2 comments about The Mays of Ventadorn (National Geographic Directions).

1. This is a delightful look at a wonderful place and a marvellous cast of characters by one of our most talented living poets. I don't usually find myself yearning to move to France, but after reading The MAYS I couldn't help myself! Merwin's language is uniformally beautiful & he makes both his people and his places come alive. I also enjoyed both the fragments of songs that Merwin translates for us and his discussion of the difficulties of translation -both across language and across time. My one critique (and the loss of a star) is that I wanted more. Each time I felt that the "story" was REALLY going to start we would shift gears & go somewhere else or talk about someone else, and after a while I gave up hoping for any conclusion or resolution. This may be the product of some arbirary editorial length (I note that the book is part of a travel series) but in any case it is a pity, as I could easily have read twice as much on half as many troubadors!



2. If you ever wondered if medieval poetry and the lives of the people who wrote it was in some way intimidating or academic, `The Mays of Ventadorn` provides a truely unique way of experiencing it. W.S. Merwin, in his charateristic style, brings to life Ventadorn (places and personalities) the center of the troubadour universe by weaving his own personal relationship with the region, the era and its poets. This book is a wonderful journey through Merwin's experience and how he has found value and meaning in the troubadours -- It will leave you wanting more poetry and a plane ticket to Southwest France.

2 comments about Mary Queen of Scots.

1. This is a wonderful book about the Queen of Scotland! I was in Edinburgh, Scotland a couple months ago, and saw this book. It contains wonderful pictures and is well-written! Great book for anyone interested in the Mary Queen of Scots!



2. What an excellent addition to a library dedicated to Mary of Scotland. This book covered her life in a beautiful way, what with portraits (done during her life and modern), pictures of the places she lived, and members of her court. Although every detail of Mary's life just couldn't be incorporated into this book, there was enough to help a person see the time that she lived in and, perhaps, what motivated her to do some of the things she did. For a thorough understanding of her days, please enjoy the grand bio of her by Antonia Fraser. For a quick synopsis of her life, this coffee-table style edition is just wonderful.

2 comments about God's Clockmaker: Richard of Wallingford and the Invention of Time.

1. Loved this book. Although the book's title suggests it's about clocks, its scope is much broader and includes material about how science, mathematics and philosophy were intertwined with religion and everyday life in 12/13th century England. Personally I found the book extremely well written and a pleasure to read.



2. This book was recommended in a clock magazine. It describes the making of a medieval astronomical clock in England. It must be excellent, because ordered on Jan 4, it has not yet arrived (February 24). Evidently it is in great demand, or very short supply. Amazon, in inviting me to write this review, apparently does not know that it has still not arrived. Finally, ordering it elsewhere (it was delivered within a week!) I can confirm that it is excellent, though it reuires good math skills.

5 comments about Yale English Monarchs - Richard I (The English Monarchs Series).

1. Gillingham does it again. John Gillingham, again,provides us with another superb account of a remarkable ruler of England.



2. I was sceptical getting started on this biography. Certainly, the early parts were fact-laden, slightly uninteresting and slow going.
   
   I am very glad I did not give up.
   
   This is one of the few strictly historical books that restores one's faith in objective research and non-agenda, non-ego driven truth finding.
   
   One might wish for a bit more of a picture of Richard's persona, but from the remove of nearly a millenium, this would be fudging anyway. The facts that there are are clearly and neatly laid out regarding all of Richard's attributes, and some of the modern fadist mythologies (so many of which have their underpinnings in a given academic's desire or need for attention) are dealt with fairly and thoroughly.
   
   Example: Richard was not a homosexual, as "The Lion in Winter" would have a viewer believe. The evidence against it is clear and plenary. It isn't that one doesn't wish him to be, it's just that this notion has its roots in a modern attempt to overlay ancient male and political bonding customs with a template of modern behaviours and modern conclusions which would stem from modern interpretations of those behaviors.
   
