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.

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A textbook, with pluses and minuses

Wildlife Issues In A Changing World
Michael P. Moulton
Manufacturer: Lewis Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1566703514

Book Description

Students of conservation encounter some of the most complex issues on our planet. The resolution of existing problems become more complex when humans create further stresses on the natural balance. Moulton and Sanderson brought the challenging issues in wildlife conservation into greater clarity in Wildlife Issues in a Changing World. The Second Edition of this definitive reference focuses more closely on the causes of wildlife issues. The examination of Jared Diamond's "Evil Quartet" (the four principal causes of extinction) provides a framework for categorizing and resolving these issues. The authors encourage the use of the scientific method basis for resolution - especially where environmental laws have failed. The three new chapters provide further counterpoints to preconceived notions. A two-part history of wildlife in the U.S. shows how wildlife had already been decimated by the year 1900. "Can Humans Manage Wildlife?" questions efforts to revive endangered species, acts which may inadvertently jeopardize the survival of other life. Viewing the natural order from prehistoric times to the present, Wildlife Issues in a Changing World, Second Edition gives students and instructors an all-encompassing introduction to past relations between humans and nature; explorations of current threats to species and their habitats; and recent "novel solutions," where humanity and industry have made adjustments to protect the natural order. Professionals will also find invaluable reminders of the importance of their work - the continuation and endurance of wildlife everywhere on Earth.

Customer Reviews:

A textbook, with pluses and minuses.......2006-09-30

Wildlife Issues in a Changing World is a textbook on... wildlife issues! There is an emphasis on the United States, but there are a good number of international examples as well. I really like the chapters on the Evil Quartet, what is wildlife, and what are wildlife issues. As I use this book in my courses, I depend on it as a source of wildlife issue examples, supplemented with DVDs and videos (to "bring" wildlife into the classroom).

It is, in general, a hard book for students. I don't mean hard in terms of the materials. It is well-written, and rather easy to read. It is hard to use to study for tests. I tell students that it compliments the lectures, and doesn't repeat them. Students tend to complain that it has too many examples, so the "themes" that they are tested on are difficult to find.

I still find it the best text for my purposes for a general course with primarily non-natural resource students. I like it for its price as well.

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A Magnificent Guide
Interesting Introduction to a Strange Work
Brilliant

The Real Rule of Four
Joscelyn Godwin
Manufacturer: Disinformation Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1932857087

Book Description

Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason's The Rule of Four is already a bookselling phenomenon. The Ivy League super-achievers drew upon an authentic 1499 Renaissance text to create their thriller about two Princeton undergraduates who try to unravel the mysteries of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (pronounced "HIP-ne-RO-to-MA-kia PO-li-FEE-li").

The Hypnerotomachia Poliphiliis an erotic, pagan epic, written in a private language peppered with words taken from Latin and Greek and decorated with Egyptian hieroglyphs. It was not translated into English for 500 years, until 1999, when Joscelyn Godwin finally achieved that near-impossible task.

In The Real Rule of Four, Professor Godwin carefully investigates each aspect of the history of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili and its use in The Rule of Four, including:

What is the Hypnerotomachia?
Who wrote the Hypnerotomachia? (A central theme of The Rule of Four)
What does the Hypnerotomachia mean?
Places and people in The Rule of Four
Glossary of names and terms in The Rule of Four

Lavishly illustrated with reproductions of the many beautiful woodcuts in the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, a fold-out color map and photographs of the featured locations at Princeton University, The Real Rule of Four is an indispensable guide to the many fans of Caldwell and Thomason's best-selling novel.

Joscelyn Godwin was a scholar of Magdalene College, Cambridge, and holds a PhD from Cornell University. Since 1971 he has taught at Colgate University, where he is a professor of music. In 1999 Godwin published the first complete English translation of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, called "a masterpiece of clarity and scholarship" by Andrew Graham-Dixon in the London Daily Telegraph. Godwin's other books include Harmonies of Heaven and Earth, Music and the Occult, Arktos: The Polar Myth, The Theosophical Enlightenment and The Pagan Dream of the Renaissance.

Customer Reviews:

A Magnificent Guide.......2005-08-03

Any best-seller nowadays can be expected to generate a side industry of books, films, computer games, plastic toys and so on, trying to capitalize on the success of the original. It would be a great mistake, however, to dismiss Joscelyn Godwin's magnificent guide as just a spin-off from the success of the Rule of Four. For one thing, its author not only follows but also preceded the novel, because as author of the only modern English translation of Francesco Colonna's Hypnerotomachia Poliphili he provided the best source of knowledge of the inspiration for the Rule of Four available to people who don't read mediaeval Italian.

