History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

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:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

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

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

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

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

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

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

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

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

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

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

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

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

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

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

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Understanding the European Union: A Concise Introduction, Third Edition (European Union)

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Great introductory book to think about the FUTURE of EUROPE!!!!!
Excellent Overall Review

Understanding the European Union: A Concise Introduction, Third Edition (European Union)
John McCormick
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

International Law | Law | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | International Law | Law | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1403944512
Release Date: 2005-08-11

Book Description

John McCormick's Understanding the European Union provides a uniquely broad-ranging but concise introduction to the EU, covering in one volume all major aspects of European integration. The third edition is systematically revised and updated throughout reflecting the major changes brought about by the 2004 enlargement round. It also includes a full assessment of the EU constitution, the impact of the Euro, and much expanded coverage of EU policies and policy making.

Customer Reviews:

Great introductory book to think about the FUTURE of EUROPE!!!!!.......2006-02-23

Do you live, or are you planning to live in Europe? Then, this is a must read book.

I am very pleased that I had the chance to read this book. I have recently moved to U.K. and realized the huge impact that the EU had on each European country. You as a citizen of European Union need to understand how EU works and how it can affect your life. If you have not been following the EU development as I (I had been living outside Europe all my life), this book is a great tool to catch up. This book will guide you through the history, issues, and policies of EU which will help you understand the current situation. In the introduction and through out the book the author mentions that so many of the European people do not understand how the EU works... well, lets read this book and learn. This is an introductory book to EU and it is not difficult to read. I am a non native speaker of English but I did not have any problem understanding the content. This is a well researched book giving you up to date information with interesting data represented in figures.

Now that I have caught up with the up to date information about the EU, I am feeling very excited about the future of European Union and individual European countries (sometimes referred as "the states" of the United States of Europe). As I am studying future forecasting, this book not only helped me to understand the history and the current situations in Europe but also gave me hints and ideas about the future of Europe. With the knowledge I gained from this book, now I will understand the news better than I did before, and know what I need to look for in the development of the EU. What policies will be made to integrate the European market? Will it be "single market"? How will the EU's economic power change the balance of the world's economy? Is it going to be NO1 economic power? Cultural and political issues are more difficult to forecast... What will be identified as the culture of EU? What is the balance between the national and EU culture? Is the European Parliament (this is the only European institution that have direct influence from European voters) going to have more influence on EU policy making? Is EU heading towards federalism? The author asks "will it happen, should it happen, what form will it take, what impact will it have if it succeeds, and what impact will it have if it fails?"

I have learnt that it is important to have the right questions when you forecast about the future. This book has definitely provided me with the chance to think about questions that I should be asking for.

As I did, you will have some idea or wishes about the future of Europe by the end of the book. This is the third edition of the book, and I am sure there will be more editions to come.

Excellent Overall Review.......2005-10-24

I'm currently taking a course on the EU in which the professor gave us carte blanche to purchase our own books on the EU. I was delighted to find out that this book was written by a professor who understands what and how to communicate this information to students. Plus, since the writer is a British immigrant, he could incorporate the European perspective of the EU from first-hand experience as opposed to a vicarious one. This book was very good at providing background info (without harping too much on history) and bringing the reader up-to-speed with current events as well as personal thoughts on the EU's future. Kudos to the writer. Thank you very much. Your book was very helpful. Cheers!

Understanding W. G. Sebald (Understanding Modern European and Latin American Literature)

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Understanding W. G. Sebald (Understanding Modern European and Latin American Literature)
Mark Richard Mcculloh
Manufacturer: University of South Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

German | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 1570035067

Book Description

Understanding W. G. Sebald introduces readers to a novelist and poet regarded as one of the most original talents of the late twentieth century. A German writer who taught in England for thirty years, W. G. Sebald published four novels, first in German and then in English. These works--Vertigo, The Emigrants, The Rings of Saturn, and Austerlitz--are unlike fiction as usually understood. Enthusiastically received by critics and general readers alike, Sebald's work gained even greater acclaim after his death in 2001, just months after the publication of Austerlitz.

