Great Books of the Western World (Great books of the Western world)(60 Volumes)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • The best of the best all in one volume
  • Poorly Organized
  • Great contents, but
  • Finest compilation of the writings of the most brilliant minds over the centuries past ever
  • Cost effective when you consider your options...
Great Books of the Western World (Great books of the Western world)(60 Volumes)

Manufacturer: Encyclopedia Britannica, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0852295316

Book Description

Information... Knowledge... Understanding... Wisdom...

From the ancient classics to the masterpieces of the 20th century, the Great Books are all the introduction you`ll ever need to the ideas, stories and discoveries that have shaped modern civilization. This collection of 517 classics in 60 beautifully bound volumes is color-coded into four subject categories: literature, history, philosophy, and science. And since this edition includes works from 20th century authors, it`s the most up-to-date collection of the Great Books ever.

Product Details

Reading and understanding great works by history`s outstanding minds has always been considered the substance of a liberal education. The Great Books of the Western World has been acclaimed as the greatest publishing venture of the 20th Century. The set now consists of 60 volumes, with 517 works by 130 authors spanning 30 centuries, on a total of 37,000 pages containing 29 million words. Among the Great Books` 130 authors, 47 are writers of imaginative literature; 29 are masters of mathematics and/or the natural sciences; 28 are historians or social scientists, and 28 or more are philosophers and/or theologians. (This totals 132 because William James and Alfred North Whitehead have made contributions in both of the latter two subject categories).

Volume Details

Volumes 1 and 2 of this collection is the Syntopicon, a unique two-volume guide (not sold separately) that enables you to investigate a particular idea and compare what different authors have to say about it. The Syntopicon comprises a new kind of reference work -- accomplishing for ideas what the dictionary accomplishes for words and the encyclopaedia accomplishes for facts. Also included is the Great Conversation, featuring fascinating background information, extensive timelines, photos, and quotes from the classic works and their authors.

Special colors on the Great Books` spines guide you quickly to the four subject areas - GREEN: Novels, Short Stories, Plays, and Poetry

Volume 3 Homer

Volume 4 Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripedes, Aristophanes

Volume 12 Virgil

Volume 19 Dante, Chaucer

Volume 22 Rabelais

Volume 24 Shakespeare l

Volume 25 Shakespeare ll

Volume 27 Cervantes

Volume 29 Milton

Volume 31 Molière, Racine

Volume 34 Swift, Voltaire, Diderot

Volume 45 Goethe, Balzac

Volume 46 Austen, George Eliot

Volume 47 Dickens

Volume 48 Melville, Twain

Volume 51 Tolstoy

Volume 52 Dostoevsky, Ibsen

Volume 59 Henry James, Shaw, Conrad, Chekhov, Pirandello, Proust, Cather, Mann, Joyce

Volume 60 Woolf, Kafka, Lawrence, T.S. Eliot, O`Neill, Fitzgerald, Faulkner, Brecht, Hemingway, Orwell, Beckett RED: Philosophy and Religion

Volume 6 Plato

Volume 7 Aristotle l

Volume 8 Aristotle ll

Volume 11 Lucretius, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Plotinus

Volume 16 Augustine

Volume 17 Aquinas l

Volume 18 Aquinas ll

Volume 20 Calvin

Volume 28 Bacon, Descartes, Spinoza

Volume 30 Pascal

Volume 33 Locke, Berkeley, Hume

Volume 39 Kant

Volume 43 Hegel, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche

Volume 55 William James, Bergson, Dewey, Whitehead, Russell, Heidegger, Wittgenstein, Barth BLUE: History, Politics, Economics, and Ethics

Volume 5 Herodotus, Thucydides

Volume 13 Plutarch

Volume 14 Tacitus

Volume 21 Machiavelli, Hobbes

Volume 23 Erasmus, Montaigne

Volume 35 Montesquieu, Rousseau

Volume 36 Adam Smith

Volume 37 Gibbon l

Volume 38 Gibbon ll

Volume 40 J. S. Mill

Volume 41 Boswell

Volume 44 Tocqueville

Volume 50 Marx, Engels

Volume 57 Veblen, Tawney, Keyne

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The best of the best all in one volume.......2007-08-18

These books are worth their weight in Gold. You can find most, if not all, of these writings for free on the internet since there is no copyright anymore; however, if you are looking for physical books then this is the way to go. Very well made and if you go to the Britannica website you may a good deal or at least a payment plan for the hefty price.