It would have been easy, and perhaps tempting, for a scholar of Godwin's knowledge and ability to be patronizing about the Rule of Four, concentrating on correcting its errors and misinterpretations and on displaying his own superior understanding of the Hypnerotomachia, but Godwin does not do that. On the contrary, his attitude to the novel is thoroughly generous and positive. He starts by assuring us that the Hypnerotomachia is a real book, not a fictional invention of Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason, explains its importance in the history of typography and erotic literature, and describes what it is all about. He goes on to analyse the structure -- unusually complex for a popular novel -- of the Rule of Four, and to examine the evidence for the identity of the real author of the Hypnerotomachia. In this his conclusion is different from that reached in the Rule of Four, but he does not dismiss other possibilities as absurd. He describes the historical context in which the Hypnerotomachia was written, including the famous "bonfire of the vanities" of Savonarola. Finally he analyses what the Hypnerotomachia is really all about, and explains all the literary, historical and geographical name-dropping that occurs in the Rule of Four.

All in all, this is an indispensable guide, written by an outstanding expert, for anyone interested in reading the Rule of Four in more than the most superficial way.

Interesting Introduction to a Strange Work.......2005-05-02

Joscelyn Godwin has published a number of excellent books, the most important of which is probably his first ever English translation of the famous and mysterious Renaissance epic, the "Hypnerotomachia Poliphili". This book, with its clouded origins and hidden meaning, forms the basis of the novel "The Rule of Four" which has managed to work itself onto bestseller lists on the coattails of "The Da Vinci Code", though its obscure esocteric subject is much less controversial. Here Godwin explores the origins and authorship of the "Hypnerotomachia" in detail for the layreader and provides much interesting insight into this most beautiful and strange book.

The "Hypnerotomachia" was published in Venice by the famous Renaissance humanist printer Aldus Manutius in 1499 and has intrigued and confounded readers and scholars alike for 500 years. Godwin first gives an overview of the book's plot and discusses the 172 beautiful woodcut engravings that have made the book so fascinating to five centuries of readers. The book is filled with long and painstakingly detailed descriptions of architecture, statues, parades, ruins, pagan rituals, and beautiful, ethereal, naked nymphs and goddesses. In fact, it is this rather blatant erotic element that has certainly helped to make the book so popular. This scandalous aspect of the book made it so popular in fact, that today it is almost impossible to find original copies with all of its engravings intact or without censorship. Godwin also discusses at length the controversy regarding the authorship of the tome, today largely accepted by scholars and historians as the Venetian monk Francesco Colonna. "The Rule of Four", Godwin points out, makes great use of fictional elements of the famous book, inventing codes and ciphers that are reputed to hide secret knowledge in its voluminous pages. Godwin emphasizes that despite these fictional inventions that help make "The Rule of Four" entertaining, the real Hypnerotomachia is just as interesting without them.

Godwin has written an engaging and accessible book on a difficult and bizarre work. He has helped to clear up many of the mysteries that have clouded the famous book and its author and given fans of "The Rule of Four" more detail and information on the events, places, and people found in that novel. This book is a must for anyone who enjoyed "The Rule of Four" and is looking to delve deeper into the strange world of Poliphilo and his dream quest for the elusive Polia.

Brilliant.......2005-01-04

Perhaps Professor Godwin ought to have written the novel himself! Certainly, by translating into English the entire text of the "Hypnoerotomachia Poliphilli", he was the condicio sine qua non for "The Rule of Four". I recommend this guide wholeheartedly, it is brilliant.

English for the Real World (LL(R) Eng for the Real World)

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English for the Real World (LL(R) Eng for the Real World)
Living Language
Manufacturer: Living Language
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1400020875
Release Date: 2004-04-20

Making Sense: A Real-World Rhetorical Reader

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Making Sense: A Real-World Rhetorical Reader
Cheryl Glenn
Manufacturer: Bedford/St. Martin's
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ASIN: 0312413114

The Real History Behind the Da Vinci Code

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Comprehensive and concise guide, a good starting point
This book was a good idea, but I wish it had been written by an historian
Well organized and entertaining historical study
a mistake is a mistake is a mistake
Good ideas, but

The Real History Behind the Da Vinci Code
Sharan Newman
Manufacturer: Berkley Trade
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Moleskine Pocket Ruled Notebook

ASIN: 0425200124

Amazon.com

Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code caused a huge sensation when it came out in 2003. The book, a modern twist on the Holy Grail quest, has sold over 20 million copies in 42 languages. It claimed to reveal an extraordinary alternate history of the Western world, including the existence of Jesus Christ's surviving bloodline, which was protected for 2,000 years by a secret society called the Priory of Sion. The question is: How much of the novel is true? Not a lot, according to Sharan Newman, a medieval novelist and scholar. Her book, The Real History Behind the Da Vinci Code, investigates the historical figures, places, and events behind Brown's thriller. While The Da Vinci Code is a great yarn, she writes, it makes numerous factual distortions and was largely inspired by another book, Holy Blood, Holy Grail, that is far from credible.

