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.

1453: THE HOLY WAR FOR CONSTANTINOPLE AND THE CLASH OF ISLAM AND THE WEST

Average customer rating:

Great Read
Pushed my buttons.
Informative
1453........then and now
great read for the casual reader

1453: THE HOLY WAR FOR CONSTANTINOPLE AND THE CLASH OF ISLAM AND THE WEST
Roger Crowley
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1401301916
Release Date: 2005-08-10

Book Description

A complete and compelling account of the fall of Constantinople, the siege that gave rise to today's jihad.

When Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, a remarkable era in world history ended. Constantinople, the "city of the world's desire," was a wealthy, imperial, intimidating, and Christian city, influencing world opinion for a thousand years. The fall of Constantinople marked the end of the Byzantium Empire and the end of the medieval era. Thereafter, two worlds would rise -- that of the West and that of the Middle East.

1453 is brought to life by the stories of its two ambitious battling leaders-Mehmed II, sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and Constantine XI, the 57th emperor of Byzantium. It is a vivid, intense tale of courage and cruelty, of technological ingenuity, of endurance and luck. Impeccably researched and told as a real-life adventure, the book explores the issues that led up to and resulted from the fall of Constantinople in a way that is easily grasped and jumps from the pages into the headlines of world news. 1453 is the story of a moment of change that has new relevance today -- a crucial link in the chain of events that besets the modern world.

Customer Reviews:

Great Read.......2007-09-22

Just an excellent book. The author writing style really helps you imagine in your minds eye the scenes he's describing.

Pushed my buttons........2007-08-22

I'll give this book 3 stars out of charity, and because it may succeed as a work of popular history; indeed, most readers will be satisfied with it.

I can't write an exhaustive review, because I quit reading at p.32,when Crowley says that "the Ottomans ruled their subjects with a light hand. . . . No attempts were made to convert Christians . . ." etc. Ask anyone who's lived under Ottoman rule,if you can still find one of these venerable folk, or talk to their descendants. You'll get a different picture of the situation. Crowley himself describes some of the horrors of the siege, inflicted by these "tolerant" Muslims.

It is true that some Ottoman officials developed a liberal laissez-faire attitude toward the Christians--either out of Levantine indolence or practical intelligence: why harass honest and industrious people? Plus, they pay taxes through the nose. And even Sultan Mehmed II was lenient towards the Christians once he had established his rule. Still, the many horrors remain.

If I'd been at home while reading this book, I would have thrown it across the room. As it was, I was in the car and merely commented on the nonsense to my companions.

Gentle reader, if you really want to learn about the Fall of Constaninople, read Runciman, or Sir Edwin Pears, if you can find his book. Also, the translations of the chronicles of the time.

Informative.......2007-08-13

A more technical treatment of the subject than Sir Steven Runciman's The Fall of Constantinople 1453 (Canto), but I have to admit that I prefer the style of Sir Runciman. What Sir Runciman neglected in detail, Mr. Crowley has provided. But, at the same time, there were points where Mr. Crowley seemed overly concerned with parallels to today (implied somewhat in the subtitle). Despite that minor criticism it is likely the very thing other readers will enjoy about the book. Mr. Crowley also recently did a fine article in Military History magazine concerning the fall of Constantinople and I would recommend that as well for thorough technical detail. This is a thorough and enjoyable work and an important contribution to understanding the last days of Constaniople.

1453........then and now.......2007-07-31

The name Constantinople has always conjured up vague images for me - mystery, grandeur, historical wonder. However, 1453 has expanded my understanding of the city as well as the role it played in world history. Crowley covers the siege and attack of Constantinople by the Turks in 1543. The invasion has truly changed the geopolitical landscape of Europe and Asia since that time. This was truly a Holy War - a fight both between Islam and Christianity, as well as a fight within factions of Christianity. It also highlights the great differences between the understandings of the human condition between these world religions. Neither is innocent and neither is patently evil, but they are very different. Crowley speaks about these differences and the background issues in light of the battle, placing them all in an easily accessible light.