In this companion to the writer's fiction, Mark R. McCulloh investigates the reasons for Sebald's almost universal appeal. He also explores the themes, issues, and influences that dominate the writer's oeuvre. Suggesting that Sebald essentially had two literary careers--as his works appeared in German-speaking Europe and then as they appeared in the English-speaking world--McCulloh outlines the writer's reception in his homeland and in translation. McCulloh illumines the vast knowledge of European literatures that Sebald drew upon in composing his recursive and allusive narratives. He also sheds light on the interconnections that lurk beneath the surface of the writer's haunting landscapes and poignant memoirs.

Book Description

Understanding the Collapse of Communism in Poland, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Romania, and the Soviet Union "Until 1989, the people of Eastern Europe lived under Communism's totalitarian grip. They lacked even the most basic human rights. They were not allowed to criticize the government. There was no way for them to present alternative candidates for government posts. There was no free press. They could not practice their religion. They could not travel. Then, quite unexpectedly, the Iron Curtain began to crumble.…" In this important new book for young adults, Peter Cipkowski, a historian and writer educated in Poland, explains the causes behind the 1989 revolution in Eastern Europe, examines the future of the Eastern European countries, and talks about the implications, for both the East and the West, of the crumbling of the Soviet Empire.

Customer Reviews:

A Good Overview of the Communism fall.......2007-03-03

I Think it's a good book because it gives a general overview of each country and how they achieved freedom ,human rights and democracy, sometimes fast and without violence other times with violence or very slowly. But it serves as a good introduction to the topic without going too deep into it.

A useful but superficial retelling.......2005-01-24

I picked this up when the 15th anniversary of the overthrow of the Communist governments of Eastern Europe went almost unnoticed in the media, and I was curious to recall the events of that tumultuous year. This book is intended for young adults and is a nation-by-nation retelling of the quiet cataclysm that changed Europe. Hastily written, it runs only as deep as a newspaper article--there are no interviews, either with political figures or the man-in-the-street, or, as far as I can tell, any original research. In so short a book it would be impossible to really treat the subject as it deserves, but if all you want is to recall what happened in 1989, without an investigation of their root causes or a deeper understanding of the cultures of these countries, this would do the job.

The Gothic Enterprise: A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral

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A real pleasure
Outstanding book
Grand undertaking
A New Perspective on Gothic Cathedrals
Great for both new and experienced enthusiasts

The Gothic Enterprise: A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral
Robert A. Scott
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0520231775

Book Description

The great Gothic cathedrals of Europe are among the most astonishing achievements of Western culture. Evoking feelings of awe and humility, they make us want to understand what inspired the people who had the audacity to build them. This engrossing book surveys an era that has fired the historical imagination for centuries. In it Robert A. Scott explores why medieval people built Gothic cathedrals, how they built them, what conception of the divine lay behind their creation, and how religious and secular leaders used cathedrals for social and political purposes. As a traveler's companion or a rich source of knowledge for the armchair enthusiast, The Gothic Enterprise helps us understand how ordinary people managed such tremendous feats of physical and creative energy at a time when technology was rudimentary, famine and disease were rampant, the climate was often harsh, and communal life was unstable and incessantly violent.
While most books about Gothic cathedrals focus on a particular building or on the cathedrals of a specific region, The Gothic Enterprise considers the idea of the cathedral as a humanly created space. Scott discusses why an impoverished people would commit so many social and personal resources to building something so physically stupendous and what this says about their ideas of the sacred, especially the vital role they ascribed to the divine as a protector against the dangers of everyday life.
Scott's narrative offers a wealth of fascinating details concerning daily life during medieval times. The author describes the difficulties master-builders faced in scheduling construction that wouldn't be completed during their own lifetimes, how they managed without adequate numeric systems or paper on which to make detailed drawings, and how climate, natural disasters, wars, variations in the hours of daylight throughout the year, and the celebration of holy days affected the pace and timing of work. Scott also explains such things as the role of relics, the quarrying and transporting of stone, and the incessant conflict cathedral-building projects caused within their communities. Finally, by drawing comparisons between Gothic cathedrals and other monumental building projects, such as Stonehenge, Scott expands our understanding of the human impulses that shape our landscape.

