No comments about Lord Elgin and the Marbles.

No comments about A Dictionary of British and Irish Travellers in Italy, 1701-1800 (Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in Britis).

No comments about David Livingstone and the Victorian Encounter With Africa.

2 comments about The Courtesan's Revenge.

1. The author has really done justice to this biography, resisting I am sure the temptation to `sex' the book up, which would have been totally wrong and also unnecessary. This is a wickedly funny biography, a story of a woman, whose name many people will never have heard. It is the life story of Harriette Wilson, who became one of the most famous and most sought after courtesans in the whole of England.
   
   Harriette's beauty was a rare sight to behold when many women, even of a young age were disfigured with pox marks or the loss of their teeth and any of the other multitude of diseases prevalent at the time. But apart from being beautiful she was intelligent and funny. The author has managed to draw from a multitude of sources, which have enabled her to distinguish fact from fiction. Although having said that, Harriette led such an extraordinary life that at times the book reads more like a novel than a biography.
   
   Harriette Wilson had a sensational and at the same time scandalous life. She was nobody's fool and when her former lovers, some of the most important men in Regency London, including the King himself and no less than four prime minister turned against her, Harriette knew exactly how to take her revenge upon them.



2. Harriette Wilson (1786-1845) was among last of the great courtesans and became one of the most notorious when, foiled in collecting annuities that had been promised to her by several gentlemen in her retirement, she published her "Memoirs" with the intention of blackmailing virtually every man who had visited her boudoir. The lawsuits sent her publisher, John Joseph Stockdale, to debtors' prison. But Harriette Wilson's "Memoirs" were a sensation that thrilled the reading public and caused panic at the highest levels of British government. Wilson was blackmailing King George IV and his royal mistress Lady Conyngham, among a long list of powerful personalities. Author Frances Wilson presents a meticulous and lively account of Harriette Wilson's colorful life, from her birth into a tradesman's family in Mayfair, through her reign over England's demi-monde and seduction of its grande-monde, when she cost £50 (over $3000 today) for just an introduction, to her eventual retirement and publication of her "Memoirs" in 1825, through the last years of her life.
   
   For all that she wrote about herself, Harriette Wilson is a perplexing character. Born before the anti-sex fervor of the 19th century posited chastity as the primarily requirement of femininity and women with any carnal appetite came to be feared, Harriette Wilson valued her freedom above all else. She might have had an aristocratic marriage, but she didn't have the temperament for it. "Constancy and convention in relationships were anathemas to her." That's refreshing. But was Harriette's personality bigger than her talents? She reminds me of Mae West: saucy, bold, flirtatious, and completely convinced that she is the most fascinating and sexiest woman around. So certain is she of her allure that force of will makes it so. She excelled in self-promotion. Was Harriette a wronged woman or a vicious blackmailer? She didn't confine her threats to those who had reneged on promises. She begged money until the end. But if only a few men had paid her what she asked -which many did- Harriette would have had enough money to live on. She handled money poorly and lived beyond her means.
   
   Adding to the considerable drama that followed the publication of Harriette Wilson's "Memoirs" was a rebuttal of Harriette's account by fellow courtesan and former friend Julia Storer Johnstone, which Miss Johnstone called her "Confessions". The "Confessions" are accepted by some as the more truthful account, but Frances Wilson points out that is not the case. Harriette Wilson took liberties with dates and details in her "Memoirs", but many of the events can be verified by secondary sources. When the "Memoirs" must be relied upon for explicit information, they are problematic. The men who successfully bought themselves out of the book do not appear within its pages. So many of Harriette Wilson's liaisons remain a mystery. "The Courtesan's Revenge" is an intriguing biography and an detailed piece of the social history of Regency England's demi-monde. There are 2 sections of illustrations containing more than 30 plates of Harriette Wilson and her contemporaries.

No comments about James II: The Triumph and the Tragedy (English Monarchs. Treasures from the National Archives) (English Monarchs. Treasures from the National Archives).

1 comments about Seize, Burn, or Sink: The Thoughts and Words of Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson.

1. From: CAPTAIN RICHARD WOODMAN, "Elder Brother" of UK Trinity House and author of over 30 nautical books, including the "Nathaniel Drinkwater" age-of-sail series:
   
   "Monumental, magnificent, what an achievement! Captain Maffeo has extracted from Nelson's correspondence the opinions of the great man and the manner in which they furthered his naval intentions -- for this is not by any means a collection of unadorned or unambiguous comment. Here is Nelson at work, as well as Nelson as a private person, with his concerns and anxieties, his care and thoughtfulness for others, and his ruthless streak. Captain Maffeo has extracted and collected a fascinating miscellany in 'Seize, Burn, or Sink.'"
   