After reading 1453, I find myself realizing that the battles of 1453 have similarities to the battles of the 21st century. The cultural battles are still very similar. The geopolitical issues are still in flux. This view helped make the book even more meaningful today.

great read for the casual reader.......2007-05-15

this book really does a good job of telling the story and focusing both upon the personalities involved and the way that life was for the people in constantinople at the time. it has the right level of depth for someone who's interested in history but is not a specialist.

Average customer rating:

Solid history with storytelling flair
Amazing for any history buff and more
A sublime account of the demise of the "Greek emperor" and the fall of his city
strongly recommended
Probably very good

The Fall of Constantinople 1453 (Canto)
Steven Runciman
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521398320

Book Description

This classic account shows how the fall of Constantinople in May 1453, after a siege of several weeks, came as a bitter shock to Western Christendom. The cityâ€™s plight had been neglected, and negligible help was sent in this crisis. To the Turks, victory not only brought a new imperial capital, but guaranteed that their empire would last. To the Greeks, the conquest meant the end of the civilisation of Byzantium, and led to the exodus of scholars stimulating the tremendous expansion of Greek studies in the European Renaissance.

Customer Reviews:

Solid history with storytelling flair.......2007-07-24

Sir Steven Runciman had an unique talent for conveying historical information with a flair. He did not convey history as a collection of unrelated facts to dates but instead provided all the color and nuances behind those facts and dates which gave them life. Only a few historians write in a way that transports the reader to the subject time, place, and people the way Sir Runciman has in this little volume.

The book is organized by describing the background and focusing on the last Emperor and Sultan Mehmet II as the key individuals in that background. It continues with a description of the weaknesses that prevented the west from providing efficacious help to Constantinople. Attention then turns to the siege and fall followed by an overview of the exodus of learned Byzantines to the west which helped to spark the renaissance.

A map of Constantinople and a pictorial depiction of the disposition of troops during the siege provides some detail for context. I would have liked more maps of the other geographical areas mentioned to provide the greater world context and that is my single critical point on this volume.

That so much information could be conveyed in so few pages with such brilliant flair is testament to his reputation. This is still the definitive work on the last years of Constantinople and the final fall of the Byzantine empire. It is a must have for ancient history libraries and a must read for historians wishing to communicate historical lessons in writing.

Amazing for any history buff and more.......2007-05-08

Runciman is academic yet lively, a rare combination that makes for a serious historical book that reads like a page-turning thriller/drama. Of course he is helped by the facts themselves. The story of the fall of Constantinople is one of those events in history that sounds like it was made up, because it is so picturesque. There are brooding Sultans, brothers strangling each other in competing for the throne, siege warfare, religious upheaval, dramatic sea battles, betrayal, the almost improbably anachronistic use of cannons and more.

The only fault I could find in the book is that sometimes he repeats himself in mentioning the same event in 2 chapters, each time in relation to a slightly different aspect of the story. But this he only does 5-6 times, everything else is great. He successfully builds up tension and is great at communicating the pathos of the events. The fall was seen as the end of a great civilisation stretching back thousands of years to ancient Rome. Reading the book you really feel the momentous nature of the events.

Runciman doesn't seem to like Mehmet II (the conquerer). I don't know enough of the history to tell if it's bias or whether he really was unusually cruel and despotic. I'm inclined toward the latter, for the facts speak for themselves. If other rulers of his day were similar (which they were!) this doesn't make him any more sympathetic.

This is a true classic of history. It's a real shame how unaware modern people are of Byzantium because our society is much more indebted to that civilisation than we think. This book is a sorely needed patch in this gap of knowledge.

A sublime account of the demise of the "Greek emperor" and the fall of his city.......2006-08-02

Exceedingly well written and utterly fascinating, Sir James Stevenson Runciman's classic account of the siege and fall of Constantinople manages to be thoroughly academically sound and highly entertaining at the same time. Steven Runciman doesn't just deliver the dry facts, which would be alright, no, he tells the story, which is much better. And he does it without forefeiting historical accuracy, and, blessedly, without drawing any politically motivated parallels to "modern" conflicts, be they religious, or political, or both.
This is one of the finest historical accounts I have ever read, and I recommend it 100%. It may be over 40 years old, but it is still unrivalled, the single greatest work on the subject in the English language.

strongly recommended.......2006-02-20

I strongly suggest to buy and read this book to all people interested in history in general.