   All in all, Richard emerges from the historical record as a great warrior King, who was grossly treated following his exertions during the Crusades, and was forced to try to reclaim the lands that Phillip of France stole while Richard was away. He was therefore forced to stay away from Britain, because the Angevin and Acquitainian and Norman parts of his empire were on the continent. He did not stay away from Britain by choice or by neglect (another myth debunked), but because he was forced to by the duties of his Kingship. Also, Britain WAS part of continental Europe as well in those days. (Or vice versa, if you happen to be English.)



3. A great introduction to those curious about this legendary monarch. Gillingham pulls off a bit of a hat trick here. While he does have strong opinions of surrounding figures, particularly Philip and John, he lets the facts speak for themselves about Richard and does not argue one particular point of view. With one exception, his sexuality. This also one of the few times where I found the primary historians, both Arab and Norman, becoming "characters" and their presence is missed when they die or no longer are around the King. The very difficult task of giving all of the counts of Normandy, the Vexin, and the Aquitaine distinctiveness is handled incredibly well. In the hands of a less skilled author this would have been very dry reading and frustratingly convoluted. Also, bit of a heads up to the future reader: This is Gillingham's second book on Richard the Lionheart and he has written numerous articles and essays on the monarch. He has no problem using himself as a reference and he flat out lifts an entire chapter from his previous work and places it in this one. I found this shrewdly entertaining. It does benefit this volume and since the older version is no longer in print, no harm done. After reading this you come away better informed, entertained and with a desire to pick up another book on this era and this king. I can't think of much better praise than that. An essential work for a medieval library.



4. This is the most balanced royal biography I've read to date. Gillingham begins by tracing Richard's reputation through the ages, beginning at it's peak in the 12th and 13th centuries, when he was considered one of the great leaders of his time to it's nadir in the 1950's when academics began to consider him a "Bad son and a bad king..." who spent far more time on the continent than he ever did in England, leaving it in terrible financial straits when he went off to fight in the crusades, and began to conjecture about his sexual preference. Gillingham explores and discounts these and other myths about Richard and his reign simply by letting the historical record speak for itself and allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions, rather than stating his own opinions as facts and then selectively using the historical record to back them up. He also isn't afraid to admit that he can't be sure of something when the historical evidence is either too thin or simply obscured by the mists of time, which is refreshing. The author is among the first to rely heavily on contemporary Muslim sources in constructing his portrait of Richard, because he believes they are less biased in their evaluation of Richard's character than a European chronicler might be. These sources are, for the most part, complimentary, and add great perspective and depth to the reader's understanding of Richard as a warrior. Gillingham strikes the perfect balance between academic research and popular history, making the book very readable. Whether you're interested in Richard himself, or merely seeking an introduction into reading further about his fascinating family dynamics, or the crusades, this is the book to read!



5. Richard the Lionheart's life and personality may be the stuff of legend, but they are hidden by the mists of time -- or rather the paucity of relevant documents. Gillingham does a brilliant job of breathing as much life as possible into rather arid fragments without stepping beyond what is warranted by the evidence. For his understanding of the king, he draws as much on contempory Arab sources as European ones, arguing convincingly that the Arab writers may have had fewer axes to grind in talking of Richard. Gillingham goes so far as to place his evaluation of Richard's character at the point where the evidence ends -- following his captivity in Germany -- rather than at the end of the book. Instead the book ends with a well reasoned argument that it was John (and John alone) who lost Normandy whereas Richard was winning the war against Philip Agustus of France. Gillingham also points out that, had Richard lived to complete that struggle, the empire of Henry II might still have disappeared with his death.

   Inevitably, some of the work is frustratingly dry -- especially for the process of Richard's development into a strong ruler and military genius against the background of one of history's most disfunctional families. But that dryness arises from the lack of evidence, not from immersion in trivia at the expense of substance.

   The book itself is a delight, with strong narrative supported by a myriad of footnotes which are where they should be -- at the bottom of the pages. All in all, a good story well told with insightful analysis based on the record.

5 comments about Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work.

1. This marvellous book chronicles a year in the life of the British Royal family and accompanies the brilliant BBC series. It encompasses the work and leisure time of the major figures in the family and quite a bit of the works of the more junior members also. The reader is privy to meetings with heads of state, the British Prime Minister and delegations from overseas countries, and may enjoy many photographs which have never before been seen. I especially enjoyed it as a coffee table book, picking it up and delving into it at the odd moment and loved it so much that I'd recommend it to anyone who likes to keep up with what's happening to the Queen and her family.