   
   From: STEPHEN COONTS, "New York Times"-bestselling author of "Flight of the Intruder," "Fortunes of War," "Combat," "Deep Black," and "America":
   
   "Two hundred years ago admirals had no staff; yet, more time. In addition to his duties of leading his fleet, an admiral was also his nation's roving ambassador. Correspondence took months to get anywhere, so he was the 'man on the spot' who made political decisions and commitments wherever his ships happened to call. Riding their flagships around for months--even years--at sea, admirals spent much of their days hunched over a desk reading correspondence and writing letters with goose-quill pens; letters to everyone: their superiors, their families, other captains, government officials high-and-low--officials of their own nation as well as of the various ports in which their ships might call. One of these most famous, and victorious, admirals was Horatio Nelson--and he was an admiral who had a way with words. Historian Steven E. Maffeo has mined his voluminous correspondence to give us the nuggets in this book--the best of Nelson; or, if you will, Nelson unexpurgated. You will find this book a great read and a reference you will return to often, in the years ahead, when you need just the right phrase. I recommend it to you."

No comments about Writing from the Edge of the World: The Memoirs of Darien, 1514-1527.

5 comments about Across the Street From Adolf Hitler.

1. Author Anneliese Korner-Kalman, Stanford University Professor and developmental psychologist, wrote a memoir that deals with the universal task of coming to terms with childhood, in her case an extremely difficult one, complicated by growing up in a conflict ridden family and in closeproximity to Hitler¹s private residence in Munich.

   Soon after Hitler's release from prison where he had written the Nazi bible Mein Kampf, he became a regular visitor in Korner-Kalman's apartment house to call on an upstairs neighbor who was Hitler's informer about the German High Command. Apprehensively watching the steady growth of the Nazi movement, Hitler's visits to her apartment house were very frightening for her and her family. In 1929, it was reported that Hitler had moved to the author¹s immediate neighborhood, but her family did not know exactly where. But in January 1933, when Hitler came to power, it became clear from S.S. officers standing guards in front of his apartment house, that he lived across the street from hers.

   Frightening years ensued, friends and neighbors disappearing, and nearby Dachau concentration camp filling to capacity. In 1934, bicycling through a narrow roundabout, she came face to face with Hitler, when he was driven in his convertible right next to her. A second car pulled up to her with S.S officers screaming at her to greet the Führer, which she refused to do. She later found out that people had been killed for defying to greet Hitler. Ultimately, she was summoned to appear before the Gestapo. After her release, her panicked parents sent her to safety in Switzerland.

   Paradoxically, this most harrowing experience, also became her luckiest one. She was able to leave Germany when this was still possible. It freed her from a family whose values she could not share. And it opened up the world of scholarship for her under the mentorship of Professor Piaget at the University of Geneva. As a result, she eventually became a research scientist, studying newborn babies.

   At the insistence of German colleagues, she reluctantly returned to Munich to present her research findings there. Returning to her roots was poignant and painful, but it also allowed her to finally come to terms with her childhood- -with her parents and with young Germans who had nothing to do with the Nazis.

   I highly recommend this extraordinary and important book which is full of profound and unique insights, both personal and historical. This memoir should appeal to any thoughtful reader.




2. The only reason people will buy this book is because they hope for some personal insight into the mind of Hitler. Forget it, this is a numbingly boring book, an exercise in ego gratification for the author. She lived across the street from Hitler's Munich apartment, at 16 Prinzregentenplatz. She saw him at a distance a few times and then pads these pseudo-encounters to a ridiculous degree. I seriously wonder whether she actually saw Hitler at all, since her stories seem spurious in the extreme.
   
   The vast majority of the book has absolutely nothing to do with Hitler. She is packed off to Switzerland, immigrates to the USA, etc. ad nauseum. Who really cares? The book found a publisher because she claims to have met Hitler. At least, then, include some interesting stories about the man. There are none in this book. Extremely disappointing.



3. I found reading this book riveting and totally absorbing. I could not putit down. Author Anneliese Korner-Kalman, born into a German Jewish family in Munich, vividly describes her frequent and terrifying encounters with her neighbor, Adolf Hitler. After being summoned to appear before the Gestapo,her panicked parents sent her off to safety in Switzerland where, alone and at the age of only sixteen, she was invited to become Professor Piaget's student at the University of Geneva. While there, she not only received an inspiring education that became the foundation of her later career, she also did some underground work, guiding Austrian refugees to safety in prewar France.