I am a fan of history books, and I provilege high readable, well documented and general-picture-introducing books. This book satisfies all these criteria: it gives a full explanation of the context before and after the Empire's collapse, it is enjoyable to read, and it is well-grounded on the reports by witnesses from both parties (turks and christians).

This is my first book by Runciman, and I bet will not be the last.

Probably very good.......2006-02-02

I have not yet received this book from Amazon, so it is a little difficult to say what it is like. But I am sure it will be at least very good. Runciman is an excellent author.

The Great Church in Captivity: A Study of the Patriarchate of Constantinople from the Eve of the Turkish Conquest to the Greek War of Independence (Cambridge Paperback Library)

Average customer rating:

Another great book by Steven Runciman
An Invaluable Resource
Best on the subject
A Must Read For Christian History Enthusiasts!
Enlightening

The Great Church in Captivity: A Study of the Patriarchate of Constantinople from the Eve of the Turkish Conquest to the Greek War of Independence (Cambridge Paperback Library)
Steven Runciman
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521313104

Book Description

This is Sir Steven Runcimanâ€™s established and widely admired classic account of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, first published in 1968. The Great Church, as the Greeks called the Orthodox Patriarchate, was the spiritual centre of the Byzantine world. The Churchâ€™s survival during the four centuries of Turkish rule which followed the fall of Constantinople bore witness to its strenght and to the unquenchable vitality of Hellenism. Sir Steven Runcimanâ€™s history of the Great Church in this period is written with scholarship, sympathy and style.

Customer Reviews:

Another great book by Steven Runciman.......2006-11-04

I'll be honest with you.The only reason I bought this book, was because I'd already read all of Runciman's "real" history books and just wanted to complete my collection.Church history and theology aren't exactly my cup of tea.So, I thought I'd open it, start reading and fall asleep after page....ix.But I was wrong of course.I underestimated Runciman's ability to make even a debate about the role of Epiklesis in Transubstantiation appear interesting.No,really,I'm being serious.This is a well-written and interesting book that provides an answer, from a unique perspective, to the question everyone has after reading the "Fall of Constantinople": "Well,what happened next?"
We also get a deeper insight on Runciman's own ideas about religion and theology that we only catch a glimpse of, in his most ...ermm, "secular" works.
This book also piqued my interest on a more personal level as well, being (nominally) Orthodox.For anyone who has read his books, it's not a secret where Runciman' s sympathies lay - and he certainly tries to explain and excuse many "unfortunate" acts and decisions on behalf of the Orthodox Church.But be warned - this isn't a rose-tinted hagiography - the story of the "Great Church" in "captivity" becomes literally nauseating at times, and it doesn't lack in cynicism and petty squabling.It certainly didn't make me want to get rid of that pesky "nominally" in front of my religion....

An Invaluable Resource.......2006-03-03

It is rare to find a work of excellent scholarship that is also very readable. Runciman has once again achieved this result.

Best on the subject.......2006-02-02

This excellent monograph from the most objective world leader on the subject, is without parallel. A must read for all those interested in the bad but not-that-bad fate of the Orthodox Church under the Ottoman Turks.

A Must Read For Christian History Enthusiasts!.......2004-12-27

This gifted British historian captures you with his prose and holds on to you with his glorious tale and historiography which is second to none. A must read for anyone interested in the Orthodox Church or Christianity. He deals with his subject with a sense of empathy without losing his objectivity. A must buy!!!!!

Enlightening.......2004-04-08

The dilemma facing English speakers of Greek decent is that there are so few books written in English on Greek medieval history, and I can think of none written specifically on the Orthodox Church during the turkocratia, except of course Runciman's "The Great Church in Captivity". At first, I was skeptical. After all, Runciman is an Englishman and I was leery about potential ignorance or bias which could seep its way into his book. No need to be concerned. Runcimen's book is a well researched and a thorough history on the subject. I could hardly put it down.