The real Priory of Sion, Newman writes, was founded in the 1950s by a French far-right extremist named Pierre Plantard, who tried to pass himself off as a descendant of Dagobert II and, therefore, as the rightful king of France. Newman writes that French historians have discredited Plantard's claims as a hoax. In The Da Vinci Code, the Priory is said to have been led by an illustrious line of grand masters, including Leonardo Da Vinci. Newman writes that Leonardo, while certainly a genius, was famously erratic, undependable, and easily distracted--far too flaky, she suggests, to be chosen to lead any group, let alone one supposedly as secret and important as the Priory. Newman says The Da Vinci Code also makes basic mistakes about Parisian geography, the layout of the Louvre museum, and important facts of French and biblical history. So did Jesus have children? Newman says there is no evidence for that either. Overall, her book is a salient reminder that fiction is sometimes just that. --Alex Roslin

Book Description

Millions have been enthralled by The Da Vinci Code's fascinating historical speculations-and the blockbuster novel's audience has also made bestsellers of several books offering to separate the facts from the fiction. This comprehensive, encyclopedic volume is written by an acclaimed medievalist-and takes an objective, history-based approach to the phenomenon and the questions it has raised.

The Real History Behind the Da Vinci Code gives easy-to-find, clear answers about the people, places, and events that play roles in Dan Brown's tantalizing thriller in a lively, encyclopedic format-shedding new light on some of the deepest mysteries of the Dark Ages.

Further, the author has visited all of the sites in France and England which are settings in The Da Vinci Code, offering unprecedented insight into these locations--for armchair travellers, or for fans who wish to go and visit these sites themselves.

Download Description

"Millions have been enthralled by The Da Vinci Code's fascinating historical speculations-and the blockbuster novel's audience has also made bestsellers of several books offering to separate the facts from the fiction. This comprehensive, encyclopedic volume is written by an acclaimed medievalist-and takes an objective, history-based approach to the phenomenon and the questions it has raised. The Real History Behind the Da Vinci Code gives easy-to-find, clear answers about the people, places, and events that play roles in Dan Brown's tantalizing thriller in a lively, encyclopedic format-shedding new light on some of the deepest mysteries of the Dark Ages. Further, the author has visited all of the sites in France and England which are settings in The Da Vinci Code, offering unprecedented insight into these locations--for armchair travellers, or for fans who wish to go and visit these sites themselves."

Customer Reviews:

Comprehensive and concise guide, a good starting point.......2007-05-05

I like "The Real History Behind the Da Vinci Code" for two reasons. One, the author Sharan Newman does not appear to have a personal agenda spurred by either religious-based outrage or insecurities, as is the case with most other authors in their `Debunking the Da Vinci Code' literary tirades. Two, it is one of the more comprehensive books that address the issues of controversy in Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code". In scope, it goes beyond the usual Jesus-Mary (Magdelene)-bloodline-Da Vinci that has become a cliché with those authors. For Christian lobbyists, lobbyist groups and believers that were suckered into their band wagons, that's all "The Da Vinci Code" is about. But it is more than that.

Newman has the right attitude towards "The Da Vinci Code". It is fiction, and she treats it as such. She does not go out of the way, as those other authors have done (because they have treated it as a factual work), to attack the book and its author. True, Dan Brown encouraged the controversy by purporting "The Da Vinci Code" as fact, but she keeps the focus on the subjects in the book and not on the author. In short, she does not get personal. But rather academic. For each subject, she references the details in "The Da Vinci Code" where it appears, after which she presents the actual background and brief history (before Dan Brown re-shaped it for "The Da Vinci Code") in its true context.

The book is a good read. She gives every subject its own stand-alone chapter (Priory of Scion, Templars, Mary Magdelene, Da Vinci, Opus Dei, etc.). Each is a set of basic information but as brief as you would expect in an overview. I will not debate the author's authority on the topics she addressed. (FYI, the author's background is in medieval literature and history.) True, she does not go in-depth enough, and maybe she is not thorough in her efforts. But she compensates for that with a bibliography list at the end of every chapter, citing more than several sources so that you the reader can look up for more information.