4 out of 5 stars Poorly Organized.......2007-08-15

I had heard of the Great Books Project some time ago but had never actually had a chance to see these translations until this past semester at my school library. They were located on the top floor right next to the bathroom so I sort stumbled into them by accident one night. After sifting through a few of these I can't say that I was anything other than supremely disapointed. It was a noble attempt on Adler's part but it just didn't pan out for a number of reasons.

I'm not one of these diversity crackpots and I personally think schools that use this collection (albeit losely) as a foundation for their curriculum (St. John's in Annapolis particularly) are vastly more rigorous, comprehensive, and rewarding than those of practically every other American University. Four years of science, three of mathematics, three of intensive Greek and French, weekly seminars in Western Literature and Philosophy. It's no wonder that this environment produces among the highest acceptance rates into top professional and graduate programs in the country.

However, as I mentioned before these schools use Adler's collection as more of a suggestion than anything else mostly because this hodgepodge of some 37,000 poorly translated and at times even obsolete pages of loseleaf paper couldn't possibly offer the coherence required of a college program.

To be fair though this was not Adler's intention with this collection. Still, one is left wondering what exactly Adler's intention was with all of this. One would assume that the intention was to get these books into as many homes and minds as possible. That's a great idea in principle but if folks aren't interest in reading these books individually what would lead you to believe that assembling them in one giant mass makes them more intriguing? Certainly he couldn't have done this to make the books more affordable ($1000+)...oh dear God, I believe he did.

I found the translations to be cumbersome, utterly oblivious to the language of the author's time and location, and unnecessarily small in size. Oh and the paper is of extremely low quality as well at least in the series I read out of.

These are all problems but what I find most unfortunate is the lack of coherence to the whole thing. First off, WHERE are the history books? Aside from the two big Greeks there are absolutely none to be found in the entire collection. Tens of thousands of pages with no history whatsoever to put any of into context for the young reader who I'll assume is the target audience of this collection.

Secondly, I support the attempt to expose the general public to the beauty of mathematics and especially science. But seriously, is there any point in adding something like Newton's Principia to this collection other than to show off? Really, what percentage of the population can make sense of a book like that? Cambridge prints short introductory texts to dozens of subjects in the sciences that are more relavent to that 99.99% of the population that doesn't have an advanced degree in Physics of Mathematics. Next.

Third, if you're selecting works based on influence then how do people like Kierkegaard, Marx and Nietzsche only get one of work apeice included whereas folks like Chaucer, Pascal and Ibsen get numerous selections? How can it be that Pascal has had more influence than a man whose philosophy spawned worldwide panic, violence and revolution for most of the 20th Century?

Finally, if you're going to try and produce a comprehensive collection of the Greatest the Western World has produced why not select each authors most notable contributions to that legacy. Nobody remembers Thomas Mann for "Death and Venice." Nobody remembers Joyce for "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man."

But then again I could be wrong. Regardless, I am still going to give this book 4 stars for fighting the good fight against relativism, multiculturalism and the general degeneration of the human race.

4 out of 5 stars Great contents, but.......2006-09-01

Bid a new set from ebay and it arrived in two boxes. It has great contents, but:

1) The books are small in dimension, so print is small and not easy to read.

2) The paper is thin.

3) Need more pictures.

4) Some volumes are quite thin. It will be better either adding more contents, or combine volumes to make the whole set more manageable.

5) The set is listed at $1,195, which translates to about $20 per volume. Judging from the quality of the book, printing quality should be no more than $5 per volume. They should reduce price to make it more accessible.

5 out of 5 stars Finest compilation of the writings of the most brilliant minds over the centuries past ever.......2006-08-17

These books were first published in 1952. Only 500 sets were published that year, a Private Library Collection it was called, and sold for $500.00 per set. My father was one of the original purchasers, and he passed them down to me when he died. (It's still even in its original custom made bookcase!)
This entire set contains the writings of the most brilliant minds over the centuries past, carefully compiled by the publishers, with a ten-year reading plan that will give the reader the most valuable of all gifts: knowledge. A must-read for any true scholar!