Customer Reviews:

A real pleasure.......2006-09-01

Well written and wonderfully informed, this well designed book presents a comprehensive review of the appearance and use of the great cathedrals and abbey churches built across the middle ages in France and England. It also includes a wonderfully precise presentation of the social, economic, and political order of the time, and it discusses how the great buildings were built and what is known of their builders. Overall, it is the best general introduction I know of, easily accessible to non experts and a wonderful review for the better informed.

Outstanding book.......2006-01-30

The people who reviewed this book before me did a great job of describing this wonderful book, so I'm not going to repeat their observations. However, one aspect of the work I personally appreciated was the way Scott examined the cathedrals as architectural responses to the cultural context. His analysis is clear and straightforward. Excellent book!

Grand undertaking.......2005-09-24

Author Robert Scott had much the same the experience at Salisbury Cathedral as I had - a sense of awe and wonder, and a desire to learn more about it, not just as a place, or as an architectural wonder, or as a place of worship, or as a cultural icon. Scott wanted to get at the heart of the idea of the Gothic enterprise as a whole - a trained sociologist, Scott knew that the bigger picture is sometimes lost by too narrow a focus on particular details to the exclusion of others. The sociology background also gave Scott a sense of wanting to understand the hearts and minds of the people involved.

While the principal focus of Scott's travels started with Salisbury Cathedral (in full, the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Salisbury), Scott draws examples from the breadth of the Gothic cathedrals, churches and other buildings. There are literally thousands of such dotted across the European and European-influenced landscapes. Each building has its own unique characteristics, but they share a common spirit.

Church building in particular was 'big business' in Christendom for a long time. Scott quotes estimates of that there are nearly 19,000 ecclesiastical buildings in England and Wales, nearly half of which date to the medieval period. The first Gothic church was the Abbey Church of St. Denis, just north of Paris, built under the direction of the 'founding father' of Gothic style, Abbot Suger.

Scott's first major section looks at how cathedrals were built, in terms of materials, architectural design, settings, and workforce. With regard to the workforce, the numbers were large and the division of labour highly specialised. In the records of the construction of Westminster Abbey, there were fifteen different categories of workers listed in 1253. Workers were often local, but supplemented by those who traveled, particularly if special skills were needed. Construction was often suspended in winter months, not just because of the cold, but because the number of daylight hours greatly diminished (in England, there can be fewer than 8 hours of daylight in the winter months).

Scott's second major section explores the history involved. The Gothic enterprise grew up out of the feudal system as it was trying to define itself in a sea of shifting political structures. It is no mistake that the Gothic ideal was born in an Abbey rather than a Cathedral; bishops had become increasingly involved in secular and political matters, while the monasteries remained closer to the common people and closer to the spiritual ideals of the church. 'Monasticism was a continuous effort to surmount sense perception and intellectual understanding to achieve knowledge of God, to experience communion with God, and by so doing to reveal the divine mystery and achieve special favour in the eyes of God.' Still, the particular abbey of Gothic's foundation, the Abbey of St. Denis, had a particular attachment to the French monarchs, and for a time the Abbey enjoyed a supreme reputation, 'from 1124 onward the Abbey Church of St. Denis became the religious and, in an important sense, the political capital of France.' From this place, the influence of Gothic style spread through the Paris region, then outward into France and beyond.

In the third section, Scott highlights some of the classic details of what the Gothic look entails. There is a geometric symmetry involved, which, 'when followed consistently, gives Gothic cathedrals their characteristic organic unity.' There is a logic and harmony built into the design. High vaulted ceilings, flying buttresses, pointed arches are other features. However, the key element in Gothic design is light, and it is in aid of this aspect that the other elements are enlisted. Gothic cathedrals in comparison with the dimly lit Romanesque predecessors are flooded with light. Be it clear or stained glass, the incorporation of windows and lighting techniques hitherto not done makes the Gothic space a brighter surrounding. Heaven would be a place of light, and the Gothic cathedral is intended as a foretaste of the heavenly banquet.