But don't rely only on "The Real History Behind the Da Vinci Code" book to address everything that's in "The Da Vinci Code". There are others out there that are like Newman's but offer a different perspective. But I recommend staying away from books that limit its scope only to Jesus, Mary Magdelene, bloodline and Da Vinci. Those reveal more about the inner state of the authors: uptightness, outrage and impaired mindset blinded by personal convictions. Newman's book is a good starting point.

This book was a good idea, but I wish it had been written by an historian.......2007-02-14

Sharan Newman is clearly a very entertaining writer. I appreciate the style here (although at times I was longing for less of the one-liners and more of an excitingly scholarly approach) and I appreciate enormously her intentions in writing this book. But ultimately this book failed to do more than give a brief snippet addressing each alphabetised topic.

Let me give a few examples. Freemasonry is treated in six short pages. (Each page, by the way, is VERY short, with considerable space between each line - we are not talking about a taxing amount to read!) The Fibonacci series gets two and a half pages. Les Dossiers Secrets, two pages. The Dead Sea Scrolls, three and a half pages. Leonardo da Vinci, six pages. Dagobert, three and a half pages (and Ms Newman spends most of that time explaining how confusing it is when there's more than one Dagobert among the Merovingian kings, which is like writing a potted history of Queen Elizabeth II and spending half of that history telling one's readers that this queen is not to be confused with Queen Elizabeth I). And so on... and so on...

My major feeling, on reading these short entries, was that Ms Newman had done a lot of secondary reading, and jotted down a few brief notes that pleased her as she was reading. I did not have the impression she knew in any degree of depth the topics mentioned. Without exception, Ms Newman appears to have read translations rather than originals, for instance - and it's obvious she has not looked at the actual source material of the Gospel of Philip, for instance, for she falls into the trap of saying that this piece of writing said that Jesus kissed Mary Magdalene "presumably on the mouth". The text does not say that, and the only presumption that the text says this is based upon translations that happily fill in with whatever suits the purpose of the translator, hardly a scholarly approach and certainly not one which can be used as a supporting argument.

I was taken aback to read that Ms Newman says "I read the sources fairly closely" when she discussed Gregory the Great. Read the sources FAIRLY CLOSELY? Good lord. When one is writing a book of this nature (i.e., a book focusing on correcting historical misinformation that is affecting so many people), one does not read "fairly closely". An amateur reads "fairly closely - a professional historian spends (hopefully) years gaining in-depth and comparative information from the primary sources, and keeps up to date with other informed writing by scholars. (Or one reads the sources with the attention, depth and speed of a fiend.) Anything less is not doing justice to the purpose.

I would very much like to have given a higher rating than three. But three is fair in view of the lack of depth and in view of the occasional historical error here. I do recommend the book as a beginning point for further study, but the further study HAS to be undertaken by the reader in order to gain anything other than a Cliff's Notes view of the topics.

Well organized and entertaining historical study.......2006-11-10

For the organization by topic alone, this book is a very good study for anyone who has been interested in the Da Vinci code history. The author of _Real History_ organizes the work into sections on various details of history to which the Da Vinci Code refers. Each topic is covered in sufficient detail to give the reader a sense of what is known and what is not known about the past. Bringing it all out into the light helps the reader make a more educated approach to the topics and allows them to make their own decisions about what to believe. Mrs. Newman is an accomplished author of historical fiction as well and her talent for making history entertaining is not lost here. A very good ready reference or as an historical primer, this book will find use in your library.