   After graduating, she joined her family in New York which was still in the depth of the Great Depression. Her fiance could not join her and wound up in a French camp that ultimately had to hand over all Jewish prisoners to the Nazis for transport to Auschwitz. I found her story of how she was able to get him out of the camp and to come to America just before this event, very
   moving.

   The author managed to get scholarships to attend graduate school at Columbia University, where she earned her Ph.D. Eventually, she became Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine where, in a thirty-five year research career, she studied the innate differences among newborn babies, long before the current stress on genetic differences.

   It was her career that reluctantly brought her back to Munich at the insistence of German colleagues who wanted her to present her research findings there. While in Munich, she painfully relived the Nazi era, but she also gained a lot of historical insights, which grew over many subsequent years. The books ends with a chapter that presents a brilliant and razor-sharp analysis of Hitler's goals, motives and strategies, the Holocaust and its deniers.

   This is a book that tells the fascinating story of a resilient and wise woman who , during all her life, successfully fought the odds. I highly recommend this captivating and well written book.




4. I would not recommend this book to the general public. There is very, very little in it about direct experiences in Nazi Germany. So much of the book has almost nothing to do with Nazi Germany and is about her family and personal relationships and about her professional development instead. These were interesting and well written but not particularly enlightening or thought-provoking. The last 80 pages I found mostly pretty boring as they went into details of her research and her analyses of WWII and Nazi Germany and prejudice against the Jews. I cannot comment on her research, but what she said about the war, etc. I found unenlightening. I think that this is a nice book for her children and her children's children to have, but for me, I felt let down when I came to the end. As a side note, I found it amusing that she wrote down so much about the delicious meals she enjoyed here and there. This was true in Heck's book "Child of Hitler" also. The bombs may be dropping around, but boy, the pickled herring was yummy! (to exaggerate my point). If you are just interested in the musings of and a slice of the life of an intelligent prominent psychologist, then by all means, read this book.



5. Author Anneliese Korner-Kalman who happened to grow up across the street from Hitler's private residence describes her terrifying face to face encounters with Hitler and her ultimate summons to appear before the Gestapo.

   The book describes an extraordinarily courageous woman. For example, when she rode her bike through a narrow roundabout, Hitler's convertible pulled up next to her, and SS officers in a second car, screamed at her to greet the Führer, an order she stubbornly defied. After her panicked parents sent her to Switzerland, she risked her life, guiding Austrian refugees to safety in France.

   Once in Switzerland, Professor Piaget invited her to become a student at the University of Geneva. Her studies there laid the foundation for her ultimately becoming a professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine where, in a 35-year research career, she studied newborn babies. She was one of the first to discover innate newborn behavioral differences,
   long before the more recent interest in genetics.

   Her pioneering research brought her back to Munich because German colleagues persuaded her to present her findings there. During her stay, she relived her painful childhood and the Nazi era.

   While her book is captivating from beginning to end, I was especially impressed by her insightful historical reflections. For instance, she deduced that long before WW II began, Hitler's first and foremost goal was to conquer Russia. She also described how the Nazi Holocaust differed from other genocides in motives, methods and circumstances.

   This is an important book, well written and wise. It is very timely, considering the current wave of anti-Semitism all over the world. I highly recommend this book, particularly for discussion groups and book clubs.

4 comments about Churchill: The Unexpected Hero (Lives and Legacies Series).

1. Addison knows that Churchill's life has received almost as many words as Churchill wrote himself, as one of the most prodigous authors of the twentieth century, known and admired by many as the greatest figure of his time, "saving the world" from Nazi Germany, the right man at the right place at the right time.
   
   But Addison is not so sure. Churchill was maddeningly erratic, not only changing political parties twice but also inflaming deep hatred during his long, varied career as a military figure, prison escapee, politician, cabinet member, and prime minister. Much of the peculiarities about Winston we can attribute to his relationship with his parents, an American debutant and a half-crazed father who died young. Lacking their affections, and wanting to make a name for himself, Churchill took on risks and positions with abandon.
   
   Addison has done a thorough study, more remarkable for its brevity when describing a man whose life has been chronicled many times before in thousands of pages. While leading England during World War II, Winston came to symbolize the twentieth century but he was in many ways a man of the nineteenth or even eighteenth century, believing in the Empire and being more of an egoist than an egotist. Yes, he was a racist in today's terms, with his contempt for what we would today call "developing countries" and their peoples, but for his time Churchill was not out of step. He was, at times, indecisive and, yes, out of step with popular feelings. His writings were often efforts to cast himself in the best possible light. This was especially true when he wrote his memoirs of World War II, right after he was thrown from office at his moment of triumph. This cathartic and somewhat self-serving post-war writing process regained him 10 Downing Street, it also left him as the primary arbiter of his reputation from the war -- the leader of the victorious nations gets to write history.
   