The fourth section explores the religious experience in Gothic structures, and how liturgies and worship are carried out, how they serve as temples of the imagination in addition to being the centre of worship, and how they become a repository of history. Part of this history was the incorporation of the memory and power of the dead into the fabric of the cathedrals - many became pilgrimage sites or burial sites; royal and other notable society figures also became part of the structures of cathedrals and churches. According to Scott, the cathedrals provided the saints with a focal point of veneration, and the saints in return provided a steady income (from the pilgrims) for the buildings to be completed.

The final section looks at the community that surrounded the Gothic enterprise, be they parish churches, abbey churches or cathedrals. Scott explores the living standards of the time, the stratification and specialisation of people in the different roles in society, and the questions not only of how the communities built the churches, but how the churches and cathedrals in turn built the communities. 'We might ...imagine that the long time required to build Gothic cathedrals added to the depth of the collective identity they engendered.' Indeed, in some regards, the building of a cathedral was never supposed to be completed. Spanning generations (sometimes, as in the case of Canterbury Cathedral, nearly 400 years) such enterprises defined the community in ways that no building project in modern times could approach.

Scott ends with a small essay regarding Stonehenge, not too far from Salisbury Cathedral, showing some similarities and differences in the way people built and found identity then.

Scott quotes Samuel Johnson as declaring Salisbury Cathedral 'the last perfection in architecture'; however, it is clear that there is much perfection to go around when it comes to all things Gothic. Scott's passion for the material and love of discovery is apparent on every page. A good writer, he serves as teacher, tour guide, and co-discoverer of ideas with the reader. This is a wonderful book.

A New Perspective on Gothic Cathedrals.......2004-01-15

I would highly recommend Robert A. Scott's new book, The Gothic Enterprise. Although many books have been published on the topic of Gothic Cathedrals, Scott has approached his subject with a new perspective. He asks the reader to think as much about the "why" of cathedral building as the "how." The reader will still find lots of information about the practical aspects of cathedral building, most helpfully enhanced by a discussion of the social, political, economic, and even climatological factors that complicated such long and challenging construction projects. But above and beyond this, Scott is interested in the people who conceived, designed, and built these great churches. What motivated them? How did hundreds of people with varying and often conflicting interests work collectively over long periods of time? What did an individual or a community expect in return for their contribution to such a bold undertaking?

Scott answers these questions and more. In turn he challenges the reader to see the cathedral in a new light, not only as an example of great architecture, but as tangible evidence of the commitment, creativity, hope, and faith of the people who, against great odds, undertook such a bold and difficult enterprise.

Having visited dozens of cathedrals, I think Scott is right on target. A cathedral is more than an amalgamation of stone, timber, and glass. If we look closely, we can still see traces of the contributors: in a mason's mark, the carved face of an 800 year-old effigy, a bishop's ring, or an irreverent carving high in the rooftops. It is the collective presence of these long-dead individuals, as much as the grandeur of the architecture that makes a cathedral so memorable, so tangibly the result of a collective human enterprise.

Scott's book is beautifully packaged with many photos and charming illustrations. It would be a handy guide for a traveler visiting cathedrals or a great read for an armchair traveler. I suspect the reader of The Gothic Enterprise will never see a cathedral in quite the same way again.

Great for both new and experienced enthusiasts.......2004-01-07

This book is both a wondrous introduction to Gothic Cathedrals for those who are newly curious about them and a concise but thorough resource for those who have long admired and read about the Gothic Cathedral. The author often takes a personal approach in his narrative, which seems quite appropriate given the personal impression these buildings were designed to make (and have made on most who will read this book). The book is both well-researched and easy to read, a difficult achievement. Its description of the elements of Gothic architecture, for example, is one of the most complete and clear treatments I have read.

The broad perspective taken (historical, intellectual, religious, architectural, sociological) helps bring together into one coherent whole the many different faces of the cathedral. Even those who may know the historical and intellectual origins of the cathedral will learn much about its other aspects here. For example, some of the details on construction techniques and parts of the discussion of "sacred spaces" within the cathedral were new even to someone who has read many books on the subject.

Medieval intellectual history and its relationship to the cathedrals is explored, and the coexistence of the potentially conflicting reason and faith in a single building is explained. Some discussion of how the cathedrals and their attached schools gave rise to the medieval (and hence the modern) university would have been helpful.