Generally, the book was easy to read and very informative. One chapter deals heavily with theology, and finding the subject brain numbing, I must admit, I skipped over most it. No matter, the balance of the book, which deals with Church history, was very enlightening. I do have one issue with Runcimen's account, however. Greek history teaches that during the captivity, Greek children were taught Greek by the clergy, under covert conditions, usually at night in underground caves, so as to not alert the Turks. By doing this, the Greek people were able to maintain their identity through language and religion, and resist turkification. This is a fact of paramount significance to the Greek people, a legend of heroism passed down from generation to generation, yet there is no mention of it by Runciman. Even though this account was omitted, there is so much content in this book, that I highly recommend it to those interested in the history of the Orthodox Church.

To Greeks: A bit of warning to the wide-eyed and uninitiated: You were not taught this history at home or in Sunday school, so you may be shocked by some of this. I was.

Average customer rating:

Halcyon interlude between the wars

If only there were more books like this.

Europe in the 1930s

Simply wonderful

I wish I was 20 again...

A Time of Gifts: On Foot to Constantinople: From the Hook of Holland to the Middle Danube (New York Review Books Classics)
Patrick Leigh Fermor , and Jan Morris
Manufacturer: NYRB Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Between the Woods and the Water: On Foot to Constantinople: From The Middle Danube to the Iron Gates (New York Review Books Classics)

Mani: Travels in the Southern Peloponnese (New York Review Books Classics)

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ASIN: 1590171659
Release Date: 2005-10-03

Book Description

At the age of eighteen, Patrick Leigh Fermor set off from the heart of London on an epic journey—to walk to Constantinople. A Time of Gifts is the rich account of his adventures as far as Hungary, after which Between the Woods and the Water continues the story to the Iron Gates that divide the Carpathian and Balkan mountains. Acclaimed for its sweep and intelligence, Leigh Fermor's book explores a remarkable moment in time. Hitler has just come to power but war is still ahead, as he walks through a Europe soon to be forever changed—through the Lowlands to Mitteleuropa, to Teutonic and Slav heartlands, through the baroque remains of the Holy Roman Empire; up the Rhine, and down to the Danube.

At once a memoir of coming-of-age, an account of a journey, and a dazzling exposition of the English language, A Time of Gifts is also a portrait of a continent already showing ominous signs of the holocaust to come.

Customer Reviews:

Halcyon interlude between the wars.......2007-10-12

Patrick Leigh Fermor was born in Great Britain just before the start of the First World War. When his mother and older sister left by ship to join his father in India, Fermor was left in England so that one of the family would survive if the ship were hit by a torpedo. He had been left in the care of a 'kind and simple' farm family who were shy about disciplining him, and so when his mother and sister returned four years later they found their little boy had transformed into a 'little savage' with a heavy Northamptonshire accent. While Fermor did become more civilized during a tour of British schools, he was never able to totally adhere to the all-important rules of those strict establishments. As a consequence, after being kicked out of school for the umpteenth time, Fermor decided to give up the normal scheme of things and cross the channel to start a walk from Holland to Constantinople. The month was December and the year was 1933. A Time of Gifts is his record of the first half of this trip.

Europe had had a tradition going back hundreds of years of encouraging and succouring the wandering student. This tradition dictated that Fermor was to be taken in, fed, housed, and helped along his way. This was true of all levels of society (he slept in haylofts, cowsheds and myriad castles, crumbling and sumptuous.) He was to be engaged and enjoyed by those he met, not feared or shunned or hurried on his way. I wonder if this attitude still survives in places. One hopes.

Fermor, besides giving a detailed description of the people and places he encounters, also makes the history of these places seem real. He delves into the important part the people of the Frisian Islands (located on the edge of the Zuider Zee) played in the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain. We learn about the history of the croissant (hint -it has to do with the siege of Vienna by the Turks). He presents and discusses layers and layers of fascinating history as he travels the invasion prone Danube valley. Between 400 AD and 500 AD, there was almost grid-lock among different peoples invading this area to fill in the vacuum created by the fall of the Roman Empire -the Huns arrived and displaced everyone they encountered. The Visigoths and Vandals went charging westwards and southward. The Suevi, Bayuvars, and the Rugii all squeezed in there somewhere. One of the Rugii joined the Roman legions and worked his way up to Emperor, and ruled well until he was sliced in two (from the collar-bone to the loins) by Theodoric the Ostrogoth, marking the end of the Roman Empire and the start of the Dark Ages.