a mistake is a mistake is a mistake.......2006-06-26

I really wonder how anybody can praise Sharan Newman as an acclaimed medieval historian. Although Jewish herself she got almost all the dates about the Jews' expulsion from different European countries wrong. Apart from that she created a pope that never existed, mixed up two English queens (Eleonore of Aquitaine and of Castille), and the best friend and advisor of Constantine the Great with his confessor at his deathbed (who was a stout critic of him) just because they shared the same first name. Furthermore she bungled up the Mithras symbolism as well as the Isis-Osiris-Myth. To my knowledge Temple Church in London is one of the few buildings that never went up in flames - the templars simply gave it up because it became too crowded there. And these are just some of the major mistakes apart from the almost countless minor ones. For someone who set out to set Dan Brown right this is downright inexcusable.
I also detected the tendency to sift through all the facts but present in the end only those that fit her view of the world. Especially regarding the sacred feminine she shies away from proper scientific historical work and barricades herself behind sarcasm which does not suit a female historian at all.
In a book like this I would expect to get all the facts with the clearly marked opinion of the author as a kind of crux or essence. But Sharan Newman leaves important theories and facts out or presents only the versions she approves of - this is no scientific way to work and unworthy of a real historian who is worth her title.
The same unfortunately holds true for the books she recommends for further reading. There is a lot more good and reliable stuff around but that, alas, differs too much from her worldview, it seems. Maybe she just wants to please her American readers, spare them hard or hurt feelings, especially where religion comes in? For Europeans who seem to set higher standards regarding the accurate account of their history and are maybe less biased when reading about goddesses her work is inacceptable. There was so much potential. What a pity is was wasted and distorted like this.

Good ideas, but.......2006-06-25

The ideas in the book I found interesting, but that could not make me forgot about how it was written. I am not sure wether to kick the author or the editor - or perhaps both for doing such a shoddy job. I am not going to bore you with the mistakes, let it suffice that there are too many to make the book really interesting or really reliable. If someone is looking for information and ends up reading this they are worse off than before. This is only interesting to people who know the background already - but then, why would you bother reading something if you already knwo the contents.This could have done with a good editor to make it readable.

The Legal Framework for Water Users' Associations: A Comparative Study (World Bank Technical Paper)

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The Legal Framework for Water Users' Associations: A Comparative Study (World Bank Technical Paper)
Salman M. A. Salman
Manufacturer: World Bank Publications
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Welcome To The Real World (Red Dress Ink Novels)

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Not up to par with most of Matthews' novels
Stretch from Reality
Is the title meant to be ironic? (2 1/2 stars)
Awesome one again :)
Enjoyable Romantic Fantasy

Welcome To The Real World (Red Dress Ink Novels)
Carole Matthews
Manufacturer: Red Dress Ink
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0373895909

Book Description

Scraping by for years on pub gigs and odd jobs, Fern Kendal has always suspected she might actually have a decent voice. But caring for her feuding parents and sickly nephew took all her energy--until now. During one crazy week, she lands a spot on the reality television talent show Fame Game and a glam new job as personal assistant to world-famous singer Evan David.

Fern's handsome new boss lives in the spotlight, but memories of a childhood tragedy keep Evan from truly enjoying all he's achieved. Though flanked by a hovering entourage and adoring fans, he feels isolated and set apart. That is, until free-spirited Fern is added to the mix. Though she can't seem to master her assistant duties, Fern brings a rare smile to Evan's face and makes him long to rejoin the real world.

Through a twist of fate, Evan becomes the newest judge on Fame Game, a sour note for Fern, who has reasons for keeping her ambitions under wraps. She goes on the run, but Evan can't forget her, and thus begins the adventure of a lifetime--both onstage and off!

Customer Reviews:

Not up to par with most of Matthews' novels.......2006-11-29

Fern has aspirations of making it in the entertainment world. Barely scraping by doing double duty with her job as a bartender and crooner at the local pub, she reluctantly takes a day job as personal assistant to temperamental germ-phobic opera singer Evan David, to whom she soon becomes attracted. When her partner Carl asks her to audition with him for the Fame Game (think American Idol, or since this is the UK, Pop Idol), she does not hesitate to play hooky. When the show offers her a solo opportunity, Carl steps aside and tells her to take the plunge. Then the unthinkable happens ~ Evan is chosen as one of the Fame Game judges, and knowing his stand on wanna-bes, Fern gets cold feet and flees the live show.

Matthews just keeps churning them out, and her writing this time out is a bit stale, and the plot contrived. The plotting is slow - why the two of these characters think they are in love with each other is beyond me - they only interact in about 1/4 of the entire story, and both spend more time in bed with others.

I usually love her novels, but this time out, I can only give it a lukewarm recommendation. The plot, while interesting, fails to spark much interest, and the romance is just not non-existent. While I expect happily ever afters in romance novels, this one was just a little too pat. Just not what you expect from such an accomplished author. More like she phoned this one in.

Stretch from Reality.......2006-11-22

I'm avid Red Dress Ink reader so overall I enjoyed reading the book but there were situations where I found it to be a far stretch from reality.
For example, the situation with Fern's parents, especially her dad's behavior. Her job as an assistant which she didnt even do for at least a week and her string of bad lucks with her job & her house. It's a possibility but not to the extreme like that
The one thing that bothered me was that Fern & Evans did not even spend that much time together. Maybe a week at the most and most of the 400 page book goes on with their own separate stories. It wouldve been better if they had spend more time together.