Overall, though, the book provides an excellent introduction to the topic and a comprehensive explanation of the "why" and "how" of Gothic Cathedrals (in addition to the more mundane, but still important, "who", "when", and "where").

Before this book, one would have to read many volumes to get such a complete picture of the Gothic Cathedral. This book is appropriate for anyone with an interest in the subject. It is the book that I'm sure many Gothic Cathedral enthusiasts wish they had written.

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Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts: A Guide to Technical Terms

A glorious elucidation of the handwritten book

Outstanding resource for anyone!

A Bible for beginning codicologers

A great little dictionary of illumination.

Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts: A Guide to Technical Terms (Looking At...)
Michelle P. Brown
Manufacturer: Getty Trust Publications: J. Paul Getty Museum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

European | Regional | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Calligraphy | Graphic Design | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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A History of Illuminated Manuscript

Medieval Illuminators and Their Methods of Work

The British Library Guide to Manuscript Illumination: History and Techniques (British Library Guides)

Medieval Calligraphy: Its History and Technique

The Medieval Book: Illustrated from the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (MART: The Medieval Academy Reprints for Teaching)

ASIN: 0892362170

Book Description

What is a florilegium? What is an incipit? What is batarde script? This book--part of the Museum's popular Looking at series--offers definitions of these and numerous other techniques, processes, and materials used in medieval illuminated manuscripts. Concise and readable explanations of
the technical terms most frequently encountered by the museum-goer are presented in an easily portable format. With numerous illustrations, many of them in color, this volume will be invaluable to all readers wishing to increase their understanding and enjoyment of illuminated manuscripts.

Customer Reviews:

Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts: A Guide to Technical Terms .......2007-09-07

Explains in lay terms the processes used in illuminated medieval manuscripts. Still a bit complicated, but a good resource.

A glorious elucidation of the handwritten book.......2007-01-10

This publication using a lexiconary form lavishly displays an art form too long ignored. Extraordinary effort and expense has created a book that shows and explains the accomplishments of a lost art. Any bibliophile, any artist will devour this book.

Outstanding resource for anyone!.......2006-04-26

I used this book and the Christopher De Hamel book while I was taking a graduate course on Illuminated Manuscripts. The information was indispensable for the entirety of the course, but it also helped me in future courses I took. It is wonderful to find an academic book that is fun to read! I would heartily recommend it to anyone, and especially to students who are studying manuscripts or merely the art history of the period! It is a most worthwhile investment!

A Bible for beginning codicologers.......2001-03-15

This slim volume by Michelle Brown is an excellent resource for anyone who is interested in the study of books and manuscripts (codicology). In a succinct dictionary format, Brown gives definitions of all of the major terms that may give trouble to someone visiting a museum or reading a work by such major writers in the field as Chris DeHamel. Suitable as both a textbook and a companion to books on manuscripts, this book is nearly indispensible to the beginner and the intermediate in allowing some understanding into the complex technical and art-historical vocabulary used in the field.

A great little dictionary of illumination........2000-07-14

This little volume provides brief definitions of all the important phrases and terms used in the study of illuminated manuscripts including forms, techniques, themes, and periods.

Great for understanding the differences between an historiated initial and an inhabited initial - or between an antiphonal and a gradual.

Most of the representative images are in color and are well chosen to illustrate the definitions. Perhaps their only drawback is their small size due to the size limitations of the book itself.

Book Description

"Dante and Shakespeare divide the modern world between them; there is no third." UNDERSTANDING DANTE attempts to explain and justify T. S. Eliot's bold claim. John Scott offers readers at all levels a critical overview of Dante's writings: five chapters deal with his New Life of love and poetry ("Vita Nova"), the "Banquet" of knowledge ("Convivio"), his Latin treatise on language and poetics ("De Vulgari Eloquentia"), Italian lyrics ("Rime"), and his blueprint for world government ("Monarchia"). The next five chapters concentrate on Dante's masterpiece, the "Comedy": its structure, Dante's worldview (still relevant today), and the "Comedy" examined as a poem. Much has been written on Dante's moral, political, and religious ideas; important as these are, however, such discussions are perforce limited. It is above all as a work of poetry that the "Divine Comedy" maintains its appeal and fascination to readers of all backgrounds and beliefs.