Fermor visits the Danubian castle where Richard the Lion Hearted was held for so long. In the shadows of this moody, history soaked edifice, he recounts the incredible tale of King Richard I -how he insulted Leopold, Duke of Austria, on the Third Crusade, and how, summoned back to England because of the mis-rule of Prince John, he was captured and imprisoned until freed by his minstrel, Blondel, who had visited every castle on the Danube, singing a particular song that he knew only Richard would recognise the second verse to.

Fermor meets a rich variety of kind, wonderful, interesting people and you can't help but wonder how they fared in the cataclysmic storm about to engulf them, advance clouds of which occasionally chill this other wise sunny narrative. For example, Fermor arrives in Vienna by truck in a rainstorm to find the power out and martial law in effect because of action by socialist sympathizers (the authorities explain that usually these conflagrations are caused by Nazi sympathizers, but this one happens to be a socialist problem).

Reading this book, one gets a feel for what a wonderful geographic and social anomaly Europe is. The variety of peoples, the history, the art, the architecture and the number of cultures and languages all packed into a relatively small area are spectacular.

A paradox -the vast majority of people encountered are kind, decent human beings, and yet Fermor wanders across regions of Europe where the most unspeakable and wide-ranging atrocities were to occur a short five years later. How could this come to be?

Some of Fermor's descriptions and musings on art and architecture can be abstruse and frustratingly prolix, but those occasions are thankfully rare. Here are just a handful of the words I had to look up while reading this book -flocculent, exfoliation, fiacres, glaucous, recondite, irrefragable, deracination.

If only there were more books like this........2007-09-18

A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor.
If this book is what comes from getting kicked out of a good British public school, one can only wish fewer writers made it through. Not that Leigh Fermor needed more education, if it is, as they say, what is left when what you learned has been forgotten. In 1933, getting caught in flagrante--holding hands with a greengrocer's daughter--proved too much for the last school that accepted the challenge of the eccentric Leigh Fermor. He took a hike, walking from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople, along the Rhine and the Danube. Forty years later and many adventures thereafter, he wrote it down for a comrade he had shared waratime night watches on Crete with. Even in the hands of a lesser spirit, a report from Europe on the brink of World War II would be of interest, but with Leigh Fermor, it is pure enchantment. He is gregarious, curious, terrifyingly learned, sensitive and wry. With the meager contents of his knapsack (and later less, after its theft) and four pounds per month, he mixes with barge hands, toothless prostitutes, well-brought up girls, and genteel widows. He has Shakespeare's gift for getting familiar words to show off hidden talents. His description of a night in Munich's Hofbrau house has Mozart in the speed and lightness with which he gets opposing moods to minuet. Leigh Fermor takes us from room to room and brew to brew of the beer palace; from burghers "as wide as casks" to an S.A. chorus, from blond beer (a "cylindrical litre of Teutonic myth") in mugs with a monogram like a cannon's foundry-mark, to a "long Wagnerian chord" of dark beer. Strangling laughter follows the reader on a helpless reel through vulgarity, gluttony, joy and menace, to the sobering slap of the final phrase of British self-deprecation. Other writers took entire books to portray Germany in those years, Leigh Fermor does it in mere pages. And that is only midway through volume one, there is still volume two: Between the Woods and the Water

Europe in the 1930s.......2007-05-14

A friend told me to buy this book, and that if I did not like it, he would refund my money. I did not ask for the refund. One gets caught up in the trek through Europe, where the author visits places many of which I have visited myself, albeit many years later. I have experienced big-time nostalgia from reading this book.

Simply wonderful.......2007-02-14

Patrick Leigh Fermor's work is a joy to read. I brought it with me this past summer when I was living/traveling in the former Yugoslavia and I have as many fond memories of reading that book on long bus rides as some of the places I experienced. I ended up giving it away to a friend I had met as a present and I miss it dearly now and plan on purchasing it again when I have the funds. His description of the beer hall in Munich is my favorite part.
Having read numerous works of Kaplan and Rebecca West, I feel that Fermor is the best in the league, at least with this series. Speaking of which, I read them out of order so it is not entirely necessary to read Time of Gifts first. I am keeping my fingers crossed that Fermor finishes the third book before he passes, though I cannot find any news of it. Does anyone know?