Is the title meant to be ironic? (2 1/2 stars).......2006-11-20

Fern Kendal is a barmaid at King's Head pub. Her dream is to be a professional singer, but until then, she belts out tunes with Carl as her backup for a few extra bucks. She lives in a shabby apartment and has befriended the mouse that lives within her walls. Her mom has left her dad after forty years and appears to have taken up with her new boss, Mr. Patel. Fern's dad has now decided he has Tourette's syndrome and yells out obscenities at anyone who passes by. Fern's best friend Carl has been in love with her since they were teenagers, but Fern feels nothing but platonic love for him. Fern's brother is a single dad caring for his asthmatic son who can't handle the air in London. Could things get any worse?

Actually, they get better. A lot better, hence the subject line. Carl hooks Fern up with a temp agency and though she has no skills, she sets off to be the personal assistant of a very famous opera singer, Evan David. Tempermental and having the sense of humor of a kitchen sponge, Evan manages to make Fern run away on several occasions. Something about her touches Evan, and he wants to get to know her better. He has been hurt in the past, so it will be difficult for him. But, she may be the one to open his heart.

I am an avid reader of chick lit, so I understand that at times, there are going to be some improbable situations. But, the whole book? I found myself sighing, rolling my eyes, and saying, "Oh, please!" on more than one occasion. Not only did everyone get everything that they always wanted in this book, it took 441 pages to do so. In my opinion, it could have been shortened to 150. There were too many added details that didn't need to be there and too much boy-meets girl, boy-chases-girl scenarios. One other reviewer explained it well, a "Three's Company" situation that threw a wrench in the whole thing, and it could have been cleared up rather quickly, had the main character not been so impulsive.

I just found that the characters weren't very likeable, it didn't feel real, and none of this would have happened in real life...at least, not all at the same time.

Awesome one again :).......2006-11-19

Once again Matthews pleases with this quirky off beat novel about overcoming situations and realizing your dream. Cute, fun, fast, enthralling read.

Enjoyable Romantic Fantasy.......2006-11-18

I'll skip the storyline, as I read reviews not to obtain a condensed version of the book that defeats the purpose of reading the book itself - but to find out if others liked the book.

I enjoyed this latest book from Carole Matthews, even though the plot was more than a stretch from reality. Like many of her other books, you may think you know where the plot is going, but then again, maybe not. The contrast of the regular people vs. the rich and famous in this book was interesting, as most books tend to be about one OR the other.

If you're looking to be entertained with light, upbeat reading, I recommend this book. The author writes with a humorous touch that prevents the book from being depressing when the characters are in dreary or grim situations. In this case, the main character is a little too good to be true, but it makes for pleasant reading. Definitely Chick Lit, but populated with colorful characters that aren't all 20-something singles.

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Shut Your Eyes And Think Of England
Delightful even if you never read Mrs. Miniver
eye for detail worthy of Struther herself

The Real Mrs Miniver
Ysenda Maxtone Graham
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312308264

Book Description

In 1937 the Court Page of the London Times began publishing a series of articles featuring a charming, upper-middle class English housewife named Mrs Miniver. The articles depicted an idyllically happy family with three children, a house in London, and a country cottage called Starlings.

Two years later, Mrs Miniver was published in book form. While some critics derided the book as sentimental, many readers embraced it as a symbol of an increasingly endangered English way of life, and it went on to become the #1 bestseller in America. The Hollywood film, released in 1942 with Greer Garson in the title role, won five Oscars, including Best Picture, and did so much to promote the American war effort in Europe that even Josef Goebbels recognized it as an exemplary piece of propaganda.

But who was the real Mrs Miniver? The articles were produced by Joyce Maxtone Graham, who wrote under the name Jan Struther and seemed to resemble her heroine: She was upper-middle class, and lived in a gracious, comfortable home with her husband and three children. After the war broke out, she served as an unofficial ambassador from Great Britain to the U.S.

In truth, however, Jan Struther was not at all like the conventional Mrs Miniver. It wasn't merely that she didn't like tea--to the amazement of everyone in America--but her real life was neither simple nor saintly. Her marriage was ending, and she was secretly in love with a Jewish refugee from Nazi Austria.

Written by Jan Struther's granddaugther, The Real Mrs Miniver is a complex and fascinating biography. While the Hollywood version remains a powerful and inspirational movie, this book offers brilliant insights into the true impact of war upon real people's lives.

