No comments about The Lord of Uraniborg: A Biography of Tycho Brahe. (book reviews): An article from: Scandinavian Studies.

No comments about How enigmatic is Hans Christian Andersen? On three recent biographies.(Book Review): An article from: Scandinavian Studies.

No comments about Tage Erlander: Serving the Welfare State, 1946-1969 (Pitt Series in Policy and Institutional Studies).

1 comments about Witness to History: The Memoirs of Mauno Koivisto, President of Finland 1982 - 1994.

1. Mauno Koivisto was President of Finland from 1982 to 1994. Ths book is a series of snapshots of events and discussions he was involved in as President, together with commentary on various aspects of Finland's involvement, largely from a foreign policy perspective and uniquely focused on Finland's role as a close neighbour of the Soviet Union. The conflict between the Soviet Union's desire to draw Finland ever more closely into the Soviet orbit, and Finland's desire, and continuing policy of remaining neutral is clearly stated and illustrated.
   
   The book is set out as a series of very disjointed accounts of various meetings and events. The reader is pretty much left to piece these together as best they can. The focus is overwhelmingly on foreign affairs, with pretty much nothing on events internal to Finland. As such, it's more of an ancillary resource for anyone interested in Finland's role in international affairs, partiularly the ongoing US-Soviet negotiations, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the regaining of independance by the Baltic States. We also get Koivisto's take on "Finlandization" and how Finland tried to balance off the need to maintain good relations with the Soviet Union vis-a-vis their desire to maintain their independance.
   
   An interesting read, but without any prior knowledge of Finland, Finnish history and the circumstances and events of Finland's involvement in WW2, it would be difficult for a reader to put in context much of what Koivisto relates. One also needs to keep in mind that this book was written initially for a Finnish audience who would know this.

No comments about In Memoriam P.M. Mitchell, 1916-1999.(Obituary)(Brief Article): An article from: Scandinavian Studies.

1 comments about American Mystery And Detective Writers (Dictionary of Literary Biography).

1. AMERICAN MYSTERY AND DETECTIVE WRITERS contains career biographies of thirty-three leading mystery authors such as John D. MacDonald,Walter Mosley, Robert B. Parker, Rex Stout, Earl Derr Biggers, Tony Hillerman, Edward D. Hoch, S.S. Van Dine, John Dickson Carr and F. van Wyck Mason. The entries are carefully researched and very readable. This volume is part of the ambitious and award-winning Dictionary of Literary Biography series which also includes AMERICAN HARD-BOILED CRIME WRITERS(Volume #226).

No comments about "A great American": Address of President Coolidge at the unveiling of the John Ericsson Memorial in Washington, May 29, 1926.

No comments about Quisling: A Study in Treason (Scandinavian University Press Publication).

2 comments about Swedes: From Whence They Came (Little Histories Series).

1. This was just what I was looking for and I really liked it. Like the series it is (Little History Series) you should expect a "little" history. This book is not an in-depth, all-inclusive history of Sweden, but it is a great starter book. I knew nothing of Swedish history and was overwhelmed by some of the larger volumes. I wanted something simple that I could read easily and gain a basic understanding of Swedish history. This book was perfect for that. I was able to read it quickly and become familiar with the basics. I feel that I am now ready to try to tackle a larger in-depth history. If you already have a general understanding of Swedish history and culture, this book probably isn't for you, but if you are a beginner without much knowledge of Swedish history, particularly of the royalty and wars, then this is a great starting place. I only gave it 4 stars though because I wished there were some maps showing where the places were located (since I also know nothing of Swedish geography) and perhaps a chronology chart.



2. In this small book Jack R. Evans attempts an "all-you-wanted-to-know-about-Sweden" book. Unfortunately, his book is very uneven, and it reads like a collection of high-school term papers on Swedish topics, with little connecting thread. His historical section ends with the establishment of the present royal house in 1818, his section on religion devotes more to the mythical Sankta Lucia than to either Christianity or the old faith, and sprinkled here and there are a few pages on Swedish inventors, foods and recipes. There is nothing on Swedish politics after the early nineteenth century, and almost nothing on the contributions of Swedish-Americans to our national culture. On top of that, the book is terribly edited, with typos throughout, from "Lews," Delaware, as the name of the first Swedish settlement in America (it's "Lewes") on page 1 to two different misspellings of the name for Swedish hot spiced wine on page 149. In a time when word-processors can handle almost anything, there is little excuse for Evans' almost total omission of Swedish diacritical marks. There are many far better books. For starters, try Sweden: A Political and Cultural History by Eric Elstob, and Swedish Mentality by Ake Daun (my wife says she can see me in this one!).

No comments about Pelle the Conqueror: Apprenticeship (Fjord Modern Classics, No 4).