887366024

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars superb for visiting this cemetery........2001-11-01

    This is a short and sweet introduction to St. Louis Cemetery # 1 in New Orleans. Although this is the type of book you can read at home it becomes much more relevent if you take it along with you and read it as you tour this cemetery. Very interesting information.

    I rated it four stars rather than five because Robert Florence wrote another book called New Orleans Cemeteries. Much of the introduction of this book is almost word for word in the New Orleans Cemeteries. That made it redundant for those of us who have read the larger, more complete book about all the cemeteries in NO.

    I enjoyed this book. It was filled with a lot of good information. The authors appreciation of cemeteries and their buildings and history shows in this writing. I particularly like that there are stories of some of the people buried in this cemetery. I would have liked to see more of that (Another reason for the four rating.)

    Overall, I'd buy this book again and take it with me on my tour of this cemetery.

    5 out of 5 stars Fascinating history.......2001-03-15

    I recently toured St. Louis Cemetery #1 with Robert Florence as the guide and was very impressed with his knowledge, not only of this graveyard, but of New Orleans in general. I purchased this book the next day at the Garden District Bookstore, famous as Ann Rice's neighborhood bookstore, and read the entire thing on the plane while flying home. The history of the cemetery and how it fits in with the history of New Orleans is just fascinating and written in a manner that makes for pleasant, easy reading.

    4 out of 5 stars A good introduction to the stange beauty of the cemetery.......2000-07-06

    As a New Orleans native, I always enjoy playing tourist without having to risk my life to take in some of the wonderful buildings and architecture of my hometown. This simple but entertaining book takes you on a short (and I do mean short) tour of St. Louis Cemetery #1, the city's oldest (and also one of the most dangerous to visit) cemeteries. To outsiders, N.O.'s rows and rows of mausoleum walls is quite impressive. Thanks to New Orleans being seriously below sea level, above-ground burials have been a necessary part of death. This book explains all the mystery and even highlights some famous resting residents of the cemetery, such as Marie Laveau and Homer Plessy (of the famed Plessy v. Ferguson case). The author also reminds us that playing tourist in this cemetery can assure you might not come out of it. On the closing page, the author has reprinted the plaque from the Archidiocese explaining the lack of security in the cemetery and the dangers of touring alone. Group cemetery tours in New Orleans are abundant, so cemetery-sight-seeing alone is never a good idea. The book explains that as people leave N.O. for safer surroundings, they are also leaving the cemetery to fall into disrepair and decay. Many crypts are in terrible condition, some nearly destroyed by vandals and the elements. The book has a very poetic overtone to it, and you can feel the author's interest and intrigue with St. Louis Cemetery #1. I only gave it 4 stars because I believe the book could have been longer without sacrificing the rich tone it has. Excellent book, and the bibliography lists other great titles if you just can't get enough of the strage lure of the New Orleans cemeteries and their haunting architecture.
    Florence: A Delicate Case (Writer and the City, 3,)
    Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    • ho-hum, florence ...
    • Pompous, Boring, Never Elegant ...what was he thinking?
    • Mixed feelings
    • Banal
    • Not Impressed
    Florence: A Delicate Case (Writer and the City, 3,)
    David Leavitt
    Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Gay & Lesbian | Subjects | Books
    HistoryHistory | Gay & Lesbian | Subjects | Books
    TravelTravel | Gay & Lesbian | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Italy | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books
    Leavitt, DavidLeavitt, David | ( L ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Italy | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: B000AKXD40

    Book Description

    David Leavitt brings the wonders and mysteries of Florence alive, illuminating why it is, and always has been, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.

    The third in the critically-acclaimed Writer and the City Series-in which some of the world's finest novelists reveal the secrets of the cities they know best-Florence is a lively account of expatriate life in the 'city of the lily'.

    Why has Florence always drawn so many English and American visitors? (At the turn of the century, the Anglo-American population numbered more than thirty thousand.) Why have men and women fleeing sex scandals traditionally settled here? What is it about Florence that has made it so fascinating-and so repellent-to artists and writers over the years?

    Moving fleetly between present and past and exploring characters both real and fictional, Leavitt's narrative limns the history of the foreign colony from its origins in the middle of the nineteenth century until its demise under Mussolini, and considers the appeal of Florence to figures as diverse as Tchaikovsky, E.M. Forster, Ronald Firbank, and Mary McCarthy. Lesser-known episodes in Florentine history-the moving of Michelangelo's David, and the construction of temporary bridges by black American soldiers in the wake of the Second World War-are contrasted with images of Florence today (its vast pizza parlors and tourist culture). Leavitt also examines the city's portrayal in such novels and films as A Room with a View, The Portrait of a Lady and Tea with Mussolini.

    Customer Reviews:

    1 out of 5 stars ho-hum, florence ..........2005-02-02

    Possibly the most boring, pointless book I've ever read (and I do read a lot) - - no flow, not interesting, and the book does a dis-service to a fascinating town, despite the un-fascinating "celebrity" stories that Mr. Leavitt goes on and on and on about ...

    1 out of 5 stars Pompous, Boring, Never Elegant ...what was he thinking?.......2004-02-06

    A slim volume on one of the world's great foreign destinations, so one would expect something elegant, insightful, witty perhaps, something evocative of the place.