5 out of 5 stars Cost effective when you consider your options..........2006-03-14

Regardless of minor squabbling over what should and shouldn't be included, this is a very good collection of western works. I'd call it great in fact, when you consider the amount you'd have to pay to purchase all these seperate, not to mention all the wading you'd do through some not-so-necessary reads.

Insert the rest of a 'look how big my words can be' and 'I read this while still in the womb' review here. I'm not feeling up to the pomp.
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.
How to Think About the Great Ideas: From the Great Books of Western Civilization
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • How to Think About the Great Ideas by Mortimer Adler
  • A great "Cliff Notes" version of Adler arguments
  • Basic introduction to some of Adler's Great Ideas.
  • Enlightening history and nice reference
  • Summary Without Loss of Depth
How to Think About the Great Ideas: From the Great Books of Western Civilization
Mortimer J. Adler
Manufacturer: Open Court
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0812694120

Book Description

Time magazine called Mortimer J. Adler a "philosopher for everyman." In this guide to considering the big questions, Adler addresses the topics all men and women ponder in the course of life, such as "What is love?", "How do we decide the right thing to do?", and, "What does it mean to be good?" Drawing on his extensive knowledge of Western literature, history, and philosophy, the author considers what is meant by democracy, law, emotion, language, truth, and other abstract concepts in light of more than two millennia of Western civilization and discourse. Adler's essays offer a remarkable and contemplative distillation of the Great Ideas of Western Thought.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars How to Think About the Great Ideas by Mortimer Adler.......2004-06-20

This is an excellent book for academicians, journalists, historians,
philosophers, linquists and a whole host of thinkers in the
arts and sciences. The author discusses theoretic universals
in some level of detail. For instance, he roughly equates
consistency with truth. In mathematics, a proof is not complete
without enough consistent examples of an application and no
deviations from the theorem. The author discusses the distinction
between knowledge and opinion. He states succinctly that ignorance can be preferable to academic errors. In addition, he points out that opinions are accepted voluntarily. Emotions are
likened to instinct in that they are not learned. Freud discussed things to avoid; namely, bad love, pride and too much
reliance on monetary things to the exclusion of aesthetics.
The good thing is desirable over the bad. Goods are classified
into wealth, goods of the body, goods of the soul or spiritual
domain, knowledge, truth and wisdom which is the highest
form of knowing. Children spend much time learning skills;
while adults and elders develop and impart wisdom. Learning is
discovery and discussion. We learn things in the natural sciences
by observing them in a lab. For instance, a drop of blood may
be examined under the microscope for specific characteristics.
A frog may be dissected and examined under the microscope to
learn more about the vital organs-their placement and functioning.
This book is a wonderful acquisition for a continued discussion of philosophical, theoretical and scientific techniques and processes. It is a good value for the price charged.

5 out of 5 stars A great "Cliff Notes" version of Adler arguments.......2003-03-24

I found this book very helpful.

I was introduced to Adler's writing about a year ago and have read 4-5 of his books, his two autobiographies, and 30 or so of his papers through the TGI website with Max W.

This book is a great summary of basic ideas in very accessible manner, such as: definition of truth; the moral *obligation* not just the right, to be controversial; crystalization of Adler's arguments against Darwin of why man's mental capabiliteis are a difference in kind and not degree from apes and other animals, etc.

The consice presentation clarified earlier readings and more than made up for any shortcomings due to editoral sloppiness, lack of charts, and difficulty in general with transcripts of a TV show.

A good book for those just beginning their reading of Adler's summary and critique of philosophy and a good reference summary book for those well read with Adler's books.

Paul Baier
Boston, MA

3 out of 5 stars Basic introduction to some of Adler's Great Ideas........2002-05-04

Each chapter represents one program and most consist of a dialogue of sorts between Adler and Luckman, with Adler also answering viewer questions. But as it must already be clear what this book is, I will seek to establish why I gave it only three stars. Firstly, because Amazon does not permit assigning 3 and 1/2 stars. Second, that it is rather long considering how much there is to actually gain from it. The number of subjects that he attempts to cover reduces most of the discussions to a rather elementary introduction. This is good in the sense that it might whet the appetite, before you might get bored by a tedious analysis, but often you get a sense that Adler's final word is good enough before he moves on. Some of the brevity and incompleteness is a function of the presentation, and this limits how much you might actually gain in understanding the topics. The accurate presentation of dialogue adds nothing to the book. Probably it would be most interesting to those who are fond of Dr. Adler and like reading his other books. It is hard to recommend another book that would fulfill the same function that this one does, and this is the first of his that I've read.

