5 comments about Memoirs of an Arabian Princess from Zanzibar (Topics in World History).

1. While a little biassed and one-sided, this book gives a great insight into the pampered life of a princess of Zanzibar, tempered by her marriage outside the "circle" and the poor treatment she received as a result. Most interesting.



2. This book is written by Emily Ruete (formerly, Syiida Salma) who was the daughter of the most influential rulers of Oman and Zanzibar of all times. It was originally written in German and then translated into English and Arabic.
   This book is excellent for the kind of readers who are fascinated by history and, Arab and Islam culture. Although the title suggests the author's autobiography, the book goes further to give a clear image on the political aspects and social life of the island of Zanzibar.
   I am glad that she had some financial hardships that forced her to write such a book to sell it. It has delivered so much information about Zanzibar that we wouldn't know.



3. This book contains the memoirs of Emily (Sayyida) Ruete, a Nineteenth Century Arabian princess. It is a fascinating tale of childhood and living conditions within the harem in Nineteenth Century Zanzibar. The book is unique in that Sayyida was one of the very few princesses who learned to write, hence other princesses were not able to record their experiences. It is refreshing to read an insider's report of harem life rather than the strange misinterpretations of short-term foreign visitors. The book also contains firsthand accounts of political intrigue, which will be of interest to students of Zanzibari or Omani history.



4. "Memoirs of an Arabian Princess from Zanzibar" by Emily Ruete (born Sayyida, Princess of Zanzibar) is a unique book, the only autobiography by a Zanzibari princess of the 19th century.

   The author was born in Zanzibar in the mid-1800's. Long ruled by Omani Arabs, Zanzibar had achieved hegemony on the coast of Eastern Africa and had grown rich on the harvest of slaves and ivory from the continent and spices (especially cloves) from Zanzibar island itself. They had spread their influence and Swahili language as far west as Kisangani on the Congo river (the setting for V.S. Naipaul's "A Bend in the River"). Times were changing: European traders and missionaries were the harbingers of colonization for the continent, protectorate status for Zanzibar, and the crusade against the Eastern slave trade.

   Sayyida eloped with a German and had to leave Zanzibar. She moved to Germany where she was eventually widowed and alone (her Islamic family in Zanzibar rejected her for marrying a European Christian.) She wrote this book for her children, to provide them a record of her history. In it she describes life in the Zanzibar royal palace and plantations: traditions, customs, palace intrigues and overthrows, the harem, slaves, festivals, manners, the status of women, and so forth. She compares her life in Europe to her life in Zanzibar. This book should be of value to anyone interested in Zanzibar or Eastern Africa, or Arab, Islamic, or Women's studies.

   Please see my other reviews of books about Africa.




5. I initially read several extracts from this book when I visited the Sultans' palace in Zanzibar Stone Town where the Princess used to live. I was fascinated by the day-to-day details in this book which really gave you an indepth look into how a Muslim Princess lived during that time. A great book for history lovers, world travelers and anyone who happens to be heading to Zanzibar (don't forget Mr Metou!).

No comments about The Kings & Queens of Scotland (Revealing History).

2 comments about Father Arseny: A Cloud of Witnesses.

1. This book is so vital to read as Westerners who may not know about the persecutions of the Russian Church under the communist. What makes this books stand alone is the life of Fr. Arseny of Blessed Memory. His struggles with criminals, political prisoners, brutal guards, and trying to simply stay alive while fulfilling his sentence in one of the soviet, "special camps," gives you a look at how one man's humanity and compassion can have such a deep impact on so many others. Fr. Areny's life stands among many of the as yet un-cannonized saints that suffered for the Orthodox Faith. The spiritual depth and the description of some of Gods mysteries pulls back the veil of this world for the reader so they can see the depths of Gods love in his saints. You will love this book even if you are not Orthodox.



2. I have not received this title yet, even though my credit card hsa billed me for this item. It has been over 2 weeks!
   
   Jack Flanagan

2 comments about Princess Diana (& E Biography).

1. I liked this book a lot.Diana had a very busy life and a lot to do but she always found time for other people.It is sad that she died but I think she did a lot of good things in her life.This book tells the story of a beautiful person.I give it a A+ !!!!!



2. My daughter read this book for a school report. I picked it up to look at it, & then couldn't put it down. I was impressed and touched by this well-told story.

2 comments about Diana : The People's Princess.

1. Like much of the rest of the world, I was captivated by then-Lady Diana Spencer as she became known to the world through her association with Prince Charles, and I followed the developments with interest through the build-up to the royal wedding, the early marriage, the difficult years, and finally, Diana's tragic death in Paris in 1997. Her death was a stunning blow to many; one is reminded of the song 'you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone', for the world seemed to stop for the tragedy, which is still being played out in various sectors to this day.