Customer Reviews:

Shut Your Eyes And Think Of England.......2005-08-26

This book rips the lid off the conventional pieties about what it emans to be an Englishwoman, and shows how Hollywood and the media can take a person's life and thoroughly rearrange it to a disorienting degree; it's an easy task, especially if the person in questions cooperates up to the hilt. In these days of reality TV, I often think back to this pioneering biography of Joyce Maxtone Graham, written by her grandddaughter with an eye nicely balanced between the too fond and the too cold. Today we see real people going on TV seemingly eager to give up all their identity just so long as they stay in the camera's eye. What Joyce did was something rarer, particularly for the 1930s and 1940s.

She started out life with a little girl's talent for drawing and writing little stories and poems. Marriage occupied her for awhile, and motherhood, but eventually nothing could hold her back, once she began writing the "Diary" of Mrs. Miniver, an imaginary Englishwoman whose life had roots in her own, but which was considerably idealized and romanticized. It started out small and then got big--too big to handle. Ysenda Maxtone-Graham, the biographer, gets considerable mileage out of the juxtaposition of Joyce's enormous personal ambition with the developing chaos in Europe which would lead to England's valiant defense against Hitler in the 1930s, and how the two combined to give England a new (and fictional) heroine, Mrs. Miniver, the character everyone thought was real!

Hollywood called, Joyce went, she sold an outlandish number of war bonds, but actually she was deserting her native land in time of need, driven mostly by an unseemly passion for a fellow anti-Fascist refugee. Love knows many avenues, of course, but reading the book you just can't help but think that her paramous was probably the worst thing ever to happen to her! However she would look on it differently, and that, perhaps, is the difference between living one's own life, no matter even if it's a muddle, and reading about it in the safety of your own library.

Ysenda Maxtone Graham tells this sad story with an easy flair and a sympathy for all concerned, especially those bamboozled by Joyce's prison of lies. I hope she continues to unearth more about her illustrious ancestor or, if the well is dry, to move on to another lonely soul.

Delightful even if you never read Mrs. Miniver.......2003-03-31

The Real Mrs. Miniver is a biography of Jan Struther, the author of the 1940's classic, Mrs. Miniver, as told by her granddaughter. Even though she never met her grandmother, as a member of the family, Ysenda Maxtone Graham, had access to journals, letters, and family stories that really bring life to this biography.

The book Mrs. Miniver began life as a series of essays that appeared in the London Times in 1938 and 1939 on the everyday life of a happily married upper-middle class woman living in London. As the war in Europe approached, these essays took on a deeper meaning describing what England was fighting to preserve and the hardships the British people were willing to endure. They were collected into the book and became a best seller in the United States. Jan Struther spent the war in the US promoting the British cause through lecture tours and radio appearances.

This biography shows the difference between the ideal married woman, Mrs. Miniver, and the real troubled life of Jan Struther. With loving detail, we see how she deals with a marriage that has lost its spark and a clandestine affair. In a sense this biography is a Mrs. Miniver for the 21st Century. Where the fictional Mrs. Miniver has a sexless, but loving marriage, in this book the real Jan Struther struggles with her sexual relationship with another man while she is being promoted as the ideal of British womanhood. How she resolves this complex war-time situation makes compelling reading.

This is a book that portrays the war years in a very human way through the life of a woman who was held up as an ideal at the time, but whose real life is a model for our generation of human frailty and the strength needed to over come it. Included are sample sections from the book Mrs. Miniver and many of Jan Struther's poems which are delightful.

eye for detail worthy of Struther herself.......2003-01-21

This excellent biography of Joyce Maxtone-Graham, better known to readers as "Mrs. Miniver" of World War II-era fame, is written by a granddaughter, Ysenda. Although she never knew her famous grandmother, Ysenda has captured the essence of this talented, complex woman whose writing captured the hearts of millions world wide.

"Mrs. Miniver" was, of course, an invention, an upper middle class English woman whose wisdom, fortitude, and compassion in the face of adversity personified what the British liked to think of as "our way of life." The extremely successful movie, produced by William Wyler and starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon, is still rented, and shown on the classic movie stations.

Joyce Maxtone-Graham was very different from Mrs. Miniver: Part life-long tomboy, part buoyantly happy wife (in the early years of her marriage anyway), part sharp-eyed observer and part lazy and sensual mistress, Joyce is a complex character brought richly to life in this book. The genius of her writing lies in attention and enjoyment of small things: Her description of a happy union is "an eye to catch across the table."