Book Description

This book seeks to identify the motivations of individual perpetrators of ethnic violence. The work develops four models gleaned from existing social science literatures: Fear, Hatred, Resentment, and Rage. The empirical chapters apply the models to important events involving ethnic conflict in Eastern Europe, from the 1905 Russian Revolution to the 1990's collapse of Yugoslavia. Each historical chapter generates questions about the timing and target of ethnic violence. The four models are then applied to determine which is most effective in explaining the observed patterns of ethnic conflict.

Customer Reviews:

insightful, fascinating yet prejudiced (how else?) .......2005-10-07

That social, cultural and political processes should not be evaluated solely on the basis of international treaties, statistical data and purely rational considerations is a very realistic and useful insight. The application of four emotions Fear, Hatred, Resentment and Rage to explore the causes and consequences of ethnic conflict provides a more nuanced and deeper interpretation of history deserves only praise since too much in human life cannot be represented by mere rationalizations and abstractions so typical of more traditional approaches in historical and social studies. Roger Petersen can only be praised for selecting a fascinating region for his study as well as a fascinating methodology. History and ethnic interactions in Eastern Europe come to life as one reads the well-written and compact chapters. For this I'd give the book 5 stars. Yet when it comes to the application of the method some other things seem to deserve a note. I'm not qualified to evaluate Petersen's take on the ethnic conflicts in the former Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia, yet as far as the Baltics are concerned, a couple of observations seem to be in place. First, in regard to the Soviet occupation of the Baltic countries in 1940 there is tendency to underscore some figures in relation to the minorities, such as Jews and Russians, especially to highlight the numbers of victims of ethnic violence perpetrated by the nationalistic majorities - Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians. At the same time the staggering numbers of the victims among these "majorities" who were shot, tortured and/or deported to the Gulag (and finally almost made into minorities after the WW II during the second Soviet occupation) by an active participation of these very same minorities in the Soviet terror rarely seem to surface. It creates an impression of something approaching a certain moral double standard when it comes to the impossible evaluation of who suffered more and who might have had some, if any, justification in perpetrating the violent acts of hatred. If any numbers are given to substantiate and/or illustrate the violent landscape of social interaction in during the first Soviet occupation as well as the chaotic first weeks of the operation Barbarossa, the victims of both sides must be counted so that both sides are treated fairly. The author seems to prefer to give details of the account of the suffering minorities, while generalizing the suffering of the presumed majorities. That does not help in understanding the dynamics of those volatile days, apart from being simply unfair. John Ginkel's chapter on the Reconstruction of Independent States deals primarily with the relations among the ethnic Balts in all three countries on the one hand and the Russian and Russian-speaking minorities on the other. He argues convincingly that resentment more often than not is the ground of the present day ethnic conflicts in the Baltics. The whole chapter is laid out chronologically and presents evidence of the remarkable shrinkage of ethnic Balt population in Estonia and Latvia as clearly as possible. This explains the fact that Latvians, for example, have almost become an indigenous minority (Table, p. 141). This process is by no means accidental. It is the direct result of the occupying policies of the Soviet regime. If again numbers of the Stalin's deportations would have been given, if the numbers of those ethnic Balts who fled their countries because of the second Soviet occupation during the last stages of WW II were given, it would be much clearer what factors motivate the policies of language and citizenship in today's Baltic region. Aware of the reasons of this peculiar situation, Ginkel talks about the ethnic conflicts and ethnic groups and their interaction as if he would be talking about ethnic groups that have co-existed for centuries in the territories of the Baltic states without the very recent process of colonization by the Soviet occupying regime. An ethnic group in this case is not just an ethnic group - it is a representative and instrument of a colonizing power, in this case, the Russian ethnic group with no pre-war roots in the Baltics, is indeed a group of deliberately relocated colonists with a goal to assimilate the indigenous people and eventually make them into a ethnic minority. It was not a natural, or more precisely,un-coerced, process as it seems to appear from Ginkel's otherwise informative chapter. The whole talk about restrictions regarding citizenship and state language proficiency requirements then acquire a different nuance instead of being represented in a rather formulaic "majority/minority" juxtaposition. The picture is more complicated than appears from Ginkel's presentation for whenever a force is involved in artificially planting an ethnic group in another group's political and cultural milieu one must look further into the real origins of the present day reality of tension. It is understandable that an author does not want to take a position of favoritism toward any particular ethnic group. It is to be appreciated. Despite the aspiration toward objectivity, if such a thing is indeed within reach, a certain favoritism toward certain minorities is precisely what can be noticed in Ginkel's as well as Petersen's omissions. In other words, what they don't elaborate upon is equally telling as that which they explore in great numerical detail. Every scheme or model is reductive yet here one sees more than equalizing reduction of historical and cultural nuances. This is exactly the most disappointing feature of an otherwise great book.