   There really was a fairy-tale aspect to Diana's life - she was always larger than life, and being perhaps the most photogenic royal of all time, every newspaper, periodical and media outlet wanted to be on hand to document her every move. This was certainly no fairy-tale existence for her, as she recounted in various ways to her few friends; one will likely never know the complete story of her life and death, but there are enough strands about that one can piece together happy times and sad times.

   This particular book is one of the many that appeared shortly after her death, as people everywhere scrambled to get a last remembrance or memorial of Diana, as if her death would stop the production and sale of her story and image. It has many of the 'standard' photographs one has come to expect in any royal-family or Diana book - pictures well known now around the world from her childhood, courtship, marriage, and funeral.

   The book is divided into six primary sections: Diana's Early Life; Diana and Charles; Diana the Devoted Mother; Diana, Queen of Hearts; Diana and Friends; and finally, Goodbye England's Rose. Here there is a very basic history, essentially free of controversy and strife, recounting merely the basic facts with stoicism tinted with a bit of sadness of the break-up of the world's most famous marriage. The photographs include the famous balcony scenes after the wedding, Diana alone in front of the Taj Mahal (a symbol of great love from another royal husband), Diana with her sons, and finally, pictures of the funeral and the island in the Spencer estate.

   It is sad to look back after these many years at the glamourous pictures, realising the back-story that was taking place at the time. I collected royal books for many years prior to this, and this is not an exceptional book either in content or in style, but is rather made exceptional by the subject, Diana herself, and the obvious care the author (a correspondent of Independent Television Network in Britain) and compilers devoted in bringing things so quickly to the public.

   More will be written of Diana, surely, but the record of Diana must certainly be a visual one, complete with photographs, and this collection represents many of the best.




2. This was one of the first books which I purchased after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. This book has been read and appreciated many times by me. One is taken through Diana's childhood, through her teenage years, through her coursthip with Prince Charles, through her marriage, through her charities, through her untimely and tragic death, and through her funeral services. As far as I'm concerned, Dodi could have been omitted.

   In the Foreward, Trevor McDonal, OBE, writes: "The sudden and tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales affected the people of Britain and the world as perhaps no other event in modern times.

   "...Her death seemed to touch the chord that unites us all as people, as members of the vast and disparate human race, as partners in the great of nations. I have come to believe that there are several reasons why this is so. Diana had become, by the time of her death, an international superstar like no other before her. Although she was no longer married to the Prince of Wales, the heir to the throne, her superstar status was underpinned by her royal connections. To all intent and purposes she was regarded by her millions of admirers as fully royal, touched by thr indescribable regal magic. Another reason is that she was stunningly beautiful, In an age when technology enables pictures to flatter their subject unashamedly, Diana's good looks outdid the photographer's art. As Shakespeare's Cleopatra was described, Diana's entrance into a room 'beggared all description.'...

   "Many of us in the media knew the Princess well. She had a great sense of humor, laughed easily and was unfailingly charming. But she could also be wilful and manipulative and was always ambivalent about how much of her royal status she wanted to use and when. Diana was no saint. She made silly mistakes and even grosser misjudgements. She was not infallible. But then niether are we. Part of her charm was her vulnerability. She was very human and it is now obvious from her many tributes to her, that she was capable of showing great humanity. When it was clear that she would never be Queen of England, Diana said, with what seems like wonderful prescience, that she wanted to be Queen of People's Hearts, The People's Princess. The response by the pepople to her death suggests that she achieved, in overwhelming measure, everything that she wanted to be.

   "The undoubted value of this book lies in the simple fact that the images it contains will never die...the pictures of the glamous Princess; the pictures of her with her boys, the young Princes, who she loved so much. And then there are those forever haunting images of her coffin arriving back from Paris and the panorama of scenes of her funeral on the day an entire nation stopped to pay its respects. These will be pointed at and talked about long into the twenty-first century.

   "They show that in her short life, marked by pinnacles of joy and depths of despair, Diana, Princess of Wales, became an icon who captured the world's imagination as no other public figure of our time."

   The above quote sums up this book. It is beautifully written and contains pictures both in color and in black and white. Anyone who collects books on Diana, Princess of Wales, will certainly want this book

4 comments about Emperor Francis Joseph: Life, Death and the Fall of the Habsburg Empire.

1. I cannot write a review as I have not received my order yet. the order was shipped on january 30, with estimate arrival date March 08. My tracking number is GM01088134011894499. I tried your link WHERES MY STUFF but got nowhere.My credit card has alçready been charged with this item.Please advise if another arrival estimate. Thnk you



2. have actually not been able to start reading but know by title, will be great. thanks.