I highly recommend this work.

I wish I was 20 again..........2007-01-29

`A Time of Gifts' is a delightful travelogue, even though the sites and sounds are long gone. Fermor paints a picture of the life every young man wants to lead - well-funded itinerant travel, nearly effortless sociability, and a seemingly endless nightlife. Together with its companion piece, `Between the Woods and the Water,' this historical post-card is required reading for anyone with the combined interests of travel, history, language, and social frivolity in pre-war Europe.

The narrative structure is an open letter to a friend. Every region receives a minor academic treatment that sets the tone for the young Fermor's adventures. Each adventure is a short glimpse into the man that was to become both a world-class writer and a guerrilla fighter who managed to both capture and trade poetry with a German General during World War II. Much like the man himself (equal parts scamp and scholar), the book mixes extraordinary academic details with what amounts to a lucid walk between drunken visits.

The depth of the author's knowledge of central European history, language, art, and architecture is almost depressing. While reading (and between trips to the dictionary), I found myself wondering whether or not the average American high school student would ever study a tenth of material Fermor picked up through personal reading. On the other hand, it is refreshing to see someone put so much historical and cultural context behind each of his encounters in foreign lands. Small wonder that he was accepted everywhere he went.

The one regret I have is the sparse treatment of Holland. Perhaps it is because this was the first stop, but the author does not seem to get his feet wet until he crosses into Germany. Perhaps it is because the country is too small. Perhaps it is too similar to the author's home country. At any rate, it feels a shame to neglect the one place that managed to nurture both the Dutch Masters and the Tulip Craze.

All in all, this was one of the most rewarding books I have read in years. I would recommend it to anyone.

Between the Woods and the Water: On Foot to Constantinople: From The Middle Danube to the Iron Gates (New York Review Books Classics)

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Truly a classic.
Gar nichts!
Reading trumps experience
Between the Woods and the Water
a classic...

Between the Woods and the Water: On Foot to Constantinople: From The Middle Danube to the Iron Gates (New York Review Books Classics)
Patrick Leigh Fermor
Manufacturer: NYRB Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1590171667
Release Date: 2005-10-03

Book Description

Continuing the epic foot journey across Europe begun in A Time of Gifts

The journey that Patrick Leigh Fermor set out on in 1933—to cross Europe on foot with an emergency allowance of one pound a day—proved so rich in experiences that when much later he sat down to describe them, they overflowed into more than one volume. Undertaken as the storms of war gathered, and providing a background for the events that were beginning to unfold in Central Europe, Leigh Fermor's still-unfinished account of his journey has established itself as a modern classic. Between the Woods and the Water, the second volume of a projected three, has garnered as many prizes as its celebrated predecessor, A Time of Gifts.

The opening of the book finds Leigh Fermor crossing the Danube—at the very moment where his first volume left off. A detour to the luminous splendors of Prague is followed bya trip downriver to Budapest, passage on horseback acrossthe Great Hungarian Plain, and a crossing of the Romanian border into Transylvania. Remote castles, mountain villages,monasteries and towering ranges that are the haunt of bears, wolves, eagles, gypsies, and a variety of sects are all savoredin the approach to the Iron Gates, the division between the Carpathian mountains and the Balkans, where, for now, the story ends.

Customer Reviews:

Truly a classic........2007-10-17

This book and its sequel, "Between the Woods and the Water," is truly a classic of the personal odyssey genre. Together they are the report by the English author of a diary he wrote between the ages of 19 and 22 while he walked from Holland to Istanbul. But he writes his report after a lengthy career in military service and, among other things, in journalism. The result combines the enthusiasm of a young student with the measured and spare prose of a seasoned and skilled veteran. The author as student is amazingly well schooled, even though thrown out of his public school. His reflections on what he sees are both erudite and almost poetic. (Read, e.g., the chapter, Prague Under Snow.) They don't serve as a normal travel guide, but they'll introduce you to the lands he traverses in a way that will make your own visit unusually well informed.