2. Great book! From the colorful photography to the amusing, easy-to-read text, this book is a delight to read. It takes the mundane routine of the monarch and makes it interesting, all while providing an up-close, behind-the-scenes account of the life of this extraordinary woman whose life and reign span more than 80 years of modern history.



3. I suppose I can understand why a prior poster would label the life of the Queen and her family as 'small talk'. It is difficult for those of us who are American to understand the significance of the continuity of the British royal family, even in this year of elections over here. Unlike the house of Orange in the Netherlands, the Queen is sworn to work for her country until she dies. Not a burden many of us would choose, regardless of all the finery.
   
   Most of us will live our lives in anonymity, and the ability to do what we want, when we want, without much public scrutiny. That this woman hasn't had a day of privacy since childhood is indeed an amazing concept in this day where any obligation, even marriage, is taken lightly.
   
   This is an excellent insight into the amount of work the Queen and family perform, certainly not just 'small talk'. Would only that our politicians could turn out the same amount!



4. This is a pleasing adjunct to what is being broadcast now on our national broadcasting network - the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) with the last 2-hour instalment being aired on February 24th.
   
   The cover photograph by Annie Liebovitz is STUNNING and the tale behind that photographic session is quite amusing. Annie really got to like HM's feistiness and frankness - after all she is a Taurus - and even stood up to that sometimes bossy woman - Leibovitz I mean, NOT HM. But Ms. Leibovitz got the results she wanted except for having The Queen being mounted on a horse in Garter robes in one of Buckingham Palace's drawing rooms. What WAS she thinking?
   
   THe State Visit to Washington was intriguing to see and the preparations were exhaustive. Even President Bush's comments showed him to be almost human and he appears to have really like and actually admired our Queen of Canada (by law). Laura Bush got her white-tie dinner with the Queen of England and more power to her, even if President Bush looked a bit uncomfortable at times.
   
   Some of the photos reproduced are a bit fuzzy as if improperly scanned or from secondary or tertiary sources but, for the most part, the photos are crystal clear.
   
   Having been to Garden Parties at Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland they really do put on a show and serve a nice tea. The lemon tarts are to die for.
   
   This is the perfect book to accompany the television series and you can rest assured that when the DVD of it comes out I will buy it posthaste.
   
   An enjoyable read, if not overly scholarly, but then it was designed for a mass audience and for that it does RObert Hardman much credit. The appendices are helpful and will explain much to the American reader.
   
   Much recommended and an enjoyable read.
   
   Timothy Wingate Ottawa CANADA



5. It was a great book, and I really enjoyed what goes on behind the scenes to get the Queen or other members of the Royal Family for engagements, cermonies, etc.
   
   However, the author got a few facts wrong when he wrote about the recent state visit to the U.S. To begin with, (1) Virgina Tech is a university, not a college. (2) The Queen's bedroom in the White House was called that after the Queen Mother stayed in that room,at the White House, with her husband (George VI) in the late 1930's. (3) The calbarias (is that how you spell it?) that the Queen gave when she was Princess Elizabeth, they have been on that mantle since the TRUMAN era, not the Kennedy era.
   
   Also, I would have loved seen how the people at the Kentucky Derby got things ready for the Queen's visit.

3 comments about Frederick the Great: A Historical Profile.

1. Book was a dull read. No insight to the man and why he did what he did. Not very good story telling.



2. Who was Frederick the Great? Where was Prussia? What was the political dynamic in Prussia? What was the interest in Silesia? This book offers everything from the most basic answers to interesting facts to a great military mind on a relentless campaign for national prestige. Not many people know much about Prussia; this book helps you stand out from the crowd and enjoy doing so.



3. This work is the study of a society as reflected in the life of Frederick the Great. The subject of interest is not so much the man per se but rather his interactions with the society he did so much to shape. Ritter's treatment allows the reader to learn about Frederick but not to know him as a man. In fact, the work serves largely to sublimate Frederick the man to the Prussian state. The reader sees Frederick as having succeeded not through divine placement but by luck, reason, and a commitment to the state above all personal and worldly considerations. But despite all Frederick's realism, as revealed by Ritter, he remains an enigma. Indeed, as Paret alludes to in his introduction, certain events of European history and aspects of Frederick's life are not explored in Ritter's European-oriented presentation. Certainly my own lack of understanding of the complicated alliance patterns of early modern Europe detract from my understanding of the book.
   