Historical Writer.......2005-09-17

As a fiction writer dealing with Eastern Europe, I've found "Understanding Ethnic Violence" to be invaluable. No one who tries to understand the historical development in Eastern Europe should miss reading this book because it is by learning the origins and motivations of these ethnic divisions, can one understand, though not sanction, the actions of the current ethnic violence which persist to this day.
Unjust groups will always rouse up hatred. We can allay that anger by our understanding of their needs and the best way to meet them. This book not only explains the motivations, but also presents the difficult lessons we need to learn to prevent hatred from escalating. This book belongs on every leader's desk.

Why Did the Soviet Union Collapse?: Understanding Historical Change

Average customer rating:

Excellent Overview
One of the most important events of the late 20th century
Why Did the Soviet Union Collapse?

Why Did the Soviet Union Collapse?: Understanding Historical Change
Robert W. Strayer
Manufacturer: M.E. Sharpe
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0765600048

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Overview.......2004-12-15

Strayer's book is more than proposing one particular thesis as to why the USSR is no longer in existance. His book is more about using the events that happened between 1985 and 1991 (while keeping in mind the context of 1917-1985) to look at how a historian does his/her work. Rather than proposing one thesis and saying this is the reason for the collapse, Strayer examines a multitude of theses and discusses the pros and cons of each of them from a historians perspective.

I would recommend this book for two reasons, one if you want to know what events influenced the collapse of the USSR, this book does a good job (well documented too) of providing an overview of those events. From the rise of Gorbachev to the failed coup attempt. The second reason I would recommend this book is that from the perspective of a history teacher, Strayer gives an excellent opportunity to look at how historians analyze events and try to develop a thesis to fit those events. This book would serve as an excellent way to look at the historian's trade.

Overall, Strayer has given people several theses and the information to back those theses so that they can make up their own minds as to why the USSR is no longer around.

One of the most important events of the late 20th century.......2001-07-30

Robert Strayer does a wonderful job of communicating the changes in the Soviet Union, and the Communist Bloc, and foreshadwoing the eventual downfall of the role of communism. Strayer sets up the thesis of the book with a fairly in depth history of the Soviet Union following WWII, broken down by Presidents of the USSR. It is interesting to follow the major changes which occurred mainly at the powerful hands of the Soviet leaders during the Cold War. It is also very interesting to see such a silent, yet inevitably deadly, political pattern emerging -- hindsight is 20/20. This book is a great look at one of the most massive political changes in the 20th century.

Why Did the Soviet Union Collapse?.......2000-05-22

How did the Communists keep everyone under their thumb for 70 years? Actually, the trick was to let a tier in society have more absolute power than all the tsars put together & let them get away with murder, repression & deportation by the political millions. The demise of the USSR illustrates a large historical pattern - the process by which all human societies change, sometimes slow & unobtrusive, sometimes with the speed & impact of revolution. Good questions & some curious answers. Bit of a slog! Well worth the read, however! ....................

Understanding Mario Vargas Llosa (Understanding Modern European and Latin American Literature Series)

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Understanding Mario Vargas Llosa (Understanding Modern European and Latin American Literature Series)
Sara Castro-Klaren
Manufacturer: University of South Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0872498484

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