Gar nichts!.......2007-04-07

The title above is German for "Absolutely nothing!", Fermor's droll reply to "What are you studying?" when visiting a scholar with his newfound Transylvanian friend Istvan, who laughs about such blasphemy all the way back from the visit. The polymathic Fermor had contemplated his answer a few moments before answering-"Languages? Art? Geography? Folklore? Literature? None of them seemed to fit." The truth is, of course, as anyone who has read of anything of Fermor's knows full well, that Fermor has been studying all of these things, but with his own assiduous, unacademic zeal. This time he spent in Transylvania (The country's name meaning, as any first year Latinist would know, "Across the Woods") is by far my favourite: His escapades with Istvan, the fleeting amour with Angela, the effortless historical erudition about the region all make it exemplary of the book as a whole - which is not to slight the rest of it at all!

I disagree profoundly with the reviewers who take umbrage at Fermor's "esoteric" use of language and historic allusion. For the armchair traveler, these qualities make the book just that much more fun - Diving into the OED and various encyclopedias to thresh out some of the references.

The overall effect of this book, as with A Time of Gifts, is best likened to a friendly punch in the gut by an old chum. It takes you at unawares but leaves you invigorated and happy to be alive in the world. Yes, there are sadnesses to the book, not the least of which is that the beautiful View of the Danube near Regensburg on the cover of the NYRB edition is now underwater, lost forever; But as Fermor contemplates as his time with Angela draws to a close, "There are hours in life worth more than diamonds." This book is full of them!

And all these youths chain-smoking cigarettes! Perhaps the Surgeon General should put a warning label on the book lest a youth of today discover the vibrant meaning of carpe diem!

Reading trumps experience.......2006-12-14

`Between the Woods and the Water' is a delightful travelogue, even though the sites and sounds are long gone. Fermor paints a picture of the life every young man wants to lead - well-funded itinerant travel, nearly effortless sociability, and a seemingly endless nightlife. This is the ultimate "Wish You Were Here" card, well worth the read for anyone interested in travel, history, and tales of pre-war social frivolity in Eastern Europe.

The narrative structure took me by surprise. Almost every region receives a minor academic treatment prior to Fermor's personal tales: history, language, architecture, nature, fun and games, repeat. I found myself skimming past descriptions of birds and trees, but fascinated by the author's insights into the interplay of geography, language development, and regional history. And, of course, it is impossible not to be won over by the author's late nights, fleeting loves, and brief stays with forgotten royalty.

My father often told me that `On the Road' had a profound effect on him as a youth. `Between the Woods and the Water' has a similar effect on me, only later in life. After the reading the story I was offered a brief trip to Hungary which I could not pass up. Far from Fermor's experience, I was greeted with mindless business meetings, post-communism industrial architecture, a robbery, and small-scale street riots. In the end, my disappointment with reality deepened my appreciation of the book - a memorializing tale of a geography and way of life that no longer exists.

Between the Woods and the Water.......2006-11-10

This is the continuation of, "A Time of Gifts." The English youth continues his walk across Europe to Constantinople. He picks up now in Austria, on to Hungary following the Danube valley. I wanted to quit reading this - page after page of allusions to east European history from Roman and pre-Roman times, Hungarian geography, reflections on Slavic languages. Esoterics I cannot appreciate. Still, they lured me and challenged me. These are places and these are people - Magyars and Gypsies - we seldom find in writing. We are introduced just as an era is about to end and everything is to change. It can be a book to go to bed with.

a classic..........2006-11-03

I got this book before Amazon existed and I've bought multiple copies since then.
Buy this and treasure it, give it to your friends.

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The Definitive Guide to Istanbul
Indispensible if you are visiting Istanbul for several days

Strolling Through Istanbul

Manufacturer: Redhouse Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 9758176242

Product Description

This book acquaints its reader with the monuments of Istanbul in twenty-three walking tours. While doing so it also manages to capture the flavor and excitement of present-day Istanbul. Includes 27 plans and 19 maps.

Customer Reviews:

The Definitive Guide to Istanbul.......2007-08-01

As someone who has guided tourists through Istanbul, this is the best book available to provide site seeing advice and a true flavor of the history of this magnificent city. No book prior or since has painted a more comprehensive description of Istanbul.