5 out of 5 stars Enlightening history and nice reference.......2002-01-17

This work is a handy reference to which I refer often. Adler provides a very useful "history of ideas". Each section covers what the some of the greatest thinkers have said about a particular idea, ideas such as "justice", "knowledge", "truth","God", etc. This book is a must if one wants to get a quick "birds eye" view of ideas and what great thinkers have said about them, and provides a nice springboard and direction for further study.

5 out of 5 stars Summary Without Loss of Depth.......2001-07-04

How do you summarize a summary of 2500 years of thought? Great! Mortimer Adler was one of the greatest philosophers of the 20th Century, primarily because of the literally ecyclopaedic nature of his knowledge. I say literally encyclopaedic because he edited the Encyclopaedia Britanica and wrote The Synopticon, a summary of Western philosophy, among the scores of other books bearing his name. He is best known for popularizing the Great Books theory of education. This is based on his own original reseach distilling the essence of Western Thought into 102 "Great Ideas." How To Think About The Great Ideas is a condensation of transcipts of a popular TV show of the 1950's, but the superficiality such an origin suggests does not permeate the book. The TV show covered only 21 of the great ideas, while the book deals with about half of the 102. The somewhat colloquial style will surprise readers who may have read Aristotle, Decartes, or Kant in full. We are not accustomed to hearing about philosophy from TV. But the simplicity of the presentation only serves to heighten the clarity of the ideas. The Great Ideas which you struggled over in college really can be discussed in ordinary language, and this is the real achievement of this book. The ideas build from the basic question of "What is truth?" to a consideration of the nature of man, human freedom, society and even a review of the arguments for the existence of God. Adler himself came to faith from agnositicism in his 80's before his recent death at the age of 98. Even so, the book is more of an invitation than an argument. It is best approached as a string of pearls, a series of thoughtful but isolated studies, rather than an essay in how to approach life or a true philosophical treatise. Refer to the Synopticon the academic treatment. But Adler never wrote just for academics. He believed philosphy is for everyone, and this book proves it. Now that Mortimer Adler has recently passed away, How To Think About The Great Ideas will remain as his exortation for all of us to lead thoughful lives.
The Book Of The Medieval Knight
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • The Book of the Medieval Knight
  • Great book
  • A nice coffee-table book....
  • interesting, but Anglocentric
  • A great read and a fascinating subject
The Book Of The Medieval Knight
Stephen Turnbull
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

IrishIrish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | England | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
MedievalMedieval | England | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
MedievalMedieval | Ireland | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
WesternWestern | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Military | History | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | World | History | Subjects | Books
MedievalMedieval | World | History | Subjects | Books
Social HistorySocial History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1854092642

Book Description

Fearless in battle, gracious in victory, knights lived their lives on a heroic scale, during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Vividly retold with superb color and black-and-white photographs and illustrations. "...fantastic...recommend this book most highly....Excellent...."--Midwest Wargamer's Assoc. .... "Superbly illustrated...outstanding....Glorious full-color photographs...exquisite and informative study."--BRAVO.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The Book of the Medieval Knight.......2002-07-31

Absolutely a must-have book, filled from cover to cover with archetecture, heraldry, manuscripts, effigies, and statues. It provides an in-depth look at the High Middle Ages... the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. There is also quite a large bit dedicated to the political evolution of the time. This is a fantastic book!!

5 out of 5 stars Great book.......2001-01-02

First off, this book is of the medieval knight and therefore spends most of its time covering English and French History. So, I'm not sure where these comments come from wanting middle eastern knights. They weren't knights. They had different names.

The scope of this book covers the Hundred Years War to the aftermath of the Wars of the Roses . . . expect to cover mostly French and English History, as these were the two cultures who began the chivalric code and were the main players during that era.

While it's true that there were knights in other areas of western and eastern Europe, they all emulated the French and the English. That's why Turnbull spent his time with these two countries.