   Frederick's reign seems to have marked a crucial turning point in history-- one toward the development of the modern European nation-state. Frederick utilized the French designs of emerging nationality to bring to life a state whose purpose was to further the good of all its inhabitants rather than to serve as an instrument of the prince's vainglory. From the mediaeval throes of dynamism was born the modern state. To a large degree, Frederick the Great was Prussia; he raised her to a level of power that would not long outlive him. This is what makes Ritter's biography history.

   There was a certain ambivalence evidenced in Frederick's conception of warfare. He only pursued war to further the state, and he learned from war--especially his initial invasion of Silesia. Always, Prussia in the end seemed to prosper from her ruler's military actions. Central in Frederick's conception of the state was the need for a vigilant standing army. To oversee this grand army, Frederick developed a program for proto-modern statehood--in all aspects to be overseen by him personally. In his state, he sought to utilize the nobility in a paternalistic system. Patriotism was his goal; his military leaders were not to fight for him but for Prussia. Frederick was deeply involved in military strategy; as a soldier-king he demanded discipline and controlled aggression among his men. Significantly, over time he came to see the value of statecraft over military action; after his Silesian invasion, his wars seemed more defensive in nature; often no decisive victor emerged from battle. He came to realize that warfare was constrained by the state's national resources. As Ritter describes it, Frederician warfare was defined by maneuverability and limited aggression. It is the birth of patriotism in the form of Frederician absolutism that lies at the heart of Ritter's study. Compelled by the rise to power of Naziism, Ritter seeks to show how such German nationalism had originally been born.

1 comments about No Ordinary Women: Irish Female Activists in the Revolutionary Years 1900 - 1923.

1. I have yet to read the whole book, but what I have seen so far looks to be an exciting resource on a much neglected subject. The bios are excellent. I will critique the rest when I have a chance.

No comments about Queenship and Sanctity: The Lives of Mathilda and the Epitaph of Adelheid (Medieval Texts in Translation).

3 comments about Queen Victoria's Grandchildren.

1. This book provides a wonderful history of the grandchildren of Queen Victoria. As well as being detailed and interesting, this book is also rich in photos of the royal family. Through this book, the reader can gain clear insights into this fascinating family and their unique personalities and how their intermarriage linked all of the houses of Europe together. A helpful family tree is also included, and I liked the format of this book, the way it was divided into sections.



2. This book provides a wonderful history of the grandchildren of Queen Victoria. As well as being detailed and interesting, this book is also rich in photos of the royal family. Through this book, the reader can gain clear insights into this fascinating family and their unique personalities and how their intermarriage linked all of the houses of Europe together. A helpful family tree is also included, and I liked the format of this book, the way it was divided into sections.



3. "Queen Victoria's Grandchildren" is not particularly long-- about 130 pages-- but it is large-format (about 8 1/2 by 11 inches). It is a photographic tribute to Queen Victoria's grandchildren. It has been divided into sections, one section for each of the grandchildren. These vary in length from one page to five pages. Except for two grandchildren who died in very young infancy, at least one photograph-- usually more-- is included with each section. I've read a lot of books on Queen Victoria and her various offspring, and many of the photos are new even to me. There is a slight bias, of course, to the more-photographed grandchildren. (A lot of photographs of King George V, Queen Marie of Rumania, and Empress Alexandra of Russia, etc.) But two or three pictures are included of all of them, including the ever-elusive ones who died in childhood (except for the two babies). I especially enjoyed finding a picture of the ever-elusive Prince Frederick (Frittie) of Hesse.

   The text serves more as a synopsis of the person's life to provide background for the pictures; there are no real analyses or insights. The writing is usually very simplistic, but get this book for the pictures.

No comments about Up in the Park: The Diary of the Wife of the American Ambassador to Ireland 1977-1981.