    Unfortunately, I don't there is a paragraph in his book that evokes anything about what it is like to visit or live in Florence. It's certainly not worth reading as literature and it doesn't take you there from your arm chair.

    This book is just a boring rendition of sort-of famous people who lived or live in Florence, coupled with David Leavitt's intention of showing you all the famous or important people he knows. He evidently thinks people will one day be writing about his life there.

    This isn't about Florence -- it's about the author's evident obsession with effete men of letters and his desire to be one.

    3 out of 5 stars Mixed feelings.......2004-01-26

    I have mixed feelings about this book. I found the chapter on homosexuality in Florence interesting, but a tiny phrase let it down. In the lesser space accorded the lesbian population, Mrs George Keppel is described as the mother of "yet another" lesbian. As if by there being four or five renowned lesbian inhabitants amongst the far more numerous gay males, they were forming a disproportionately large segment of the population! I found that quite odd.

    I also found it difficult to reconcile Leavitt's bitchiness about the lack of contact the earlier generations of ex-pats had with the locals (to the point of "like many" not knowing any Italian) with the lack of presence of any contemporary Florentines in his narrative, given that he is a part-time resident himself.

    I loved the chapter about the "mud angels", brief as it was, and would have enjoyed more about the relationship between locals and expats alike with the art of this wonderful city.

    Having said all that, I did enjoy the book overall and it is a welcome addition to the background literature of Italy which I read voraciously.

    1 out of 5 stars Banal.......2004-01-07

    I was surprised to find this slim, well researched volume so banal. Mr Leavitt has only skimmed the frivolous surface of life in Florence. Yes, for this book he's done his literary research, all to prove his point of the bitchy gay gossipy life of the city. He is quick to point out that he's not been, nor does he want to be part of the continuation of that life, then lists his social conquests. The only part that involved real Italians, and real life there was when he talks about the flood. He clearly didn't get into the life of the city he claims to know so well. This book is so full of missed opportunities that I don't understand what the editors had in mind. Is this a gay guide? Is it a memoir? Is it a conciet? Don't bother buying this book.

    2 out of 5 stars Not Impressed.......2002-10-26

    As someone who has spent a lot of time in Florence, over the past 20 years, I am not impressed with this book. It doesn't say anything new. Other non-fiction books by other foreigners, writing about Florence, have covered most of the topics that Leavitt writes about. Much of his book is a re-hashing of literary criticism. He talks about the literary figures from other countries who spent time in Florence and he discusses how they felt & what they said about the city. This has been well-covered by other writers. It is nothing new. It strikes me that Leavitt doesn't even mention Florentines themselves, leaving me wondering if, as an ex-pat living in Florence, if he even knows any Florentines at all. Of course he must, but the total lack of a Florentine in his book strikes me as odd. Isn't that a large part of what readers enjoy, when reading about a foreign place? The sense that they're actually getting to know the locals through reading the book? Look how much readers enjoyed Peter Mayle's books on Provence. This was due, in large part, to the way the author introduced the reader to the local people. It brought a lot of flavor to the book. Leavitt's book lacks flavor in my opinion. For me, most of his discussions have a tired energy to them.
    FLORENCE THE BIOGRAPHY OF A CITY
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      FLORENCE THE BIOGRAPHY OF A CITY
      C. HIBBERT
      Manufacturer: VIKING
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback
      ASIN: B000SC1XH4
      Florence: The Biography of a City
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Florence: The Biography of a City
        Christopher Hibbert
        Manufacturer: FOLIO SOCIETY
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover
        ASIN: B000STFTIG
        The Makers of Florence: Dante, Giotto, Savonarola and Their City
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          The Makers of Florence: Dante, Giotto, Savonarola and Their City
          Mrs. Oliphant
          Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover

          GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | Italy | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
          ASIN: 1432623168

          Book Description

          1891. Extra illustrated edition, with portrait of Savonarola engraved by C.H. Jeens, fifty illustrations engraved on wood from drawings by Professor Delamotte, and twenty reproductions of pictures by Florentine artists, and now in churches or galleries in Florence. Mrs. Oliphant has written biographies of the poet Dante, the cathedral builders, the monks of San Marco, Michael Angelo and others. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.
          Provo City Sesquicentennial Oral History Project: Florence Mildred Sumner Henrichsen
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Provo City Sesquicentennial Oral History Project: Florence Mildred Sumner Henrichsen
            Florence Mildred Sumner Henrichsen
            Manufacturer: Provo Sesquicentennial Committee]
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Unknown Binding

            UtahUtah | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
            Pacific NorthwestPacific Northwest | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
            ASIN: B0006RMVCC

            Books:

            1. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
            2. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
            3. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
            4. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
            5. Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip
            6. How to Read a North Carolina Beach: Bubble Holes, Barking Sands, and Rippled Runnels
            7. I Don't Know How She Does It
            8. India - Culture Smart!: a quick guide to customs and etiquette (Culture Smart!)
            9. Inside the Titanic (A Giant Cutaway Book)
            10. Island Life: Inspirational Interiors

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