If you want a similar example to THE MEDIEVAL KNIGHT but hate anglocentric History, check out his THE BOOK OF THE SAMURAI or even THE MONGOLS. Just stop whining! :D

3 out of 5 stars A nice coffee-table book...........2000-06-10

While this book is oversized, making it good for having lots of pictures, the material inside is very much a treatise into european knighthood only, addressing almost not at all middle eastern, eastern soviet, or asian thoughts and ideas.

But, it does have good pictures.

3 out of 5 stars interesting, but Anglocentric.......2000-01-23

I am not a military historian, though I spent a good portion of my life wishing to study military and medieval history. I was delighted to find this book in a random L.A. bookstore, and I'm still happy I picked it up.

It's lavishly illustrated with photos, drawings and the like; I found it a pleasant and interesting overview of knights in medieval England and, to some extent, France.

And that's where the 3-stars rating comes in. Please take this with a grain of salt--but I would guess that this book succeeds in evaluating knighthood in England more than anywhere else. If it sought to perform the same function for European knights in general, this Anglocentric presentation didn't succeed. Mind you, where the background exists, it's fairly detailed. But I would have liked to see this scholarship extended to more of continental Europe. If you're looking for anything on the Germans, forget it.

Other than that, a nice addition to my (growing) collection of military history books.

5 out of 5 stars A great read and a fascinating subject.......2000-01-06

An entertaining, interesting and very informative read, the text is enthusiastic and intelligent, the illustrations and photos help you to see what the author is talking about and keep your interest. I would definitely recommend the book to anyone interested in this subject or any artists looking for accurate medieval reference material.
Great Books of the Western World (54 Volumes)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Critique
Great Books of the Western World (54 Volumes)

Manufacturer: Encyclopaedia Britannica
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 085229476X

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Critique.......2007-08-24

These books are NOT by Robert Maynard Hutchins. Mortimer Adler was the editor of this project. Hutchins wrote an introduction in Volume 1.

If you follow the 5-year plan included in the first volumes of this set, you will benefit immensely in later life. There is simply too much knowledge here to quantify, and the vast majority of it is worth reading.
Great Books Of The Western World - 54 Volume Set, Incl. 10 Vols of Great Ideas Program & 3 Great Ideas Today (1966, 1967, 1968)
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Great Books Of The Western World - 54 Volume Set, Incl. 10 Vols of Great Ideas Program & 3 Great Ideas Today (1966, 1967, 1968)
    Robert Maynard - editor in chief; Encyclopedia Britannica Hutchins
    Manufacturer: Encyclopedia Britannica
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover
    ASIN: B000IY6A6G
    The Principles of Psychology (Britannica Great Books of the Western World, 53)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      The Principles of Psychology (Britannica Great Books of the Western World, 53)

      Manufacturer: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover
      ASIN: B000GKW67O
      Great Books of the Western World, Vol. 14 - Plutarch (The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans - The Dryden Translation)
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Great Books of the Western World, Vol. 14 - Plutarch (The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans - The Dryden Translation)
        Robert Maynard (editor) Hutchins
        Manufacturer: William Benton
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover
        ASIN: B000L3QMIK
        The Works of Aristotle, Vol II (Great Books of the Western World, Vol. 9)
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          The Works of Aristotle, Vol II (Great Books of the Western World, Vol. 9)

          Manufacturer: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover
          ASIN: B000EA0ROU
          Samuel Pepys and the Second Dutch War: Pepy's Navy White Book and Brooke House Papers (Navy Records Society Publications)
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Samuel Pepys and the Second Dutch War: Pepy's Navy White Book and Brooke House Papers (Navy Records Society Publications)
            Samuel Pepys , and Navy Records Society (Great Britain)
            Manufacturer: Navy Records Society
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Hardcover

            IrishIrish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
            NetherlandsNetherlands | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | England | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
            Tudor & StuartTudor & Stuart | England | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Ireland | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
            NavalNaval | Military | History | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | World | History | Subjects | Books
            RenaissanceRenaissance | World | History | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Ships | Transportation | World | History | Subjects | Books
            ASIN: 1859281362

            Books:

            1. Guide to Literary Agents 2007 (Guide to Literary Agents)
            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. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
            6. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
            7. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
            8. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
            9. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
            10. Hold'em Wisdom for all Players

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