Indispensible if you are visiting Istanbul for several days.......2007-06-06

This is a magnificent book. Not only do you get a great idea of what the sights in Istanbul are, but it helps provide an understanding of the city as a whole, and the culture behind it. If you are going to be in Istanbul more than 1 or 2 days, you need to buy this book!

The Urban Image of Late Antique Constantinople

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The Urban Image of Late Antique Constantinople
Sarah Bassett
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0521030846

Book Description

From its foundation in the fourth century to its fall to the Ottoman Turks in the fifteenth, the city of Constantinople boasted a collection of antiquities unrivaled by any city of the medieval world. This book reconstructs the collection from the time of the city's founding by Constantine the Great through the sixth century reign of the emperor Justinian. Drawing on medieval literary sources and graphic and archaeological material, it identifies and describes the antiquities that were known to have stood in the city's public spaces.

The Balkans: From Constantinople to Communism

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The Balkans: From Constantinople to Communism
Dennis P. Hupchick
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Eastern | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0312217366

Book Description

The tragedies in Bosnia and Kosovo are often explained away as the unchangeable legacy of "centuries-old hatreds." In this richly detailed, expertly balanced chronicle of the Balkans across 15 centuries, Dennis Hupchick sets a complicated record straight. Organized around the three great civilizations of the region-Western European, Orthodox Christian, and Muslim-this is a much-needed inclusive guide to the political, social, cultural, and religious threads of Balkan history-with a clear, convincing account of the reasons for nationalist violence and terror.

Chronicles of the Barbarians:: Firsthand Accounts of Pillage and Conquest, from the Ancient World to the Fall o f Constantinople

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Romantic Writing.
Daddy like

Chronicles of the Barbarians:: Firsthand Accounts of Pillage and Conquest, from the Ancient World to the Fall o f Constantinople
David W. Mccullough
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

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Medieval | World | History | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0812930827
Release Date: 1998-10-20

Amazon.com

"When a Scythian overthrows his first enemy," Herodotus tells us, "he drinks his blood; and presents the king with the heads of the enemies he has killed in battle; for if he brings a head, he shares the booty that they take, but not if he does not bring one. He skins it in the following manner...." Well, OK, perhaps we don't need to revisit that part of the classics just now. But if you have a hankering for ancient and early-medieval history, Chronicles of the Barbarians will take you straight to the source. Among the other Greek and Roman authors cited in this anthology are Livy, Polybius, Tacitus, and Julius Caesar; later sections provide eyewitness glimpses of Genghis Khan ("in the subjugation of his foes his rigour and severity had the taste of poison") and Tamerlane (who "loved bold and brave soldiers, by whose aid opened the locks of terror and tore in pieces men like lions and through them and their battles overturned the heights of mountains"). One caveat: Edward Gibbon's passages on the death of Alaric and the Vandal attack on Rome are very eloquent, but they are, properly speaking, out of place in a collection of firsthand reports. --Ron Hogan

Book Description

The greatest superheroes face their greatest threat.

• Explosive fighting tips customized for each character's superpowers
• Smashing strategies for using the destructible environments to your advantage
• Heroic tactics guide you through all seven levels of Story Mode
• Reveals special moves, juggles, and critical hits for all characters
• Maps, hazards, weapons, and strategies for each arena

Customer Reviews:

Romantic Writing........2006-01-09

Well Written, detailed, told with a little tongue in cheek empathy for the various peoples that were called barbarians. Yet,the author at times seems to ridicule the very authors he so often quotes. Since the barbarians did'nt choose to write their own histories, does not mean that their enemies who they attacked were lying in their descriptions." Indeed, numerous archaeological finds far often than not prove the Classical records to be true." Most scholars use to snicker at the very idea that the Amazons existed, they were proven wrong!

Daddy like.......2003-02-03

This book is awesome. There is nothing like getting history straight from the sources especially when that history is about peoples who were at best semi-literate. The sources used in this book are varied and impressive from Herodotus to Doukas with a lot of famous and not so famous guys in between. It is also interesting to learn what the "civilized" people thought of the "barbarians". Anyone interested in ancient or medieval history, and likes a few crazy barbarians this book is for you.

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