3. Wonderful telling of the life of the last true Habsburg emperor. Although the author allows you to be sympathetic to Francis Joseph, he makes no excuses for his shortcomings as emperor as well. I bought this book as a guide for an upcoming trip to Austria and eastern Europe. It not only made me look forward to my trip but with the historical events that I got from this book in mind, I had a deeper perspective of the many sights that I visited on my trip. An fascinating read.



4. I found this novel to be an accurate novel of the last 100 years of the Hapsburg Dynasty and their trials, family sorrows and the effects of their autocratic power upon the people they governed throughout the late 19th and early 20th century. While i believe at times the Emperor felt he was ruling in the best interests of his loyal subjects that remains to be seen in the last part of the 19th century and of course leading up to that fateful day in June at Sarajavo when Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were murdered by an Anachists Bomb and set the tone for the debacle of World War I which of course destroyed the last remaining vestiges of European Autocracy and Dynastic inheritance. While i do favor people having a say in how they are governed it seems that when the monachy is overthrown as in Imperial Russia; the individuals that take over the rule are far worse than their "Annointed Predecessors" . After all the gulags of Josef Stalin were far worse than any "fortress" of the Tsars.

3 comments about Imperial Masquerade: The Legend of Princess Der Ling.

1. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Without question, I read the book to learn more about Cixi, and I was not disappointed. The book took me into the inner courts of the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City with extraordinary descriptives and details - such as Der Ling demonstrating European dancing ("jumping" in Cixi's words). Der Ling's story is unusual and interesting, and the book has a terrific collection of pictures.



2. 
   I found this book rather dull and not particularily well written. Let's face it, anyone reading this book is looking for information on the Dowager Empress, not Der Ling. Not much information on the Empress (although the information that was provided was good) and too much dull information on Der Ling. I would not recommend the book.



3. Engaging read from start to finish. I saw Mr. Hayter-Menzies do a book presentation and signing at the Freer Gallery at the Smithsonian, bought the book on the spot and read it immediately on the flight back to California. Hard to believe Der Ling not only survived, but thrived in this time period with such a before-her-time, women's rights attitude in Chinese society, not to mention French and American societies where women weren't supposed to be self-sufficient and bold. You could almost credit her with the popularity of compact, personally owned photo image cameras - Kodak should have paid her a commission or marketing fee. I'm also amazed that Der Ling was able to "pose" so readily as "Chinese royalty" and got away with it for so long. The fact that she did "live" the true life of a Chinese Princess within the royal court made her books, lectures and performances accurate, entertaining and believable - so I guess her audiences must have been captivated by her stories. If Bush can pose as a president, why couldn't Der Ling pose as a royal Chinese princess? Absolutely a must-read for anyone interested in Chinese culture and world history in general.

1 comments about Henry Ossawa Tanner: A Spiritual Biography (Lives & Legacies).

1. One of the most stunning moments in my art-watching career came many years ago in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, when I suddenly came upon Henry Tanner's painting "The Annunciation." I remained transfixed for many minutes. It remains my favorite religious painting of the last couple of centuries. I soon learned that the artist was the first African-American to make it to the artistic top, the stratospheric heights of French Salon shows and membership in the American National Academy of Design. Tanner was almost forgotten for a long time, but there is a flock of webpages and internet resources on him now, as well as this wonderful biography.
   Marcus Bruce has written a brief book that lays out Tanner's lifecourse, centering on the religious and spiritual side, which was, in fact, Tanner's true focus. (Tanner, a minister's son, remained deeply religious all his life.) This book is not only clear and authoritative; it has some of the most insightful art criticism that I have seen. Bruce is far from the "in the right corner we see a dog" school of art writing. He describes the paintings in relation to Tanner's spiritual quest, and Tanner's vision of the world and humanity. His account of my beloved "Annunciation" is a real masterpiece.
   My only complaint with this book (besides sloppy editing--there are too many typos) is that it is too short and does not have color pictures! I hope, even pray, that Dr. Bruce will go on to do a full-scale, large-format art book about Henry Tanner, with the major works in full color. Tanner certainly deserves it--he still has not received the recognition he deserves--and Bruce is the man to do it.

3 comments about Las Cadenas de Sultana (Biblioteca).

1. De las tres, esta me gustó mas. La primera esta fabulosa, la segunda buena y esta espectacular!!!!



2. I'm sorry I can't write a reveiw because the book was not in English,and I dom't know how to return it for English,PLEASE HELP,THANKS



3. this book moved my soul to another level it was sad and frustrating at times but in the end you can see how a woman can survive in a world where she has no alies just the will to be heard and fight for her life.

1 comments about Emperor Maximilian II.

1. As Professor Fichtner shows, Maximilian was not only an unsuccessful leader, but a repeat loser on many fronts: war with Turkey, religious issues, administration and fiscal policy . . . the list goes on. While not written for the popular market this work does manage to hit all the main features of Maximilian's career, and ends, poignantly, with a meditation on the psychological effects of failure.