   He was a fickle, spoiled, epicurean of sorts who seemed to love a good fight -- even a good war -- if it helped him get ahead and helped England stay ahead or stay alive. Loved or hated, he deserves to be admired for what he got right, not for what he got wrong. Addison is critical yet quite balanced in this treatment of this great yet flawed figure. And for those who want the concise Churchill story, this is it.



2. Paul Addison has written a competent introduction to a life more interesting, in the sense of history, than any other of the twentieth century. His book is enlivened by many vivid quotes from a broad assortment of people who had reason to know Winston Churchill. However, I think the author, in an excessive attempt at balance, bends too far over backward in making use of certain highly negative assessments-- such as one offered by Evelyn Waugh at the time of Churchill's death.
   
   While he may have had feet of clay, his name remains remembered in Westminister Abby--and elsewhere over the globe.



3. 
   I've waited the past two months to receive a copy of this short biography on Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill. Reading this book does not disappoint.
   
   This short work, though fair and favorable to Sir Winston, also discusses the controversies of his career. Not everyone in Britain was a fan of Churchill, with some disliking him, with others fearing he would ever have any part of the government. In spite of his monumental contributions to the World War II years, some never lost their mistrust nor dislike of the man.
   
   As an American, I see him as the beacon of hope for war-torn Britain. The best possible man to lead the country during those years, an uncrowned king giving the British people the hope and stamina needed to go on, day by day, overcoming all the suffering World War II brought them. Should he not have been the best, surely there existed no one better. When one thinks today of World War II Britain, one must think of Winston Churchill. They have become intertwined and inseparable.
   
   Even from his earliest years, Churchill always felt he was a person of destiny; so was able to equally accept and act in that role. One must wonder what England would have been without him. Prior to the war he was seen as too strident and hawkish, once the war began however his views and demeanor coincided exactly to the needs of the time. Once the war was over, most of the country turned their backs to him at the polls, feeling he was not up to running a tamer, peacetime government.
   
   Being neither British, nor ignoring his earlier government service prior to World War II (he was 65 in 1940 at time of his becoming Prime Minister with many years of government service behind him), I cannot agree with their post war thinking. And as discussed in this slim volume, I agree with the author that the mistrust and distrust of earlier Liberal versus Tory episode was ever overcome. Too many felt they just could not count on, nor place their full trust in this man.
   
   Winston Churchill is my 'cup of tea'. One of the few 20th Century men of both character and leadership. True, he had both great flaws and great abilities as well; and this book fairly shows both.
   
   Recommended reading.
   
   Semper Fi.



4. Though Winston Churchill has never wanted for biographers, over the past few years the publication of brief studies of his life have come into vogue. Written by some of the leading historians of the period - John Keegan, Geoffrey Best, Stuart Ball - they offer an accessible (if condensed) examination of one of the dominant figures of the twentieth century. Paul Addison's book is the latest addition to their ranks, and one that deserves to be ranked as among the best of these efforts.
   
   Addison argues that the heroic status that Churchill enjoys today belies much of his career. Considered an irresponsible genius by his contemporaries, he was a polarizing figure who was never completely trusted by any side of the political divide. Yet as prime minister during the Second World War he went on to become "the embodiment of national unity," a symbol of Britain's determination to defeat Nazi Germany. Addison provides a more nuanced view of Churchill's career, noting his ideological consistency in a politically turbulent age. When war came, the man and the moment were ideally matched; indeed, many of the traits that his opponents deplored - his enthusiasm for war, his advocacy of impossible ideas, even the fact that he was half American - became assets in the conflict and were keys to his successful leadership.
   
   Developed from his entry on Churchill for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Addison succeeds in providing an insightful introduction to the life of one of the dominant figures of the twentieth century. Though hardly a hagiographical account - he freely acknowledges such faults as Churchill's massive egotism - his portrait is a sympathetic one, depicting the prime minister as "a hero with feet of clay." The result is a good read and a great starting point for anyone seeking to learn more about this fascinating figure.

1 comments about George IV (The English Monarchs Series).

1. This guy was the epitome of decadents. The author described in 3D so it seams the parties,the spending, the frustration, the many mistresses of this unpopular king. No one was sorry when he passed away. That is sad indeed. The author also showed that this king was a great patron of the arts. He built schools. Great book.