Book Description

Where do new ideas come from? What is social intelligence? Why do social scientists perform mindless statistical rituals? This vital book is about rethinking rationality as adaptive thinking: to understand how minds cope with their environments, both ecological and social. Gerd Gigerenzer proposes and illustrates a bold new research program that investigates the psychology of rationality, introducing the concepts of ecological, bounded, and social rationality. His path-breaking collection takes research on thinking, social intelligence, creativity, and decision-making out of an ethereal world where the laws of logic and probability reign, and places it into our real world of human behavior and interaction. Adaptive Thinking is accessibly written for general readers with an interest in psychology, cognitive science, economics, sociology, philosophy, artificial intelligence, and animal behavior. It also teaches a practical audience, such as physicians, AIDS counselors, and experts in criminal law, how to understand and communicate uncertainties and risks.

Customer Reviews:

Insightful research.......2004-05-25

The approach of Dr. Gerd is very convincing. As an earlier reviewer mentioned, it is "pro-human" and treats people as intelligent decision makers. Gerd clearly shows how Kahneman and Tversky's experiments were flawed. In one interesting chapter, almost all of these experiments were repeated but with appropriate settings. The results were the opposite of those of Kahneman and Tversky: People are smart! I congratulate Dr. Gerd for this achievement, but prefer that he writes a book from the beginning, instead of collecting his earlier papers.

Good collection of older essays.......2004-05-01

Dr Gigerenzer is one of my very favorite people in this field (um, whatever that is). i absolutely adore the book Simple Heuristics That Make Us Smart. That book was a collection of chapters by various authors from his ABC group that put together all the research their group had done into a cohesive whole. This book is a collection of older essays written by Gerd himself, some of them about the same topics covered in Simple Heuristics only in fewer pages and thus in much less detail. Note that all of these essays (i think) have been published before. They're here because you probably don't own all the academic journals these articles came from.

There are other essays too. Several are about how psychologists (not average people) misunderstand statistics, especially probabilities and Bayes. Gerd has always seemed pro-human and here he once again writes about how work by Tversky, Kahneman and others claiming humans are lousy at statistics (and thus decision making) is flawed. In a nutshell, humans are good at making decisions but Tversky and friends (like most psychologists, including me) are poor at designing psychology experiments.

Another article is about a friend and mentor who did good work but didn't get as much respect as he deserved.

So the book is about a lot of things. As before, Gerd is a good writer and can be understood by most people, and he avoids lots of pseudo-math and field-specific jargon, but the book is still fairly dry and isn't super exciting. i don't know if people not in the field would really want to read this. And since this is a collection of unrelated essays, it's probably not a good first introduction to Dr Gigerenzer. But if, like me, you enjoy collecting all of his stuff, this is a good book to have

Excellent and up to date account for cognitive science.......2003-01-08

In Adaptive Thinking, Gerd Gigerenzer follows up on his earlier book, The Empire of Chance. Part of his new book, Adaptive Thinking, is a continuation of his earlier discussion. Gigerenzer reacts against the dominance of significance testing, and looks closely at how it has shaped psychological theories. In particular, Gigerenzer places the "cognitive illusions" of Tversky, Khanneman, and many other behavioral scientists under very close scrutiny.

Gigerenzer's main thrust is that humans did not evolve in the psychology laboratory, with good command of probability theory to help them work on word problems. Instead, he argues, humans evolved in environments with lots of noise, and had to use regular features of the world to develop simple and effective rules of action. In this, he echoes and extends the work by economist Herbert Simon in the 1950s.

Take one of his examples: You live in Detroit. 1 in 100 new cars of brand X break down. 10 in 100 cars of brand Y break down. Your friend has car X, and it just broke down yesterday. Which should you buy? Well, clearly if you're "rational" you buy brand X. But consider:

You live in a jungle. 1 in 100 children is eaten by a crocodile while swimming in the river. 10 in 100 falls to their death while playing in the tree. Just yesterday, little Bobby was swimming and got eaten by a crocodile. Where should you let your kid play?

According to Tversky, Khanneman, and other modern cognitive scientists, you would be "irrational" to fear the river, since the long term probability of dying there is still only 2 out of 100.

If we evolved in the jungle situation, is it any wonder that most people rely on the advice of their friend in the car situation? Does this make them "irrational?"

Gigerenzer looks at the history of decision research, and offers a concrete and predictive program for the study of human rationality. The book is fairly short, very interesting, and casts serious doubt on many aspects of contemporary cognitive research. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in psychology or decision making, even non professionals.

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